By Neia Balao
5:05am PDT, Aug 25, 2020
Tayshia Adams takes over for Clare Crawley as new lead of "The Bachelorette"
While Clare Crawley was initially announced as the star of "The Bachelorette" season 16 — which, at 39, made her the oldest woman to lead the show — there's since been a wild change of plans. Clare reportedly fell in love with one of her suitors early into filming and decided she no longer needed to see any of the other men. Given that the season had just begun, producers were in need of a new woman to headline the reality series, which is when Tayshia Adams, 29, entered the picture! In early August, multiple outlets confirmed that the fan favorite — she was on Colton Underwood's season 23 of "The Bachelor" and later dated John Paul Jones on "Bachelor in Paradise" — had been selected to take over. "The producers have told her that the season will still lead with Clare and her short-lived journey, and will show Clare falling in love with one of her suitors," an insider told E! News. "Clare will then conclude her journey and announce that Tayshia is the lead." The season has been filming near Palm Springs, California, since July.
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"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" fires three top producers in wake of toxic work culture allegations
According to an Aug. 17 report from Variety, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" fired three top producers — Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman — in the wake of claims from current and former staffers that the show has long fostered a toxic work culture. "Ellen" vets Andy Lassner, Mary Connelly and Derek Westervelt will remain as the talk show's executive producers along with Ellen herself. The comedian — who in an Aug. 17 video conference call with 200 staffers apologetically spoke to her team and, according to reports, told employees she was "not perfect" and called a slew of disturbing allegations about the show "heartbreaking" — also announced that the talk show's resident DJ, Stephen "tWitch" Boss, had been promoted to co-executive producer.
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More details revealed about Chrishell Stause and Justin Hartley split on latest season of "Selling Sunset"
The third season of the Netflix reality series "Selling Sunset" was released on the streaming platform on Aug. 7, and it soon made headlines for offering up more details surrounding luxury real estate agent and former actress Chrishell Stause's late-2019 split from her husband, "This Is Us" star Justin Hartley. In a clip released by Netflix ahead of the premiere, Chrishell detailed the end of her marriage while chatting with co-star Mary Fitzgerald. "I found out because he texted me that we were filed [for divorce]," she tearfully shared. Justin filed in November 2019 after two years of marriage and claimed they'd separated in July. The decision seemed out of the blue given that they'd attended several public events together in the months leading up to his filing. "I talked to him like right after [the filing] because I thought that must be a joke, but that was kind of the end of the communication. What do you say after that?" she continued, adding, "Now I have to find a place to live. Now I have to scramble to figure this out." Justin has since moved on with former "Young & The Restless" co-star Sofia Pernas, who was also reportedly close friends with Chrishell.
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ABC announces "Dancing With the Stars" season 29 premiere date
On Aug. 18, ABC announced that season 29 of "Dancing With the Stars" will premiere on Sept. 14 despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Some of the show's COVID-19 safety protocols were shared on "Good Morning America." The pro dancers will be required to live separately — even the married couples — and will be unable to interact with each other. Bachelor Nation star Kaitlyn Bristowe was the first celebrity participant confirmed, while notable names including AJ McLean, Carole Baskin, Chrishell Stause and Anne Heche are among the stars E! News reported are in talks to join. Tyra Banks is set to host the competition following the departure of veteran "DWTS" emcee Tom Bergeron.
HBO Max's "Friends" reunion special is postponed again
Turns out fans of the beloved '90s sitcom "Friends" will have to wait a bit longer for the highly anticipated reunion. HBO Max's unscripted "Friends" reunion special featuring the main cast — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — has been postponed yet again due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has posed difficulties for production. The special was initially meant to help promote the May launch of the HBO Max streaming service, which reportedly paid upwards of $400 million for the rights to air all 10 seasons of the comedy series. While there were plans to shoot the special by the end of the summer, in August it emerged that filming dates are still yet to be determined. The "Friends" reunion will eventually film on its original soundstage on the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank, California.
"E! News" canceled after 29 years on the air
After 29 years on the air, "E! News" is coming to an end. According to Entertainment Weekly, the decision to cancel the long-running entertainment news show, which debuted in 1991, was due to financial cuts caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Its most recent co-hosts were Lilliana Vazquez and Scott Tweedie (pictured), who also hosted E!'s "Pop of the Morning" with Victor Cruz, another series that's been canceled. Lilliana took to Instagram to address the news. "See. I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. Revelations 3:8," she wrote. "Thankful for this incredible adventure and I will miss this team and crew beyond belief. Yes…even the 4am call time. Con mucho mucho amor."
Hasan Minhaj's "Patriot Act" canceled after six seasons
On Aug. 18, it was announced that "Patriot Act," Hasan Minhaj's weekly show on Netflix, wouldn't be returning for a seventh season. "What a run. @patriotact has come to an end," he wrote on Twitter. "I got to work with the best writers, producers, researchers, and animators in the game. My 2 babies were born and grew up with the show. TY to @Netflix and everyone who watched. Now it's time to return these screens to Best Buy." The show, which covered a range of politically and culturally relevant topics including George Floyd's murder and the coronavirus crisis, ran for 39 episodes over six seasons.
Sara Haines to return as a "The View" co-host in September
On Aug. 14, Variety reported that Sara Haines would reassume her position as a co-host on "The View" for season 24. Sara previously served on the daytime talk show's panel for two seasons from 2016 to 2018 before leaving to join ABC's "Good Morning America" alongside Michael Strahan. In 2019, the third hour of "GMA" was renamed "Strahan, Sara and Keke" but on Aug. 2, co-host Keke Palmer confirmed that their third hour show had been canceled.
Garcelle Beauvais joins "The Real" host panel
On Aug. 24, E! News announced that Garcelle Beauvais was joining "The Real" as a co-host on the new season that kicks off in September. "I am thrilled to be joining the dynamic, bold and diverse women on the award-winning talk show 'The Real,'" the actress said in a statement. "My love for pop culture and news blended with my natural gift of gab has always made me gravitate towards a talk show environment. It's also exciting that it's happening right after my amazing time joining 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.'" She'll be sitting in with veteran hosts Adrienne Bailon, Loni Love and Jeannie Mai following the exit of Tamera Mowry-Housley and Amanda Seales.
The CW announces "Supernatural" will air final episodes starting in October
On Aug. 17, The CW announced its fall premiere dates for the 2020-2021 season. The network's long-running series "Supernatural," which stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, will air its final seven episodes starting Oct. 8. The 15th and final season of the show was originally intended to wrap in the spring, but production in Vancouver, where it's filmed, was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic before the final episodes were filmed. The series finale is set to air on Nov. 19 following the special "Supernatural: The Long Road Home."
Bachelor Nation alum JoJo Fletcher temporarily replaces host Chris Harrison
On Aug. 14, it was revealed that JoJo Fletcher would temporarily be stepping in to host at least a portion of the next season of "The Bachelorette." According to reports, veteran host Chris Harrison left filming in order to drop his son off at college in Texas, and due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, he was required to quarantine for two weeks, which kept him away from filming. However, it appears Chris only actually quarantined for a matter of days — on Aug. 17, he was spotted back on the set near Palm Springs, California.
Peacock to develop "Clueless" reboot series focused on Dionne Davenport
According to Variety, Peacock — NBCUniversal's streaming service — is developing a "Clueless" reboot series. The forthcoming show will focus primarily on Cher Horowitz's best friend, Dionne Davenport, who was played by Stacey Dash in the 1995 film and subsequent television series that ran from 1996 to 1999. Variety further reported that series, which is untitled at this time, is "a baby pink and bisexual blue-tinted, tiny sunglasses-wearing, oat milk latte and Adderall-fueled look at what happens when queen bee Cher disappears and her lifelong No. 2 Dionne steps into Cher's vacant Air Jordans. How does Dionne deal with the pressures of being the new most popular girl in school, while also unraveling the mystery of what happened to her best friend?"
Zoe Kravitz calls out Hulu for lack of diversity following "High Fidelity" cancellation
Following Hulu's decision to cancel "High Fidelity," Zoe Kravitz took to Instagram to call out the streaming service for its decision to cut one of its few shows that feature a diverse cast. She posted a series of behind-the-scenes photos with her show's cast after news of its cancellation was revealed. "I wanna give a shout out to my #highfidelity family. Thank you for all the love and heart you put into this show. I'm in awe of all of you. And thank you to everyone who watched, loved and supported us. #breakupssuck," she wrote. Actress Tessa Thompson commented on the post, writing, "I will miss you alllllllllllll so much." Zoe replied, "It's cool. At least Hulu has a ton of other shows starring women of color we can watch. Oh wait." Hulu's version was a modern retelling of the 2000 film led by John Cusack. This time, it was Zoe who took on the starring role of a misanthropic, music-obsessed record store owner with a penchant for making "top five" lists. The short-lived series premiered on the streaming service on Feb. 14.
Lili Reinhart slams media outet for "piecing together their own story for clickbait"
"Riverdale" star Lili Reinhart slammed media outlet Refinery29 for taking quotes from an interview out of context. "Quotes taken from my most recent interview are not about a 'breakup,'" she wrote on Twitter on Aug. 18. "They are about the depression I've felt over these last few months. Tired of people taking my words out of context and piecing together their own story for clickbait." The interview in question was posted on Aug. 18 with the headline, "Lili Reinhart's Been Through Heartbreak. She Wants To Tell You About It." Lili feels the outlet shaped a false narrative about her breakup with "Riverdale" co-star Cole Sprouse earlier this year. She reiterated in a followup tweet, "I would never speak so candidly about something as personal as a breakup. That's incredibly private. I was addressing my depression." On Aug. 19, Cole took to Instagram to address their breakup. "Lili and I initially separated in January of this year, deciding to more permanently split in March," he explained. "What an incredible experience I had, I'll always feel lucky and cherish that I had the chance to fall in love. I wish her nothing but the utmost love and happiness moving forward. All I'll say about it, anything else you hear doesn't matter."
Lizzo inks first-look TV deal with Amazon Studios
Looks like Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Lizzo is taking her talents to the small screen! According to Variety, the "Truth Hurts" hitmaker signed a first-look deal that will see her working exclusively with Amazon Studios to create projects for its streaming service, Amazon Prime Video. "Lizzo is one of the most exciting, creative, joyful artists in the industry, and it is such a pleasure to announce this new deal with her," said Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke. "She has such a unique perspective and we're so excited to hear her ideas for new content that our Prime Video customers are sure to love." 2020 has proven to be a successful year for Lizzo: She took home three Grammys in January.
Kelly Clarkson to host 2020 Billboard Music Awards
The 2020 Billboard Music Awards has found its host! On Aug. 14, it was announced that Kelly Clarkson is set to emcee the event, which will air on NBC on Oct. 14. The show was postponed from its original April 29 date due to the coronavirus pandemic. "I'm thrilled to be back with my Billboard family," Kelly said in a statement. "I love being part of an event that celebrates our greatest artists and entertains our fans. This is a night of music that you won't want to miss!" This will mark the third consecutive year Kelly has hosted the music award show.
