Shortly after WEG dropped, news came out that Millie Bobby Brown had filed a “harassment and bullying” complaint against David before filming for the final season of Stranger Things. He attended the season five premiere in November, but has kept a low profile ever since. David didn’t participate in any subsequent events, nor did he promote his new HBO series, DTF St. Louis. After taking time away from the spotlight, David did a profile with Variety. He opened up and gave his first public comment about West End Girl. From Variety:

In October 2025, a month before “Stranger Things” started airing its final season, Harbour’s ex-wife, Lily Allen, released the excoriating album “West End Girl.” A moment that should have been a victory lap became, for an actor who’s long been open about his struggles with bipolar disorder, a frightening mental health emergency. Months later, Harbour is reemerging in the public eye; he’s ready to talk about it all.

“West End Girl” landed like a grenade. While Allen has said the album uses “artistic license” and noted in an interview, “I don’t think I could say it’s all true,” lyrics about extramarital activity, violations of an agreed-upon arrangement and emotional manipulation set the internet ablaze. (Her case was that an unnamed husband, envious of her newfound success in acting and chafing against the binds of marriage, demeaned her and kept a separate apartment — the “P—y Palace” — for sexual encounters that went beyond the no-strings-attached flings she’d allowed.) Perhaps the kindest track on the album is the final one, in which Allen finally takes stock of her own role in the marriage’s dissolution — and even this relatively evenhanded song concludes, “It’s not me, it’s you / And there was nothing I could do.”

“It was weird,” Harbour says now in his first public comments about the album. “I do believe that it is the privilege of every artist to use their experience to create art, and so I respect her for doing that.” Allen has for her entire career drawn on the details of her life and the lives of loved ones. (Her 2006 debut record features “Alfie,” a song casting her brother, future “Game of Thrones” actor Alfie Allen, as an aimless pot smoker.) Harbour, who wasn’t a name actor until “Stranger Things” blew up, has firmer boundaries. “I can’t really say that much more,” he says, “because it’s my private life. In spite of the fact that a lot of people don’t allow me a private life — I value it. And I also value the lives of the people that I interact with privately. I just won’t speak about that.”

The door is open, I say, for him to push back against any claims Allen has made. He won’t do that, but he has one more thought to share. “Stories are complex,” he says, “and that’s why I say I respect her creation of art to channel her experience. It wasn’t my experience.” Besides, he’s no stranger to the transformation of life into art. “My ability to use my experience comes through in the creation of ‘DTF,’” he says. Floyd just wants to feel loved and as if he has the capacity to share love. Harbour, putting out into the world a show of uncommon delicacy, can relate. “I want to make things that make people feel safer. My particular talent is in allowing people to feel like they’re not alone.”

[From Variety]

“I do believe that it is the privilege of every artist to use their experience to create art, and so I respect her for doing that.” That is a nicely crafted answer. I’m not surprised David took this stance and it’s the best possible response he can give. It’s the Dave Coulier approach of acknowledging that the woman he wronged is entitled to her feelings, and it earns more goodwill than being indignant or combative. I wonder if he thinks he got off easy and doesn’t want to rock the boat because he knows Lily still has receipts.

Oh, and I also chuckled when I read David’s quotes about relating his experience through DTF. I know he was talking about the show, but the title is a reference to the acronym. I have a dirty mind and that put a whole different spin on that answer. Anyway, David also confirmed that he missed the bulk of the December Stranger Things promotions because he was in the middle of a breakdown. It sounds like he’s in a good place right now, though. I hope he continues to be well.

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On Wednesday, Prince William did his first event of the week (I’m not joking) with a panel-discussion appearance at London Tech Week. The panel discussion was about one of William’s “key issues,” homelessness and how he’s the savior of unhoused people. What’s killing me is that not enough people are talking about what William actually SAID during the panel discussion and what he announced. This is typical of both William and the royal reporters who cover him – William is a lump on a log 99% of the time, and his few-and-far-between public statements are rarely significant. But what he announced this week was genuinely bonkers and I need genuine data-privacy experts to tap into this conversation.

So what was the big announcement? William’s homelessness project Homewards is launching something called the Homelessness Data Lab. They’re partnering with Salesforce and the UK property charity LandAid, and they’re going to access private citizens’ bank records, cell phone data and rental records to try to “predict” homelessness. The goals here are nebulous at best, and what William described at the tech conference sounds more like an illegal data gathering to monitor potential homelessness rather than offer support and solutions to homelessness. Well, if you can believe it, it gets a lot worse. Guess who’s also a huge cheerleader for AI?

Britain’s Prince William said artificial intelligence was being harnessed to identify people at risk of homelessness, enabling early intervention ​to keep them in housing or reduce the time they spend ‌on the streets or in temporary accommodation.

The prince told an audience at London Tech Week that it was an “unusual conversation” for a technology forum, but the types of ​data companies handled daily could give insights that made a ​real difference.

“I’m not sure you realise how much that data can ⁠be used to predict and see problems with potential homelessness before ​they arise,” he said.

The programme launched its Homelessness Data Lab at Tech Week ​in partnership with LandAid and Salesforce, supported by Bloomberg, VodafoneThree, Accenture, NatWest ​Group and others. The lab will analyse data to flag warning signs – such as a ‌missed ⁠bill payment, a phone being cut off or a child absent from school – to intervene to reduce homelessness, a problem Homewards said affected more than 430,000 people in Britain.

The prince said the data could help identify much ​earlier when somebody ​was getting into ⁠difficulties, allowing intervention that could help them stay in their homes, jobs and communities.

“Prevention is better than cure,” he ​said, appealing to other companies and organisations to join ​the 25 ⁠already working with the lab.

William was shown an “Economic Wellbeing Explorer” map that uses anonymised data from NatWest to pinpoint homelessness risks in Lambeth, London, one ⁠of ​the six locations Homewards works in.

“It’s game-changing stuff,” ​he told Tim Siret, an analyst at Smart Data Foundry, a subsidiary of the University ​of Edinburgh, which created the explorer.

[From Reuters]

Proponents of AI – mostly the people working for or investing in AI companies – swear up and down that AI can be used for everything, that it will save humanity, that it can do all of these wonderful things. When really, this is a prime example of what AI is actually being used for: data-mining people’s banking records, rental records and phone records. Unethical and illegal breaches of privacy, and spending millions of dollars on AI make-work to replace actual person-to-person contact within communities. Let me ask Prince William this: would he be okay with data-mining people’s medical records to “prevent homelessness”? Of course not, because that would be such an obvious breach of medical privacy, right? So why is everyone shrugging at Blundering Bill giving AI free access to private citizens’ banking and cell phone data?? Also: isn’t BlunderBill an environmentalist?? He should check out what AI is doing to the environment.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

After the San Antonio Spurs beat the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Knicks fans went into Madison Square Garden and literally burned sage. Knicks-fan witches were doing spells to cast out the evil spirits after Donald Trump napped through Game 3. Well, it worked. The Knicks pulled off a miracle in Game 4, and now the Knicks are three games to one against the Spurs. All they need is to win one more game and they’ll have their first championship since the 1970s.

For last night’s MSG game, tons of celebrities were in attendance. Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, Mariska Hargitay, Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Hailey Bieber, Wu-Tang!!! All were there. So was Taylor Swift and two of the Haim sisters, Alana and Este. Not only did they sit courtside, they coordinated in specially-made t-shirts reading “Stevie Knicks,” “Knickole Kidman” and “Knickelback.” Travis Kelce didn’t come, he probably had other things to do, so Taylor had a girls’ night. She was also hanging out with Mariska, who seemed overwhelmed that the Knicks managed to pull off a come-from-behind win. I’m including some cool Knicks stuff below.

Stevie Knicks, Knickelback and Knickole Kidman pic.twitter.com/CUM4rwBzhJ

— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) June 11, 2026

security trying to protect her and meanwhile she dgaf shes too happy and too drunk pic.twitter.com/zKotlkALJr

— caio* (@mclr4n) June 11, 2026

timothée chalamet getting shirtless after the knicks win tonight pic.twitter.com/FjVDXGYmd4

— timothée chalamet nation (@timotheenation) June 11, 2026

“I love you so much, I'm so happy.”

Mariska Hargitay to Jalen Brunson postgame

A game-high 36 for JB in the Game 4 W! pic.twitter.com/Yfn64qpMpg

— NBA (@NBA) June 11, 2026

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Earlier this week, we discussed the guest list at Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s wedding. Considering there hasn’t been a “royal wedding” in eight years, it was actually a nice reminder that no one in the British upper class can find flattering and occasion-appropriate clothing. The wedding photos were very fun! It was also fun to realize that one of the Princess of Wales’ exes was invited to the wedding. Back in the day, then-Kate Middleton dated Rupert Finch, probably in her first year at St. Andrews. Finch is now married to an aristocrat who co-founded Beulah London, a British label popular among royals and aristocrats. Well, people are still trying to make a meal out of “Kate and one of her exes attended the same wedding.”

Kate Middleton recently crossed paths with former boyfriend Rupert Finch at a royal family wedding. The encounter took place as the Princess of Wales and Prince William attended the marriage of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling alongside a close-knit group of family members and friends.

The royal gathering brought together several well-known figures from the extended royal circle, such as Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne, who married NHS nurse Harriet Sperling in an intimate ceremony. Among the guests was Rupert Finch, who arrived with his wife, Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs, the co-founder of fashion label Beulah London.

For royal watchers, Rupert’s appearance attracted extra attention because he briefly dated Kate while they were both studying at the University of St Andrews, before she began her relationship with Prince William. Despite their shared history, insiders say there was no discomfort between the former couple. “Everyone’s very mature about moving on, and there’s no embarrassment, just kindness, between Kate and Rupert,” a source told Woman’s Day.

According to the insider, both have built happy family lives since their university days. Kate, Princess of Wales, and Prince William are raising Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, while Rupert and Natasha have three children of their own. Sources close to the royal circle said the reunion felt completely natural and comfortable, with no awkwardness between anyone involved.

Sources say Rupert’s connection to the royal world extends far beyond his brief romance with Kate. His wife Natasha has become a familiar figure in royal fashion circles through Beulah London, a label Kate has worn on numerous occasions over the years. Princess Beatrice and other members of the royal family have also been seen wearing the brand’s designs. “Rupert isn’t just Kate’s university ex,” the insider explained. “He’s been part of the royal-adjacent social circle for almost two decades thanks to his wife.”

[From Reality Tea]

I don’t believe there was any scandal or drama around Finch’s attendance either, for what it’s worth. The gossip isn’t “oh, hard feelings, it’s so scandalous for exes to run into each other!” The gossip is “let’s think back to Kate’s pre-Waity days, and examine what her life would have been like if she hadn’t been singularly devoted to landing William.” She would have been a lot happier, although she and Finch were probably too similar, given their current spouses. They were both looking for someone titled. Plus, Carole Middleton wouldn’t have been happy if Kate settled down with someone like Finch, even if he does resemble Roger Federer.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty Images, Avalon Red, Cover Images.

There’s nothing that angers Hollywood executives more than a small-budget film finding huge box office success. The fact that there are currently two inexpensively-produced films raking it in at the box office has turned into a full-on catastrophe for many studios. These are the same studios who just want to make sequels, remakes and anything with a known IP. Those studios will cut $150 million checks for Play-Doh: The Untold Story or Avengers 7: Nobody Wants This. But those studio heads would have balked at the very idea of spending $750K to make Obsession, or $10 million for Backrooms. Well, Tom Cruise’s CAA agent Maha Dakhil is getting studio lashings for admitting what should be obvious: that the success of Backrooms and Obsession is amazing for the film industry and that directors Kane Parsons and Curry Barker are ushering in another age of exciting, small-budget films which speak to a younger audience.

Maha Dakhil just can’t catch a break. The outspoken CAA super-agent who represents everyone from Tom Cruise to Natalie Portman to Anne Hathaway, recently told attendees as part of a Forbes Iconoclast Summit in New York on June 3 that filmmakers don’t necessarily need film executives to execute their vision.

“We are seeing that we don’t even need studios to green-light ideas. We just need talent and courage,” said Dakhil who, we are told, was referencing the breakout hits “Obsession” and “Backdoors” which have prompted all sorts of chest-beating within a Hollywood desperate for any hopeful news about the future of moviemaking.

Well, it turns out Dakhil’s comments rankled some actual studio executives, some of whom sit on the greenlight committees for major studios. Says one: “Is Tom Cruise going to self-fund? Is the Church of Scientology going to pay for everything he does? How do you make ‘Digger’? Who pays for that?”

“Digger,” of course, is Warner Bros.’ upcoming Cruise movie that costs anywhere from $125 million to $200 million, depending on who you ask. A Warners rep says the budget of the Alejandro González Iñárritu-directed, black comedy is $125 million, while a studio insider says it is “pushing a $200 million, which is insane.” Either way, it represents a figure that can only be approved by a … studio. Asks another top manager, “Does CAA really want her out in the world talking like that?”

But other veteran execs involved with the breakout projects have been publicly making the rounds praising the films on panels, and even chastising Hollywood studios, with no blowback. Jason Blum, an executive producer of “Obsession,” likened Barker and Parsons’ films in a recent talk at the producers guild to nothing less than the ’70s new wave of cinema.

And Peter Chernin, the former Fox exec turned producer who co-financed “Backrooms” with A24, told “The Town” of the big studios, “You can’t just live on sequels, you can’t just live on IP… [the major studios] should be taking risks.” (Chernin also told CNBC of any impending copycats, ″I guarantee you 80% will be failures… Your job is to innovate… not to just jump on a bandwagon.”)

One unintended consequence of the back-to-back success of “Obsession” and “Backdoors” is the casting of a spotlight on Hollywood’s generational divide. Across the industry, on the Monday after “Backrooms” opened, boomer studio honchos sat down with their younger millennial and Gen Z staff and earnestly asked their advice on how to harness the power of YouTube. To some, it feels like a classic bandwagon moment that a generation of top executives will undoubtedly squander.

One meme that was making the rounds featured a suited executive standing over his assistant with the line: “My boss making me find the next Kane Parsons or Curry Barker by EOD.”

[From Page Six]

The thing about Tom Cruise’s agent speaking positively about Obsession and Backrooms is that I can pretty much guarantee that Cruise agrees with her. Tom Cruise is Mr. Hollywood, and while he loves a big, costly studio production, he absolutely supports ALL unique filmmakers, even the young guys working with indie budgets. I bet Cruise has already called Parsons and Barker to congratulate them. That’s what it should be like, rather than all of this sniping and jealousy. ALL of the studios should have seen Obsession and Backrooms’ success as a hugely positive moment for the industry as a whole.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Last year, Serena Williams announced a partnership with Ro, a GLP-1 medication. Ro’s claim to fame is that it’s not specifically engineered as a diabetes medication, and usage is encouraged purely for weight loss. Serena’s husband Alexis Ohanian invested in Ro, and Serena stars in Ro’s commercials and print ads. She’s given several interviews saying flat-out that she began researching GLP-1s after she struggled to lose weight after the births of her daughters. Ro worked for Serena – she’s lost a lot of weight and she looks fit and like she’s back to her pre-baby body. Serena came back to the tennis tour this week, and she says she’s only back to play doubles and have a good time. I watched her first match back and while there’s still some rust, Serena looks pretty sharp. Her perfect serve is still there, her power is still there, and she still has pretty good instincts at the net. Well, now is apparently the time where the sports world wrings their hands over whether GLPs should be categorized as performance-enhancing. Can these men just let Serena breathe for one week???

No one expects [Serena Williams’] comeback to stop at Queen’s, or with doubles, though she has not directly committed to playing singles yet. Immediately, Williams reclaimed her position as the most magnetic star in the sport. She also became by far the most prominent athlete to compete at the highest level of their sport having taken GLP-1 drugs, which anti-doping authorities have been monitoring since 2024.

They are not a prohibited substance, nor classed as a performance-enhancing drug. They may never be. Williams’ communication team declined an interview for this story, and to express her views on the debate about whether the drugs could be banned.

Semaglutides and tirzepatides, the two main classes of GLP-1 drug, have been on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) monitoring program since 2024. They work by mimicking the behavior of glucagon, a naturally occurring hormone that triggers the pancreas to release insulin, slow digestion and reduce appetite and hunger. People who take GLP-1s — Glucagon-Like Peptides — report significant reduction in “food noise,” the part of their mind that thinks about the next snack or meal. The reduction in food intake can lead to significant weight loss.

There is no timetable on the WADA process for establishing whether GLP-1s are performance-enhancing, a spokesperson for the organization said. Tennis anti-doping protocol is managed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), but as an Olympic sport, WADA oversees its compliance with its code.

“The WADA List Expert Advisory Group has discussed their status, as well as other substances of the same class,” the statement said. “Semaglutide and tirzepatide were added to the Monitoring Program to track patterns of use in sports in and out of competition. The Monitoring Program includes substances which are not on the Prohibited List, but that WADA wishes to monitor in order to detect potential patterns of misuse in sport.”

A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk said in a statement that the pharmaceutical company, which produces and distributes GLP-1s, agreed with WADA’s decision to monitor GLP-1 usage: “We are supportive of the WADA recommendation, and we strongly discourage use/promotion outside the indicated population and approved label.”

To land on the banned list, a substance has to satisfy two of three criteria: The potential to enhance sport performance; the potential to be a risk to athletes’ health; the potential to violate what WADA defines in its code as the “spirit of sport.” There is a divide in the anti-doping world over whether violating the “spirit of sport” is too vague a criterion, and that enforcement should be based on science alone. For now, though, taking what WADA deems a shortcut in training can contribute to a substance landing on the banned list. It has shown increasing concern about the role of weight-loss drugs in sports. Minutes of a meeting of WADA’s Health and Research Committee last August show a discussion of “whether a new class addressing all types of weight management substances should be created, not only for weight category sports but also weight-sensitive ones (e.g. gymnastics, figure skating, cycling).”

How GLP-1s cause weight loss may further complicate whether they can be considered performance-enhancing. Fat loss is the main contributor. But studies of GLP-1 patients have shown that muscle loss also occurs, which for athletes, would do the opposite of enhancing performance.

[From The NY Times]

Further down in the article, they mention the very obvious work-around for tennis players, which is a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) – basically, if you can provide a doctor’s note for why you need to be on a certain drug, you’re basically allowed to take it. While Serena’s use of Ro has always been specifically for weight loss (in her own words), I think it would be pretty easy for Serena or anyone else to find a doctor saying that a GLP-1 is medically necessary for so-and-so. While it feels like they’re picking on Serena, I actually do think this is a larger issue which WADA will need to reckon with. The most interesting part is where people could argue against the performance enhancement aspect because GLPs lead to muscle loss. I would also argue that there’s anecdotal evidence that GLPs might negatively affect an athlete’s competitive drive – GLPs have been shown to suppress all cravings, not just for food, but also for dopamine. What if GLPs suppress the wacky brain chemistry which elite athletes need to train and compete at such high levels?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

The usual suspects are still trying to “take down” the Duchess of Sussex’s As Ever brand. They want As Ever to fail and it’s killing them that AE was probably one of the most successful startups of 2025. Well, this week, As Ever’s Instagram posted a sweet “hosting tips” reel from influencer Olivia McDowell. Olivia has highlighted As Ever’s products on her social media before, and this has the feel of As Ever contacting her specifically for her brand of sponsored content. Well, Tom Sykes is on the case! From The Royalist’s “Meghan Markle appears to be shifting strategy with her As Ever brand, slowly stepping back from putting herself at its center… Kind of.”

The Duchess of Sussex made a different kind of post this week on the brand’s Instagram. Instead of featuring herself, a video showed lifestyle influencer Olivia McDowell assembling perfect cucumber sandwiches, spreading As Ever jam on a croissant, drinking As Ever tea, and lighting an As Ever candle, all in what was captioned her “3 summer hosting tips.”

At the same time, As Ever’s Instagram Story couldn’t quite stay away from its founder. Meghan linked to her personal account, where she shared a “photo dump” captioned “Springing into summer,” including images of her lying on the grass, nature shots, Archie playing with Prince Harry, onion-cutting, Lilibet’s T-shirt, and a hug with her husband, but, notably, no As Ever content.

This appears to be the first time the Duchess has featured someone other than herself using the products she sells, and it comes just a few days after a report suggested that website traffic has not kept pace with inventory levels this year.

“Bringing in other personalities to carry your brand is running the classic playbook,” Warren Johnson, founder of PR and influencer agency W Communications, told The Royalist, adding that “the team need to stop the As Ever brand from being a personality cult.”

Johnson noted that similar strategies have been used by Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company. “It’s a smart move. The question will be whether the team stick with the strategy for long enough to see the benefits, or whether we see another erratic pivot feed the ‘Diva Duchess’ tag that they are desperate to overcome,” he added.

…While a brand like Goop has collaborated with figures including Kourtney Kardashian and Stella McCartney, Meghan has chosen Olivia McDowell as one of the first personalities to represent her brand. McDowell has around 295,000 Instagram followers (fewer than As Ever and Meghan) and regularly encourages her audience to shop items she herself purchases, with her most popular recommendations including a shoulder bag priced at $1,920 and a tote bag for $570.

In a way, this aligns with Meghan’s own product inventory, which is also far from inexpensive. While a decade ago the Duchess described $100 candles as “obnoxious,” As Ever now sells a set of four candles for $256. The Sussexes’ “favorite” jams are available as a $36 bundle of three, while flower sprinkles are priced at $15. Maybe the Duchess is trying to find an appropriate market for these products, and McDowell, who has quite expensive tastes and an aesthetic lifestyle, fits that narrative.

[From The Royalist Substack]

“This appears to be the first time the Duchess has featured someone other than herself using the products she sells…” No it isn’t? While Olivia’s video might be the first one which is explicitly some kind of sponcon collaboration with As Ever, both Meghan and As Ever have highlighted other people using AE products or tips learned from With Love, Meghan. Those photos and videos were usually posted on Instagram Stories last year, because I remember that the As Ever team highlighted a bunch of really good ones of normal women trying out various products and one-pan pasta and what have you. Basically, they’re desperate to use every single Instagram post as evidence of Meghan’s “failure” when really, this is just business as usual for a growing brand. Meghan isn’t “stepping back” – she’s the face of her brand, she’s running the show and she’s the one choosing the aesthetics and the sponcon. Also, it looks like Sykes needs to get his eyes checked because Meghan did include a jar of jam in her photo dump on Tuesday as well (see below).

Olivia McDowell x As ever

Olivia’s summer hosting tips with Meghan’s As ever brand! #AsEverByMeghan pic.twitter.com/o0IYgxNPiD

— ChrisBaronSmith (@ChrisBaronSmit1) June 8, 2026

Photos courtesy of As Ever’s Instagram.

The thing about Bill Gates is that he’s smart enough and rich enough to hire the best lawyers, best publicists and best crisis managers to help him manage his current crisis. The other thing about Bill Gates is that he was stupid enough to compulsively cheat on his wife with dozens of women and stupid enough to get involved with Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein’s sweetheart plea deal and house arrest. The dichotomy of man in a nutshell. So, Gates had months of lead time to get his story straight, and on Wednesday, he appeared before a closed-door session of the House Oversight Committee, where he was asked about his extensive connections to Epstein. Bill’s team worked long and hard to come up with some reasonable explanations for all of it. Blackmail! Falsified kompromat! Only three years of contact! Bill was slow to realize the extent to which Epstein was trying to use him! Sure, Jan.

Bill Gates said he told members of the House Oversight Committee during closed-door testimony on Wednesday, June 10, that Jeffrey Epstein tried to blackmail him over his infidelity to his then-wife, Melinda French Gates.

“I learned Epstein had become aware of sensitive information about my personal life, including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage. These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family,” the billionaire Microsoft co-founder said in his opening statement amid the committee’s ongoing Epstein investigation, according to a copy of Gates’ planned remarks that he also shared online.

“As the public can now see, based on what has been released in the files, Epstein was working to use information about my infidelities — in addition to many lies that he layered on top — to pressure me to re-engage with him,” Gates said he told lawmakers. “He was unsuccessful in this effort, but it shows some of the ways he tried to leverage his interactions with me to further his agenda.”

Gates said he “should never have met with Epstein” — whose vast network of influential friends and associates has drawn scrutiny in recent years — and reiterated that he “never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct,” echoing his past statements about their relationship. Gates noted that he never went to Epstein’s infamous island, his Florida home or ranch.

“I have never victimized anyone. While he may have sought to foster a personal relationship, I was never interested in that and never reciprocated,” he insisted. Gates, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, has repeatedly apologized for having spent time with Epstein and has said that he met with the convicted sex offender solely to obtain support for his global health philanthropy.

“I was introduced to Epstein in 2011 through people I trusted in my professional and philanthropic work,” Gates, 70, said. “Epstein claimed he could raise billions of dollars for global health from people for whom he provided tax and estate services.”

Gates admitted to some naiveté regarding Epstein. He said he was initially “aware that Epstein had faced prior legal issues, but I did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed. I accepted the introduction without applying the scrutiny I should have.” He said he and Epstein were connected for a handful of years, starting with “preliminary meetings” three times in 2011 and twice in 2012, where he talked about the “goals” of his work.

“We began more extensive conversations in 2013 and 2014,” Gates added. “The discussions focused on identifying potential giving structures, such as donor-advised funds, and how to enroll individuals he claimed were interested in making significant contributions. I made it clear to Epstein from the outset that he would never play a role in any of the work or receive any compensation.”

But in 2014, Gates said that after “Epstein brought together a group he described as potential donors, I realized that our prior discussions — which should have translated into meaningful philanthropic support — were a dead-end… It was clear that no one in the group was interested enough to move forward,” Gates said. “At that point, I concluded Epstein would never deliver on his promises. I told him we would go no further and stopped communicating or meeting with him. No vehicle for charitable giving was ever created and no funds were raised.”

He said their interactions ended in December 2014 — “four years before new reports in the press and unsealed court documents shed light on the extent of his crimes.”

“It was during the same time period that an employee was in the process of transitioning out of my private office. This employee engaged Epstein to negotiate and advise him on the terms of the separation. I did not ask — nor did I want or need — Epstein to be involved in this matter,” Gates added.

[From People]

You can read more of Gates’ statements at People Magazine. At one point, he claimed that Epstein had basically taken advantage of Gates’ laser-like focus on global health, saying in part, “I was so focused on the possibility of raising funds for global health that I allowed that goal to override my better judgment. That is a sobering realization, and it has reinforced for me the importance of being more attentive to how access and reputation can be manipulated by people acting in bad faith.” Gates was a shallow youth in his 50s when he was seemingly manipulated by a PDFile conman for years! When Melinda was divorcing Bill, she said she was quite open about how Epstein disgusted her, and she spoke of her disgust to her husband. Certainly, a billionaire like Bill Gates would have ample senior staff capable of running thorough background checks on his potential associates as well. That’s one of the reasons why Bill’s narrative falls apart. Sure, maybe he was “conned” – but he was surrounded by people who didn’t fall for Epstein’s con or whose job it was to protect their boss from sleazy PDFile con men. How in the world did it take three years for the veil to be lifted? Or maybe it was something else entirely. Once you start pulling at these strings, it’s difficult to believe a lot of Bill’s excuses.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

So what has Stuporman done now? Well, we’re a couple weeks away from the release of Supergirl, a movie from James Gunn’s helming of the Superman universe, though Gunn didn’t direct this film himself. But he did cast Milly Alcock as Supergirl/Kara Zor-El, which he called “the best bit of casting I think I’ve ever done in my entire life.” Anyway, over the weekend Dean reposted a stupid tweet where some bro drew arrows to Milly’s earrings in a Supergirl poster and asked, “Wait… if Supergirl’s skin is bulletproof, how does she have ear piercings?” The Socratic method at work. Then another bro responded with an asinine/offensive question of his own, I’ll let Entertainment Weekly describe and the screenshot is below:

When someone else commented, “And why does she look like this guy?” with a photo of Land of the Lost character Cha-Ka, who resembles an ape, Cain was amused.

“Dang it,” Cain wrote, “I laughed.”

After a user typed, “Millie Alcock isn’t ugly. They just put out terrible pictures of her,” Cain insisted that he hadn’t said she was ugly.

Still, hundreds of Reddit users didn’t approve of Cain speaking about Alcock’s appearance.

“She is like the most unconventionally attractive woman ever. We can’t win,” one Reddit user poster.

Another replied, “I still remember when these chuds used to call Sydney Sweeney a mid chick with big tits. Then they found out she was maga and suddenly they started acting like she was the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Lots of men were also saying similar things about Sweeney — calling her mid and a butterface etc. Even Margot Robbie has been called mid by men online,” another Reddit user responded, to which someone replied, “I just laughed out loud thinking about Margot Robbie and ‘mid’ in the same sentence.”

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for Cain, Alcock, and DC Studios.

Meanwhile, Alcock was busy promoting her upcoming film. While she took on the role of Kara Zor-El/Supergirl in 2025’s Superman, which featured David Corenswet, she’s headlining the new movie.

“Of course I’m scared,” Alcock told Vanity Fair in an interview in March. “Of course I want people to like me and the movie. But ultimately, it’s out of my control.”

The actress said her work on TV’s Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon had been good preparation for any negative response directed at her in the part.

“It definitely made me aware that simply existing as a woman in that space is something that people comment on,” Alcock said. “We have become very comfortable having this weird ownership of women’s bodies.”

Her philosophy was to worry about what she could change.

“I can’t really stop them,” Alcock said. “I can only be myself.”

[From EW]

We already know that toxic fanboys ruin everything, but it’s always extra astonishing to me the way they make themselves gatekeepers of characters/worlds THAT AREN’T REAL. This isn’t a documentary, this is a movie adaptation of a comic book! And they’re getting all in their feelings about how an alien superhero could have bulletproof skin and earrings?? What are we doing here?! And then the Land of the Lost dig is just mean trolling, plain and simple. I’d normally expect a 59-year-old to do better than tweet back that he laughed, but this is Dean Cain. Also, let’s be real: between Dean Cain and Milly Alcock, who actually looks like Cha-Ka? I rest my case.

As for Supergirl, it comes out on June 26 and is directed by Craig Gillespie, which is intriguing. His credits include Lars and the Real Girl, I, Tonya, and Cruella, so that gives you an idea of the particular off-beat tone we can expect. My only hang up is that according to the trailer, the plot hinges on Supergirl having to battle enemies to get an antidote after they poison Krypto — the dog! Surely everything works out in the end and Krypto is saved, right? RIGHT??

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos credit: Abbas Shirmohammadi – Panoramic Visions for CNPCNP/INSTARimages

What was the first Glenn Close movie you ever saw? I think my mom let me watch The World According to Garp when I was just a kid, so that was probably my first introduction to her. Then The Big Chill (she’s excellent in that). When I was older, I finally watched Fatal Attraction and she’s clearly having an absolute ball in that, chewing up the scenery at every turn and terrifying the crap out of Michael Douglas. Dangerous Liaisons was one of my top-five movies for many years. And on and on – she’s given one iconic performance after another, and she’s a really underrated and underappreciated actor. She’s never won an Oscar, although she’s been nominated eight times. Well, good news! The Academy is FINALLY giving Glenn an Oscar. The buzz around this year’s Governors Awards was that Harrison Ford (also famously Oscarless) would get it this year. But no, it’s going to Glenn!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present Honorary Oscars to veteran actress Glenn Close, legendary director Ridley Scott and Disney’s first Black animator Floyd Norman, while producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, longtime champions of independent film, will receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, following a vote by its Board of Governors.

The statuettes will be presented at the Academy’s 17th Governors Awards on Nov. 15, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood.

For Close and Scott, the recognition arrives as a long-overdue embrace from an Academy that has nominated each of them repeatedly without ever handing over a competitive prize. Close holds eight acting nominations and no wins, tied with the late Peter O’Toole for the most acting nominations without a win in Oscar history.

Scott has three directing nominations and a producing nod for best picture, and likewise has never taken home a statuette, despite his 2000 action epic “Gladiator” winning five Oscars, including best picture. The honorary recognition finally closes that gap for two of the industry’s most revered artists.

“The Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to present this year’s Governors Awards to five remarkable individuals whose groundbreaking work has forever shaped the art of filmmaking,” said Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor. “Throughout her extraordinary body of work, Glenn Close’s unparalleled emotional range has brought to life some of the most complex characters in cinema. Floyd Norman is the legendary animator who has broken barriers and inspired generations of artists over his remarkable career. Sir Ridley Scott is a true visionary whose decades-long legacy has left an immeasurable impact on global cinema and culture. Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler play a central role in American independent cinema, championing bold, ambitious and distinctive storytelling.”

[From Variety]

I totally agree with giving honorary Oscars to both Glenn and Ridley Scott. Ridley’s tribute is going to be emotional too, especially if they get someone who knew his late brother Tony Scott. Denzel Washington would be a good choice, but so would Sigourney Weaver or Russell Crowe. As for Glenn… so overdue. I’m so happy they’re going with her and not Harrison, although I do hope Harrison gets an honorary one in the next few years. Glenn’s tribute will be incredibly emotional as well… who will do it? Michelle Pfeiffer? Ryan Murphy? Kevin Kline? They should probably ask someone like Meryl Streep to do her tribute, honestly.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

On going back to work: “I had entered a period where I hadn’t worked for a really long time. And then I realized today, I said, ‘Cyrus, you’re working now, man. Be careful what you ask for. You said you wanted to get on the ride? Well, here you go.’ ”

34 years sober: “I am the most sober person in the world. I did drink a lot until 1992, and I just quit. After 10 years of failure and being told no, I finally got a record deal, and that inner voice said, ‘This is going to happen, but you have to stop drinking.’ So I just stopped.”

Why it took so long for him and Tish Cyrus to get divorced: “Sometimes change is scary, and I’ll keep doing the wrong thing for a long time because I’m scared of change. But when I finally do get the courage up to commit in my mind and say, ‘I’m going to do this,’ then that’s the way it is. No looking back. I think that’s maybe sometimes good for everyone—to just let go.”

Family is complicated: [W]hile he may joke that he was “never going to be parent of the year,” Cyrus’ pride in the adults his kids have grown up to be is apparent. “Life is a series of adjustments, and I think my family always knew that. We’ve all been through a lot, and we’ve seen a lot. Whatever happened is in the rearview mirror,” he says. “The past is over and done. The future is what we have, and we got to look forward.”

Plus, the family that plays together stays together: [His 32-year-old son] Braison produced and helped co-write The Hill, Noah duets with her dad on the record with track “On Our Way Along,” and Cyrus joined Miley to tape Disney+’s Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special in February. “All these years later it’s going back to our roots as a family,” Cyrus says. “And to be in this moment with them, it’s just a great celebration of our family.”

He was hospitalized with sepsis: That family also supported him through recent health crises. The country veteran was diagnosed with vocal paralysis in 2024 — following what he describes as a near-fatal bout of sepsis that left him hospitalized before a “miracle” recovery. The youngest member of his family, Braison’s son Bear, 5, also gave him [a] new perspective when he was still trying to find the light.

“In this very broken moment of my life, my little grandson Bear looked at me and said, ‘Try again.’ And up until that moment, he had never spoken to me at all. I wasn’t even sure if he knew my name. In that moment I thought, ‘He’s telling you something.’ Is it about love? Music? Somehow, I got to try again at both. So I’m learning to try again.”

His relationship with Liz: He says leaving Tennessee for the first time in five years to travel internationally with Hurley was the “craziest thing” he’s ever done, “but,” he adds, “I had to do it. This feels like something real.”

He’s in a good place: “What more could I ask for? I don’t have anything to complain about. I like how everything looks right now. I finally found this wonderful place where I’m happy.”

[From People]

It’s nice that BRC and Liz found one another. They felt like such a random pairing at first, but now, they seem like a good match. It’s hard to believe they’ve only been together for just over a year. We’ve seen so much of them over the last year that it feels like they’ve been together for longer. It’s also nice that Billy Ray’s been working on repairing his relationship with his kids. That family is full of hillbilly drama, but they seem like a group of imperfect people trying to work their sh-t out.

Also, Billy Ray’s story about battling sepsis is so scary! That’s the first time he’s mentioned it publicly. I had a friend whose dad died from sepsis several years ago. They got him to the hospital as soon as possible, but it was still too late. Sepsis is on my list of scary medical conditions that can initially be mistaken for something else. Meningitis and hantavirus are also on that list. I’m really glad BRC survived and recovered.

Photos via Instagram and credit: James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon

Rihanna wore Alaia to the Tribeca Film Festival. [RCFA]
Hugh Laurie apologized for drunk-tweeting insults at one of his critics. [Socialite Life]
Emma Stone & Chris Pine in a rom-com?? Yes!! [LaineyGossip]
Did Cape Fear need another remake? (I haven’t watched it yet.) [Pajiba]
Eve Hewson wore jeans. [Go Fug Yourself]
Maya Rudolph & Cole Escola did a bit at the Tonys. [OMG Blog]
Jennifer Aniston “tames” Benny Blanco’s hair. [Just Jared]
Do you like funnel cakes? I’m ambivalent. [Seriously OMG]
Reality stars are taking beta-blockers before their cast reunions! [Starcasm]
Why did Bowen Yang really leave SNL? [Hollywood Life]
I love seeing European tourists exploring America during their World Cup visits. This Swedish woman is getting a lot of attention, but those Germans are having the best time. [Buzzfeed]