It seems like everyone, across every corner of the American entertainment industry, is shutting down production. It’s the sensible—and civically responsible—thing to do. And for much of the recent news cycle, which also saw hosted television shows limit audience members, I didn’t mind much that there’d be less Jimmy Fallon to watch on television. But this morning is different. Wendy Williams is no longer on air, and this? This I’m taking personally.
I don’t particularly like Wendy Williams, nor do I agree with literally anything that comes out of her mouth. But amidst the broad swathe of daytime television, she is the only show that consistently delivers a narrative, a scandal, something juicy to rail against and fight about with strangers on Twitter and in comment sections. For a medium that claims to lead the national conversation each morning, it could be said that Wendy is the only host actually bringing people together.
This isn’t to discount her pantheon of spectacularly ill-informed opinions, of which there are many. But in her absence, I truly fear for the gossip industry. In her own way, she’s an anti-force to the ever-encroaching wave of syrupy People write-ups about Kristen Cavallari or the hordes of faceless Bachelor contestants. Sort of like the physics principle they always quote in movies: “Any action receives an equal and opposite reaction.” (I should stress here that I know absolutely nothing about science.) [Page Six]
Rita Wilson has an update for fans from quarantine. I wish she’d get better taste in beer, for her own sake, but who I am to tell her how to cope with isolation?
Wilson’s tweet comes after she and husband Tom Hanks issued a statement about their ongoing quarantine. In an Instagram post, Hanks wrote: “We are taking it one-day-at-a-time. There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no?” Of course, he followed this up with his catchphrase: “There is no crying in baseball.” Thanks, dude!
Hanks and Wilson, despite my gut reaction, have been able to obtain rapid treatment not just because they are rich and famous, but because Australia is more on top of it than America. At this point, I wouldn’t be shocked if they had better COVID-19 testing on the moon, or maybe even Mars! [People]
- Teresa Giudice wants another baby—and a Jewish husband? [Hollywood Life]
- Joy Behar is taking a break. [Page Six]
- Unlike Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Orlando Bloom is no longer in Australia. [People]
- Miranda Lambert is glad her husband is no longer a cop. [Us Weekly]
- Erika Girardi is no longer on broadway. [Page Six]