By Mark Gray
7:30pm PDT, Aug 26, 2023
House sale
The actors and writers strikes are starting to affect one well-known Emmy winner's bottom line. Amid a strike-induced financial crunch, Billy Porter is making plans to sell his house, he told the Evening Standard. Contrary to popular belief, the "Pose" actor lives paycheck to paycheck, and funds are obviously not rolling in right now. "I don't know when we're gonna go back. The life of an artist, until you make 'f*** you' money — which I haven't made yet — is still [paycheck to paycheck]," the actor revealed.
When the now-concurrent strikes kicked off — writers started picketing on May 2 and actors followed suit on July 14 — Deadline reported that studios planned to prolong the work stoppages until the actors and writers are forced to fold. "The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses," a source shared. Referring to that comment, Billy said, "So to the person who said, 'We're going to starve them out until they have to sell their apartments' — you've already starved me out."
Billy also took aim at Disney CEO Bob Iger for claiming the unions are not being "realistic" with their demands. "The business has evolved," Billy said, citing the popularity of streaming services. "So the contract has to evolve and change, period. To hear Bob Iger say that our demands for a living wage are unrealistic? While he makes $78,000 a day? I don't have any words for it, but: f*** you. [But] that's not useful, so I've kept my mouth shut."
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Public medical emergency
Dr. Terry Dubrow has his TV star wife, Heather Dubrow, to thank for potentially saving his life. TMZ reports that the "Botched" and "The Real Housewives of Orange County" stars were having dinner at The Ivy in Los Angeles when he "suddenly began slurring his speech." Heather quickly told their son to call 911, which upset Terry, who insisted he felt fine. Medics arrived but Terry refused to take an ambulance to the hospital. At Heather's behest, several of Terry's doctor pals started calling and begging him to get checked out — which he eventually did. TMZ reports Terry suffered a transient ischemic attack, which is also known as a TIA or "ministroke." Doctors also reportedly discovered that Terry had a hole in his heart that had been there since birth. A blood clod prompted the TIA when it passed through the hole and traveled to Terry's brain. Doctors were able to fix the hole on the spot. The TV doc would have been at an increased risk for having a more severe, life-threatening stroke if his conditioned had not been properly diagnosed.
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Living with regret
Natalie Portman's husband is living with regret following his alleged affair. The "Star Wars" actress's marriage started turning south in June after her husband of 11 years, Benjamin Millepied, allegedly cheated on her with a 25-year-old climate activist. "She has no doubt he regrets what he did," a source told Us Weekly, adding that "things just haven't been the same" since. "It was a really humiliating scenario for Natalie." The duo reportedly separated after their trust was broken. "The damage was done," the source told Us. "She couldn't forgive him and is taking a break for now." There's speculation that the marriage was hanging by a thread before the alleged infidelity. "The spark has been missing for a really long time," the insider says.
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Health diagnosis
Francia Raisa, the actress who once donated a kidney to Selena Gomez, has revealed that she's been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome — a hormonal imbalance that occurs when the ovaries create excess hormones. On Tuesday, Aug. 8, the "How I Met Your Father" star took to her Instagram Story to share a photo of herself standing next to pal Candice Craig. "I also have PCOS and still learning how to live with it. Thanks for this @candice," she wrote alongside the snap.
For several years now, there's been speculation that Selena and Francia are no longer friends. Just last week, Francia was asked if she regretted donating her kidney to the "Only Murders in the Building" star: "I've said this before. I just felt it in my heart. I knew I was a match. I knew it was gonna happen," she said. "No one forced me to do anything. It came out of the genuine kindness of my heart, and I've been super blessed ever since."
More accusations
The list of women accusing Lizzo of sexual harassment is growing. Last week, three of Lizzo's former backup dancers filed a lawsuit against her in which they claimed to have faced sexual, religious and racial harassment and were subject to false imprisonment. An attorney for the three dancers said the women "[opened] the door for others to feel empowered to do the same." The new allegations alleged that the Grammy winner created a "sexually charged environment" and failed to pay employees, lawyer Ron Zambrano told Page Six. He added, "Some of the claims we are reviewing may be actionable, but it is too soon to say."
Supportive friend
Octavia Spencer sent her condolences to pal Sandra Bullock after the "Gravity" actress's long-term partner, Bryan Randall, died on Aug. 5. "My heart is broken for Sandy and Bryan. Sandy lost her soulmate and the world lost a talented, handsome, all around good guy! My prayers and condolences to their families," Octavia wrote on Instagram. "RIP Bryan Randall. In heaven, there's a tiny little lady up there who looks an awful lot like me bossing the Angels around. Especially Gabriel. She'll get him to play any song you want to hear. Give her a kiss from me. #soulmates #ALS," she continued.
Sandra and Bryan got together in 2015 and were completely committed to each other. Although they never formally married, the couple reportedly "exchanged vows" in 2017. Bryan passed away on Aug. 5 after a secret three-year battle with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. He was 57.
