Shocking Secrets About Lucille Ball and Desi Revealed

In a bombshell revelation from a new biography, TV legend Desi Arnaz is accused of going behind Lucille Ball’s back during one of the most emotional moments of her life—just after giving birth to their first child.

The shocking claim comes from Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television, a new book by author Todd S. Purdum, who uncovered the jaw-dropping moment when Arnaz allegedly changed their newborn daughter’s name without telling Ball.

A Name Decided Years in Advance

Long before they became America’s most iconic TV couple, Lucy and Desi had already decided what they would name their future children: Susan for a girl and Desi Jr. for a boy. According to Purdum, Ball even signed personal letters to Arnaz as “Susan and Desi Jr.” during their early years together.

But when Lucy finally gave birth—after enduring multiple miscarriages—the joyous moment turned into a quiet betrayal.

“I Want to See Susan!” — But Desi Had Other Plans

In July 1951, Lucy delivered their daughter via C-section. The first words out of her mouth when the anesthesia wore off? “I want to see Susan!” she told the nurse, thrilled to meet the baby she had long dreamed of.

But the nurse’s reply floored her.

“You mean… Lucie?”

Desi had already filled out the birth certificate without consulting her—naming the baby Lucie Désirée, after Lucille herself and her own mother, Désirée Ball.

“Lucy was surprised but didn’t make a fuss,” Purdum writes. “The name was, after all, a compliment she could hardly resist.”

Still, it marked the beginning of what would later become a deeply complicated marriage.

The Dream Baby Boy — and a Crumbling Marriage

Just over a year later, in January 1953, Lucy gave birth to the couple’s second child—Desi Jr.—and this time, the name stuck. It was the one she had chosen from the start.

The couple continued to play America’s happy sweethearts on I Love Lucy, but behind closed doors, their marriage was cracking. Alcohol, affairs, and constant work stress took its toll.

Lucie and Desi Jr., now in their 70s, opened up about their parents’ unraveling relationship in interviews with Purdum.

“It wasn’t good for anyone,” Desi Jr. recalled. “And we’ll always remember when they sat us down and said, ‘Look, you know, things aren’t working.’ I mean, I remember word for word.”

Lucille and Desi officially divorced in 1960 after two decades of marriage. She remarried comedian Gary Morton in 1961. Arnaz wed Edith Mack Hirsch in 1963.

A Final Curtain for Two TV Legends

Lucille Ball remained married to Morton until her death in 1989 at age 77. Arnaz passed away three years earlier, in 1986, following a battle with lung cancer. His wife Edith had died the year before.

Though their marriage didn’t last, the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz—and the behind-the-scenes stories like this one—continue to fascinate fans decades later.

And for Lucie Arnaz, the name her father chose without asking may have come as a shock—but it’s one she ultimately wore with pride.