What Else for June 30, 2020

It’s Canada Day tomorrow, a national holiday, so we’ll be dark. We will be posting though on Thursday and Friday and we hope you’ll join us then. Dr Dre and Nicole Young are getting divorced after 24 years of marriage. Dr Dre is very, very, VERY wealthy. Like wealthy enough to name buildings at univ...

Michele Morrone is so f-cking hot in Netflix's 365 Days

For about two weeks now, the #1 movie on Netflix has been 365 Days, the movie some are calling the Polish Fifty Shades of Grey. As Forbes notes, it debuted at #1, then dropped back, then returned to #1, dropped again, and then went to #1 for a third time. Let me say this off the top – I watched it t...

Canada's Drag Race judges on how the show will distinguish itself from the American version

In case you missed it, all week leading up to the premiere of Canada’s Drag Race on Thursday on Crave, I’ll be spotlighting the judges and the competition. To access our Drag Race main page, where all Drag Race articles are collected, please click here.Representing RuPaul Andre Charles on Canada’s D...

Celebrity Social Media, June 30, 2020

What do you think we can glean from Noah Centino and Lana Condor’s social media posts on the TATBILB table read? Lana’s post is clear and conscise, explaining the who/what/when/where details. Noah’s post is like, “Huh? What? Oh ya dude here are three rando photos – link in bio!” These is extreme Lar...

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas in great spirits six months into their relationship

Technically the public has only known about Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas for just over three months when they were first seen together in Cuba in March. But they started getting close while working on their film, Deep Water, late in 2019. And they were spotted out on dates in New Orleans in January....

Introducing Canada's Drag Race judges: Brooke Lynn Hytes

Our Canada’s Drag Race Week coverage continues – if you missed our previous posts, please visit the Drag Race main page for profiles of Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and Stacey McKenzie. Today we focus on our third judge, Brooke Lynn Hytes. Brooke Lynn Hytes The very same club where Stacey went to her firs...

Leonardo DiCaprio is happy to hide his face behind a mask while out for dinner with Camila Morrone

Globally we are nowhere near getting the COVID-19 pandemic under control. Certain countries have flattened the curve but there have already been second wave breakouts in several parts of the world. Meanwhile, in the United States, experts are saying that the spread of coronavirus is becoming harder ...

Marsai Martin delivers perfect clapback after internet trolls criticize her appearance

Marsai Martin is exactly the presenter award show producers look for. At Sunday’s BET Awards she took whatever script was given to her and made it her own, mixing comedy with an important call to action, demanding #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor. She even threw in a few steps from the TikTok “Savage” dance...

Anne Hathaway says Christopher Nolan doesn't allow chairs on his movie sets

Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman interviewed each other for Variety’s Actors on Actors series and during their conversation, Anne shares a detail about working with Christopher Nolan that some people are making fun of online. Christopher Nolan, of course, is a Brand Name Director. His latest film, Ten...

Intro for June 30, 2020

Dear Gossips,This is a holiday week in Canada and the United States which means some of you who’ve been putting off watching Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga will be streaming it over the next few days. If you’ve been online lately you’ve probably seen all the headlines about it. Sara...

What Else for June 29, 2020

I read about Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest stunt this morning without having seen the video. The video makes it even more surreal, especially what he’s wearing. Which has always been part of his schtick. He isn’t there to blend in – he’s always there to take the form of whatever he’s mocking in the mos...

Celebrity Social Media, June 29, 2020

Barbra Streisand is protective of her legacy – she doesn’t let just anyone tour her underground mall. Babs consistently loves on Ariana Grande. Maybe they’ll do an album together, like Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett.  This is just a runoff from above, but while looking through Barbra’s feed I saw this p...

Introducing Canada's Drag Race judges: Stacey McKenzie

In case you missed it, all week leading up to the premiere of Canada’s Drag Race on Thursday on Crave, I’ll be spotlighting the judges and the competition. To access our Drag Race main page, where all Drag Race articles are collected, please click here. Earlier I wrote about judge Jeffrey Bowyer-Cha...

Introducing Canada's Drag Race judges: Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman

We’re officially t-minus three days until the premiere of Canada’s Drag Race, arriving just in time for Canada Day. Happy Dragtastic Birthday Canada! This week, we’ll be counting down with some very special content including interviews with the judges, spotlights on the queens, and an in depth look ...

Why the most recent trailer for Disney+'s upcoming release of Hamilton is important and different

If you don’t know by now that Hamilton will drop on Disney+ on Friday, July 3rd, I assume it’s because you don’t need that information – which is fine, I get it. For those who do know, who have known, though… The anticipation for the #Hamilfilm is intense, mostly because this version of the show was...

Review: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is the dumb summer fun we need

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga—a title that never gets easier to deal with—is the dopamine hit we need this summer. If you’re missing the Eurovision Song Contest this year, Fire Saga has you covered with a series of Eurovision All-Star cameos and original songs that honor the theatr...

Adele watches her own Glastonbury throwback and clarifies she's not releasing a new album soon

COVID-19 remains our reality. And while some countries are reopening, we’re probably a long way from concerts and music festivals. South Korea, a country recognised by many to have been able to get a handle on the situation early on, is now in its second wave. It seems likely then that other parts o...

Summer Walker's performance on the 2020 BET Awards was a showstopper

If you’re an R&B fan and you don’t know Summer Walker, download her 2019 album Over It, right now — and thank me later. Now that we have that sorted out, let me tell you about her BET Awards duet with Usher that proved to be the sexiest performance of Sunday night’s annual awards, which were held vi...

Breaking down the great performances from Lil Wayne, Chloe x Halle, and more at the virtual 2020 BET Awards

The 2020 BET Awards, held virtually, was one of my favourite BET Awards in many years; things may be upside down right now, but Black people continue to shine. Hosted by Amanda Seales, with her usual humour and authenticity, the show promised to be “Black Black” and showcasing the creativity of Blac...

Margot Robbie announced to star in upcoming "wholly original" Pirates of the Caribbean movie

Over the 2010s, Margot Robbie became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. She’s a two-time Oscar nominee with a hot production company, developing interesting, trophy-baiting projects for herself (I, Tonya), and for other people (Promising Young Woman), as well as creating television projects (Dol...

Kelly Clarkson wins Daytime Emmy for Entertainment Talk Show Host and thanks her crew

There are few people in Hollywood like Kelly Clarkson. Think about it. How many celebrities are as universally beloved as Kelly Clarkson? My favourite celebrity may not be your favourite celebrity. You fave is probably not mine. But when Kelly Clarkson comes up, no one is like… nah, I don’t f-ck wit...

Intro for June 29, 2020

Dear Gossips, The BET Awards aired last night on CBS. It was the 20th anniversary and of course it’s not like the BET Awards are never broadcast – but what makes this noteworthy is that they were broadcast for the first time on one of the big four networks aka one of the “legacy” networks: ABC, CBS,...

Queen Beyoncé announces her new film, Black Is King, with first trailer

Last week I wrote about Beyoncé flexing her brilliance on the surprise Juneteenth song, “Black Parade”. Who knew that a such an important piece of her discography would set the stage for ‘something way bigger?  After being honoured with the Humanitarian Award at Sunday’s BET Awards, Beyoncé used her...

What Else for June 26, 2020

Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich are over which has been an ongoing storyline for months. Now, a new development. She’s “leaning on” someone. An attractive actor. Which is basically a euphemism for “pre-dating”, like testing the waters before letting the world know that they’re actually dating. This ...

The top reasons you should be watching Homecoming starring Janelle Monae

Every time I’m on a Zoom call, in an effort to counteract the general awkwardness that is people who are often having their only human interaction for the week, there’s some small talk about what people are watching – that happens regardless of whether it’s a TV industry call or one about, like, com...

Sasha Finds: 437

A pink sweat set. Do I really have to say more? I mean, this thing is an essential in your loungewear quiver.Sweatsuit in Candy from 437Sweatsuit in Candy from 437It all comes down to fit and this fleece set has aced it with their slim streamlined silhouette. But this candy-colored set gets even swe...

Celebrity Social Media, June 26, 2020

The big news today is Kanye West x Gap, a headline-grabbing but not totally surprising partnership. The Gap has been struggling for years with sales and the ethos of its brand, while its sister company Old Navy has soared with its reasonably priced chinos and peppy, celebrity-heavy commercials. Yeez...

Kenya Barris’s #BlackAF renewed for a second season

#BlackAF has been renewed for a second season. This is such great news for me, I was confused when Lainey told me cause my biased mind had already renewed it before it was actually real. I made my allegiances to this extremely messy show back in April, here. Now that it’s come back, it’s fascinating...

For Your Fitness: Home Cycling

Hi Hayley,Have you ever purchased any cardio equipment for your home as I am considering purchasing some. I am a breast cancer survivor 12 years and I have had some other health issues over the last few years, including falling off a ladder and breaking my wrist, elbow and concussing myself. The cha...

The Hollywood Reporter's drama actress roundtable 2020 includes Janelle Monáe, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Helena Bonham Carter, Rose Byrne, and Zendaya

Written by Cody Voting for this year’s Emmy nominees starts July 2nd and that means the stars are (virtually) out campaigning. One of the big stops is always The Hollywood Reporter’s roundtable series; this year’s drama actress roundtable includes Janelle Monáe (Homecoming), Jennifer Aniston (The Mo...

Paul Rudd and Chris Evans's extreme dad energy on Variety's Actors on Actors @home

The Emmys are proceeding on September 20, though no one is quite sure what the show will look like. Will it be virtual? Will it be nominees only? Is Jimmy Kimmel still hosting or will he be replaced? Many questions, no answers. What we do know is that the award campaign machine is still grinding, if...

The Dixie Chicks change their name to The Chicks and release "March March", an unmistakable call to action

The artists who used to go by The Dixie Chicks announced a name change yesterday and released a new song. They are now “The Chicks”. The reason being that the word “dixie” is, like “antebellum”, associated with a time in the South when Black people were oppressed. It romanticises an era before aboli...

Tenet once again delays its release moving it to August 12

With COVID-19 cases on the rise in the US, Tenet has once again delayed its release, moving off its second date of July 31 for a mid-week drop on Wednesday, August 12. When I wrote about the first date change, I said it was “probably the first in what will likely be a series of date shifts”, and thi...

Intro for June 26, 2020

Dear Gossips, “BLACKPINK in your area!”It’s the day Blinks have been waiting for – BLACKPINK summer has officially begun! Stage one of the comeback has kicked off. For those of you still getting familiar with K-pop after fan activism has made mainstream headlines for disrupting white supremacist att...

June 26, 2020 – Smutty Shout-Outs

Please join me for Covenant House Toronto’s first-ever Stay in + Sleep Out Virtual Sleep Out in support of youth who are homeless and trafficked. During COVID-19, Covenant House remains open 24-7 serving more than 300 youth a day. Their frontline staff are working around the clock to keep youth expe...

What Else for June 25, 2020

Maria has mentioned Britney Spears a couple of times this week in Celebrity Social Media, writing that at least on Instagram, Britney is “thriving in quarantine”, pointing to her recent post honouring Pride and her LGBTQ+ fans. But now the Beyhive is mad at her. There is no way Britney was disrespec...

Sandra Oh and Sharon Choi fangirl each other during interview for Killing Eve

One of the unexpected stars to emerge from this past award season which culminated with Parasite’s win for Best Picture at the Oscars was Sharon Choi, Director Bong Joon-ho’s interpreter. We all fell in love with her. And she was on stage with the Parasite team multiple times that night to collect O...

What’s Your Drama: An Unwanted Meat Stick

Welcome back to What's Your Drama! We kick off this episode with unpacking audio as Lainey is only shopping for star-print clothing these days. We are also talking about blood baths AKA our periods. Come on, we haven't talked about our periods in at least two podcasts so let us have this.  Then we d...

Celebrity Social Media, June 25, 2020

A woman named Raina made a modest proposal video for John Boyega (asking him to marry her, fair request). Now Twitter can be tricky because of fake accounts, so a person changed their profile to mimic John’s current profile and initiated contact. The internet went wild. Only, it wasn’t the real deal...

Love Is Blind alums Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed Hamilton to host Game Night

Written by CodyThis week, Ellen Digital Network announced a new reality competition series, Game Night, which will feature the show’s hosts, Love Is Blind alums Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed Hamilton pitted against famous couples in a series of virtual games. This is the second time the Ellen De...

ESPN's next big sports documentary, Blackfeet Boxing, is about an all-women boxing club on a Native American reservation

Earlier this summer, ESPN dominated quarantine viewing with The Last Dance, a docuseries about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Their next big sports documentary is about an all-women boxing club…on a Native American reservation. Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible tells the story of the Blackfeet ...

Jenny Slate and Kristen Bell step down from their roles voicing Black characters on Big Mouth and Central Park

Written by CodyYou’d be hard pressed to find somebody in my age group who doesn’t love Big Mouth or has at least sampled the Netflix hit since it entered the cultural zeitgeist on arrival in 2017 — because it’s hilarious. The animated series, which follows 7th graders as they navigate puberty with o...

Savannah Guthrie responds to Tweet calling her recent on-air look "unkempt"

Even though restrictions are lifting after months of pandemic lockdown – and many would say they shouldn’t be lifting at all considering the outbreaks and surges and an anticipated second wave – many people are still working from home, including broadcasters. I’m still working from home and there ar...

Intro for June 25, 2020

Dear Gossips, Earlier this week, Netflix released the first trailer for a new animated film called Over The Moon. The film is inspired by Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival or Harvest Moon Festival or what I like to call Chinese Thanksgiving. Many of our cultural holidays originate from mythology. The myth...

What Else for June 24, 2020

Rolling Stone talked to several musicians about the industry and coronavirus. Here in Toronto we are slowly relaxing restrictions but everybody’s talking about the second wave. And in the US, even though things are reopening, there are spikes and surges happening everywhere. One musician, however, i...

Duana Names: Sometimes More Is More

Duana,Please, please help us! I have a c section scheduled one month from today, and we cannot figure out a name. We already have a daughter, Margot, and we think her name is absolutely perfect. We had several other beautiful girl names picked out but of course we are having a boy. We know his middl...

Celebrity Social Media, June 24, 2020

Dennis Quaid’s elopement is the top story on PEOPLE.com today and it has me wondering, who is checking on Dennis Quaid? It’s his fourth time on the merry-go-round and he has name recognition, for sure, but I didn’t think his marriage would get such prime placement. Now if Meg Ryan got remarried, giv...

PEOPLE reports that Leonardo DiCaprio is serious about Camila Morrone who has been his girlfriend for two and a half years

Camila Morrone celebrated her 23rd birthday last week and as Maria covered in Celebrity Social Media yesterday, Leonardo DiCaprio spent the day with her and their friends on the water. We’re now two years ago from the infamous Leo cutoff. No rush, right? We’re in the middle of a pandemic, and it’s n...

HBO's Perry Mason starring Matthew Rhys is a cynical show for a cynical time

The first episode of HBO’s rebooted Perry Mason aired on the weekend, and it is a cynical show for a cynical time. Set during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, in that liminal space where nothing feels real and everything is possible, a young boy, Charlie, is murdered during a kidnapping go...

Bryan Singer is allegedly recruiting boys for trips to Hawaii and has shifted his focus to Instagram influencers

This was my reaction when I saw Bryan Singer’s name on an email from site manager Emily this morning, “Ugh, Bryan Singer.” The roach analogy was even better than I realized, because here comes another one, scuttling across the floor. You might have thought Singer was done, after an extensive expose ...

Timothee Chalamet and Eiza Gonzalez are a hot new couple in Mexico

People were sending me this all night, my friends, you gossips, and on social media, and I know that because Timothee Chalamet is an Internet Boyfriend, and I exist online, he’s obviously a big deal in my bubble but I wonder, beyond that online popularity (which for many feels like the only kind of ...

Winona Ryder reminds us of Mel Gibson's homophobia, misogyny, and anti-Semitism

Not that anyone SHOULD need reminding, but just in case someone DID forget, Mel Gibson is a raging asshole and all-around bad person. To remind us, Winona Ryder emerged from her self-quarantine to tell The Sunday Times about that time in the 1990s when Gibson said homophobic and anti-Semitic things ...

Intro for June 24, 2020

Dear Gossips, Cody wrote yesterday about the current Jimmy Kimmel controversy and I posted about Tina Fey and 30 Rock pulling four Blackface episodes. Last week, Howard Stern went on the air to address his past use of Blackface and the n-word. This was in response to Donald Trump Jr retweeting an ol...

What Else for June 23, 2020

Maybe you already know that Novak Djokovic has coronavirus and that early on during the pandemic he made some controversial statements about how to protect people from it. But that’s not why you should read this article. You should read it for the opening paragraph which is delightful, especially th...

Should Jimmy Kimmel's disappointing decision to wear Blackface in the early 2000s get him cancelled?

Written by Cody(Lainey: yesterday we introduced to you our newest contributor, Cody Kreller. His first post about Beyoncé can be read here. We haven’t yet had the chance to build him his own profile on the site and we won’t be able to get to that until the weekend so for now his content is going und...

Everyone needs to watch Netflix's Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen

We’re nearing the end of Pride Month, and although the cancellation of Pride parades and festivities due to the pandemic has been disappointing, it’s also been a great opportunity to read and reflect about queer history. About Black history. Pride month commemorates the anniversary of the Stonewall ...

First trailer for The King's Man released with a September 18th opening date

Here’s another “we’ll see it when we see it” movie: The King’s Man, the prequel to the Kingsman movies, is supposed to come out this fall. To that end, a new trailer was released yesterday, touting that it will be “Only in theaters September 18”. You know what, King’s Man? I believe that YOU believe...

Celebrity Social Media, June 23, 2020

What happens when Leonardo can’t summer in St. Tropez? He brings St. Tropez to Malibu. Well, kind of. For his girlfriend Camila Morrone’s 23rd birthday, Leo and a reduced Wolf Pack (Lukas Haas, Kevin Connelly) went on a daytime cruise. It was Western themed, so some people also wore cowboy hats and ...

J. Cole projects his insecurities on Noname, then tone polices her, and she responds with "Song 33"

(This is the latest entry to our Long Reads section. For more Long Reads, please visit the Long Reads page.)Last week, through music and tweets, we witnessed what some are calling a rap beef, what others are calling healthy discourse, and what I am calling Black men inserting themselves, between rap...

Sexual assault accusations against Riverdale cast members appear to be a Twitter hoax

Last Friday, Ansel Elgort was accused of sexual assault by a girl called Gabby. He has denied the allegations claiming that he had a “consensual relationship” with her. The next day accusations against Justin Bieber were posted on social media. And then accusations against four members of the Riverd...

Justin Bieber accused by two women of sexual assault, one of which he denies in statement

If you are reading this post, please be aware there is triggering language because this post is in part about language. Justin Bieber was accused on Saturday by a woman called Danielle wrote on social media that she met Justin Bieber in March 2014. She has since deleted her tweet but if you want to ...

The Wrap reports Michael Keaton might reprise Batman role in The Flash

Today in I Didn’t Even Know That Was An Option news, Michael Keaton may return as Batman in The Flash, the movie centered on Ezra Miller’s speedster. The Wrap first reported that Keaton is in talks to reprise the role, but then Deadline jumped in to clarify that Keaton and Warner Brothers are in “ea...

Tina Fey called out for creatively word-playing blackface in request to have 30 Rock episodes removed from streaming

As I wrote yesterday in my apology post, in this moment, power structures are being challenged, everyone is being challenged, and those of us who have been complicit and complacent are facing a reckoning – and that’s a good thing. Institutionalised racism and misogyny is being confronted. This is ha...

Intro for June 23, 2020

Dear Gossips, Yesterday after I posted my apology for past heinous content on the site my intention was to leave it up for the rest of the day and all of today so that my shame could be on display for as long as possible, not post any new content until Wednesday. Shaming is a thing in Chinese tradit...

Celebrity Social Media, June 22, 2020

(Lainey: this is yesterday’s version. A fresh edition will be posted later today.)In a new interview with The Times, Naomi Campbell said she is friends with all of her exes except “the last one.” Some people think she was referring to Skepta but it’s not him. She was also linked to Liam Payne around...

Megan Amram apologises for past offensive and racist tweets and I apologise too

Megan Amram is a comedy writer whose work has been featured on The Good Place and she also created the webseries An Emmy For Megan. She was called out on Twitter a few days ago for past problematic tweets. You can read about the situation here. Megan has apologised and the people of colour who have ...

Beyoncé is speaking to all of us with new song "Black Parade" on Juneteenth 2020

Written by Cody (Lainey: This post has been written by Cody Kreller, our newest contributor. I know Cody from Etalk through his work as a producer. And I had originally planned to introduce Cody later but then Beyoncé dropped a new song, without warning, as she does, and it accelerated our initial r...

Professional troll and internet prankster, Elijah Daniel trending on social media for telling the world to stan BTS on the BBC

Every time I think that I’ve seen the most outrageous, unbelievable headline, 2020 is like, “oh, so you thought??” and slaps me with another one. This weekend’s story was “professional troll and internet prankster Elijah Daniel tells the world to stan BTS and stream Stay Gold on the BBC.” And that w...

Intro for June 22, 2020

Dear Gossips, BTS has never played a concert in Oklahoma. They could sell out any venue in Oklahoma in an hour. But they wouldn’t jeopardise the health and safety of their fans during a global health crisis. Unlike the president of the United States. Speaking of… A couple of weeks ago I wrote about ...

Ansel Elgort is the latest celebrity to be accused of sexual assault which he is, of course, denying

Bad men are like roaches—there’s never just one. There’s always a whole freaking hive, just behind the walls, and the moment one gets caught out in the light, just wait for it because more will soon be exposed. Case in point: On June 16 comedian Chris D’Elia gets named as a creeper, on June 17 charg...

What Else for June 19, 2020

“Approximately 900 Karens ago”, LOLOLOLOLOLOL, God that’s a great way to start a sentence, God, Michael K is so f-cking good. This is not actually a post about a Karen but it is an appreciation post about a time when a Karen tried to Karen and Dlisted’s HSOTM danced his way through it. You may have ...

Celebrity Social Media, June 19, 2020

Gabrielle Union was photographed by Zaya Wade for SELF and the pictures are a jolt of sunshine. It helps that the subject is Gabrielle Union and it’s easy to look at these and see perfection, but beyond that, in the interview, Gabrielle is having the same hard conversations she’s been having in publ...

Cardi B, Lena Waithe, Cynthia Erivo attend Teyana Taylor's album release red carpet

As I mentioned a few days ago, the first red carpet in almost four months (five? who can remember anymore?) happened earlier this week for a show I’ve never heard of and I only recognised two names on the guest list: Bai Ling and Ian Ziering. Last night’s red carpet for Teyana Taylor’s new album, Th...

The Bold And The Beautiful will resume production with real-life spouses as stand-ins

Look, joy comes in unexpected places, and life holds many surprises, and in the midst of our pandemic/revolution/global reckoning, the one sentence I didn’t expect to say was “I might have to start watching The Bold And The Beautiful”.  I’ve never been a soap watcher, and several of the longtime gre...

Sasha Finds: LEZÉ The Label

I have these days where I try to “shop my closet” to find something more polished to wear, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. All I want is comfortable fabric which, come to think about it, probably has a lot to do with the lack of physical contact in our lives right now. If you can’t have a re...

Zack Snyder releases first teaser for Justice League's "Snyder Cut"

With the “Snyder Cut” of Justice League coming to HBO Max next year, director Zack Snyder is now dropping teasers of his previously unseen footage, beginning with a brief scene of Wonder Woman discovering Darkseid, the REAL villain of Justice League who barely got mentioned in the theatrical version...

For Your Fitness: 20 Minutes, No Equipment

One the common barriers to working out at home is equipment. Let’s see if we can address that concern. Because physical wellness can help mental wellness. So here’s another workout video to get you through the weekend and next week! I hope some of you are able to get outside for some exercise but if...

Tenet is determined to win us over with Entertainment Weekly cover feature

Tenet, now set to come out at the end of July instead of in the middle of July, covers Entertainment Weekly for what should be a typical promotional cover shoot but ends up being about the expectations on Tenet to save the summer movie season. Of course, the typical promotional cover shoot stuff is ...

Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation donates over $15 million to mental health services for communities of colour

It’s just been announced that in partnership with Jack Dorsey’s #startsmall, Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation is donating more than $15 million to communities of colour struggling who have been disadvantage by racism during the COVID-19 pandemic:  This is an important and specific point – to remind...

Lupita Nyong'o talks about representation and Black Lives Matter in interview to promote Discovery's Serengeti

We’re just over a month away from Emmy nominations which will be announced on July 28th. Lupita Nyong’o is eligible for the outstanding narration category for her work on Discovery’s Serengeti, a wildlife documentary series that she narrates along with John Boyega. Yesterday, Lupita did an interview...

Intro for June 19, 2020

Dear Gossips, The best thing on Twitter yesterday was #Beethoven. By the time I noticed it was trending there were hundreds of thousands of tweets. If you missed it, it started with this thread earlier in the week…  Which then went viral. And, as you’d expect by now, the memes soon followed. This is...

What Else for June 18, 2020

Michelle Williams and Thomas Kail have welcomed their first child together, her second. Matilda Ledger is now 14 years old! So far there are no additional details about the baby but as Emily from Dlisted points out, the confirmation that Michelle and Thomas were together and no longer with their pre...

Machine Gun Kelly documents his puppy love for Megan Fox during a sunset picnic on Instagram stories

Megan Fox was photographed leaving Machine Gun Kelly’s home late last night – TMZ has the photos. Their relationship is progressing quickly. To recap: they met shooting a movie last year. A few weeks ago, Brian Austin Green confirmed that they’d separated after Megan and MGK were seen together durin...

Celebrity Social Media, June 18, 2020

Colin Jost and Pete Davidson are set to star in a movie about a wedding – it’s called “Worst Man” and is produced by Lorne Michaels (duh) and will follow the shenanigans and drama leading up to a wedding. This sounds like Bridesmaids after its been wrung of talent and charm and run through a 4Chan f...

What’s Your Drama: When Kevin won’t STFU

Welcome back to What's Your Drama. Before we dip into the latest drama we got an update from last week's "Driving for D". And not just an update but… like… photo evidence.   Then it's time to get into your questions!   Our first letter writer "T" is having a hard time stuck at home with her partner ...

Danny Masterson charged with rape one year after Leah Remini's show, Scientology and the Aftermath, aired interview with woman accusing him of the crime

Taking on a religious institution is a Herculean feat because if there is something rotten, there are so many levels of layers of status and power to help cover up crimes and protect perpetrators (see: Catholic priests and long-term child abuse). I’m hardly a theologian or religious (though I did go...

Hulu's Love, Victor is charming, funny, and authentic

Back when the trailer came out for Love, Victor, the spinoff TV show from Love, Simon, I wondered how the show’s creators planned to differentiate the show from the movie. Yesterday, the first season of the show was released on Hulu, and it’s not what I was expecting. But that’s a good thing.   Alth...

12 year old This is Us star Lonnie Chavis writes essay for PEOPLE magazine about growing up Black

Lonnie Chavis is one of the stars of This Is Us, he plays the young version of Sterling K Brown’s character, Randall. He has written an essay about the experience of growing up Black, and please, particularly if you are not Black or Indigneous, please read it because right now, these are the stories...

Candyman director Nia DaCosta shares two-minute prequel that tells Candyman origin story

Candyman was supposed to come out this month, but has been, like every other movie, rescheduled to later in the year (supposedly September 25, but we’ll see). In lieu of seeing the actual movie, director Nia DaCosta dropped a two-minute short “prequel” on Twitter, telling the story of the Candyman w...

Twitter freaks out after news that Kristen Stewart will play Princess Diana in upcoming biopic

Sarah wrote yesterday about the news that Kristen Stewart has been cast to play Princess Diana in an upcoming biopic. Following the announcement by director Pablo Larraín Twitter freaked, as it does. Some people could see it and supported it. Others were like… WTF?  Few people imagined it, that’s fo...

Intro for June 18, 2020

Dear Gossips, It was announced earlier this week that Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro’s next book will be released next year. Klara and the Sun tells the story of “an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavio...

What Else for June 17, 2020

Just in case you were thinking of adding Aunt Jemima to your grocery list, there are so many other good syrup options. Since I’m Canadian, I recommend a Canadian maple syrup. By now you’ve probably heard about why Quaker Oats is making headlines – because all the racists in your feed are fighting fo...

Duana Names: We Need A Win

Duana-HELP! I'm 35 weeks this weekend with our first baby girl and I'm second-guessing not so privately but definitely solo on our choice. My husband and I spoke before getting pregnant about loving the name Winnie. It took us a while to have a successful pregnancy and a close friend was even consid...

Kristen Stewart to play Princess Diana in upcoming biopic titled Spencer

Today in ??? News, Kristen Stewart has been tapped to play Princess Diana in an upcoming biopic titled Spencer. KStew is one of my favorite actresses who has, much like Robert Pattinson, used her post-Twilight years to craft an interesting and varied career. Even still, I’m having a little trouble p...

Celebrity Social Media, June 17, 2020

PEOPLE has a new story up on Kelly Clarkson’s marriage and it’s a little contradictory. One source says, “It just came out of nowhere. The marriage was so strong.” But then another source (I think? It’s not very clear) says that quarantine in Montana “exacerbated any issues.” Every split has two sid...

Show Your Work: Racism and the Barriers to Creativity

After last week’s episode about workplace inequality pegged to Lea Michele and her behaviour on Glee (and on other projects), we received an email from a listener called Ashley who wondered whether or not, on top of the fact that Hollywood, like most industries, prioritises earnings above everything...

Palm Springs starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti could be the movie of the summer by default

Earlier this year, the biggest title at Sundance was Palm Springs, a Groundhog Day­-esque rom-com starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. Not only was Palm Springs one of the best-received films to play at Sundance, but it also closed the biggest deal in Sundance history, selling to Hulu and NEON...

Francesca Farago and Harry Jowsey from Too Hot To Handle have broken up

Lainey has been posting frequently about Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas’s relationship during quarantine. They’re among the many who have developed new relationships amidst a global pandemic. But there have also been many break-ups, like Jessie J and Channing Tatum or Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blacks...

Megan Fox photographed kissing Machine Gun Kelly as Brian Austin Green steps out with Courtney Stodden

Brian Austin Green confirmed a few weeks ago that he and Megan Fox have separated. She, as you know, is with Machine Gun Kelly although they’ve tried to be coy about their relationship status. The other day, Brian was papped hanging out with Courtney Stodden. I don’t know sh-t about Courtney. Haven’...

The cast of 30 Rock reuniting for one hour special that will double as an upfront

My apology to the first person on Twitter pointed out that “Quibi is a 30 Rock joke come to life” but it been said so many times, over so many months, by so many people, that I can’t find the original post. As Quibi continues to take hits (on its ad front, on its subscriber numbers and on its genera...

Intro for June 17, 2020

Dear Gossips, I mentioned yesterday in What Else? that a Zoom call with Jeremy Piven is available to you for the bargain price of $15K and it appears that he pockets that money. Or if you have all that cash kicking around… You could have a Zoom date with Keanu Reeves.  Keanu is auctioning off a 15 m...

What Else for June 16, 2020

Well, not everyone is BTS. As we know, COVID-19 has really f-cked up the economy, especially the celebrity economy. While BTS is out here innovating, others who are lower on the celebrity hierarchy pole need to get creative. Jeremy Piven, whose career wasn’t exactly on fire before the pandemic, is s...

Celebrities react as the Supreme Court of the United States votes to protect LGBTQ+ rights in the workplace

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) made a landmark decision in support of LGBTQ community. In a 6 – 3 decision, judges voted to protect LGBTQ+ rights in the workplace, deciding that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act applied to LGBTQ+ individuals. Basically, it means that...

BTS's Bang Bang Con: The Live set new record with 756,000 viewers in 107 countries and territories

COVID-19 has disrupted every industry and where the entertainment industry is concerned, even though musicians are in a better position to release new content than those in television and film, it’s the live experience that artists are still trying to figure out and how to make technology work in th...

Celebrity Social Media, June 16, 2020

If you watched Canadian TV in the late 80s and 90s, you know Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod from BodyBreak (Keep fit and have fun!). Hal is now telling the story behind BodyBreak and how he got into TV, including having a sports reporter job rescinded because they had another Black reporter on the ro...

Review: Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods is part war film, part heist flick

Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods is an old-man movie the same way The Irishman is Martin Scorsese’s old-man movie, in that this is only a movie Lee could make now, after thirty years of filmmaking, when he has gained the perspective to look back and see cycles repeating throughout life. It is a movie that de...

Prince Andrew reportedly wants an "olive branch" for his cooperation with the Department of Justice

It’s now been over six months since Prince Andrew stepped down from public duty. Word is they’ve permanently retired him now because he’s such an embarrassment to the British royal family. If you need a reminder, the reason for this is friendship with the dead rapist pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. And t...

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas return home after family getaway with Ben's mom

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas were photographed the other day with his kids boarding a private jet, heading away for a few days. They’ve since returned to LA and as you can see from these photos, his mother was with them, along with a couple of dogs. The golden retriever looks like Jennifer Garner’s ...

Intro for June 16, 2020

Dear Gossips, The other day in What Else? I linked to a story about the band Lady Antebellum and their name change to Lady A. At the time, I said it was a good explanation, considering that the country music audience is so white and they would be alienating their base. If you scroll through the comm...

The Academy pushes the Oscars back from February to April

Following Warner Brothers’ decision to move Tenet back a couple weeks, the Academy has also decided to move, pushing the 2021 Oscar telecast back by two months, from February 28, 2021 to April 25, 2021. Eligibility for consideration has also been extended, with the exhibition window running until Fe...

What Else for June 15, 2020

Today is Chris Evans’s birthday and the FUG Girls are celebrating it with a photo retrospective. First takeaway: holy sh-t, he and Jessica Biel showed up on a lot of red carpets together. Second takeaway: men’s pants in the 2000s were really, really bad. (Go Fug Yourself)  This is my kind of headlin...

Celebrity Social Media, June 15, 2020

There are new photos of Ashley Benson and G-Eazy and to be honest, I forgot they are together (or she’s rebounding with him, as a source put it in May). It’s perfect timing for a summer fling and considering that most things are paused (like touring and filming), they will have a lot of time to hang...

Exhausting whitewashed casting apologies and a reason to smile

I’m cranky and I’m officially over retroactive creative decisions – the ‘clarifications’ people make, years or decades after the fact, about what creatives wanted to do in the name of inclusiveness or diversity, but couldn’t, because of The Pressures. Specifically, I’m referring to the headlines run...

The messages behind Dave Chapelle’s 8:46 on Netflix YouTube

On Friday Dave Chappelle dropped a surprise stand-up set for free on Netflix’s YouTube page. Titled 8:46 the special is really not comedy, it’s just Chappelle working through the recent events in America. It was probably meant to be comedy, as Chappelle has started workshopping new material around h...

Warner Brothers moves Tenet release date back two weeks to July 31

Since the coronavirus lockdown began in the spring, the hopes of the film industry “returning to normal” hung on Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, due to be released on July 17. Warner Brothers and the industry at large so believed in Tenet’s power to lure audiences back to enclosed spaces with strangers w...

How Jessica Mulroney used white privilege and white fragility against Sasha Exeter

On Friday, Kathleen wrote a piece at Refinery29 about what Sasha Exeter shared on Instagram last Wednesday and how certain media outlets have covered the story. Many of them, from Vanity Fair to The Telegraph to the Canadian Press, have been characterising Jessica Mulroney leaning into her white pri...

Intro for June 15, 2020

Dear Gossips, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead yesterday in Mumbai. He was 34 years old. It’s a major loss for the Bollywood community and so many millions of fans still heartbroken after the death of Irrfan Khan just a few weeks ago. It has been reported that Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide...

It's going to be a BTS weekend and What Else for June 12, 2020

If you’ve been visiting this site over the years, you know we’re light on Bachelor content. I think the first post we ever did about it was by Kathleen when Rachel Kathleen wrote a bit about Rachel Lindsay was confirmed as the Bachelorette. Today it was announced that the new Bachelor is Matt James,...

Celebrity Social Media, June 12, 2020

This morning, Lainey posted about Angelina Jolie and it reminded me that Salma Hayek posted a birthday wish to her (a week late). Angelina, as we know, doesn’t live on social media and her activism is still on-the-ground volunteering, donations, and op-ed in newspapers. Do you think that will ever c...

What’s Your Drama: Driving For Some D

Welcome back to What's Your Drama.  Today we start things off a bit differently. With all that is going on with the Black Lives Matter uprising and the collective fight to end anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, it's time to start calling ourselves out for sh-tty behavior. We hope that this isn't...

Garcelle Beauvais is a diamond in Bravo's Housewives rough

Over the last week, our site manager Emily and I have been talking offline about the Vanderpump Rules firing of Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute for their treatment of former cast-adjacent friend Faith, who slept with their castmate Jax Taylor while he was dating their friend Brittany (pronounced ...

Sasha Finds: OKOKO Cosmetics is the sh-t

 I interrupt your regularly scheduled loungewear post for the special announcement: OKOKO COSMETICS IS THE SH-T.I like many of you are super precious about the brands I choose to slather on my face.  So I’ll be honest when I tell you that I wasn’t all that pumped to sub these products in for the ski...

Angelina Jolie's thoughtful Harper's Bazaar interview comes as Samira Nasr becomes their first Black editor-in-chief

Angelina Jolie is rarely interviewed these days. So this is big news! But also… since we’ve been in pandemic lockdown… photo shoots can’t happen. Or at least they can’t happen the way they used to. Which is why for this interview for Harper’s Bazaar, she’s been photographed by her youngest son, Knox...

Kelly Clarkson and husband Brandon Blackstock's divorce is surprising

There isn’t a person I’ve encountered who doesn’t like Kelly Clarkson, at minimum. More often than not people adore her for her work on TV as a talk show host or The Voice judge, or her music, or her general goodness when it comes to body acceptance or speaking out about being blackmailed to work wi...

June 12, 2020 – Smutty Shout-Outs

Elaine! You have been such a wonderful support to Aleksandra – I imagine for both of you it’s been a lot of listening and laughing and crying and talking and caring. That’s how friends hold each other up. I’m so moved that while it’s Aleksandra who’s heading into her last day of treatment, you’re th...

Intro for June 12, 2020

Dear Gossips, Since last Friday, alongside my colleagues at CTV, I’ve been working on CHANGE & ACTION: RACISM IN CANADA, a 90 minute special that will air on CTV tomorrow, Saturday June 13, at 8pm. This has been rewarding and challenging work for our entire team as we’ve produced a series of convers...

What Else for June 11, 2020

It’s not that I doubt that Disney would want to sign Beyoncé to a major deal. WHO WOULDN’T? She’s the Queen. And she told they would let her sing the holy grail of Disney songs. My problem with this story is the source. It’s the Sun. And if there’s anyone leaking on Beyoncé, it’s not going to end up...

Celebrity Social Media, June 11, 2020

As Lainey has mentioned before, Canada doesn’t have a star system like the UK, which produces more Z-listers than Cadbury bars. But we do have a very insular media community and there’s some drama happening. Sasha Exeter, a very popular Toronto influencer was posting about Black Lives Matter and urg...

Industry leader Ava DuVernay elected to Directors' Branch of the Film Academy Board

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences held their elections this week, and Ava DuVernay has been elected to the Directors’ Branch, joining Steven Spielberg and Susanne Bier as one of the three “governors” representing directors in AMPAS. This year’s elections make the board of governors the m...

Show Your Work: How Hollywood Can – And Must – Change Anti-Black Racism On Set

Thank you so much for your comments and thoughts on our last episode featuring Kathleen Newman-Bremang, ‘Working While Black’. We’re glad it resonated with so many of you, and we intend to continue doing the work of unpacking and dismantling the embedded policies, procedures, and assumptions that ha...

First trailer for Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is even more promising than the teaser

We need the laughs! A full trailer for Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, the tortuously named Netflix film starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams is here, and it is a bright spot on my otherwise horrific Twitter feed right now. JK Rowling is ruining Harry Potter, people are fighting...

A&E's Live PD has been pulled off the air after long-running staple Cops is cancelled

Alongside demonstrations about police brutality is the curious case of “copaganda”, or Hollywood’s close, cozy relationship with policing as an institution—one that is overwhelming centered on white cops and always portrays police as the unquestioned good guys in every scenario—and how to move forwa...

JK Rowling follows up transphobic tweets with 3,600-word transphobic essay

Part of me doesn’t even want to write this article. It’s not that I’m tired of writing about trans rights (I will always be thirsty for some Respect Trans People Juice), but because I’m not sure we should even be giving JK Rowling this much screen time and thought.If you’re just joining us now, over...

Intro for June 11, 2020

Dear Gossips,We had some technical issues yesterday and we think we have it under control now but if you missed it, our opening yesterday was about HBO Max removing Gone With The Wind from its library and how Hollywood is reckoning with its past but also must interrogate its present. Like when is th...

What Else for June 10, 2020

Have you seen Ava DuVernay’s 13th? If you haven’t it, it’s critical viewing. Please consider putting it at the top of your queue. There’s a part in the documentary where she examines the influence of the show Cops in perpetuating anti-Black racism in addition to what was persistently seen on the loc...

Celebrity Social Media, June 10, 2020

There aren’t enough adjectives for this cover so words like “incredible” and “f-cking fantastic” are not strong enough. Put this one in the archives – it’s a new standard.Over the last few years in this space I’ve mentioned John David Washington, but he doesn’t use his social media a lot so it’s not...

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas get domestic at CVS and Whole Foods

We haven’t gotten any new Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas dog walking photos all week. Since the start of lockdown, we haven’t gone more than six days without seeing them together. And that trend continues! This time, they’re not dog walking, they’re shopping for groceries and other supplies. Here are ...

alternate intro for june 10 2020

Dear Gossips,  Thanks for your patience today as we experience technical difficulties. It may be that the content we’ve been posting over the last couple of weeks has… pissed people off? We are still investigating.  If you came here this morning, you’ll know we posted a different site intro about HB...

Taking a closer look at the benefits of defunding the police and what that actually means

This week a reader called E emailed Lainey about the inclusion of Indigenous peoples in the ongoing discussions around race, reform, and revolution happening on the site over the last couple of weeks. E brought up a very good point: Native peoples are also the targets of police brutality in North Am...

Buckingham Palace celebrates Prince Philip's 99th birthday with a new photo with Queen Elizabeth

Prince Philip is 99 years old today. To celebrate the occasion, Buckingham Palace has released a new photo of Prince Philip with the Queen that was apparently taken last week at Windsor Castle.  Interesting the way they framed this shot, where they cropped it. Because… look closely… is Prince Philip...

What Else for June 9, 2020

Chris Cuomo has been making a lot of headlines. Last month we were talking about his near daily updates with his brother, Governor Andrew Cuomo and their hilarious rapport. Now it’s about how he walked through his wife’s yoga shot naked and … I guess now some people are thirsting over him. So is he ...

Celebrity Social Media, June 9, 2020

Yesterday, Sarah ranked some of the speeches from YouTube’s Dear Class of 2020. This morning, Lady Gaga’s speech came up in my feed and although I haven’t watched it yet, I love her aesthetic. She looks like the badass uncle who shows up to a grad party to buy berry-flavour 3% alcohol coolers for ev...

Daniel Radcliffe publicly calls out JK Rowling on her transphobic bullsh-t

Remember in the final Harry Potter movie, when Harry and Voldemort are fighting and they’re shooting orange and green things out of their respective wands? That’s basically what went down yesterday IRL.In response to JK Rowling’s transphobic tweets, Daniel Radcliffe penned a statement in defense of ...

Brad Pitt photographed at LA Black Lives Matter protest and Ali Shawkat apologises for using racial slur in 2016

Brad Pitt was seen at the Black Lives Matter protest in LA on Sunday. The Daily Mail has exclusive rights to the photo that was taken by another protester. “Protester Aree Khodai, 42, said she saw the star riding with the crowds.'The amount of people there was amazing. We saw Brad was on his bike no...

Teaser for Bill & Ted Face the Music starring Keanu Reeves released on Bill & Ted Day

It’s HERE! It’s REAL! After DECADES of teasing and “maybes”, Bill & Ted Face the Music is a REAL MOVIE that ACTUALLY EXISTS. Now if only it wasn’t being released in the middle of a GODDAMN PANDEMIC. Today is 6/9, aka Bill & Ted Day (because 69 is the magic number), a day to party on, and be excellen...

Prince Andrew's legal team says he is being treated unfairly in Jeffrey Epstein inquiry

I mean, let’s just all go ahead and get the LOLs out of the way. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLThese are bitter LOLs though. You’ll learn why soon. Prince Andrew was reportedly ordered by US authorities to provide testimony in the ongoing investigation into the crimes of his friend, the dead rapist ped...

Intro for June 9, 2020

Dear Gossips, Ava DuVernay’s tweet yesterday illuminated for me that I’ve been doing it wrong in not naming George Floyd’s murderers, referring to them only as police officers, even though by now you probably know their names: Derek Chauvin is the one who held Floyd down with his knee and ended his ...

What Else for June 8, 2020

Madonna hasn’t always gotten it right the last few months, during the double pandemic of ‘rona and racism. But she showed up on crutches to the London protest in support of Black Lives Matter and there’s nothing wrong here. Which goes to show… when she’s around regular people, and not just insulated...

BTS made $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter and BTS ARMY matched it in 24 hours

I’m sure you’ve seen it but there was a clip that went viral the other day after Jemele Hill tweeted it and many of you sent it to me because it checks all my boxes. As you know, I’m super into the Avengers. Not too long ago, I posted about the final battle in Endgame for the one year anniversary an...

Michael B Jordan joins Black Lives Matter protesters in LA

Here’s Michael B Jordan in LA at a protest in support of Black Lives Matter. We are now approaching two weeks of sustained demonstration, in major cities across the United States and around the world. Even here in Canada, thousands (thousands!) gathered in St John’s, Newfoundland in solidarity with ...

Celebrity Social Media, June 8, 2020

Yesterday was Prince’s 62nd birthday. I love looking at old photos of Prince because they are so glamorous and intense, but he is completely unbothered. This one with Salma Hayek is different because he seems relaxed and comfortable, the way he’s lounging and listening intently to what she is saying...

JK Rowling breaks the hearts of fans with shocking, transphobic tweets

Let me raise my hand as one of those who was shocked by JK Rowling’s tweets on Saturday evening.Not because of her transphobic views, which erase, diminish, and harm the trans community – though it’s important to be clear that they do, especially since Rowling has such an enormous platform (14.5 mil...

Ranking the speeches of Youtube’s “Dear Class of 2020”

Recently, I ranked some virtual commencement speeches given by celebrities to the class of 2020 as they miss out on their traditional commencements during quarantine. Then, on Sunday, Youtube hosted (another) online commencement, “Dear Class of 2020”, for the class of 2020 which brings us a whole ne...

Justin Bieber acknowledges that he's benefited from Black culture in most recent Instagram post

There have been a lot of problematic celebrities during the COVID-19 lockdown and in the aftermath of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery joining the long list of Black people dying because of anti-Black racism. Tell me if I’m out of line here but… you know who hasn’t been...

Second City's executive producer and co-owner Andrew Alexander steps down after systemic racism within the company is exposed

Second City, the Chicago comedy institution known as a breeding ground for SNL talent/tourist trap, was rocked last week by news that company Executive Producer and co-owner Andrew Alexander will be stepping down. In his statement, published on Second City’s website, Alexander acknowledges failures ...

Mark Wahlberg looks like a hypocrite tweeting in support of Black Lives Matter

On June 4th, superstar actor and producer Mark Wahlberg tweeted in support of Black Lives Matter against the murder of George Floyd: Seems pretty standard; we are in the middle of the biggest civil rights moment in recent history. Floyd’s murder was seen by the world two weeks ago, sparking outrage,...

The Sun's Dan Wootton denies reports he paid £4,000 for story about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down from royal duties

Many months ago, as far back as October 2019, I wrote about an interesting item that appeared in the Popbitch newsletter about the Sun’s Dan Wootton and his relationship with a member of Prince William and Catherine’s communications team. The item read as follows:“It was curious seeing Dan Wootton g...

Intro for June 8, 2020

Dear Gossips, As Black Lives Matter protests continued across the United States and in many cities around the world this weekend, including Canada, defunding the police has become a major talking point and on Last Week Tonight last night, John Oliver and his team broke down the history of anti-Black...

What Else for June 5, 2020

This is an excellent post by Emily at Dlisted about how Rachel Griffiths f-cked up on social media with her post about her manicure and her subsequent apology because it addresses the issue respectfully but also maintains the tone of the Dlisted brand with the bit at the end which I won’t spoil for ...

A cardboard cutout of Ana de Armas shows up on Ben Affleck's front lawn

I just saw something that made me laugh so, maybe, it’ll make you laugh too. This is short and quick and doesn’t require heavy lifting. And if it doesn’t do it for you, skip it and head to the next post. As I’ve been saying over the last few months, specifically during the pandemic, Ben Affleck and ...

Dick Wolf fires Law & Order writer Craig Gore after he vowed to "light up" protesters

It shouldn’t be news. ‘Man [or woman] behaves abominably, loses job as a result’ is a narrative we know very well – one that’s been playing out in fast-forward over the last few days, a cold comfort relative to the atrocities we’re seeing every single time we open our phones.  But this story – that ...

Celebrity Social Media, June 5, 2020

Today The Hollywood Reporter published “When Time’s Up Didn’t Step Up”. It’s centered around the HBO Max documentary, On The Record, which details the sexual harassment and abuse claims involving Russell Simmons. Oprah was attached to the film as a producer but pulled out before it premiered at Sund...

K-pop fans dedicate hours of their time online to support Black Lives Matter

You may have noticed some headlines this week about K-pop fans and what they’ve been doing on Twitter to support Black Lives Matter. When the Dallas police put out a call for people to alert them to what they called “illegal activity” from the protests via their app, K-pop fans first started amplify...

Sasha Finds: Cherry Gardens

These last two weeks have been heavy, heavy, heavy but there have been a few glimmers of light throughout it all. For the purpose of what I do here on LaineyGossip and as the fashion producer on a national entertainment show, having my eyes opened to so many amazing Black women-led businesses has be...

The Black History of Stonewall

(This is the latest installment of our Long Reads series. For more entries, please click here.) TRIGGER WARNING: The following article has detailed descriptions of police violence and abuse, particularly towards LGBTQ+ and Black communities.Picture this. It’s a breezy Friday night in New York City’s...

So-called royal expert, Dickie Arbiter, essentially calls Meghan Markle's support for Black Lives Matter political

A video message from Meghan Markle to the students of Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles was released yesterday featuring Meghan voicing outrage over the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others and declaring her support for Black Lives Matter. Dickie Arbiter, who used to...

Intro for June 5, 2020

Dear Gossips, I am on the American Film Institute mailing list and since the end of March every day I get a message from the AFI about their Movie Club Movie of the Day that was launched in collaboration with Steven Spielberg so that people could gather virtually to celebrate film. The movie of the ...

What Else for June 4, 2020

No, we don’t need any more fighting in this world. BUT. What if it’s, like, nature fighting. Sort of? Like animal kingdom? This is a video of a rat fighting a cat. That is not a euphemism for Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears’s dance-off where JT is the rat and Britney’s the cat. First of all, th...

Ranking the virtual commencement speeches given by celebrities for the class of 2020

In lieu of traditional graduations, the class of 2020 has been treated to a series of virtual commencement speeches from various celebrities and political figures. (Shout out to the class of 2020 who are coming of age in a literal nightmare but are hanging in there with the TikTok dances and what no...

Henry Golding and Liv Lo join the Black Lives Matter protest in LA

Henry Golding and Liv Lo were at the Black Lives Matter protest yesterday. Henry’s mother is Malaysian, Liv’s father is Taiwanese, and I’m bringing this up because as we know, the three other police officers involved in the murder of George Floyd have now been charged with aiding and abetting second...

Celebrity Social Media, June 4, 2020

Amber Riley appeared on Instagram Live with journalist Danielle Young to talk about Black Lives Matter and addressed the Lea Michele stuff – she said this is the last time she will speak on it. You can read the recap here (“I’m not going to say that Lea Michele is racist. That’s not what I’m saying"...

Elite actors who play Omar and Ander photographed getting tested for COVID-19 in Madrid

If you watch Elite, you know exactly who I’m talking about here because I’ve just referred to the names of the characters and not the actors. Omar on Elite is played by Omar Ayuso. Ander is played by Aron Piper. They are, spoiler alert, but not really, my favourite couple on the show – because both ...

Joshua Jackson shows off a new haircut while out for a walk with Jodie Turner-Smith and their newborn baby

These pictures are a few days old but you know what? There’s no one out there who’s going to complain about seeing them even if you’re seeing them again, right? It’s Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson. Seeing them is self-care for Kathleen. Every time they step out she texts me her fan fiction ab...

Prince Andrew has reportedly been permanently retired as Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich docuseries is released on Netflix

Have you watched Filthy Rich yet? It’s the Netflix docuseries about Jeffrey Epstein. Throughout the series, and right off the top, Epstein is seen in deposition footage repeatedly pleading the fifth. I’m not a lawyer and yes, I knowwwwwww that the fifth amendment has its value in legal situations bu...

In video shared by Essence, Meghan Markle speaks out about George Floyd and against anti-Black racism in America

In a new video first shared by Essence, Meghan Markle has spoken out about George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, and the long list of Black victims who lost their lives or have been wounded emotionally and physically because of anti-Black racism and/or police brutality. She was...

The Hollywood Reporter's Pride issue is literally the Show Your Work of covers

The Hollywood Reporter debuted its Pride issue yesterday morning with a cover story, “The 50 Most Powerful LGBTQ Players in Hollywood”. Now THIS is a Pride cover. For one, it actually includes Billy Porter which already puts it miles ahead of certain other magazines. The story itself is a collection...

Intro for June 4, 2020

Dear Gossips, John Boyega joined protestors in London yesterday in support of Black Lives Matter, delivering an impassioned, emotional speech denouncing anti-Black racism, calling for justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery and so many more, and praising the contributions of Bl...

What Else for June 3, 2020

Are clocks magic? Is time magic? No. It’s just math. For some, though, me included, math is like magic. I’m not actually bad at math. I’m just bad at remembering math – there is nothing mathematical that I can retain unless it’s gambling related. As soon as there’s math involved in a card game or a ...

Why it might not be a bad exercise to watch Mad Men through the lens of what we now know

Mad Men is leaving Netflix next week, on June 9. I knew this, and Lainey and I talked about me commenting on it, earlier this month. Then, of course, after the death of George Floyd, trying to find something to say about a show that was accurately criticized for focusing myopically, even obliviously...

Show Your Work: Working While Black

For many Black people in Hollywood, much of the work they’ve been doing over the last week is defending their right to exist with dignity and protesting police anti-Black racism and violence. As Kendrick Sampson (Insecure) told The Hollywood Reporter, “Most of the organizers that I know have had to ...

Celebrity Social Media, June 3, 2020

If you haven’t read Lainey’s analysis of Lea Michele’s apology from earlier this morning, you simply must. I cannot let you miss the line, “WHAT OTHER WAY IS THERE TO PERCEIVE YOU TELLING SOMEONE YOU WOULD SH-T IN THEIR WIG?!?” I might steal it from Lainey and make it my email signature. As she ment...

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas join protest in Venice to support Black Lives Matter and First Baptist Church

Let’s catch up with Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas. It’s been a few days. And yesterday they stepped out in Venice to support Black Lives Matter and those protesting the demolition of First Baptist Church.  Per Curbed LA via PEOPLE:“The First Baptist Church of Venice was built in 1910 and has been a l...

John Boyega protests anti-Black racism in London and spoke emotionally about the fight for equality

John Boyega has not been quiet this past week after the murder of George Floyd. He shut down commenters last week when he tweeted that he hates racists which, I dunno, seems like a pretty uncontroversial statement, non? And people still had to get into his mentions with some all lives matter bullsh-...

Lea Michele's apology after being exposed by Samantha Marie Ware is bullsh-t word salad

As you may have heard, Lea Michele tweeted a message of support for Black Lives Matter the other day and then got exposed by Samantha Marie Ware for her bullying. Several of Lea’s other former colleagues also piped up to share similar experiences or to confirm (through likes) that Samantha was indee...

My experience at the demonstration in Chicago against police brutality following the murder of George Floyd

(Here is the latest installment in our Long Reads series – Sarah’s personal story about being an America living in America right now.)This week in America is happening because last week in America a police officer murdered George Floyd. I have lived in Chicago ten years this summer. During my decade...

Intro for June 3, 2020

Dear Gossips, Have you seen the video of Keke Palmer pleading with members of the National Guard yesterday at a demonstration in support of Black Lives Matter in Los Angeles yesterday? As the caption reads, please watch.  Yesterday Kathleen was on The Social, talking about her experiences as a Black...

What Else for June 2, 2020

Seth Rogen is trying to be a better ally. He has donated in support of Black Lives Matter and bailout programs. He is using his platform to support why people are protesting and seems to be – at least from what I’ve seen – thinking about how he can change and contribute. He is also, in his own speci...

Celebrity Social Media, June 2, 2020

It’s Black Out Tuesday on social media and Lainey wrote about #theshowmustbepaused today in the intro. That’s why you are seeing these black squares today. This is where some confusion is coming in – as Lizzo pointed out, #blacklivesmatter and #theshowmustbepaused are two separate hashtags. Activist...

Gwyneth Paltrow addresses "all lives matter" in Instagram post supporting Black Lives Matter

As I mentioned in the Tracee Ellis Ross post earlier today, as a member of the “model minority” who has benefitted from white proximity, it’s up to me to engage in conversations about anti-Black racism and identify bias and privilege in my own community among Asians and white people as I work to pra...

Former Glee actress Samantha Marie Ware accuses Lea Michele of traumatic microaggressions on set

Every time I mention a cast member from Glee in Celebrity Social Media, I can’t help but point out that I think the show is cursed. Beyond all the very bad stuff that happened to various people, that show was surrounded by a weird energy field. Co-creator Ryan Murphy has said that the set was a mess...

Tracee Ellis Ross and Tyler the Creator have fun and thoughtful conversation in Interview magazine to promote The High Note

A few days ago on CNN, Don Lemon called out a list of celebrities who hadn’t spoken out about the murder of George Floyd and in support of Black Lives Matter. Among them was Tracee Ellis Ross. As a non-Black person, I don’t feel like I have a right to agree or disagree with Don’s take. What I can do...

Ellen Degeneres weighs in on the Black Lives Matter protests with useless platitudes

Over the weekend, Ellen DeGeneres weighed in on the protests going on across North America in support of Black Lives Matter and George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the long list of victims of anti-Black crime. In a now deleted tweet she said:“Like so many of you, I am angry and I am sad...

The Weeknd and Drake donate to Black Lives Matter related organisations and show their receipts

When we think of the expression, “show the receipts”, especially online, it often refers to gossip evidence. This week it’s taken on a different meaning. A better meaning. While some celebrities have been called out for the amount of their donations to Black Lives Matter related organisations, inclu...

Intro for June 2, 2020

Dear Gossips, Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 by Patrice Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi because Trayvon Martin was murdered but justice was not served. Today is Blackout Tuesday, an initiative conceived by Brianna Agyemang and Jamila Thomas, two Black women in music, calling for the m...

What Else for June 1, 2020

I know coyotes aren’t usually the most comforting animals and I’m sorry if this triggers you at all but this is a baby coyote (I think) who’s really into a golf ball and watching it play with the golf ball, for some, as Adam notes here, might be more interesting for most people than watching people ...

Celebrity Social Media Round-Up for June 1, 2020

This morning, Lainey wrote about the Carters’ activism and it’s family work – Solange very rarely posts but this is obviously an exception. Matriarch Tina Lawson’s IG is a mix of actionable posts, tributes and news. As Beyoncé said on “Savage”, “I got this sh-t from Tina.”  Usually this space is mea...

At least, with everything going on in the world, HBO's Perry Mason looks good

There’s a lot going on right now, and it feels frivolous to write about the trailer for an HBO series—it IS frivolous—but I’ve run the gamut this past weekend from determined to uplifted to nervous to scared to panicked and now I’m idling on E. I don’t have anything left in the tank except the obser...

Issa Rae celebrates Black life with most recent episode of Insecure called "Lowkey Happy"

On Sundays we watch Insecure, a show that celebrates Black life, Black love, and Black excellence. But if you’re Issa Rae, and Black people are on the streets protesting injustice, protesting racism, fighting for their lives, how do you promote your television show while honouring and respecting the...

Review: Netflix's Space Force starring Steve Carell too closely echoes current reality to be successful satire

When the trailer for Netflix’s new comedy series, Space Force, premiered a few weeks ago, I said that “reality IS satire now so this might as well be a documentary”. This turns out to be one of the biggest problems facing Space Force, that it is, intentionally or not, so embedded in our own current ...

Blake Lively acknowledges that she's allowed herself to be uninformed about systemic racism in new Instagram post and makes donation to the NAACP

As I wrote in today’s open, in order to end racism and push for a more just and equal society, white people and non-black people of colour have to pull up. We can begin by acknowledging our mistakes and understanding that we’ve been shaped by institutionalised and systemic racism. And that while it’...

Beyoncé and Jay-Z call for action and demand justice for George Floyd

Beyoncé posted a video on Instagram this weekend encouraging her followers to sign one or all of the petitions being circulated demanding justice for George Floyd. The petitions can be accessed through her website. Beyoncé, as we know, has been supporting front line workers during the pandemic and h...

Intro for June 1, 2020

Dear Gossips, It was a week ago this morning that Christian Cooper, while bird watching, encountered Amy Cooper (no relation) in Central Park and asked her to put her dog on leash so as to stop disturbing the wildlife. Christian’s life was then put in danger when Amy called the cops to report that “...