Thank you to all of the royalists who tweeted this story at me, but… I don’t believe it. According to the Evening Standard, the Duchess of Sussex met with Michelle Obama last night in London. Michelle is in London as part of her book tour – Becoming is one of the biggest publishing successes of the year – and Meghan was allegedly there for Michelle’s speech at the Royal Festival Hall. Then Michelle and Meghan met privately after Michelle’s speech, according to sources. And there are no photos of any of this?

The Duchess of Sussex held a “power meeting” with Michelle Obama in London last night to discuss their shared causes such as boosting girls’ education, the Evening Standard has learned. The conversation between two of the most high-profile women in the world followed the former US first lady’s “inspirational” sell-out speech at the Royal Festival Hall, which Meghan attended.

A friend who was also at the event said Meghan “had a long private audience with Michelle. They spoke at length about the importance of supporting and empowering women across all cultures and communities. They also talked about shared experiences of pregnancy and raising children, plus shared causes including girls’ education.”

The friend added that the duchess and Mrs Obama had formed a strong bond and were expected to stay in close contact. Prince Harry has met the Obamas on a number of occasions. In 2015 he visited America to promote the Invictus Games and last year Harry interviewed Barack Obama in his role as guest editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

[From The Evening Standard]

Michelle has already seemed open to meeting Meghan and advising her, as just this week, Michelle spoke about Meghan in her Good Housekeeping interview. I think it’s totally possible that Meghan and Michelle have met or will meet in the near future. I’m just not sure if I believe this story, where seemingly NO ONE ELSE saw them together or took photos of them or anything? Come on.

Photos courtesy of WENN and Avalon Red.

I have been skeptical of Brie Larson from the moment she was announced as Captain Marvel. Not anything against her, personally, just that she’s too young, and wasn’t the most interesting name in the mix. Well, guess what? I TAKE IT ALL BACK. I am sold on Brie Larson as Carol Danvers. You know what d…

A post shared by Kate Upton (@kateupton) on Sep 14, 2018 at 8:11am PDT

Kate Upton has a new on-demand workout service that she’s started with her trainer, Ben Bruno. (It’s called “Strong 4 Me” and it’s a 12 week program that costs $65. This is not an advertisement for it, it’s not an affiliate post either, I just wanted to cover this interview and thought that the cost should be upfront.) Kate just had her first baby less than a month ago, so she’s really hitting the ground running with this program. She talked to People Magazine about the fact that she’s working out to feel healthy and not to fit into a certain dress size. Kate, 26, got her start as a more “voluptuous” model (I put that in quotes because that term is extremely relative in her industry) so I believe her. She also said that her trainer isn’t so punishing that she can’t walk the next day. I work out on my own so I forget how hard it can be to work out with a trainer, but they can really wreck you if they go hard.

“My perspective on working out has changed from wanting to fit into a certain dress size and hit certain measurements, to working out to feel healthy, strong, and energized for my lifestyle,” Upton, 26, tells PEOPLE. “It is rewarding to have a routine that I can keep up consistently and something that is not a quick fix or fad.”

“My favorite thing about Ben is his practical attitude towards fitness,” Upton says. “He doesn’t make workouts so hard that I can’t walk the next day or don’t have enough energy to make it through the day. But, they’re extremely effective and have amazing results! I think that’s key to keeping up a consistent workout routine.”

“When I started strength training with Ben, it was easy to commit to our program because of its balance of strength training, cardio, and rest,” she says.

“For me, it’s all about feeling good,” she says. “When I’m eating healthy and staying active, I feel the best about myself and my body. That’s why consistency through a sustainable, practical program is key for me.”

[From People]

I only get very sore every two to three months, when I try to switch up my workouts and realize that my muscles aren’t up to it. I try to take it as a positive thing, but it’s annoying and it can keep you from doing your regular workouts for a few days. The last time I couldn’t walk was years ago, and it was so bad I was wincing going down stairs. As for working out to fit into a certain dress size, there’s nothing wrong with that, or with having a specific number in mind for your weight. I am a numbers person, I weigh myself every day and I try to stay at a certain weight. Some people call that disordered, and it can be I have to watch it, but it helps me stay where I want to be. It can be a marketing strategy for fitness companies to say “just be healthy for you, embrace who you are,” but it’s a welcome change from some of the shaming and conformist trends of the past. Kate’s program is focusing on the right things. Working out should be rewarding and affirming, not punishing and punitive.

A post shared by Strong4Me Fitness (@strong4mefit) on Oct 25, 2018 at 8:10am PDT

A post shared by Justin Verlander (@justinverlander) on Nov 14, 2018 at 3:30pm PST

Avoiding strength training because you don’t want to bulk up is so 1990. Lifting weights and resistance training is a proven method for women to slim down, find strength, and turn their bodies into metabolic powerhouses. #Strong4Me ????????? • ????????? • ????????? • #Strong4MeFitness #lookstrong #feelstrong #bestrong #beconfident #KateUptonFitness #KateUpton #strengthtraining #fitness #fitnessprogram #fitnessmotivation #motivation #workout #workoutwherever #sustainablechanges #loveyourbody #fitnessmotivation #fitnessmotivation #transformation #stronglikeagirl #stronglikeawoman #strongwomen #myperfectbody #fitnessanywhere #fitspo

A post shared by Strong4Me Fitness (@strong4mefit) on Oct 17, 2018 at 7:40am PDT

How many comebacks does it take to actually come back?

Lindsay Lohan’s team (cut to Dina Lohan swigging from a bottle of unoaked chardonnay) hasn’t exactly worked out the numbers yet. We have covered Lindsay’s fits and starts several times. Lindsay’s career burnout and downfall is in no way excep…

For a few months, Khloe Kardashian’s hair has been pretty bad – it looked like she was growing out some badly damaged dye job, or maybe she was just going for a weird ombre look, but her inches-long roots were very dark, and then the bottom half of her hair was a damaged honey-color. I would have loved it if Khloe decided to go really dark, because I think brown hair suits her. But she did not. She went platinum blonde for Christmas:

Khloe Kardashian and True are getting into the holiday spirit. https://t.co/fZDjrBWH2a pic.twitter.com/2pHc2L9OA4

— E! News (@enews) December 4, 2018

Thoughts? True is adorable. And Khloe’s hair looks f–ked. I was actually surprised by how the white-blonde doesn’t really change the way Khloe looks though -some women go platinum and they look like completely different people. Khloe looks the same, just blonder. It’s going to be a bitch to maintain though.

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A post shared by Khloe Kardashian (@khloesnapchats) on Dec 2, 2018 at 1:07pm PST

Photos courtesy of WENN, Khloe’s social media.

Terry Crews has been a big voice for the #MeToo movement. Terry was assaulted at a party by an agent at William Morris Endeavor. On the advice of his wife, Rebecca King-Crews, Terry refrained from physically confronting his assaulter and instead, spent the next year pursuing the matter legally and through the press. Obviously, the ordeal was taxing on Terry and his family, but he knew he had to do it that way because Terry knows too well what happens when the alpha male mentality takes over. Terry spoke at the Teen Vogue Summit about his past of toxic masculinity, how he’s learned to listen to the advice of others as well as the importance of apologizing.

Terry Crews opened up on Saturday about why he decided to reveal his molestation during the #MeToo movement last year and how he insisted on accountability for his alleged attacker.

At the “Man Up: Unpacking Masculinity” panel at the Teen Vogue Summit in Playa Vista, the actor spoke about toxic masculinity and why he needed to hold WME agent Adam Venit accountable after he allegedly molested Crews in 2016 by squeezing his genitals at a party.

“I think as men, what we need to do is to say, ‘We’re sorry.’ Then we need to concede, and then we need to be accountable,” Crews said. “The person who molested me in 2016, I had already forgiven him. That wasn’t the point. The point was like, ‘Wait, wait, you’re telling me you can just do it? You’re telling me, wait, it’s okay? You’re not going to do anything?’ He’s like, ‘No, I said I was sorry.’ I said, ‘But you’re not going to correct this? I’m giving you guys millions of dollars and you’re going to sit here and say, ‘Well, Terry, you’re less of a human being right now. Just a little bit less. Just say it.’ I’m, like, ‘I’m not saying that.’”

“It can’t go unsaid that the inspiration every step of the way was started by the women who came forward first,” Crews added.

The Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor said he was indoctrinated into toxic masculinity throughout his career in the NFL and in entertainment, so he also had to hold himself accountable.

“I’ve been involved in some of the most competitive, toxic environments you could probably ever be in. I mean, it’s really bad. But I was also a card-carrying member. I’m guilty,” Crews said. “Toxic masculinity wants you to do what I say. It’s domination. And I was part of that.

He continued: “The problem with this country is that the South has never conceded. It never said, ‘We lost.’ Never. And you will always have a problem without concession. Men need to concede. I, Terry Crews, had to concede. I had to say, ‘I got this wrong,’” he said while choking up. “‘I didn’t do it right.’ I had to correct. I had to make sure it’s not only apologies; it’s about accountability. I had to be accountable to my family, to my wife, to people that I did wrong in the past.”

“In regards to my experience just over the course of the last year, my support has been from black women … which was expected,” he said. The actor pointed to the hyper-masculine standards for black men, like when rapper 50 Cent posted on Instagram to mock Crews’ experience with sexual assault, doubting that Crews could be assaulted.

“The truth was, I understand where he was coming from,” Crews said. “If I would have picked [my attacker] up and threw him out the window, does that mean I wasn’t assaulted? I’m still assaulted. … The problem, this is the hard part, is that if I got assaulted, anyone could. And that’s not acceptable.”

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

Terry gives women the credit for fighting sexual assault. He knows how much attention his case has brought to the #MeToo movement and doesn’t take that responsibility lightly. It’s yet another example of how much Terry has evolved from his former mentality. He also spoke of how his outlook changed while raising his kids. Terry has children aged 11-32 and mentioned that his oldest daughter grew up in a very different household than his younger children. Although he’s made amends and I’m sure his children are proud of his evolution, I imagine his prior behavior weighs heavily on him.

Terry’s point about about our culture of not conceding really hit home for me. Both my husband and I were raised in households that rarely admitted they were wrong and it was the hardest pattern I’ve had to change. The first time my husband conceded to me on something, I was truly able to forgive him. So I adopted the same idea and it’s a struggle, but it’s so important. Almost everything I’ve learned about myself as an adult has stemmed from being able to admit when I’m wrong. I really appreciate Terry putting this all out there. He is such a champion.

Only five and a half weeks until Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s air date, y’all!

I could write an entire post about my love for this outfit!

Photo credit: WENN Photos

Dear Gossips,

So it wasn’t just a Vogue wedding for Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas. It was also a PEOPLE and HELLO! wedding, with both of those publications actually getting the first exclusive shots of the wedding photos… just like it was with Amal and George Clooney. Vogue had the exclusive fo…

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hosted a Christmas party for RAF families at Kensington Palace this year. The Christmas partying doesn’t stop at the palace – Will and Kate are due to travel to an RAF base in Cyprus to throw another holiday party for RAF personnel and their families. Today’s party included RAF personnel and their families from the RAF bases at Coningsby and Marham.

Kate seemingly wore a new outfit – or new-to-us – which had a holiday vibe. The Emilia Wickstead skirt is red plaid, and reminiscent of a comfy blanket. The black cardigan is Brora. I would wear that cardi, and I rarely say that about Kate’s clothes. But I love a good cardi. The black boots are a nice touch too – the outfit would have looked unbalanced if she just wore black flats or nude heels. The whole ensemble feels Christmas-y without bashing us over the head with cuteness.

Meanwhile, an “insider” told the Telegraph’s Camilla Tominey that it seems likely that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will actually stay at Anmer Hall this Christmas, rather than stay at the main house in Sandringham. The insider said:

“Harry and Meghan really enjoyed staying at Anmer Hall last year, especially spending quality time with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and there’s no reason why they won’t want to do the same this year, especially as Meghan is going to be heavily pregnant. It’s the best of both worlds in that they can take part in all the festivities at the big house, while retreating into their own space when needed. There would be total astonishment if Harry and Meghan don’t stay with William and Kate.”

[From The Daily Mail]

Considering all of the shady stories about how Mean Meg made Poor Kate cry LAST Christmas, I would be shocked if Meghan and Harry did stay at Anmer Hall. But maybe this is a Cambridge play too – wage a campaign against mean, horrible, diva Meghan and then (again) Will and Kate get to look conciliatory and peacemaking by inviting Harry and Meghan to Anmer. Then Harry and Meghan look petty if they refuse.

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Photos courtesy of Getty.

I always forget that Kim Kardashian and Cher are friends, or that they’re somewhat friendly. It’s the Armenian-American connection – Kim and Cher are two of the most famous Armenian-Americans, and Cher takes it as a compliment whenever Kim copies one of Cher’s old looks, or whatever. Anyway, Kim and Kanye West attended the opening of Cher’s new Broadway musical, The Cher Show, last night. They were by far the biggest “name” guests at the show, and it would have been a nice story about Kimye coming out to support a legend like Cher. Unfortunately, Kanye was on his phone the whole time, and even one of the stars of the show noticed:

Kanye West attended the first night of Broadway musical “The Cher Show” alongside Kim Kardashian West, but it’s up in the air whether he actually got anything out of the performance. According to Jarrod Spector, who plays Sonny in the production, West was on his cell phone during the show. Spector called the rapper out in a tweet Monday as the opening night performance took place.

“Hey @kanyewest so cool that you’re here at @TheCherShow!” he wrote. “If you look up from your cell phone you’ll see we’re doing a show up here. It’s opening night. Kind of a big deal for us. Thanks so much.”

West responded a few hours later and apologized for his “lack of etiquette.”

“To Cher and the Cher show team,” his tweet reads. “The dynamics of Cher and Sonny’s relationship made Kim and I grab each other’s hand and sing ‘I got you babe.’ Please pardon my lack of etiquette. We have so much appreciation for the energy you guys put into making this master piece.”

[From Variety]

I seriously cracked up at “master piece.” It should be masterpiece. “Master piece” makes it sound like Kanye found a really good piece. Also: ever since Kanye’s meltdown in the Oval Office in October, I think Kim has had all of Kanye’s social media passwords – I think Kim has put herself in charge of his accounts, and Kanye isn’t allowed to tweet all by himself anymore. As for the cell phone usage… it’s so wasteful. I realize Kim and Ye got these tickets for free, but I’ll never understand why people buy tickets to a show or a movie and then spend that time on their phone.

the dynamics of Cher and Sonny’s relationship made Kim and I grab each other’s hand and sing “I got you babe”
please pardon my lack of etiquette. We have so much appreciation for the energy you guys put into making this master piece.

— ye (@kanyewest) December 4, 2018

Photos courtesy of WENN.

The current smear campaign against the Duchess of Sussex reminds me of the smear campaign against her over the summer, when British outlets were paying Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle for “exclusives” in which they continuously insulted and denigrated Meg, and then the same media outlets ran stories about what Meghan could and should differently, how she should handle all of the emotional abuse from her family, and how SHE was the one who needed to change her behavior. The same thing is happening now: Meghan is the victim of an abusive smear campaign, and again, the same outlets are running stories about what Meghan needs to do to change. According to the Sunday Times’ sources, Meghan needs to be like the Countess of Wessex and spend more time with the Queen.

She’s reportedly experienced a rift with the Duchess of Cambridge and is enduring uncomfortable rumours about being demanding with staff. But according to royal insiders, the Duchess of Sussex, 37, could easily navigate her way out of these troubled waters by using her husband’s aunt Sophie Wessex as her role model.

According to The Sunday Times, courtiers have been citing Sophie, 52, as an example of someone who endured a difficult beginning in the royal family, but is now one of its stalwarts after building a close bond with the Queen. The source said: “She will go over for a chat, or take the children to watch some TV with her. She has built up that relationship, now they are incredibly close and discuss everything. Meghan doesn’t need an invitation — this is a family, after all.”

And sources say that the monarch is open to lending her support to pregnant Meghan.

‘Her Majesty has seen it all and could offer the duchess some helpful advice at the moment,’ an insider said. ‘Meghan would do well to nurture that relationship and pop over for the occasional cup of tea with the Queen. That is what Sophie Wessex has quietly done so well.’

[From The Daily Mail]

The Countess of Wessex is very close to the Queen – many have argued that Sophie is probably the closest to the Queen out of all of the Queen’s daughters-in-law (past and present). Sophie treats the Queen like a surrogate mom, and asks for advice about everything, and the Queen genuinely seems to lean on Sophie emotionally a bit. It would be odd, I think, if Meghan came in and tried to mimic that relationship. But of course Meghan could and should try to spend more time with the Queen. And then when that happens, a whole new fury will be unleashed in the British media: who does this “uppity Yank” think she is, asking the Queen for advice over tea, etc.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.