By Wonderwall.com Editors
2:17pm PDT, May 29, 2020
Kylie Jenner slams Forbes, joins chorus of voices asking why 'how much money I have' even matters
In a sudden pivot from the 2019 cover story in which Forbes declared Kylie Jenner to be the world's youngest self-made billionaire, the magazine declared on Friday, May 29, that Kylie had exaggerated the size and value of her company "for years." The piece, "Kylie Jenners Web of Lies — and Why She's No Longer a Billionaire," may not have had quite the impact Forbes' editorial team was hoping for, though. Twitter users shamed the magazine for spending any energy on the contents of a makeup entrepreneur and reality star's bank account given this week's conflagration of protests of George Floyd's killing, general political divisiveness and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Daily Beast published a response entitled, "Kylie Jenner is Not a Billionaire, Who Honestly Gives a S—?' Even Kylie seemed confused by the take-down, tweeting, "i can name a list of 100 things more important right now than fixating on how much money i have." That post, of course, only came after some slightly more dramatic tweets. "What am i even waking up to. i thought this was a reputable site.. all i see are a number of inaccurate statements and unproven assumptions lol. i've never asked for any title or tried to lie my way there EVER. period," she wrote."'Even creating tax returns that were likely forged' that's your proof? so you just THOUGHT they were forged? like actually what am i reading," she added. She later acknowledged that she's "blessed" to have "a beautiful daughter" and "successful business." A lawyer for the star has since told Fox News Kylie's camp has demanded Forbes retract its claims that she forged her tax returns.
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Grimes is selling part of her soul in an online art exhibition, NBD
As Elon Musk prepares for his SpaceX crew to take another stab at launching their first astronauts into the great beyond on Saturday, his partner, Grimes, is keeping an eye on potential buyers for one of her latest art pieces. It is quite literally a contract for a piece of her soul. On Thursday, the musician, conceptual artist and new mom to X Æ A-Xii or "Little X," her son with Elon, launched her first online art exhibition, hosted on both Gallery Platform Los Angeles and Maccarone Los Angeles. It includes a piece called "Selling Out," which Bloomberg recently described as "a legal document whereby the purchaser acquires a percentage of Grimes's soul." "I didn't want anyone to buy it, so I said we should just make it $10 million and then it probably won't sell," said Grimes, who goes by "C" in conversation (her given name is Claire Boucher). She reached out to her lawyer to handle the contract and found that "the deeper we got with it, the more philosophically interesting it became," she told Bloomberg. "Also, I really wanted to collaborate with my lawyer on art. The idea of fantastical art in the form of legal documents just seems very intriguing to me." She didn't stick with the $10 million price tag, though, given economic and social considerations related to COVID-19. "With the current state of the world, do you want to put something up for $10 million?" she challenged. Instead, she's listed the bite-sized bit of her soul for "best offer." Which we suppose is better than a straight-up sale price. Other pieces in the collection include riffs on her "WarNymph" series.
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George and Amal Clooney, more stars say they have never heard of philanthropy summit that claimed they were its keynote speakers
Fyre Festival flashback, anyone? George and Amal Clooney were among a slew of marquee-name stars listed as participants in a virtual philanthropy summit, slated to take place next month. But as George told Forbes this week in a statement about the event, he and Amal have never heard of it or its organizer. "There are ads running claiming that Amal and I will be participating in the Thrive Philanthropy's Connect Summit. We Have never heard of this summit and have never been approached to be part of a charity that is charging $399.00 for people to participate," the actor told the outlet, perhaps politely refraining from citing the top-tier tickets for the summit, priced at nearly $1,800. "We don't know whether this charity is what it says it is and was just duped by a booking agency or whether there is something more nefarious involved. The best antiseptic is sunlight, and in the interest of protecting the public and the many important charitable organisations we hope that this situation will be rigorously investigated." According to Page Six, after celebs caught wind of their names being associated with the event, PR firm Wunderlich Kaplan Communications, which was representing Thrive Philanthropy, announced the whole thing appears to have been "built on lies." One of those lies was that the Clooneys, along with Matthew McConaughey, Ashton Kutcher, Charlize Theron, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Camilla Alves would give keynote speeches at the two-day affair. There were also reportedly promises of an exclusive screening of a new film George made. The PR firm told Page Six it was given "fraudulent information" by the founder of Thrive and that everything about the conference was, in fact, "built on lies." The organization's founder maintains any confusion was simply a "miscommunication."
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Taraji P. Henson tears up while discussing initiative for free, virtual therapy sessions during COVID-19
When she video called in to CNN's coronavirus Town Hall on Thursday, Taraji P. Henson planned to promote her Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation's new initiative to provide free, virtual therapy sessions to people of color and members of underserved communities. At one point in the conversation with Anderson Cooper and psychologist Alfiee Breland-Noble, however, she had to admit her brain was almost on overload, between the pandemic's disproportionate effect on the black community and the recent killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a white police officer pushed his knee into the man's neck for seven minutes. Explaining what sparked the idea for the program, the "Empire" star recalled her concern for those in need of mental health care who, in addition to potentially being unable to afford help, were suddenly "suffering alone" when the pandemic began. Breland-Noble pointed out that "African Americans and people of color are disproportionately affected by not only the virus but the secondary mental health impacts associated with the virus." Henson picked up where he left off, saying she "had to do something" out of concern "the stigma around mental health" would leave even more victims in the pandemic's wake. "So we created a virtual fund-raising campaign for free sessions for people of color and, you know, disadvantaged neighborhoods," she said before stopping herself as her eyes filled with tears. "There's just so much going on," she explained, through tears (via ET). "It's just like it won't let up, you know? It's like I'm trying to stop a bleeding wound and it just keeps bleeding, you know? But I'm raising money to help those who can't," she continued. "It's tragic and it's traumatizing. And I mean, at this point it seems like we have to save ourselves. … because these issues keep coming up. Racism, police brutality, these are traumas that have been passed down through generations since slavery. We still have not dealt with that trauma. And here we are."
Jamie Foxx joins protesters in Minneapolis, speaks at press conference demanding justice for George Floyd
As protests over the killing of George Floyd continued in Minneapolis Friday, Jamie Foxx appeared at a press conference held there alongside former NBA star, Stephen Jackson. Speaking to the large crowd that had gathered to demand justice, Foxx said he was there to show his support and unity. "We're not afraid to stand. We're not afraid of the moment. And I think what you saw on television, to watch this man plead for his life," he said, according to JustJared. "… As I sit with my two daughters, my nephews who had just come from the grocery store, what it does it over-complicates everything as a black man trying to tell his son or his daughter how to function in life. Even the things that we taught them don't seem to work," he continued. "All I wanted to do today was let you know that I'm not a celebrity. I'm from Texas. These are my brothers. This means everything because at the end of the day, when we see you guys out here on the frontline, we want to let you know you got support." The police officer who could be seen kneeling on Floyd's neck in videos of the incident has been charged with third degree murder.
Meghan McCain won't share pregnancy details due to online bullying she suffered during her father's illness
Two months after she confirmed she's expecting, Meghan McCain posted a long message on Instagram explaining that she won't share pregnancy details on social media because of the "inhumane" bullying she encountered while her father, John McCain, was dying of cancer. "People keep asking and requesting I show pics & details of my pregnancy," she wrote on Instagram on Thursday. "Given that people write on photos I put up of my family they are glad my Dad [John McCain] got cancer and he's in hell, I thought I would leave my unborn child out of the social media cess pool as much as is possible." Meghan went on to assert she and her husband Ben Domenech "have made the conscious decision to guard our (growing) families privacy as much as is possible." The "View" cohost went on to say she hopes fans will respect their privacy during this time, then admitted she's "learned a lot of hard lessons about cruelty that comes with being open and vulnerable about my personal life during my Dads cancer fight." She added, "it is a shame," as she understands why the move might be perceived as "unorthodox" given her job. "But I've always lived by the beat of my own drum," she wrote. Before signing off she thanked fans for "the continued kind words, support and prayers regarding my pregnancy from so many of you who are nothing but kind." The baby will be Meghan and Ben's first. Meghan revealed in 2019 that she suffered a miscarriage earlier in the year.
Jessica Simpson's trainer reveals how she lost 100 pounds
Jessica Simpson has officially bounced back from the health issues that plagued her while she was pregnant with her third child, (the insanely adorable) Birdie Mae Johnson. Now, her longtime trainer Harley Pasternak is opening up about how he helped the designer lose 100 pounds after giving birth. As he explained to E! News, the changes he and Jessica made to her diet and fitness regimens were gradual and focused on a longterm sustainability track. Like Jessica, Harley said he is "not a big fan of doing any extreme diet or radical forms of exercise." Instead, he had her begin by walking 6,000 steps a day. Slowly but surely, that number climbed — a lot — to 14,000. The celeb trainer recalled how Jess got her whole family involved in group walks. She also worked treadmill steps into her regular business schedule and followed his advice of "unplugging from technology" for at least an hour each night to prevent it from interfering with her seven hours of sleep, which Harley says is a key element in weight management. Once Jess was ready, Harley had her hit the gym. "We started with doing a full-body workout, one set of each exercise, not really doing too much intensity per body part and gradually increasing the volume and intensity. Focusing on a few muscle groups per day. Different muscles each day of the week," he said. Finally, he worked with her to swap out her favorite less-healthy foods with healthier versions of the same, leaving her with menus full of lean protein and veggies plus two healthy snacks each day. She was even allowed cheat meals — but not whole cheat days. "You don't have to have all of your indulges in one day. It tends to be a little extreme if you do that," he said.
Tyra Banks explains why she apologized for controversial comments on 'ANTM'
Tyra Banks has elaborated on the apology she posted earlier this month for controversial comments she made to contestants on "America's Next Top Model" over the years. Speaking to ET this week, the 46-year-old show host was asked about comments she made on cycle 13 in which she urged models to darken the appearance of their skin tones for a photo shoot. "Yes, I apologized for it," she said. "Because we put it out and even me just watching it after, I was like, 'Oh, this ain't right.' We felt like our skin is beautiful, let's paint the world our color. And then when we saw it, we were like, 'Oh no, this excuses other people to do this in a negative way.'" She added that she followed up her apology with a segment on her show about what had happened. "What we did was wrong, and we apologized for it. But not everybody saw that," she explained. "There's a whole new generation of people that didn't grow up with my show and didn't see that." Tyra also addressed her self-described "insensitivity" in telling a model during cycle 6 she can't expect to "get a CoverGirls contract with a gap in your mouth," because "it's not marketable." Years later, she told ET, when she recalls or sees the clip, "I cringe. And I cringe through the eyes of today."
Four women accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, rape in new lawsuit
Just a few months into his 23-year prison sentence for sexual assault, Harvey Weinstein is facing a new lawsuit filed by four unnamed women who claim he sexually assaulted them in separate incidents over a span of years. Among the allegations is a claim by "Jane Doe II" that Weinstein raped her when she was "approximately 17" in New York City, according to Deadline. In the filing, the accuser, then an aspiring actress, claims the former producer took her ID after the alleged attack and threatened that if she told anyone, he would, "not only make sure she never got to act in any films, but also have his associates track her down and physically harm her and her family." The lawsuit also features claims by "Jane Doe I" that Weinstein sexually assaulted her in his hotel room during the Cannes Film Festival in 1984. A second rape allegation is made in the filing by "Jane Doe III," who says the attack happened in a hotel in New York City in 2008. The fourth "Jane Doe" says Weinstein sexually assaulted her at the 2013 Venice Film Festival. In a statement to Deadline, which first reported news of the lawsuit, Weinstein's civil cases lawyer said he "intends to defend against" the allegations. "Some of these claims, including those alleged to have occurred in the 1980's and 1990's, may be barred by the applicable statute of limitations, and not subject to any exceptions under the law, as these plaintiffs do not appear to be complainants in Mr. Weinstein's criminal case," the attorney added. Weinstein's brother and former business partner, Bob Weinstein, and the Walt Disney Company are also named as defendants.
Woody Allen: '[Denouncing me] became the fashionable thing to do, like eating kale'
In the past year, Woody Allen released a memoir, "Apropos of Nothing," and his 48th film, "A Rainy day in New York." But as a writer for The Guardian noted early on in a new, lengthy feature about the 84-year-old director, their hour-long conversation was mostly devoted to the scandal that began in 1992 around claims he'd molested his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. Allen has denied the allegations repeatedly over the years, often pointing to two official investigations that found no evidence of misconduct. But as he told The Guardian, he doesn't see public opinion budging anytime soon. "I assume that for the rest of my life a large number of people will think I was a predator," he told the outlet. In the interview, Allen sounds frustrated when asked about the castigation that comes from others in his industry. "The actors have no idea of the facts and they latch on to some self-serving, public, safe position," he said. "Who in the world is not against child molestation? That's how actors and actresses are, and [denouncing me] became the fashionable thing to do, like everybody suddenly eating kale," he continued. "I thought people would see it as laughable rubbish right away and from day one I never really took it seriously. I mean, it's like being confronted with a story that I murdered six people with a machine gun. … You can give them the facts over and over. But the facts don't matter. For some reason, emotionally, it's important for them to buy into the story." Timothee Chalamet, who stars in Allen's latest film, recently joined the list of actors who have said they won't work with the director again. Others have included Greta Gerwig, Mira Sorvino and Colin Firth.
