By Wonderwall.com Editors
1:43pm PDT, Sep 17, 2020
NeNe Leakes is leaving 'RHOA' following months of rumors about her future with the series
Following what she called "emotional negotiations" with Bravo, NeNe Leakes announced on her YouTube channel on Thursday, Sept. 17, that she's leaving "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." "There's been a lot of emotions on both sides," NeNe said, according to ET. "It's been hard and I have made a hard, difficult decision to not be part of 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' Season 13." Whispers about her potential departure from the show began over the summer, with NeNe telling ET she would tell fans herself if "negotiations don't work out." While money appears to have been part of her decision, she was also clearly frustrated with some of her castmates — so frustrated, in fact, that she walked off the Season 12 virtual reunion. She later told ET she wasn't sure yet if she'd "walk away" from the show, which premiered back in 2008 with NeNe as a key member of the cast, though she's left and returned since then.
Keep reading for the latest on Cardi B and Offset's split, and more …
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How Lady Gaga and her mom's healed relationship inspired their new book
Navigating even the strongest of mother-daughter relationships can be a major challenge. Add mental health struggles to the mix and things can go downhill, fast, as Lady Gaga and her mom, Cynthia Germanotta, learned when Gaga was dealing with both severe depression and bullying in middle school. "I didn't know how to stand up for myself without feeling embarrassed," the singer tells People. Her mom, meanwhile, explains that she was raised in a home, "where you just have to be tough and not talk about your emotions." That left her unable to see the difference between normal teenage angst and the "real problem" her daughter was experiencing. Over the years, they managed to change that dynamic so that they can both talk openly about their internal struggles and find strength in their relationship as well as themselves. With the pair's new book, "Channel Kindness," out Tuesday, Sept. 22, the two hope to help others identify similar qualities in their own lives and relationships. Described as "a collection of 51 stories of kindness, bravery, and resilience from young people all over the world," the book is meant to help, "create highways from heart to heart, where we can hold compassion and empathy, where we can celebrate everybody's resilience," Gaga says. "When I was younger and had mental issues, my mom didn't know how to communicate with me about it," she adds. "We've found a way to channel kindness into our lives in a way that's also healed our relationship."
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Offset shares first social media post since Cardi B split
"Grind don't stop 🛑." That's according to Offset, who hopped back on social media Wednesday to share his first post since Cardi B filed for divorce. Cardi filed to end the couple's marriage of three years on Tuesday, amid rumors cheated again, according to People. A source close to Cardi has dismissed the affair claims as untrue and the rapper has since amended the filing to indicate she hopes the two can end their marriage amicably. The on-off couple have weathered more than a few storms publicly over the course of their relationship, leading even Cardi's own fans to troll her about staying with the Migos rapper. "I feel like people would rather start rumors because they want me to be heartbroken," she mused in an interview with Elle earlier this year. She also addressed why she's worked to repair the marriage, in spite of his cheating and other issues that have come up. "I do know that my relationship has a lot of drama and everything," she said at the time. "But there's a lot of love there's a lot of passion, there's a lot of trust, there's a big friendship. It's always us against the world."
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Mohamed Hadid shares a note for Gigi Hadid's baby, sparking more birth rumors
Gigi Hadid's fans sure are determined to eke a birth confirmation out of one of her relatives. After Bella Hadid shared a cute post about getting weepy over her sister's pregnancy earlier this week, commenters on Instagram quickly decided Bella's emotional state meant Gigi and Zayn Malik's first child together had arrived. They were eventually disappointed when Bella responded to one who asked directly if the baby was here. "No, she's not," Bella said. Welp, that hasn't stopped the baby suspicion wheel from turning. In the wee hours of Thursday, Bella and Gigi's dad, Mohamed Hadid, shared — and later deleted — a photo of a note he'd written for his "little grandchild." It contained a poem by Mohamed called "Grandpa's Heart," that read (via Elle): "Hello little grandchild, it is me, my heart as happy as can be. I wish for you the sun & moon, I wish for you a happy time. Know that grandpa's always here, I'll do anything, anything for you, my dear. When I heard you were on the way, I smiled and wiped a tear away. I cried the tear because I knew my heart would always belong to you." Mohamed captioned the post, "In the name of God the The merciful I want to say l love you and so proud of you @gigihadid. [sic]." This, understandably, perhaps, led to a second wave of widespread ecstatic posting and weeping about the arrival of Gigi and Zayn's child, who Gigi has said was due around Sept. 14. "GIGI HADID'S DAD SAID 'WELCOME MY LITTLE GRANDCHILD I WISH FOR YOU THE SUN AND MOON' I AM SOBBING," wrote one super calm, collected fan. Finally, Mohamed responded to a fan who asked if Gigi 2.0 was here yet. "No not yet," he told the user. To be fair to the Insta super sleuths poking around family members' accounts for baby clues, it was Gigi's mom, Yolanda Hadid, who first confirmed Gigi and Zayn were expecting back in April.
Twitter bans Kanye West for 12 hours
After he spent much of Wednesday Twitter-raging against the music industry, Kanye West was banned from the platform for 12 hours because of what the service called a "privacy violation." According to Billboard, that violation came in the form of a Forbes reporter's phone number, presumably the same one Kanye used to text the magazine about why he should be included in its billionaires list a while back. His music industry complaints were largely contract focused — he said he uploaded all of his recording contracts so lawyers on Twitter could examine them. 'Ye also shared what appeared to be a video of himself urinating on one of his Grammy Awards. Once he was barred from the site, former Lakers star Rick Fox and conservative commentator Candace Owens both tweeted that 'Ye had asked them to let Twitter users know he'd been booted off. Candace also included a "#FreeKanye" hashtag for good measure.
Charlie Sheen says he had nothing to do with Denise Richards' 'RHOBH' exit
Charlie Sheen is shutting down rumors he was involved in Denise Richards' departure from Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." Denise, who was married to Charlie from 2002 until 2006, told Page Six this week through his publicist that while he supports her decision to quit the show, it was her decision alone. "She does what she wants in these matters," Charlie told the tab. "And I applaud her decision of 'one and done.'" Denise was actually on the show for two seasons. According to network sources, she left because Bravo wouldn't agree to pay her what she wanted for a third season. Insiders close to the star say she was simply unhappy on the show, which makes sense given the onscreen arguments she had with her castmates over an alleged affair with Brandi Glanville and more.
Halsey, Lizzo, Travis Scott and more stars join Rihanna to launch her new Savage x Fenty line
Amid tepid reviews of this year's online New York Fashion Week — a result of the COVID-19 crisis — Rihanna gave fashionistas a reason to smile this week. The singer and designer has released a trailer for her Savage x Fenty Fashion Show, which arrives on to Amazon Prime on Oct. 2, and it's set to feature plenty of RiRi's famous pals, Pitchfork reports the new fall lingerie collection will be showcased alongside appearances by Halsey, Lizzo, Travis Scott, Rosalía, Big Sean and more. While the pandemic certainly makes the Amazon approach more appealing, Rihanna aired a similar show on Amazon Prime last year for her previous collection.
Drew Barrymore tells Jane Fonda she might be ready to 'swear off men'
Once famous, in part, for her love life, Jane Fonda has since said she's over dating, possibly for good. But as she told Drew Barrymore on the actress' show Wednesday, that doesn't mean she thinks folks half her age should do the same. "Recently you said that you were swearing off men," the 45-year-old show host mentioned at one point in their chat. "Can I please talk to you about this? 'Cause I think I'm there and have been there for the last five years. What's happening?" Drew, who told People earlier this month she has no intention of marrying again, despite her "hopeless romantic" tendencies, didn't get much in the way of tips from her 82-year-old guest, though. "You're so young! You're too young to swear off anything. You have to stay open to anything, Drew. I'm too old, so it's very easy to swear off getting undressed, even in candlelight," Jane replied. Drew said she's not exactly "closed for business," but she also can't even find the time or interest she needs to bother dating. "… I have been exactly in that mentality for the last five years, thinking I just don't have the bandwidth, I don't know if I'm willing to open [up]," Drew said. "I just can't fit it in." Jane still wasn't having it. "Well, you can squeeze a little affair or two in," she advised. "I'm all for it."
Just months after Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae moved into their first new home together — a rental in Newport Beach, California — the real estate pros have already found their dream house. Or at least, what they plan to transform into their dream house."Tarek originally bought it as a flip but then they decided to make it their new home," the couple's rep tells People, explaining that the engaged pair plan to work together to renovate the new digs, which are also in Newport Beach. "It's their first project together!" says their rep. "They have a lot they want to do with it and the house needs some work so they are going to continue to live in their current home until the new home is ready." Tarek, 39, showed off the pad on his Instagram Story this week, where he excitedly told followers the two "fell in love with the house" because of the rooftop deck and its expansive ocean views. Inside, Heather, 33, welcomed the camera into the kitchen, where hardwood floors offset the all-white interior, which opens into the living room and dining room areas. "This is basically a blank slate," said the "Selling Sunset" star. Tarek, who shares two kids with his ex, Christian Anstead, popped the question to Heather in July. His show, "Flipping 101," returns to HGTV on Thursday. The third season of "Selling Sunset" debuted in August. Although Netflix has yet to confirm a green light for Season 4, critics suspect it will happen — and include coverage of Heather and Tarek's wedding.
Jaden Smith launches Snapchat series on social and racial justice
Following the success of his mom, Jada Pinkett Smith's Facebook Watch series, "Red Table Talk," and his dad, Will Smith's Snapchat series, "Will From Home," Jaden Smith's set to premiere his own roundtable discussion series on Snapchat next week. Titled "The Solution Committe," the show will explore different approaches to achieving social and racial justice and will feature conversations between a mix of Jaden's famous pals — including Lena Waithe, Common and Janelle Monae — and young activists in the social and racial justice realm, according to Variety. The series kicks off on Monday, Sept. 21, with one of two voting-focused shows. "Historically, people between the ages of 18 to 23 have been less likely to vote," Jaden, 22, said in a statement. "This is because a lot of young people feel like they don't have the information or know where to get it. This show is about educating the youth and making sure they feel empowered and ready to vote." Look for new episodes each Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Snapchat's Discover page.
