The past week has been full of royal drama. There’s one small part of me which wonders if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Colombian tour would have been such a major gossip story if the British media wasn’t hellbent on screaming and wailing about it for an entire week. Not only that, it was clear that the Colombian trip bothered the hell of Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace. BP was issuing talking points about the trip, encouraging royal reporters to downplay and obscure the purpose of the visit and then complain about how they had zero access. Meanwhile, Prince William has been raging and lashing out at reporters – first Roya Nikkhah (who wrote that horrible piece in the Times) and then Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast. I wonder if the palaces had stayed radio silent in the past week, if the Colombian tour would have been several days of good media coverage and not much beyond that. There’s absolutely an element of Streisand-Effect-by-royalist. Anyway, it looks like Vanity Fair got the palace talking points and didn’t feel like playing along. VF subtly pushed back on the royalist narratives in this summary of the trip: “Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have Reinvented the Royal Tour.”

The Duchess of Sussex connected earnestly with a group of regular people in a country other royals might not have been able to visit, at least not in an official capacity, and the scenes were a reminder of what the Windsors are missing now that she and Harry have set up their own court in Santa Barbara. Still, it’s hard to get the images of their days as representatives of Queen Elizabeth II off our minds, and that might be why their recent international travels—including a February trip to Whistler, Canada and a May tour of Nigeria—have felt so familiar.

These recent trips were made at the invitation of government officials, but, as the British media is quick to point out, they are not “official royal tours.” Even though there isn’t a cut-and-dry definition of an official tour, it generally refers to the fact that when working royals travel on the public purse, they are often representing the head of state at the request of the Foreign Office. The traditional royal tour is about diplomacy—managing relationships with the heads of other countries.

The Sussexes return to the road in 2024 is a sign of just how much their ambitions have broadened since they left the royal fold. Over the last few years, they have been collecting experiences and making connections on issues that include veteran’s advocacy, mental health, online safety, and women’s empowerment. Now, they are beginning to call attention to just how important those issues are to people around the world. Call it the next step in their plan for world domination—or at least their path to global policy change.

… But the main focus of the trip was connected to their recent Archewell Foundation push to raise awareness about the harms that children might encounter online and provide support to victims. The centerpiece was a panel where they spoke about their work, and it had a similar format and topics to the one they hosted in New York City in October 2023. In his remarks, Harry mentioned the couple’s shared belief that “information integrity is a fundamental right.”

Over the weekend, The Sunday Times published an in-depth look at Harry’s life and career, with commentary from some of the friends and employees he left behind in the UK who worry that his California lifestyle might not be enough to sate the prince’s ambitions. “What is the purpose of Prince Harry and what is Prince Harry’s purpose?” a former aide told the newspaper. “The work with Invictus is great and fatherhood was the role he most wanted, so perhaps those are enough for him. But everything else is a bit woolly. I always thought he wanted more from life. I can’t help but think he must be wondering, ‘Where do I go from here?’’”

In Colombia, Harry’s answer to that question was on display, and if his former confidants were able to see it up close, maybe they wouldn’t be so confused. In their post-royal work, Meghan and Harry have tried to change up the old royal routine. In May, Afam Onyema, the CEO of GEANCO Foundation who accompanied the couple on their Nigeria trip, told Vanity Fair that their goals are about doing, not just looking. “I was really touched when they said, it’s not just going to be a speech and a photo op. They want to leave something, leave a legacy,” Onyema said. “That’s very important to them, from my experience with them and their team—leaving a legacy and impact and really helping people in direct, tangible ways.”

[From Vanity Fair]

The reference to that Kensington Palace-sourced hit piece masquerading as a “Harry’s 40th birthday” piece is smart – Nikkhah’s piece was an obvious piece of ham-fisted manipulation from the wrathful egg, timed to drop during the Sussexes’ Colombia tour. William was the one who wanted quotes like “Harry’s an angry boy” and “I always thought he wanted more from life.” That’s William beside himself with anger that his favorite punching bag moved out of the country with his beautiful wife. Anyway, “the scenes were a reminder of what the Windsors are missing now that she and Harry have set up their own court in Santa Barbara.” That too was why BP was issuing talking points and furiously trying to diminish Harry and Meghan’s tour. What would happen if people genuinely started asking why the Windsors were incapable of accepting and nurturing Meghan and all she brought to the table. What would happen if people genuinely wished Harry was the heir?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

A few weeks ago, Joaquin Phoenix suddenly pulled out of a Todd Haynes-directed film which was already deep into pre-production. Joaquin pulled out just a few days before he was due on set to begin principal filming. It is an especially crazy thing to do, even more so considering the fact that Joaquin brought the story and concept to Haynes and they developed it together. The story is something like “a closeted gay detective story” and it’s a period piece and the love story was supposed to be very explicit. Joaquin’s sudden withdrawal has left Haynes in an awful spot, not to mention the production companies which already invested millions. The Hollywood Reporter has already done some reporting about the studio/executive outrage over Phoenix screwing over Haynes and the film. Now THR asks: “Can Joaquin Phoenix Be Replaced, or Is Todd Haynes’ Gay Love Story Doomed?”

Joaquin Phoenix has pulled this sort of stunt before. In 2019, he tried to back out of The Joker at the last minute. He did it again in 2021, with Mike Mills’ C’mon C’mon, and again in 2023, with Ridley Scott’s Napoleon. But in those cases, Phoenix ultimately settled down and the movies ended up getting made. Which raises an obvious question: Is there any way the explicit Todd Haynes gay love story that Phoenix supposedly got cold feet over and abruptly exited Aug. 9 — just five days before shooting was scheduled to begin in Guadalajara, Mexico, where sets were already being built and crews were waiting for the Oscar-winning actor to arrive — might somehow also end up getting made?

Rambling Reporter has been hearing all sorts of rumors about eleventh-hour attempts to salvage the untitled project, including reports that Haynes had been contemplating recasting Phoenix’s part. Pedro Pascal’s name has been bandied about, though sources tell THR he’d be an unlikely choice given that Pascal’s schedule is packed until the end of the year with Fantastic Four and The Mandalorian shoots and also because Haynes had already cast Top Gun: Maverick‘s Danny Ramirez as Phoenix’s love interest in the film, which centers on a corrupt L.A. cop in the 1930s who has a torrid affair with a nonwhite male character. “Having two Latinos in the roles doesn’t make a lot of sense,” one talent rep tells THR.

Meanwhile, Rambling hears that Haynes’ producers have been considering hitting Phoenix with a lawsuit to cover lost costs, said to amount to several million dollars. Might that entice Phoenix back to the set? Anything is possible, but it’s unlikely, given that money doesn’t appear to be a problem for the actor these days; he got paid $25 million for the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, which bows at the Venice Film Festival in September.

[From THR]

As I said weeks ago, the reason why there’s not more full-throated, on-the-record backlash against Joaquin right now is because Joker: Folie à Deux is coming out soon. Studios are waiting to see if that film is successful with the powerful neckbeard incel demographic before they completely write off Joaquin. It’s crazy that no one has sued him yet, which makes me wonder if Haynes does feel like there’s a shot at getting Joaquin to change his mind. But it’s also been weeks since he exited – are they still waiting around in Mexico? As for recasting the role… I get that there’s a Hollywood hive-mind and that currently, everyone wants to hire Pedro Pascal for every role, but there are other actors around? It’s completely f–king weird to be like “We should recast this, is Pedro available? Oh, he’s not, well, nevermind.” And of course this all would have played out differently if a woman had pulled this kind of stunt.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Lady Gaga has welcomed a new addition to the family! In a TikTok post earlier this week, Mother Monster combined the adoption announcement with promotional duties, as she showed off the new puppy, her fourth French Bulldog (America’s favorite breed!), in a video while her new song with Bruno Mars played in the background. We don’t yet know the little pipsqueak’s name, or how s/he is getting along with older siblings Miss Asia, Koji, and Gustav. It was also hard to gauge from the eight-second clip how much the floof liked the song, or being filmed, for that matter. The only thing we can verify at this time, is that the pup is frickin’ adorable.

If the world was ending, Lady Gaga would want to be next to her adorable new puppy.

The 38-year-old debuted the precious French Bulldog Puppy on TikTok Aug. 21, cupping the tiny dog in her hands as she lip synced to her new collaboration with Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile.”

The tri-color Frenchie has a dark gray body with a light brown snout and eyebrow-shaped spots over his eyes. Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, didn’t reveal the little cutie’s name, but she did caption the video with a simple snowflake emoji.

The Joker: Folie à Deux actress also showcased her newly made over look in the clip, rocking her black hair, bold blue eyeshadow, and bright red lipstick, giving her a very Harley Quinn-esque look.

In the comments section, Dylan Mulvaney wrote, “Need to meet them immediately,” to which Gaga replied, “Our new Queen.”

Gaga has a long history with French Bulldogs. She’s also the owner of an all-black Frenchie named Miss Asia, a fawn-colored cutie named Koji, and a white pup with black spots named Gustav.

Though the Grammy winner used to feature her pets regularly on social media, that all changed in 2021 when her friend and dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was shot when robbers stole two of the singer’s beloved dogs, Koji and Gustav.

[From E! Online]

Yeah, Gaga’s makeup in the video does err on the side of “clown,” so that combined with her playing “Die With A Smile” reinforces my belief that the song is for Joker: Folie à Deux. Why they wouldn’t say that from the beginning, I cannot say. But enough about that, we’re here for the floof! The little piglet whose ears are bigger than their paws! Maybe the name is Dumbo!! I guess Gaga figured getting ready to premiere a big movie, release her next studio album, and plan a wedding was the perfect time to train a new puppy. (JK, JK, I know she has the staff to help out!) After Miss Asia, Koji, and Gustav endured that horrific ordeal with the dognapping three years ago, I’m glad the family has settled enough to expand their brood. May Dumbo (until corrected by the Lady herself, that’s what I’m calling this floof) never have to go through what the older pups did.

Now if I may, an update: I’ve spoken here frequently about My Girl, the Chihuahua-Dachshund rescue who I adopted 11 years ago when she was estimated to be a year-and-a-half old. When we met, we were each on our last legs; she physically, me emotionally. Watching her realize that she was no longer fending for herself, that she had someone taking care of her, and then seeing how that allowed her to relax and blossom into her own person, well that has been the privilege of my life. So it absolutely broke my heart two weeks ago when it suddenly became time for My Girl to cross the rainbow bridge. She was the greatest companion, a girl with presence and personality. I know there will be more pups in my life, perhaps sooner than I realize, but for now, My Girl is quite a lot to get over losing. But the tears are worth it, for all the years of love we shared.

So please give a hug and good scritch to your people for me and My Girl, and that includes you too, Gaga & Dumbo!

Lady Gaga with her new French bulldog puppy pic.twitter.com/utnfbnze00

— celebitchy (@celebitchy) August 23, 2024

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Kenan Thompson’s bit at the DNC was so effective at highlighting the very real threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025. [Jezebel]
Dissecting the timeline of Bennifer’s split. [LaineyGossip]
I love that Alain Delon’s family refused his dying wish. [JustJared]
Gen Z is doing weird things to traditional slang. [Pajiba]
A woman named Samantha Hart has email-name drama. [Buzzfeed]
How did Alex Cooper become this important? [Socialite Life]
I hate this Taylor Swift song so I’m not going to watch the video. [Hollywood Life]
Billie Joe Armstrong brought a fan on stage to sing. [Seriously OMG]
I love Solange Knowles’ style but this Proenza Schouler dress ain’t it. [RCFA]
Tori Spelling & Kristin Cavallari did a commercial together. [OMG Blog]

Over the weekend, the Sun announced – straight from a palace briefing, I’m sure – that King Charles planned to stop paying for Prince Andrew’s private security. I’m a little bit fuzzy on exactly what Andrew’s current security arrangement is, because I’ve assumed this whole time that Andrew still has royal protection officers and that the cost is simply picked up by Charles through the Duchy of Lancaster funds. That was seemingly the arrangement made by QEII for Andrew, but I might be wrong. Andrew might really have “private security” in some sense, I don’t know. In any case, this new move has gone down poorly, because it looks like Charles is putting his brother’s safety at risk because Charles wants him to move out of Royal Lodge. Charles has been trying to get Andrew out of that house for a couple of years now and Andrew refuses to budge. Well, Andrew’s close associates had a lot to say about this:

King Charles has reportedly told the private guards their contract ends in the Fall. A palace insider told The Sun on Sunday: “Everyone is speculating this means the duke will have to leave the Royal Lodge because what other reason could there be to take his security away?”

A very old friend of Andrew’s told The Daily Beast: “It’s very sad that Charles, who has a house for every day of the week, can’t just let Andrew have the quiet enjoyment of his own home. Charles has always been jealous of Andrew and to many of us who know him, and the history of their relationship, the endless briefing to the media about Royal Lodge feels childish. Andrew knows he f***ed up, he has taken his medicine, he has done everything that has been asked of him, he has given up his military associations, his charities, his lobbying but he is not going to give up his kids’ inheritance and move into Harry and Meghan’s old yoga studio.”

“If Charles doesn’t want to pay for security, Andrew will be quite happy to rely on protection from the police, like every other citizen in the country. Where he lives has got nothing to do with it. He is entitled to expect not to be murdered in his bed.”

Another friend of Andrew’s said, “He doesn’t have anything in his life except Royal Lodge. Why take that away?”

Andrew, who once told a royal biographer he wished he had been a plumber, enjoys looking after the house, this friend said, adding: “He likes beetling around the estate and getting the gutters cleaned and the drains unblocked. I think to take that away from him could be counterproductive, because what would he actually do all day? Write his memoirs?”

One authority on Prince Andrew, the author Andrew Lownie, who is currently writing a biography of the prince, told The Daily Beast: “Andrew can quite easily afford to pay for his own security. He inherited a trust fund from the Queen Mother and he is still doing very good business in the Middle East. He made a lot of contacts as trade ambassador and he is now calling in the favors. He has plenty of rich friends and benefactors. Charles is trying to act tough with his brother, who he always had a rivalry with, but it doesn’t seem to me a clever fight to pick, because Andrew has a lease with the Crown Estate, he has lived there for a long time, and he has plenty of money.”

[From The Daily Beast]

I’ve never really picked a side between Charles and Andrew, they’re both completely horrible in different ways, and it’s actually kind of funny to watch their simmering feud. They keep on threatening each other in the media too – Andrew’s argument is basically: if you keep pushing me, I’ll start to tell all of the family secrets too. Charles’s argument is basically: I’m king, you have to do what I say, damn it!

“It’s very sad that Charles, who has a house for every day of the week…” Charles has more homes than that, actually. He’s constantly moving between Highgrove, Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, Birkhall, Balmoral, Castle Mey, Sandringham, Windsor Castle, his place in Romania, and on and on. “Charles has always been jealous of Andrew and to many of us who know him, and the history of their relationship, the endless briefing to the media about Royal Lodge feels childish.” Damn.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.

I’ve believed since the beginning of Robert Kennedy Jr’s “presidential campaign” that the whole thing was a Republican operation. Kennedy was pursued and persuaded to run for president by Republican political operatives. He’s been given tons of free media from right-wing outlets AND mainstream outlets. The whole point was to act as a Ralph Nader-esque spoiler for the Democrats. But as I wrote last week, something’s shifted in recent months and no, I’m not talking about the worm in Kennedy’s brain. I’m also not talking about the dead bear cub which was transported to Central Park by Kennedy in 2014 (presumably at the behest of the brain-worm). What’s shifted is that Kennedy is actually peeling off Republican-leaning swing voters and thus, he’s “hurting” Donald Trump more than the Harris-Walz ticket. So, obviously, Kennedy is going to do what the Republican operatives tell him to do, which is drop out and endorse Donald Trump.

A source close to the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign told ABC News on Wednesday that they “will not confirm or deny” rumors that he intends to drop out and endorse former President Donald Trump at a rally in Arizona on Friday. The Daily Beast reached out to both the Kennedy Jr. and Trump campaigns for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publishing.

Amid the rumors, Kennedy Jr. announced on Wednesday that he will “address the nation” from a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday—the same day and some 30 minutes out from where Trump will hold a rally in Glendale. A potential plan is for Kennedy Jr. to come out with Trump during his Phoenix rally, reported ABC News.

Amaryllis Fox, Kennedy Jr.’s campaign manager, sent a staff-wide email on Wednesday thanking them and writing, “There are a couple potential paths forward, not only two, and I can bear witness to the care, examination that Bobby has invested in the consideration of each,” according to a source familiar with the situation.

A press release for Kennedy Jr.’s address was thin, reading “Independent Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will address the nation live on Friday about the present historical moment and his path forward.”

The event will start at 2 p.m. while Trump’s address to the Turning Points PAC will start two hours later at 4 p.m.

Kennedy Jr’s veep, Nicole Shanahan, seemed to confirm that there were ready to suspend their campaign on Tuesday when she told the Impact Theory podcast: “We run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw more votes from Trump.” She added that they could “walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.”

Shanahan’s comments “absolutely killed fundraising,” according to Kennedy booster Jeff Hays, and have cornered the struggling campaign into dropping out, according to Politico. During Shanahan’s appearance on the podcast, she said that Trump’s “Achilles’ heel” during his presidency was “big Pharma,” adding, “What we’re hearing from the Trump camp (now) is very positive.”

[From The Daily Beast]

While this whole thing is actually disgusting and an indictment of modern American politics, I do find some humor in the situation. Kennedy was never in it to win. He wasn’t even in it to “raise important issues” or move one party in a certain direction. His lunatic issue portfolio is basically “here are twenty bonkers conspiracies about why vaccines are bad.” His whole deal was just ratf–king and trying to hurt Democrats. And he couldn’t even do that, so now he’s going to take his antivaxxer toys home and endorse Donald Trump. Fingers crossed that Trump dumps JD Vance as his running mate and announces Kennedy as his new VP pick. There’s a certain ring to Trump/Brain-Worm ‘24. In all honesty, Kennedy and Trump are birds of a feather, especially with how they treated their (now dead) ex-wives.

BREAKING on @MSNBC:

RFK Jr. plans to end his 2024 presidential bid and endorse Trump.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 21, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Queen Elizabeth II had the sad duty of entertaining Donald Trump and his wife twice during the Trump “presidency.” Trump has always believed that he had some kind of special connection to the Windsors, and he used his “love” of QEII to bash the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, claiming that Harry and Meghan disrespected the queen. Meanwhile, Trump always had a thing for Princess Diana (I’m sure she told him to take a hike) and he’s talked sh-t about Camilla, the current queen consort. But I digress. There’s another new royal book and there are stories about how much QEII hated spending time with the Trumps.

The late Queen found Donald Trump “very rude”, according to a biography of the former monarch. Elizabeth II is said to have “particularly disliked” the way the former US president, whom she hosted twice during her reign, looked over her shoulder as if he was “in search of others more interesting”.

The claims are made in the book Voyage Around the Queen by Craig Brown, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail.

One extract reads: “Over the course of her reign, Her Majesty entertained many controversial foreign leaders, including Bashar al-Assad, Robert Mugabe, Idi Amin, Donald Trump, Emperor Hirohito and Vladimir Putin. She may not have found their company convivial; upon their departure, she may even have voiced a discreet word of disapproval.”

“A few weeks after President Trump’s visit, for instance, she confided in one lunch guest that she found him ‘very rude’: she particularly disliked the way he couldn’t stop looking over her shoulder, as though in search of others more interesting. She also believed President Trump ‘must have some sort of arrangement’ with his wife Melania, or else why would she have remained married to him? For his part, Donald Trump was confident he had been her favourite guest ever.”

[From The Telegraph]

I was looking through the photos we have of Trump’s visits to the UK, and what’s notable now (and it was notable at the time too) was how often QEII pawned the Trumps off on Charles and Camilla. Charles and Camilla were the ones who had to host private dinners for the Trumps at Clarence House and do that kind of entertaining. Anyway, I absolutely believe that QEII thought Trump was a lout and a dumbass, but I don’t buy that she had any particular view of the Trump marriage, and that she would share that view with some lunch guest.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Well, Jennifer Lopez’s fourth marriage is done. People give her a lot of grief about her marriages and divorces, but she’s 55 years old? It’s not like she’s been married back-to-back four times and she’s only 30 years old or something. At least she’s spread them out. The biggest break between marriages was post-Marc Anthony. She needed to heal, she needed to get right and get her career back. She dated that backup dancer for years, then she was engaged to Alex Rodriquez, and then Ben stole her away from A-Rod. Who is next? I have no idea, but I suspect that there will be another one. Maybe not a husband, but definitely a boyfriend. Still, right now, Jennifer is mourning. Sources close to Jennifer previously told People Mag that “she’s very disappointed and sad, but Ben hasn’t given her any signs that he wants to continue their marriage. He hasn’t shown any commitment and interest in making their marriage work. It’s gotten to the point that she just needs to look out for herself.” Here’s a follow-up:

Jennifer Lopez is taking control. Hours after the singer, 55, filed for divorce from Ben Affleck on Tuesday, Aug. 20, a source tells PEOPLE exclusively that Lopez “was done waiting.”

“She tried really hard to make things work and is heartbroken,” adds the source. “The kids are a top priority, as they always have been.”

Multiple sources previously confirmed that Lopez, who’s mom to 16-year-old twins Emme and Max, filed at the Los Angeles County Superior Court and listed their date of separation as April 26, 2024.

Lopez and Affleck — who is dad to Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12 (with ex-wife Jennifer Garner) — have spent much of their summer apart. Another insider close to Lopez tells PEOPLE that the star is ready to “move on” from Affleck, 52.

[From People]

I think she is heartbroken, completely. Watching her stupid This Is Me… Now musical and The Greatest Love Story Never Told documentary, you could see that she genuinely believed that this was it, that this was her last marriage, that Ben was The One. In her mind, she was celebrating the idea that their love was real and they found their way back to each other. Everything fell apart as she was making those projects, I absolutely believe that.

People Mag also confirms that Jennifer began looking for her own separate house in LA in April. She listed April 26th as their separation date, so there was some kind of falling out or fight or something that month.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck first got married in Las Vegas, then on August 20, 2022, they had a second wedding at Ben’s Georgia estate. There’s been some discussion about who wanted what – my opinion and my memory of what went down two years ago was that Jennifer was the driving force for both weddings. While Ben popped the question of his own accord, I do feel like Jennifer wanted to lock it down quickly with the Vegas wedding before he got cold feet. The Georgia wedding was a piece of closure – they were originally supposed to get married in Georgia nearly twenty years beforehand. Well, J.Lo chose the second wedding anniversary to file for divorce from Ben. It was a long time coming, and Ben had been checked out of the marriage for most of this year. But Page Six’s sources now say that Ben actually began to check out of the marriage on the honeymoon. The f–k??

The honeymoon was over just as it started …Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s relationship issues began on their honeymoon in Lake Como, Italy, a source familiar with the situation tells Page Six. The couple’s honeymoon included numerous public outings packed with PDA and shopping — and, yes, there were of course cameras capturing it all.

“He was unhappy with paparazzi following them. She is an international superstar, and he acted like it came as a surprise that they would be followed around,” the source said. When they weren’t in front of the cameras, “They would barely speak to each other during what was supposed to be the happiest time of their life. He sold her on him being a changed man, and that lasted a very short time,” our source claimed.

Another insider told us Affleck finally came to his senses about their renewed puppy love, once his sobriety “started to settle in with normality.”

When they started seeing each other again, “He was just getting sober … He was in a vulnerable state, and whatever their chemistry played into that … He was in this frenzied, excitable state,” the insider said. Affleck has been open about his struggles with alcohol in the past. He’d reportedly last returned to rehab in 2018.

The whirlwind romance soon wore off once he adjusted to his sober life. Affleck started craving more privacy, and he could no longer take Lopez’s level of celebrity, according to the insider. “He doesn’t want [the entourage] and all the drama that comes with that in his home,” the source said.

[From Page Six]

I felt like Page Six was talking out of their ass so I actually looked back into the 2022 archives. I had no memory of a “honeymoon in Como.” What happened is that after the Las Vegas wedding, Ben and J.Lo took their kids to Paris and they had a family vacation/honeymoon in France in July 2022. Then Bennifer had their second wedding in Georgia in August 2022, and after that, Ben and Jen went on a no-kids honeymoon in Como. They got pap’d constantly on the Paris trip (the photos were amazing, honestly), but the Como honeymoon was relatively low-key. There were some long-lens pap photos when they went out to dinner, but beyond that, we actually didn’t see much of them?

All of which to say, I think J.Lo’s fame was a factor, just as I think Ben’s sobriety was a factor. But their marriage failed for a variety of reasons, reasons which were compounded when Ben basically decided he was over it and he stopped trying.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Embed from Getty Images

As soon as I saw how effective Governor Tim Walz was in interviews, I knew that he would likely be Kamala Harris’s top choice for VP. I was right! Walz is a happy, joyful warrior. He has the kind of liberal and progressive credentials that Democratic voters love. He has the kind of backstory that swing voters love too – his military service, his years as a teacher and a coach, a longtime supporter of the Second Amendment, a hunter, a sports bro. He has it all! I was so moved that his former students – including the championship-winning football team – were the ones who introduced him:

What’s so lovely is that America has not only been introduced to Tim Walz, but we’re being introduced to his amazing family. Gwen Walz is a former teacher too, and they have two amazing kids, Hope and Gus. Gus has special needs. The way Gwen and the kids support Tim is amazing. Gus shouting “that’s my dad” and the visible emotion on all of their faces… magical.

There’s a lot of talk about how “Coach Walz” showed up and something about how this is all a Ted Lasso plotline. The Harris campaign is really leaning into that branding hard, with Kamala calling him “Coach” on the campaign trail, and Walz treating campaign events like pep rallies. I believe. I believe that we. I believe that we will win!!

You know you’ve done well as a parent when your kids are as proud of you as Gus and Hope are of Tim Walz. “That’s my dad.” No three words better describe our next Vice President. pic.twitter.com/zNOyBjo5Fy

— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) August 22, 2024

It’s striking to see Tim Walz’s wife Gwen and kids Gus and Hope overcome with emotion – bawling their eyes out as their father takes the stage. These are ordinary people. Down to earth.

Can you imagine Melania and the rest showing that much genuine affection for Donald? pic.twitter.com/KbTl81Ww5h

— Arlen Parsa (@arlenparsa) August 22, 2024

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty.