By Wonderwall.com Editors
1:44pm PDT, Jul 10, 2023
Overdose, coma and stroke revelations
Tatum O'Neal is lucky to be alive — and working hard to stay sober — after a drug overdose nearly killed her in 2020. "I almost died," Tatum, 59, reveals in a new interview published by People on Wednesday, July 5. According to the Oscar winner and her son, Kevin McEnroe, Tatum had been prescribed medications for neck pain, back pain and rheumatoid arthritis prior to the May 2020 overdose. When a friend found her unconscious in her home, she'd overdosed on those meds, along with morphine and opiates. The incident triggered a severe stroke and left her in a coma for six weeks. Once she finally regained consciousness, damage to her brain left her with aphasia, which the Mayo Clinic defines as a disorder that impacts the ability to communicate. "She also had a cardiac arrest and a number of seizures," says Kevin, whose dad is Tatum's ex, the tennis icon John McEnroe. "There were times we didn't think she was going to survive," he recalls, adding that "she had become very isolated" by that point in the Covid pandemic. Because of the aphasia, she "didn't know where she was" when she came out of the coma and "she couldn't say, 'I'm scared.'" She also couldn't see her kids because of Covid safety restrictions during the height of the pandemic.
Since then, Tatum has made impressive progress with both her physical recovery and her sobriety. "I was an addict my whole life," she says, "pretty much on and off, for the past 30 to 40 years." The former child star is now in daily therapy, attending 12-step meetings and continuing to work on recovering her language skills. "Every day I am trying," she says. "I want to be with my beautiful three kids."
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Rumor fix
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" stars and real-life spouses Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney are addressing rumors Rob cheated — in terms as hilariously sarcastic terms as their show. On Monday, July 3, Kaitlin shared a Perez Hilton post referencing the Instagram gossip account DeauxMoi's claim she and Rob had "quietly separated after he cheated on her" during a recent visit to Wales.
Flipping the script, Kaitlin wrote: "It was me who had the affair. But it was not with someone from Wales. It was with a whale." She continued: "I've always loved whales. They're the bosses of the ocean and I'm attracted to power. We ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult time." Retweeting Kaitlin's post, Rob chimed in, writing: "Sad to admit that the rumor is true. However some of the details are …. Incorrect." Rob and Kaitlin said "I do" in 2008 after meeting on the set of "It's Always Sunny." As for the Wales detail, Rob and Ryan Reynolds purchased Wrexham, the historic soccer club in North Wales, in 2020 for $2.5 million.
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Bringing the 'Kenergy'
Director Greta Gerwig recently told Rolling Stone that when she was casting "Barbie," Ryan Gosling was the only Ken she ever imagined as Margot Robbie's leading man. And while her choice initially led to some skepticism on social media, the response to the comedy's latest trailer suggests most fans are feeling Ryan's "Kenergy." The new clip (via the Daily Mail) sees Ken recovering from a surfing injury. "Shredding waves is much more dangerous than people realize," Ken says after being told nothing's broken. Barbie, standing beside him, responds, "You're very brave Ken," earning a puppy dog eyes-look from Ken, who then hilariously reveals what he actually does for a living. "You know surfing isn't even my job, and it is not lifeguard, which is a common misconception," Ken says to the other dolls' surprise. "Actually, my job, it's just 'beach.'" After being assured he's awesome at his beach gig, Ken asks Barbie if he can come to to her house later. "Sure," she says. "I don't have anything planned tonight, just a big giant blow out party with all the Barbies, and planned choreography and a bespoke song. You should stop by!" After the clip surfaced on Twitter this week, fans began predicting Ryan's Ken would "steal the show," with one person swooning over the "little smile" he flashes when Barbie tells him "he's good at beach," and others gushing that they "have to see" the flick despite never having played with Barbies.
In a Rolling Stone interview published Monday, July 3, Greta admits Ken "was only ever Ryan Gosling" to her, "and it was a long journey." Later, she adds, "Who else could do this? It's some combination of Marlon Brando meets Gene Wilder meets John Barrymore meets John Travolta." "Barbie" hits theaters July 21.
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Bruce's fault?
Paul McCartney says fans today have unrealistic expectations about how long a concert should last — and he blames the trend on Bruce Springsteen's habit of rocking out onstage for hours. Speaking to Conan O'Brien on a recent edition of the former late-night star's "Needs a Friend" podcast, Paul, 81, harkened back to the Beatles' golden age of the '60s, when a concert bill featured "a lot of people because nobody [played] long" for their set. "These days, pretty much there's the main act and there might be a warm-up act," he said, according to The Independent. "Now, people will do three or four hours. I blame Bruce Springsteen – I've told him so, I said, 'It's your fault,'" the singer continued. "You can't now do an hour. We used to do a half hour. That was The Beatles' thing – half an hour, and we got paid for it. That was it. A Beatles show, we were on and off like that. It didn't seem strange."
Paul's comments about Bruce come after his allegation his former bandmate John Lennon broke up the Beatles. "I didn't instigate the split. That was our Johnny," he told the BBC in 2021. "I am not the person who instigated the split. Oh no, no, no. John walked into a room one day and said I am leaving the Beatles. And he said, 'It's quite thrilling, it's rather like a divorce.' And then we were left to pick up the pieces."
Booze brand defense
After facing criticism for releasing a cocktail brand, Delola, despite her rep as a teetotaler and her marriage to recovering alcoholic Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez defended herself on Instagram this week. "You know what, I know that a lot of people have been talking about, 'Oh, she doesn't even drink, what's she doing with a cocktail out?' And to tell you the truth, for a long time I didn't drink," she said in a video posted on Tuesday, July 4. "Years back, as you will see from several photos of me out, over the past 10, maybe 15 years, I have been, you know, having the occasional cocktail," she continued. "I do enjoy the occasional cocktail. I do drink responsibly, I don't drink to get s*** faced. I drink to be social and to have a nice time and just relax and let loose a bit, but always responsibly."
J.Lo went on to say she'd been unsuccessful in finding a drink she "really loved" over the years. "And so like anything else in my life, I made it myself," she explained. The singer added that because Delola boasts a lower calorie content, "natural flavors" and is gluten-free, it suits her "lifestyle." It's unclear if the post changed many minds, though. "So awkward when she talks about drinking responsibly and not getting s*** faced knowing her husband suffers from alcoholism for years. 🤔," one person wrote in the comments. "Ben is an alcoholic. Not the time to start drinking or starting a vodka business," added another. When J.Lo first announced Delola in April 2023, another critic slammed the venture as "a money grab."
Early prison release
"Smallville" alum Allison Mack was released from federal prison a year early on Monday, July 3, after serving time for her role in the NXIVM cult, Deadline reported Wednesday. Charged with racketeering and racketeering conspiracy for her participation in the organization, Allison was originally sentenced to 36 months behind bars after prosecutors said she recruited and groomed vulnerable women to become sex partners for NXIVM leader Keith Raniere. Her sentence was reportedly short thanks to her help with a sex trafficking case against Keith, who was sentenced in 2020 to 120 years in prison. Before she was sentenced in 2021, Allison called her participation in NXIVM "the biggest mistake and greatest regret of my life."
Self-taught style
Tom Cruise learned more than just speed-flying for his seventh turn as Ethan Hunt in "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One." According to his co-star Hayley Atwell, Tom also learned how to handle his own pre-set glam needs while making the movie in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. "There was, at one point, I think that he was doing his own hair and makeup because we were in the middle of the pandemic," Hayley said at the movie's Sydney, Australia, premiere, on Monday, July 3, per the Evening Standard. "He was moving massive props, just trying to help out to save time," she added. Tom later laughed as he recalled almost giving the movie's stylist "a heart attack" during a Zoom call where he "took the scissors out" and threatened to cut his own hair.
At 61, Tom still loves to film his own stunts, as he did for the latest installment of the spy franchise. In recent interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, Tom's described how he picked up speed-flying — a dangerous and fast combination of paragliding and hang-gliding — and rode a motorcycle off a cliff for the movie.
