Brazen trash snooper seen digging through Michelle Phillips’s garbage…but all is not what it seems

It looked like every homeowner’s worst nightmare: a man rummaging through trash cans and swiping a packet of papers.

And for Mamas and Papas legend Michelle Phillips, 81, that was briefly the reality when the man swooped in shortly after she wheeled her garbage to the curb outside her Los Angeles home.

But DailyMail.com can reveal the seemingly sinister situation was actually nothing of the sort with Phillips saying the man is a neighbor on the hunt for discarded copies of the New York Times.

‘He’s perfectly harmless,’ the singer told a Daily Mail reporter who showed her a photo of the man outside her home.

‘It’s nothing to worry about and I’ve known him since he was a teenager. He’s very nice, and he was going through my trash to find my newspapers because he wants to read the New York Times.

‘Thank you for checking – that’s what neighbors are for,’ Michelle added.

Michelle Phillips, 81, had a neighbor rifle through her trash shortly after she took her cans down to the end of her Los Angeles home’s driveway 

The man with a distinct white bowl cut wore a red long-sleeve shirt, tan khakis and aviator-style sunglasses was captured in exclusive DailyMail.com photos rummaging through her trash

At one point the man got on his knees to go through Phillips’s trash bags and sorted through her discarded mail and loose pieces of paper

But there may be more to the man’s trash run than Michelle knows. He was clearly seen stuffing letters from her garbage into his back pockets before walking away.

Shortly after her neighbor took off, Phillips clad in black pants, a black sweater layered under a Japanese-inspired red and blue kimono and oversized black sunglasses, was seen heading out to run errands.

The incident marked Phillips’s first public sighting since the death of Beach Boys icon Brian Wilson – a longtime acquaintance. Her daughter Chynna, 57, formed the successful 90s pop trio Wilson Phillips with Brian’s daughters, Carnie and Wendy.

Phillips gave birth to Chynna during her tumultuous marriage to The Mamas & The Papas’ founder and chief songwriter, John Phillips.

Their union – riddled with infidelity, substance abuse and the crushing weight of fame – lasted past the band’s three-year career before ending in divorce in 1969.

She is also the stepmother to actress Mackenzie Phillips, 66, and model Bijou Phillips, 45, through her late ex-husband’s other relationships.

The man was seen closely looking at each piece of mail before he took off with his loot

When he was done looking through the last surviving member of The Mamas & The Papas’s trash, he tucked a few envelopes in his back pocket before walking off

Phillips was seemingly unaware of what had just transpired at the end of her driveway and ended up leaving in her car to run some errands

Phillips wore black pants, a black sweater layered under a Japanese-inspired red and blue kimono and oversized black sunglasses 

John, who died in 2001 at age 65, notoriously had an affair with Cass Elliot, the group’s other female vocalist, fueling deep tensions within the band.

Phillips, meanwhile, had her own controversial affairs – including with bandmate Denny Doherty and director Roman Polanski, the latter while his partner Sharon Tate was pregnant with his child.

But although their relationship was marred with controversy, she still defended her late ex-husband’s character in 2009 when allegations emerged of incest made by her stepdaughter Mackenzie.

At the time, her other stepdaughter Bijou said she knew her half-sister Mackenzie had a consensual sexual relationship with their father.

Bijou, who was married to convicted rapist Danny Masterton till she filed for divorce in 2023, claimed she was 13 years old when Mackenzie told her about the relationship, calling the news ‘confusing and scary’.

Bijou added that it was ‘heartbreaking’ to think her family knew about the incest and still left her alone with her father.

The band, which shot to stardom with hits ‘California Dreamin’,’ ‘Monday, Monday,’ and ‘Dedicated to the One I Love,’ split in 1968 just three years after achieving mainstream success and winning a Grammy in 1967 for Best Contemporary (R&R) Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental.

Phillips is the last surviving member of The Mamas & The Papas which lasted only three years before its members went their own ways with solo careers 

Phillips had a tumultuous relationship with her ex-husband and fellow band member John Phillips (right). John, who died in 2001 at the age of 65, infamously had an affair with Cass Elliot (center), the band’s other female vocalist, which created tensions within the group. Michelle herself had an affair with bandmate Denny Doherty (left)

Phillips (right) with (l-r) Chynna, Bijou, Mama Cass’s daughter Owen Elliot-Kugell and Mackenzie at the ceremony to mark Cass’s Hollywood Star of Fame in 2022. The honor was awarded posthumously. Cass died in 1974 aged 32

Phillips still found success after the band split through acting where she starred alongside celebrities such as Martin Sheen, Audrey Hepburn and Sharon Stone. 

The singer-turned-actress was later cast in a biographical gangster film Dillinger in 1973 – which garnered her a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer.

She also took on roles in films including Valentino (1977), The Covenant (1985) and Scissors (1991).

Phillips additionally branched out to the world of television and starred in the series titled Knots Landing (1987-1993).

Later in her career, she had guest roles in beloved shows such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Love Boat.

At the height of her fame, Phillips had a whirlwind marriage to actor Dennis Hopper that lasted just eight days, as well as high-profile romances with Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty.

She divorced her third husband, radio producer John Burch, in 1979 after one year.