Oprah Winfrey is still talking about weight, diets and Ozempic. Previously, we discussed Oprah’s comments – made during a panel discussion – about her mixed or negative feelings about weight loss drugs. I think there was some nuance to what she said, but the headline (which I used) was her quote about feeling like Ozempic is “the easy way out” for someone who wants to or needs to lose weight. You also have to remember that Oprah was trying to spur real conversation about the science and mentality of weight gain and weight loss. During the same panel discussion, Oprah spoke about what life was like for her when she was at her heaviest:

Oprah Winfrey is speaking candidly about dealing with weight stigma. The media mogul, 68, recently hosted a panel, Oprah Daily’s “The Life You Want Class: The State of Weight,” where she discussed the obesity and weight crisis, which affects 2 billion adults globally. She held the conversation alongside obesity specialists Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford and Dr. Melanie Jay, psychologist Dr. Rachel Goldman and Sima Sistani, the CEO of WeightWatchers.

During the panel, Winfrey told those in attendance, “You all know I’ve been on this journey for most of my life. My highest weight was 237 lbs. I don’t know if there is another public person whose weight struggle has been exploited as much as mine over the years.”

“You all have watched me diet and diet and diet,” she continued, before noting that it’s “a recurring thing because my body always seems to want to go back to a certain weight.”

Detailing that she would notice how people would treat her differently when she weighed over 200 lbs., Winfrey said, “This is a world that has shamed people for being overweight forever. And all of us who’ve lived it know that people treat you differently, they just do,” she continued.

The former talk show host then explained that she found she dealt with that stigma the most while shopping.

“It’s that thing where people are like, ‘Let me show you the gloves. Would you like to look at the handbags? Because we know that there’s nothing in here for you,’ ” she said. “There is a condescension. There is stigma.”

[From People]

Yeah, she’s right. Even when I was at my slimmest, years ago, I was probably a size 10/12 (in American sizing) and I got the same looks whenever I went shopping in one of those boutiques full of clothes for size-4 people exclusively. The thing about being heavier or overweight is that you immediately limit your expectations too – it’s not just about people stigmatizing you, you stigmatize yourself, you say “oh, I can’t shop there, they won’t have anything for me, I can’t do that, I won’t be welcome there.” It wears you down.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

I come into this story with a heavy bias: I skip conditioner a lot. I have coarse, thick, slightly wavy, oily hair. Conditioner makes my hair feel weighed down and takes the wave out of it. Yes, I am a hairstylist’s worst nightmare, I know. But it’s nice to have one thing in life that’s truly low maintenance. Unfortunately for me, the experts are saying that conditioner is necessary. Allure talked to a hairstylist, two cosmetic chemists, and a dermatologist about all things conditioner. They said that conditioner is important to use after every shampoo to prevent breakage and add shine–but that you don’t need to buy one for your specific hair type. And the “right way” to apply it involves long fluid motions and leaving it on for at least two minutes.

Why you should use conditioner every time you shampoo: Conditioners smooth and detangle the hair, which, therefore, helps reduce breakage and split ends — and that’s precisely why New York City-based hairstylist Chuck Bass recommends conditioning every time you shampoo in order to add moisture back, as well as to soften and detangle. He’s not the only one who recommends this hair-care approach. “Any time you shampoo your hair you should condition it,” urges [Perry] Romanowski. “It really makes the hair easier to comb and style.” There you have it.

The “right” way to apply conditioner: Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to condition your hair. The right way, according to Los Angeles-based hairstylist Nathaniel Hawkins, is to apply the product in long, fluid motions, and to ensure you squeeze some of the water out of your strands after shampooing so that it doesn’t diminish the effects of the conditioner.

“Excess water dilutes your conditioner and prevents hair from soaking up moisturizing the ingredients,” he explains.

As far as how long you should leave it in for, Hawkins says two minutes should suffice, as this is approximately how much time it takes for the conditioner to adhere to the hair.

There isn’t that much of a difference between conditioners: According to Romanowski, there actually isn’t a huge incentive to use conditioners based on your hair type. “In truth, there is not much measurable difference between products marketed for normal, damaged, color-treated, or curly hair,” he says. “Most modifications to the formula are done for theoretical reasons, but you probably wouldn’t be able to tell as a consumer that they are different.”

[From Allure]

I’m not sure I believe that all conditioners are that similar, but I’m as susceptible to marketing as the next person. For the most part I’ve used drugstore shampoos and conditioners, but whenever I try out a fancy brand, it’s always the shampoo that seems to work better than the conditioner. Hair is so individual that I always chafe against the idea that “everyone” should use a certain product in a certain way. For people with very fine or textured hair, skipping conditioner would probably be a disaster. For me, it’s the only way to fully activate my natural wave (besides swimming in the ocean).  Then again, I am kind to my hair in other ways: I basically never heat style it because the wiring in my apartment is so old that the hairdryer shorts out the entire floor of my building. I learned that the hard way. Bottom line, I’m overruling the experts with absolutely zero authority here and saying: skip conditioner every now and then if you have coarse, thick hair like mine. You may be surprised to discover that your ‘pin straight’ hair actually has a natural S-shaped wave to it.

Photos credit Cottonbro Studios, Caique Nascimento, Armin Rimoldi and Ron Lach via Pexels

Anne Hathaway wore… this. As Tim Gunn would say, that’s a whole lotta look. At least her hair looks amazing! [GFY]
Republicans give their reasons for ousting Kevin McCarthy. [Jezebel]
Brian Austin Green talks about raising a gay son. [Socialite Life]
The backstory of The Golden Bachelor. [Starcasm]
Loki is back! Tried to read a summary of the first season, couldn’t follow it. [LaineyGossip]
Kevin Spacey possibly had a heart attack. [Pajiba]
A lot of actors have tried to get their costars fired. [Buzzfeed]
Sam Asghari slams Donald Trump Jr. over his bullying of Britney Spears.[JustJared]
Salma Hayek & Camila Cabello ate tacos together. [Egotastic]
David Letterman used to appear on game shows. [Seriously OMG]

Here are some additional photos of the Princess of Wales at her event on Wednesday. She traveled ten miles from Adelaide Cottage to visit Vsi Razom Community Hub in the Lexicon shopping center in Bracknell. Yesterday, I called it a “refugee center” and a “community center.” It’s not really either – it’s more like a staging area for Ukrainian refugee volunteers who are putting together care packages for the people still in Ukraine. So, in some sense, yes, it’s a place where Ukrainian refugees gather and find their community in the UK, and where they go to try to do what they can to send help and support to the Ukrainian people who have been fighting a Russian invasion, widespread Russian bombing and widespread Russian war crimes for about nineteen months. And Kate still showed up empty f–king handed.

But wait, she did something special for the Ukrainian people: she wrote six words on some of the boxes. “We are all thinking of you.” You can see her handwriting below – it genuinely looks like she wrote “we ore all thinKing g yn.” The random capitalized K is on-brand in a million different ways – y’all know she’s been practicing writing “the King and I” and “my husband, the King!” According to People, Kate rarely signs anything “to avoid risk of forgery.” She should come up with her own special seal in a button shape.

Anyway, I remember when another duchess wrote short affirmations on bananas as part of the care packages being handed out to homeless women and sex workers. Meghan was pregnant at the time and she spent several minutes just writing simple affirmations like “you are strong” and “you are brave.” It was a small, uplifting gesture. She was ripped to shreds for it and the papers paid one of the sex workers to call Meghan’s gesture “stupid” and insult her for not doing more. I’m waiting for something similar to happen here. Right? I mean, Kate wrote the most basic-bitch “we’re thinKING about y’all, smell ya later” message on packages going to people living in a warzone. Surely we’ll hear Kate criticized in the same way? What’s that? Oh.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Commander Biden, much like Major Biden, has a “biting problem.” Major Biden was sent to live in Delaware, and then President Biden’s brother gifted him with a German Shepherd puppy, Commander. Last week, we heard that the Secret Service is suddenly known for their meticulous record-keeping when it comes to dog bites (not so much their enabling of domestic terrorism on January 6th) and they have records of “eleven” biting incidents involving Commander. Politico did follow-up reporting, basically saying that White House staff actually love Commander and he’s a really friendly dog, but yeah, he possibly bites a couple of Secret Service guys from time to time. Well, Commander didn’t even make it to Thanksgiving at the White House – Commander has been sent away, and “Secret Service” sources are crying to CNN about how Commander was biting everyone. What is actually happening here?

President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden’s 2-year-old German shepherd, Commander, has been involved in more biting incidents than previously reported at the White House, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN. While the US Secret Service has acknowledged 11 reported biting incidents involving its personnel, sources who spoke to CNN said the real number is higher and includes executive residence staff and other White House workers. Those bites have ranged in severity, from one known bite requiring hospital treatment to some requiring attention from the White House Medical Unit to some going unreported and untreated.

While the first family works for solutions to the ongoing issue, CNN has learned, Commander is not on the White House campus.

“The President and First Lady care deeply about the safety of those who work at the White House and those who protect them every day. They remain grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions,” Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for the first lady, said in a statement released first to CNN. Alexander continued, “Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated.”

One source familiar with the incidents pointed to efforts from their colleagues to adjust Secret Service workplace habits amid broader concerns about workplace safety as they work to support the first family at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The situation has also revealed broader tensions between the Bidens and the US Secret Service. Sources suggest the relationship between the first family and the US Secret Service was first strained when the family’s elder dog, Major, caused an injury to an unnamed Secret Service agent before ultimately being sent away more permanently to Delaware. That incident caused a breach in trust, a source familiar with the dynamic said.

While the Bidens enjoyed a good relationship with Secret Service during the vice presidency, the Major situation caused “stress” for the first couple in their early days at the White House. That laid the foundation for a “combustible” relationship with Secret Service, which has since been exacerbated by numerous “last minute changes” to schedules – including spending most weekends away from the White House at Camp David or one of their Delaware residences – and “unrealistic requests” that strain the agency’s resources, the source familiar with the relationship dynamic said. There had also been questions of USSS agents’ political loyalty to former President Donald Trump, as detailed by Biden allies to The Washington Post during the presidential transition in late 2020.

[From CNN]

People are talking around it, but I absolutely get the sense that President Biden still believes that certain Secret Service agents are lying about his dogs and/or provoking his dogs. One biographer said it outright last year, that the SS story of one of the “biting incidents” with Major didn’t make any sense. I also believe there’s a significant loss of trust between the Bidens and the Secret Service which has nothing to do with the dogs and everything to do with certain SS agents being MAGA-compromised. These people deleted all of their records from January 5 & 6, 2021. These people threatened Cassidy Hutchinson and called her a liar because she spoke about how Trump assaulted his SS detail. Basically: this Commander story might be a symptom of something a lot bigger and more nefarious. Just wait, Willow Biden is next.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, the White House.

It really does feel like Prince William and Kate’s marriage never recovered after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s exit in 2020. Was the Sussexit the “only” reason for the Wales’ marriage drama? No, but it definitely feels like it set off a domino effect. More attention on William and Kate separately, more attention on the state of their marriage, they didn’t know how much Harry knew or what he would reveal, plus they always hated the side-by-side comparison with the Sussexes, and it grew even more stark after the Sussexit. Anyway, nearly four years later and we’re in the midst of a separation rollout and a “Bachelor Will” rollout, and they’re still finding a way to make it all about Harry.

Even Prince William and Princess Kate aren’t perfect. A royal insider exclusively tells Us Weekly that the pair have been having typical marital struggles.

“Kate and William have been having ups and downs in their marriage like everyone else,” the source tells Us. “But they’re focused on their royal duties and doing that as a unit.”

One sore spot for the Prince and Princess of Wales, both 41, is Prince Harry. It’s been 10 months since the Duke of Sussex, 39, dropped his bombshell memoir, Spare, and his relationships with the royal family remain fractured after his book covered various fights with his brother and father. While Harry has made it clear he believes the royal family should apologize to both himself and wife Meghan Markle, Kate doesn’t want to make amends with her brother-in-law.

“Kate has no desire to communicate with Harry nor Meghan,” the source tells Us. “There has been too much that has happened and she’s not ready yet.”

William, however, would like to eventually make amends — but is in no rush to do so. “William wants his relationship with his brother to improve, but they’re not speaking right now,” the insider adds. “So when that will happen is still uncertain.”

[From Us Weekly]

Is this the start of something new, where Kate is being blamed for the years-long estrangement between the Waleses and the Sussexes? Usually, it’s “Kate is the peacemaker, William is incandescent with rage.” Remember when someone leaked that doing that walk in Windsor with the Sussexes after QEII died was the “hardest thing” Kate ever had to do? Now Kate isn’t “ready yet” to make peace with the sister-in-law she style-stalks and copykeens at every turn. Now Kate isn’t ready to reconcile with the brother-in-law who outed her as a liar and mean girl.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

The Princess of Wales has now had events for three days in a row. The poor overworked sausage, you know she’s tired. Today, Kate went to Hull to visit the Allam Sports Centre and try her hand at wheelchair rugby. Team England won the World Cup in wheelchair rugby, and if you watched Heart of Invictus, you can see how seriously British people take wheelchair rugby. I found it charming in HoI – the veterans worked so hard and their coach was this elderly man in very poor health, but they were all salt of the earth people who worked hard and looked out for each other. Anyway, Prince Harry used to be the patron of English Rugby, but that was taken away from him and given to Kate. So here she is.

The big headline here is that her mysterious finger injury is back. On September 12, Kate showed up to visit a prison and she had her index and middle finger bandaged together. The excuse at the time was that she had some kind of trampoline accident while playing with her kids. Given how many times she’s worn bandages or band-aids on her hands, it feels like there’s more to the story. In any case, after that prison event, Kate’s hand was no longer bandaged. Now, weeks later, the injury is back and Kate once again has the same fingers taped. What the hell is going on?

The Daily Mail reported: “The bandages appear to be a precaution from her injury earlier this month – when she damaged her fingers trampolining with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at their home in Windsor.” A precaution which she had not been taking for weeks? Granted, she knew she would be using her hands today and it’s possible that it’s just precautionary specific to sports, but her fingers seemed totally back to normal in the past three weeks.

Also: the thing that annoys me the most is when she turns up for sporty events without pulling back that janky wig. She didn’t even bring a clip or a scrunchie to pull her hair back for when she was playing!

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.

Anne Hathaway wore a pink Attico dress to a New York screening of her film She Came to Me. In case you’re wondering, that film got a SAG-AFTRA waiver! [RCFA]
Not even Cate Blanchett looks good in this Stella McCartney mess. [Go Fug Yourself]
Football bros are very very mad about Taylor Swift. [LaineyGossip]
Jesse L. Martin is back on NBC! [Pajiba]
What hot new songs are you listening to? [OMG Blog]
Jessica Chastain wore a chocolate brown gown. [Just Jared]
You can get abortion pills via Telehealth in NYC. [Jezebel]
Jason Mraz is doing Dancing with the Stars?! [Seriously OMG]
Here’s Sarah Burton’s last McQueen collection. [Tom & Lorenzo]
Nelly Furtado wears Skims. [Egotastic]
Anya Taylor Joy got married again, this time in Italy, and she wore an “unconventional” wedding gown in beige. [Buzzfeed]

As much as I used to complain about the Princess of Wales’ doily looks, button-slathered coatdresses and inappropriately twirly skirts, you’d think that I would be happy that Kate is finally committing to pantsuits and work-friendly separates. Instead, I just find it unsettling, mostly because she’s still doing “Meghan, by Kate.” Kate inevitably gets it wrong though. The details are always off.

These are photos of Kate today, making a solo visit to the Vsi Razom Community Hub. The community center is located about ten miles away from Adelaide Cottage. She “helped pack parcels of food and clothes with young Ukrainians, who arrived in the U.K. in the last year,” and the food is for other Ukrainian refugees. William and Kate have made several visits to various foodbanks and refugee centers over the past year and a half. They always arrive empty-handed. The most infuriating examples of their empty-handed, half-assed refugee work is when both of them met refugee CHILDREN at separate events and neither of them brough one toy or diapers or kids’ clothes. It’s appalling.

As for Kate’s ensemble here, she wore a £120 Cefinn sweater vest and £130 Sézane ‘Martin’ trousers. Can’t wait to hear from all of those people who complained for years about the Duchess of Sussex’s inseams – Kate absolutely needs a trouser tutorial, because I’ve yet to see her in a pair of pants which I find flattering or well-tailored. The shoes are also wrong with this look.

Note by CB: Get the Top 10 stories about Will & Kate showing up empty-handed when you sign up for our mailing list! I only send one email a day on weekdays.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

The 1975 recently announced an indefinite hiatus “from touring” but I’m choosing to interpret it as a general hiatus. They’re still in the middle of touring to support their most recent album and performed at the Hollywood Bowl on Monday night. Frontman and noted creep Matt Healy took the opportunity to apologize in a general, hand-waving way for his many gross comments, including making fun of Ice Spice’s accent. But he chased up this ‘apology’ with the desire to “create an environment” where he gets to play-act as an aggrieved edgelord. He claimed that this kind of performance of being a jackass is part of his work as an “artist.” Imagine being that self-absorbed.

Addressing the crowd at the Hollywood Bowl on Monday night, Healy said, “I think it is important to take inventory of yourself. So you become aware when your intentions and your actions don’t align. So, because some of my actions have hurt some people, I apologise to those people and I pledge to be better moving forward.”

The singer added, “But I think it’s also important I express my intentions, so everybody knows that there is no ill will coming me. You see, as an artist, I want to create an environment for myself to perform where not everything that I do is taken, literally.”

Referring to the controversial podcast comments, the musician said that he had “performed exaggerated versions” of himself on “other stages be in print or in one podcast,” and that it was often a misguided attempt to fulfill the “character role of the 21st century Rockstar”.

“You can probably also say that men would rather do offensive impressions for attention than go to therapy,” he continued.

His apology comes days after Ice Spice said that she was left “confused” by the rocker’s racist comments about her. For those unaware, Healy referred to Spice as Inuit and Chinese and mocked her accent on The Adam Friedland Show. The podcast episode was later removed from Apple Music and Spotify because of its offensive content.

[From Wion News]

It isn’t “art” to be racist or sexist. Misogynoir isn’t art. (CC: all the stand-up comedians right now complaining about cancel culture.) Matt just sounds dumb when he talks this way and it also makes clear that his apology is totally empty. When he says he’s performed “exaggerated versions” of himself he means that he showed his real self: a man who desperately wants to be a rock star but whose work is mostly mediocre and overshadowed by his own prejudice. I hope he does go to therapy but he seems like the kind of person who won’t really do the work. He comes off like a big time narcissist. I wonder if Taylor would have figured this out if his comments hadn’t surfaced. I can’t imagine him being that pleasant to be around after the honeymoon stage.

Embed from Getty Images

Photos credit: Cover Images, Getty and Mike Gray/Avalon