By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:14am PDT, Jun 26, 2020
Adult film star Ron Jeremy charged with four counts of sexual assault in Los Angeles
On June 23, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office announced that adult entertainment star Ron Jeremy (real name Ronald Jeremy Hyatt) has been charged with sexually assaulting four women in West Hollywood between 2014 and 2019. One attack reportedly took place in 2014 at a private residence, while the three subsequent attacks occurred in 2017 and 2019 at a bar. According to the Los Angeles Times, the former "Surreal Life" star is charged with three counts each of forcible rape and forcible penetration by a foreign object and one count each of forcible oral copulation and sexual battery. The DA's office reportedly declined to file sexual assault charges against him stemming from a 2016 incident due to insufficient evidence.
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Savannah Guthrie defends her on-air hairstyle after critic calls it "distracting" and "unkempt"
On June 23, Savannah Guthrie addressed a keyboard critic who took to Twitter to lambaste her appearance on a recent episode of the "Today" show. "With what they pay you, can't you afford a hair stylist? I love the natural unkempt look but its distracting on … national news," tweeted the "fan." Responded the beloved journalist, "We are all doing our own hair and makeup during the pandemic. And yes it shows!" After several Twitter users jumped to her defense, the original tweeter shared an apology: "I didn't mean to be mean. I worked in television for 32 years. I was just surprised that the makeup artists would let the hair slide on national TV for two days. You do look great. It's the hair that needs a little love," she wrote.
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Dennis Quaid, 66, secretly marries his "stunning bride," Laura Savoie, 27
On June 24, People magazine broke the news that Dennis Quaid and Laura Savoie eloped at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, on June 2. The 66-year-old actor and the 27-year-old doctoral student initially planned to tie the knot in Hawaii in April but postponed their nuptials due to the coronavirus pandemic. "It was beautiful," the actor said of their super-small wedding ceremony, which was witnessed by only their pastor. "Just looking into her eyes, she was the most stunning bride," he added.
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"30 Rock" blackface episodes pulled from streaming, syndication at request of Tina Fey and NBCUniversal, former NBC star Megyn Kelly reacts following her own blackface scandal
On June 22, Variety published a letter from NBCUniversal and "30 Rock" creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock requesting the removal of four controversial episodes of the lauded sitcom — including three episodes in which white characters sport blackface — from syndication and various streaming platforms. "As we strive to do the work and do better in regards to race in America, we believe that these episodes featuring actors in race-changing makeup are best taken out of circulation. I understand now that 'intent' is not a free pass for white people to use these images. I apologize for pain they have caused. Going forward, no comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness. I thank NBCUniversal for honoring this request," wrote the Emmy-winning actress. The following day, former NBC star Megyn Kelly — who got the boot from the network in October 2018 after she defended the use of blackface in Halloween costumes — took a dig at NBC when she shared Variety's report. "Wait – what network aired those episodes again?" she tweeted.
Chris D'Elia fired by CAA following misconduct allegations, former co-stars Whitney Cummings and Penn Badgley speak out
On June 23, Deadline reported that Chris D'Elia's talent agency, CAA, and his management company, 3 Arts Entertainment, dropped him amid allegations that he solicited underage women for sex and explicit photos. Three days earlier, Whitney Cummings — who starred opposite the comedian on the NBC sitcom "Whitney" — released a statement on Twitter addressing the allegations against him: "It's taken me a couple days to process the information I have learned about Chris. I'm devastated and enraged by what I've read and learned. This is a pattern of predatory behavior. This abuse of power is enabled by silence. Now that I'm aware, I won't be silent," she wrote, adding that "girls should be able to be a fan of a comedian they admire without becoming a sexual target" and that "it's the adult's responsibility to be an adult." Meanwhile, during an interview for an upcoming episode of the Los Angeles Times' "Can't Stop Watching" podcast, Penn Badgley called the allegations against his former "You" co-star "very disturbing" and said that he felt "very troubled" by the news. "I don't know Chris. I know that, if there's anything we need to do in this age, it's to believe women," he said, adding that abusers "need to be brought to justice as much as that is possible." He then addressed the parallels between D'Elia and the character he played on "You" — comedian and sexual predator Henderson. "The idea that a show like ours would indirectly, unwittingly be a haven for people who are abusive is disturbing," said Badgley. "There needs to be a change in culture and attitude so that that kind of behavior is so clearly reprehensible, it's so clearly, like, anti-human." He went on to say that "the first thing" producers did when they heard the allegations against D'Elia was reach out to 17-year-old actress Jenna Ortega, who shared scenes with him on "You," to make sure "she felt safe" while working with him.
Savannah Chrisley reveals why she postponed her wedding: "Things moved way too fast"
On the June 18 episode of dad Todd Chrisley's "Chrisley Confessions" podcast, Savannah Chrisley explained why she and her fiancé, professional hockey play Nic Kerdiles, postponed their plans to tie the knot in May. "We both realized that things moved way too fast and we needed to go back to dating," the "Chrisley Knows Best" star said. "I just knew we had to work on things on a different level. We had to dig deeper, and it's hard. It's 2020, and you know what? It's OK not to follow the guidelines and the whole timeframe that everyone follows." She went on to say that a friend shared some advice that really helped her: "She said, 'When you get married, the good things in your relationship become great and the bad things in your relationship become worse.' I truly sat on that and I thought about it and there was just so much that Nic and I needed to work through," recalled the bride-to-be, adding that because she's in the limelight, there's been "a lot of pressure" from fans who "expected a wedding." The reality starred also said that she and her future hubby are "both in therapy" and "doing what we know we need to do."
Jessica Mulroney's husband Ben steps down from TV host role following her scandal
In mid-June, Sasha Exeter accused Jessica Mulroney of threatening her livelihood after the stylist "took offense" to a "generic call-to-action" that the lifestyle blogger posted to encourage her fellow influencers to use their platforms to support the Black community amid global Black Lives Matter protests. In the wake of the scandal, "Good Morning America" dropped Jessica — whose children were in Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry's wedding party — as a contributor, and Canadian TV network CTV canceled her reality show, "I Do, Redo." On June 22, Jessica's husband, Ben Mulroney — the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney — announced plans to "immediately step away" from his role anchoring CTV's "etalk" in order to "create space for a new perspective and a new voice." Said the Canadian TV host, who will continue appearing on the network from time to time as a contributor, "I love my wife, however, it is not my place to speak for her. And today, together, we are both committed to doing the work to understand more about anti-Black racism as well as learn and understand more about our blind spots." He then acknowledged that he's benefited "greatly" from his privilege: "While I have certainly worked hard to build my career, I know that systemic racism and injustice helps people like me and harms those who aren't like me, often in ways that are invisible to us. This needs to change," he continued. He went on to say that there needs to be "more Black voices, more Indigenous voices, more people of color in the media, as well as every other profession" and expressed his hope that his replacement will "use this important platform to inspire, to lead and to make change."
"Once Upon a Time" star wields bat, shotgun against harasser
On June 22, TMZ reported that "Once Upon a Time" alum Lana Parrilla obtained a restraining order against a woman who harassed her outside her Los Angeles home on June 9 and June 14. The woman's bizarre behavior included walking barefoot outside Lana's home, cursing at her, ringing the doorbell on her gate, alleging that Lana owes her $400,000, claiming that she has video of the actress "murdering my 13 children last night" and threatening to jump the fence at Lana's home to beat her up. Lana eventually called the police. She also "grabbed a bat and an unloaded shotgun and went to the porch" to protect herself, even pointing the gun at the woman at one point. According to TMZ, Lana claimed that less than an hour after the woman finally left, "a homeless man came to her gate and called for her." The actress, TMZ wrote, "fears for her life and worries [the woman] will send people she knows to her house to hurt her."
Zooey Deschanel's divorce from Jacob Pechenik finalized nine months after split news
Us Weekly reported on June 24 that, according to court documents, Zooey Deschanel and producer Jacob Pechenik filed their divorce judgment in Los Angeles on June 1 — nine months after they announced that they were calling it quits. The former "New Girl" star has been dating "Property Brothers" star Jonathan Scott ever since.
Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart deny sexual assault allegations
On June 21, Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart addressed sexual misconduct allegations leveled against them and "Riverdale" co-stars KJ Apa and Vanessa Morgan by several anonymous Twitter accounts — which were later determined to belong to the same user, who's since retracted her accusations and deleted her accounts. Tweeted Cole, "Earlier today myself and three other cast mates were falsely accused of sexual offense by anonymous accounts on Twitter. I take these accusations very seriously, and will be working with the right teams to get to the root of it. False accusations do tremendous damage to victims of actual assault. Furthermore, I would never seek to silence anybody. I encourage that people look into the accusations themselves, as the events detailed were factually untrue. This seems to be the latest claim in a series of incidents seeking to baselessly cancel my cast mates and me." Tweeted Lili, "I have always taken sexual assault allegations seriously. But it was proven that this account was created specifically to create false stories about me and my cast. I can't think of something more twisted than lying about sexual assault. It invalidates the men and women who are brave enough to come forward with the truth. This kind of lie can ruin lives and careers- and I can call it a lie because the person who made the allegations already admitted that the stories were fabricated. We are looking into taking legal action. This kind of sick behavior only harms true survivors. This was incredibly triggering for me and scary because I've always supported survivors and believed them. I hope and pray that this does not discourage real survivors from speaking out about their experiences."
Nikki Bella shows off baby bump less than six weeks before due date
On June 20, Nikki Bella took to Instagram to show off her third trimester baby bump. (She and fiancé Artem Chigvintsev are expecting their son in less than six weeks.) "First I am totally going to get a text from my Mom in like 10 mins telling me my cover picture is too much lol and then saying how cute my belly is. Love you Mom!" the "Total Bellas" star captioned her "tummy update" — a photo of herself posing in front of a full-length mirror in underwear and a silk robe, along with a video featuring her favorite stretch-mark-fighting products. "My baby boy is getting so BIG! We are a little under 6 weeks out!! Can't believe we get to meet our little boy soon! We can't wait!!! I'm already SO in love!!!" she continued. In the video, she gushed, "Look at how big my boy is getting! How crazy, right? Look at that! He is growing — I love it! He's been very, very active — especially at night, but just so much throughout the day. I love it."
Bill Cosby is granted the right to appeal his sexual assault convictions
On June 23, Pennsylvania's Supreme Court ruled that Bill Cosby may appeal two key issues in his 2018 conviction on sexual assault charges. According to CNN, Cosby's legal team is calling into question the "prior bad act" testimony about alleged assaults that were not part of the charges against him, arguing that it should not have been heard in court. (Five women testified that he'd assaulted them in incidents for which he was not charged, demonstrating a pattern of bad behavior on his part.) The former TV star's legal team will also focus on admissions the actor made during a deposition in a civil case against him, arguing that he never would have fessed up to obtaining Quaaludes for women if the district attorney at the time hadn't "promised to never bring a criminal case based on the allegations," CNN reports.
Jimmy Kimmel apologizes for "thoughtless" blackface sketches
On June 23, Jimmy Kimmel released a statement addressing his past use of blackface while impersonating Black celebrities: "I have long been reluctant to address this, as I knew doing so would be celebrated as a victory by those who equate apologies with weakness and cheer for leaders who use prejudice to divide us," he wrote. "That delay was a mistake. There is nothing more important to me than your respect, and I apologize to those who were genuinely hurt or offended by the makeup I wore or the words I spoke." He specifically addressed his old impression of NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone, writing, "We hired makeup artists to make me look as much like Karl Malone as possible. I never considered that this might be seen as anything other than an imitation of a fellow human being, one that had no more to do with Karl's skin color than it did his bulging muscles and bald head." He then acknowledged that he's done "dozens of impressions of famous people" over the years. "In each case, I thought of them as impersonations of celebrities and nothing more," he continued. "Looking back, many of these sketches are embarrassing, and it is frustrating that these thoughtless moments have become a weapon used by some to diminish my criticisms of social and other injustices. I believe that I have evolved and matured over the last 20-plus years, and I hope that is evident to anyone who watches my show. I know that this will not be the last I hear of this and that it will be used again to try to quiet me. I love this country too much to allow that. I won't be bullied into silence by those who feign outrage to advance their oppressive and genuinely racist agendas." Concluded the comedian, "Thank you for giving me an opportunity to explain and to those I've disappointed, I am sorry."
Jim Edmonds thanks new girlfriend for helping him heal from "loveless and abusive" marriage to Meghan King
Jim Edmonds made some bombshell allegations about his relationship with his estranged wife, former "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Meghan King, while praising his new girlfriend, Kortnie O'Connor, on Instagram on June 23. "If it wasn't for this girl, I don't think I would be here right now," he captioned a slideshow of photos of the brunette beauty. "She showed up in my life just at the right time. Amazing that her taking a chance on a plus one weekend to Mexico pulled me out of my hole and changed my life forever. I was in such a dark place; one that I didn't think could happen to me. I was going through hell ending a loveless and abusive relationship. The lies and accusations that followed the breakup only put me deeper into a funk. Along came this beautiful woman by chance, who lit up my world and brought me back to life. I'm very grateful for my amazing friends, children and this amazing woman for making me a better person and father." Meghan has accused the retired professional baseball player of having an affair with Kortnie during their marriage. She also alleged that she and Jim once had a threesome with the former Playboy model.
Dean Unglert and Caelynn Miller-Keyes reveal their relationship status amid marriage rumors
On the June 22 episode of "The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever," Dean Unglert and Caelynn Miller-Keyes clarified that although they've been wearing wedding rings for the past six months, they're not legally married — or engaged. "I don't need the title of 'husband' to show the world that I'm committed to one person, and so the fact that I'm wearing the ring is showing just that — I'm committed to Caelynn and only Caelynn," said Dean. "It's our way of telling the world or the people that we're around that we are committed to each other. I think it's one of those comforting things where it's like you can wake up in the morning and see your partner wearing that ring and be like, 'OK, yes, they know that I'm committed to them and vice versa.'" The former pageant queen then revealed that she and her beau of a year got the idea to get rings after he started wearing a hair tie around his ring finger "to fight women off." Said Caelynn, "It's just nice to know that we are in this strong, committed relationship without necessarily having to get the government involved — as Dean likes to say." Dean added that "if it ever comes" to him wanting to get the government involved in his relationship, Bachelor Nation host Chris Harrison will be "100% top of the list" to officiate their nuptials. Concluded Dean of his relationship with Caelynn, "We're unwavering. We're in this for the long haul. There's no going back."
