Thus far, I’ve been surprised by how often the Princess of Wales has gotten “her way” on her children’s education. Traditionally, royal children and aristocrats’ children get packed off to boarding school as soon as possible. That’s doubly true for royal boys, with the expectation for the boys to matriculate into Eton, the prep school which educates most prime ministers, lords, MPs, etc. Prince George has escaped that thus far – he’s turning ten years old in a month, and he’s never been to boarding school. But it looks like William and Kate took their eldest son on a tour of Eton this week:

Prince George has been spotted visiting Eton alongside parents William and Kate. The nine-year-old has been schooled at Lambrook School in Berkshire since September last year, but a visit to the prestigious public school on Wednesday – which costs £46,000 a year in fees – has sparked talks on whether he will follow in his father’s footsteps.

Prince William also attended the historic boys’ school near Windsor as a child from 1995, after King Charles attended Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun – which he reportedly hated.

George, who will next month celebrate his 10th birthday, was seen accompanied by his doting parents at the college on Wednesday as the Prince and Princess of Wales chatted with staff. Kate was seen talking to two employees of the famous and historic school while wearing an elegant aquamarine dress and ballet pumps, Hello! Reports.

The family were standing near an archway, by a sign that reads: ‘Porters’ Lodge’ and previous reports about the school explain that through the doors you’ll find the school yard where a statue of the college’s founder, King Henry VI, is displayed.

Fees for Eton are a staggering £15,432 per term – according to the school’s website – with a £400 fee just for registering, although scholarships are offered to pupils who pass an exam.

[From The Daily Mirror]

Eton is the equivalent of a high school, the youngest pupils are 13 years old. So, no, George isn’t entering Eton in the fall, but maybe his parents are trying to get him used to the idea that he’ll eventually go to Eton. William and Harry both started at a boarding school before Eton – they boarded at Ludgrove, starting when they were like eight or nine years old. I wonder if this is the beginning of George being shifted into a “future king” education, like they’ll put him into a boarding school for a few years before Eton? Hm.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

Princess Charlene wore Akris at the Golden Nymph Awards. [JustJared]
This story is bonkers & I can’t even wrap my head around it. [Dlisted]
Gwen Stefani just loves fashion so much. [GFY]
Are we watching the Wham documentary on Netflix? [OMG Blog]
The Wonder Years reboot has started up again. [Seriously OMG]
Kim Kardashian & Lewis Hamilton chatted at the LV show. [LaineyGossip]
The Summer of Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam.” [Pajiba]
Tucker Carlson’s mommy issues explain so much about him. [Jezebel]
Kim Kardashian & Kourtney Kardashian are still beefing. [Buzzfeed]
Elton John: Homophobia in America is like a virus. [Towleroad]
Gwendoline Christie wore Giles… it looks like a silk bedsheet. [RCFA]

Here are some photos from Royal Ascot Day 3, Ladies Day. At first, it didn’t look like King Charles and Queen Camilla made it to Ascot today, but they did arrive finally, in the stupid carriage. It looks like Zara and Mike Tindall were the only royal-adjacents to make it to Ascot today. This is Zara’s best dress of the week, although that’s not saying much. Zara wore a lacy number from Scanlan Theodore – it looks nice on her, although I’m not sure this silhouette is the best for her figure.

Charles and Camilla:

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Sabrina Dhowre Elba was also in attendance on Ladies Day – look at her! She looks amazing! Sabrina is proof that you don’t have to dress up like a frumpy doily or wear an ‘80s bedspread to look fashionable at Ascot.

Behold, random Ascot hats!!

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, Cover Images.

In interestingly timed news, Ryan Murphy is leaving Netflix for Disney at the end of his five-year deal. He joined Netflix for a $300 million deal in 2018. So, he’s leaving quite soon. He and Shonda Rhimes were both big gets for Netflix, both having signed around the same time. And with Netflix, Ryan produced hits like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, The Politician, and Ratched. But like he left 20th Century Fox for Netflix’s greener pastures, now he’s leaving Netflix for Disney, for an unspecified sum.

Ryan Murphy will depart Netflix at the end of his five-year, nine-figure overall deal, and is set to make a new home at Disney.

The producer behind hits including Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, 911 and American Horror Story is expecting to reunite with Dana Walden, who worked closely with Murphy when she headed what was then 20th Century Fox TV and he had a deal there. Walden, who is also one Murphy’s closest friends and confidants, is now co-chairman of Disney Entertainment. The new, not yet completed pact — Murphy’s Netflix deal doesn’t expire until the end of the month, after all — will bring Murphy back in-house with FX’s John Landgraf, with whom he has long had a close creative relationship, as well. Sources say the move has been in the works since well before the Writers Guild of America went on strike in May.

Disney declined to comment.

Murphy famously left 20th in 2018 for a $300 million deal at Netflix, becoming — along with Shonda Rhimes — one of the biggest producers to sign with the streamer. Snagging a producer who had once declared he’d be buried on the Fox lot was seen as a major coup for Netflix and Ted Sarandos at the time. But Murphy’s early years at the streaming service proved rocky, with efforts like Hollywood, Halston and feature film The Prom failing to cut through. The past year has been the most fruitful of the deal, with Dahmer and The Watcher, both of which he co-created with longtime collaborator Ian Brennan, becoming breakout hits for the streamer.

During his tenure at Netflix — which also included The Politician, Ratched and The Boys in the Band — Murphy also continued to produce popular franchises for 20th that predated his departure. In addition to American Horror Story and 911, his output for 20th TV included FX’s ongoing American Crime Story anthology, Pose and Feud, which has a second season is in the works. The arrangement had long baffled many in town, particularly in the early days, when his Netflix projects weren’t hitting and the 20th fare were. According to multiple insiders, the summer 2021 announcement that Murphy would also be producing an American Sports Story and American Love Story via and for Disney entities did not sit well with Sarandos.

Now, in an ironic twist, Murphy will continue producing installments of Netflix hits Monster — another anthology, with season two focusing on the Menendez brothers — and Watcher for Sarandos, while calling Disney his creative home. Dealmaking terms are being kept under wraps, though the deal market has cooled considerably in five years.

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

There was an announcement in summer 2021 that Ryan would be working on a couple of series in his “American Story” franchise for Disney, that apparently didn’t go over well with Netflix brass. The THR article points out that he did struggle to find his footing with his early projects with Netflix, though eventually he hit his stride and his hits. But even with his deal with Disney, Ryan will continue to produce new seasons of his shows with Netflix as he did with his 20th shows during his Netflix deal. So fear not, fans of Ryan Murphy shows on Netflix. I am guessing the terms of the deal must be great, because otherwise I’m wondering why Disney. I haven’t seen every single Ryan Murphy show, but I have seen quite a few. And I wouldn’t have guessed Disney as a natural fit for his content. I think his stuff is a bit “edgier” and dare I say, more interesting, than typical Disney products. But sometimes unlikely collaborations yield the best results, so we’ll see.

Picture note by CB: This is Ryan Murphy, Bela Bajaria (chief content officer for Netflix), Ted Sarandos (CEO) and Peter Friedlander (head of scripted series) at the New York Premiere of Netflix’s The Watcher

Photos credit: Eric Liebowitz/Netflix, Getty images for Netflix and Avalon.red

King Charles spent months briefing the British press about how Prince Harry absolutely needed to come to the coronation. Meghan was an afterthought with the invitation, and Charles made a point of not inviting Prince Archie and Princess Lili to the coronation or to the UK. Harry ended up coming back for 28 hours, then he flew back to California to be with his son on Archie’s birthday. Charles did not extend any invitations to the Sussexes for Trooping the Colour, nor did Charles make any attempt to meet with Harry while Harry was back in London to testify against Charles’s friends at the Mirror. At this point, there’s nothing Charles can hold over Harry’s head, and there are no big “events” for which Harry simply “must return.” This will be the holding pattern for the foreseeable future – Harry and his father barely communicating, and likely never seeing each other. The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes has royal sources insisting that this stalemate is all about Camilla, and all about Spare.

Relations between King Charles and his estranged son Prince Harry have descended to fresh lows owing to Harry’s attacks on Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla, and friends of the royals now suspect the two will never be reconciled. While many inside the royal circle of trust have long discounted the possibility of Prince William and Harry ever setting aside their differences, there is now similar pessimism in some quarters about the relationship between Harry and his father, the king, who has been left dismayed by Harry’s brutal criticism of Camilla in his memoir, Spare.

Friends say that Charles was particularly hurt by the assault his son mounted on the character of Camilla in his book. He characterized her as single-mindedly determined to become queen, accused her of “sacrificing” him on “her personal PR altar” and told one interviewer she was “dangerous” and was prepared to leave “bodies in the street” in her quest to be queen.

A longstanding friend of the queen told The Daily Beast: “How does she get past that? It’s one thing to call your stepmother a bitch privately or in a family argument. But to put it in a book which is catching up with the Bible on sales? I think Harry knew exactly what he was doing, and the result is predictable. Charles loves Camilla. He made her queen. He doesn’t react very well to criticism of her.”

Asked if they were saying that the attacks on Camilla, specifically, had generated a harder attitude towards his son from Charles, the friend of Camilla said: “It is a huge part of it. Charles has made it very clear that he loves both his sons so the door will never be bolted shut. But they are a very obstinate family and nobody is about to be the first to apologize. Charles certainly doesn’t believe he has anything to apologize for.”

The other problem, beyond the memoir itself, seems to be an obstinate refusal on both sides to make the first move in apologizing, or, indeed, accepting there is anything to apologize for. One friend of the king and queen told The Daily Beast: “There is no plan for Harry and Charles to meet. There might have been a chance of reconciliation had it not been for the book. But Charles was dismayed and deeply hurt by what Harry said about him and about Camilla in his book.

“Personal feelings aside, Charles has to prioritize the job of being king. He can’t start having meetings with Harry now, it would be a distraction and very destabilizing.”

[From The Daily Beast]

Sykes also cites Roya Nikkhah’s recent report in the Times, where sources “close to Charles” claim that the king “is becoming increasingly exasperated” over Harry and “The King brings Harry up every time I see him. I don’t think we’ve moved past sad and bewildered, but there’s a bit more frustration at his behaviour, because it just keeps going.” That comment was more about Harry’s testimony in court as opposed to Harry’s memoir. Which makes me wonder if Charles is actually all that bothered, at this point, about Spare or Harry’s comments about Camilla. It seems more like Charles is frustrated because of everything I said in the intro: he has no way of controlling Harry, nothing to hold over Harry’s head, no big event to which an invitation must be withheld. Now, I also think Charles is irritated by what Harry said about Camilla, because Harry’s version has been widely accepted, and Harry’s comments are still being repeated endlessly by the Rota. Anyway, Charles is a dogsh-t father, news at seven.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Hilaria Baldwin covers the new issue of Romper and the interview is just as bonkers as you would think. Keep in mind, since Hilaria’s lies about being “from Spain” were outed in late 2020, she’s never explained exactly why she lied or what this whole thing was really about. Romper doesn’t press Hilaria on the subject, they merely note (hilariously) that she grew up in Boston and merely “visited” Spain a lot. Which, again, does not make her Spanish or from Spain, dios mio. Even beyond that, this piece with Hilaria is massively creepy. Some highlights:

Her stepdaughter Ireland had a baby: “I love being a grandmother. My kids get a kick out of it. They feel like they’re so grown up; they’re like, ‘Well, I can do this because I’m an uncle now.’ I send things to Ireland all the time. My favorite swaddle or my favorite bathtub or whatever. The towels, all these things.” As the mother of seven, I ask, is she the one everyone else goes to for mom advice? “My friend and his wife had a baby a year ago, and he’s always coming to me with questions. He loves golf, and he’s like, ‘I think of you as the Tiger Woods of babies.’”

Her reproductive choices: “People like to have a lot of opinions about women’s reproductive choices. Either we have too many kids, or we have too few. We don’t do it exactly as we should. We don’t put the hat on the baby. And then people say, ‘Why doesn’t your baby have a hat?’ And I say, ‘Would you like to come and put the hat on the baby? She’ll take it off and throw it at you.’”

Her background, per Romper: She grew up in Boston, visiting Spain regularly — her parents, a former doctor and lawyer, now live there, as does her brother. She’s bilingual. She graduated from New York University, became a yoga instructor, and co-founded Yoga Vida.

People on the street love her? “Sure, I’ve had times where I feel lonely or isolated, and then I open my eyes and my ears and my mind, and I realize how many amazing people are out there. We walk down the street and people say to us, ‘We’re praying for you. We’re thinking about you.’ They give us hugs. Most of the people who are mean to us are people like the paparazzi, who are making money off tormenting us.”

Whether she loves being pregnant: “Not really,” she says with a shrug. “But I love giving birth. This last time around, I pushed her out in a minute! Giving birth is like going down a water slide that’s really scary. And then you get to the bottom, and you’re like, ‘I want to do this again.’”

Why does she keep getting pregnant? Firstly, there’s the matter-of-fact answer: She’s not on birth control. “I feel awful when I’m on birth control; it makes me depressed,” she says. And Alec’s not interested in other, er, methods. “Every single time I have a baby, my OB writes down the vasectomy doctor on a Post-it, and I bring it home to Alec. He hasn’t done it yet.”

She adores the baby phase: She refers to having babies as “creating love” — and from what I can tell, gets deep joy from taking care of others. This tendency also extends to her husband. “Am I his mommy? Sometimes I’m his mommy. Sometimes. At the beginning of our relationship, everyone was like, ‘She must have daddy issues because she’s married to somebody older.’ But it’s actually the opposite.”

The Reddit community tracking Hilaria Baldwin. They’ve come up with conspiracy theories related to her pregnancies and births, they focus on her background and accent, and they say she’s “harming” her children by showing them on Instagram. In a twist, Hilaria knows many of her Reddit haters’ real identities; she hired a private investigator. She hasn’t done anything with that info and doesn’t plan to. But it makes her feel better to know, and when she describes them to me, they’re exactly who you’d think: lonely, lost people.

[From Romper]

She had seven kids because birth control makes her depressed???? You’d rather bring seven lives into the world just to avoid taking the pill? Jesus. And the fact that she hired a private investigator to identify Reddit posters? Holy sh-t. People tend to turn into armchair diagnosticians when they encounter Hilaria’s whole deal, and I’m no different – to me, the woman comes across as profoundly disturbed and pathologically narcissistic. I also find it upsetting to see outlets go out of their way to portray all of this as normal or even inspirational.

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Cover & IG courtesy of Romper.

In May, Carole Middleton’s business Party Pieces was “sold” for £220K through some version of a bankruptcy court. PP was sold without its extensive debt, and it’s likely that Carole’s creditors are going to get screwed out of £2.6 million. As we learned this month, Carole left multiple small businesses and local craft suppliers on the hook for thousands of pounds, because they were supplying Party Pieces on credit, given Carole’s royal connections. Carole also owes various banks and the British taxpayers something like £800K. For several days, there were reports of how badly Carole personally screwed over small businesses and how much in debt she is. Party Pieces’ bankruptcy has left a trail of destruction and Carole just gets to walk away and live in her £5 million manor house in Bucklebury.

The story of Party Pieces’ demise should have been a months-long scandal, given the fact that the Middletons’ house of cards has utterly collapsed and their web of lies is starting to be untangled. Instead, the British media just completely stopped reporting on it. It’s been radio silence about Party Pieces for a week and a half. And now Hello Magazine is picking up the Middleton keenery like nothing ever happened:

The Princess of Wales’ family have a big week ahead of them – not only will they likely descend on the race grounds of Royal Ascot, but they are also set to celebrate several milestones behind closed doors.

Princess Kate’s parents Carole, 68, and Michael Middleton, 73, are marking 43 years of marriage on 21 June, which happens to be the same day as their son-in-law Prince William’s birthday and two days before Michael’s birthday.

Despite the fact that the party accessories business has been sold through a pre-pack administration, according to reports, the decorations will likely come in handy as they celebrate two birthdays this week. She added: “I do love a good party.”

[From Hello]

Oh, how cute, right? Carole and Mike’s anniversary! Mike’s birthday! Their son-in-law’s birthday! Ten bucks says that Carole and Mike turn up at Wimbledon in a few weeks and act like nothing’s happened. They’ll find a way to scam some good seats and no one will ask how they paid for their tickets or their new Wimbledon ensembles or anything else.

Note by CB: Get the Top 10 stories about the Middletons’ shady finances when you sign up for our mailing list! I only send one email a day on weekdays after lunch.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

Christine Baumgartner was clearly prepared when she filed for divorce from Kevin Costner. This was not done on a whim – she had spent 24 years with Costner, and 19 years as his wife. She planned it out, hiring a divorce lawyer and a forensic accountant, and she and her lawyer clearly have a plan to revoke or nullify the prenup she signed. But even though Christine was prepared, she still hadn’t told her three minor children about the divorce before she filed. She is now telling the court that Costner broke the news to their kids over Zoom, even though she asked him to come home so they could talk to their kids in person together.

Kevin Costner’s estranged wife Christine isn’t happy with how their three kids learned of their split. In a court filing obtained by PEOPLE, Christine, 49, says Yellowstone star Kevin, 68, told their kids Grace, 13, Hayes, 14, and Cayden, 16, about their divorce in a brief Zoom call while he was filming on location in Las Vegas.

“The children’s welfare has always been my highest priority, and I was concerned they would find out about the divorce before Kevin and I could tell them. It was important for me that we tell the children in person and together,” Christine alleges in the documents.

Christine says she expressed her concerns with Kevin that the kids would hear the news through an “outside source,” shared “several articles about the importance of talking to the children as a united front” and believed they would go about it together.

“He disregarded my proposal to do what I felt was right based on research and my relationship with the children. Instead, he insisted that he had the right to tell them that we were getting divorced ‘first’ and tell them privately ‘without me present,’” she continues in her claims. “After a 24-year relationship, from his hotel room in Las Vegas, Kevin told our three children that we were getting divorced over a 10-minute Zoom call without me present. I am still confused by his motivation to do this via a very short Zoom session, especially since he was planning on being home five days later. He also could have easily come home from Las Vegas to have the conversation in person.”

A source close to the actor notes that Christine filed for divorce while Kevin was filming on location. “He FaceTimes all the time with the kids when he is away working,” says the source.

[From People]

Okay, I understand why she didn’t tell the kids solo – because she was genuinely hoping that she and Kevin could do it together, and again, she was prepared and did her research. Costner decided to disregard her request and (I would assume) make everything sound like Christine’s fault when he spoke to their kids. Nevermind the fact that Christine has truly been the primary caregiver and stay-at-home parent to those kids all of their lives. Nevermind the fact that Costner is, at best, a habitually absent parent whose idea of spending time with his children is Zooming with them for ten minutes from one of his location shoots. Kevin Costner is such a jerk, my god.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

From CB: I bought this six pack of vegan soap by Bali Soap about a week ago. The set is under $18 making them about $3 each. You get six different scents, they smell natural and not too perfumey, and they have a rich, luxurious feel that leaves your skin clean and soft. These soaps would make a great gift for yourself or for a friend. Here are some more things Rosie and I are looking at on Amazon.

Mosquito bands for easy all day protection

From CB: Mosquito bands are an easy, safe way to keep mosquitos off, especially for children and people who don’t like bug spray on their skin. These Buggy Bands brand mosquito repellent bracelets can also be used as anklets or hair ties. These are all natural and DEET free. They have 2,300 ratings, 4.2 stars and a B on Fakespot. People say they really work to deter mosquitos. “They are great for all ages. You can wear them on your wrist or even ankle. I keep a few in the car for unplanned hikes.” “Was skeptical, but did not get 1 mosquito bite and I saw them around me.”

Flattering leggings you’ll want in several colors

From CB: I’m always looking for new leggings. These cute compression leggings by Aoxjox come in sizes xx-small to 3x and in 50 different prints and colors, all under $30 and some around $21. They have over 3,800 ratings, 4.4 stars and a B on Fakespot. They’re said to be just as good as more expensive brands and to be comfortable, flattering and squat proof. “I never write a review but this leggings got me on a chokehold I bought 1 pair and literally went back and bought 4 more in different colors. Best workout and basically every day leggings for me.” “These are great. Really flattering, comfortable, stay in place, no camel toe, and hair/lint doesn’t stick to them.”

An affordable solar power bank for more outdoor fun

From CB: This solar power bank by Yeomin is currently on sale for under $19. It has two USB ports and is compatible with both iPhone and Android. It’s also waterproof and can be recharged with sunlight or electricity. This listing has almost 3,500 ratings, 4.3 stars and a B on Fakespot. People say the battery works well and is especially handy for camping. “I needed a charger that would recharge quickly and this does. It’s great for camping, hiking, power outages. Charges my phone quickly.” “I’ve used this during storms, deep freezes, camping, and just running errands. It’s got a great battery life and a handy built in flashlight. It will automatically charge itself with solar power whenever it senses sunlight. it even charges itself using the sunlight that filters in through my tote bag when I’m on the move.”

An accurate digital smart scale

From Rosie: I bought this scale five years ago when I was looking for one that broke down your body metrics. Even if I don’t always like what it says, I love it as a scale, haha. The app is easy to set up and use, and you can have multiple users. The Renpho Smart Scale is an affordable $20, has almost 280,000 reviews and 4.7 stars on ReviewMeta. Reviewers also appreciate how neat it is to have a scale that tracks your metrics. “I like the ability to track your body metrics and weight over time using the app (the line graphs in particular).” “Over [my] lifetime I’ve had plenty of different scales that claim to do different things but this scale offers more useful health information about yourself at this price point then any other comparison.”

A kids’ full face snorkel mask for more summer fun

From Rosie: This one’s another recommendation from my sister. She said it’s the “best pool toy ever” and reviewers agree. This snorkel comes in six different colors and lets kids play under water with ease. It has more than a 4.8 star rating, 1,600 reviews, and a B on Fakespot. Parents are raving about how great this product is. “These were great for our recent beach vacation. They kept the rough waves & salt water out of my kiddos eyes & mouth.” “My 4 year old son absolutely loves this mask! … It’s super easy to use and water does not get through.” “I assumed that this product couldn’t possibly work as perfectly as it claims, but it does!!! My 6yo and 9yo sons are enchanted with it. This is seriously the most miraculous thing I have ever bought on Amazon.”

A wall-mounted toothbrush dispenser to streamline your bathroom counter

From Rosie: I came across this while searching for Father’s Day presents for my husband, but I think I need to pick this up for my kids because they are messy teeth-brushers. This mounted toothbrush holder comes with magnetic cups and provides extra storage space. It has a 4.5 star rating, almost 200 reviews, and a B on Fakespot. Reviewers find it a helpful addition to their bathroom. “It’s so nice on my wall and gives me so much counter space! It is very simple to take apart and clean.” “This is great for organization. It adhered to [the] wall easily. Toothpaste dispenser works like a charm.” “Love this! Saves space on our small counter, keeps it organized!”

Beach coasters that keep sand out of your drinks

From Rosie: I love the beach but I hate how sandy everything gets! These super cute coasters are only $13 for a set-of-4 and have a 4.7 star rating, more than 1,400 reviews, and an A on Fakespot. Reviewers agree that they are incredibly convenient to have and work really well to keep sand out of your drinks. “I was able to use each to hold the drink, lotion, and other things I brought to the beach, and nothing got sandy! They stayed put in the sand so nothing moved or fell over.” “If you are going to the beach these are a must have. Keeps sand off your drinks, easy to clean and travels easily in a beach bag.” “I bought these for my bachelorette weekend down the beach and LOVED them. They fit skinny cans, skinny cans with coasters and bigger cans and water bottles.”

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Stephen A. Smith is a longtime ESPN commentator, popular for his shady and humorous commentary. There are a lot of memes and GIFs of him. Smith also had a podcast, and this week, he decided to chime in on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Spotify mess. Keep in mind, Smith also knows Bill Simmons, the Spotify executive who called Harry and Meghan “f–king grifters” – Simmons used to work at ESPN before he was sh-tcanned for his disrespectful behavior within the network. Interesting sidenote: while Simmons has been on the record about his support of former ESPN journalist Jemele Hill, Hill is escaping Spotify too. Hill and Spotify announced they were parting ways before the Sussexes/Spotify story happened. But of course, everything always happens in a silo with the Sussexes, right? It’s never about the larger story. In any case, Stephen A. Smith decided to chat about the Sussexes, so here you go:

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, has said the couple are only interesting when “insulting their family.”

“If Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex ain’t complaining about the royal family, I don’t know if anybody cares what they have to say,” Smith said on his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show. “… I’m not trying to dog [Meghan] like she doesn’t have any talent or anything like that. She did damn good on Suits… I love Suits. Matter of fact, I’m gonna watch it again. But what I’m saying is, you don’t really care what they have to say unless they’re insulting their family.”

Smith also addressed the critical comments made of the couple by his former ESPN colleague Bill Simmons.

He said: “I like Bill. I respect the hell out of Bill Simmons, ain’t no shade here. But Bill Simmons was going off… Bill Simmons seemed very happy they were gone.”

Smith, added “I never knew what the hell ‘grifters’ meant. So I had to look it up….In all seriousness, he’s qualified to say that. I am not, because I know nothing of them. I know nothing about their [Spotify] deal… I didn’t think that was necessary, but then again, he works at Spotify, not me. So he knows more than I would ever know about that particular situation, which means it came from a personal place.”

[From The Daily Beast]

“He works at Spotify” – which is why Simmons’ comments were so ridiculous. It’s an asinine way to do business for a Spotify executive to publicly trash two people who were under contract at his company. It’s bad management, it’s bad PR (for Spotify) and it blew up in Simmons face in real time as Spotify’s golden goose Joe Rogan hosted an hour-long conversation with one of the most despicable anti-vaxxers in America, Robert Kennedy Jr, and then Rogan spent the f–king weekend arguing with a immunologist on Twitter! I mean, y’all want to talk about grifters…

As for Smith’s comment about “you don’t really care what they have to say unless they’re insulting their family” – this has become some kind of bizarre talking point in the past week, with commentators suggesting that the Sussexes’ only thing is talking sh-t about the Windsors. Like… Meghan had a whole popular podcast that wasn’t about that? I guess Smith missed it.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.