By Wonderwall Editors
5:28am PDT, Apr 29, 2021
Willow Smith opens up about being polyamorous on 'Red Table Talk'
When it comes to her polyamorous approach to relationships, Willow Smith has nothing to hide — not even from her mom and grandmother. On the latest edition of "Red Table Talk," Willow, 20, opens up to Jada Pinkett Smith and Adrienne Banfield Norris about why she seeks multiple romantic relationships at the same time. She also reminds her mother and grandmother of the advantages in letting love interests know, upfront, that she's chosen "ethical non-monogamy," or a polyamorous life. "With polyamory, I feel like the main foundation is the freedom to be able to create a relationship style that works for you and not just stepping into monogamy because that's what everyone around you says is the right thing to do," Willow explains. "So, I was like, how can I structure the way that I approach relationships with that in mind? Also, doing research into polyamory, the main reasons why monogamous relationships — or why marriage, why divorces happen — is infidelity." Jada, 49, revealed on the Facebook Watch show last summer that she had what she described as "an entanglement" with singer August Alsina, now 28, a few years prior during an amicable, if secret, separation from husband Will Smith. Jada's romance with August didn't last long, but he and Jada were open with Jada's hubs about the fact that they were seeing each other. Not surprisingly, she said on this week's episode that she supported her daughter's polyamory from the beginning. "When you were like, 'Hey, this is my get down', I was like, 'I totally get it,'" Jada said. "Wanting to set up your life in a way that you can have what it is that you want, I think anything goes as long as the intentions are clear." Adrienne, 67, was less convinced polyamory can work in the long-term on a deeper level. "For somebody like me, it feels like it's really all just centered around sex," she said. She also admitted she and her husband once considered it. "… We actually talked about polyamory, and was that something that we wanted to explore? We had that conversation," Adrienne said. Willow, meanwhile, took issue with her grandmother's assertion polyamory is just about sex. "In my friend group, I'm the only polyamorous person, and I have the least sex out of all of my friends," she said. Willow also noted she couldn't see herself having more than two partners — or getting married, given the "history of marriage … and what it has represented … for women."
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Hoda Kotb praises longtime friend and colleague Kathie Lee Gifford in moving Walk of Fame tribute
The Hollywood Walk of Fame has one new star — and Hoda Kotb couldn't be happier. In a virtual ceremony on April 28, Kathie Lee Gifford was honored with a star on the famous stretch of pavement. To mark the occasion, her close friend and longtime "Today" colleague Hoda Kotb delivered a moving speech via video about what makes Kathie "so deserving" of the star. "I think the funny thing about Kathie is we all knew her," said Hoda, who worked side-by-side with Kathie for more than a decade. "I got to know her intimately, but everybody knew her and it's because she lived her life in front of us," she continued (via ET). "We saw her meet her handsome husband in front of us on the air. We saw her talk about her children and raise them in front of us. We watched as she went through difficult times in her life in front of us. We watched as she said goodbye to her dad and her dear mom in front of us. And we watched her say goodbye to her husband in front of us. It all happened in front of us." Hoda went on to describe her friend's "non-negotiable" "joy," and praised her for "[speaking] her heart and her truth." As her increasingly emotional talk wrapped up, Hoda noted, "Nobody and I mean nobody tells Kathie Lee what to do and that's why she's so wildly successful." In closing, Hoda addressed Kathie directly: "You changed so many people's lives, but in particular, you changed mine and I love you for it." Kathie retired from "Today" after 11 years in April 2019.
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Kelly Osbourne advocates for 'counsel culture' over 'cancel culture'
In the wake of Sharon Osbourne's heated discussion about racism with Sheryl Underwood on "The Talk," and Sharon's subsequent exit from the show, her daughter, Kelly Osbourne, is speaking out about cancel culture. "I didn't know what was really going on in this country because I just thought that simply being not racist was enough," Kelly explained to "Extra" in a new interview this week. "It's not, it's actually not, you have to be actively not racist and educate yourself and learn, and don't be afraid to make a mistake." Though she didn't mention her mother's name — Kelly's promoting her new podcast, "The Kelly Osbourne and Jeff Beacher Show" — she echoed some of what her mom said in last month's exchange with Sheryl, whom Sharon urged to "educate" her about the various ways racism can manifest itself. "Everybody's so afraid of cancel culture," Kelly told "Extra." "I say f— cancel culture, it's all about counsel culture… educate people, teach people… a gentle nudge in the right direction is so much better than a public execution." Kelly recently revealed she had a relapse with alcohol and said she plans to discuss her sobriety on the first episode of her new podcast, which airs May 4.
How Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade are raising their kids to be 'their true selves'
At just 2 years old, Kaavia James — the youngest of Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade's kids — has already perfected the art of the side-eye. That's just fine with her mom and dad, whose mission as parents is to raise children who feel "free" to be their "true selves." In fact, the famous couple draws so much inspiration from Kaavia that they recently wrote a children's book about a little girl just like her. Due out May 18, "Shady Baby" "teaches kids to speak their minds and stand up for what they believe in," according to publisher HarperCollins. "People see themselves in Kaav. Some days you don't feel like doing your hair. And some days you want to give people shade," Dwayne tells People in the outlet's May 10 cover story. "Shade is her super power," says Gabrielle, "because when Kaavia gives you a look, it's either you're not respecting her boundaries or something is happening that she doesn't like. The main takeaway is that she's free to be this amazing, dynamic, shady at times, loving at times Black little girl when the world has not been so kind to Black girls and women." Gabrielle and Dwayne are also teaching Kaavia's four siblings to know themselves and to embrace the qualities that make them unique. For Dwyane's daughter, Zaya, 13, one of those qualities is that she identifies as transgender, something her family has supported enthusiastically since she came out in 2019. (Zaya and Dwayne's son, Zaire, 19, are both children from the NBA alum's first marriage; he and Gabrielle are also raising his son from another previous relationship, Xavier, 7, and his nephew, 19-year-old Dahveon.) "My focus when it comes to any of my kids is to let them know who they are so that when other people's opinions about them are formed, it's not hitting them," he explains. "If we allow our kids to be their true selves, we don't have to worry about them conforming with anything or anyone. Why wouldn't we push our kids to be their authentic selves?" That's especially poignant in 2021, as the nation begins to acknowledge its long history of police violence against Black people. "We're raising Black kids and every day in the world, they show us what we're thought of," Dwayne says. "You realize you can't protect them from everything. The only thing you can do is make sure they go out into the world with all the tools they need."
Elliot Page tears up while describing the most joyful part of his transition
For Elliot Page, seeing his body look on the outside the way he feels on the inside has been the highlight of transitioning to become a transgender man. In a new teaser for Elliot's upcoming sit-down with Oprah Winfrey for her Apple TV+ series, the "Juno" alum reflects on which aspect of his transition has brought him the most joy. It doesn't take him long to pick one. "Getting out of the shower and the towel's around your waist and you're looking at yourself in the mirror and you're just like, 'There I am,'" Elliot says (via E! News). "And I'm not having the moment where I'm panicked." Elliot first came out as transgender in December, and revealed last month that he had undergone top surgery. Elaborating on the physical change, he tells Oprah, "It's being able to touch my chest and feel comfortable in my body for the … probably the first time." Noticing his eyes are welling up, he adds, "Tears of joy." Elliot's full interview premieres on "The Oprah Conversation" on April 30.
Reese Witherspoon weighs in on unfair press coverage of Britney Spears
Reese Witherspoon's production company, Hello Sunshine, is profiled in the new issue of Time as one of the world's most influential companies in 2021. But as Reese, 45, looks back on the trajectory of her career, she's quick to point out things could have turned out very differently. When the interview touches on the New York Times' "Framing Britney Spears" documentary, Reese recalls how "arbitrary" the narratives about women in Hollywood seemed to be. She and Britney got divorced the same year, and had kids when they were about the same age. While it was awful for Reese and her children to experience the tabloid coverage of her split from Ryan Phillippe — "my children will tell you stories about being in preschool and people climbing on the roofs of our cars," she says — Reese is quite aware she and some of her famous friends were portrayed in the media as "good." Britney, along with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, on the other hand, always seemed to be cast as "bad." "What if the media had decided I was something else?" Reese asks. "I would be in a totally different position. I want to say it's my decisions or the career choices I made, but it felt very arbitrary. And kind of s—–."
Gwyneth Paltrow reveals the hilarious lesson she's learned about red carpet fashion through the years
What fun is high fashion without a little risk? Zero, according to Gwyneth Paltrow, who recently sat down with Vogue for the outlet's "Life in Looks" series. As she looked back through some of her most memorable red carpet gowns and ensembles, a few pieces stood out — like the dangerously short Prada number Gwyneth, now 48, wore to the 2012 Met Gala. "I guess I should mention that this was the shirt, and there was a big skirt that came with it," Gwyneth recalled (via Page Six). "But I was like, 'No! … This is great. I love this.'" She said that despite her stylist's begging, she went with the no-pants approach that year. "You know, you gotta get the weapons out," she joked. "So I decided to go with just the shirt, and I don't regret the decision." That's largely because she managed not to flash anyone over the course of the night. The creator of Goop's infamous lady part-scented candles cracked that if she's learned anything from all her years on the red carpet, it's "how not to show" one's privates while strolling down the thing. Besides, these days, Gwyneth has plenty of help from a special fashion police force she says would never allow her to wear something like the revealing white lace-up gown she donned at her 2010 "Country Strong" premiere. "I think my kids would be so embarrassed if I left with, like, my a– hanging out of something, so I don't think they would let me wear this," she quipped. "I mean, I don't even know if I could wear underwear in this. It was probably pretty risky!"
Prince Charles takes over another royal patronage from Prince Andrew
In November, the royal family revised its online list of patronages to reflect that Prince Charles had become the patron of York Minister cathedral, taking over the role from his brother, Prince Andrew. No announcement was made about the change, though it appeared to have been related to Andrew's 2019 announcement that he'd be "stepping back" from his royal duties — an announcement he made after defending his friend, financier Jeffrey Epstein. Now, People reports Prince Charles has taken the reins on another patronage that was previously assigned to Andrew. "The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is delighted to announce that The Prince of Wales has accepted an invitation to become the Orchestra's Patron," the RPO shared on social media this week. "The Prince of Wales has a life-long association with the Arts," the statement continued. "During the pandemic His Royal Highness spoke about the importance of protecting the Arts, stressing their enormous importance to life in the UK and to the economy." Other than attending Prince Philip's funeral earlier this month, Andrew has stayed mostly off the radar since the BBC interview in which he denied allegations that Jeffrey Epstein slept with Virginia Giuffre when she was 17. Virginia would go on to accuse Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager, as well. He has denied the allegations.
Alex Trebek was inspired by the 'outpouring' of fan love in his final days
Alex Trebek's widow, Jean Trebek, takes comfort in knowing that before his death in November, her husband was able to witness the extent to which his fans loved and supported him, and appreciated his contributions to TV and beyond through the years. "I think one of the beautiful things, the blessings that came, if you can call it a blessing, is that he got to really see the outpouring of love and admiration that he gave to the world," Jean says in an interview with Savannah Guthrie airing this weekend. "Some people just, you know, you don't see that while you're still embodied, you don't get to really witness all the love that people feel for you," she shared. "And I know that that was in and of itself a huge inspiration for Alex." The interview airs May 1 on NBC as part of a special that looks at "people who have made a positive impact during a challenging year," according to Today.com.
