Sexuality reveal
More than two years after being cast as “The Bachelor,” Colton Underwood has addressed his sexuality: He’s gay. The former NFL player and reality star came out in an interview with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” on April 14. He said the coronavirus pandemic made him realize his who he was. “I’ve ran from myself for a long time. I’ve hated myself for a long time … and I’m gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know,” he said, adding that it was incredibly difficult to come out. He even admitting to being suicidal at one point. “I got into a place for me in my personal life that was dark and bad and I can list a bunch of different things but they’d all be excuses,” he said. “I would have rather died than say I’m gay and I think that was sort of my wake-up call.”
RELATED: Stars who came out
Photo fallout
The Kardashian family reportedly threatened legal action after an unedited bikini photo of Khloe Kardashian was posted on social media early in the month. There are differing reports as to the origins of the image — some reports said it was briefly posted to her grandma’s Instagram, while the Kardashian team said “an assistant” mistakenly posted it. Soon, the photo — which shows Khloe in an animal-print bikini over Easter weekend — began disappearing from the web. The image shows Khloe without makeup. It was not filtered or photoshopped, unlike many of the photos the Kardashian-Jenner family posts. The chief marketing officer for sister Kim Kardashian’s KKW Brands told Page Six that the family wanted the image off of the Internet because it was unauthorized, not because Khloe was au naturel. On April 7, Khloe addressed the situation. “When someone takes a photo of you that isn’t flattering in bad lighting or doesn’t capture your body the way it is after working so hard to get it to this point … you should have every right to ask for it to not be shared — regardless of who you are,” she wrote in an Instagram slideshow that also showed videos of her showing off her body in swimwear and underwear “to show you all this isn’t photoshopped,” she explained. “My body, my image and how I choose to look and what I want to share is my choice. It’s not for anyone to decide or judge what is acceptable anymore.”
RELATED: The net worth of every Kardashian-Jenner family member
Splitsville
After a tumultuous few weeks, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are no more — they officially ended their romance and called off their engagement. “We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so. We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects,” they said in a statement on April 15. “We wish the best for each other and one another’s children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support.” J-Rod dated for two years before getting engaged in March 2019. In March 2021, the couple was hit with split rumors. They denied the speculation, but acknowledged they’d hit a rough patch. Interestingly, one day before the couple’s announcement, Alex posted a video of several pics of J.Lo, their kids and their names written in the sand on his Instagram Story — many fans characterized it as a shrine to the singer-actress — while Coldplay’s “Fix You” played over the clip.
RELATED: Celeb splits of 2021
R.I.P.
All dogs go to heaven. One week after reportedly suffering a drug overdose and subsequent heart attack that left him unresponsive and on life support in a New York hospital, DMX passed away on April 9 at 50, his family announced. According to reports, the rapper’s family made the difficult decision to take him off life support as his organs were failing and because he had not regained any brain function. X, his family said, “was a warrior who fought till the very end.” Many in entertainment posted tributes to the Ruff Ryder after his death.
RELATED: Stars who died in 2021
Court appearance
“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah was arraigned on April 2 following a federal arrest for wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a telemarketing scheme. Jen’s assistant, Stuart Smith, also faced a judge. An indictment out of the Southern District of New York claimed that Jen and Stuart ripped off hundreds of victims across the country, mainly elderly people, by encouraging them to invest in online projects and selling them phony business services for years. They are alleged to have compiled lists of “leads,” who were people previously exploited. They then allegedly shared those victims’ names with co-conspirators who could exploit the “leads” again. Jen and Stuart would then supposedly take a cut. Jen was filming “Housewives” just before the arrest. The Homeland Security Investigations Agency said in a statement that Jen and Stuart “built their opulent lifestyle at the expense of vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people.” If convicted, they could face 30 years in prison. On April 5, the reality TV star broke her silence on her Instagram Story. “Thank you for being loyal, believing in me and not believing the hype. This journey has showed me who my true friends are. All my love. #ShahSquad.”
Royal funeral
Prince Philip — Queen Elizabeth II’s husband of 73 years and the longest serving consort of any British monarch — died on April 9. He was 99. “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle,” the palace said in a statement. “The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.” His funeral, on April 17, was attended by nearly all members of the royal family, even Prince Harry, who flew in from the United States and quarantined so he could be there. Duchess Meghan, however, did not attend, as she was advised not to travel due to her pregnancy. Harry flew back to California days later. Reports claimed he did not have a one-on-one conversation with his dad, Prince Charles, during his U.K. stay amid tensions with his family, including brother Prince William.
Sad news
Emmy-winning TV host and legendary zookeeper Jack Hanna has been diagnosed with dementia, but doctors think it’s actually Alzheimer’s disease, his family announced on April 7. The disease, the family said in a statement, has progressed “much faster in the last few months.” One of the most famous animal experts in the world, Jack was a staple of late night and daytime TV shows for decades. The animal expert is “no longer able to participate in the public life as he used to,” his daughters said in the statement, adding, “Even though Dad is no longer able to travel and work in the same way, we know that this infectious enthusiasm has touched many hearts and will continue to be his legacy.”
Hollywood reaction
Much like the rest of the world, Hollywood let its collective voice be heard after the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. On April 20, the ex-cop was found guilty on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the killing of George Floyd last summer. George’s death, which was filmed by bystanders and posted to social media, set off a wave of protests across the world. Hollywood as a whole applauded the jury. Oprah Winfrey said she “cried tears of joy” while the verdict was read. Beyonce said “today is a good day.” Kerry Washington tweeted, “A guilty #verdict. But this fight for justice is not over. We have a lot of work to do. There is more fight ahead of us. But RIGHT NOW please take CARE of yourself. And let’s take care of each other.” Sentencing is set to take place in June. With that in mind, LL Cool J tweeted, “Sentencing is the real litmus test.”
Billionaire babe
The name is Kim Kardashian, and there’s gotta be a silent “B” in there somewhere… and it stands for “billionaire.” On April 6, Forbes officially declared that the reality TV star is a billionaire thanks to the success of her shapewear and makeup lines. Fellow billionaires in Kim’s orbit include little sister Kylie Jenner — though that has been disputed — and estranged husband Kanye West. After the Forbes story broke, Kim posted a photo to Instagram in which she splashed around in the ocean and smiled while looking to the sky. “Bliss,” she wrote. Asked by a paparazzo how she felt, she replied, “blessed,” then implied that other members of the Kardashian-Jenner clan would be billionaires in the future too.
Divorce
Jana Kramer is done with her marriage of six years after her husband reportedly cheated again. On April 21, People magazine reported that the country music singer and podcast host filed for divorce because Mike “cheated and broke her trust again.” (Mike has admitted to cheating on her in the past and has sought treatment for sex addiction.) “After fighting for the marriage for so long, she’s come to terms with the realization that his patterns were never going to change,” the source said. “The focus now is on their [two] kids.” While addressing the split on Instagram on April 21, Jana wrote, “‘It’s time.’ As I try to make sense of a reality I never wanted to believe could be possible again, those words have now become a reality. I’ve fought y’all. I’ve loved hard. I’ve forgiven. I’ve put the work in. I’ve given everything I have, and now I have nothing else to give.” She continued, “Please know that I still believe wholeheartedly in marriage, love, and rebuilding. I just can’t fight any longer. It’s time to heal.”
Ponzi scheme allegations
Actor Zach Avery (real name: Zachary Horwitz) was arrested by FBI agents on April 6 for allegedly running a $227 million Ponzi scheme that solicited investors for phony film licensing deals. Zach — a minor actor who appeared in “The Devil Below” and 2018’s “Trespassers” — is alleged to have told investors that money would be used to purchase film distribution rights. He even provided investors with fake license agreements and fake distribution agreements with Netflix and HBO. The money he received was allegedly used to repay earlier investors and to fund his own lifestyle, including the purchase of a $6 million home and several trips to Las Vegas. “We allege that Horwitz promised extremely high returns and made them seem plausible by invoking the names of two well-known entertainment companies and fabricating documents,” the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a press release.
Shoe issue
On April 1, a judge blocked all sales of Lil Nas X’s “Satan shoe” amid a Nike lawsuit. A week later, the lawsuit was settled and MSCHF, the company that designed the custom shoes using Nike’s Air Max 97 as a base, agreed to launch a voluntary recall to buy back all the shoes it sold for their original retail prices. The settlement was the end to a very viral, short-lived story. On March 29, Lil Nas X and MSCHF released a shoe that was decorated with a pentagram pendant and a bible verse; it also contained a drop of human blood inside the sole. Each pair cost more than $1,000. The 666 pairs (666, get it?) sold out in a minute. Lil Nas X was never named in the trademark infringement lawsuit. Around the same time as the shoe release, he faced backlash over his new sexually charged music video for “Call Me By Your Name” in which he gives a lap dance to Satan before killing him. Amid the outrage, the music star tweeted, “i thought y’all didn’t like political correctness. what happened?”
TV return
After a one-month hiatus, “The Talk” returned to CBS on April 11. The show wasted no time delving into race-related controversy that led to Sharon Osbourne‘s departure in March. “As you may know, during our break, Sharon decided to leave ‘The Talk.’ We need to process the events of that day and what happened since, so we can get to the healing,” Sheryl Underwood said as she opened the show. “Over the next hour, we will honestly discuss what occurred and explore some of our feelings. And we’ll also show you how anyone can become more comfortable discussing important issues and having difficult conversations. By the end of the hour, we want everyone to feel empowered and ready to move forward.” During the discussion, Sheryl said she had a tough time thinking back to the March 10 show in which she and Sharon had a vicious disagreement about Piers Morgan’s thoughts on Meghan Markle. “I didn’t want to escalate things with Sharon because I thought I was having a conversation with a friend,” Sheryl said. A few days later, Sharon gave her first post-‘Talk’ interview to Bill Maher, telling the HBO host she’s “angry” and “hurt.” She added, “I’ve been called so many things in my life, I am so used to being called names, but a racist is one I will not take.” IN other “The Talk” news, co-host Carrie Ann Inaba on April 26 announced she was going on a temporary hiatus from the show
Oscars issues
The 2021 Academy Awards came and went… but very few people probably even realized it. According to Variety, about 9.85 million viewers tuned in to watch the show on April 25, which is by far an all-time low. By comparison, the 2020 Oscars had previously owned the futility record with 23.6 million viewers. For those bad at math, the 2021 Oscars saw a 58% drop in viewership compared to the previous low from one year prior. For those who did watch, they saw “Nomadland” have a big night, Anthony Hopkins surprisingly best Chadwick Boseman for best actor and Frances McDormand win two Oscars (oh, and Daniel Kaluuya referenced his parents having sex during his best supporting actor acceptance speech). It was an odd night and an odd show.