John Legend clarifies his recent Kanye West comments, more news

By Wonderwall.com Editors 1:25pm PDT, Oct 31, 2019

John Legend tweets about Kanye West comments in Vanity Fair

In the December issue of Vanity Fair, John Legend made some comments about Kanye West — whom he openly disagrees with on certain political issues (OK, mostly 'Ye's support of Donald Trump). Some have suggested what John said indicates he and Kanye are on the outs. On Wednesday, Oct. 30, he hopped on Twitter to make it clear he meant nothing disparaging about Kanye — or, as he put, that his comments should not be made "into a thing." The conversation with Vanity Fair encompassed John's understanding that Kanye, whom he's known for years, was dealt a major blow in the surprise death of his mother, the implication being people act in unexpected ways while dealing with grief. ("I'm not trying to disown Kanye because I still love him and love everything we've done together creatively," Kanye told VF, according to Billboard. "But we were never the closest of friends.") Speaking to Twitter followers, John explained: "I get why people want to make this a thing. But I was explaining to the reporter how I've seen people I love reacting to the deaths of their mothers." He went on to say he was "thinking specifically of my own mom, Chrissy [Teigen]'s mom and others," and explained that the reporter, "asked me if I was referring to Kanye as well after Dr West died. And I told her I wasn't really in a position to say because while Kanye have a long friendship and have a made a lot of great music, we weren't close on the level of confiding in each other about grief." As for those VF comments John made that have since been questioned, what he specifically told the magazine was: "I think what was always challenging about it was Kanye has never been political. I don't think he knows one way or another what policies of Trump's he likes. He just kind of embraced Trump's blow-it-all-up spirit and the energy of himself being countercultural in supporting him." It's worth mentioning John also carefully told VF that he was simply "clarifying that I had no private knowledge that equipped me to speculate on his grieving process and how that related to mine."

Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest trade barbs and love at awards ceremony

When Kelly Ripa welcomed Ryan Seacrest onto "Live!" as her new cohost, the pair were dogged by rumor after rumor that they didn't get along. Those who witnessed Kelly and Ryan onstage at this week's Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame awards, where Ryan inducted Kelly, however, seem to have seen the costars' relationship as it really exists — that is, full of sibling-esque love and respect, with a healthy appreciation for some teasing along the way. "We spend a lot of time together, but there are times we passed each other on the street in workout clothes and don't even recognize each other," Ryan told the audience as he introduced one of the evening's honorees, according to Page Six. "I walk by and I think, 'Is that Kelly?' and she sees me and thinks, 'Is that one of the women from my SoulCycle class?' … I was wearing a hoodie, but still," he joked. He also said he was "grateful" to work with a co-host he trusts and loves so much and saluted her ability to make everyone on-set feel good, according to Inquisitr.com. Ryan congratulated Kelly on Instagram, too, writing: "It takes real talent to be a best friend and mom to everyone, post @instasuelos thirst traps/clapbacks, and still make it to your workout class. Congratulations @KellyRipa on your induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame! Thank you for making me and millions of people smile every day." Kelly responded, "I love you Ry. I really do ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️." She also got in a dig of her own at the ceremony, telling the audience of Ryan, "While he's been up here presenting me with this award, his intermittent fasting window has closed. So he's going to bed hungry tonight."

Mariah Carey surprises bar-goers with impromptu performance in NYC

Mariah Carey apparently popped up for a surprise performance at the Carlyle's Bemelmans Bar in New York City on Tuesday, Oct. 29. According to Page Six, the singer was spotted in a floor-length red sequined gown — ahem, subtle — with two friends and someone a source identified as a bodyguard. At one point, she "spontaneously got up to sing with the pianist," the tab reported. The Page Six source said he was telling a friend, "I think that's Mariah Carey." She reportedly heard him and responded exactly how you think Mariah would respond: "It's because I am Mariah Carey." We like to imagine she then swept up to the piano player, took his mic and performed the entire "Glitter" soundtrack (and that after Oct. 1, the so-called "Queen of Christmas" dresses exclusively in red, green or white sequined floor-length gowns). But if previous Mimi appearances at the Bemelmans Bar are any indication, she probably sang a couple jazz standards.

Sofia Richie follows up tone-deaf Santa Ana winds post with concern, 'love and prayers'

Sofia Richie has a new take on the Santa Ana winds and she seems to be sharing it with Instagram followers in the hopes she'll be forgiven for a previous post that was widely deemed insensitive. The first post came in the form of two photos that showed Sofia in gold pants, a white top and a loose bun alongside the caption, "Santa Ana winds- messy bun 🙆🏼‍♀️." That was on Tuesday, as wildfires continued to ravage the region because of the winds Sofia was crediting with her hairstyle. Not surprisingly, followers and others slammed the model for her tone-deaf comment amid evacuations, destruction and life-threatening conditions. She followed the post up a few hours later with an Instagram Story post that seemed a bit more on-target for a resident of Southern California. "Sending my love and prayers to everyone affected by the fires," she wrote, according to People. "Tonight's wind is going to be brutal. Please stay safe," she added. The next day, as the fires continued, she shared a video clip from a local TV report covering the Simi Valley Brush Fire on which she wrote, "No!!!" Another post showed water from her pool kicking up in the wind as she told viewers the situation was scary.

Nicki Minaj clarifies her 'expecting' tweet

"All of y'all just go to bed." So said a seemingly over-it Nicki Minaj on Twitter on Thursday, Oct. 30, after fans and news outlets began posting in earnest that Nicki and her new husband, Kenneth Petty, are pregnant. The tweet that got the rapper's Barbz excited was, according to Nicki's subsequent post, a "typo" that she deleted and fixed "14 seconds later." The typo simply read, "expecting a …" After nixing it from her feed, she wrote, "My bad y'all," and eventually told fans, "expecting an official date/time for #QueenRadio in the morning," in reference to her show. Fans, however, continued to respond about the baby they imagined was on the horizon for the star. "Me: calls off work. My manager: why you calling off, what's the reason. Me: Bitch Nicki Minaj might be pregnant and I need time to process this!!!" wrote commenter (via the Daily Mail). To be fair, the chatter wasn't totally out of the blue. This summer — before she married her controversial boyfriend — Nicki appeared on Chance the Rapper's song "Zanies and Fools." Among the lyrics was the line: "He the Clyde to my Bonnie, 'bout to walk down the aisle and be a mommy …"

Linda Hamilton trained, ate no carbs for a year ahead of 'Terminator: Dark Fate'

Linda Hamilton's just as much of a fighter as Sarah Connor in our book! Turns out the "Terminator: Dark Fate" star trained for a year to get back in robot-killing form for her reprisal of the character she first played in 1984's original flick. As Linda, now 63, recently told People, she trained longer than she had for the first movie's sequel, 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," as well. "I worked for a year to get ready for this one, 'Dark Fate.' 'Judgment Day' was maybe three months. But they kept postponing the filming," she explained. "In 'Judgment Day,; it was just the beginning of the fat-free diet," she noted. "I ate no fat for all those months. More than a year. I would never do that again, because the brain needs fat, the body needs fat. But we didn't know any better." For 'Dark Fate,'" her training regimen involved what she described as practicing "functional mobility." "Everything we did was with movement and trying to get the fast-twitch muscle going again, so that I could spring into action and turn, and run, and do the things that were required," she continued. Her diet was, of course, different, too. As she mentioned, the world has figured out that fat-free eating doesn't do much good for one's health or figure. "This time, I ate no carbs. See, you always have to give up something!" she said with a laugh. "But, obviously, the training is different as a woman of a certain age. I could work out just like I'd had for 'Judgment Day' and not put on the muscle because you need hormones for that, and I don't got them!" Linda and Arnold Schwarzenegger, 72, face off once more in "Terminator: Dark Fate" beginning Friday, Nov. 1.

Dolly Parton wanted Miley Cyrus to play Jolene in 'Heartstrings' initially

Miley Cyrus could have returned to her former TV glory had she been less busy when her godmother was helping to cast "Heartstrings." Speaking to ET recently, Dolly Parton admitted that she envisioned Miley as a good candidate to play Jolene in the episode that deals with a pal who takes the protagonist's man in the new Netflix series. The part went to Julianne Hough, instead. "Years back when I used to think of Jolene, you know, before Julianne came on, I used to think… I'd love — Miley would have been great at that as well. But Miley was doing other things. It wasn't that kind of a thing, but she would have been great in that as well," Dolly told ET. "We wanted it to be someone that kind of was described in the song, with auburn hair, ivory skin, the emerald green eyes, which she had all of that," the country legend explained. "All she had to do was put on this beautiful red hair and she was the most beautiful Jolene you could ever, ever get." The eight-episode series hits Netflix on Nov. 22, according to Billboard.

Dwayne Johnson unveils the name of his new tequila brand

Dwayne Johnson has officially joined the long list of celebs hawking their own brands of liquor. On Wednesday, Oct. 30, the "Fast & Furious" star announced on Instagram that after "years of hard work," his small-batch, hand-crafted Teremana Tequila will be available to agave lovers beginning early next year. The star shared a photo of himself with workers at the distillery where the tequila is made and explained the brand's name in the caption. "TERA is meant to represent 'Terre' which means of the earth and MANA is our powerful Polynesian spirit that guides us. Spirit of the earth. Our goal is to create a tequila that is the best of quality and taste, but done the right way – by hand," he wrote. "Small batch, hand crafted tequila from our Teremana blue agave, maturing in the highlands of Jalisco, for everyone to enjoy," The Rock continued. "After years of hard work, this blessing is truly a dream come true – but it's just the beginning and there's much work to be done. I'm committed with my team to bring you the best tequila, because quality and legacy are what matter most. From all of us here at Distilleria' Teremana, we invite you to COME HAVE A DRINK. The tequila of the people." Cue the "can you smell what The Rock is distilling" quips in 3 … 2 … 1.

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell make a baby supplies donation to firefighters, first responders in California

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are doing what they can to support the firefighters and first responders putting their lives on the line to fight the fires in California. This week, the couple's Hello Bello baby products line posted on Instagram that the actors "surprised the Redding team at Station 8 with a Hello Bello playdate," telling the firefighters they wanted to "help lighten their load with lots of family and baby essentials," since so many firefighters' families in Redding had welcomed little ones since they fought the devastating Carr fire last July. The company also vowed to give 20 percent off "to ALL first responders nationwide," with Kristen and Dax telling the folks they'd visited, "Thank you First Responders and thank you to your families. It was an honor to share the day with you." The couple shares two children of their own, Lincoln, 6, and Delta, 4.