By Wonderwall.com Editors
3:08pm PDT, Jul 15, 2020
Diddy, Dwyane Wade and 50 Cent have some thoughts on Nick Cannon's firing, anti-Semitic comments …
Nick Cannon is facing backlash — and getting support — from other stars in the wake of ViacomCBS' decision to cut ties with him over anti-Semitic comments he made on his podcast. On "Cannon's Class," Nick and his guest, Public Enemy's Professor Griff, delved into anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, claimed Jewish people control the media and ranted in offensive terms about the Rothschild family, among other things (via CNN). Nick claimed their views didn't constitute "hate speech" because he and Griff are Black. "You can't be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people. When we are the same people who they want to be. That's our birthright. We are the true Hebrews," he said. On Tuesday, July 14, ViacomCBS announced that as the parent company of MTV and other networks where Nick has had content, it would be "terminating" its relationship with the star. By Wednesday, Nick faced a barrage of messages of support, anger and confusion from other celebrities as well as fans. Diddy basically offered him a job, posting that he should move over to "@REVOLTTV truly BLACK OWNED!!! We got your back and love you and what you have done for the culture. We are for our people first!!! For us! By US! Let's go!!!" Dwayne Wade initially voiced support for Nick, too, posting, "We are with you, keep leading." He soon amended that. "I want to clarify my now deleted tweet," the NBA star tweeted. "I was not supporting or condoning what Nick Cannon specifically said, but I had expressed my support of him owning the content and brand he helped create." 50 Cent, meanwhile, was firmly in the "confused" category. Sharing a headline about the firing on Instagram, the rapper asked "Nikki," "What the f— was you on that stupid a– podcast talking about?🤔No More Wilding Out Hun! (Don't worry Be Happy)." Though the network took specific issue with Nick's initial failure to apologize, he eventually issued a mea culpa to his "Jewish sisters and brothers" in which he apologized for "the hurtful and divisive words that came out of my mouth… They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of the uninformed and naïve place that these words came from…"
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Jim Carrey calls Renee Zellweger the 'great love of my life': 'She was special to me'
Two decades after they split, Jim Carrey still holds a place in his heart for Renee Zellweger — in fact, he describes her as the "great love of my life," in his new book, "Memoirs and Misinformation." Jim, 58, stopped by Howard Stern's Sirius XM Radio show on Tuesday to talk about the book, which is branded as a "satirical fictional memoir" branding ("none of this is real and all of this is true," his publisher quotes him as saying). Asked where on that spectrum the "love of my life" statement about Renee falls, Jim replied, "Well, she was special to me, very special. I think she's lovely," according to JustJared. He and Renee, 51, dated after working together on 1999's "Me, Myself & Irene." They were an item during awards season in 2000 and even got engaged, but ended up parting ways by the end of that year. When Howard wondered if Renee was "the one that got away" for Jim, he said he doesn't think of relationships that way. "I don't regret, I don't have those things. But I do appreciate the people that have come through my life for the good that they gave me and that's why Linda Ronstadt has a special place in the book," he said referencing his brief relationship with the singer in the '80s. "I don't pine for anybody, it's not that kind of situation," he added. "It's just my way of saying, 'There was a very important thing there,' and recognize that."
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Tyra Banks vows to host a 'different' 'DWTS' season; Tom Bergeron reacts
Just two days after ABC confirmed Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews are out as the hosts of "Dancing With the Stars," Tyra Banks confirmed she's stepping in as both the first solo host and the first Black woman to host the long-running show. "We're doing all this crazy stuff, taking it to the next level, but still keeping the stuff that we know America loves. But get ready because it's going to be different," Tyra, who will also executive produce the show, said on Wednesday's "Good Morning America." Addressing those "firsts," the seasoned reality TV personality mused that she likes "breaking those doors down so that we don't have anymore firsts," adding that "it's nice to be first … so that you can open that door and let so many other people in after you." Meanwhile, Tom, who hosted "DWTS" since the show's 2005 premiere, has kept his sense of humor intact while addressing the situation on Twitter. When he posted that he'd just been "informed" by the network that he wasn't invited back, he jokingly asked what he's supposed to do "with all these glitter masks." After Tyra's "GMA" appearance, he quipped, "I guess I won't be getting back my monogrammed towels," since he and Tyra have the same initials. According to GMA, there's no word when production will resume given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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Kevin Connolly accused of sexual assault by former co-worker
A costume designer who worked with Kevin Connolly on his directorial debut, "The Gardener of Eden," has come forward with allegations the star sexually assaulted her at a wrap party in December 2005. Speaking to the Daily Beast, Gracie Cox says that after Connolly repeatedly made her "uncomfortable" with his flirting on the set of the film, where she was an assistant costume designer, the two attended a wrap party in New York City at the now defunct club Butter. "We were at the party and I don't think I'd been there for more than an hour or so when Kevin [Connolly] approached me and asked if I'd go with him for a smoke," says Cox, who now works in children's mental health, having left the film industry. She says Connolly then, "led me down a hall to what I guess was the VIP lounge area," where, when they were "alone, he started to kiss her." She continues: "I didn't know how to respond — but before I could even think about what to do about it, he pulled me into one of these little side [booths], and pulled down my pants, and turned me around, and within no time was inside of me. I was just in shock." According to Cox, who was 29 at the time, there was "not really a chance in my mind to object or resist," before it had gone that far. "It just happened really fast," she said. "I froze and was in shock. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before in any way, shape or form. I was completely caught off-guard." She says her boss, costume designer Amy Westcott, sensed what had happened and confronted Connolly, causing something of a scene. The Daily Beast also quotes four friends as having recalled Cox telling them about the incident, and cites a letter from her therapist dated not long after the wrap party in question that references the fact Cox felt she'd been assaulted. Connolly, however, maintains what happened was "consensual." In a statement via his lawyer, the actor says he "strongly supports victims of sexual assault and believes their claims should always be heard," but was "completely shocked to learn of the allegations made by Gracie Cox … and he categorically denies any claim that it was assault." Says Cox: "I want it to be known that he is dangerous and I want him not to get away with it any longer."
Brad Pitt's relationship with Maddox Jolie-Pitt is reportedly still 'non-existent'
Despite his increasingly solid co-parenting relationship with Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt has yet to restore a bond with his eldest son Maddox Jolie-Pitt, 18. "That relationship continues to be non-existent," an insider tells Us Weekly. It seems things are still on the rocks between Brad and his 16-year-old son, Pax Jolie-Pitt, as well. The source says neither of the teens are in touch with their father. Brad and Maddox had a falling out in 2016 aboard a private plane where the fight they got into sparked Angelina to file from divorce from Brad. The actor is now sober and has said the six children he and Angelina share are his main priority, but Us reported in October that Maddox "hasn't been receptive" to Brad's attempts to repair things between them. Maddox is currently living with his mom, having left Yonsei University in South Korea this spring when the campus closed due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. In September, a paparazzo asked Maddox if Brad might visit him at college. "I don't know about that, what's happening," he replied. Asked if he thought his relationship with his dad was permanently over, Maddox said, "Whatever happens, happens."
Why the '30 Rock' reunion won't air in about half the country
The "30 Rock" reunion was originally heralded as the potential crown jewel in a season full of Zoom call-centric nostalgia. Now, NBC's facing the wrath of local affiliate stations that refuse to air the special on Thursday. Vulture, the New York Post and other outlets reported this week that independently stations owned by multiple smaller companies are pulling out of running the reunion, which is reportedly being used as a "vehicle for the network's upfront messages" about NBCU properties like SyFy and USA. It's also being used to grab ad dollars for NBC's new Peacock platform, which doesn't sit well with affiliates, given Peacock's plans to "stream late-night shows in prime time on the East Coast" and air "big-ticket sporting events" that will directly compete with what the affiliates need viewers to watch … all of which, somewhat appropriately, feels like the perfect backstory setting for a good, old-fashioned Liz Lemon vs. Jack Donaghy and corporate fight.
Tom Hanks says COVID-19 made his bones feel 'like soda crackers'
Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, were Hollywood's first big names to test positive for the coronavirus back in March, and judging from his chat with Stephen Colbert on the Tuesday edition of "Late Night," Tom's still trying to wrap his brain around some of the strange aspects of the illness. The actor, who said neither he nor his wife had any guesses about "how" or "where" they might have contracted COVID-19, also recounted how "very different" Rita's symptoms were from his own."She had a higher fever than I did. She had horrible nausea," he said, adding that she had a headache and lost her sense of taste and smell, while he did not. "We were eating takeout food that I thought was delicious," he recalled (via E! News). "It was savory goodness. It had butter sauces. It had come from a thing, highly recommended joint. And she was saying, 'This tastes like oatmeal to me.' I thought she was insane." But Tom had his own strange symptoms, too. "I had bones that felt like they were made out of soda crackers," he said, and "bone-crushing fatigue." His butt was inexplicably sore, too. "It felt like your older brother had held you down and just kept fisting you in the buttocks, you know, until you'd said something like, 'I love 'Flipper"….It felt like I hit my butt. It was just so sore," he said. Tom has since donated plasma — the antibodies in a recovered patient can help those who still battling the illness recover — and made a point of emphasizing the importance of minimizing the spread by following the three basic safety protocols. Speaking to reporters at a recent press event for his new Apple+ movie "Greyhound," Hanks noted: "There's really only three things we can do in order to get to tomorrow: Wear a mask, social distance, wash our hands. Those things are so simple, so easy, if anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things – I just think shame on you."
Naya Rivera's family remembers their 'sassy angel' as her cause of death is confirmed
Naya Rivera's cause of death has been confirmed as accidental drowning, the Ventura County Medical Examiner ruled on Tuesday. The announcement came nearly a week after the 33-year-old star went missing while boating with her 4-year-old son on Lake Piru in Southern California. Authorities believe she was able to help get her son to safety on the pontoon they'd rented but couldn't muster the energy to get back on herself. With the days-long search operation at the lake completed, Naya's family released a statement to Deadline about Naya, thanking her "friends, colleagues and fans" for their loving words of support and memorializing her "magnetic spirit" in their time of sadness. "We are so grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers for Naya, Josey and our family over the past week," the statement reads. "While we grieve the loss of our beautiful legend, we are blessed to honor her everlasting legacy and magnetic spirit. Naya was an amazing talent, but was an even greater person, mother, daughter and sister. Thank you to the men and women of the Ventura, Tulare, and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Departments for your commitment and unwavering effort to find Naya. We extend endless gratitude and ovation to the heroine who found her. Thank you to her friends, colleagues, and fans for your continuous support." The statement closes with, "Heaven gained our sassy angel. We kindly request that our privacy be respected during this very difficult time."
Meghan Thee Stallion says she's recovering after being shot in the foot and rushed to the hospital
Meghan Thee Stallion is "grateful to be alive" after she says she suffered "gunshot wounds as a result of a crime … that was done … to physically harm" her. The rapper posted a statement of sorts on Instagram Wednesday to clarify what she says happened early Sunday morning when she and Tory Lanex were pulled over by police who responded to a report of gunshots outside a party in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles. "The narrative that is being reported about Sunday's morning events are inaccurate and I'd like to set the record straight. On Sunday morning, I suffered gunshot wounds, as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me," Meghan told Instagram followers. "I was never arrested, the police officers drove me to the hospital where I underwent surgery to remove the bullets. I'm incredibly grateful to be alive and that I'm expected to make a full recovery, but it was important for me to clarify the details about this traumatic night. I'm currently focused on my recovery, so I can return back to my life and back to making music as soon as possible." According to TMZ, however, a spokesperson for the LAPD said, "At the time Megan Thee [Stallion] was with police she did not report that she was the victim of any crime. And the LAPD has not received any additional information at this time."
Lynne Spears wants to be more involved in Britney Spears' finances
Britney Spears' mother, Lynne Spears, has asked the Los Angeles County Court to keep her in the loop on all matters related to the singer's finances and trust. ET reports Lynne filed documents on Monday asking for "special notice" of all developments related to the SJB Revocable Trust Britney set up in 2004 to protect her estate and her sons' financial futures. Lynne's request comes about a year after she asked for similar alerts about updates on Britney's controversial conservatorship, which currently extends until at least Aug. 22.
