By Mark Gray
8:29am PDT, May 12, 2017
Phaedra Parks was fired from "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" after spreading a lie about her co-stars that involved date rape allegations. Phaedra had perpetuated a rumor that indicated that co-stars Kandi Burruss and husband Todd Tucker wanted to drug Porsha Williams and and take advantage of her sexually. Everything came to a head at a "RHOA" reunion show that aired on May 7 when Phaedra was forced to confess that she'd spread the gossip. Phaedra said she was merely repeating what she had heard. Bravo felt the behavior was out of line and gave her the boot. Kandi said on May 8 that she hasn't ruled out legal action against Phaedra.
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Separated
Joanna Krupa and her husband of nearly four years, Romain Zago, have separated. News of the separation came to light on May 8, but it turns out that the former "The Real Housewives of Miami" duo actually split in December 2016. E! News quoted a source who said that the couple simply "grew apart." They had a predominantly bicoastal marriage, as she spent most of her time in Los Angeles while Romain, a nightclub businessman, is based in Miami.
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Bizarre arrest
Conrad Hilton, the younger brother of Paris Hilton, was formally charged in court on May 9 after he allegedly stole a car and tried to break into his ex-girlfriend's house. The case is quite bizarre. Conrad was arrested on May 6 at Hunter Daily Salomon's home — she had a restraining order against him. Before the attempted break-in, he went to the home of the woman's father — that would be Rick Salomon, who famously made a sex tape with Paris in the early aughts — and stole his Bentley. During his arrest, Conrad went on a racist and homophobic tirade. On May 9, he refused to come out of his cell to go to court to formally be charged, but the court charged him anyway. On May 10, he was in court with his attorney and reportedly used another homophobic slur. A judge agreed to release Conrad to his father, Rick Hilton, but required that the hotel heir enter a hospital in Houston so his mental state can be diagnosed. As the judge asked him if he understood, Conrad replied, "I am sorry to the court and the entire state for disrespecting the court. I am not obsessed with hookers and I'm sorry." During a separate court appearance on the matter on May 11, Conrad had an outburst as prosecutors detailed his arrest rant, shouting, "I got assaulted. Objection!"
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Bun in the oven
Jason Aldean and his wife of two years, Brittany Kerr, are expecting a baby, they announced on social media on May 8. The two posted different pictures at the same time. Jason shared an image of them in the kitchen with a bun in the oven. "Been hard to keep this secret but we couldn't be happier to add to our family. This year just gets better and better," he wrote. Brittany shared an image of them in the bedroom with Jason touching her belly. "This was the hardest secret we've ever had to keep," she said. "This journey for us has been full of many happy times & also many tears… The biggest rollercoaster we have ever been on, without a doubt!"
Lawsuit!
In June 2016, the National Enquirer reported that Richard Simmons had a sex change and was living as a woman, hence his withdrawal from the public eye. On May 8, the fitness guru filed a bombshell lawsuit against the publication for defamation and invasion of privacy for printing "cruel and malicious" stories. The suit claims the stories were based on information from a source who Richard says has been attempting to blackmail and extort him for years. The Enquirer came out with a statement indicating that it stands by its story and said it would vigorously defend itself in court.
Social media snafu
The #BowWowChallenge was all the rage online this week after Bow Wow committed a monster of a social media snafu. The rapper posted a photo on Instagram implying that he was headed to New York City on a private jet. But someone then saw him on a commercial airliner and shared a pic. Fans trolled the rapper and posted pictures that mocked him in different and comical ways, often documenting the difference in social media life versus real life (i.e., people photoshopped themselves into places or pretended they were on vacation when they were actually looking at a computer screen). Bow Wow tried to explain the situation on "Ebro In The Morning" on May 11. "I love it because people don't understand the scientific method to my madness…," he said. "No. 1, I'm 'bout to have the biggest show on We TV period. So you gotta watch the show, everything is for the show." Uh huh…
R.I.P.
MTV star Christopher "Big Black" Boykin passed away on May 9 after struggling with heart issues. He was 45. The reality TV star had been hospitalized for several days in Texas while doctors monitored his heart. Before his death, doctors feared that he would need a heart transplant. TMZ reported that doctors tried to resuscitate him for 30 minutes after his heart gave out. Upon hearing of Big Black's death, "Rob & Big" costar Rob Dyrdek said, "My heart is broken. I don't want write this post. I don't want to believe that this is reality. I am so thankful for you… We truly were brothers that lived an unexpected unforgettable adventure. I just can't fathom that it would end so suddenly… You will forever be in my heart."
Prison-bound
"Dance Moms" star Abby Lee Miller is headed to the clink. On May 9, a judge sentenced the reality TV star to one year and one day in federal prison after she pleaded guilty to bankruptcy fraud. Abby has an interesting plan for how she plans to spend her time in lockup. "I'm just going to pretend that I am shooting a movie, and we're on set, and I am there for 10 months, and that's the way it's gonna be," she told "Good Morning America" a day after sentencing. She added that she'll read and try to learn to speak Spanish behind bars. "I am already working on a new book," she said. Still, she added, she "wasn't ever trying to hurt anyone" and called the whole thing a "mistake" on her part.
Baby boy!
It's a newborn boy for the "New Girl" star. Zooey Deschanel and husband Jacob Pechenik, a producer, have welcomed their second child, it was reported on May 9. They named him Charlie Wolf. The couple already share daughter Elsie Otter (we're sensing a theme with the middle names). "Zooey, Jacob and their daughter Elsie are overjoyed to welcome the newest member of their family," the actress' publicist said. The exact date of birth isn't known, but a source told People magazine that Charlie arrived the first week of May.
