By Mark Gray
11:50am PDT, May 29, 2020
Finally filed!
At last! After trying to file for divorce from Olivier Sarkozy for more than a month, Mary-Kate Olsen was finally able to do so on May 25 after New York City's courts reopened. While the fashion mogul initially signed a petition for divorce on April 17, she was left in limbo because the courts were closed to non-emergency cases — and an attempt to secure an emergency order to start the process to end her four-year marriage earlier in May was denied by a judge. The split has been in the works for a while. Page Six reported on May 27 that in early April, Olivier began relocating his ex-wife, Charlotte Bernard, their two children and his mother from NYC to the five-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot mansion he and Mary-Kate shared in the Hamptons. A source said the relocation was "the final straw for Mary-Kate." A second source added, "Olivier was concerned for the safety of his family in New York during the pandemic. He insisted to Mary-Kate that he wanted to bring his ex-wife, their kids and his mother from the city, to their Bridgehampton home. Maybe French people culturally have a different view of marriage, and while Mary-Kate loves his children, it was too much to have his ex-wife living with them during the pandemic. Would you want the ex-wife living with you for an unforeseeable amount of time in the middle of a crisis?"
RELATED: Celeb splits of 2020
She said what?
Kelly Dodd has done it again. After making earlier controversial statements about the coronavirus — see her thoughts here and here — she's now claimed that "no one is dying" from COVID-19 in her hometown. On May 25, the "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star downplayed the pandemic (at least on a local level) as she celebrated that she could finally eat at a restaurant and that only few people appeared to be wearing masks while out and about. "I love it," she said. Then, while inside a restaurant, Kelly continued to share her happiness that mask-wearers were at a minimum. "Yeah, no one's wearing masks here in Orange County. Yup, because no one is dying here of the virus," Kelly said, as two servers, both wearing masks, approached her table. At the time of her comments, 133 people had died of coronavirus-related complications in her county. She later attempted to "clarify" her comments. "I was by no means minimizing deaths that have been caused by this virus, and I feel for their loved ones," she said. "However, Orange County has 133 deaths out of 3 million people — much lower than most." She added that she was celebrating that very few people were wearing masks because she "felt encouraged and excited that people were out and about and there was some semblance of normalcy."
RELATED: Celebs who've tested positive for COVID-19
Blackface scandal
Jimmy Fallon has apologized for wearing blackface in a "Saturday Night Live" sketch 20 years ago. Although the video is two decades old, it resurfaced in late May and went viral — the hashtag #KimmyFallonIsOverParty began trending on social media on May 25. "In 2000, while on 'SNL,' I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface," Jimmy tweeted on May 26. "There is no excuse for this. I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable." However, not everyone was upset with the "Tonight Show" host. Jamie Foxx came to Jimmy's defense, writing in the comments section of an E! News post on the controversy, "He was doing an impression of chris rock. It wasn't black face. We comedians I know it's a tough time right now. But this one is a stretch. On a show called in living color we played every race Let this one go. We got bigger fish to fry."
RELATED: Music's biggest scandals
Surprise daughter
"Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson dropped a bombshell on May 28 when he revealed on his "Unashamed" podcast with sons Al, Jase, Jep and Willie Robertson that he's learned he has a 45-year-old daughter named Phyliss who was conceived when he had an affair in the '70s while married to wife Kay. Al explained that he and Jase got a letter from Phyliss about three months ago in which she explained "that by a DNA search, she thinks that Dad might be her dad." Al initially dismissed it since the woman was born after Phil became a Christian, but after a family member spoke to Phyllis and got more details, the brothers shared the information with Phil and he underwent a DNA test — which came back as a "99.99 percent match," Al said. Phil invited his daughter to Louisiana to meet the family and they now plan to have her on the podcast in the future. "We know that in all things — in all things, even sin — God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose," Phil said, quoting a Bible verse.
Plastic surgery accusation and denial
Justin Bieber and wife Hailey Bieber have threatened to sue a plastic surgeon who suggested that the model had work done on her face. In a TikTok video posted in late May, Dr. Daniel Barrett posted side-by-side pics of Hailey Baldwin vs. Hailey Bieber, claiming puberty can't account for the difference. As the clip garnered more views, Hailey hit back, saying, "I've never touched my face so If you're gonna sit around and compare me at 13, and then me at 23, at least use a natural photo that wasn't edited so crazy." E! News reported that the couple's attorneys sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Los Angeles-based doctor, alleging that he's using Hailey's "name, image and likeness" to "commercially advertise [his] plastic surgery practice and to spread false, uncorroborated claims that Mrs. Bieber has undergone plastic surgery." Justin also accused the doctor of copyright infringement after he used the words "Is it too late now to say sorry" in his post (the words are lyrics from Justin's 2015 song "Sorry.")
Hollywood reacts
The heartbreaking death of an African American Minneapolis man — which has sparked protests and riots around the country — had a deep effect on Hollywood this week, prompting many to speak out and even cancel appearances. On May 25, 46-year-old George Floyd died at a Minnesota hospital after a white police officer pinned him to the ground for several minutes by kneeling on his neck, even though George repeatedly made it clear he couldn't breathe, video taken by bystanders showed. Although George wasn't a celebrity, the entertainment world was shook, with many speaking out (Ice Cube even canceled his appearance on "Good Morning America"). Beyonce shared a photo of George on her website, writing, "REST IN POWER GEORGE FLOYD." Justin Bieber said, "This makes me absolutely sick." Taylor Swift demanded "Justice For George Floyd."
Death experience
Gary Busey shouldn't be here — in fact, he claims he died and came back to life following a 1988 motorcycle crash. In a chat with The Guardian published on May 28, the actor recalled, "I had an accident on a Harley-Davidson. I went off the bike without a helmet, hit my head into a curb, split my skull, passed away after brain surgery and went to the other side — the spiritual realm where I got information." He continued, "And I came back, and these messages, these definitions, came to me first class. I'll think of a word and write the word down without thinking." Gary said he was "surrounded by angels" with "balls of light floating all around" him in the afterlife. The accident, he said, didn't leave him with brain damage, but instead "a brain disordered in a better direction because of how it happened and how it recovered."
Not a billionaire
Forbes declared in March 2019 that Kylie Cosmetics founder Kylie Jenner was the world's youngest self-made billionaire. But on May 29, the magazine published a story alleging that the Kardashian-Jenner machine had manipulated, fabricated and told white lies about financial information — which had led them to realize she's far from a billionaire. Forbes said it learned this after Kylie sold 51% of her Kylie Cosmetics to beauty conglomerate Coty in a deal valued at $1.2 billion in January, which led it to examine filings released by Coty, which is publicly traded. According to the magazine, "Kylie's business is significantly smaller, and less profitable, than the family has spent years leading the cosmetics industry and media outlets, including Forbes, to believe." Forbes added, "Based on this new information — plus the impact of COVID-19 on beauty stocks and consumer spending — Forbes now thinks that Kylie Jenner, even after pocketing an estimated $340 million after taxes from the sale, is not a billionaire." Kylie was quick to respond to the allegations on Twitter saying, "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." Kylie's lawyers also called Forbes' allegations lies and encouraged the outlet to retract their statements.
Burglary attempt
A would-be crook was arrested after attempting to break into Lisa Vanderpump's popular West Hollywood restaurant. TMZ reported that a man wearing a blue medical mask and a backpack walked up to the Bravo star's Pump restaurant on May 24 and attempted to cut the lock to the front gate. As multiple witnesses noticed the alleged break-in in progress, the aspiring burglar immediately put away his heavy-duty shears and stood in front of the gate "as if nothing was amiss," TMZ explained. Passersby weren't buying it, and at least three called police, who arrived within minutes. At the time of the attempted break-in, the restaurant was closed due to California's shelter-in-place orders. Since nothing was taken and the man didn't really come close to getting inside of Pump, the "Vanderpump Rules" star is not pressing charges.
Home life
Kevin Federline is still calling the shots for Britney Spears… at least in one instance. At the behest of her ex-husband, the pop star quarantined for two weeks in May so that she could see their two sons. "Britney returned to L.A. from a trip to see her family down in Louisiana at the end of April. When she got back, she wanted some QT with her sons, but Kevin insisted she quarantine for at least two weeks before seeing them," TMZ explained on May 26, adding that Brit was happy to comply. It's not known when Britney last saw Sean Preston, 14, and Jayden James, 13 — who last appeared on her Instagram page last summer — prior to this. The boys primarily live with Kevin, as specified in the former couple's custody agreement. Now that she's emerged from the 14-day quarantine, which ensures she's not infected with the coronavirus, she's seen the teens twice. Both visits reportedly lasted a couple of hours.
Money matters
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are paying their own way. Following a recent May report that claimed Harry's father, Prince Charles, was footing the bill for the couple's security now that they live in Los Angeles, friends of the duo have claimed otherwise. While still getting acquainted in their new lives in America, Harry, Meghan and son Archie are currently living in Tyler Perry's L.A. mansion and are reportedly using the private security team that Tyler already has in place there. However, that's merely temporary. A source told The Daily Beast that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will get their own permanent security team soon. According to the source, the couple is not "asking for any special treatment" with regard to their security situation and "have not received any."
