Rachel Bilson Confronts Bling Ring Member Alexis Neiers and Sister Gabby About 2009 Robbery
Over a decade after the crimes of the infamous Bling Ring, Rachel Bilson confronted two of its members, Alexis Neiers and sister Gabby Neiers, on her Broad Ideas podcast.
"I had super conflicting feelings about this in particular and I have to let you guys know I have always stayed very distant from anything having to do with the quote unquote Bling Ring. I never read anything. I didn’t support the movie Sofia [Coppola] did," Bilson announced on the podcast, which aired Oct. 10.
When Bilson added how her empathetic nature and being a mother may make it difficult for her to not "comfort" the Neiers sisters, co-host Olivia Allen jumped in to say, "You don’t need to go into making them comfortable because the truth of the matter is the situation wasn’t comfortable."
"I came here knowing that you could come here and rip me apart and I would take it because that’s what you deserve and you deserve to get your peace from this," Gabby Neiers told Bilson.
"As fellow mothers, it’s like, you’re in a different place in your life. To actually have real conversations is more important than harboring any awkwardness, animosity [or] any other negative feelings that might come along with it," Bilson responded.
Bilson was the victim of multiple Bling Ring robberies in 2009, during which sentimental items such as her mother's engagement ring were stolen from her home in Los Feliz, Los Angeles.
Gabby claimed to not have any knowledge of what was taken besides the "four duffel bags of jeans." She added: "I know that I stripped you of feeling safe in your home and I am so sorry."
"I do appreciate you saying that and I can tell you’re genuinely sorry," Bilson replied.
Bilson also asked about how the robberies were planned and executed, as well as what happened to her stolen items.
The sisters claimed most of the stolen goods were "pawned and sold," and that Gabby donated the bags of jeans "to a homeless shelter."
"I am not a person that lives my life in grudges, regret, negativity. So I let go of this s--- a long time ago," Bilson shared.
The Bling Ring was a group of teens who robbed the homes of celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Bilson in the late 2000s.
Bling Ring member Alexis Neiers is known for her much-quoted phone call to Nancy Jo, which aired on her family's short-lived late-'00s reality show Pretty Wild. The show was filmed during the investigation and trial of the Bling Ring.
Alexis was sentenced in May 2010 for her involvement in the robbery string.
Lesser known is her younger sister Gabby Neiers, who came forward in a Sept. 26 Instagram Live to confess to her previously unknown involvement in robbing Bilson's house during the Bling Ring era.
Gabby's confession and subsequent podcast appearance come after the release of the Netflix documentary The Real Bling Ring Hollywood Heist, which features Alexis and Bling Ring ringleader Nick Prugo. The documentary hit streaming on Sept. 21.
The Neiers sisters claim Gabby's story was cut from the documentary, prompting Gabby to come forward on Instagram Live to free Alexis from keeping her secret, according to Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
Due to the statute of limitations, Gabby can no longer be charged for the crime.
In 2013, Sofia Coppola released The Bling Ring, a film based on the robberies. In the film Emma Watson plays a character named "Nicki," who was based on Alexis Neiers.