Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s divorce is still on-going. The last major update is that the child support issue is now settled, with Costner ordered to pay Christine $63K a month in child support, which is about a third of what she asked for and nowhere near enough to provide their three children with a comparable lifestyle. It’s not looking good for Christine’s attempt to nullify the prenup, and the hearing/trial for that comes up in a few months. I’ve said for a while that the old-fart judge seems to be blatantly on Costner’s side about everything, and last week, the judge explained his child support ruling, and I want you to read some of it:

Judge Thomas P. Anderle, in a Tuesday court filing obtained by PEOPLE, recapped the proceedings and explained that he found Christine “credible” in her Thursday testimony, with “good courtroom demeanor.” However, while the judge “did not perceive there was any intention by [Christine] to mislead the Court,” her testimony “was not much help on the issue before the bench today; will weigh her testimony with all the evidence in this case.”

About Kevin, Anderle wrote that he “recognizes he is professional actor” and “weighed that in the decision-making process when judging his credibility.”

The judge “did not find he embellished any of his testimony by relying on his profession; his testimony was straightforward; there was ‘no acting’; found his testimony to be credible and consistent.” Anderle added that “both sides made strong closing arguments.”

In regards to the ruling, Anderle said the “reasonable needs of the children are fully met by this child support order” and anything “greater than $63,209 per month” would be “disguised spousal support.”

He added: “Christine will have her opportunity to convince the Court that she is entitled to spousal support. That is not the issue at hand for this hearing.”

[From People]

The judge was considering how much he “believed” Costner and Baumgartner rather than following the law or the financials. Christine’s child support request wasn’t a number plucked out of the air – she hired a forensic accountant and based her request on Costner’s annual income and wealth. The judge was like “sure, she was likable but I just don’t think she should get that much money.” Well, clearly, Costner and his lawyers understand that this judge will take his side on every issue, so as I predicted, Costner is now fighting Christine over her legal costs.

Kevin Costner’s lawyer skewered Christine Baumgartner’s request for the actor to pay his estranged wife an alleged $885,000 in legal fees. After Baumgartner’s legal team claimed she will be charged the staggering sum to argue her case against the former couple’s prenuptial agreement, Costner’s high-powered attorney Laura Wasser argued in a new filing that the fee in question would be absurd, according to TMZ.

Wasser reportedly argued that, based on hourly rates, Baumgartner’s legal team would have to put in 1,106 hours of billable work hours to justify charging her that amount.

The legal eagle dubbed Baumgartner’s request for Costner to cover her steep legal bill as “nothing short of outrageous,” noting that the judge already deemed their prenup enforceable.

Wasser also alleged that Baumgartner has no leg to stand on and should just throw in the towel.

[From Page Six]

The way this ends is that the judge upholds the prenup, Christine gets zero alimony, the judge sides with Costner on everything, and Christine only gets the $1 million payout from the prenup. Then Christine will be ordered to pay her legal fees and Costner’s legal fees, which will not only wipe out the $1 million, but leave her in debt. Then the bot farm hired by Costner will flood social media and blog comments and say that she deserved it and that she’s not being financially abused.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.

True story: the Princess of Wales has been without a private secretary for a year or longer. We only learned that Kate’s last private secretary quit last year, months after it happened. Then back in February/March of this year, Kate tried to hire someone new, a “ballbuster” from the business world, and that woman took one look at the clownshow of Kensington Palace and quit before she even started. We haven’t heard anything about Kate’s hunt for a new private secretary in months, probably because Kate merely exists as an extension of William these days. She barely does anything, she lives in her separation cottage and whenever she does anything, it’s organized through William’s staff. Well, William is apparently looking for a Top CEO, and he amazingly did NOT consider his wife for the position. From Richard Eden’s latest column:

Prince William and Kate show they mean business by hiring all-powerful CEO in ‘revolutionary’ move that has ‘set the cat among the pigeons’ at the royal palaces. Prince William and Catherine may not yet be our king and queen, but they are already making clear that they plan to do things very differently from their predecessors.

I can disclose that the couple are creating a new role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to run their household of about 60 staff. The new boss will report directly to them and won’t answer to the private secretaries who have long held power behind the scenes at the palaces.

‘This is a revolutionary move,’ a source tells me, a little excitedly. ‘They are overthrowing the traditional, hierarchical structure in which staff answer to private secretaries. It has really set the cat among the pigeons. Will the King and Queen have to follow their lead?’

Kensington Palace has already hired a high-powered recruitment firm, Odgers Berndtson, to find the best candidate. It has placed an advertisement online which stresses the unprecedented nature of the position.

‘This is a unique opportunity,’ it says. ‘The CEO is the most senior and accountable leader for the Household, reporting directly to TRHs The Prince and Princess of Wales. They will be responsible for the development and implementation of TRH’s long-term strategy and continuing to strengthen a professional and collaborative Household culture.’

In an apparent admission that there are some strong-willed, difficult characters are the palace, the job description states that the successful candidate must be ’emotionally intelligent, with ‘low ego’, and strong self-awareness and understanding of their impact on others. Anyone wanting the job must be ‘able to operate as a ‘servant’ leader, empowering the senior team’, it says.

The CEO will deal directly with King Charles and Queen Camilla’s household, ‘serving as the strategic interface to Buckingham Palace, to align The Royal Highnesses’ priorities with those in support of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen’.

No salary is given, but it is understood that the CEO will be paid more than the couple’s private secretaries.

While William and his brother, the Duke of Sussex, don’t see eye to eye on much these days, they appear to share their mother’s suspicion of the ‘men in grey’, as Princess Diana called courtiers.

[From The Daily Mail]

I could write and have written a lot about the Kensington Palace clownshow and the lack of professionalism they’ve displayed at every level for years. It’s clear that Kate is largely absent (physically and intellectually) from the office, just as it’s clear that William treats his staff like sh-t and he’s always throwing tantrums and rage-shrieking at employees. Another thing which has been abundantly clear is that Tory Party elders are running William as their useful idiot, and they’re grooming him to be their royal apparatchik. There’s a deeply conservative political angle to William and his operations. I have no doubt that this Top CEO position will be filled, and then phased out in a few months when the full clownshow is exposed. Will and Kate’s staff turnover is one of the biggest underreported stories in the British media – they can’t keep staff because they’re lazy, vindictive, jealous, petty, stupid and obsessed with the Sussexes.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.

The British royal family has not had anything to do with the Invictus Games in years. During the games in The Hague last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex supported all of the veterans and met with all the delegations while the Windsors seethed and the Tory government pretended none of it was happening. The same is happening around the Dusseldorf games currently. Instead of putting aside personal beefs and merely showing support for veterans – most of whom were injured and traumatized in service to their country- the Windsors have not only made a big show of ignoring the games and the veterans, the Windsors have also sought to “torpedo” coverage of the Sussexes and the games, as if they’re jealous of the attention the Sussexes receive and the veterans receive. It’s all a ghastly and grotesque look, and now people are starting to talk about it… in the Telegraph? And the Daily Mail??

Team UK has noticed that the Windsors are ignoring them: It has not gone unnoticed at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, where there have been empty seats at events, that despite the worthiness of the cause, some supportive voices are missing. There is frustration among some of the British athletes that their endeavours are not recognised by the public figures who are so quick to send good wishes to those competing in other international sporting events, among them senior members of the Royal family. One official with the UK team admitted that although Invictus was getting bigger every year, it was felt there could be more support back home, particularly when there had been a notable focus on sport among the Royal family in the past week. A team insider said: “The athletes find it bizarre but don’t want to get caught up in the royal crossfire.”

William & Kate’s integral involvement? The Prince and Princess were integrally involved in the early success of the Invictus Games, with their Royal Foundation – then shared with the Duke – pumping significant injections of cash into the event. At the time, a courtier was quoted as saying: “Prince William and Catherine always supported Harry’s efforts to establish Invictus. They are delighted that it has been a success.”

The Windsors’ strategy towards Invictus: A UK media strategist, who did not want to be identified, told The Telegraph that the palace approach towards the Sussexes could be summed up as “ignore and distract”. He added: “It’s ironic Buckingham Palace has had more to say about the Highland Games than the Invictus Games, despite the honorary military roles they hold. In doing so, the palace ends up looking mean-spirited and petty. The ill will against Harry should not be held against the Invictus competitors.”

A member of Team Britain: Ben McBean, a double amputee who inspired the Duke to launch the event, said they should have put their differences aside. The former Royal Marine, who lost an arm and a leg in Afghanistan, said he saw “both sides” of the rift between the brothers. But he added: “Saying that, they should have just given the lads a shout-out. It’s like when we went to Afghanistan, no one supported the war, but they supported the troops. It’s the same thing.”

Someone wants Harry to give an Earthshot shoutout, lol: Palace sources insist members of the Royal family never involve themselves in each other’s professional endeavours. They would not expect the Duke to put his head above the parapet to voice support for the finalists of his brother’s Earthshot Prize, for example, and have left Invictus to the Duke for many years now.

Everyone loves Harry: Team Sussex gathers together each evening for a debrief and to unwind. Much of the work is done behind the scenes. On Saturday, the Duke joined Team UK for breakfast at the British consulate. “Just a super sound bloke, thanking us for all the work we’re doing with the competitors,” explained the team’s head coach, George Bates. “We love him here,” said British athlete Rich Waldrom, 47. “You’ll never get a bad word out of any of us for Harry. Look what he’s built. Look what he’s created for us all.” The Duke also meets hundreds of competitors away from the public gaze and holds meetings with officials about everything from future participation of other nations to funding.

[From The Telegraph]

“The palace ends up looking mean-spirited and petty” – what if I told you that the palace actually IS mean-spirited and petty? What if I told you that Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace have been planning their petty, mean-spirited, jealous, seething counterprogramming for months, that the only thing getting William and Kate off their asses is their desperate attempts to pull focus from Invictus? What if I told you that the thin-skinned, pathetic Windsors don’t respect veterans or the military, that the Windsors believe that they alone are “serving” their country? Like, even if you can make an argument that the Windsors were too busy to host a reception for Invictus veterans ahead of the games, there’s literally no excuse for failing to send a few tweets or Instagram posts supporting Team Britain. Considering the Windsor brand is “too lazy to show up for national competitions,” maybe this was to be expected.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

I still remember the dawning realization I had, circa 2018, that the British media operates in a bubble, and they didn’t realize that media is global and the whole world could see their open racism and abuse of the Duchess of Sussex. In the past five years, little has changed – while royal reporters code-switch for international audiences, I’d like to believe that royal-watchers and even casual observers understand what’s happening and what was done to the Sussexes by the unholy partnership of the British media and the Windsors. So, imagine the Daily Mail’s surprise that the Sussexes and the Invictus Games are getting wall-to-wall coverage in the German media. They shouldn’t be that shocked – many “royal photographers” and royal reporters managed to get media credentials for the games, and the Sussexes are getting tons of coverage across British media and European media.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bowled over the German media with their charm offensive on the first day they were seen together at the Invictus Games. Only positive headlines are being used to describe the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, such as ‘Finally A Prince Again’, with much of the attention focused on Meghan and how she reacts to the crowds and what she wears. There have yet to be negative comments about their public appearances, including when they attended a wheelchair basketball match. The couple’s often contentious relationship with the other members of the royal family has not been mentioned in any of the coverage.

‘I think people are very interested to see how they are together and their dynamics as a couple,’ said one reporter for Bild newspaper. ‘They are very popular here. You only have to see how hundreds of people waited in the market square outside the town hall to try and see them. It was the same the previous year when they came to start the countdown to the games.’

The popular Gala magazine website devoted five stories to the couple as well as carrying a live blog to update readers on their activities. Harry’s biggest coup was to be invited on to the hugely popular show ‘Sports Studio’ – the German equivalent of the BBC’s Match of the Day.

Meanwhile, the Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) network devoted the entire hour-long show to allow Harry to talk about the Invictus Games and its impact on the mental health and rehabilitation of wounded war veterans.

Meanwhile, the glossy Gala magazine – which devotes pages to celebrities and other VIPs – carried a blow-by-blow account of Harry and Meghan attending their first Invictus Games events together. They had a live blog on the movements of the couple along with other stories about their life. The magazine will devote its cover in this week’s edition published on Thursday with a photo of Harry and the headline ‘Finally A Prince Again.’ Inside there will be three pages of coverage.

‘There is a lot interest, and much more now that Meghan is here. They are behaving very well and I think a lot of people will have a positive impression of them,’ a reporter for the magazine told Mail Online. ‘People are fascinated with Harry and his family, but they all know about Meghan,’ they said. ‘There are two camps here in Germany – team Harry and Meghan and Team Kate and William. It has been interesting seeing them together.’

The reporter said people in Germany has seen plenty of stories about the couple and their decision to step back as senior members of the British Royal Family. The reporter said: ‘Now they are here people see that they are happy.’

The rival Bunte magazine carried a story about Meghan sporting a $62,000 ring when she attended a friends and family event on Tuesday evening. TV news carried extensive reports on the Invictus Games with regular round ups of the day’s events. Bild newspaper have had a reporter covering the games while others in the Berlin office have been involved in their coverage.

[From The Daily Mail]

Do you get the sense of outrage from the Mail that they can’t control what the German media is writing and saying? The Mail’s editors are like “wait, you mean the Germans aren’t even going to mention Kensington Palace’s talking points? Where’s the requisite statement about how William will never, ever speak to his brother?” They’re shocked that their six-year hate campaign has turned Harry and Meghan into sympathetic global celebrities who get a rock-star reception wherever they go. Plus, people are just really excited to see Meghan. She’s outside! We want to talk about her clothes!!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

Here are some photos of Taylor Swift partying after the MTV VMAs on Tuesday night. She hit up The Ned NoMad afterparty and she was joined by Selena Gomez and some other celebrities. Taylor changed up her look, wearing this EB Denim minidress and seemingly keeping on her VMA jewelry, including the layered necklaces. I won’t lie, I loathe this look on Taylor. It feels like she’s trying to recreate her 1989-era miniskirt style, but that was nine years ago (!!!) and most people have moved on. It would be like Paris Hilton still wandering around in Juicy Couture sweats. Meanwhile, Taylor and Beyonce have now reached the point of cultural, social and political ubiquity that the largest newspaper chain in America is now hiring dedicated reporters for the Swift beat and Beyonce beat.

Gannett, America’s largest newspaper chain, is looking to hire two full-time reporters with strikingly specific beats. One needs to be a connoisseur of “Lemonade;” the other should be an expert in all things “1989.”

The media company wants one journalist who will exclusively “chronicle the music, fashion, cultural and economic influence of Beyoncé” and another who will “capture the music and cultural impact of Taylor Swift” for USA Today and The Tennessean. Both newspapers are part of the USA Today Network, which is owned by Gannett. The job openings were announced this week.

The ideal candidate for the “Beyoncé Knowles-Carter Reporter” position is “an energetic and enterprising writer” who can capture Beyoncé’s effect “not only on the many industries in which she operates, but also on society,” the posting says.

Beyoncé is currently on her Renaissance World Tour, which, by some estimates, will rake in a total of $2 billion. The 32-time Grammy Award winner’s tour is due to end on October 1 in Kansas City, Missouri. Similarly, the company wants a Swiftie who is “an energetic writer, photographer and social media pro who can quench an undeniable thirst for all things Taylor Swift.”

[From CBS News]

This reminds me of when Olivia Rodrigo visited the Biden White House two years ago and most of the White House correspondents were like “WHO?” and there were only one or two Washington reporters (women) who actually knew Olivia’s music and message, and understood why Olivia’s visit was actually a big deal. Like, there are thousands of reporters covering the most insane Republican dipsh-ttery but USA Today still doesn’t have one dedicated reporter for Taylor or one for Beyonce? They are two of the most culturally and financially powerful women in the country!!

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

I wonder if Ariana Grande is still with Spongebob guy because they’ve been pretty quiet for a while. Maybe now that he’s available and separated from his wife she will have lost interest. At any rate, Ariana did a Vogue Beauty Secrets video and in it she said that she used to get filler and Botox. She also says she stopped getting these injections in 2018. I do not believe her but I am also grateful she admitted to getting work done at all in the first place. Ari also talked about changing her hair and makeup style because she used to hide behind big hair and winged eyeliner.

Ariana Grande has revealed she’s taken a hiatus from lip fillers and Botox injections in recent years.

Grande’s comments came during a video made for Vogue about her beauty secrets, during which she got candid — and emotional — about how her relationship with beauty has shifted over time.

The singer and the actor has not previously disclosed undergoing any cosmetic procedures. Having grown up in the spotlight, and thus dealt with public scrutiny over her appearance from a young age, she said, “it’s really hard to know what’s worth hearing and not.”

While applying makeup for the video, Grande, now aged 30, explained that she had often embellished her beauty looks with bigger hair or thicker eyeliner “as a disguise or something to hide behind,” but as she gets older she doesn’t “love that being the intention behind it anymore,” thinking of it “as self-expression and accentuating what is there” instead.

Similarly, she continued, she used cosmetic procedures in the same way. “I had a ton of lip filler over the years, and Botox. I stopped in 2018 because I felt so — too much,” she said. “For a long time, beauty was about hiding for me and now I feel like maybe it’s not.”

“I want to see my well-earned cry lines and smile lines,” she continued. “I hope my smile lines get deeper and deeper and I laugh more and more. Aging can be such a beautiful thing.”

[From CNN]

Deep sigh. Ariana’s face has changed a lot in recent years and some of that is likely weight loss, some of it is natural aging, and some of it is how she’s changed doing her makeup. But I think she has had even more invasive procedures done around her eyes and forehead and may have gotten a brow lift or the famous ‘ponytail facelift’ that Bella Hadid is rumored to have done. The corner of a person’s eyes rarely lift upward as they age but hers have done that. Her upper face just appears very pulled taut to me. There also isn’t a dramatic difference in her lip size between 2018 and the present day, quite frankly, so I just don’t believe her when she says she stopped getting filler five years ago. I think she wants to have it both ways and own up to some things but not others. In a way it could be worse, and I’m glad she admitted to getting work done. But when people hide behind these little half-truths it’s still annoying.

photos credit: John Nacion/startraksphoto.com, Tony DiMaio/startraksphoto.com, Avalon.red and via YouTube

Here are some photos from the Invictus Games on Wednesday, the afternoon session. The Duchess of Sussex did a wardrobe change and she switched up her hair a little bit. At one point, it was done, then it was up in a chignon, then during the basketball game, she did a cute half-up, half-down look. The event was the wheelchair basketball final between Team USA versus Team France.

Meghan’s afternoon look was great and very chic – slim-cut pants and a sleeveless top, both in black. The jeans are from Frame, her black heels are Aquazzura (Meg loves some Aquazzura) and her diamond earrings are from Luna Skye (the Luna Skye earrings might have been worn earlier in the day, just FYI). At some point, Meghan removed her Aquazzuras and put on a pair of Hermes sneakers. I didn’t even know Hermes made sneakers, but there you go. They cost $790 and they’ve very cute.

Meghan at the Invictus Games swimming finals this afternoon wearing a pair of @Hermes_Paris sneakers – https://t.co/rsH8omULsu#whatmeghanwore #meghanmarkle #InvictusGamesDuesseldorf2023 pic.twitter.com/rrHAUkYbNH

— What Meghan Wore (@whatmegwore) September 13, 2023

Also: you might have noticed that Meghan is only wearing her wedding band and what looks like an eternity band, but her three-stone engagement ring has been MIA. According to People’s sources (someone at Archewell, surely), Meghan’s engagement ring is “currently being serviced because a setting came loose.” I would also accept “she doesn’t feel comfortable traveling internationally with her most sentimental and important piece of jewelry.”

Meanwhile, Team Nigeria announced that they’ve given Meghan a traditional Nigerian name. Her new Nigerian name is: Amira Ngozi Lolo! Amira means “warrior princess,” Ngozi means “blessed” and Lolo means “royal wife.” That about covers it!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Drew Barrymore has well and truly stepped in it, hasn’t she? To recap: on Sunday she announced via Instagram that she was owning her choice to bring back her talk show mid-strikes because it’s bigger than just her but don’t worry they won’t discuss or promote other struck work. The post was also laced with words about how the show launched during the pandemic, she wants to make sense of the human experience, and she will bring us together with astute humility. By Monday the WGA clapped back saying the show returning now was a violation of strike rules, and they dispatched members to picket outside CBS in New York where the show was taping. Also amid this Monday maelstrom, two people who won tickets to the show’s taping were kicked out for wearing WGA pins (that are only 1-2 inches long). Now in another hit, on Tuesday night the National Book Foundation disinvited Drew from serving as host at their awards ceremony in November. The National Book Foundation is not on strike now. This is what’s called solidarity, Drew.

The National Book awards has rescinded Drew Barrymore’s invitation to host its upcoming annual award ceremony in the wake of the return of her talk show “The Drew Barrymore Show” this fall amid Hollywood strikes.

In a statement to social media, the National Book Foundation wrote “The National Book Awards is an evening dedicated to celebrating the power of literature, and the incomparable contributions of writers to our culture. In light of the announcement that ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ will resume production, the National Book Foundation has rescinded Ms. Barrymore’s invitation to host the 74th National Book Awards Ceremony.”

The foundation added, “Our commitment is to ensure that the focus of the Awards remains on celebrating writers and books, and we are grateful to Ms. Barrymore and her team for their understanding in this situation.”

Barrymore was initially announced as host of the Nov. 15 event in late July. Now, just days after some protested her decision to bring back her talk show on Sept. 18, the foundation has revoked its decision, with no replacement host announced.

While picketers expressed anger toward Barrymore, SAG-AFTRA issued a statement ensuring that the talk show’s return did not constitute scabbing: “‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ is produced under the Network Television Code which is a separate contract and is not struck. It is permissible work and Drew’s role as host does not violate the current strike rules.”

[From Yahoo! Entertainment]

It kills me every time someone from the show’s camp trots out those talking points about how they’re not violating strike rules… for SAG-AFTRA. Do they really think that ploy is working? (It’s not.) It’s like a parent asking to see your report card and responding with “but I didn’t cut gym today!” They’re totally separate issues! Gold star for not scabbing the actors (technically speaking, symbolically is another question). The rest of us are talking about the writers.

It’s hard to believe it was only three months ago that Drew was riding the high of that great New York Mag profile. I just re-read the article and cringed when she comments on the network having just renewed her show for its fourth season, yet it was the first time they did so enthusiastically instead of begrudgingly. I wonder if subconsciously she freaked out over things going too well and threw in some self-destruction to counter balance. Like they say, when life gives you lemonade, make lemons!

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

An update on the host of the 2023 National Book Awards. pic.twitter.com/aa5aLh0FIU

— National Book Foundation (@nationalbook) September 12, 2023

Photos credit: JOHN NACION/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images and Getty

Lil Nas X wore Palomo Spain to the VMAs. [RCFA]
The trailer for American Horror Story: Delicate. [OMG Blog]
Joe Jonas is back-pedaling because no one bought his strategy. [LaineyGossip]
TIFF review of All the Light We Cannot See. [Pajiba]
Dior threw a big party at NYFW. [Go Fug Yourself]
Julia Fox is still scamming her way into fashion weeks. [Just Jared]
What’s up with Sen. Tim Scott and his “girlfriend.” [Jezebel]
Jon Bon Jovi reacts to a stadium singing “Livin’ on a Prayer.” [Seriously OMG]
Selena Gomez snapped a selfie. [Egotastic]
All of the awkward moments from the VMAs. [Buzzfeed]

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Olivia Rodrigo recently had a good interview in the Guardian, part of her publicity blitz for her sophomore album, Guts. Her first single from that album, “Vampire,” is already a big hit and a much-discussed conspiracy, as many people theorize that it’s about Taylor Swift. Olivia was asked about that again by the Guardian, and while she talks around the idea that it’s not really about Swift, she also doesn’t offer any defense or explanation for why it’s felt like she no longer considers Taylor a friend or mentor. Meaning, even if “Vampire” isn’t specifically about Taylor, it’s clear that Olivia is fine with people knowing that she’s not down with Taylor anymore. Some highlights from the Guardian:

Speaking out about abortion rights: Before Rodrigo’s [Glastonbury] set, she considered her many “young girl fans, which I always think about… That’s actually why it’s so important – I would love, if I was a little girl, to see someone stand up for future-me like that.” Similarly, if there was kickback, she recalls, “I didn’t really pay attention to it or let it affect me.” Being a puppet, she says, “doesn’t work any more”.

Overnight success: “It’s not like I was like: ‘In order to have a sustainable career, I’m gonna roll it out slowly and this and that.’ I kind of had overnight success. I’d been working on songs for years and preparing for that moment for a long time. But in many respects it was very instantaneous, and so taking things slower was my way of coping. All of the drama that surrounded Drivers License was baptism by fire,” she says. Cleaving her personal identity from her celebrity persona became a priority she worked through in therapy. “I’m happiest when I can separate the two.”

She’s tired of feeling grateful: “I’ve experienced a lot of emotional turmoil over having all these feelings of rage and dissatisfaction that I felt like I couldn’t express, especially in my job. I’ve always felt like: you can never admit it, be so grateful all the time, so many people want this position. And that causes a lot of repressed feelings. I’ve always struggled with wanting to be this perfect American girl and the reality of not feeling like that all the time.”

Copyright issues. Sour was plagued by it: after listeners noted similarities between Rodrigo’s song Deja Vu (an ecstatic skewering of her ex for rehashing their favourite pastimes with his new girlfriend) and Taylor Swift’s Cruel Summer, as well as between her Good 4 U and Paramore’s Misery Business, Rodrigo ended up giving both acts 50% of the credits and royalties for the respective tracks. At the time, she said it was “disappointing to see people take things out of context and discredit any young woman’s work”. Did the potential for similar scrutiny make her second-guess writing Guts? She grows vague. “I was so green as to how the music industry worked, the litigious side … I feel like now I know so much more about the industry and I just feel … better equipped in that regard. It wasn’t something I thought about too much.”

Whether “Vampire” is about Taylor Swift: Some fans are convinced that Vampire is about Swift, especially given that signs of their budding friendship vanished after the credits issue. (Swift recently invited Sabrina Carpenter, the rumoured other party in the Drivers License heartbreak, to support her Eras tour.) “How do I answer this?” Rodrigo whispers at the table when I ask her. “I mean, I never want to say who any of my songs are about. I’ve never done that before in my career and probably won’t. I think it’s better to not pigeonhole a song to being about this one thing.” She laughs nervously (she often laughs nervously). “I was very surprised when people thought that.”

[From The Guardian]

“I was very surprised when people thought that” is a shockingly effective dodge, right? She’s given us enough to believe that “Vampire” isn’t about Swift, but she’s left enough room for people to believe whatever they want. And yeah, I do think there was drama or a falling out or something like that between Swift and Rodrigo. Olivia has said nothing to deny the beef and she goes out of her way to talk around all things Swift. It was pretty rich for Swift and Antonoff to sue Rodrigo for copyright infringement when Antonoff basically copies-and-pastes all of his stuff between Lorde, Taylor and Lana anyway. I would also totally buy that Taylor does see Olivia as a threat, and it speaks volumes that Taylor invited Sabrina Carpenter onto the Eras Tour.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.