The daily gossip: Ellen DeGeneres is now complaining about feeling 'canceled,' a Meghan Markle and Prince Harry baby name rumor, and more
1.
For a moment there, it seemed like Ellen DeGeneres might actually go softly into that good night of retirement, after it was reported Wednesday that she is ending her talk show not because of the fallout from her toxic workplace scandal, but because she wasn't being creatively "challenged" enough. Unfortunately, DeGeneres couldn't stop talking. Appearing on Today on Thursday, while still insisting the scandal had nothing to do with her decision, DeGeneres described being "canceled." She claimed that her employees describing their history of mistreatment "was too orchestrated. It was too coordinated" — not, you know, actually pervasive — and that the criticism of her felt "very misogynistic," even though her female staff were the ones who described a culture of rampant sexual misconduct. Yep, now might be the time to … stop talking. [Today, The Week]
2.
According to people who bet on royal baby names, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's soon-to-be-born daughter might be a "Philippa." The U.K. gambling site Ladbrokes "slashed the betting odds on the name to 3/1" following the death of Harry's grandfather, Prince Philip, last month, People reports, noting that the younger generation of the royal family has a recent history of honoring the patriarch (Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall, Harry's cousins, gave their newborn sons the middle name Philip). Diana (after Princess Diana) and Elizabeth (after the Queen) are also still going strong, at 5/1 and 10/1 respectively. Celebitchy further casts doubt on Philippa, noting that the baby would be "Pippa for short" and "the Middletons would be so mad." Celebitchy predicts "it will be something unexpected. Archie Harrison was unexpected. It won't be 'Elizabeth Philippa Diana.'" [Celebitchy, People]
3.
Even Oprah Winfrey has regrets. The legendary 67-year-old talk show host revealed the question that still makes her "cringe" while appearing as a guest on Rob Lowe's Literally! podcast on Wednesday. "This was when I was younger and I was not living from the point of view of the surrogate," Winfrey said, explaining that she'd gotten a sit-down with actress Sally Field, who had dated Burt Reynolds in the late 70s. "I asked her, 'Does Burt sleep with his toupee on?'" Winfrey recalled. She said she only asked because the producers had pressured her, but that Field immediately "went cold on me." Lowe sympathized: "She's one of the most amazing actors I've ever known, but when Sally goes cold, it's like Khrushchev in the Cold War," he said. "She will bury you." [People]
4.
Director Joss Whedon's Canadian wife could be deported because he's gone by the name "Joss" for so long, instead of his legal birth name "Joseph," The Toronto Sun reports. Whedon married Heather Horton in February, and is required to provide his birth certificate to prove his U.S. citizenship for her green card process. But Whedon has been using his nickname, "Joss," on his documents for "decades," including on his driver's license and his passport, meaning he can't get a copy of his birth certificate, where his name is still "Joseph," very easily. Additionally, Whedon's birth certificate is full of errors, like an incorrect maiden name for his mother and his birthplace being listed as "Santa Monica, New York" — a place that doesn't even exist. [Page Six, The Toronto Sun]
5.
The Friends reunion special will finally be there for you very soon. HBO Max announced Thursday the reunion special featuring the original cast of Friends will hit the streaming service on May 27, with a teaser showing the six stars and featuring a rendition of the iconic theme song. In addition to the original series regulars, the special will feature guest stars including David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, and Malala Yousafzai (???). The Friends reunion was originally expected to debut around when HBO Max launched back in May 2020, serving as a key draw to the service as it got off the ground, but it was delayed about a full year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It took quite a while, but in two weeks, the cast will finally be ready to say, "How you doin'?" [The Hollywood Reporter, The Week]
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