By Mark Gray
6:00am PDT, Jul 3, 2022
Whoops!
Howard Stern had a hot mic moment and dropped some major news. On his SiriusXM show on June 30, the radio icon let it slip that he's a part of Marvel's "Doctor Doom" project, which has yet to even be announced. Whoops! The bombshell occurred as Howard spoke with his show's producer about booking potential guests for the broadcast. He then said his schedule was booked solid for the summer. "Are you working this summer?" co-host Robin Quivers asked Howard, to which he replied, "I told you, I'm going to do 'Doctor Doom.'" During the inadvertent hot mic moment, the King of all Media told his crew that he reached out to Robert Downey Jr. for some acting tips and also asked his producer if he had "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau's number.
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Married
"Hellboy" and "Sons of Anarchy" actor Ron Perlman exchanged vows with his "StartUp" co-star Allison Dunbar in Italy earlier this year then made it legal with a ceremony at a California courthouse when they returned home, The Sun reported on June 27. On June 14, Allison shared a video of herself in a white wedding minidress dancing with Ron, implying they'd recently tied the knot, though they have not confirmed a date. Ron and Allison went public with their romance in 2019, the same year he split from Opal Stone, his wife of 38 years.
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PR stunt?
Reports from mid-June claimed Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker had split up. The duo seemed to cast doubt on that when they were photographed together looking cozy at the Soho House in Malibu on June 26. However, this was all smoke and mirrors? On June 29, Page Six reported that, according to a source, the hangout was nothing more than a "PR stunt" orchestrated by Kendall's team, which "requested the meet up" because they don't "want it to look like she was dumped." That's right, the source says it was all staged. A second Page Six source implied that Kendall and Devin broke up because she wanted to get engaged. "While they care for each other, Devin was not going to propose marriage and his priority is his career. Kendall's career also dominates her life. … After two years, they had the 'where is this going' talk. And since they were not moving forward, it was time to take a break, probably permanently," the source said.
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Sentenced
R. Kelly is going away for a long, long time. On June 29, the disgraced singer was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison following his conviction on nine federal charges including racketeering and human trafficking. Prosecutors had been hoping for a sentence of at least 25 years. The R&B singer is still facing another federal trial in Illinois and a state trial in Minnesota, both of which are for alleged sex crimes. During the sentencing, a federal judge told the music star, 55, "You left in your wake a trail of broken lives."
Health scare
Travis Barker scared his family after he was put in an ambulance then hospitalized on June 28. While there was initially mystery surrounding his health, TMZ eventually reported that the drummer has pancreatitis that doctors believe was triggered by a recent colonoscopy. The rocker was reportedly suffering from nausea, intense stomach pain and vomiting. A source told People magazine he had "cramps." Travis had alerted his followers that there was an issue when he tweeted "God save me." His daughter also asked for prayers.
Big reveal
On June 28, 2022, the only child of "Sister Wives" stars Meri Brown and Kody Brown came out as transgender. "Someone recently told me that i didn't have to have all of my s*** figured out in order for me to share myself with the world. so here's me, definitely not having almost any of my s*** figured out, to let you know that i am trans. my name is Leon or Leo (i love both) and my pronouns are they/them," the sometime reality TV star wrote on Instagram. "I remember the first time that i knew i wasn't a girl. i was pretty young & unfortunately i grew up in a context that was incredibly gendered & restrictive. so i continued to be socialized as a girl & later a woman. and here's the thing, i'm finally ready to share my favorite self with the world. and that self is incredibly genderqueer, trans, and unapologetic," they continued. "Being queer & trans are definitely some of my favorite parts of myself. and yet, there are so many things that i am learning to love about myself through this process. here's to me getting to know myself, share myself, and continually evolve to be the person i am, to be my favorite self in all contexts." Leon concluded their post, "I'm sharing this part of myself to let folks in, and also to set some boundaries. if you choose to not use my correct name or pronouns, then you do not need to speak to or about me. my name is Leo or Leon, and my pronouns are they/them. please only refer to me in that way." Mom Meri has publicly supported Leo, but Kody, who has 17 other children, has yet to comment.
R.I.P.
"ER" actress Mary Mara was found dead in a New York river on June 26. After rampant rumors surrounding her unexpected death, an autopsy found that Mary, 61, died of asphyxiation, or suffocation, due to drowning. Police said there were no signs of foul play. According to multiple reports, the actress was swimming in the St. Lawrence River in Cape Vincent, New York, where her sister has a summer home. Mary had memorable roles in many popular TV shows including "Criminal Minds," "Nash Bridges," "Ray Donovan," "Dexter," "Shameless," "Nip/Tuck" and more.
