In this week’s Gossip with Celebitchy podcast (out tomorrow morning!), CB and I talked about whether King Charles and the Princess of Wales need to disclose further details about their health issues. I ended up sort of defending Charles – I’ve been surprised by how much he’s disclosed already, and I’ve been surprised by how often he has been seen in the past two months. It’s clear that his cancer treatments have knocked him on his ass, but instead of hiding away for months, he’s been sort of openly vulnerable. I will criticize Charles for a lot of things, but I think he’s handled his health problems well enough for a head of state, although sure, he could and probably should disclose more about his cancer and treatment. But compared to Kate, Charles has been Mr. Disclosure and Mr. Visible.

Obviously, Kate absolutely needs to disclose more, or failing that, Kensington Palace needs to stop being so squirrelly. KP looks like they’ve created a web of lies and they’re terrified that someone will start pulling at those strings. Speaking of, the Daily Mail’s A.N. Wilson is now calling for both Charles and Kate to disclose a lot more – this isn’t some tantrum by a Mail columnist, it’s actually a pretty sober analysis about how the lack of disclosures are destabilizing the monarchy. Some highlights:

The Windsors have lost control of the narrative: They might hope to control what is said about them. But they cannot stop rumour-mongers, and if they are clumsy about handling information about themselves, they only make the speculation more sensationalist, and do more damage. That is what is happening now with the Royal Family and those who control their ‘PR’. It is no exaggeration to say that, earlier this week, the internet exploded with wild, sometimes distressing, theories about the health of the royals.

William’s indecently short-notice cancellation: The immediate cause of the surge in interest was the comparatively trivial news that, at indecently short notice, Prince William had missed his godfather King Constantine’s memorial service in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, five minutes down the road from his home. Trivial it seemed, at least, until Kensington Palace made a thing of it by saying his absence was due to a mysterious ‘personal matter’. Inevitably, this put the wind up all of us, not least the rumour-mongers. Was Kate more ill than we had been told? Was all well with their marriage? A whole cluster of questions which never needed to have been asked came to the public mind. Not because the public is nosy, or prurient, but because they had been fed half-truths by the Palace.

The solution: The only way to stop this kind of frenzy in our ugly social media age is, I am afraid, for the Palace to come clean about the health of the royals. And I say this as a monarchist who admires both the King and the Princess of Wales. You could ask why don’t we all mind our own business and leave the Royal Family in peace? But there are reasons for that which will not go away. The first is that all this guesswork and scandal-mongering on the internet feeds on itself and destabilises the monarchy that we hold dear. As gossip and hearsay swirl about it, seldom can I remember the institution — no King, no Princess of Wales, and a sudden disappearance by Prince William — looking so vulnerable. The second reason is that, whether they like it or not, the King and his family are public figures, funded by taxpayers’ money. What happens to them is not private in the sense that the rest of us have private lives.

The head of state’s health is of national concern: In other countries, such as France or the U.S., the health of the head of state is a public matter, and bulletins are issued of a fairly detailed kind. People are entitled to know about the health of their head of state. But, of course, the royals may find it difficult to adapt, for things used to be very different…We do not live in that world any more, but one of information and, worse, disinformation overload. A world in which the Royal Family complain about rumour and speculation, but unfortunately encourage it by giving only partial bulletins about health matters.

Charles should disclose more: The King has, at least been more straightforward than William and Kate. We were told about his treatment for an enlarged prostate, and then informed that he is suffering from cancer. This information, we are led to believe, is part of an unprecedented new openness from the royals about their health. It may well be. But I believe we should know more. Feeding the public with tit-bits was always going to encourage grubby hypotheses. What was needed was a candid, simple statement: ‘In the course of treatment at the London Clinic, the King was found to be suffering from cancer of X. He is undergoing treatment. Further bulletins will be issued when the state of His Majesty’s health is known.’

William, as the future head of state, needs a different approach: Clearly, we cannot expect that approach from William and Kate, who have been very much less transparent, perhaps in view of the fact William is not yet King. Of course, a delicate balance has to be struck. Their many admirers and well-wishers do not want to intrude on private sorrows. And they and their children are entitled to our respect. What William is not entitled to is the kind of private life we take for granted. He is heir to the throne, and taxpayers are entitled to know about their next Head of State.

Can Will & Kate cope if they need to step up soon? We all hope King Charles will make a speedy recovery from his cancer, and reign over us for a long time to come. But he is a 75-year-old man with a serious illness. At the moment, rumours fly around about the Prince and Princess of Wales, which make us question if he and Kate are in a position to take over, should this dire duty be thrust upon them. Our heart goes out to them, but they are not, unfortunately, in a position to hide from us the harsh realities about their health — however much they may want to.

[From The Daily Mail]

Yeah, I agree with all of this. Wilson’s solution is that Charles basically needs to say what kind of cancer he has and what kind of treatment he’s receiving, and I agree – that information would help dampen a lot of the rumors. Unless, of course, his cancer is much more serious than the palace has already led us to believe, in which case further disclosures might lead to some panic. But really, this is more about the Waleses and their stubborn refusal to disclose anything. And for this to come out in the Mail as well… it feels like the worm might be turning. I hope so.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

It never fails to be hilarious to me, to remember how everyone in the British royal/aristocratic establishment looked down their noses at then-Meghan Markle because she was a “celebrity” and “actress,” when all of those people are desperate to hang out with celebrities. Prince William is one of the worst when it comes to clout-chasing celebrities. He will do anything for a photo-op with an actor, singer or reality star. And that’s basically the only way to get him to do work for two days in a row: tell him he’ll get to meet an American celebrity.

So, here are photos of Prince William in Wrexham, Wales for St. David’s Day. Saint David is the patron saint of Wales. William, the Prince of Wales, refuses to learn Welsh or buy a Welsh home or have a Prince of Wales investiture or spend time in Wales. But they managed to roll him out of bed today, all so he could do a photo-op at a Wrexham bar (“pub”) with Rob McElhenney. As many probably know by now, Rob and Ryan Reynolds bought Wrexham Football Club and they’ve been investing in the club and the Welsh community of Wrexham. Rob is the Chairman of Wrexham FC, so that’s why he likely had to fly in for this fakakta photo-op with Peggington. Incidentally, this is not the first time the Windsors have used McElhenney for a photo-op – in December 2022, Charles and Camilla also visited Wrexham specifically for a celebrity photo-op too.

Given the fact that William seemed visibly under the influence at a recent daytime investiture ceremony and given all the chatter about his drinking (in general) recently, you would think that William’s staff would avoid all of the staging around alcohol and pubs. But no, William surrounds himself with incompetent people, so we’re getting photos of him pulling a pint and throwing back drinks in the middle of the day. These days, I’m quite flabbergasted by the baseline incompetence on display. Also: the photos just look like that, like the photographer smeared vaseline on the lens. Maybe Peggington demanded a softer focus so no one would see his bloodshot eyes and visible neck bruises.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

The Daily Mail’s editors have given free rein to their columnists and royal experts to criticize Prince William this week. The only catch is that the Mail columnists have to find a way to couch their criticism with bleating about Prince Andrew and, as always, Prince Harry. Jan Moir was up to the task in her latest piece, where she tries to put Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Prince William in the same “terrible princes” boat. Obviously, I don’t give a f–k what she’s written about Andrew (he can choke) or Harry. But the fact that the Mail is allowing these kinds of things to be written about the golden, wispy-combovered, rage-monster heir is pretty remarkable and notable.

Call it what you will, but the gilt is slowly peeling off this soured game of thrones, this line of succession in terminal recession. For every so often the three masks slip and we see these princes for who and what they really are: a trio of spoilt man-children who demand accountability from everyone else while doing as they please themselves, an unholy trinity who still can’t quite believe the age of deference is over.

Prince William is by far the best of them, not least because it is upon his shoulders that the burden of royal responsibility must lie. In his rather passive-aggressive way he has never made any secret of the fact that he finds this an onerous task, but who could blame him for brooding, or seeing his birthright as a velvet bind?

As his stricken father and recuperating wife keep out of the spotlight, this is William’s moment of truth. Yet instead of stepping up to the challenge, he seems to be all over the place. That ill-advised statement on the Israel-Hamas conflict for a start; now going awol from a royal event at short notice and without a proper explanation?

It is all very odd. If William has a good reason for his absence, then he should tell us or even drop a comforting hint — the public would understand and sympathise. Of course he is entitled to a private life, but he is not some movie star bleating about privacy in a moment of crisis. He is the heir to the British throne — a man with a unique set of public responsibilities.

One day soon he will be the head of the nation, a focus for national identity, unity and pride. So maybe he should stop behaving like a celebrity flake and reign in that impervious attitude along with his indulgent fondness for obsessive secrecy. If this is a sign of what is to come when he ascends the throne, it is very worrying one.

[From The Daily Mail]

Well well, how the turn tables. Passive-aggressive? Spoilt man-children? Bleating about privacy? Celebrity flake? Indulgent fondness for obsessive secrecy? The Mail is rattled, and in turn, they’re yanking on Peg’s chain as hard as they can while still trying to keep him on the leash. The invisible contract probably means that the Mail on Sunday will get some big exclusives this weekend straight from Kensington Palace. Just not about Kate – it will either be some new tantrum about how much William hates his brother, or something else involving the Sussexes. Wait for it and count on it.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.

Here are more photos of Prince William on Thursday, during his visit to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in London. This was not some spur-of-the-moment visit – this visit was previewed last week, when William made his big “statesman” statement about Israel and Gaza. He was supposed to make a public appearance on Tuesday at his godfather’s memorial, but alas, he canceled at the last minute. The photographer assigned to his synagogue event was really fascinated by a prince wearing a yarmulke, and there are numerous extreme closeups on William’s bald head and his profile. So much so, people remarked on what seemed like a visible bruise on the left side of William’s neck, close to his ear. I’ve zoomed in on some of the photos and I can’t tell if it’s really a bruise or just a very strange shadow.

From what I’ve seen of the coverage of the event, gaffe-machine William managed to get in and out of there without saying anything gross, inappropriate or offensive. That being said, there are multiple reports of what people said TO William but not his replies. William was given a large bouquet of flowers to take home to Kate and no one recorded his reaction. One of the Holocaust survivors – who has met Kate before – told him, “I’m sorry, I’m sure that if your wife would’ve been well, she would’ve been here. I miss her so much. Give her my best wishes, please.” Once again, William’s response was not recorded. But still, Britain’s Jewish community appreciated William’s efforts to at least talk about the rise in antisemitism in recent months:

During his visit to the synagogue, the Prince met young ambassadors from different backgrounds and faiths who have taken part in the Holocaust Educational Trust’s flagship “Lessons from Auschwitz”. Through the project, young people from across the UK learn the history of the Holocaust and visit the site of the former Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is intended to show them where anti-Semitism can lead, creating powerful advocates for the future.

The Prince heard from young people about how they are trying to call out any anti-Semitism they encounter in society as well as listening to their own experiences of racism. A palace spokesman said: “It was very important to the Prince that he hears directly from those who have been impacted by the rise of hatred and anti-Semitism.”

Karen Pollock CBE, the chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust said: “Today His Royal Highness reminded us that anti-Semitism is not only a problem for the Jewish community but for all [of] society. He listened to young Jewish students who are facing a deluge of anti-Semitic hate on campus, share their personal experiences of this anti-Jewish hate and he met young Holocaust Educational Trust Ambassadors, who are campaigning against anti-Semitism despite not being Jewish themselves.”

“He spent time with Holocaust survivor Renee Salt BEM. When she was liberated nearly 80 years ago, she never could have imagined that once again, within her lifetime, there would be a global explosion of anti-Semitism. His Royal Highness’s visit sends a powerful message that Britain is a country where Jews, whether Holocaust survivors who came to find sanctuary or young Jewish students – are welcome and celebrated. He reminds us that even in the darkest days, the Jewish community is not alone. We thank His Royal Highness for his leadership on this issue and we are so grateful for his unwavering support for our cause and our community.”

[From The Telegraph]

It’s interesting that William is putting himself out there as some kind of big ally to the Jewish community, especially since his father is the one who has spent decades nurturing his relations with multifaith leaders. While William and Kate – more Kate, surprisingly enough – have done some work with Holocaust survivors and Shoah education/awareness, King Charles is the one who would have done this kind of event, if 2024 was a normal year. It would not surprise me if William was “assigned” this visit by Buckingham Palace and William is just taking credit for thinking this up all on his own.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Last December, Oprah Winfrey stepped out to promote The Color Purple and she looked dramatically different and much slimmer. We soon learned how and why – Oprah appeared on the cover of People and she spoke about how she started taking a weight loss drug last fall. She did so after thinking it over for months and consulting with her doctors, and she sounded very happy with her decision and with her weight loss. She spoke about how it wasn’t just about the weight-loss drug either, that she was trying to be more active and, as always, watching what she eats. At the time, Oprah was still on the board of directors of Weight Watchers and I guess she got some pushback on that, which is strange. You can take weight loss drugs AND use WW’s point-system and methods. They are compatible, it’s not either/or, and WW has even started selling Ozempic. But I guess people didn’t think so, and now Oprah is stepping down from WW’s board.

Oprah Winfrey is leaving the board of WeightWatchers, ending a nearly decade-long stint as a director of the beleaguered company that has faced sudden competition from Ozempic. Winfrey notified the company of her decision earlier this week, telling them she won’t be standing for re-election at its annual shareholder meeting coming up in May. A reason wasn’t revealed, but a WeightWatchers regulatory statement said that her “decision was not the result of any disagreement” or “any matter relating to the company’s operations, policies or practices.”

“Oprah is an inspiring presence and passionate advocate both for our members and for society at large, in elevating the conversation around weight health,” said Sima Sistani, CEO of WeightWatchers, on a call with investors this week. “While I and the rest of our directors will certainly miss her in our board meetings following the end of her current term, she remains a strong strategic voice and collaborator with WeightWatchers.”

Winfrey will also be selling off her sizeable stake in the company: She said in a statement that she’s donating all of her stock to National Museum of African American History and Culture.

WeightWatchers shares (WW) plunged as much as 25% in premarket trading Thursday and are down nearly 70%. Winfrey’s exit is a year earlier than expected, with the media mogul in 2019 signing an extension until 2025.

“I look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with WeightWatchers and CEO Sima Sistani in elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity,” Winfrey said in a statement.

Winfrey joined the board in 2015 and bought a 10% stake, immediately giving the beleaguered company relevance as more people shifted to easier diets rather than counting points.

[From CNN]

Okay, this sounds less like Oprah is stepping down because of the (asinine) backlash against her use of weight-loss drugs and it sounds more like Oprah is kind of done with WW. She’s moved on, she wasn’t pushed out.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

The people who work at Kensington Palace could not find their asses with both hands and a map. They could not crisis-manage their way out of a wet paper bag. While different people are in (nominally) in charge these days, this is the same kind of stubborn wrongness which we saw in 2022, as Prince William and Kate staggered from one crisis to the next during their Caribbean Flop Tour. They just refuse to be capable. They refuse to be effective managers. So, why am I ranting about this again? The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes has a humdinger of an exclusive, in which multiple “sources” close to Prince William swear up and down that everything is going perfectly to plan when it comes to the Princess of Wales’s recuperation and 64-day-plus disappearance. They swear up and down that Kate’s disappearance becoming a global joke is perfectly fine! They even swiped at the Daily Mail!! Oh, there will be hell to pay. Some highlights:

Kensington Palace will not be pressured into answering the peasants’ questions: Friends of William and other royal sources told The Daily Beast the palace would not be pressured by “toxic” speculation into changing their carefully planned approach of saying as little as possible about the princess’ recovery. One friend, asked about media commentary suggesting that the palace should be more open, such as an assertion in the Daily Mail that “by saying nothing, (the royals) invite speculation,” said: “The newspapers are always telling the family how to run their press operations. This time—surprise surprise—they seem to think it would be a good idea for the royal family to give them more information about Kate. William isn’t a big one for doing stuff because the Daily Mail says he should.”

William is sticking to his guns: When The Daily Beast pointed out that similar appeals are also being made not just across broadcast and print media but on social media by ordinary people too, the friend said: “If William has read any of this stuff, it will only make him more determined to stick to his guns and keep his wife out of the limelight while she recovers. The stuff people are writing is toxic.”

KP will not give any updates on Kate: A former royal staffer who still has friends and contacts inside the palace said: “Anyone who expects the palace to suddenly start giving lengthy updates on Kate will be disappointed. The principal aim of her being sequestered is to guard her privacy. I’m sure the press hate it because it is working. There is a really, really small bubble of people who know exactly what is going on.”

Sources claim that William & the Middletons have been doing the school runs: Fellow parents at the couple’s school told The Daily Beast that William has been sharing school-run duties with the couple’s nanny. “He seems the same as ever,” one shrugged. Kate has been convalescing at the couple’s home in Windsor, Adelaide Cottage, and has also made a trip up to their country home on the Sandringham estate.

Kate’s situation is less dramatic than the online speculation: Kate’s office at Kensington Palace did not respond to a question from The Daily Beast asking if they were likely to provide more information about Kate’s health in light of the recent media clamor for them to do so. However, conversations with sources suggest that is very much not going to happen. While unfounded theories as to what is “really” going on” with Kate are ten a penny on social media, friends of the royal family are united in believing the truth is simpler and less dramatic. “They just want her to be able to recover in peace,” said another friend of the family. “The idea that they are going to be swayed by the idiots on social media saying she has been abducted by aliens is laughable.”

William doesn’t answer to the Daily Mail or the British people! Asked if it was not reasonable for the citizens of a constitutional monarchy to worry about the health of their convalescing future queen when their future king had canceled a high-profile public appearance with 46 minutes notice, the friend said: “That’s total bollocks put about by the media to justify their outrage at being denied private information that would sell papers. It’s very simple. William is putting his family first. That’s what a ‘personal matter’ means.”

Case closed: The friend added that they had no special insight into Kate’s condition but said, “The whole world knows what’s ‘going on’ because they have actually been remarkably open: she had abdominal surgery, it went as planned, it wasn’t cancer, she is keeping to herself until after Easter and she is doing well. ‘Case closed’ in my humble opinion.”

[From The Daily Beast]

They really are this stupid. Make no mistake. You can tell that all of the speculation really bothers them too, especially with this: “The idea that they are going to be swayed by the idiots on social media saying she has been abducted by aliens is laughable.” The idiots on social media are actually suggesting very different scenarios, as KP well knows. And this is so weird too: “That’s total bollocks put about by the media to justify their outrage at being denied private information that would sell papers.” My dude, you were in the memorial program and Constantine was your godfather. You didn’t even give people one hour’s notice before pulling out. That wasn’t the Daily Mail or the local British media turning it into a big scandal – it was the global media jumping on the news because Kate has been missing for over two months and there’s a wealth of evidence that William’s office has blatantly lied about many different things.

Also: this kind of posturing from William’s side/Kensington Palace shows that King Charles and Camilla aren’t even trying to talk sense into Peg anymore. This is basically a C&C experiment: how badly is William going to f–k this up, and how much mileage can we get out of it?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

I like this emerging trend of men playing with makeup while women dare to wear less. Austin Butler caused a stir this week when he attended the New York Dune 2 premiere with white eyeliner. Supposedly. It was very subtle and I struggled to see it in photos. By contrast, there was absolutely no mistaking Pamela Anderson’s lack of makeup when she showed up at Paris Fashion Week last fall. Pam has been going makeup-free as a matter of routine lately, to overwhelmingly positive feedback. Behind the scenes, though, there were those who were less enthused… her sons! In a new interview with Highsnobiety, Pam recounts that they (and her agents!) were “horrified.”

Pamela Anderson covers Highsnobiety’s spring 2024 issue in a striking menswear look and her now-signature no-makeup look, opening up to the mag about her less-is-more aesthetic and why her DIY approach to fashion “horrified” her sons.

The “Baywatch” alum, 56, poses in a gray three-piece suit and tie on the cover, with the gardening enthusiast wrapping a blue hose around her neck as she gives the camera a steely gaze.

Anderson goes makeup-free on the cover, telling the publication that her “face gets more interesting with age.”

“My boys were like, ‘Mom, you must have a glam team.’ And my agents were like, ‘You have to have a glam team! Where’s the stylist?’” she admitted in the interview.

However, the cover model — who shares sons Brandon Thomas Lee, 27, and Dylan Lee, 26, with her ex-husband Tommy Lee, 61 — shared she’d rather handle things herself.

“I go, ‘I know how to put a dress on myself. I don’t need someone buttoning up my blouse. I got this.’ And they were just horrified.”

The Canadian beauty told Highsnobiety that she’s “harvested” her beauty routine from her garden, making her own oils.

“I make rose oil, which I do with rose hips,” she said. “I’m interested in my Epsom salts, olive oils, and shea butter.”

As for fashion, Anderson — who posed in a variety of designer menswear looks for the shoot — said she likes to borrow from the boys in real life, too.

“I like wearing my ex-boyfriend’s Carhartt,” she revealed, adding, “He was a construction worker.”

The “Love, Pamela” author — who went viral for attending Paris Fashion Week sans makeup — also shared her thoughts on success, admitting that her sons can be “materialistic.”

“I feel successful because I’ve overcome and gotten through certain things and feelings. And this drives my kids nuts because my kids are ambitious. They’re calculated. They’re men,” she shared.

Anderson continued that Brandon and Dylan are “young, and they have all this passion. But they’re materialistic, and I keep going, ‘Eh, it’ll pass.’”

[From Page Six]

It’s not merely that Pam is going makeup-free these days. It’s that she’s sans-makeup and somehow looks more glowing than ever. I recommend the full Highsnobiety article, where you can tell the glow comes from lots of healing and growth and self-work. (Well, that and the garden of oils and potions she’s got brewing.) A particularly moving quote was, “You fall in love with people there to expose a part of yourself that you need to get through. Relationships are mirrors.” I like this era of Pamela. And as for her boys, well first of all I love the image of young men going “Mom, where is your glam team?!” But I actually found it really refreshing to hear how relaxed she was about them. She sees them clearly, warts and all. Yet she recognizes it’s where they’re at right now, not forever.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HIGHSNOBIETY (@highsnobiety)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pamela Anderson (@pamelaanderson)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pamela Anderson (@pamelaanderson)

photos credit: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon, Olivier Huitel/Julie Edwards/Avalon, Backgrid and via Instagram

While I think Russell Wilson is a cheeseball, I also know he adores his wife Ciara and their children and I love that for everyone involved. Ciara met Russell after she got out of an engagement to Future – Future cheated on her and treated her like sh-t throughout their relationship. She left that relationship with their son Future Zahir Wilburn Jr., who was born in 2014. Ciara met Russell in 2015, and Russell immediately embraced the stepfather role and, by all accounts, he treats Future Zahir as one his children too, much to the dismay of Future and Future’s fanboys. Well, those fanboys are now pissed that Russell Wilson claims that God spoke to him and told him to raise Future Zahir.

Russell Wilson has revealed God pushed him to raise Future and Ciara’s son as his own. During an interview with Brandon Marshall on the I Am Athlete podcast, Wilson reflected on how he knew Ciara would be his person, which he said happened after he wrote down the type of woman he wanted in his life during a dinner with a friend. He met Ciara three days after writing that note and eventually fell in love with her.

The Super Bowl champion revealed after he met the R&B singer and developed feelings for her, he was introduced to Future Zahir Wilburn, who was barely a year old then, and had a divine intervention that it was his responsibility to be a stepfather to the child.

“When I walked in the room and I saw, you know, little Future — he’s nine months at the time or whatever — he crawls in my lap and it was like, you know, this is going to be my responsibility,” said Wilson around the 57:19 mark. “I remember leaving that night and God said, saying to me, ‘Raising this child it’s going to be your responsibility.’ I prayed to God, asking ‘Are you sure this is what you want me to do?’ He said, ‘Son, this is for you.’”

When asked was it scary to take on the role, Wilson replied, “Yeah, I think scary in just the sense of, not scary but it was just more so an opportunity, like, ‘Ok God, this is what you want me to do?’ You know stepping in to raise a child with Ci and this and that and realizing ok God I know she’s the one for me but also I’m going to take this responsibility as well…I was ready for that.”

“Even Jesus himself, like Joseph, he was a stepdad,” Wilson continued. “I was like, ‘Ok.’ He wasn’t biologically his. So ok God, you’re going to give me this oppportunity to love the way that you were loved, the love that you want us to love.”

[From Complex]

While I’m not a Christian, I always enjoy when men talk about how Joseph was a stepfather, or perhaps the father who stepped up for Jesus. I don’t know why I enjoy that so much, but I’m glad stepfathering has a biblical reference at least. Anyway, Russell adores Future Zahir and by all accounts, Future Zahir adores his stepdad too, and he’s even playing football and being coached by his stepfather. I love all of that for Ciara. Also: this whole stepfather conversation reminds me somewhat of Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani – Blake also fully embraced Gwen’s sons and he loves being a stepdad so much. Although I think Gavin Rossdale spends more time with his kids than Future!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Rest in peace, Richard Lewis. The legendary comedian and Curb Your Enthusiasm actor passed away at the age of 76 this week. [JustJared]
I can’t believe it’s been 30 years since The Crow. [LaineyGossip]
Cote de Pablo & Michael Weatherly are getting an NCIS spinoff. [Seriously OMG]
The politicization of IVF & the backlash has been fascinating to watch. [Jezebel]
Why is pop culture afraid of hirsute women? [Pajiba]
Renee Rapp’s story broke my heart. [Buzzfeed]
Josh O’Connor & Paul Mescal?? Hot. [Socialite Life]
Adele’s health issues over the years. [Hollywood Life]
Lewis Hamilton has so much style, my god. [RCFA]
Some of the worst costumes to ever exist. [OMG Blog]

Embed from Getty Images

Prince William crawled out the bottle today to attend his first event of the week, his first since his visit to the British Red Cross headquarters on the 20th, and his first since mysteriously pulling out of his godfather’s memorial service on Tuesday. William did not offer any explanations at today’s event for his last-minute cancellation at the memorial service, but he did try to “get political,” because that turned out great for him last week. Today’s event was a visit to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue, and William recited a statement which was probably written by his new private secretary.

The Prince of Wales today made his first public appearance since pulling out of the memorial service for his godfather, the late King Constantine II of Greece. Prince William visited the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in central London to take part in discussions about the rise in anti-Semitism in Britain. He met with two Holocaust survivors, Manfred Goldberg and Renee Salt, as well as young people who have taken part in the Holocaust Educational Trust’s flagship ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ project.

William told attendees: ‘Prejudice has no place in society. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I want you all to know you can talk about it and your experiences. Both Catherine and I are extremely concerned about the rise in anti-Semitism that you guys have talked about this morning and I’m just so sorry if any of you have had to experience that. It has no place… that’s why I’m here today to reassure you all that people do care and people do listen and we can’t let that go.’

The engagement was originally planned to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day last month and the Princess of Wales was also due to attend.

[From The Daily Mail]

I’ve always sort of given Kate credit for one thing, which is that she’s at her best when she’s around seniors. She would have been okay at this kind of event, and she has done some work with Holocaust survivors in the past. William has not and you can tell. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I want you all to know you can talk about it and your experiences.” Super-natural! “As I’ve said many times before, I’m bored with antisemitism and that’s what is really important, but do tell me about your Holocaust experiences.”

I wonder if this event will quiet the growing chatter about William. The Mail’s commentators have been growing increasingly peeved – they are even blaming Kensington Palace’s squirreliness for the rampant conspiracies being floated online.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty.