By Mark Gray
8:36am PDT, Oct 25, 2019
Married
Nicki Minaj is a wife. On Oct. 21, the rapper announced on Twitter that she and Kenneth "Zoo" Petty had just gotten married. Nicki posted a video to Instagram that showed matching "Mr." and "Mrs." mugs and black and white baseball caps that had "Bride" and "Groom" written across the front. She used bride and groom emojis in her caption along with her real name. "Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty 10•21•19," she wrote. Nicki had been calling Zoo her "husband" for months, but it's now official. TMZ reported that the wedding was very, very intimate and noted that a larger ceremony is planned for later.
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No felony
Ronnie Ortiz-Magro dodged a felony charge following his arrest for kidnapping and domestic violence earlier this month, but he's still facing five misdemeanors, and they're pretty serious. TMZ reported that the Los Angeles City Attorney formally charged the "Jersey Shore" star with one count of domestic violence, one count of brandishing a weapon, one count of child endangerment, one count of resisting arrest and one count of criminal threats. The charges stem from a volatile incident with his off-and-on girlfriend, Jen Harley: Ronnie's been accused of chasing Jen with a knife during a moment of rage, allegedly threatening to kill her, and holing up in a rented home with their toddler daughter. He's denied the claims. When police responded to the incident, the reality TV star was tasered and handcuffed to a gurney.
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Freedom in Italy
Joe Giudice spoke out for the first time since he was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on Oct. 11. The Oct. 21 video message came from Italy, where the "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" alum is awaiting final word on his deportation case. "You just gotta look forward and never look back," he said in the clip shared by Bravo. "Life — it's always better to look through the windshield and not through the rear-view mirror. It's a much bigger picture when you're looking through the windshield. At the end of the day, people make mistakes. Nobody's perfect. But I've learned a valuable lesson from all this. I know my family is the most important thing to me, but it's better that I'm out here than in there." He ended with a message aimed directly at his family in the United States. "And I just wanna let you know that I love yous and I'm always here for yous," he said. "You know that. Alright. Thank you." The Giudice family is planning to visit Joe in Italy in November.
New legal woes
Lori Loughlin's legal issues in a college admissions cheating scandal are far from over. On Oct. 22, she and husband Mossimo Giannulli were indicted by a grand jury in Boston on a new charge — conspiring to commit federal program bribery. The new charge carries a maximum five-year prison sentence — and this is on top of the other crimes prosecutors say they've committed (money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud). Authorities claim Lori and her husband bribed officials at a university that receives federal funding. They are accused of paying a middleman to get their daughters into the University of Southern California, positioning them as crew team recruits even though neither actually participated in the sport. New reports indicate that Lori and her husband are warming up to the idea of taking a plea bargain, especially after Felicity Huffman got a light sentence after pleading guilty to paying a middleman to have her daughter's SAT score boosted.
Baby bliss
It'll be a boy for the "Girl" singer. On Oct. 22, country music star Maren Morris and her husband, fellow country singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd, announced that they're expecting a boy next year. "The irony is just too rich that after a year of living in the 'GIRL' headspace, the universe would give us a baby boy to even things out," Maren captioned an Instagram snapshot revealing her growing baby bump. "See you in 2020, little one." Ryan referenced a "Seinfeld" episode in his announcement, which was accompanied with pics from a pregnancy shoot: "MY BOYS CAN SWIM. BABY BOY HURD 2020! Look at her…cannot believe this life with this girl. Also, thank you George Costanza for this caption that I've been sitting on my entire life…"
Indicted… again
Another week, more charges for Cuba Gooding Jr. On Oct. 22, the district attorney in New York announced that the actor had been indicted on two more counts related to alleged sexual misconduct — this time concerning a third accuser: a count of forcible touching and another charge of sexual abuse in the third degree. It's not known when the newest incident allegedly occurred. In total, Cuba is now facing six charges related to three different accusers. He'll be back in court on Halloween to face the new claims, and he's expected to plead not guilty. The actor's attorney said, "The new accuser is just one more splinter that comes out of the woodwork when a celebrity is criminally charged. But none of the splinters will form a plank leading to his conviction because he has not committed any crime."
Divorce filing
It was only a matter of time, but Zooey Deschanel's estranged husband, Jacob Pechenik, has now made their split official: On Oct. 22, he filed for divorce after four years of marriage. The filing came more than a month after the couple announced that they had separated (in court documents, the producer said they've actually been separated since January). Jacob cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for ending his four-year marriage to Zooey — who's since started dating "Property Brothers" star Jonathan Scott — and is asking for both joint legal and physical custody of their kids, Elsie, 4, and Charlie, 2.
Out and about
Kevin Hart is slowly settling back into his life following a horrific Sept. 1 car crash that fractured his spine. Two weeks after reportedly returning to work part-time, the actor was spotted at a Beverly Hills restaurant alongside JAY-Z on Oct. 21. Kevin, who stayed low-key in a black hoodie and jeans, reportedly played poker with several pals, including Leonardo DiCaprio, afterward.
New song drama
So much drama over a song! On Oct. 22, Selena Gomez released new track "Lose You To Love Me," a powerful ballad that seems to be about ex Justin Bieber. Moments after the song dropped, Justin's wife, Hailey Bieber, posted "I'll Kill You" by Summer Walker to her Instagram Story. Many fans felt like this was a direct response to Selena's song, though Hailey denied any shade. Some of Selena's fans blasted Hailey, prompting the pop star to address the bad blood while mentioning no names. "I am grateful for the response that the song is getting. I am so grateful. However, I do not stand for women tearing women down. I will never, ever be by that. So please be kind to everyone," Selena said on Instagram. "It doesn't matter what the situation is, if you're my fans, don't be rude to anybody, please. Don't go off and say things that you just feel in the moment. Please, for me, know that that's not my heart. My heart is only to release things that I feel are me, and that I'm proud of." By the way, the very next day on Oct. 23, Selena dropped another new song — "Look At Her Now" — which is about regaining confidence after a failed relationship.
