Think you have a miserable, high-stress job? Imagine writing for the “National Enquirer” during the post-Elvis-is-still-alive/pre-Trump “catch and kill” period.
In his warts-and-all book “When You Step Upon A Star” (Jacobs/Brown Media Group, 2024), gay writer William Keck gives us the inside scoop of the litter box of his career, which included unpleasant encounters with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Crashing weddings, funerals, intensive care units, and such, Keck details the unscrupulous methods expected of “National Enquirer” reporters, all for the sake of supermarket rack sensationalism and sales. Keck also manages to achieve a kind of redemption by including his personal story to illustrate his humanity and earn a modicum of respect. Keck kindly made time for an interview about his book.
Why was now the right time to write your book “When You Step Upon a Star?”
The combination of the pandemic lockdown and the abrupt 2021 cancellation of the Hallmark Channel daytime talk show I’d been producing for seven years afforded me the time I needed to sit in my garage, open all my dusty storage bins and sort through 30 years of reporter notebooks, tape recorded celebrity interviews, article clippings and photographs. I decided what could be tossed, what should be saved, and what was book-worthy. Of course, it was the juiciest, most cringeworthy stuff that made it into “When You Step Upon A Star.”
Is there one story in the book that you would cite as the inspiration for putting the book together?
“The Ghosts of Bradys Passed,” my “Brady Bunch” chapter in the beginning of my “Disturbing the Dead (and Near Dead)” section, pretty much spells out the inspiration for the book. A lonely closeted gay kid, whose dad died when he was 5, slipped into a TV fantasy world, adopting TV families like the Bradys, Ingalls, Waltons, Ewings, Carringtons, and Bradfords as his own. When he grows up and is living in a Manhattan YMCA in 1989, his world is rocked by the sudden death of Lucille Ball. It was at that point that I made the decision to get my ass out to L.A. so I could start meeting all my Hollywood idols before they joined Lucy. And I did, thanks to an enticing job offer from the “National Enquirer.” But what I didn’t realize was that I’d be meeting all my idols by crashing their weddings, funerals and hospital rooms and, as a result, royally pissing them off. It’s a classic case of “Be careful what you wish for.”
Who do you see as the target audience for “When You Step Upon a Star?”
Well, certainly any pop culture fanatics like me who want to know what all these classic stars were really like behind the scenes of my interviews with them for “People,” “USA Today,” “The Los Angeles Times,” and “TV Guide.” Definitely other gays who were obsessed with “Dallas,” “Dynasty,” “Desperate Housewives,” and shows like that. But there’s also, I think, a compelling journey many will enjoy about a closeted gay guy snooping into celebrities’ private lives while keeping secrets about his own. I was delighted to see the book soar to the top of Amazon’s LGBTQ-themed bestsellers charts. The book shows my evolution from an insecure kid to a confident out man who makes the decision to clean up both his personal and professional lives, and accepting whatever consequences that may come his way.
With all the personal details you included (i.e. coming out, your Nana Ruth, and other family members) “When You Step Upon a Star” is as much a memoir (as you say on p. 269) as it is a collection of your National Enquirer stories. Was that always your intention?
Great question! Actually, no. For a long time, the book was just a collection of anecdotes about my wild celebrity encounters – the high-speed chases, the garbage stealing, hiding in trees, etc. It was my publishing company that pushed me to make myself the central “character” of the story – opening up about my own secrets and showing how I was able to clean up the past and, in many instances, apologize and befriend many of the celebrities I’d once wronged. I was tickled to get contributions to the book from such celeb “friends” as Henry Winkler, Linda Evans, Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark, Melissa Gilbert, Cybill Shepherd, Marcia Cross and so many more.
Each chapter concludes with “Lesson Learned” coda. Why was it important to incorporate that into the book?
I’m a big fan of so-called self-help books and have enrolled in the Landmark Forum and Tony Robbins seminars. In fact, it was in one of those seminars that I first came out to LGBTQ advocate Judith Light. So, I just thought it made sense to sum up each moral challenge I faced with a short message about what I took away from that experience and how it helped me grow as a journalist and man. Some of these are just for laughs, but most contain what I believe are valuable takeaways that many can apply to their own lives.
As a member of the community, was it important for you to include LGBTQ people (including Baxter, DeGeneres, Barrymore, Rambo) within the pages?
Is Drew Barrymore gay now [laughs]? Ross Matthews must have really rubbed off on her. I guess she’s just a strong advocate and maybe a bit bi, which seems is how all the cool Hollywood kids are identifying these days. Actually, my original draft for the book was nearly twice the size. It’s now 400 pages, which I believe is as long as a fun, pop culture book should be. No offense to Barbra Streisand, who went on for 970 pages in her memoir. Ultimately, I chose to keep only the chapters that had an element of cringeworthy action, so the book would read like a movie script. The fact that several of the celebrities are gay is just a coincidence. When I crashed Meredith Baxter’s wedding, she was still identifying as straight and was marrying a man. Ellen DeGeneres and Portia confronted me backstage at the “People’s Choice Awards” when they discovered the tuxedo I was wearing was made from real animal fur. And my Drew Barrymore encounters over some 20 years were just funny, awkward and bizarre. Like when I ended up on a double date with her days after I’d had a nose job and ended up getting advice from her on how to reduce the post-op swelling. And in another story, she tells me she’s she going to “fucking kill” me. So, whether Drew is queer or not is irrelevant. She’s a great character whose stories had to be told.
Speaking of Dack Rambo, would you say it was cathartic for you to write that chapter?
Absolutely! I was advised to cut that chapter entirely by my friend Marc Cherry, who created “Desperate Housewives,” and who wrote an essay in my lengthy “Housewives” chapter. I got into some trouble up on Wisteria Lane. But I felt if I was really going to come clean about all my tabloid sins, it would be a bad move to leave this one out. I was a complicit as a closeted gay man in Dack’s bogus deathbed interview being reported as a legitimate exclusive in the “National Enquirer.” I had lusted after this guy when I saw him bursting out of his Speedos as Jack Ewing on Dallas, and then admired the hell out of him when he was brave enough to come out as bi and HIV+ on a national talk show. He was a way better man than I’ll ever be, and I thought it was important to set the record straight and allow his “Dallas” co-star Sheree J. Wilson to tell my readers who this incredible man really was.
On page 168 of the “Dangerous Divas” section, you mentioned a soap opera “ingenue with a fondness for making home porn movies.” Would you agree that such a story is far less scandalous now in the age of OnlyFans than it was in the past?
Well, no. Although I don’t name the actress in the book, I’ll tell you who it was. A lovely ingenue from “Days of Our Lives” named Christie Clark, who played wholesome Carrie Brady, the antithesis of Allison Sweeney’s evil Sami Brady. When I interviewed her ages ago, I think she must have been trying to let people know she wasn’t as sickly saccharine as her character. So yeah, she told me she and her boyfriend at the time and their dog liked to make dirty home movies. I equate it to Julie Andrews breaking away from her Mary Poppins and Maria Von Trapp image by bearing her tits in (the Blake Edwards movie) “S.O.B.” I don’t think Christie had a problem with her words being printed, but the producer of “Days of Our Lives” sure wasn’t thrilled with me. I’ve been responsible for many “apology muffin baskets” being messengered all over town.
In chapter 27, you wrote about Kim Fields, and “The Facts of Life” cast. What do you think about the recent news story in which Mindy Cohn revealed that one of her “Facts of Life” co-stars sabotaged the reunion?
“Entertainment Tonight” invited me on to talk about this right after that news broke. I have a whole “Facts of Life” chapter in my book about my various encounters with the girls and Charlotte Rae. From what I reveal, it’s pretty clear who the Eastland divas are, and who are not. While it’s seeming like Lisa Whelchel was the one Mindy was talking about, based on the behavior I’ve observed from both Mindy and Kim, I can understand why Lisa wouldn’t want to be in another series with them.
Are you planning to do readings and book signings for “When You Step Upon a Star?”
Yes! We had a great launch signing event at Barnes & Noble at L.A.’s The Grove, with my buddy Mark Steines from “Entertainment Tonight” interviewing me in front of a packed house. That’s going up on YouTube any day now.
Find out more at WhenYouStepUponAStar.com.
