Howard says he won’t fight for custody if Larry is the father
Howard K. Stern will not stand in Larry Birkhead’s way if the DNA tests show Birkhead is Dannielynn’s father, this according to unimpeachable sources.
These sources have issued the following statement to TMZ:
“If Larry Birkhead is confirmed to be Dannielynn’s biological father, Howard will not challenge custody. His love for her will not change, irrespective of the results. Howard will act in Dannielynn’s best interest, because he loves her and would want a smooth transition to protect her, as she is deeply bonded to those who have been with her since birth.
While Howard continues to believe and hope that he is Dannielynn’s biological father, he wants to be involved in her life, regardless of paternity. He wants to share the memories of her mother as the person who knew Anna best and all she wanted for Dannielynn.
Howard will do whatever is necessary to assist Larry Birkhead to defeat any effort by Virgie Arthur to obtain custody of Dannielynn.
Howard was not part of the paternity lawsuit filed while Anna Nicole was alive. The first person to challenge Howard on custody was Virgie Arthur — not Larry Birkhead. Howard is dedicated to Virgie Arthur not having custody of Dannielynn. He is well aware of how Anna Nicole felt about ‘Mommy Dearest’ and Anna’s feelings were clear regarding Virgie Arthur being anywhere near Dannielynn.
Speculation that this is somehow about money for Howard is misguided and wrong. Howard has never made a TV or book deal even though he is the one who knew Anna Nicole best.
Howard wants Anna Nicole to be remembered as an icon like Marilyn Monroe, and he knows a lot of damage has been done to her image in the past two months. This restoration of Anna’s image is important for Dannielynn and the views she will have of her mother as she grows up. He also wants to make sure that only Dannielynn profits from Anna Nicole’s name, likeness and estate. As TMZ reported earlier, the money from Anna Nicole’s funeral went to a trust set up for Dannielynn. Howard set up the trust but he does not, and will not, receive any money from it and is not the trustee.”
TMZ has confirmed that DNA results will be revealed in court on Tuesday in the Bahamas. Stern and Birkhead will both be present. Arthur is also expected to be there.
April 9th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
I find all the paternity talk strange. Since he’s had custody of the baby for so long you can pretty much assume he’s had a paternity test done privately. If he were the father he wouldn’t have spent so much on legal challenges, cheaper to have the test and end it.
April 9th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Well , I’m sure he knows inside he probably isn’t the father, so why stand in the way of a man who is?
April 9th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
That makes me all warm and fuzzy.
February 23rd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Wonder what everyone thinks about that now?!…Anna Nicole Smith fought that DNA test tooth and nail for a reason! She knew who the real Larry Birkhead was and she didn’t want him to have anything to do with her baby. (and it wasn’t over sunglasses!)
But hey, Dannielynn is with her REAL father now so everything is good with the world.
Looking forward to watching Dannielynn toilet train on Entertainment Tonight and The Insider.