Elizabeth Wagmeister-Senior Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentJada Pinkett Smith’s Emmy-winning series “Red Table Talk” is returning with new episodes. But in the press release issued on Tuesday announcing the season’s upcoming lineup, no mention was made of Will Smith’s now-infamous Oscars slap and whether the matter will be addressed on the talk show, which is known for diving into personal matters surrounding the Smith family.“Red Table Talk” on Facebook Watch is hosted by Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow Smith and her mother Adrienne Banfield Norris.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentNearly 40 years ago, Hugh Hefner’s former personal butler wrote a memoir about his time working at the Playboy Mansion. The book has remained unpublished — until now.“The Dark Secrets of Playboy,” from Around the Way Publishing, will tell the story of Stefan Tetenbaum’s experiences as Hefner’s butler in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentWhen the Kardashians were ready to begin their new show, everything was kept top secret. Even the producers in discussions to be hired on the show didn’t know what series they were being interviewed for.“When we were interviewing showrunners, I wouldn’t ever say what it was for,” executive producer Ben Winston tells Variety.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentBy now, the entire world knows who Kim Kardashian kissed when she hosted “Saturday Night Live” — and it wasn’t her ex-husband Kanye West.However, even though the couple was in the midst of their divorce when Kardashian took the “SNL” stage in October 2021, it turns out that she actually considered having West as her musical guest that night.On the first episode of “The Kardashians” — the famous family’s new show that launched April 14 on Hulu — one of the major storylines focuses around Kardashian preparing for “Saturday Night Live.”“I’m kind of going back and forth, since Kanye’s album is out,” Kardashian says in the episode, after she tells her family that Lorne Michaels invited her to host the show. “That would be epic if he was my musical guest.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentJust over one week ago, disgraced comedian Louis C.K. won a Grammy. Well, perhaps before the Grammys, one could describe him as “disgraced.”In 2017, in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations by five women, C.K.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentBritney Spears is enjoying her newfound freedom with her 13-year conservatorship being terminated, and now, the pop star says she is pregnant.Spears shared the news with her fans Monday afternoon on her Instagram, posting in part: “I lost so much weight to go on my Maui trip only to gain it back … I thought ‘Geez … what happened to my stomach ???’ My husband said ‘No you’re food pregnant silly !!!’ So I got a pregnancy test … and uhhhhh well … I am having a baby.”Spears announced her engagement to actor Sam Asghari in September 2021. In recent posts, she has referred to Asghari as her “husband,” but has not officially said whether the couple is married yet.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentBritney Spears is objecting to her mother’s request to pay $663,202.84 in attorney’s fees, in conjunction with her conservatorship.The objection marks the latest move in the pop star’s ongoing and drawn-out legal battle. The singer’s attorney, Mathew Rosengart, filed new court documents ahead of a Wednesday hearing — where no decision was made — asking a judge to deny Lynne Spears’ petition for her famous daughter to foot her hefty legal bills.“Britney Spears has for decades been her family’s sole breadwinner, supporting her entire family,” Rosengart stated in a filing on Tuesday with the Los Angeles Superior Court.“Lynne Spears and her counsel seek payment of legal fees and costs — from Britney Spears — of more than $660,000,” Rosengart’s filing states, arguing that there is “no legal authority” supporting the singer’s mother’s request, since she was not an official party involved with the conservatorship.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentAmanda Bynes’ conservatorship has been terminated, coming to end after nearly nine years.Bynes, who rose to fame as a child actor on Nickelodeon’s “All That” in the ’90s and then starred in a slew of hit movies in the early 2000’s, has been under a conservatorship since 2013.With the conservatorship of both her person and her estate being terminated, Bynes will now have control over her finances and is able to choose where she wants to live, how she wants to conduct her life and will have oversight over all day-to-day responsibilities.Bynes was not present at the hearing. Her attorney, David A.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentAfter nearly nine years, Amanda Bynes is expected to be free from her conservatorship.A hearing on Tuesday morning will likely make termination official. On Monday, a judge issued a tentative ruling, stating that the conservatorship is “no longer required,” setting the stage for the end of the court-ordered arrangement that the former child star was placed under in 2013.“I’m excited for her.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentBachelor Nation got whiplash this week from the season finale of “The Bachelor” Season 26 — which went from breakup to makeup to another breakup and another makeup to a dual breakup, all ultimately for leading man Clayton Echard to end up with contestant Susie Evans, who had actually left the show the week before the finale.If that sounds confusing, it’s because it is.Never, since the two decades its been on-air, has the dating show seen such a change-of-heart from its lead than it did this season: Echard told three women (Evans, Gabby Widney and Rachel Recchia) that he was in love with them, also admitting to sleeping with two of them.After being left alone and single in the final episode, which filmed roughly four months ago, Echard ended up walking away with Evans, despite her turning him down in the shocking finale. And in last night’s “After the Final Rose” episode, instead of a proposal, Evans confirmed she was his girlfriend, accepting Echard’s final rose — but not before he was reamed out by Widney and Recchia on live television with both women calling him selfish, manipulative and thoughtless.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentSPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead, if you have not watched Clayton Echard’s finale of “The Bachelor,” which aired March 14 and 15 on ABC.After replacing Chris Harrison as host of “The Bachelor,” Jesse Palmer has inked a deal to return as host of the franchise’s female-led series, “The Bachelorette,” which will return with its 19th season this summer.“The Bachelorette” Season 19 will make history in a franchise first with two leading ladies: Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia, both finalists from Clayton Echard’s season of “The Bachelor.”On Echard’s dramatic season finale, which aired on Tuesday night, Windey and Recchia faced a dual breakup, shocking viewers who sounded off on Twitter about Echard’s decisions. Over the last few episodes, Echard told both women he was in love with them, in addition to admitting to sleeping with both of them in the fantasy suites.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentSPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead, if you have not watched Clayton Echard’s finale of “The Bachelor,” which aired March 14 and 15 on ABC.ABC has picked not one, but two stars for its next season of “The Bachelorette.”Making history in a franchise first, both Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia will co-star in “The Bachelorette” Season 19, which will air this upcoming summer, premiering on July 11.Windey and Recchia certainly deserve another shot at love, after the back-and-forth heartbreak they endured on Clayton Echard’s season of “The Bachelor,” which wrapped up with its shocking finale tonight.Both finalists on Echard’s season, Windey and Recchia were put through the ringer when Echard told them each he was in love with them and admitted to being intimate with both of them — not to mention, another women in the mix, finalist Susie Evans, who he said he actually loved more than the other two, after asking them to trust him and stick with him ’til the end. After the devastating dual breakup on “The Bachelor” finale, both women emerged as fierce supporters of each other, and won over America’s hearts, as viewers were shocked by the turn-of-events with Echard over the past few episodes.ABC has not provided details as to how exactly the next season of “The Bachelorette” will work with two leading ladies, other than saying, in a press release, that Windey and Recchia will “stand by each other’s side yet again as they set out on a journey to find love.”Jesse Palmer, who made his debut as the franchise’s new host this past season of “The Bachelor,” will return to host the new season of “The Bachelorette.”“The Bachelorette” typically airs on ABC in the spring.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentSPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead, if you have not watched part one of ABC’s “The Bachelor” finale with Clayton Echard, which aired on Monday, March 14.If you were hoping to get some clarity from watching part one of “The Bachelor’s” Season 26 finale, you were severely disappointed.Following last week’s dramatic fantasy suites episode where contestant Susie Evans left the show after leading man Clayton Echard admitted to sleeping with two other women and confessing his love to all three contenders, viewers were left wondering what would happen with his finalists, Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia.Well, turns out, the love triangle has turned back into a love rhombus.The episode began with Clayton telling host Jesse Palmer that he was lost and didn’t know what to do after Susie had surprised him with her ultimatum. “I’m hurt right now.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent“The Bachelor” is always full of drama. But according to its new host, this truly will be the most dramatic season finale ever — so dramatic that even the Bachelor, himself, doesn’t know how his journey ends.“As I sit here talking to you, I still cannot believe that I don’t know how it ends,” host Jesse Palmer tells Variety, about the finale, which airs live Monday and Tuesday night.The finale shot last November in Iceland.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentSPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead, if you are not up-to-date with Clayton Echard’s season of “The Bachelor.”With only a few days left until the season finale, “The Bachelor” has a lot of explaining to do.Last week’s “fantasy suite” episode — when the couples get to spend an overnight date together for the first time with no cameras around — ended with a bang.With the final three women left vying for Clayton Echard’s heart, ABC’s leading man told each of the women that he was in love with them. Susie Evans, Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia all expressed their love to Echard, who admitted he’d had sex with both Windey and Recchia.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentWhen “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” ended, rumors swirled that Kourtney Kardashian was the reason the show was over. The oldest sister of the Kardashian-Jenner clan says that’s not true. But, she was ready for a new start.On reality TV and social media, Kourtney is known for “just living,” as she likes to say — in other words, her incredibly calm attitude, monotone delivery and honest demeanor has turned her into one of the most meme-able and GIF-able people on the pop culture planet.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentWhen “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” debuted, Kendall and Kylie Jenner were just kids, and it was Khloé Kardashian who was known to audiences as the youngest sister of the core trio.Over the decade-and-a-half that the Kardashian-Jenner family has ruled television, Khloé has transformed from a 20-something reality star to a successful businesswoman and mother. With a slew of spinoffs under her belt (E!’s “Revenge Body” was a fan-favorite), Khloé has parlayed her passion for inclusivity and self-love into her company Good American, a full-size range clothing brand with the tagline, “Denim designed to serve your curves.”Consistently the subject of some of the harshest comment criticism the Kardashians have faced (and there has been plenty), Khloé admits that the constant negativity is still hurtful, even after so many years of public life.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentNick Cannon’s daytime talkshow is coming to an end after one season, Variety has learned.Staffers at “The Nick Cannon Show” were informed at work Thursday morning that the show would not be renewed for a second season, and that it would be the final day of production. However, enough episodes have been pre-taped and banked, so that the show will finish out its season with original episodes airing through sometime in May.While the cancellation is sudden, the abrupt ending isn’t quite as abrupt as it may seem for the show’s crew and producers — insiders say that a five-week hiatus was already previously planned, due to Cannon’s busy schedule with responsibilities for his long-running Viacom improv show “Wild ‘N Out” and Fox’s hit primetime series “The Masked Singer,” which he hosts.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentAfter filing to end her conservatorship, Amanda Bynes has broken her silence with a message to her supporters on Instagram.The former child star, who rose to fame as a comedic starlet on Nickelodeon’s “All That,” has been under a conservatorship for nearly nine years, ever since 2013.Bynes’ mother, Lynn Organ, has been in control of her conservatorship, and supports her daughter’s petition to terminate the legal arrangement, which was filed a few weeks ago. A hearing is set for March 22. A lawyer for the family, Tamar Arminak, previously told Variety that Bynes’ mother expects the conservatorship to come to an end on or around that court date.“What’s up Instagram.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentKim Kardashian’s first job in Hollywood was in the early 2000’s as Paris Hilton’s assistant, organizing the founding mother of reality TV’s closets and occasionally stepping into the limelight as a socialite herself. Then in 2007, E! premiered “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” which ran for 20 seasons, and made Kim one of the most famous women on the planet.Today, Kim, at 41, is a mogul who juggles so many business portfolios, it’s hard to keep track — including her beauty and fragrance empires and her shapewear company SKIMS, which was recently valued at $3.2 billion. And next month, Kim’s spotlight is only going to get bigger with a new Hulu series “The Kardashians,” where she lets the cameras (back) into her life as she chronicles her roles as entrepreneur, mom to four kids, legal eagle and a divorcee, grappling over a challenging split from her ex-husband Kanye West.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentA&E is expanding its documentary series “Secrets of Playboy” with two additional episodes that will delve further into Hugh Hefner and his legacy through conversations with women who have never spoken up before.“Secrets of Playboy” examines Hefner’s Playboy empire, unearthing allegations of coercion, sexual assault, drugging and manipulation from various women over decades. Since its premiere this past January, it has become A&E’s most-watched series launch in more than five years.“Secrets of Playboy” airs Monday nights.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentModern dating is tough. With endless swiping, unanswered DMs and app fatigue, everyone can relate to the trials and tribulations of finding your match in 2022.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentIn an effort to put the spotlight on stories surrounding missing persons of color, “Access Hollywood” is teaming up with the Black and Missing Foundation for a monthly true crime segment that will bring focus to stories that are often left out of mainstream coverage.Variety has exclusively learned of “Access Hollywood’s” special coverage initiative, which is intently designed to call attention to missing persons of color. The monthly on-air segments will be hosted by correspondent Zuri Hall.The first segment will air tonight, as the entertainment news show digs into the case of Tiffany Foster, a mother of three who went missing in Georgia last year.“It is my honor and privilege to play even a small role in highlighting the cases of missing Black men, women, and children in America,” said Hall, an “Access Hollywood” correspondent.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentSherri Shepherd will launch her own daytime talk show in fall 2022, Variety has learned.The new syndicated series, titled “Sherri,” will slide into the Fox O&O time slots that are currently held by “The Wendy Williams Show,” as the hit gossip queen, Wendy Williams, continues to be in recovery for health-related issues.“Sherri” hails from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, the same company behind “Wendy Williams.” Many production staffers from Williams’ talk show, including her executive producer, will move over to Shepherd’s show in the fall.Currently, “The Wendy Williams Show” is still in production and airing live shows with rotating guest hosts — including Shepherd, who has been a fan-favorite and highly-rated guest host throughout this season. Williams’ show will continue with guest hosts until in finishes its current season, though an end date has not been determined.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentIs Britney Spears headed to Washington D.C.?The pop star and her attorney, Mathew Rosengart, have been invited by Congress to speak about guardianships and conservatorships. The outreach from Capitol Hill follows Spears’ recent legal victory — the singer was freed from a 13-year conservatorship in Nov.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentTwenty years ago, “Crossroads” hit theaters. The first feature film to star Britney Spears, the teenage road trip movie was panned by critics, but loved by audiences.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentHugh Hefner was revolutionary. Praised for his part in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the Playboy founder was ahead of his time as an early proponent of gay rights, abortion and birth control.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentThe death of Cheslie Kryst has spurred an outpouring of emotions around the world, as well as sparked a conversation about mental health awareness.Now, Kryst’s mother is publicly sharing that her daughter privately battled depression — an inner struggle that she did not disclose with even her family and friends.“I have never known a pain as deep as this. I am forever changed,” Kryst’s mother, April Simpkins, said in a statement.“Today, what our family and friends privately knew was the cause of death of my sweet baby girl, Cheslie, was officially confirmed,” Simpkins’ statement continued. “While it may be hard to believe, it’s true.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentFor five years, Janet Jackson has been filming a documentary, preparing to share her accounts of the most intimate — and the most widely reported-on — moments of her life.In “Janet,” which aired its first part on Friday and continues on Saturday on Lifetime and A&E, the groundbreaking and private singer digs into everything from her childhood as the youngest in the Jackson family to long-held rumors that she had a secret baby in the 80’s to her relationship with her brother, the late Michael Jackson.“I wanted my own identity, but at that time, my father was in change of my life and my career and he was my manager. So, there were things I wanted to do and just a direction that I wanted to go in,” Jackson said in the documentary, discussing her decision to part ways with her father, Joe Jackson, who managed the early days of her career.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentAfter Lena Dunham’s new movie “Sharp Stick” was criticized on Twitter by an autism activist who claimed she was approached to be a consultant on the project, the filmmaking team behind the Sundance film says that the central character, Sarah Jo, was never written to be on the spectrum. Producers say the drama about a young woman’s sexual awakening was inspired entirely by creator Lena Dunham’s personal journey, dealing with severe endometriosis which resulted in a hysterectomy.“Sarah Jo was never written nor imagined as a neurodivergent woman,” a spokesperson for the film says, in part, in a statement to Variety.