By JM Stephens
4:24am PDT, Jul 27, 2020
Kanye West claims he's been trying to divorce Kim Kardashian West
On July 21, Kanye West shocked the world by going on a Twitter spree attacking wife Kim Kardashian West and mother-in-law Kris Jenner. Kanye's tweets revealed everything from how he's been trying to divorce Kim for more than a year to claims the movie "Get Out" is based on his life in the Kardashian family to accusations that Kim and Kris have been trying to get him placed on a 51/50 mental health hold. "I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek [Mill] at the [Waldorf hotel] for prison reform," read one. Kanye also branded his mother-in-law "Kris Jong-Un." While fans were split on how to interpret all of this, Kim shared a message on Instagram explaining, "As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder. Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand. I've never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I am very protective of our children and Kanye's right to privacy when it comes to his health. But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health. Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor. People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgmental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try." But that's not all that happened…
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Kanye West's roller coaster month continues
Kanye West also postponed the July 24 release of his new album"Donda" hours before it was set to drop and go up against Taylor Swift's surprise album, "Folklore." That weekend, he visited a emergency room in Cody, Wyoming — it's near his ranch — for anxiety issues, The Blast reported, but left minutes later. On July 25, he tweeted, "I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter. I did not cover her like she has covered me. To Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me." It's believed he was referring to comments he made earlier in the month at a South Carolina rally related to his bid for president in which he revealed that he and Kim Kardashian West initially wanted to abort their eldest child, daughter North West.
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Harry Styles divides the internet with new mustache
Harry Styles continues to show us that he is a style chameleon, even if his fans don't always like it! On July 18, Villa Manodori in Italy shared a photo of the music star while on a wine tour at its vineyard and fans were shocked to see the former One Direction singer rocking a '70s-style mustache. Page Six reported that Harry has been compared to the video game character Mario, Joe Exotic and Hopper from "Stranger Things." People also thought he looked like a "hip '70s grandpa" or a "cowboy." Fans also didn't love it, tweeting things like, "In loving memory of Harry Styles he's not dead he just has a mustache," and "Pls tell me it's fake and he actually shaved everything," and "I love harry so much but this isn't it. sorry." While there has been no confirmation, many are speculating that Harry is rocking the mustache for a new Gucci ad.
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Taylor Swift drops surprise new album, breaks streaming record in one day
On July 23, Taylor Swift took to Instagram to reveal that she'd secretly been recording new music during the coronavirus pandemic and just 16 hours later, she released a new album, "Folklore." "Most of the things I had planned this summer didn't end up happening, but there is something I hadn't planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, 'folklore'. Surprise," she wrote on Instagram. She immediately broke a record for the biggest one-day debut of an album for a female artist with 80.6 million streaks in 24 hours (Drake holds the record for male artist with "Scorpion" and its 132 million streams). On July 26, Universal Music revealed that the critically acclaimed album had also sold more than 1.3 million physical copies around the world in less than 24 hours.
Natalie Maines has changed her feelings about George W. Bush
The Chicks singer Natalie Maines famously took a lot of heat in 2003 when she criticized then-President George W. Bush for involving America in a war in the Middle East — she told a U.K. concert audience that her band was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas" in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq — but as the world has changed, so have her feelings! On a July 20 episode of "Watch What Happens Live," during which she promoted her band's first album in 14 years, "Gaslighter," the country music star said, "Today I might actually make out with George Bush," after living in President Donald Trump's America for the better part of four years. Natalie still maintains that she "didn't want to go to war and that weapons of mass destruction were a lie — but yes, I would [kiss Bush]." While speaking with radio host Howard Stern, Natalie expanded on her feelings, stating, "There's no leadership. It's unbelievable. … It is crazy that we have a leader that is — I mean, it's murder. It's second-degree murder. He's not having to physically kill people but his ignoring things and speaking complete lies … it's unbelievable."
Rapper Logic announces retirement and video game partnership
Rapper Logic shocked fans on July 20 by announcing that he's not only decided to retire from music, but that he's inked a massive seven-figure deal with video game streaming platform Twitch. While details of the deal are scarce, Twitch did confirm the news, saying, "Logic will stream weekly on his Twitch channel which will include a mixture of in-studio sessions, special guests, AMA-style formats and gaming." While some were shocked, Logic explained, "I'm not this rapper guy, man. I'm just a nerd. I love video games. I'm blessed enough to have millions of fans and followers. So it is a great partnership…I'm going to bring new eyes to their service, they're going to bring new money to my bank account, and — I'm just kidding." Logic plans to use this time to focus on video games and to be a father to his newborn son.
Nicki Minaj announces pregnancy
On July 20, rapper Nicki Minaj took to Instagram to announce that she and her husband, Kenneth Petty, are expecting. "Preggers," she captioned a photo of herself cradling her growing baby bump. In another image showing off her bump, she added, "Love. Marriage. Baby carriage. Overflowing with excitement & gratitude. Thank you all for the well wishes."
Music stars we lost in July
Country Music Hall of Fame legend Charlie Daniels passed away on July 6 at 83 after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke. The singer is best known for his classic song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." … Broadway star and singer Nick Cordero passed away from COVID-19 complications on July 5 at 41… Rapper Lil Marlo, 30, was found dead inside his vehicle on July 11 after he was shot.
Beyonce's mom defends her against critics
Even when you're Beyonce, your mom will always be your protector! On July 6, Tina Knowles Lawson came to the defense of her superstar daughter after fans began criticizing Beyonce over her new Disney movie "Black is King," claiming that she's capitalizing off of African culture. Tina pointed out that Beyonce used a majority of African creatives for the project and that Bey is a descendent of Africans. Mama Tina wrote on Instagram, "While people whine about her not touring in Africa yet beg for more African representation in entertainment but are mad that they're getting it from one the world's greatest stars is strange to me. They'd rather have B come and they spend their money for a show once or twice every few years rather than have someone of African descent work with African creatives to create art that celebrates them that will last forever and it be done at no cost to them." "Black is King" premieres on Disney+ on July 31.
The #FreeBritney movement is gaining steam again
In 2019, many fans of Britney Spears began to actively promote conspiracy theories about the pop star's well-being. In July, the #FreeBritney movement gained momentum. Some fans are convinced that Britney is covertly sending signals on Instagram to indicate that she's being held captive. During coronavirus quarantine, Britney's been very active on the social media platform, posting several videos of herself dancing, for example. Some have commented that she looks frazzled in the clips and some believe that she's begging for help. TMZ pointed out that fans told Britney to "wear black if you need help," and "wear pink if you are in trouble." In a bizarre dancing video posted on July 14, Britney wore pink shorts with black polka dots. They've also urged her to give them hand signals. Many fans — including Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi of "Jersey Shore" fame — have claimed that comments asking if Brit's OK are being deleted. Fans believe that her conservatorship, which her father and a professional conservator with a mental health background have controlled, is holding Britney against her will in an attempt to remain in charge of her person and her finances. TMZ, however, reported that Britney is actually just "struggling" with mental illness. A source close to the situation told TMZ, "These people who are screaming for the conservatorship to end, well if that happened and she hurt herself or died 2 weeks after would these people utter a peep? No way."
Friends say Mick Jagger is the happiest he's ever been
Who says your later years can't be your best ever? Friends of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger are shocked at how happy the rocker — who turned 77 on July 26 — has been while in quarantine with his ballerina girlfriend and their young son. After a rough 2019 dealing with heart problems followed by the global coronavirus pandemic, Mick has discovered, friends claim, that time at home with the ones you love leads to real happiness. According to Page Six, Mick and girlfriend Melanie Hamrick have grown closer during quarantine while living together in a rented castle in Italy. A source close to the couple said, "The couple's friends consider them married — but of course they aren't as Mick doesn't do that anymore, lol. Mick's pals say they haven't seen him this happy in decades, and he has finally settled down. It only took a heart attack and pandemic." The Stones recently released "Living in a Ghost Town," the group's first original song since 2012.
On July 3, country music star Kacey Musgraves filed to divorce her husband of less than three years, Ruston Kelly.
Ellie Goulding reveals she got drunk while recording her biggest hits
Singer Ellie Goulding is getting candid about how she made some of her biggest hits! While speaking with The Guardian on July 10, the British star admitted to drinking while recording music. "I don't know many musicians who aren't fueled by something in the studio. Maybe it's an inhibition thing. I've definitely written songs while I've been drunk that have resonated with people. My cover of 'Your Song' I probably did [while drunk], and 'Anything Can Happen,'" she said. Ellie also explained that drinking was a way she self-medicated to deal with fame, explaining, "I would say, 'Right, I've got to drink this morning because I don't really know how to answer the questions, because I don't really know who I am any more.'" The good news? Ellie has sought treatment to deal with her issues regarding the limelight.
