Why are we interviewing a divorcee on WGA you may ask? Well, for starters, Tricia Walsh-Smith is no ordinary ex-wife. In 2008, she discovered her then husband, New York theatre impresario Philip Smith, intended to file for divorce and throw her out of the family home. Rather than take it lying down, Tricia fought back web 2.0 style via youtube. Armed with a camera team, she filmed herself dishing the dirty laundry such as her hubby’s secret stash of viagra, condoms and (ahem!) porn…
The result? Tricia found instant fame as her youtube video raked in millions of hits and she was talked about by everyone from FOX news to The Daily Mail to Time magazine!
So without further adieu, here’s the video that started it all:
Ironically, it was these very videos that caused a NY judge to rule in favour of Tricia’s millionaire husband and uphold the original pre-nup that promised her only $750,000. If you give Tricia a google, I think it’s suffice to say that she has her fair share of haters and lovers. Half the room assert she married for money while the rest applaud her as a woman standing up for her rights.
I’m not here to judge, but I did find Tricia quite entertaining and thought it would be interesting (and a little controversial) to have her on WGA.
Who better to ask about marriage (and pre-nups!) than a lady who has famously been there, done that.
How does it feel to be a youtube sensation with over 4 million hits?
It feels great! I knew when I made the video it would cause a ruckus and it didn’t disappoint! It would have had around 20 million hits if my stupid publicist hadn’t pulled it down right at it’s peak, citing “damage control” as the reason! It took 2 weeks to get hold of a YouTube executive and have it re-posted. The publicist really ruined the viral energy, but the video is more iconic because of the fact it was the first ever divorce on YouTube, so I guess being screwed out of 16 million hits doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. (But I hate that publicist!!!)
Women tend to have a need to ‘talk about things’. Is this why you went on youtube?
The reason I went on YouTube was because my husband was evicting me from the apartment that week! There had been a clause in the prenup that stated he could kick me out within the month by just paying a princely sum of $50,000. However, he hadn’t paid the credit card bill (which covered food shopping etc) for three months and those bills alone were around $46,000. So he was throwing me out with almost nothing!
The rest of the pre-nup stated that he would pay me another $700,000 once the divorce was finalised. But I found out he was intending to not officially divorce me so he could avoid paying the 700k! Thus, by my going online I forced him into court – divorce and payment.
Plus I wanted to set the record straight. He was telling all of Broadway that I was leaving him because “I didn’t love him anymore as he was too old”. So by going on YouTube, I was hoping someone such as his boss, would tell him to stop being so cruel. And I wanted everyone to know he was the one kicking me out and that his sorry tale about my leaving him because he was “too old”, was a load of rubbish.
The video dispelled his lies and people now know that he’s a nasty piece of work and a mean miser!
Relationships aren’t easy – as you’ve experienced yourself. No regrets?
Yes – marrying him! Seriously, I ignored signs that pointed to his caring for his own needs and not mine. Relationships have to be give and take to work, and I realize now that I was the only one doing the giving. He seemed to feel that “allowing” me to live in his palatial home was enough and I should have been eternally grateful. It was very “Cinderella,” and I was just “Arm Candy,” as stated in my music video “Arm Candy.”
To pre-nup or not to pre-nup. Any thoughts for the modern day bride?
Personally, I don’t disagree with pre-nups as long as they are fair and honest. Mine wasn’t. If I was in the same position I would take the pre-nup to at least 3 different lawyers to get their opinion. Bear in mind that it was a gossip columnist who informed me my husband was divorcing me and advised me to see 3 lawyers. It was the 3rd lawyer who informed me that there was a “Termination agreement,” in the pre-nup.
This was the clause where I could be thrown out of the marital home in 30 days with a meager $50,000! I wasn’t aware of this agreement until then. The lawyer who originally consulted me before my marriage was paid for by my husband-to-be, so that was where his loyalty lay.
Did you end up having your dream wedding?
Yes I did actually! It was fantastic! We had a police escort to the church and then the reception in JJ Shubert’s (founder of the Shubert Organization) apartment on the top of the Sardi building on Broadway. My mum and all my best pals from the UK flew over and it was a blast!
Do you still believe in love?
I totally still believe in love. But – I must respect and love myself more before I make such a major commitment again. My resolution now is to ensure that if I again give my heart, my future partner must also give his. I must also look after me from now on as I have learned if I don’t protect myself, no one else will.
Tricia may not of gotten the settlement she wanted but she has put her life back on track. Currently, Tricia’s one of the stars on the hit show Pineapple Dance Studios that airs on Sky 1 in the UK. She is also writing a book and lyrics for a musical “Change the Day”. By the way, if you’re curious, here’s Tricia’s Arm Candy music video that she mentioned earlier:
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