Show Notes
Jackie Siegel: Celebrity Advocate for Change and Resilience
Jackie Siegel, widely recognized for her starring role in the award-winning documentary Queen of Versailles (Magnolia Pictures), captured international attention when the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. Her celebrity status was cemented as viewers followed her and her husband, David Siegel, in their ambitious quest to build the largest private residence in the U.S., aptly named Versailles. However, the 2008 financial crisis disrupted their plans, showcasing the rise and fall of their grand vision in a critically acclaimed story of opulence and resilience.
Tragedy struck the Siegel family in 2015, forever altering Jackie’s priorities. Their 18-year-old daughter, Victoria, died of a drug overdose, a devastating loss that propelled Jackie and her husband into a deeply personal mission to combat the opioid epidemic. Taking responsibility in the wake of this unimaginable grief, Jackie co-founded Victoria’s Voice Foundation, dedicated to saving lives through drug prevention education, empowering first responders with life-saving tools like Narcan (Naloxone), and fostering healthy digital habits for young people. Jackie has openly reflected on how Narcan, had it been available to first responders when Victoria was found, might have saved her daughter's life.
In 2019, Jackie published Victoria’s Voice, a raw and emotional compilation of Victoria's personal journal entries, left exactly as the young woman wrote them. Through poems, drawings, and candid reflections, the book offers parents and teens a poignant glimpse into the struggles of adolescence. “If only one life can be saved through our efforts,” Jackie says, “it will have been worth all of the time, effort, and money.”
Jackie’s advocacy extends beyond the page. That same year, she released The Princess of Versailles documentary on the fourth anniversary of Victoria’s passing, aiming to elevate awareness of America’s opioid crisis. Her commitment to guiding families through grief and loss continued with the publication of Oliver Uncollared, a children’s book co-written in 2020 with her twin daughters, offering solace to kids navigating similar challenges.
As a philanthropist, model, and actress, Jackie now devotes much of her public platform to amplifying Victoria’s Voice Foundation. She works tirelessly to rally communities, state legislatures, and federal leaders to take stronger action against the opioid epidemic. Her influence as the former Mrs. Florida America and her involvement in the national Mrs. America organization have also inspired beauty queens nationwide to join her cause, spreading critical awareness and education.
Most recently, Jackie welcomed cameras back into her life with the Discovery+ series Queen of Versailles Reigns Again (2022), revisiting her iconic Versailles mansion and showcasing her ongoing journey of resilience, advocacy, and responsibility. While she maintains a packed calendar of professional engagements, Jackie’s unwavering dedication to honoring Victoria’s legacy remains her most profound endeavor.
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Intro and Outro music by:
Decisions by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100756
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
