By Mark Gray
7:59am PDT, May 26, 2020
Guilty pleas
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli are facing the music. On May 22, the couple formally pleaded guilty in their college admissions cheating scandal case. The admission of guilt was part of a plea deal with prosecutors. (They both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and Mossimo also pleaded guilty to honest services wire and mail fraud.) It's a major switch for the former "Full House" actress and her designer husband, who last year pleaded not guilty after they were arrested after being accused of paying a $500,000 bribe to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as crew team recruits despite neither girl participating in the sport. Under the terms of the deal, Lori will serve two months in prison and two years of supervised release, do 100 hours of community service and pay a $150,000 fine. Mossimo will serve more — five months — plus two years of supervised release, pay a $250,000 fine and complete 250 hours of community service. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is a chance they could end up serving their sentences at home.
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R.I.P.
Roy Horn, half of famed duo Siegfried & Roy, passed away on May 8 of COVID-19 complications. He was 75. For decades, Siegfried & Roy had a huge presence on the Las Vegas Strip — the magicians found a permanent home there in 1990 when the Mirage opened. Their act quickly became one of the hottest tickets in the city, but the show came to a sudden and shocking end in October 2003 when Roy was mauled by one of the show's tigers during a performance and suffered life-altering injuries. On May 10, Siegfried Fischbacher, Roy's longtime stage partner, said Roy had been cremated and that his ashes would remain at the Las Vegas estate they shared, which is known as Little Bavaria. "His urn stays with me," Siegfried told German publication Bild. "I put it in our chapel. We discussed that during our lifetime. Roy never let his mother Johanna's urn and that of our deceased animals be buried, but kept them in his bedroom." He added, "Roy built Little Bavaria for me; I will never leave that. He is everywhere. In the house, in the garden. He has now walked through the gates of heaven, but his soul has stayed with me. Little Bavaria has now become a monument to friendship. And Roy's home remains forever."
Engaged
Duane Chapman has found love again. Just 10 months after his wife, Beth, passed away following a cancer battle, the "Dog the Bounty Hunter" star got engaged. Duane popped the question to Francie Frane in the Colorado home they now share, he said in a May 4 interview with Britain's The Sun. Francie, who lost a husband to cancer six months before Beth, said she wasn't expecting a proposal. Recounting that special moment, she said Dog told her, "I know that God brought you into my life and I don't want to spend one moment of it without you." Francie added that Duane "got down on one knee and he opened the ring box and he said, 'Will you marry me and spend the rest of our lives together?' Who can say no to that? It was wonderful." Dog said he wants "biggest wedding there's ever been." Duane's family supports the union.
Spaceman
Give Tom Cruise some space! On May 5, NASA and SpaceX announced that they were working with the movie star on a film to be shot aboard the International Space Station. He's actually going to film a movie in space! The timeline is not known. In light of the news, several retired astronauts dished on what will be like for the "Top Gun" star in zero gravity. Tom, they say, will have to move very slowly and learn how to do things like wearing a spacesuit and getting in and out of a space capsule. He'll have to learn how to sleep, clean himself and eat properly. Oh yeah, he'll also have to learn to prepare for a space emergency and what to do to survive an ocean splashdown when he comes back to Earth. Eat your heart out, Luke Skywalker.
N-word controversy
Hannah Brown is reportedly embarrassed and ashamed after uttering the N-word in a social media video. The former "The Bachelorette" star was trying to remember a TikTok dance to DaBaby's "Rockstar" and sang a few lyrics, including the slur. She apparently didn't even realize she said it until followers started calling her out. While initially maintaining that she didn't use the word, she said, "Even if I did accidentally say it, I'm very sorry, I was singing a song and not even thinking." On May 17, she issued a formal apology, but the damage was done in the eyes of many. As the controversy progressed, Bachelor Nation alums sounded off. Mike Johnson, who was on Hannah's season of the ABC show, said her use of the word was "unacceptable." Former "The Bachelorette" lead Rachel Lindsay said "we can't give people a pass for this. You have to hold people accountable for what they're doing." Hannah's ex-turned-close friend Tyler Cameron agreed she shouldn't have used the word but also told fans, "She is learning and growing just like every single one of us."
A legend lost
Rock 'n' roll pioneer Little Richard was buried at Oakwood University, a historically black college in Huntsville, Alabama — which he once attended — on May 20. The "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Tutti Frutti" singer died from bone cancer at 87 on May 9.
Two icons gone
The world lost two comedy icons within the same week. On May 11, Jerry Stiller, who's largely famous for playing George Costanza's dad on "Seinfeld," passed away at 92. His son, Ben Stiller, announced the sad news. After hearing of the death, Fred Willard tweeted, "A bad time! Just getting over the loss of Little Richard, and now I learn my old friend Jerry Stiller has passed away. He was a good friend and a very funny man." Unfortunately, on May 15, Fred also passed away. He was 86. The Emmy-nominated comic genius often played lovable dimwitted characters on screen and starred in a slew mockumentaries, many of them directed by Christopher Guest.
Divorce drama
Mary-Kate Olsen and her husband of less than five years, Olivier Sarkozy, have split, but for weeks, the court system blocked them from formally starting divorce proceedings. TMZ reported that the fashion mogul first tried filing for divorce in New York in mid-April, but she was informed that New York City courts would not accept divorce filings due to the COVID-19 pandemic unless it was an emergency. So in May, she filed for emergency relief — this is when news of their breakup was made public. "This application is an emergency because my husband expects me to move out of our home on Monday, May 18, 2020 in the middle of New York City being on pause due to COVID-19," she said in her paperwork. "I am petrified that my husband is trying to deprive me of the home we have lived in and if he is successful, I will not only lose my home but I risk losing my personal property as well." She claimed that the only way to protect her property was through a divorce filing, which would trigger an automatic court order preventing Olivier from disposing of her property. On May 14, though, a judge ruled that the divorce petition didn't meet the criteria for being an emergency and denied her request. On May 25 — the day NYC courts reopened to electronic filings — she was able to formally lodge her divorce petition. As for what caused the split? Multiple reports claimed there had been friction for a while and that they disagreed on having children: She reportedly wanted them, while Olivier — who has two older kids from another marriage — didn't.
COVID-19 fighter
Broadway star Nick Cordero is still fighting. On May 12, wife Amanda Kloots reported that the Tony-nominated star had finally awakened after being comatose for nearly six weeks and losing a leg via amputation, all due to COVID-19 complications. Two days later, she noted that Nick's strength was a struggle, but happily reported that his "mental status is looking good." However, on May 20, she emotionally shared an unfortunate update, saying Nick's health was going "downhill." "Nick has had a bad morning. Unfortunately things are going a little downhill at the moment so I am asking again for all the prayers, mega prayers right now," she said in emotional video in which she fought back tears. "Please cheer and please pray for Nick today, and I know that this virus is not going to get him down." She defiantly added, "It's not how his story ends, so just keep us in your thoughts and prayers today." By May 23, things had again, slowly started to improve with his latest lung infection, she revealed on her Instagram Story. The Broadway star has been in the hospital since March 30.
Custody and money agreements
The month of May marked a turning point in the ugly divorce between Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler. After some bitter early days during which they fought over custody of their three kids and money for Kristin to buy a house, they soon found some common ground. Just days after the Uncommon James designer accused the former NFL quarterback of blocking her from buying a new home, he agreed to give her marital funds so she can buy a property. On May 4, the couple also struck a custody agreement: Until the "The Hills" alum moves into the new house, the kids will remain at the exes' Nashville marital home and Jay and Kristin will switch off every other week to stay with the kids there. Once Kristin moves into her new place, they will split time with the children evenly. The divorce has also affected her "Very Cavallari" reality show: On May 19, Kristin announced that she was ending the E! series, on which Jay also starred, after three seasons.
Rehab stint
Talk about a roller coaster month. On May 4, the Daily Mail reported that Scott Disick had checked himself into a Colorado rehab facility. But, just moments after the report was published, he checked out and reportedly headed back to Los Angeles. According to the tabloid, the "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" star had sought treatment at the luxurious All Points North Lodge in Edwards, Colorado, in late April. In the report, the Daily Mail ran a photo of Scott that was taken inside the facility, likely during his initial check in. The leaked photo was a massive security and privacy breach, and Scott intends to sue, TMZ reported. A spokesman for the facility said it was "sickened" over the photo, which is believed to have been snapped by a staffer. While the tabloid's report claimed Scott was there for drug-related issues, his lawyer vehemently denied that, saying Scott was there "to work on his past traumas," including the deaths of his parents. Where was his girlfriend, Sofia Richie, during all this? On May 21, Us Weekly reported that the two were "on a break."
Separate lives
Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox's marriage is over. On May 18, Brian confirmed on his "…With Brian Austin Green" podcast that he and the actress have split after nearly 10 years of marriage and 15 years as a couple. The news came after she was pictured getting cozy with her "Midnight in the Switchgrass" co-star Machine Gun Kelly. Brian said there was a distance growing between he and Megan and it only got worse when she went away to film the aforementioned movie last fall. When she returned, they both voiced their concerns. "She said, 'I realized when I was out of the country working alone that I feel more like myself and I liked myself better during that experience and I think that might be something worth trying for me,'" he recalled. "We talked about it a little more and said, 'Let's separate for a bit…' and so we did." Brian noted that they've been apart since the end of 2019.
Name game
On May 4, Elon Musk announced that he and his girlfriend, Canadian music star Grimes, had welcomed a son. The newborn quickly became a trending topic after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO announced the child's name: X Æ A-12 Musk. The overall reaction was confusion. (In fact, Elon and Grimes even disagreed on how to pronounce their boy's second name: She says it's said like the letters A and I while he pronounces it "Ash.") However, while the couple is certainly welcome to call their child whatever they wish, his birth certificate has to say something different. In California, where they live, a child's legal name can only include the 26 letters in the English alphabet, a dash and an apostrophe. On May 24, Grimes took to the comments in an Instagram post to tell an inquiring fan that she had indeed changed their son's name for his birth certificate. "X Æ A-Xii," she wrote, later adding, "Roman numerals. Looks better tbh." X is the first child for Grimes and the seventh for Elon, who lost his first-born son to SIDS in 2002.
Split
After two years together, Cara Delevingne and Ashley Benson have split. "Cara and Ashley always had their ups and down before but it's over now," a source told the People magazine on May 6. "Their relationship just ran its course." E! News reported that Cara "is enjoying being single and spending time with great friends." The women broke up in early April.
Breakup
After about three years as a couple, "Riverdale" co-stars Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse quietly split "before the [coronavirus] pandemic hit," a source told Page Six on May 25. The pair "have been quarantining separately," the source said, adding, "They remain good friends."
Trouble in paradise?
Tension between Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West is apparently growing, according to reports. In early May, stories emerged alleging there was a rift between the superstar couple, and it seemed like things were getting worse while the duo quarantined at home. The problem, according to multiple reports, centers on Kim's belief that she's having to shoulder most of the parenting load with her and Kanye's four kids. "Kim feels like she needs some space from Kanye," a source told Us Weekly on May 13. "She is trying to be a great mom, focus on [her] law [studies] and her work commitments and it's hard to do all of this without Kanye helping as much as he can." Kimye has allegedly been arguing due to, in part, Kanye's "super-controlling" nature. "Kim's been feeling as though he's been trying to impose his views on her life," Us's source said. "They've had more time together to talk about their feelings, about the kids, her law career goals and his business ideas… She's trying to keep her family together, especially for the kids' sake." On May 24, Kim dismissed all the speculation with a six-year wedding anniversary Instagram post: "6 years down; forever to go Until the end," she captioned two photos with Kanye.
