Last month Lady Gaga debuted bleached eyebrows and fans commented that it was a portent of new music to come. I was a bit skeptical about the link between eyebrows and music, but Gaga later confirmed she was “working as fast as I can” on her next album. So I guess I saw the (bleached) light. Now the Little Monsters have made another prediction that I actually understand the logic behind; over the weekend Gaga was seen with a diamond ring on that finger. Conclusion? She’s engaged! Before we congratulate the Lady and her boyfriend of four years, tech CEO Michael Polansky, we should note that Gaga has made no comment directly or through her reps. But please enjoy Page Six’s reporting on the pictures snapped by papa-paparazzi:
Lady Gaga sparked engagement rumors after fans noticed a massive addition to her jewelry collection.
The “Born This Way” singer — who has been dating boyfriend Michael Polansky since 2019 — was spotted wearing a massive diamond ring on her left ring finger while walking through West Hollywood, Calif., on Sunday.
Gaga, 38, sported a long black coat for the outing, which she paired with a black shirt underneath and a pair of classic black pumps and a large tote bag from Bottega Veneta ($4,400).
She was spotted flashing a smile as the ring could be seen peeking out from under the coat.
“I don’t see enough people freaking out about gaga’s engagement ring?? LIKE HELLO??” one fan commented on X after the photos came out.
“gurll are u engaged??” another fan commented with crying emojis.
The speculation even made it onto gossip Instagram Deuxmoi.
A rep for Gaga did not immediately return our request for comment.
Back in March 2023, Radar Online reported Gaga and Polansky, who runs Facebook co-founder Sean Parker’s various charities and businesses, had called it quits over a disagreement about marriage and kids.
“They broke up a few months ago. It was amicable. They’re still friends,” a source told Radar Online at the time.
However, the couple squashed the rumors in October 2023 when they were spotted on two concert date nights in Las Vegas.
Page Six exclusively revealed Polansky’s identity in February 2020 after the pair were first spotted together in 2019.
Although they remain relatively private, Gaga once called him her “whole life” in an interview with Hollywood Reporter.
Polansky has accompanied the singer to several award shows, including the 2022 BAFTAs and the Critics Choice Awards.
Prior to their relationship, Gaga was previously engaged to “Chicago Fire” star Taylor Kinney and talent agent Christian Carino.
I have to say, I was sorry when Gaga and Taylor Kinney broke up. But mainly because I loved their meet-cute! You gotta admit, him being cast in her music video was a great story. Christian Carino screamed rebound and gave me major sleazy vibes. Michael Polansky, by contrast, has always seemed really solid, totally grounded in himself, which is a dynamic I think someone of Gaga’s magnitude needs. They work in different worlds, there’s no competition, no insecurity. He makes his fortune quietly, she makes her loudly. Plus they’ve been dating in their mid-thirties, so they know themselves better and what they want in a partner. I’m happy for Gaga! (I may or may not have sources, and those sources absolutely would not make any kind of official comment… but things are probably as they appear, wink wink.)
Lady Gaga sparks engagement rumors after being spotted with massive diamond ring https://t.co/XF3Q3ZeqDk pic.twitter.com/Ob0Y8wDgkh
— Page Six (@PageSix) April 9, 2024
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Photos credit: The Hollywood JR/PopCulture/Backgrid, IMAGO/Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon
One day late on this, but only because I totally forgot that April 9th was King Charles and Queen Camilla’s wedding anniversary. They celebrated 19 years of marriage on Tuesday, but obviously, they’ve been friends and lovers since their 20s, which means that really, they’ve been “together” in some form or another for fifty-something years. Through two marriages to other people, countless side chicks and sh-tty parenting, Charles and Camilla have stayed somewhat loyal to each other. So why does this pairing work and why has it worked for so long? An astrologer tried to answer that, in a special astrological analysis for their wedding anniversary:
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s royal romance has made headlines through the years, but what do the stars say about their love story? Charles and Camilla first met in 1970 but initially pursued marriage to Princess Diana and Andrew Parker Bowles, respectively. Both marriages ended in divorce partly as a result of Camilla and Charles’ highly publicized affair throughout the ’80s.
As the couple celebrates their wedding anniversary, PEOPLE spoke with astrologer and bestselling author Lisa Stardust, who analyzed King Charles and Queen Camilla’s natal charts to predict their overall compatibility.
Born on Nov. 14, 1948, King Charles is a Scorpio, while Queen Camilla, born on July 17, 1947, is a Cancer. Notably, they are both water signs, meaning “they possess extremely intuitive, sensitive, and creative qualities,” according to Stardust. As King Charles and Queen Camilla are both water signs, they naturally share many similarities, including interests in “art, communication and a deep understanding of each other on a personal level,” Stardust says.
However, Stardust points out “what’s truly fascinating about their astrological charts is the connection between Neptune and Venus.” Stardust notes that “Neptune is a planet that represents unconditional and never-ending care for another” and Camilla’s Neptune is aligned with Charles’ Venus, which is the planet of love, in Libra.
“This alignment signifies that they care for each other in a soulful and spiritual manner, without any judgment,” Stardust reveals. “They accept each other for who they are and provide each other with love and affection.”
Stardust notes that the couple’s astrological placements “suggest that they are a couple that is strongly attracted to each other and can easily fall in love.” King Charles’ Venus in Libra suggests that he has “a relationship-oriented personality and prefers to resolve conflicts smoothly.” Meanwhile, Queen Camilla’s Venus in Cancer “allows her to establish a deep and intimate connection with her loved one and remain loyal to them.” Stardust adds that “the combination of these placements indicates that they will always be drawn to each other, which is evident in their enduring relationship over the years.”
According to Stardust, Charles and Camilla “share a strong connection that transcends words and communication,” noting that “their past life connection is indicated by the North Node of Destiny in Camilla’s chart, which connects with King Charles’ Taurus Moon.”
“Their love at first sight is evident as her Jupiter, the planet of luck and growth, connects with his South Node of Destiny in Scorpio,” Stardust continues. “Their intuitive relationship is further cemented by the harmonization of their Mercury signs in water signs, Cancer and Scorpio.”
I didn’t realize before now that they’re both water signs. Diana was a Cancer as well, and so is Prince William. Prince Harry is a Virgo, Meghan is a Leo, Kate is a Capricorn. No comment on all of that beyond: I will always stan a Virgo king. Like… I actually believe that Charles and Camilla have always been highly compatible from an astrological standpoint, but I find it highly selective and rather infuriating to presuppose that they were somehow destined to be together and that’s why all of this happened. Camilla would have happily stayed married to Andrew Parker Bowles, for one. But Camilla also had to watch as Charles carried on with multiple mistresses throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. The “Camilla was his one true love” is a revisionist history which suits both Charles and Camilla.
Besides the astrology part of it, why can’t it be as simple as “Camilla looks exactly like Charles’s much-loved childhood nanny” AND “Camilla has always babied Charles and soothed his childish moods and sulks.”
For the past few years, the Duchess of Sussex’s half-sister Samantha Grant/Markle has been trying to sue Meghan for “defamation.” Samantha based part of her case on Finding Freedom, a book which Meghan did not write. Some parts of the lawsuit were based on statements Meghan made in the Oprah interview, which were not defamatory by any stretch of the imagination. The Florida courts have repeatedly dismissed Samantha’s bullsh-t lawsuits, including one dismissal – with prejudice – just last month. You would think Samantha would just give up, especially since she’s only attempting to sue Meghan for a relatively paltry sum, and surely Samantha’s legal bills ensure that she won’t break even? It’s weird to even do a cursory investigation into what’s driving Samantha’s lawsuits, because it absolutely feels like there are several (British) people financing Samantha’s legal actions and using Samantha as a proxy to attack Meghan for the crime of… being victimized by a racist royal institution. Speaking of:
Samantha Markle’s legal team will ask the Princess of Wales for a witness statement as the estranged half-sister of Meghan attempts to continue her defamation lawsuit against the Duchess of Sussex in a Florida court.
It was earlier reported that Samantha’s lawyer, Peter Ticktin, had filed an appeal to Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell’s March ruling that Meghan’s comments during the couple’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey did not merit defamation. The suit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it cannot simply be refiled.
Despite the request, Samantha, 59, has stressed that the Kate Middleton’s ‘cancer recovery is priority.’
‘I think it’s important everyone know that this was out there by my attorney before anyone was aware of her health challenges,’ Samantha told former GB News host Dan Wootton.
On March 18, Ticktin told Wootton during an episode of his Outspoken online talk show that he felt as though the princess would be able to provide a useful witness statement in the trial.
‘I felt that Catherine might have some very important light to shed on what had occurred because obviously something is really really wrong between these two.’
That came just four days before the princess shocked the world by disclosing that she was battling cancer. MailOnline has reached out to Kensington Palace and Samantha Markle’s legal team for comment. It wasn’t until this week when it was announced that Samantha was still battling in court to continue her lawsuit against Meghan.
Judge Honeywell said that the case should be dismissed because Samantha ‘failed to identify any statements that could support a claim for defamation.’
‘Notice is hereby given that the Plaintiff, Samantha M. Markle, by and through her undersigned counsel, appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from the Order Granting Defendants, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Motion to Dismiss entered by the Honorable Charlene Edwards Honeywell on March 12, 2024,’ the appeal document reads.
From a technical standpoint, there is no lawsuit on file for which the Princess of Wales might be compelled to give a witness statement. Samantha’s lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, nothing has been refiled and zero new (bullsh-t) claims have been made. So what’s really happening here? Why is Samantha’s lawyer arguing in court and in press that Meghan should be deposed about racist royals, and why is the lawyer going on British television and talking about wanting Kate to give a witness statement? What does any of that have to do with defamation against Samantha? Whoever is “running” Samantha has apparently put too much time and money into this operation and they’re still trying to squeeze every last drop out of this op. I brought this up before – I see this as a lower-tier version of what the Heritage Foundation is doing about Prince Harry’s visa. There are so many conspiracies afoot and it’s incredibly disturbing.
While Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have mostly gone silent for a fortnight, the British media has been attempting to churn out some royal fantasies, mostly involving the Sussexes. Like, four years later, and the usual suspects are still talking about whether Prince Harry will visit and whether he’ll make peace with Prince William and Kate. I’ve noticed another weird side-story about how, according to royal experts, Harry is desperate to check on Kate’s health but Meghan is “stopping” him. Now another old favorite is being dusted off: Meghan “disrupted” Harry’s relationship with Kate. What?
The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle “disrupted” Prince Harry’s relationship with key royals, including his sister-in-law the Princess Kate, a royal expert has claimed. The Duke of Sussex and Princess Kate shared a close bond before Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, left their royal duties and exposed private information on the family in interviews, their Netflix documentary, and in Harry’s memoir, Spare.
A royal expert has now claimed that Meghan “disrupted” Harry’s bond with Kate, who previously had met and “approved” of his former girlfriends.
Ingrid Seward, editor in chief of Majesty magazine and author of “My Mother and I” explained to The Telegraph: “Every time he had a new girlfriend, the first person that would meet her would be Kate. And then Meghan came into the mix, and it was disruptive. It wasn’t like the other girlfriends.”
Harry and Kate’s relationship was once a close bond with Harry previously “longing for a sister” according to Seward. Yet after Harry and Meghan wed in 2018, things soured as Seward added: “I think that Meghan must have been incredibly envious and then jealous of Kate.”
“And then Meghan came into the mix, and it was disruptive. It wasn’t like the other girlfriends.” Why do we need C-word to royalsplain something which Harry already detailed in Spare? As soon as he saw Meghan on his friend’s social media, he knew Meghan was the one. THAT is what was “disruptive” to Kate and William: Harry fell deeply in love and immediately began planning to spend the rest of his life with a beautiful American woman. The “plan” was that Harry either needed to stay a bachelor forever (for Kate and William’s comfort and needs) or that he end up a chronic f–kup in love, divorced, broken and pliable to the Firm. Positioning Kate as Harry’s priority in any way is asinine, especially since we’re talking about his sister-in-law who was racist towards his wife and child! Kate found Meghan “disruptive” because Meghan was beautiful, successful, stylish and because Harry was clearly head over heels in love.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar, Backgrid, Cover Images.
How are you guys doing so far in this election year? I’m fine, mostly because I’m barely paying attention to the increasingly depressing sh-t coming out of the mainstream media. Those people want Donald Trump to win so badly because it will be “good for ratings” and they want the insanity of MAGA fascism. Meanwhile, it definitely feels like Trump’s support is dissipating, or maybe the MAGAts have just learned how to mask their bullsh-t. Anyway, we have seven months to go and y’all know that many “curveballs” are coming. We’re talking about foreign interference, lies, insurrection, treason and deepfakes. Speaking of, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Foundation has teamed with The Future US to combat the deepfake and misinformation.
A bipartisan coalition with support from Hollywood power players and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation is working to prepare U.S. voters for a possible deepfake onslaught as the campaign year goes into high gear.
Why it matters: With federal agencies and social media companies barely talking to each other about AI-driven misinformation threats, “this is a disaster waiting to happen — no one’s doing the public inoculation,” warned Miles Taylor, chief policy officer of The Future US, which is coordinating the campaign. Taylor is a former DHS chief of staff — and author of a celebrated op-ed critique of the Trump administration from an “anonymous” insider — who wrote a tell-all book.
The big picture: Last September, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the White House, FBI and other federal officials likely violated the First Amendment by encouraging social media companies to crack down on COVID-19 misinformation. The Supreme Court, which is hearing a government appeal of that ruling, is skeptical that officials overstepped — but the case has already significantly reduced the contact between officials and big tech companies, including election-protection coordination.
Federal agencies have faced a parallel wave of litigation and pressure from Republicans, led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), to cease efforts to study misinformation on social media around both election and health topics.
Driving the news: The Future US shared two prototype ads that the group is using to gin up interest among Hollywood screenwriters, ad executives and influencers for what it hopes will be a massive earned media campaign, supplemented by an initial $5 million of paid advertising in swing states. One ad shows a woman in Arizona picking up the phone on Election Day, and hearing a voice on the other end that tells her to stay away from the polls because of threats from militant groups. The AI-generated caller, impersonating a poll worker, holds a “real” conversation with the voter.
According to Axios, Archewell “is also helping brainstorm new content,” hoping to inform voters (especially seniors) not to fall for AI or deepfake voter suppression tactics. The ad campaign will begin airing in swing states (Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin) later this spring. This is completely keeping with Harry and Meghan’s political energy these days, especially as they’ve been vocal for years about the proliferation of distortion and misinformation on social media. That being said, the fact that the Sussexes are part of anti-AI/deepfake campaign at the same time as the Windsors’ credibility is in the toilet for their photo manipulations… well, it’s funny. Hilarious, even.
The first Bridget Jones film, Bridget Jones’s Diary, is so good. It’s everything you want from a romantic comedy – it’s genuinely funny, it’s comforting, it’s delightfully weird in some places, and it has an extremely likable heroine and a very good Mr. Darcy. The second film – Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason – was not particularly good but still somewhat enjoyable, and they mostly kept to the source material (Helen Fielding’s second book). The wheels well and truly came off for the third film, Bridget Jones’s Baby, in which Bridget tried to choose between Patrick Dempsey and Colin Firth… all while she was close to 50 years old and pregnant. It was a complete mess and it should have killed the franchise. I thought it did! And then we started hearing rumors about a fourth Bridget Jones movie in the works. Well, it turns out that Renee Zellweger is still interested in milking this dead-and-buried franchise, because she’s officially signed on. It will be an adaptation of Fielding’s Mad About the Boy.
Renée Zellweger (Judy) has closed a deal to reprise the role that brought her her first Oscar nomination in Universal Pictures and Working Title’s Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Deadline has learned.
Others set to return in the film, from director Michael Morris (To Leslie), include Hugh Grant (Wonka) and Emma Thompson (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande). Newcomers to the cast will include Chiwetel Ejiofor (Rob Peace) and Leo Woodall (The White Lotus).
Based on the third book in Fielding’s series, Mad About the Boy picks up with Bridget in her early fifties, as she navigates the challenges of modern life while juggling the responsibilities of motherhood. No word yet as to who Ejiofor and Woodall will be playing.
I’m sad to report that I have read Mad About the Boy and I think I know which characters Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor are playing. While it will be cute to see Chiwetel as a traditional romantic lead, I wish it was not in a Bridget Jones movie! My God. Leo is definitely being cast as the much-younger man she dates for a few months, right?
Major Spoilers: if we’re going with the Bridget Jones Cinematic Universe, I would assume that Mark Darcy and Bridget get married after she gives birth to their son (at the end of Bridget Jones’s Baby) and then the fourth film will pick up using Mad About the Boy as the source material – the book picks up about a year or two after Mark Darcy’s death. That’s why Colin Firth isn’t “returning” to the franchise – because Helen Fielding killed him off in the book, which is all about Bridget getting back into the dating scene (and as always, losing weight) as a widowed single mother.
Last September, Prince Harry was in England for less than 48 hours before traveling to Germany for the Invictus Games. Harry’s priorities were: attending the WellChild Awards, which had been specifically scheduled around his visit; and paying his respect to his late grandmother on the one-year anniversary of her death. He managed to do both with little drama, only being seen at St. George’s Chapel (where he visited QEII’s crypt) by tourists. Weeks later, we learned that Harry actually did contact his father, who was staying in Scotland at the time. Harry requested a room in Windsor Castle for the night and his father refused, but King Charles apparently tried to hijack Harry’s trip and asked Harry to come up to Balmoral for a day. Harry did not take him up on the offer, and Buckingham Palace did wall-to-wall briefings about it just after the Invictus Games (which BP ignored).
There’s obviously a long and extensive history with the Windsors’ attempts to isolate Harry at Balmoral, and I honestly appreciate the fact that Harry has mostly avoided their Scooby-Doo-esque plots. Speaking of, Page Six’s sources claim that Charles plans to invite the whole Sussex clan to Balmoral this summer. Wait, I thought Charles decreed that no Black folks are allowed at Balmoral?
King Charles may extend an olive branch and invite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Balmoral Castle this summer in a bid to be reunited with his grandchildren, sources tell Page Six. The cancer-stricken monarch has seen Prince Archie, who turns 5 next month, on just a few occasions — and only seen Princess Lilibet in person once. However, there is buzz that Charles, 75, will invite the Sussexes to the royal family’s beloved retreat.
The monarch likes to retire to the Scottish countryside every year and is joined by members of the family, from the Prince and Princess of Wales — who is fighting her own cancer battle — to his own siblings.
A well-placed society source told us, “I can see Charles desperately wanting to see the children, and extending this olive branch to Meghan and Harry. He may decide that life is just too short. Balmoral is truly the perfect, restful place for a reunion. If he does issue an invite, then Harry and Meghan should surely agree to the visit.”
Charles only met Lilibet — nicknamed Lili — for the first time during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for the late Queen Elizabeth in June 2022. It was confirmed that Charles spent time with the children during a vist that a royal source later described as “fantastic” and “very emotional.”
A few things – spare us the “Charles wants to see his grandchildren” narrative because that man has done everything he can to shun those children and put them in danger. He even evicted the Sussexes from Frogmore Cottage, their family home to which they had a valid lease (sidenote: we still haven’t heard who moved into Frogmore, btw – they way the Windsors spoke about it, it was a crime to have this small cottage sitting vacant). Anyway, I feel like this is a preview of the Windsors’ summer storyline – will Harry and Meghan come to Balmoral, no, Meghan can’t come because she wasn’t invited, Charles is snubbing Lili from the invitations, etc. I guess the whole “Invictus Games church service” storyline is going nowhere.
Remember Tatler’s infamous “Catherine the Great” cover story? That happened in May 2020, as the world was mostly locked down during the pandemic. Tatler hired “royal writer” Anna Pasternak to write a gossipy piece which worked as a straight-forward “embiggening Kate” article and also worked as a hilarious parody of those kinds of “Kate walks on water” stories. There were so many amazing quotes and insights, like “friends of Kate” wailing: “She feels exhausted and trapped. She’s working as hard as a top CEO, who has to be wheeled out all the time, without the benefits of boundaries and plenty of holidays.” Pasternak also got quotes from people who said outright that Carole Middleton ran William and Kate’s household and bossed around staffers. What else? It was a portrait of William and Kate as completely furious that the Sussexes walked away and there was even a cryptic mention of Rose Hanbury.
When the Tatler cover story came out, it landed like a bomb in royalist media. Kensington Palace threatened Tatler and there was some talk about whether they would sue. Over the course of four months, Tatler began removing sections from the online story, eventually culling the whole thing down to bare bones. Pasternak has never really addressed what happened in 2020… until now. She recently chatted with the Infamous podcast, and you can hear the whole episode here. Here’s one section making the rounds:
Worthless backstabbers William and Kate are. pic.twitter.com/I1eKXYG7CW
— Coyote Fan (@Coyoteband2) April 9, 2024
Throughout the whole episode, the hosts are being rather snotty about the Duchess of Sussex, but Pasternak spends most of the interview saying no, I completely understand why the Sussexes walked away and the British media and the royal institution would have destroyed them. Pasternak calls out the “invisible contract” between the monarchy and the print media, saying that there is an explicit and implicit editorial stance that William and Kate must be lavished with praise at all times while nothing positive can ever be written or published about the Sussexes.
Pasternak also dishes about what happened behind the scenes during the Tatler fiasco. Basically, Tatler’s lawyers told her not to say anything and not to do interviews until they worked something out. By September 2020, they worked out a deal to avoid being sued by William and Kate… and Kensington Palace (William) leaked the deal to the Mail on Sunday. What’s interesting about that is that all Tatler really did to avoid being sued was… remove the bulk of the article from its online archives months after the fact. Thousands of outlets had already repeated and archived those now-deleted sections. Tatler got the last laugh – it was a rare moment where a British outlet made Kate sound like a lazy, self-absorbed dumbass and it took Kensington Palace four months to figure out how to handle it.
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Two weeks after announcing that she and her husband had separated, Gypsy Rose Blanchard has formally filed for divorce. According to People, the paperwork was filed at the Lafourche Parish Courthouse in Louisiana. Gypsy and Ryan Anderson got married in a small jailhouse ceremony in July 2022, and have been living together since her release from prison back in December. Gypsy originally announced their separation via Facebook in late March.
Last week, Anderson told The Daily Mail that their split “came out of the blue” and that the public would see it all unfold on their upcoming Lifetime docuseries, titled, Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup, which will air in June. Gypsy, for her part, got a nose job last week and has been seen holding hands with her ex-fiance, Ken Urker. People has a pretty interesting breakdown of what’s going on with GRB at the moment, which includes an interesting quote from a friend about what made Gyspy end the marriage and a soundbite from Urker’s mother, lol.
Confirmation of the filing: “The filing has been sent to the assigned Judge for review and to schedule any hearing dates if necessary,” Annette M. Fontana, Lafourche Parish Clerk of the Court, says.
GRB’s Facebook announcement: “People have been asking what is going on in my life. Unfortunately my husband and I are going through a separation and I moved in with my parents home down the bayou. I have the support of my family and friends to help guide me through this. I am learning to listen to my heart. Right now I need time to let myself find… who I am,” the post read.
Ryan “screamed” at her: Blanchard’s close friend and tattoo artist Nadiya Vizier, 22, told PEOPLE exclusively that the pair got into a heated argument the night Blanchard decided it was time to end her marriage. “He got in her face and screamed,” Vizier said. “Gypsy said that she was afraid he was going to hit her. He didn’t — but that happened in the past with her mother. So, her first instinct was to tighten up and be prepared. But she got to safety and called her lawyer, too. Ryan is a big guy, and she told me it was really scary.”
Chilling and tattooing with the ex: In the days after her separation, Blanchard was spotted with her ex-fiancé Ken Urker, who joined her in getting matching tattoos. The pair were engaged in the years before Blanchard married Anderson. “They’re very cool,” Urker’s mother Raina Williams previously told PEOPLE of the pair, after confirming they’d reconnected following Blanchard and Anderson’s split. “Ken is just being a supportive friend to her.”
Her dad thought she married too soon: “I wish she would have came home here and when her being on parole was over, live with him, just live with him, learn him,” Rod Blanchard said [in a 2023 interview with PEOPLE]. “She’s grown, and she was told what to do all her life. We wish she wouldn’t have, but like I told her, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll be there to help pick up the pieces. I really do hope it does work out. Ryan’s a great guy. He loves her for all the right reasons.”
GRB on deleting her socials: In March, Blanchard removed herself from the spotlight by deleting all of her public social media accounts. A source explained to PEOPLE at the time that she deleted her accounts “at the advisement of her parole officer, so she won’t get in trouble and go back to jail.”
I think Gypsy’s dad, Rod, spoke the most sense here. She and Ryan should have waited to get married, especially given her history. I can imagine the mindset behind someone with Gypsy’s history and circumstances wanting to rush down the aisle, but that was clearly a mistake. If the straw that broke the camel’s back was Ryan screaming at her, which triggered flashbacks to her mother’s physical and emotional abuse, then I can understand why she’d nope out of that marriage so abruptly. I also feel very confident saying that running back to her ex and getting a tattoo is not the right move here either. I know that there are mixed feelings out there about Gypsy, but my read on her is that she’s a very troubled woman who still has years of trauma to unpack and come to terms with through intensive therapy. In short, she needs to step back out of the spotlight, be single for a while, and take some time to heal and figure herself out.
photos credit: Getty and via social media
To wear underwear to bed, or to not wear underwear to bed, that is today’s question. Whether ‘tis healthier for the body to suffer the confines of further nether-region constriction, or to take off all undergarments at night and by undressing, enjoy freedom? Only this time instead of consulting The Bard, we have a field of experts weighing in. Like Dr. Aaron Spitz, who we all know from penning the seminal tome The Penis Book: A Doctor’s Complete Guide to the Penis. While Dr. Spitz and his colleagues note that there is a dearth of scientific research on the topic (I smell an opportunity for young scientists out there!), the consensus seemed to be to do what feels right for your own body. A few highlights:
No ‘erudite studies’ on underwear sleeping, it’s a matter of choice: First, know that the underwear versus no-underwear debate is not one that’s back up by much research, said Orange county, California, urologist Dr. Aaron Spitz. “The topic of going commando under the sheets is not routinely discussed in academic conferences, and a literature review will not turn up any erudite studies on the topic,” Spitz, author of The Penis Book: A Doctor’s Complete Guide to the Penis, told HuffPost. Dr. Sherry Ross — an OB-GYN and the author of She-ology: The Definitive Guide to Women’s Intimate Health. Period. — said that it really comes down to personal choice.
Different needs for different body parts: If you’re someone who has a lot of vaginal discharge or you’re on your period, sleeping in undies “may be your best option to prevent a nighttime mess in the morning,” Ross said. Those with male genitals, on the other hand, may experience discomfort — particularly in their testicles — if they go commando “due to compression that may occur from their thighs or the mattress while they toss and turn in their sleep,” Spitz said.
The laundry of it all: Wearing underwear to bed means your genitals aren’t making direct contact with your pajamas or your sheets. So you can wash these items a little less frequently — which is a plus if you hate doing laundry. Sleeping in underwear can also protect the urethra, the tube that connects the bladder to the outside of the body, from irritants or infection, Spitz noted. For instance, “bed sheets in hotels and friends’ houses may be washed with detergents that may cause irritation to the urethra of some individuals,” he said. “Underwear, even the loose-fitting kind, will serve as a protective barrier to the urethra.”
Keep it clean, folks! And hopefully this goes without saying, but if you’re sleeping in underwear, make sure it’s a clean pair — not the one you went for a jog in earlier or a pair you pulled from the hamper. “Since underwear comes in close contact with the skin, it is exposed to sweat, oil, dirt, microorganisms like bacteria or fungus, and even bodily fluids,” dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner, associate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told HuffPost. “Sleeping in soiled underwear can contribute to skin irritations or even infections.”
Ditching the undies? No sweat: If you sweat a lot in your sleep or are prone to certain skin or genital conditions, then it may be better to sleep sans underwear to keep things drier and more comfortable below the belt, [dermatologist Dr. Aanand] Geria explained. Wearing tight or nonbreathable underwear can trap moisture in the genital area, creating a damp environment where bacteria and fungi thrive, he said. … And if you have a history of vaginal infections or itching, then “you are better off sleeping commando to allow the skin of the vulva and vagina to breathe,” Ross said.
Freedom from fabric: Even if you’re not prone to skin or genital issues, you may find it just feels nice to sleep without underwear, as it gives this sensitive area of the body a break from being covered by fabric all day long. Plus, doing so can prevent bacterial buildup that may lead to pimples or unpleasant odors down there, Ross said. “The sweat glands and hair follicles are prone to direct buildup just as any other area of the body with hair and sweat,” she explained.
Since this is a safe space where people of all nocturnal underwear preferences are welcome, I’ll start out by sharing that I’ve swung both ways in my life. Yes, the rumors are true! As a younger person I strictly adhered to bedtime undies. Even in my own bed it somehow felt improper not to have them on. But those days are long gone, baby! I’m so flipping hot all the time that unless it’s a the-heating-is-broken-during-a-blizzard situation, I’m not wearing bottoms of any kind. And probably not a top either, if we’re being honest. (Yes, I realize all you’ll be thinking about for the rest of the day now is a nude Kismet. You’re welcome.) For the sake of hygiene, and since my sense of time is ephemeral, I mark on my calendar when I put new sheets on the bed so I can keep track of when they need to be changed. Adulthood really is a series of never ending chores, isn’t it?
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