By now, everyone and their mother and the ghost of their mother’s mother knows about Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s various marital woes and entanglements. But in 2003, when the Smiths’ show All of Us was on the air, all the drama had yet to be laid out on the Red Table, not that shit wasn’t uncomfortable on set.
Elise Neal, who appeared on two of the UPN sitcom’s four seasons, told Viral Hip Hop News that the tension between executive producers Will and Jada was palpable on set. “If someone is unhappy, they spread that unhappiness to others. I wasn’t happy on that set because people treated me in a way that I could tell that they were unhappy,” Neal said.
Neal said she wasn’t interested in litigating the Smiths’ marriage, which seems like it’s still on despite a few, ah, snags. But she does wish they’d been less miserable, which in turn might have made her less miserable.
“I’m not involved in their marriage. They know what’s going on. If they decide that they’re going to come together and that’s the type of marriage that they want and they’re okay with that, we are not able to judge that,” she said. “What I am going to judge is if I come to work for people and they bring that unhappiness on others, like myself. I felt that and received that on that set.”
To be fair, now might not be the time for anyone to find any happy… [Viral Hip Hop News, Bossip]
Glee star Chris Colfer published a tribute to Naya Rivera in Variety.
“The process of losing her has been such a nightmare, I find myself wondering if Naya was even real or if she was just a dream all along,” Colfer wrote. “How could a human being be that talented, that hilarious and that beautiful at once? How could one person be responsible for so much joy and be the subject of so many wonderful memories?”
He added:
Even after an eighteen-hour day of singing and dancing, when mustering a smile felt impossible, Naya could make you laugh out loud. Once, during a heated exchange between an actor and a director, I’ll never forget her turning to me with a cheeky grin and asking, “Is this a bad time to tell someone the DVD player in my trailer isn’t working?”
As a friend, you could talk to her about anything. She was the cool older sister you went to for advice, to blow off steam, or to get the hottest take on the latest gossip. Just being in Naya’s presence made you feel protected and regardless of the situation, you knew she’d have your back. She was never afraid to stand up to authority, she always called out mistreatment where she saw it and she always told you the truth — even when it was hard to hear.
Rivera, 33, was found dead last week after going missing while boating with her young son in Ventura County’s Lake Piru.
You can read the rest of Colfer’s remembrance here. [Variety]
Andy Cohen is OVER THE DRAMA. Or, I guess, mining it for more drama. I don’t know. DRAMA!
Apparently, Cohen was not impressed with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna’s claim that it was “bullshit” that Brandi Glanville skipped the season 10 reunion.
Us Weekly reports:
“[Rinna] said it was ‘bulls-t.’ She was really upset that Brandi was not there. And I was not,” the 52-year-old host said on Radio Andy on Monday, July 20. “We were going back and forth about whether she should come, spoke to Brandi about it. And I think when you see the finale, you will see, I don’t know. … But the bottom line is, we will all hear from Brandi.”
We will all hear from Brandi! Can’t wait!!! DRAMA!!!!! God, I need to get out of my house. [Us Weekly]
Why hasn’t Martha Stewart invited me to her pool?
Rude, honestly. [Instagram]
- Russell Wilson is worried that covid-19 measures will keep him out of the delivery room when Ciara gives birth. If he’s not there, who will catch the baby like a football??? Sorry, I don’t know how sports work. [TMZ]
- Well, this could get dark. [People]
- At last, a Keanu Reeves comic book. [Dazed Digital]
- Rick Fox has a new quar look. [Page Six]