By Mark Gray
9:26am PDT, Apr 7, 2017
The past week in celebrity news saw a few breakups, some engagements and the passing of a legend. It also saw the divorce between Melanie Brown and her estranged husband really, really intensify. Former Spice Girl Mel B filed for divorce from Stephen Belafonte on March 20, 2017. This past week, we found out some of the disturbing reasons why. On April 3, she got a restraining order against her ex after alleging that her abused her over the course of 10 years. The details are troubling. The "America's Got Talent" judge claimed in court papers that he forced her into sexual encounters with other women, beat her, threatened her and got a nanny pregnant. She claims others knew about the alleged violence and that she often showed signs of abuse. However, it was never reported, often times because she would make up fictitious stories, at Stephen's urging, about how her injuries happened. She claimed that Stephen also threatened to release sex tapes they'd made if she went public with anything, and she was scared those would harm her career. Stephen and his lawyer have denied Mel B's claims and questioned her motives for making such serious accusations. On April 6, he filed a response to her divorce petition, which revealed he is seeking spousal support and wants her to pay his lawyer fees.
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Kangaroo abuse?
Mike Epps spent much of April 3, 2017, apologizing after he seemed to cause a kangaroo distress during one of his comedy shows in Detroit. On March 31, Mike was on stage and a man came out with a kangaroo on a leash. Mike seemed to egg on the handler to make the kangaroo a part of the show, and the animal appeared to attempt to get off stage several times. Video shows Mike and the handler both roughly yanking on the animal's leash. Mike said he meant no harm and realized it was a terrible decision to allow the kangaroo on stage. He said he's really upset by not only the backlash, but by how he handled the situation. He plans to donate cash to a kangaroo humane foundation as a mea culpa.
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Controversial ad
Kendall Jenner found herself at the center of a controversy this past week because of a Pepsi commercial/short film she starred in that many people felt was incredibly tone deaf. In the video, she successfully achieved unity between police and protesters by offering a police officer a can of Pepsi. The ad hits very close to home for some as protesters and police have clashed in real life over the last several years, often with violent outcomes. Critics thought the ad was an example of exploitation for profit and took to Twitter to skewer Pepsi and Kendall. The soda brand took down the ad and apologized to the model.
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It's over
Olivia Munn and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers have split, People reported on April 7, 2017. "They have amicably ended their relationship of three years," a source close to the situation confirmed to the magazine. The source added that the pair "remains close friends and wish nothing but the best for each other moving forward." The split follows unconfirmed reports blaming Olivia for playing a role in Aaron's headline-making estrangement from his family, including "The Bachelorette" Season 12 winner Jordan Rodgers.
RIP
Farewell, Mr. Warmth. Don Rickles, the legendary comic and king of insults, passed away on April 6, 2017, from kidney failure. He was 90. Hollywood quickly took to social media to honor the legend. John Stamos said, "The world just got a lot less funny and just when we needed it the most." Johnny Knoxville said, "One of the great thrills of my life was being insulted by this man. I absolutely worshipped him." Chris Rock called him the "love of my life." Helen Hunt said, "A packed room @CaesarsPalace Don introduced me like this, 'A fabulous woman, an Oscar, Emmy winner and former hooker…' so sad he's gone." You knew you'd made it if you were insulted by Don. The world lost a good one this week.
Splitsville again
For the umpteenth time, Kylie Jenner and Tyga have split. Throughout their off-and-on two-and-a-half-year romance, they've split so many times that it's hardly news anymore. A source told People magazine on April 3, 2017, that there is always hope for a reconciliation, as history has shown. "They tend to take little breaks all the time and then get back together," a source said. "It's definitely possible they'll work things out again."
Pricey life!
You'd better open up your wallet if you want to live like Erika Jayne. The star of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" was asked this week how much it costs to have her life. "It's a lot, maybe $40,000 a month on clothes, shoes and accessories," she told In Touch. "But it's all for work. I'm on television, this is what I do for a living. It's part of the job." More money, more problems? There's clearly an exception to the rule.
Engaged!
Nothing fake about it! Wrestling legend John Cena and "Total Divas" star Nikki Bella are engaged! And he picked a heck of a place to pop the question. After winning a match at WWE's WrestleMania 33 (think of it as professional wrestling's Super Bowl), John got down on one knee while still inside the ring on April 2, 2017. "I've been waiting so long to ask you this," he told the reality TV star and fellow wrestler before asking her to marry him with the help of a 4.5-carat diamond engagement ring from Tiffany & Co. Obviously, she said yes. "I want to thank my always expressive 'family' the @WWEUniverse for allowing me to have a #WrestleMania moment that I will NEVER forget!" the wrestler-actor tweeted afterward. "My Prince Charming has made me his Queen in a place we call home. I'll never, ever forget this moment!" Nikki tweeted. A few days after the engagement, Nikki quickly put to bed any speculation that the couple will be having children. Answer: No.
Separated
David Schwimmer and his wife of nearly seven years, Zoe Buckman, are separating. The couple released a statement confirming the news on April 5, 2017. "It is with great love, respect and friendship that we have decided to take some time apart while we determine the future of our relationship," they explained. "Our priority is, of course, our daughter's happiness and well being during this challenging time, and so we ask for your support and respect for our privacy as we continue to raise her together and navigate this new chapter for our family."
