Intro: Minutes 0 to 8:30
We will be off next week and back on February 7. I went to the eye doctor and finally need bifocal glasses as well as readers over my contacts. I feel old but at least I can see now. We’ve been getting a lot of snow and feel so bad about our friends in Texas who are suffering without water and power. You can listen below!

Royals: Minutes 8:30 to 26:15
We had huge royals news this week with the announcement that Harry and Meghan are expecting their second child. They released a beautiful black and white outdoor photo, where Meghan is lying against Harry and he’s looking at her adoringly. Chandra thought Meghan might be pregnant when she got an extension on her trial. Lainey pointed out that their photo is very similar to a scene in Notting Hill. Of course royal commentators complained about them asking for “privacy,” because they don’t understand consent.

Harry and Meghan also announced that they’re doing an interview with Oprah which will air as a 90 minute special on March 7th! Meghan just won her summary judgment against the Mail on Sunday, announced a pregnancy and then an interview with Oprah. I think Meghan planned it all perfectly but Chandra points out that the summary judgment was just serendipitous timing. I give a quote from a Guardian oped Chandra linked in an article.

After that, the British press started acting like Oprah was a tabloid talk show host when she’s beloved and massively influential around the world. They also made it sound like Oprah was desperate for this interview when that’s definitely not the case.

There’s been so much hype ahead of Harry and Meghan’s interview when it will likely be a situation similar to Finding Freedom – the hand-wringing and the hype won’t match up with the actual substance of what they reveal. I think that it will be similar to their African Journey documentary and that they’ll just focus on how they feel and were affected without giving many details. Chandra wonders whether they will spill some tea, because Oprah is great at probing people. I play a segment from Zoom where Karen, Courtney and Ameerah talk about this.

Chandra thinks that Oprah will be able to get Meghan to open up. We have a lot of respect for Oprah’s interviewing skills.

Minute 20:30: We heard that Harry and Meghan’s patronages would be stripped from them by the royal family. (This happened on Friday after we recorded.) We also heard that Harry would be stripped of his honorary military titles, and that he won’t even be able to wear his military uniforms in public! Prince Andrew has kept his military titles and patronages.

I like what Chandra wrote about the article about Prince William being concerned about the interview instead of ragey as usual. She wrote that there are “three standards which get played every time there’s a big breaking story about Harry and Meghan. ‘The palace was blindsided by the news,’ ‘Meghan made someone cry’ and, the most important one, ‘Prince William is incandescent with rage at the news.‘”

Minute 23:45: Prince Philip went into the hospital and was in two nights as of this recording. Chandra thinks it’s been hard for him being relocated from Wood Farm to Windsor Castle at his age.

Chandra got a follow on Twitter from a royal columnist for the Daily Mail.

User Feedback: Minutes 26:15 to 27
Thanks Zakia and Gil for your nice comments. Also thank you to Lisa from the Eat, Pray, Britney podcast for talking to me last week!

Comments of the Week: Minutes 27 to 30
My comments of the week are from Rapunzel and Becks1 on the post about Salma Hayek saying her billionaire husband is discriminated against because he’s rich. We remember when Salma’s husband got with Linda Evangelista and had a baby with her around the same time he was with Salma. Salma lives in London with her daughter and a pet owl. In an interview I covered she made it sound like she’s not living with François-Henri or at least not sleeping in the same room as him.

Chandra’s comment of the week is from Mika Rekai on the post about Oprah allegedly working for three years to get the interview with the Sussexes.

Thanks for listening bitches! Text us or leave a voicemail at 434-218-3219.

Photos credit: Avalon.red and via Instagram. Music credit: A.A. Alto, Meydan and via Premium Beat and Sound of Picture

Just to be completely clear, Buckingham Palace and the royal press pack have completely lost their everloving minds about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s statement of fact that “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.” This has been branded “rude” and “disrespectful” and as the verbal equivalent of Harry spitting on his grandmother. It’s worth analyzing this controversy alone, because I feel like Americans don’t get why “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal” is being interpreted in such a vile way. The simple fact is that for the Windsors, service is duty, duy is a birthright, and the Queen is the gatekeeper of duty and service. The Windsors believe that duty must be met with grim hatred, because of the devil’s bargain: they get palaces and jewels and white privilege, but in exchange they have to “serve.” That’s why everyone is so mad at the Sussexes: they’re saying f–k your palaces, f–k your jewels, f–k your privilege, we can serve without your say-so and we can serve because we actually enjoy helping people, that service to one’s community is a joy, tha service is not just the transactional exchange of royalty.

Prince William absolutely believes that service is duty, and that the Queen is the gatekeeper of duty. William absolutely believes that service is awful, that it’s something to be avoided, that he has every right to be filled with rage, contempt, angst and boredom at the thought of a prescribed life of service. So as you can imagine, William is full of rage about the Sussexes’ statement:

Prince William was left furious and saddened by Meghan and Harry’s parting shot at the Queen and believes the couples’ final statement was ‘insulting, disrespectful and petulant’, it was claimed last night. The Duke of Cambridge has been ‘shocked and saddened’ at his brother’s behaviour towards the monarch the sources told the Sunday Times – after Harry and Meghan were stripped of their royal patronages and Her Majesty suggested a ‘life of public service’ is not compatible with the couple’s lucrative new career in America.

Courtiers and other members of the family were equally upset by the tone of the pair’s response – released just minutes after the Queen’s announcement – in which they argued ‘service is universal’. But the row has now placed even further strain on the relationship between the brothers, with some in the Palace claiming it is the most serious royal rift in decades.

William, 38, has struggled to accept the concept of Megxit and now feels there is added pressure on him with Harry turning his back on the UK. The Times sources said William believed the Sussexes statement was ‘petulant and insulting to the Queen’ and he was left ‘really sad and genuinely shocked’ and is ‘very upset by what has happened’.

While other Royal sources said: ‘Don’t disrespect your granny, Harry’ and ‘You don’t answer the Queen back — it’s just not done.’

Explaining the Queen’s position on what constitutes public service, an informed insider said last night said: ‘People need to be able to look you in the eye and know that you are here for them, not filming a Netflix documentary. Being a Royal is all about public service, not serving yourself. If public service is not your primary purpose, and making money is, then it’s impossible to represent the Queen.’

And a Royal aide said: ‘When someone has dedicated their entire life to duty, as she did on her 21st birthday, she understandably has very strong views on what public duty entails.’

One royal source told the Times: ‘Once [William] he got over the anger of how things happened, he was left with the absence of his brother. They had shared everything about their lives — an office, a foundation, meetings together most days — and there was a lot of fun along the way. He’ll miss it for ever.’ Another friend of the Prince admitted he was ‘still raw’ from the fallout, but insists his relationship with Harry will heal over time.

[From The Daily Mail]

Do you understand now? Do you understand WHY the royals have their panties in a bunch about the very idea that service might be undertaken with something other than angst, grim determination and disgust? Harry and Meghan have exposed the strained transactional relationship between royalty and the public. The Sussexes are showing the world that they can serve without the tit-for-tat, and they can do it out of joy and a genuine desire to help and improve the world. As for William… at some point, maybe one of his Tory advisers will speak up and tell him that it’s not a good look for a nearly 40-year-old man (and future king) to meet every story with rage and tantrums. William looks, as always, like the petulant one, like the tantrum-prone, ill-tempered would-be despot. William can rage all he wants, but he got exactly what he f–king wanted, which is Harry and Meghan out of the country and the spotlight entirely on him.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid and Avalon Red.

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We got a pleasant surprise during Rege-Jean Page’s SNL hosting gig. I mean, did ya’ll see my baby’s daddy? (I don’t plan to be a parent like ever.) Rege-Jean “the god” Page gave us several hilarious performances when he hosted SNL this weekend with special guest Bad Bunny. Not only did Rege show us that he can sing, but our boo thang has great comedic timing. Here are a few of my favorite skits.

Rege-Jean’s opening was hysterical. The smoldering gaze and the absolutely dramatic removal of an eyelash while also trying to pretend he is some noble nerd was so over the top. But what really raised my eyebrows was when Rege began to sing. Did ya’ll know that The DUKE can sing? How did I miss this bit of information? Incidentally, last year he did a song called “Don’t Wait.” as half of the musical duo Tunya. He definitely showed off his musical chops on SNL when he broke into song in his opening monologue:

My favorite skit of the night was when Rege made a cameo in the skit “Loco” where he laid some bars with Edo Nwodim. Edo became every single person in quarantine in the song. It slaps hard and I felt attacked when she was talking to and hugging her plants. But the funniest part was when it was revealed that Edo wasn’t in a nightclub being a bad bitch. Instead Edo was fantasizing about meeting Rege-Jean while sitting on her couch stoned and watching Hitch.

The best cringe-worthy skit of the night was when Rege-Jean and the SNL cast tried recreating some of Bridgerton’s intimate scenes without the intimacy coordinator. Supposedly the intimacy coordinator was out for Covid exposure. So they replaced the intimacy coordinator with some lighting guys or dudes who work on set. The skit was everything that could possibly go wrong on a set when filming love scenes.

And last but not least, watching Rege-Jean return to his, um, roots (no pun intended, his father was a preacher) with the grace skit. My boy Rege is a little stiff in the hips but it was hilarious watching him get into a very African-American cultural moment by turning a grace over food into a song.

A lot of the skits were corny AF but I truly enjoyed watching Rege perform and not take himself so seriously. I think I will be enjoying Rege for many years to come and I cannot wait for season two of Bridgerton. I am also looking forward to other cast members revealing their hidden talents. I know for a fact that Nicola Coughlan can bake. She was on The Great British Bake-Off Holiday edition. You can catch that on Netflix.

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‘

Amanda Kloots lost her husband, Broadway star Nick Cordero, to coronavirus in July. Nick was one of the first celebrities to contract the virus and he was hospitalized for months. Nick and Amanda’s son, Elvis, was born in June, 2019 and was just over a year old when his dad passed. I have a lot of respect for Amanda because I’ve done her workouts (she’s a fitness professional) but more than that because she immediately called out Trump when he made those horrible comments telling people to dominate the coronavirus. We now know more about how Trump was lying at that time and how sick he was. (Not that it matters much since he lies about everything.) We also know how dangerous his followers are so that took some bravery on Amanda’s part. Amanda is now getting pushback online because she instagrammed photos of herself getting vaccinated in Los Angeles. She’s 38 and healthy. Los Angeles County is in phase 1A, they’re only vaccinating healthcare workers and people over 65. Frontline workers and teachers are in phase 1B. Amanda defended herself to People Magazine saying she waited with two friends until all of the other people were vaccinated. Then she and her friends asked if they had any shots leftover and was told that they did.

On Friday, the 38-year-old fitness instructor — whose husband Nick Cordero died in July 2020 after contracting the virus and spending more than 90 days in the hospital — shared on social media that was able to receive her first dose of the vaccine.

In Los Angeles, only essential workers and people over 65 years old are currently eligible to book appointments for the vaccine. Her post prompted a backlash from followers who accused her of jumping the line.

“I think it’s crazy that people are trying to make this a scandalous thing,” Kloots tells PEOPLE exclusively on Saturday.

“Anyone can do what I did,” the mom of one says. “The more arms that we get this vaccine in, the better. I took my chance and went with two of my friends to a vaccination site in east L.A. We waited in a long line and hoped. After all the appointments were finished, we asked if they had any vaccines left, because if they have extra vaccines, they want to put it in arms instead of getting rid of it. And they said, ‘We have extra vaccines for you.’ I immediately got the chills and started crying.”

Getting the vaccine was a special moment for Kloots, especially after losing her husband to the very disease it will protect her from.

“We took a chance like I said, and anyone can try — and the fact that there was some backlash, took away this beautiful and emotional moment for me,” The Talk host tells PEOPLE. “Vaccine shaming should not be happening especially when you are waiting in line and that it would otherwise have been thrown out.”

“I am just happy and extremely grateful that we took a chance, and it could easily not have worked out,” Kloots continues. “We could have been turned away and that would have been fine. People have been doing this and you just have to be willing to wait. Every arm this vaccine goes into is a beautiful thing. We should not be shaming anyone who gets this vaccine that will help America get back on track.”

“I have been terrified since Nick has passed, as a single mother, of getting this virus and now I am one step closer to safety,” she wrote.

[From People]

I have mixed feelings about this. She waited until the end and there were leftover vaccines, which seems fine. Amanda and her friends weren’t taking the doses away from people who needed them. However I don’t think she should have Instagrammed it. So many of us are waiting patiently until our turn comes, and that is taking so much longer than however long she waited in this line. She lost her husband and people should be giving her grace about this. Plus she has a big platform and she could have anticipated the way people would react. I asked my friend Karen, who is a nurse, for a quote about this story. She said “I think people were angry (understandably) about her getting the vaccine even though she wasn’t an essential worker or elderly. She has been affected personally by this virus so I understand her being anxious to get it. However, like she said, she took a chance and was grateful that they had some left over. I don’t think I would have personally posted it on IG.” Exactly!

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Did y’all know that Tessa Thompson is 37 years old?! I found that out as I read her Town & Country cover profile. For some reason – perhaps her beautiful, unlined skin – I thought she was in her late 20s, at most. I also consistently mistake Tessa for a British actress. I always have to check myself with “wait, is she British and just really good at American accents?” I don’t know why I had it in my head that she’s British. She was born in LA and she grew up there and in Brooklyn. She now lives in LA full-time and she graduated from Santa Monica College. She covers T&C to promote Sylvie’s Love, a period romance-drama which she executive produced and stars in. The profile was written by Roxane Gay! Some highlights:

Speaking shortly after the election: “‘How are you?’ feels like a cruel question these days. It feels like things have been turned inside out this year,” Thompson says. The world as it really is, she explains, “has been exposed in all its glory and gore, and maybe there is hope in that, in the sense that some of us are more awake than we have been.”

People expect her to speak about politics & social/racial justice: “We’re living inside this time where there’s an expectation, if you have some measure of a platform, to use it. I’m not sure it’s that useful all of the time. If I have a microphone, maybe the most useful way is just to pass it on to someone that knows more than I do.”

On Sylvie’s Love: “We haven’t necessarily gotten to see ourselves as the romantic leads, and when we have, particularly in period pieces, there’s less focus on the interpersonal, like how hard it is to be two humans trying to love each other. There’s a lot of emphasis on historical context, which is, obviously, wildly important. I was conflicted as to whether it would work, whether you could tell a story like that.”

She doesn’t confirm or deny her bisexuality: No corner of Thompson’s fandom is more passionate than her queer following. Though she doesn’t explicitly identify as bisexual, in a 2018 interview she said she was “attracted to men and also to women.”

Sometimes she needs to be the first person of color to speak: “There’s invariably people in the room that have been silenced. I remember a distinct moment on set. A squeak just came out of me, I didn’t even mean for it to, and then I could see the secret little smile on some of the women around the room, and you realize that there’s a choir of wheels waiting to squeak together. It emboldens folks, and you realize you have support and you’re not squeaking just on your own behalf. You’re squeaking for everybody.”

[From Town & Country]

I like the point she makes about the expectation that she has to speak up about all of these issues simply because she has a name, a platform, a following. And she does speak up when it feels authentic to her. But we should also just let artists of color CREATE without apologies as well. Because that’s the way 99% of white artists operate too – they only use their platforms as activists when they feel like it, and most of the time, they’re just focused on creating. As for her point about “squeaking” – it’s just a reminder of how many meetings there are where only white people (white men, mostly) speak and speak over women’s voices and Black voices. I got the point she was making, but I always get depressed when I think about those meetings and how little really changes.

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Cover and IG courtesy of Town & Country.

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Tara Reid has a longer interview with Entertainment Tonight. She’s promoting a movie that she stars in and executive produces called Masha’s Mushroom. It’s a thriller and co-stars Vivica A. Fox, Beverly D’Angelo and Billy Zane. I went into this thinking that Tara sounds spaced out and like she’s “maintaining,” as Kaiser calls it. That’s when someone is just partially in the bag and is trying to act sober. Tara is a mumbler and it took me a minute to get used to that. However that just might be how she sounds and it could be due to her veneers.

Tara made some good points about how mean the press was to her in the early 2000s. Plus she was really classy and nice about everything, particularly about the incident in 2016 when Jenny McCarthy was mean to her on her show. Tara doesn’t have a DUI or any other arrests and the way she explained it she just liked to have fun. Given how we’re looking at Britney with new eyes, it may be time to re-evaluate Tara. Here’s some of what she told ET’s Deidre Behar and I’ve embedded the interview below.

On how she’s executive producing now
I love acting, it’s my favorite thing to do in the world. Becoming a producer has been so exciting. I didn’t realize how much goes into a film. It was getting slow for me. I was like ‘I’m not going to wait for a script. I’m going to create my own parts.’ I want to be a really good businesswoman. Not just acting and producing. Making my own brands. Getting into the fashion world.

She was asked if it was her goal to win an Oscar or have a number one movie
Definitely winning an Oscar. It would be amazing. Doing a movie with Meryl Streep would be really cool. Having another movie number one at the box office. You do know me well.

On her favorite 2000s memories
More celebrities hung out with celebrities then. I remember walking on the street [in New York] and [I saw myself] on four different covers. Doing the cover of Rolling Stone was really cool too. We had fun going to [events]. Just doing it all together was fun.

On if she’s still in touch with Paris or Kim K
Kim just sent me her new clothing line. That was really nice of her. Nicky Hilton I talk to sometimes. Paris. Everyone has had their ups and downs with each other. I’m just really proud of everyone because they’ve done so well.

On Jenny McCarthy’s mean interview with her in 2016
She was just a nasty person. She went places you just don’t go. I’ve never had beef with her or anything. I was thinking ‘what are you doing? Why are you picking on me?’ I was more in shock that it happened. [She hasn’t reached out to me.] That will not be patched. I’m over it and I don’t really care. [Amy Schumer was] so sweet that she reached out to me like that.

On how she was treated in the early 2000s by the press
I do feel like it’s slowly but surely changing. Women have a lot of power now which they didn’t have as much then. It’s refreshing that everyone is starting to talk about it. [Being unfairly labeled] has been going on in my career for a very long time.

That’s also why I started to do this, because if I don’t fix this, it’s not going to get fixed. People are going to realize how smart I am, how I’m producing, how I’m creating all these things. Then they’re going to have to stop because they can’t keep picking on you. It was almost cool to pick on me.

On if those labels hurt her career
Of course. It was definitely hard to get in the room for a lot of things. I didn’t work for a while. That was really frustrating. I didn’t really do that much. Danced on a table… I never got in trouble or [got] a DUI or did anything bad really. I felt really bullied by the studios and by the people and very misjudged. All the girls I did grow up with, they got rewarded for it. I was like ‘what’s going on, why am I the only one?’ It didn’t make sense to get punished for having fun.

[From ET Online on YouTube]

Once I watched this interview a second time to transcribe it I came away with a much better impression of Tara. She made a lot of good points. I think if Tara got sober and was open about that she might have been able to get a foothold on her career easier. The same is true for Lindsay Lohan. Paris Hilton has always been an a-hole, but she’s clear spoken and skilled at promoting herself. Tara’s career has struggled because we’ve seen her struggling, even up until a few years ago. I’m not saying that was fair. The interviewer brought up the fact we don’t treat men like that and Tara then focused on the fact that things are changing for women. I like to see Tara healthy and shooting her shot. I want good things for her.

Here’s that interview

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On Friday, Queen Elizabeth II officially stripped the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of all of their “royal patronages,” meaning the patronages that Buckingham Palace controls. Which I still don’t fully understand – the military titles, sure, I get that QEII can literally pull rank and say this royal person gets the Marines and this royal gets the Irish Guards, etc. But, say, the National Theatre runs completely independently of the Windsors. Surely they would get a say in their patron? Apparently not.

What was interesting is that 3-4 minutes after the palace’s official announcement, the Sussexes made their own announcement, which was read as it was intended: as clapback. The Palace noted in their statement that “in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.” As in, the petty-ass Queen thinks she’s the sole gatekeeper to public service. M&H’s statement took issue with that, of course, noting: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the UK and around the world and have offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.” Judging from the reaction of their remaining patronages, it’s clear that everyone acting independently of the House of Windsor is more than happy to have Harry & Meghan’s service. From Harper’s Bazaar:

Meghan & Harry’s remaining “private” patronages: For Meghan, this includes animal welfare charity, Mayhew, and Smart Works, which helps empower disadvantaged women back into the work place. Prince Harry will continue with his roles as patron for the Invictus Games Foundation, children’s charity WellChild, and Rhino Conservation Botswana.

Mayhew loves Meg: CEO of the Mayhew, Caroline Yates, tells BAZAAR that the charity, which Meghan became patron of in January 2019, is excited to continue their relationship with the duchess. “We are very proud to have the Duchess of Sussex as our patron, and are so pleased with the positive impact she has had on Mayhew over the past two years,” says Yates. “[The duchess] has helped us to shine a light on the vital work we do in our local community—helping vulnerable pets and owners and championing the human-animal bond,” she continues, who notes that the Sussexes’ Christmas card, which was shared exclusively with the charity, reached 250 million people through its social media channels. “We have also seen a rise in awareness of Mayhew and our services since becoming one of the duchess’s patronages, and we are extremely grateful to the duchess and our many supporters for their continuing dedication and generous donations. We can’t thank our Patron enough for her ongoing support.”

SmartWorks loves Meg: Smart Works are equally thrilled to continue their work with Meghan, who released a capsule wardrobe collection in September 2019 to raise resources and awareness for the program. “We are delighted to confirm that the Duchess of Sussex will remain a patron,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “We are thankful for everything she has done in support of our clients and look forward to working together in the future.”

Invictus loves Harry: Founded by Prince Harry in 2014 after serving in the military for 10 years, the Invictus Games Foundation has help thousands of veterans and military personnel around the world find new purpose and raise awareness of wounded, injured, and sick service men and women through its international sporting events and charity programs. In a statement shared with BAZAAR, CEO Dominic Reid, says the foundation is proud to have the prince as their patron. “He remains fully committed to both the Games and to the Invictus Games Foundation,” says Reid. “His work has had an extraordinary impact on the way in which disability, service, and mental health is viewed around the world. And he has been instrumental in changing the lives of many.”

WellChild loves Harry: The British children’s charity WellChild, which Prince Harry first worked with in 2011, has also enjoyed a long relationship with the royal. Chief executive Colin Dyer tells BAZAAR they’re “delighted” to still be working with the duke. “He has always been a great supporter of WellChild’s work and we look forward to continuing to work with him in the future,” says Dyer, who notes that Harry has recently spoken with the charity about how the existing needs of vulnerable children should not be forgotten during the pandemic.

What happened was not their call: “Of course they would have liked to continue with as many [of their patronages] as possible but, ultimately, returning the roles was not their decision,” a friend of the couple tells BAZAAR. “They’re moving forward proud of their achievements so far and eager to get on with the work ahead.”

[From Harper’s Bazaar]

I’m including some of the social media posts done by their current patronages. I’m sure it stings for Meghan and Harry to lose the patronages – especially Harry, with the military patronages – but they made it clear throughout the past year that if it was up to them, they would love to keep working. And it also stings because the Palace WANTS it to sting. The goal wasn’t to uphold some prissy-ass rule or petty-ass standard. The goal was to hurt Harry (and Meg, but especially Harry) for choosing his wife over his white privilege. Anyway, good luck to the National Theatre when Top CEO Kate is designated your royal patron. Get ready for her to show up once every five years. Same with William taking over some of Harry’s old patronages.

We’re pleased to confirm that The Duchess of Sussex will remain our Patron.

We want to thank The Duchess for all of her support, and look forward to continuing our work with her helping dogs, cats and communities in need. ? pic.twitter.com/IGIPTAEhqm

— Mayhew ?? (@themayhew) February 19, 2021

We are delighted to confirm that The Duchess of Sussex will remain a Patron of Smart Works.

We are thankful for everything she has done in support of our clients and look forward to working together in the future. pic.twitter.com/ZAI0dW3ckq

— Smart Works Charity (@SmartWorksHQ) February 19, 2021

We are delighted to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will continue as Patron of WellChild. He has always been a great supporter of ours and has made an important difference to the work we are able to do for families across the UK. We look forward to working with him in the future. pic.twitter.com/C1IbYZbZCF

— WellChild (@WellChild) February 19, 2021

Our statement on the Duke of Sussex remaining as Patron of the Invictus Games Foundation: pic.twitter.com/uXe52t9BY7

— Invictus Games Foundation ??+? (@WeAreInvictus) February 19, 2021

A statement from QCT following today’s statement from Buckingham Palace. We would like to thank The Duke and Duchess of Sussex for their support and commitment to Team QCT: pic.twitter.com/lzBG9ExnUL

— The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (@queenscomtrust) February 19, 2021

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, WENN.

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Eleven days after Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank welcomed their son, they finally announced the name of the child. I would love the inside story on why they waited eleven days! Some say that Eugenie and her baby got their thunder stolen by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announcing their baby news, some say that Eugenie was simply recovering from her C-section and not thinking about stolen thunder. I do think it’s kind of notable that Eugenie and Jack did announce the name about 24 hours after Buckingham Palace announced the formal Sussexit. Hmm…

As for the name… the child is named August Philip Hawke Brooksbank. In the Instagram announcement of the name, Eugenie and Jack wrote: “Thank you for so many wonderful messages. Our hearts are full of love for this little human, words can’t express. We are excited to be able to share these photos with you.?” The photo was taken “by our wonderful midwife. Thank you to the wonderful essential workers including our midwife who came to discharge our boy.”

On her IG Stories, Eugenie revealed the meaning behind the name: “On his grandfather’s birthday weekend, thinking of my grandfather, we are introducing our little boy. He is named after his great grandfather and both of his great x5 grandfathers.” August’s name announcement came on Prince Andrew’s “birthday weekend” (August’s grandfather) and he’s named after his great-grandfathers. Hm. I don’t have an issue with August as a name, and he will have some cute nicknames (Auggie, Gus), and I figured Eugenie would reference her grandfather rather than her father. Hawke is… unusual for a royal-adjacent baby!

Anyway, I’m happy for them. Their thunder was stolen and reclaimed and they were allowed the time and space to announce the birth and the baby name on their own schedule. I wish every royal woman was given that grace. Speaking of, Jennifer Behr sent out a promotional email identifying Eugenie’s headband as one of theirs. The headband retails for $225.

Photos courtesy of Eugenie’s IG.

Kim Kardashian telegraphed this for two months: she filed for divorce from Kanye West, and the news came out on Friday, February 19th. I thought for a while that Kim wanted Kanye to file, and maybe she did, but in the end she was the one who formally pulled the plug. TMZ broke the news, but then People Magazine ran a series of exclusives about what Kim’s thinking and how Kanye feels.

Kim Kardashian has filed to divorce Kanye West after almost 7 years of marriage, but our sources say it’s as amicable as a divorce can be. Kim is asking for joint legal and physical custody of the couple’s 4 kids. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Kanye is fine with the joint custody arrangement, and we’re told both Kim and Ye are committed to co-parenting together.

There’s a prenup and we’re told neither party is contesting it. In fact, our sources say they are already far along in reaching a property settlement agreement. The docs, filed by disso queen Laura Wasser, don’t list a date of separation … it’s listed as to be determined. The date is almost irrelevant because their split has been so well-chronicled in the news and social media.

It was during the last half of 2020 when things got super rocky for Kimye … West launched his Presidential campaign on July 4 and weeks later held a bizarre campaign event in South Carolina. At one point, a sobbing Kanye told a story of a discussion he had with Kim … talking about abortion when she was pregnant with their first child. It wasn’t long after that when Kanye took a series of shots at the Kardashian/Jenner family on Twitter, at one point referring to the matriarch, Kris Jenner, as “Kris Jong-Un.”

Multiple sources with direct knowledge told us Kim was ready to call it quits after Kanye’s outbursts, if not for Kanye going through a serious bipolar episode. She had felt it would be cruel to end the marriage when he wasn’t doing well. Things got so rocky, the couple had been living separately for a few months. He was spending a lot of his time in Wyoming while she was in Calabasas with the kids. The issue? We were told it wasn’t contentious or ugly … but their differences in lifestyle and politics were chief, among others.

[From TMZ]

I think Kim seriously considered divorcing Kanye back in the end of 2016 and early 2017. Reportedly, she consulted with lawyers then and she weighed her options. In the end, she chose to let Kanye be Kanye and she just stayed in LA with the kids, while he was mostly in Wyoming. They lived completely separate lives as early as one year ago. I assumed, last year, that Kim didn’t file for divorce from Kanye during his manic episode because of what TMZ says – she didn’t want to look bad, and she didn’t want to do more damage or leave Kanye when he was in such a bad place.

People Magazine also reported that everything is amicable so far, that they’ve been in agreement with their prenup terms and property division and joint custody. They’re apparently close to a settlement and I seriously doubt Kim will take him to the cleaners or vice versa. They’ve kept their finances separate this whole time except for their real estate. A source told People: “They are just not on the same page when it comes to their future as a family. And Kim is okay with it.” As for the joint custody, there is one caveat, and TMZ had some very curious wording around it:

Kanye West’s mental health issues will not have an impact on Kim Kardashian’s move to share custody of their 4 kids, because there’s always been a safety net in place and that won’t change. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Kim totally trusts Kanye with their kids. That said … given their lifestyle, he’s rarely alone with them. In good times and bad, there are almost always caretakers or family members around the children.

While the majority of time is spent with help … our sources say Kanye’s a great dad, and over the last few months even made a couple trips with just him and some of the kids … no additional assistance. Our sources say Kanye’s generally not around the kids when he’s having a bipolar episode. Kim is asking for joint legal and physical custody, but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s a 50/50 split. Joint custody can be whatever the parents agree to, and historically, Kim cares for the children the lion’s share of the time and that’s not expected to change. Kim feels Kanye is a great dad, and Kanye knows Kim’s a great mom as well.

[From TMZ]

Very interesting, right? Kim stresses that he’s a good father, that she trusts him with the kids, but for a while now, she’s had third parties around when Kanye is with the kids, so… it’s not like she actually trusts him to be alone with the kids for any significant amount of time. It will be curious to see how that plays out in the future.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

SZA has even more new music coming out, she promises. That was probably why Cosmopolitan gave her February cover, to coincide with her new album, which will come out at some point. SZA is pretty laid-back about it though – at the age of 30, the pandemic year has taught her to be more chill. Things will happen when they happen, that kind of thing. SZA chatted with Cosmo about her lack of Grammys, the pandemic, figuring out what to do during a pandemic, and a lot more. Some highlights:

Stand still: “I’m trying to learn how to stand still and be in it—and be okay with that. But I’m not meant to be still.”

Almost four years since her album Ctrl. “The subject matter, I guess, ended up seeming like this highly curated journey through female adolescence and adulthood. That was not intentional. I was just talking my sh-t.”

SZA is fine with her lack of Grammys: “I’m just a girl from the ‘burbs. I never had dreams of being nominated for a Grammy. I thought I was going to be a gymnast and a f–king business accountant somewhere. Or working at Nike corporate or some sh-t in Portland. Who knows, but something that involved a power suit. So it’s not a heavy burden. Once you’ve been nominated and lost, you’re very much free because you’re not concerned. I passed that threshold years ago—it’s an old energy to me. Why would I be mad?”

New music: “Sometimes you just want to make something f–king awful just to rage against the system, but that’s not where I’m at. In this space, I just want to do what I want without any pressure, without any hyper-conversation about it. This album is going to be the sh-t that made me feel something in my…here and in here,” she continues, laying one hand on her heart and the other on her gut. “That’s what’s going to go on the album. I’m making all different types of sh-t every day from different places in my spirit.”

Her self care routine: It involves crystals (which she diligently charges), DIY intention oils (“I mix rose-hip, hemp, jojoba, and evening primrose”), daily exercise, and a couple of go-to astrologers (her favorite: @iJaadee. “I love her,” SZA says. “She’s mean as hell—she’s from Memphis—but she’s a lovely girl and she keeps it funky.”).

The pandemic year: “2020 definitely affected my ability to create and just the way I see everything. It forced me to restructure. I’m bored as f-ck when I’m not overwhelmed. Right now, more than ever, I’m just figuring it out—who I am and what I want that to be. Before, it was more about letting people know that I was a good writer and that I shouldn’t be counted out. And now it’s more, You have power; you can shape the world based on the things you genuinely care about.”

[From Cosmopolitan]

I kind of enjoy when someone is unapologetic about being into stuff like crystals, astrologers, intention oils and such. It’s a fine line for me – like, when a celebrity is really into crystals and talks about the importance of crystals, I roll my eyes. But just a simple mention of all of the sh-t they like – crystals, oils, astrology – in passing, it just seems like a fun quirk. Anyway, SZA sounds like the kind of person who enjoys being busy and does her best work on a deadline, so the past year was probably a major adjustment for her, but she’s handling it with grace.

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Cover courtesy of Cosmo.