Lord Robert Fellowes passed away one week ago. Fellowes was well-connected to the Windsors and he was QEII’s private secretary in the ‘90s. He was also married to Lady Jane Spencer, one of Princess Diana’s two sisters. Meaning, Robert Fellowes was Prince Harry and William’s uncle. It took maybe 24 hours after Fellowes’ passing for the royalist media to speculate about whether Harry would come back to the UK for his uncle’s funeral. It’s been a week – surely, the funeral has already happened? Well, the Mail has an update on whether Fellowes’ death will lead to reconciliation between Harry and William (spoiler: nope).

Prince Harry has spoken to his aunt Lady Jane Fellowes following the death of her husband Robert Fellowes. The royal, who has remained close to his late mother’s side of the family, is said to have reached out to Princess Diana’s older sister, according to US media. Harry, 39, has also spoken to his uncle Charles Spencer as well as his cousins, according to Us Weekly.

Lord Robert Fellowes, who was Princess Diana ‘s brother-in-law and Queen Elizabeth II ‘s private secretary died this week aged 82. It’s believed Harry may return to the UK for his uncle’s funeral, which will likely see him coming face-to-face with Prince William.

One friend of the royal told the Daily Beast: ‘In normal times it would be unimaginable that Harry would not be there to support Jane. Of course he would want to be there. It will be a huge gathering of the Spencer clan. But these are not normal times and it may well be that everyone feels Harry’s attendance would just create too much drama. It will be very sad for him if he can’t make it’.

Another royal expert told the Mail that the death is unlikely to bring the feuding brothers together. Royal commentator Michael Cole told MailOnline that the loss of their uncle will not be enough to bring the warring princes back together.

‘Robert Fellowes’ death will not affect family dynamics,’ he said. ‘Prince William and Prince Harry have always been on good terms with their late mother’s sisters and brother. Apart from offering what will undoubtedly be their heartfelt condolences to their aunt Jane, the two royal princes will experience little if any effect from their uncle’s death.’

Mr Cole added: ‘And it is certain that they will express their sympathies separately, and strictly so, such is the gulf that has opened up between them in recent years, compared with which the Gulf of Mexico is a mere puddle.’

[From The Daily Mail]

It’s actually notable to me that the royalist media has given no energy to “how did William react to Fellowes’ death?” It’s been all about Harry, will Harry go to the funeral, did Harry contact his Spencer relatives, will Harry “use” his uncle’s death to reconcile with William, etc. If William couldn’t even make it to his godfather’s memorial service IN WINDSOR, my guess is that William won’t attend his uncle’s funeral. Please, William would have to take a day out of his summer holiday. He would never! Unless Harry is coming back for the funeral, in which case William would absolutely make a huge stink about “ordering” Harry to stay away.

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.

As someone who has followed, for years, all of the ins and outs of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s lawsuits and legal issues, it’s stunning to me that the American courts have not thrown Pitt out on his ass. The big issue between Pitt and Jolie right now is his lawsuit against her and her countersuit, all about the sale of Nouvel, her half of the Chateau Miraval. He sued her because he claimed they had a secret, unwritten agreement that she would only sell Nouvel to him, and that he was blindsided when she sold Nouvel to Tenute del Mondo. Jolie’s countersuit is that Pitt has zero evidence of any of his claims, and that there’s actually a lengthy paper trail that she tried to sell Nouvel to him but he tried to make the sale contingent on Jolie signing an NDA about his parental and spousal abuse. Pitt, in turn, has claimed that the NDA he wanted (I thought he was blind-sided, remember?) was merely boilerplate and part of a business deal. Well, it’s long been rumored that Pitt attached a number to Angelina’s silence, and surprise, Angelina has receipts on that too:

Angelina Jolie is accusing Brad Pitt of trying to have her sign an $8.5 million non-disclosure agreement related to her allegations of abuse against her ex. In court documents filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday, July 25 and obtained by PEOPLE, lawyers for Jolie, 49, argued in support of a recent motion to compel Pitt, 60, to disclose personal communications, which Pitt’s lawyers described as “wide-ranging and intrusive” in a separate filing.

In 2022, Pitt sued Jolie for selling her stake in Château Miraval, the winery they co-owned, alleging she violated a prior agreement that neither would do so unless the other person approved. The pair have also engaged in a separate legal battle related to the custody of their children, half of whom have now reached legal age: Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and 16-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

In the new court documents, Jolie’s attorneys said that Jolie “was not acting with malice and the intent to hurt Pitt in response to any custody ruling” when she sold her share of Miraval in 2021.

“Instead, it was Pitt who refused to buy her interest unless he received his newly expanded NDA, enforceable by an $8.5 million holdback specifically designed to force her silence about his abuse and cover-up,” the court documents read. PEOPLE has reached out to Jolie and Pitt’s representatives..

Jolie’s attorneys additionally said, “While Pitt advances what is effectively an outdated privacy-of-domestic-violence argument to shield his abuse, his argument is not the law, at least not in this century, and he cites no authority that would give him such unwarranted protections,” the court documents read. “In any event, he waived any privacy protections when he sued Jolie.”

In court documents obtained by PEOPLE on July 15, Pitt’s attorneys asked for Jolie’s motion to be denied. They alleged that Jolie wanted him to produce communications “about such sensitive issues as therapy he voluntarily undertook” in the wake of the 2016 family plane ride that led to their divorce, even after Pitt volunteered to produce “documents sufficient to show everything that occurred on the flight.”

Jolie’s attorneys noted in the July 25 court documents that Pitt “contends that he did not use the NDA to attempt to cover up any abuse,” and argued that the actor should be compelled to continue producing documents related to her allegations during discovery in their legal battle.

“Jolie has no desire to litigate these issues and for years never publicly discussed any of it. Rather than appreciate her discretion, Pitt sought to contractually mandate and enforce it,” the documents read. “Because she refused, he seeks to punish her, demanding $67 million plus punitive damages. In so doing, Pitt placed his conduct squarely at issue. While Jolie sincerely wishes Pitt would end this litigation and finally put their family on a clear path toward healing, that cannot happen while Pitt relentlessly pursues her.”

[From People]

“Rather than appreciate her discretion, Pitt sought to contractually mandate and enforce it.” Exactly. While some of Angelina’s side was bound to come out at some point, she really was being discreet for years, all while Pitt publicly maligned her, smeared her and tried to bribe a judge into giving him custody of the children he abused. When Pitt sued her over the sale of Nouvel, all bets were off. Her countersuit was the biggest FAFO moment of this whole long-running saga. Angelina has ample documentation to back up her side. Brad’s documentation will prove Angelina’s side too, which is why he’s in court, trying to argue that HIS conduct has nothing to do with why he wanted to force Angelina to sign an NDA with a seven-figure penalty (which he would hold back??).

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

The right-wing media has already started making some plays against Vice President Kamala Harris. The plays: she’s mean to staff, she spends too much money on her clothes and she’s not really Black. Do I need to draw a map so we can all see where this is going next? Obviously, we’re less than a week from hearing about how Kamala Harris made Princess Kate cry. Don’t ask how! Don’t ask what was said! You don’t need context. Just trust that whenever white folks are trying to convince you that a Black woman is “mean” and “angry” and she “makes white women cry,” it’s all part of a pretty obvious racist agenda against a Black woman. Speaking of, they’re still trying to draw comparisons between the Duchess of Sussex and Kamala Harris – a comparison which I honestly find flattering for both of them, especially given that they’re fans of each other. But of course, it’s all a huge conspiracy for Salt Islanders.

Meghan Markle may be planning a “huge political move” to mark her birthday, according to a royal expert. The Duchess of Sussex will celebrate turning 43 this year – as she reflects on how to boost her career and image among fans, according to a royal commentator. The mum-of-two, who has now reportedly completed filming her new Netflix series centred around friendship and cooking, is set to embark into to political arena, claimed Richard Fitzwilliams.

He told The Sun: “One thing I do see that will come pretty soon, because of the election in the United States, Meghan is very soon I suspect to endorse Kamala Harris. And I think that’s absolutely pivotal, because there’s been speculation for such a long time that she might choose some form of politics. Whether or not the Democratic party would welcome her, and in what way she could be useful to them is quite another matter, especially with the title.

“I think she was thrilled when President Biden had Kamala Harris as his running mate. It’s only logical to see this, I think, coming very, very soon, and it will be very interesting to see whether she gets involved in the campaign, and if so, in what way? I think we can definitely see an endorsement coming, and I think that will be very soon. The possibility of a political career has always been there. It’s always been talked about. She’s always been very articulate on issues, especially those dealing with race gender equality, and so on, which are big issues, especially in the Democratic party.”

[From The Sun]

Speaking as a political watcher AND a royal gossip, I am not waiting for Meghan’s endorsement. I assume she is super-pleased that Kamala Harris is the nominee, and I imagine that Meghan has already donated to the campaign, and perhaps even signed up as a volunteer. That would probably be the extent of it. Maybe a reminder to get out to vote, maybe an interview (if we ever get another interview) where she mentions that she’s obviously voting for Harris. But let’s not pretend that Meghan’s political endorsement would be some huge deal. We know she’s a Democrat. We know she loathes Donald Trump. Now, will Taylor Swift endorse? That’s what I wonder.

Also: this is how stupid these people are and how little they know about American politics or American culture – “Whether or not the Democratic party would welcome her, and in what way she could be useful to them is quite another matter, especially with the title.” The Dem party is not some exclusive club where someone like Meghan would be shunned for… having a title. Meghan could be useful to the Harris campaign, but I doubt either side would be into it.

“The only wrong thing to say is to say nothing.” Thank you, Meghan, for this powerful statement. pic.twitter.com/tDf26TSgNz

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) June 5, 2020

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Instagram.

Chris Evans and Alba Baptista are coming up on their first anniversary next month, and they’re definitely thinking about expanding their brood. They currently have an almost-10-year-old, Dodger, who Chris adopted as a two-year-old, years before meeting his future wife. The couple are keen now to adopt together, but they can’t make up their minds on whether to adopt a puppy or a senior dog. Yes, “dog,” what did you think we were talking about? Chris recently spelled out their predicament to People Mag, while also touting his ongoing partnership with Jinx dog food and a special deal they have right now:

“The question becomes, do we do the puppy route, or do we adopt an older dog?” the Avengers star, 43, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Anytime you see one of those stories about some eight or nine-year-old dog that gets adopted who’s had a rough life, it just kills you. And so, to some degree, that’s kind of what we’ve been thinking.”

While welcoming a new pet has been “on our mind,” says Evans, the couple hasn’t acted on the urge yet.

As for when they might pull the trigger, “We both need a little bit of downtime for that,” the actor says. “We’ve always said, ‘Well, maybe we’ll just go down to the shelter,’ and I’m like, ‘Listen, do you really think we’re going to walk down there and not leave with at least one dog?’ There’s no way. So if we make the decision to actually walk in the door, we’re walking out with one.”

Evans is still helping other dogs while he waits for the right time to adopt another pet. The devoted dog dad partnered with Jinx premium dog food brand in 2022. He says the goal is to help dog owners offer high-quality products to their pets.

“Good nutrition for dogs shouldn’t only be for people who can afford it,” he explains.

“At the end of the day, Dodger is the real temperature check for me. He loves it, and that’s all I needed to be a part of this,” Evans adds.

This summer, starting August 1, Jinx will donate 5% of every purchase at Walmart to the United Service Organization (USO) to help support active military members, including the USO Canine Program.

When it comes to Dodger, Evans says the pooch knows how to make him laugh. “You know what he’ll do sometimes, which is so cute? I won’t have eyes on him. Then, you just kind of turn around, and you notice him,” the actor says.

“He’s in the play position where his head is down, his butt’s up in the air, and his tail’s just going behind his head. And it’s the funniest thing in the world.”

Evans acknowledges that it would be easier to get Dodger, who’s turning 10 this year, a canine companion if he could predict the outcome.

“I wish I knew if it’s what he wanted. I wish I could just ask him because he loves being around dogs,” he says. “But when it’s bedtime, if there’s another dog coming in the room, he might be like, ‘Hold on.’ So I don’t know.”

[From People]

“Listen, do you really think we’re going to walk down there and not leave with at least one dog?” That is correct, Chris, you and Alba will not be able to visit a shelter just to take a look. I speak from experience. One Sunday in 2012 I said, “Oh, I’ll just stop by the adoption fair on my way home.” Famous last words. I saw My Girl, I didn’t know if she was a puppy or a senior dog, and I just knew, “Yep, that’s my girl.” A vet estimated that she was around 18 months old, so I didn’t go through the trials of puppyhood with her, but she had been on her own up until the rescue, so I definitely had to work to earn her trust. Now she is a senior dog, and there’s plenty of stress there, too. I speak from experience. In fact, I may or may not have just sobbed my way through a last minute vet appointment because we just started My Girl on her Cushing’s disease medication and four days in My Girl stopped eating food altogether and was throwing up and lethargic and I was thinking, “No no no no no no no nope, My Girl HAS to bounce back from this, we’re not ready,” and luckily the vet gave her some anti-nausea meds and an appetite stimulant and she finally had one small meal since then but yeah, it’s been a long few days…

So, Chris and Alba, there really is no “better” way to go here, vis-à-vis puppy or senior dog. Either one will bring euphoric joy and devastating heartache; welcome to parenthood. I say show up to the shelter and let the dog choose you. And Dodger. Actually just leave all the decision making to Dodger, he will, after all, be in charge of his new sibling.

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Photos credit: IMAGO/Jennifer Bloc / Avalon, Getty and via Instagram/Chris Evans, YouTube/Buzzfeed

I’ve seen some claims that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip – some would say “royal tour” – to Colombia will happen this month. People Magazine hasn’t confirmed that, and neither has sussex.com. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens this month, but I’m also waiting for a real confirmation from their spokesperson or the Colombian government. If they use the same method as the Nigerian tour, they’ll only confirm the dates at the last minute, as a way to screw over the British media. The British outlets are desperate for Sussex content and they’ve probably already applied for visas to Colombia. Anyway, yes, there’s still a lot of hilarious “angst” about how the Sussexes will travel to a country which ensures their safety. Colombia will give them VIP security… and Britain will not. Which is why those palace courtiers are still throwing hissy fits:

The news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are undertaking a quasi-royal tour of Colombia hasn’t gone down brilliantly among Windsor loyalists.

One former courtier told The Daily Beast: “I’m afraid it shows the utter contempt they have for the king and for very long-established ways of doing things. Royal tours have always, always been about diplomacy, building bridges and reinforcing friendships on behalf of Britain. This tour may well have the noblest intentions, but it is clearly not being carried out on behalf of Britain, and yet they still basically portray themselves as British royals. It shows you exactly why the royals want these two kept as far away as possible.”

It is certainly true that the trip to Colombia later this month casts an interesting light on exactly why King Charles III, as many believe, is failing to use his influence to get Harry the automatic protection in the U.K. that he so desires.

The idea of Harry and Meghan doing their mini-foreign tours (as they did in Nigeria earlier this year) is disruptive enough for royal planners, but the idea of the couple being able to touch down in the U.K. and carrying out visits to wherever they wish without running it past the palace is the stuff of true nightmares for the king’s aides.

On social media there is far from widespread understanding that Harry and Meghan are any less royal than, say, Prince William and Princess Kate—Harry and Meghan are celebrities in their own right.

Of course the couple will be kept safe during the tour, but Colombia seems an unlikely choice for travel as it is well known for having one of the highest murder rates in the world. Only this week, sources close to Harry were telling The Daily Beast that the family needs automatic police protection in the U.K. restored—and blame the king for not delivering it.

[From The Daily Beast]

“I’m afraid it shows the utter contempt they have for the king and for very long-established ways of doing things” and “It shows you exactly why the royals want these two kept as far away as possible.” You cannot have it both ways. Either Harry and Meghan are in the institution and they follow the king’s commands and abide by his rules, or they are outside of the institution and they can do things their own way. Pick one and stick with it, I dare you. The anger isn’t just towards Harry and Meghan either – these “Windsor loyalists” are pissed that other countries refuse to shun the Sussexes. King Charles absolutely wants to force Nigeria, Colombia, America, Canada, Kenya, The Netherlands, Germany and every other country to marginalize, ignore or snub the Sussexes. It’s painful to Charles and William that other countries see Harry and Meghan as global humanitarians, VIPs and A-listers.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Over the past year or so, even the royalist media writes about Prince William and Kate like they’re already separated. Have you noticed that? While the cover story – reinforced endlessly by palace briefings – is that William, Kate and their three children absolutely ALL live at Adelaide Cottage together, I strongly suspect that nothing is as it seems. I also suspect that many in the press and the royal institution know that the Wales marriage is in pretty rough shape. I was just thinking about that as I read this curious update in the Mail about how Kate plans to join her husband and children in Balmoral this summer.

The Princess of Wales is set to join the Royal Family at Balmoral this month in what will be her longest journey since her cancer diagnosis, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Prince William and Kate have decamped to the 50,000-acre estate in the Scottish Highlands each summer since their wedding in 2011, but some insiders feared this year could be different due to the princess’s health.

Since the announcement that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy in March, Kate has mostly balanced her time between Adelaide Cottage, their home in Windsor, and Anmer Hall, their holiday home in Norfolk, which are around 125 miles apart. The Princess, 42, also travelled the short distance to London for Trooping the Colour in June and to Wimbledon for the men’s singles final in July, both of which are an hour’s drive from Windsor.

But sources have confirmed to The Mail on Sunday that Kate will join her husband and their three children north of the border this summer.

Her attendance will be seen by many as further reassurance that the princess is making ‘good progress’ after her diagnosis.

In June she told the public in an emotional message she was ‘not out of the woods yet’ and had ‘good days and bad days’, adding that her treatment would continue for ‘a few more months’.

[From The Daily Mail]

It’s not like William and Kate have ever stayed in Balmoral for the length of their summer vacation. They usually only go for about three or four days. Even when QEII was alive, they kept their visits brief. I guess the assumption this year was that William would bring the kids to Balmoral with or without Kate, and now KP is doing the most to ensure that “Kate is missing again” isn’t a conversation. That being said, no one checks for Kate anymore in the summer. She’s spent years going missing for three months every summer, so this seems pretty normal for her. My question is whether we’ll even see Kate before Remembrance Day in November.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red./small>

I’m old enough to remember the sitcom News Radio. That was one of Joe Rogan’s first gigs! He starred on that sitcom with Dave Foley, Maura Tierney, Phil Hartmann and Andy Dick. After that, he hosted reality shows and announced UFC shows. I think the UFC gigs are what shifted everything for Rogan – he became a relatable, muscle-bound bro beloved by a certain toxic male demographic. I just find it useful to go back to the start of everything to see where everything went off the rails. How one f–knut actor became the North Star for incels and douchebags. Rogan currently has a very lucrative and popular Spotify show, but he’s also decided to dip his toe back in the entertainment world. Not acting, but stand-up. Netflix gave Rogan a “comedy special.” It went poorly. The special is called Burn the Boats and it’s his first “special” since 2018. He basically stood up there and ranted about vaccines and transgender folks.

Joe Rogan’s latest special, named “Burn the Boats,” debuted live on Netflix on Saturday night and amplified some of the controversial views he has discussed on his podcast before. Yet he was also self-deprecating about his perceived impact on culture. “That might be misinformation,” he said, as the tag of a joke early on. “Don’t say you heard it from me, because I am known for that sh-t.”

Rogan discussed his skepticism of COVID vaccines early in the special.

“COVID was just so strange,” he said. “And we lost a lot of people during COVID, and most of them are still alive. There’s a lot of people that I don’t f–k with anymore. Before COVID, I would have told you that vaccines are the most important invention in human history. After COVID, I’m like, ‘I don’t think we went to the moon. I think Michelle Obama’s got a d-ck. I think Pizzagate is real. I think there’s direct energy weapons in Antarctica.’ I’m just kidding — I don’t think Michelle Obama’s got a d-ck, but I believe all of that other sh-t.”

Later, he skewered the blowback about COVID discussions on his podcast, saying, “If you’re getting your vaccine information from me, is that really my fault?”

Elsewhere in the special, he followed in the footsteps of comedians like Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais, who have been criticized for jokes about trans people in their specials. Rogan started his similar batch of material with a run of jokes about “pregnant men” and then broadened it to his viewpoint that trans acceptance has been happening too quickly in American culture.

“I’m open-minded,” he said. “I just want to know what happened. It’s almost like a pervert wizard waved a magic spell on the whole world. ‘With a wave of this wand, you can walk into the women’s locker room with a hard c-ck, and anybody who complains is a Nazi. Abracadabra!’ And it just works! And everyone just accepts this new reality, and it’s f–king weird. I just think we need standards. You can’t just put lipstick on and now you can sh-t in the women’s room!”

Later on, he turned his attention to gay men, saying, “I don’t hate anybody. I love everyone. And I love gay men. But I think about gay men the same way I think about mountain lions: I’m happy they’re real, but I don’t want to be surrounded by them. They’re a bunch of dudes who f–k dudes. I don’t like my chances, OK? They’re not unicorns — they’re just men who f–k men. And every man who’s ever lived is a shifty c-m salesman, OK? 100%. Especially the ones who say they’re not.”

[From Variety]

I need a shower after reading all of that. What has always struck me about the “trans panic” and the selective obsession with bathrooms is that all of their supposed concerns are confessions. They’re always talking about what THEY would do if they went into women’s bathrooms (rape), what they would do if they were gay (rape) and what they want to do in their vision of a perfect society (rape without consequences). The anti-vaxx stuff is so… exhausting. We’re apparently still doing it in the year of our lord Beyonce 2024. I have one subtle agreement with Rogan, which is that “vaccine conspiracies” are sort of the gateway-conspiracy for all of the other bullsh-t. If you’re gullible and stupid enough to believe that vaccines are a government conspiracy to implant 5G in your brain, you’re more susceptible to believe that IKEA and Pizza Hut coordinate a trafficking ring.

Sidenote: all of the people screaming about trafficking conspiracies are always so f–king silent about Donald Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Photos courtesy of Netflix.

There are two big indicators of Kamala Harris’s success and the fear her success generates. One, Harris’s enemies have already started to “Meghan Markle” her in the press, itemizing the cost of her jewelry (how dare a Black woman have nice things), claiming she’s mean to staff (she makes white women cry!) and overanalyzing her face, body, laugh, smile and body language. The second indicator is that the knives are out for Doug Emhoff. If they can’t get to Kamala, they’ll try to get Doug.

Doug’s first marriage ended years before he even met Kamala. They’ve both spoken about their meet-cute (they were set up by a mutual friend) and how they fell for each other quickly. Little is known about Doug’s first marriage other than Kerstin Emhoff and Doug still get along well, Kerstin a big cheerleader for Kamala, and Kerstin and Doug’s two adult kids love Kamala and they’re a great blended family. While I accept that there’s interest and curiosity in Kamala and Doug’s marriage – she is running for president after all, it comes with the territory – I do not accept that we need to know intimate details about Doug’s first marriage. Whatever happened, it happened two decades ago and let Kerstin and Doug have their privacy. Well, they came after Doug and there’s reporting about an affair. Doug cheated on Kerstin, and now Doug and Kerstin have both released statements:

Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff acknowledged Saturday in a statement to CNN that he had an affair during his first marriage after the alleged details of the relationship were published by a British tabloid.

“During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side,” Emhoff said in a statement provided exclusively to CNN.

The statement comes after the Daily Mail reported that Emhoff had a relationship with one of his then-young daughter’s teachers, which resulted in the end of his first marriage. The relationship and the circumstances around it were known four years ago to Joe Biden’s vetting committee as Harris was herself going through the running mate process before being picked for the ticket, a person familiar with the conversations told CNN. The person also said that Emhoff had told Harris about the affair well before they got married. The relationship ended years before Emhoff began dating Harris.

The Daily Mail reported that the woman became pregnant and that, according to a close friend, she “did not keep the child.” The woman, whom CNN is not naming, did not return a voicemail on Saturday afternoon looking for comment. Brian Fallon, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, declined comment beyond the statement. Asked whether the campaign was disputing the basic facts reported by the Daily Mail, Fallon also declined comment.

Kerstin Emhoff said in a statement Saturday, “Doug and I decided to end our marriage for a variety of reasons, many years ago. He is a great father to our kids, continues to be a great friend to me and I am really proud of the warm and supportive blended family Doug, Kamala, and I have built together.”

Doug Emhoff has long regretted the circumstances and was aware that they could become public, a separate source familiar with the second gentleman said.

[From CNN]

Yeah, that’s enough information for me. I’m fine with Doug’s statement and Kerstin’s. I hate that Kerstin is being dragged into it too, she’s not running for elected office (and neither is Doug). The optimist in me says that if THIS is the worst they’ve got, then Kamala Harris is in really good shape. Oh, no, VP Harris married a guy who cheated on his first wife. It’s not a flattering story for Doug, but also – people make mistakes, he owned it and it’s between Doug and Kerstin. VP Harris is running against a guy who cheated on multiple wives with multiple women. Donald Trump’s sexual encounter with Stormy Daniels led to hush money, bribery, threats, a criminal trial and felony convictions for Trump.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid, Kamala’s IG.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Jane Pauley, on CBS Sunday Morning, aired yesterday. We knew from the preview clip that the interview would be about parents who have lost children to online bullying and online harm. The Sussexes ended up announcing the launch of their new initiative, The Parents Network, through Archewell. It’s part support group and partly about providing parents with resources and tools for helping their children navigate everything online. You can see Archewell’s package on The Parents Network here – they’ve included stories from parents. Here’s the CBS interview:

The part of the interview which has gotten a lot of attention is when Pauley brings this Archewell initiative back to Harry and Meghan’s personal experiences. Pauley played a clip from the 2021 Oprah interview, where Meghan described her own suicidal ideation. In 2019, when Meghan was pregnant with Archie and she was victim to a national hate campaign – by the media and the Windsors – she was suicidal, and she reached out for help within the institution. They did not help her at all but she was able to get through it, and she and Harry escaped the institution less than a year later.

Meghan said she was surprised that Pauley brought the conversation around to her experience but Meghan understands that there’s a throughline between her suicidal ideation and the issues of online harm, bullying, etc. Meghan said: “When you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey — certainly part of mine — is being able to be really open about it. I haven’t really scraped the surface on my experience, but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way and I would never want someone else to be making those sort of plans and I would never want someone else to not be believed. If me voicing what I have overcome will save someone or encourage someone in their life to really, genuinely check in on them and not assume that the appearance is good so everything is OK, then that’s worth it. I’ll take a hit for that.”

“I haven’t really scraped the surface on my experience.” Yeah, I think that’s true. She was in survival mode for several years, and then she was in “let’s just look ahead, not backwards” mode. Something I think about a lot is that… I cannot imagine how f–king traumatic it was for Meghan to be stuck in the UK for over two weeks around QEII’s funeral. I imagine that was a really triggering experience for her, and I wonder if that made her question if she had really dealt with everything those f–kers put her through.

Screencaps courtesy of CBS.

Henrik Christiansen is a Norwegian distance swimmer partaking in his third Olympics this year. He’s completed two out of his three events at the Paris games, finishing sixth in the Men’s 800m Freestyle and fourth in the Men’s 1,500m Freestyle. Though he hasn’t won a medal (yet), it seems Henrik has found a prize greater than gold, or silver or bronze. What could be better than that? The kid has gone bananas for a chocolate muffin made by the caterers for the Olympic Village. He’s filmed so many TikTok videos declaring his love for the treats that he’s been christened the Muffin Man of the Olympics, a badge he wears with pride. And before any of us make a snide comment about the muffins perhaps not helping his speed in the water, he actually placed better in his second event, one week into muffin-eating the games. I’ll have what he’s having, please.

Do you know the muffin man? No, not the one who lives on Drury Lane, but the Norwegian swimmer enamored with the chocolate muffins in the Olympic Village.

The ultra chocolate muffins are grabbing viral attention at the 2024 Paris Olympics thanks to the numerous TikTok videos made by the Norwegian distance swimmer Henrik Christiansen.

He first posted about the “Choccy muffin” in a July 25 TikTok reviewing food in the Olympic Village, which he gave the now-famous muffins an “Insane 11/10.”

He has posted about the muffins over 10 times since, with many of the videos gathering millions of views and amassing over 287,000 followers in the process. Posting a video on TikTok and using an audio from the movie “Shrek,” Christiansen permanently solidified his Olympic identity as the “Muffin Man.”

“The only Olympic village love story that matters,” one commenter posted on one of his many muffin-based videos.

“i am simply rooting for norway now because of the muffin man and i am not upset about it,” said another commenter.

[From USA Today]

But this is just one man’s opinion. The investigative journalists at People Mag went straight to the source — Sodexo Live!, the company providing all the food for the Olympic Village — to get to the warm, decadent center of this particular muffin:

The most popular baked good in the Olympic Village in Paris isn’t a croissant, pain au chocolat or any other classic French pastry — it’s a double chocolate muffin that’s gone viral on TikTok.

To figure out what makes the treats so irresistible, PEOPLE reached out to Sodexo Live!. The company is responsible for feeding the 15,000 athletes living in the Village.

A representative for the company tells PEOPLE that the goodies — made popular by Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen — are 130g “Maxi” muffins “presented in a tulip cup.”

“It is filled and topped with dark chocolate, featuring chunks of dark chocolate and milk chocolate. This muffin is served daily at the main athletes’ restaurant and at the six takeaway food areas within the Village,” the rep continued.

And the buzz isn’t just happening online — the chocolate muffins are actually flying off of the shelves in the Village, according to Sodexo Live!.

“This dessert is very popular, as around 2,000 chocolate muffins [are] consumed each day at the Athletes’ Village. In total, Sodexo Live! plans to serve 100,000 muffins throughout the Athletes’ Village during [the] Olympic and Paralympic Games,” says the company, which wouldn’t reveal the recipe.

[From People]

Oh, well if it’s a double chocolate muffin we’re talking about, then that explains the lust. And 2,000 of these babies are being eaten by the athletes — per day?! I have to say, I don’t recall any previous Olympics I’ve lived through that have given us so many good food stories! Between Italy’s star gymnast being sponsored by parmesan cheese, and this Norwegian swimmer being cuckoo for Choco muffs, I’m starting to think that maybe I actually have what it takes to become a serious athlete. (Stop laughing.) Henrik Christiansen has one more event left, the Men’s 10km Open Water that will air at 1:30am ET on August 9. Whether or not the magic muffin propels him to a medal in that event, I wouldn’t be surprised if caterers Sodexo Live! tap him for official sponsorship. He’s more than earned it!

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Photos credit Getty and via social media/Henrik Christiansen