A spectre haunts Kathy Griffin. But, after two years of anonymous death threats and the unsolicited opinions of the internet’s most notorious trolls, she now believes she’s “more than paid the price.” Speaking with People, the My Life On the D-List star reveals just how far the backlash to Donald Trump’s decapitated head has spread:
Having been assured by her attorney that she had broken no laws with the photo and was protected by the First Amendment, Griffin was shocked when the government opened an investigation into her, placing her on the no-fly list and leading to FBI visits to her home. Between a government response she calls “unprecedented” and the violence threatened by Trump supporters, Griffin feels she has more than paid a price and today, is done apologizing for taking the divisive picture.
I won’t make a defense for the photo—it was a weak attempt at provacateurship by a middling photographer. But we shouldn’t forget the unprecedented attack against a critic of the president, and how many might now change their tune if the photo was to appear in some other fashion tomorrow. A lot has changed in two years. The bourgeois moderates who crucified Griffin claimed, at the time, that many things we’ve now rallied against would never come to pass. At least she got a concert documentary out of it! (Kathy Griffin: Hell of a Story is in theatres now.) [People]
Samantha Domingo, the author of the independently published Je Suis a Cult Whistleblower: Scientology Kills, is a former member of enigmatic organization at the heart of her 2017 “exposé.” Speaking to Us Weekly, the self-described former cult member claims that Tom Cruise is “not allowed” to see his daughter Suri Cruise. It’s a Hollywood rumor as old as Suri herself! Take the 2013 sighting that many cite as the “last time he ever saw Suri”—Domingo asserts it absolutely could have been:
“Maybe he did it for a photo op,” says the author of Je Suis a Cult Whistleblower: Scientology Kills, “to make it seem like he was connected so he wouldn’t be criticized.” Meanwhile the Mission: Impossible star has a close bond with his two older children, Isabella, 26, and Connor, 24 — both Scientologists as well — with ex-wife Nicole Kidman. And while a source previously insisted to Us that Scientologists are allowed to see “their child if they wanted to” and it’s Cruise’s choice not to see Suri, Domingo adds that there is more to the situation. Members of the Church are big believers in reincarnation, she says, so their viewpoint is that “Suri’s not really his daughter — she’s just a spiritual being in his daughter’s body.”
As it goes, spokespeople for the church “vehemently” deny all of Domingo’s claims. In statements to the outlet, they assert that “Everything about your inquiry misrepresents the Church of Scientology, its practices, and the lifestyle of its ministry.” This story will absolutely develop as Us Weekly releases it’s upcoming cover issue on Suri’s relationship with Cruise. Make sure to read next week’s Midweek Madness for more details! [Us Weekly]
- Lisa Marie Presley has allegedly sold a book about Elvis and Michael Jackson for almost $4 million dollars. [Page Six]
- Remember Kanye West’s proposed low-income housing solution in the hills of Calabasas, California? [TMZ]
- A Victoria’s Secret model seems confused on if the brand can survive. [Page Six]
- Like me, Emily Ratajkowski enjoys cold brew. [Just Jared]
- A gaggle of Hollywood famouses descended on “Google Camp” in private jets to discuss climate change. [Page Six]
- Chrissy Teigen opened up about cleaning out her panty drawer. [The Blast]