Four fired from ‘Vanderpump Rules’ following racist acts and more ICYMI celeb news | Gallery – Wonderwall

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Cast firings

Reality shows are known for their drama, but not like this. On June 9, Bravo announced that “Vanderpump Rules” stars Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni will not return to the hit reality show. The news came after Stassi and Kristen came under fire for past racist acts, which were brought to light a week earlier by Faith Stowers, who appeared on seasons 4 and 6. Faith, the show’s only black cast member, had accused Stassi and Kristen of falsely accusing her of a crime and calling the cops on her in 2018. During that fallout, old racist tweets from Brett and Max that had resurfaced in January made headlines again. Following the firings, many from the Bravo world reacted. Faith said she feels “vindicated.” Bravo exec and star Andy Cohen voiced his support, saying, “I absolutely support Bravo’s decision, I think it was the right decision.” Lisa Vanderpump said, “I love and adore our employees and I am deeply saddened by some of the lack of judgment that has been displayed.”

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Divorcing

Kelly Clarkson is ending her seven-year marriage to Brandon Blackstock. On June 11, multiple outlets confirmed that the singer and talk show host had quietly filed divorce paperwork in Los Angeles on June 4. The news came a month after the couple listed their Los Angeles home for $10 million, though it’s since reportedly been taken off the market. Kelly and Brandon share two children, River Rose, 5, and Remington Alexander, 4 (Kelly has also been a hands-on stepmom to his older kids from his first marriage, Seth, 13, and Savannah, 18). Prior to the filing, Kelly had been quarantining with Brandon and their children at their Montana ranch, where she filmed her her eponymous talk show during coronavirus lockdown. According to court docs, Kelly wants joint custody of the kids and to see their prenup enforced. She listed their date of separation as “TBD.”

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Name change

Country trio Lady Antebellum is no more — at least it terms of the name. On June 11, the group announced that it was officially changing its name to Lady A to disassociate itself from racial undertones linked to slavery. The trio — Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood — said in a statement that Black Lives Matter demonstrations have revealed “blindspots we didn’t even know existed” in their name. “After much personal reflection, band discussion, prayer and many honest conversations with some of our closest Black friends and colleagues, we have decided to drop the word ‘antebellum’ from our name and move forward as Lady A, the nickname our fans gave us almost from the start,” they said. The band was initially named after an antebellum-style home in the South where they did one of their first photo shoots. “As musicians, it reminded us of all the music born in the South that influenced us… Southern rock, blues, R&B, gospel and of course country. But we are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word referring to the period of history before the Civil War, which includes slavery,” the statement continued. “We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued. Causing pain was never our hearts’ intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that indeed, it did just that. So today, we speak up and make a change.”

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Secret son

Iggy Azalea is going by a new title: Mom. The rapper revealed on her Instagram Stories on June 10 that she had a baby. “I have a son,” she wrote in a message to fans. “I kept waiting for the right time to say something but if feels like the more time passes the more I realize I’m always going to feel anxious to share news that giant with the world.” Iggy, who debuted new red hair this week, didn’t share the child’s name or identify his father, but she was last romantically linked to rapper Playboi Carti. Iggy never publicly revealed she was pregnant and even posted photos of herself that visually shot down rumors claiming she might be expecting. Of her son, she added, “I want to keep his life private but wanted to make it clear he is not a secret & I love him beyond words.” 

Dating rumors

Earlier this month, it was reported that Fox News personality Sean Hannity had been secretly divorced for over a year. On June 11, his love life was again in the headlines, this time after he was linked to a network colleague, “Fox & Friends” anchor Ainsley Earhardt. The two were recently seen together on New York’s Long Island. Via a spokesperson, Sean declined to comment, saying he won’t speak of his private life in public. Ainsley, however, denied dating the “Hannity” host. “Right now I am focused on raising my daughter and I am not dating anyone,” she said. “As anyone at Fox News will tell you, Sean is a wonderful person and whomever he chooses to date will be extremely fortunate.” While one source told Page Six that nothing romantic is happening between the network stars, three insiders said otherwise. “They’ve been together for two years, their relationship started well after their marriages ended. They are a great couple,” one source said. A second added, “They are 100% dating.” A third source said, “Sean and Ainsley have been together for a while. They are quarantining together in Oyster Bay. They have been seen together many times in the area.”

Haircut

Willie Robertson did something this week that he hasn’t done since President George W. Bush was in his first term: He got a haircut. On June 9, the “Duck Dynasty” star debuted his new look, one that shows him with significantly shorter hair and a trimmed beard. “Everyone else is going back to the barber, I figured I should try it too,” he captioned a video showing his transformation. Via hashtags, he said it had been 17 years since he got a haircut. In his Instagram video, Willie showed himself surprising family members with his new look — and many hardly recognized him at first. “SURPRISE!! @realwilliebosshog shocked us all with a major after-quarantine haircut, ha! We haven’t seen his neck in 15 years,” Willie’s wife, Korie, wrote on Instagram. “I love this man! He’s cute and he always keeps life interesting.”

Plea deal

Famed Israeli model Bar Refaeli has reached a plea deal in her long-drawn-out tax evasion case. As part of the deal, she’ll serve nine months of community service. Her mom, former fashion model Tzipi Levine Refaeli, will spend 16 months in prison. The women will also each pay $720,000 in fines as well $2.3 million in back taxes, according to The Times of Israel. Prosecutors said Bar tried to hide more than $7 million from tax authorities early in the last decade. Authorities have also alleged that she lived in Israel — they said her mother rented Tel Aviv apartments for her in other family members’ names — but claimed her primary residence was in the United States, as she was dating Leonardo DiCaprio at the time, to avoid paying the taxes.

“Legally” wronged

Three women have filed a class action suit against Reese Witherspoon and her Draper James clothing line following a botched dress giveaway, TMZ reported on June 9. In April, Draper James announced it was giving away 250 dresses to teachers as a thank you gesture for their work during the coronavirus pandemic. The giveaway was an epic fail, primarily because too many people signed up. The plaintiffs claim the giveaway was misleading, as it did not mention that only a fraction of respondents to the offer would actually walk away with dresses. The suit also claims Reese and Draper James benefited from the PR generated by the giveaway. A lawyer for the clothing brand told TMZ that the lawsuit is “an unjust attempt to exploit Draper James’ good intentions to honor the teacher community.” The statement continued, “The fact that supplies were limited, such that a free dress could not be provided to every teacher who responded, was disclosed and is no basis for a lawsuit.”

Marriage rumors

The post-coronavirus world will reportedly feature one more married couple, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. A June 10 report claims the music stars are planning to tie the knot after the pandemic is over. “COVID-19 has turned their world upside down, as it has with so many families,” a source told Us Weekly. “Gwen knows she is blessed and wants to have the wedding as soon as social distancing guidelines are lifted.” The couple has been together since late 2015. “Gwen wants to have a ceremony and reception with their family and friends,” the source added. “She didn’t wait this long to get married with family watching on Zoom.”

“Housewives” rumors debunked

Lori Loughlin won’t be holding up a diamond anytime soon. On June 11, Andy Cohen addressed online rumors that he was pursuing the embattled “Fuller House” star to join “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” “The first I heard about that was Twitter, but it’s not true,” the Bravo scion said. “Lori Loughlin is a very nice person. She’s going to have quite a story to tell. And she’s always been lovely. So, anyway, that is not true.” Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are set to serve prison time and pay a large fine after striking a plea deal in their college admissions scam case. 

History making lead

Matt James is breaking the mold. On June, 12, “The Bachelor” announced that Matt, 28, will be the leading man for its next season, making him the franchise’s first-ever black male lead. “The Bachelorette” had its only black lead, Rachel Lindsay, in 2017. Matt, a former college quarterback and former teammate of Tyler Cameron, was previously cast as one of Clare Crawley’s “Bachelorette” contestants. The move comes following calls and petitions demanding more diversity on the popular ABC show. “We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we’re seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in, and we are proudly in service to our audience,” ABC said in statement. “This is just the beginning, and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise. We feel so privileged to have Matt as our first Black Bachelor and we cannot wait to embark on this journey with him.”