Last month, Mackenzie Standifer welcomed her second child, a boy named Jagger Ryan Edwards. Sadly, the boy's father and namesake (Ryan Edwards, not Mick Jagger) was unable to be there for his son's birth. Edwards is in rehab being treated for a severe addiction to heroin. It looks as though he'll remain there for quite some time, and though the treatment might literally save his life, it seems Mackenzie is NOT happy about it. Take a look: 1. Troubled From the Start We would begin by discussing a simpler time in Ryan and Mackenzie’s relationship — but really, these two have had issues since day one. 2. Wedding Woes Ryan famously passed out while driving to his wedding with Mackenzie. Shortly thereafter, he checked into rehab for the first time. 3. The Relapse He left treatment ahead of schedule and relapsed within weeks. That’s when the real downward spiral began. 4. Fighting the Law and Losing Ryan was arrested three times in less than 18 months for possession charges and probation violations. 5. Bottoming Out On one recent occasion, Ryan spent nearly a full week behind bars. Shortly thereafter, he checked into rehab again. 6. A Fresh Start This time around, Ryan decided to remain in treatment for 90 days. And thus far, reports of his progress have been promising. View Slideshow
Even though Larissa made Colt’s mom cry on this week’s 90 Day Fiance , she’s not the only target for the wrath of viewers. Kalani’s sister and her father have both been the targets of intense fan criticism over how they treated Asuelu in the episode. So Kalani took to social media to defend her family. She also took her social media private to block out the haters. Kalani does not have time for haters who are coming after her family. On this week’s episode, Asuelu met Kalani’s family and began his uphill battle towards being accepted. It didn’t help that he took Kalani’s virginity and impregnated her while she was on vacation. (That’s not a way to start things off on the right foot with someone’s deeply Mormon family, folks) But Kalani’s sister also resented his sudden intrusion into the family — and the fact that he had cheated on Kalani. Kalani’s dad had … other, more complicated concerns. First, Kalani defended her sister, Kolini, after fans gave her a hard time for resenting baby Oliver’s dad. “My sister WAS Oliver’s dad for his first five months,” Kalani writes on Instagram. “She watched him when I had to go back to work for Asuelu’s papers,” she says. “She bought all of the s–t I didn’t get from my baby shower,” she adds. Kalani continues: “and let me skip rent/bills when I had to buy his plane tickets for his interviews and doctor’s appointments.” That is one hell of a supportive sister — and a supportive aunt. Kalani makes it clear that Asuelu deserved some of her sister’s ire. “Asuelu wasn’t paid in coconuts, dumbasses,” Kalani says of her baby daddy’s job. “He made $600 American a month,” she shares. “With no bills.” “As a sister, if you know you’re throwing downtime and money to help your nephew,” she says. Kalani continues: “and know that the father isn’t helping in ways that he could — YOU’D BE SALTY TOO!” Yep. As we mentioned, things were a little more complicated for Kalani’s father. Her dad didn’t want her to be with a Samoan man, which sounds racist until you remember that he himself is Samoan. “You know how I feel about you being with my kind of people,” he told her on 90 Day Fiance . “It’s just the way I was born and raised,” he said. “It’s a fast life here and it’s a slow life there.” That sounds like internalized racism — when people absorb prejudices about themselves — and fans were upset. Kalani says that some of her statements about her dad wanting her to be with “white men” were taken out of context. (We absolutely had to include this — both Asuelu and baby Oliver’s first Halloween!) 90 Day Fiance is absolutely no stranger to scenes in which things were taken out of context. We don’t think that Kalani thinks that white men offer more stability than Samoan men. We hope that her father doesn’t really feel that way. It is totally understandable that Kalani opted to make her Instagram private after dealing with all of that backlash following this week’s episode. We all might wish that her family had been a little more open to Asuelu, but that doesn’t make them monsters. View Slideshow: 90 Day Fiance: Meet the Season 6 Couples!
If you’ve been anywhere near an internet-enabled device in the past 24 hours then we probably don’t need to tell mid-term elections are being held in America today. A more smug site might tell you that if you haven’t voted already, you should stop reading this article and go do so, but we know this is 2018, and you’re not sitting in front of a massive fat-backed monitor with a blinking green cursor, so feel free to take this article with you to the polls and read it on your phone in line! After all, there are lots of reasons to perform your civic duty, not the least of which is that all the cool kids are doing it, including a freshly-rehabbed Demi Lovato! Yes, Demi posted on Instagram for the first time since July today. The singer broke her silence in order to encourage her fans to get out and vote! As you’re probably aware, Demi suffered a near-fatal overdose over the summer, and she spent the three months that followed hospitals and rehab facilities. As far as we know, Lovato left rehab late last week. Over the weekend, she was spotted out and about with new boyfriend Henry Levy, marking the first time that the singer has been seen in public since she nearly lost her life in July. There has been concern about Demi and Henry’s relationship , as Levy is a newly-rehabbed former addict himself. Sources close to Demi say there’s nothing to worry about, as Henry has been sober for the better part of a year, but like Demi, he’s also been in and out of rehab numerous times. “He used to have a drug problem,” one insider recently told Radar Online. “He used to like to party.” The source adds that these days, Levy is “sober and straight-edge.” It’s great that he’s taking the necessary steps to regain his health, but there are many good reasons that addiction specialists caution their patients against forming close relationships early in the recovery process, particularly with fellow addicts. But hey, today we’re choosing to focus on the bright side. Demi is reclaiming her life, and all over the country, Americans are reclaiming their democracy! View Slideshow: Demi Lovato: Everything We Know About Her Overdose So Far
It’s a frightening time for young celebrities, as an epidemic of addiction and substance abuse is claiming lives in Hollywood at an astonishing rate. Over the course of the past year, a number of promising lives have been lost or forever changed by opioids and other prescription pills, and it seems that there’s no solution to the problem in sight. In July, Demi Lovato’s near-fatal overdose left fans praying for the singer’s recovery. ( Lovato recently celebrated 90 days of sobriety.) The death of Mac Miller in September stunned the hip-hop world and left many of his fellow artists thinking twice about lyrics and lifestyles that glorify substance abuse. One such artist is Lil Xan. Lil Xan Talks Drugs Xan is so steeped in modern hip-hop drug culture that his stage name is a reference to his former substance of choice. The 23-year-old recently opened up to TMZ in a surprisingly candid new interview in which he discusses his conflicted feelings toward drugs and the music that glorifies them. The rapper says he’s kicked his addiction to Xanax, but is still “weaning” himself away from other pills. In the interview, Xan reveals that he sold drugs before making it big in music. But he also insists he was a drug dealer with a conscience and quit dealing when the often-fatal Fentanyl hit the scene. “My friends were taking it; they were puking. I was like I can’t … I’m out the game,” Xan says of his decision to retire from dealing and focus on music. Xan says that like Demi, he’s capable of long periods of sobriety, but notes that he is currently off the wagon. “I relapsed, and that’s common … Any other addict would understand that sh-t just happens,” he tells TMZ. “You just relapse. You don’t want to. It’s a process. You need treatment and help, and sometimes that doesn’t even help.” “It has to come from within. That’s what I’ve learned,” Xan says. “I’ve gone periods of like six months clean of everything. And that was because of me. I wanted to be clean.” When the interviewer states that Xan is “clean now,” he corrects her: “I’m not completely clean. Off Xanax, yes, but I’m still weaning off Norcos [a brand of codeine-based painkiller],” he says. Xan says he is currently not in rehab, but is living in seclusion “in the forest.” He adds that he plans to remain in hiding until the release of his upcoming album, which he has described as a tribute to his “hero,” Mac Miller. We wish Lil Xan all the best in his recovery. View Slideshow: 31 Celebrities Who Have Been to Rehab
Earlier today, we reported on the news that Selena Gomez has checked into rehab following what’s been described as an emotional breakdown. One insider state that Gomez is seeking treatment in a facility “on the east coast” in order to cope with her anxiety “over her repeated physical health issues.” Those issues include lupus and other ailments, which culminated in Gomez undergoing a kidney transplant last year. Now, Radar Online is reporting that the singer’s loved ones are attributing her latest struggles to her “refusal to live a sober life.” The site reports that Selena’s mother, Mandy Teefey, has openly stated her desire to stage an intervention after revealing that she believes Gomez’s drinking is endangering her life. “Doctors have all told her she needs to stop,” one source claims . “Her family says she needs to stay sober, or she could die.” Gomez has not opened up about the allegations of hard partying, and it’ll likely be quite some time before she speaks on her decision to seek further treatment. She has, however, admitted that she continues to enjoy the occasional drink despite past health issues. “As far as my personal life, someone sees me having a glass of wine? I could give two sh-ts,” the singer said in a recent interview with Elle . “I’m not trying to hide. That’s my life.” Though Gomez has been described as “stubborn” with regard to her life choices, sources say she was deeply disturbed by friend Demi Lovato’s recent overdose . One insider revealed that upon hearing the news, Gomez was not only concerned with her friend but filled with anxiety that she might suffer a similar fate. “Selena is freaking out about this,” the source said at the time. “She feels like it could have been her.” Whatever the cause of her latest upheaval, we hope Selena is able to find the help that she needs. Our thoughts go out to Gomez and her loved ones during this immensely difficult time.
(Photo by Brandon Williams/Getty Images) Dianna De La Garza Speaks On Demi Lovato’s Overdose Dianna De La Garza, Demi Lovato’s mom , describes the emotional night she heard news her daughter overdosed. She said she was too weak to drive to the hospital and thinks the prayers from fans are what helped save Demi’s life. Heavy stuff. Dianna says Demi is doing well. That’s great news! Demi also gave her blessing on her mom to speak on her, and the opioid crisis.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Dennis Shields was found dead in his Trump Tower apartment. The ex-boyfriend of Bethenny Frankel was 51 years old. His loved ones, including Bethenny, are still coping with the tragic news. Loss is never easy. Now, the Skinnygirl mogul has taken to Twitter to thank her fans and followers for their support — and to admit just how difficult of a time this is. On Sunday, in a carefully condensed tweet, the The Real Housewives of New York City star shared exactly how she is feeling. “It’s hard to breathe,” Bethenny’s tweet begins. Processing a sudden and agonizing loss is never easy. Shields was part of her life for a couple of decades. “And,” her tweet continues. “I appreciate you giving me the space & support to try to do so.” That means that her fans have been, for the most part, respectful and supportive on social media during this very difficult time. Good. But Bethenny is not mincing words when it comes to sharing how she feels. “It’s excruciating,” she admits. Of course it is. Death is always hard, but this situation is especially difficult, as she explains. “Sudden death is no closure,” Bethenny writes. “And,” she continues, she is haunted by “constant questions and memories.” (Bethenny shared this thank you message on social media, giving a succinct shout-out to followers for supporting her emotionally during these trying times) Her tweet continues, making clear that she and Dennis Shields were still very much in each other’s orbits. “Our relationship is current,” Bethenny reveals. It sounds like she means that neither of them were in the other’s past. Sometimes, on-again, off-again relationships are like that. “So,” she explains. “It’s painfully raw.” Of course. Despite everything, she is pushing forward and dealing with her grief. Bethenny writes that she is “trying to stay healthy and move through it.” That is a very healthy attitude. She explains that she is coping “with tears and close friends. Xo” That is absolutely the way to do it. Don’t try to bury your grief or go through this sad journey alone. Mourn together. And surround yourself with people who can help you to process a senseless loss even if they aren’t reeling from it personally. Your friends and loved ones want to support you. Unfortunately, even as Bethenny processes this loss emotionally, it is coming up during her court battle with her vicious ex, Jason Hoppy. In fact, just days after Shields’ passing, Hoppy’s attorney argued that Dennis Shields’ death, which was initially reported as sounding like an overdose, proves that Bethenny is a bad mom . That is, of course, absurd. And not just because Shields’ final words indicate that his death may have been more complicated than people first assumed — featuring a lethal mix of medications in an effort to combat his back pain. This unfortunately adds insult to injury and almost seems like an argument designed to fail in court but upset Bethenny. Even the judge compared the claim about Bethenny’s parenting to a “grenade.” Bethenny is strong and we know that she can get through this. We just hope that it’s as painless as possible.
The man who allegedly sold Demi Lovato the drugs that nearly ended her life has actually stopped on the sidewalk and given an interview. And he’s talked rather openly about the entire situation as well. Over the past week or so, reports have identified Brandon Johnson as the dealer with whom Lovato had supposedly worked since April. The two had developement a pretty close relationship that some outlets even claimed cross over from professional… to plutonic… to sexual. Jacobs had just recently gotten arrested prior to meeting Demi — and has been under fire (even more fire than comes the way of most drug dealers, that is) because there’s a rumor floating around that Lovato took tainted drugs . This is to say, Demi may have been unaware that the substance she was given had been laced with fentanyl. Was this the case , TMZ asked Johnson when the website grabbed a few moments with him over the weekend? No , the drug dealer replied . The artist “100% she knew what she was taking,” Johnson tells TMZ, adding: “I disclosed to her that these were not pharmaceutical. There were after market drugs, they were much stronger. She understood fully.” Johnson would very obviously be an example of the kind of toxic acquiantance that Demi let into her life since she fell off the wagon this past spring. He says the two had a “flirty friendship” that did, at times, becomes a “sexual” relationship and that they occasionally “messed around.” Why did she text him at 4 a.m. the night of July 23, after going out with some friends to celebrate a birthday and then going back to her home with a select few of them? “Cause she’s a girl and she wanted to kick it,” he said. What did he and Lovato during at this late hour? “We hung out. We watched our detective shows as usual… she sometimes has such long days, stressful hours and a stressful job” and she needs to relax. Johnson admitted that he and Demi also took drugs together, but he didn’t get into any specifics and he claimed to not even have known what the drugs were mixed with. Moreover, Lovato was a “little drunk” when he showed up, this shady individual confirms, but he tucked her in and left around 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. after she appears to be safely in bed, asleep. “I’m not here to hurt anybody. I care for her very much,” the drug dealer told TMZ, concluding: “I care for her a lot. I hope she comes through this better than she was before she got into it.” Last we heard, Lovato was doing pretty well in rehab . She is at an undisclosed location and she will remain there for an extensive period of time; the rest of the year, at minimum, according to various insiders. When she gets out, she’d be wise to continue therapy in some fashion; to rely on her family members and long-term friends; and to never contact anyone such as Johnson ever again. Hang in there, Demi. We’re thinking of you. View Slideshow: 22 Times Demi Lovato Has Kept It Real
A night of crazy fashion, memorable tributes and even a few tears has come to an end. On Monday evening, MTV handed out its annual Video Music Awards, recognizing Jennifer Lopez for her (HAWT!) body of work in the process, while mourning the late and truly great Aretha Franklin. Which artists came out on top? Which singers went home empty-handed? Which stars did Kanye West interrupt on stage this time around? The answer to the final question posed above is no one… while the answers to the first two questions can be found in our complete list of winners below… VIDEO OF THE YEAR Ariana Grande — “No Tears Left to Cry” Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B — “Finesse (Remix)” Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug — “Havana” *WINNER The Carters — “APES**T” Childish Gambino — “This Is America” Drake — “God’s Plan” ARTIST OF THE YEAR Ariana Grande Bruno Mars Camila Cabello *WINNER Cardi B Drake Post Malone SONG OF THE YEAR Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B — “Finesse (Remix)” Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug — “Havana” Drake — “God’s Plan” Dua Lipa — “New Rules” Ed Sheeran — “Perfect” Post Malone ft. 21 Savage — “rockstar” *WINNER BEST NEW ARTIST Bazzi Cardi B *WINNER Chloe x Halle Hayley Kiyoko Lil Pump Lil Uzi Vert BEST COLLABORATION Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line — “Meant to Be” Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B — “Finesse (Remix)” The Carters — “APES**T” Jennifer Lopez ft. DJ Khaled & Cardi B — “Dinero” *WINNER Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid — “1-800-273-8255” N.E.R.D & Rihanna — “Lemon” BEST POP Ariana Grande — “No Tears Left to Cry” *WINNER Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug — “Havana” Demi Lovato — “Sorry Not Sorry” Ed Sheeran — “Perfect” Pink — “What About Us” Shawn Mendes — “In My Blood” BEST HIP-HOP Cardi B ft. 21 Savage — “Bartier Cardi” The Carters — “APES**T” Drake — “God’s Plan” J. Cole — “ATM” Migos ft. Drake — “Walk It Talk It” Nicki Minaj — “Chun-Li” *WINNER BEST LATIN Daddy Yankee — “Dura” J Balvin, Willy William — “Mi Gente” *WINNER Jennifer Lopez ft. DJ Khaled & Cardi B — “Dinero” Luis Fonsi, Demi Lovato — “Échame La Culpa” Maluma — “Felices los 4” Shakira ft. Maluma — “Chantaje” View Slideshow: 2018 Video Music Awards Fashion: Who Dressed … Weirdest? BEST DANCE Avicii ft. Rita Ora — “Lonely Together” *WINNER Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa — “One Kiss” The Chainsmokers — “Everybody Hates Me” David Guetta & Sia — “Flames” Marshmello ft. Khalid — “Silence” Zedd & Liam Payne — “Get Low (Street Video)” BEST ROCK Fall Out Boy — “Champion” Foo Fighters — “The Sky Is a Neighborhood” Imagine Dragons — “Whatever It Takes” *WINNER Linkin Park — “One More Light” Panic! at the Disco — “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” Thirty Seconds to Mars — “Walk on Water” VIDEO WITH A MESSAGE Childish Gambino — “This Is America” *WINNER Dej Loaf and Leon Bridges — “Liberated” Drake — ‘God’s Plan” Janelle Monáe — “PYNK” Jessie Reyez — “Gatekeeper” Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid — “1-800-273-8255” BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Alessia Cara — “Growing Pains” — Cinematography by Pau Castejón Ariana Grande — “No Tears Left to Cry” — Cinematography by Scott Cunningham The Carters — “APES**T” — Cinematography by Benoit Debie *WINNER Childish Gambino — “This Is America” — mcDJ / RCA Records — Cinematography by Larkin Seiple Eminem ft. Ed Sheeran — “River” — Cinematography by Frank Mobilio & Patrick Meller Shawn Mendes — “In My Blood” — Cinematography by Jonathan Sela BEST DIRECTION The Carters — “APES**T” — Directed by Ricky Saix Childish Gambino — “This Is America” — Directed by Hiro Murai *WINNER Drake — “God’s Plan” — Directed by Karena Evans Ed Sheeran — “Perfect” — Directed by Jason Koenig Justin Timberlake ft. Chris Stapleton — “Say Something” — Directed by Arturo Perez Jr. Shawn Mendes — “In My Blood” — Directed by Jay Martin BEST ART DIRECTION The Carters — “APES**T” — Art Direction by Jan Houlevigue *WINNER Childish Gambino — “This Is America” — Art Direction by Jason Kisvarday J. Cole — “ATM” — Art Direction by Miles Mullin Janelle Monáe — “Make Me Feel” — Art Direction by Pepper Nguyen SZA — “The Weekend” — Art Direction by SZA and Solange Taylor Swift — “Look What You Made Me Do” — Art Direction by Brett Hess
With Demi Lovato having checked in to rehab, hopefully focused on turning her life around, we have a couple updates on the troubled singer. First, a new report claims to have information on what caused Lovato to overdose back on Tuesday, July 24. According to TMZ insiders, Lovato did indeed spent most of the previous evening out and about with friends. As detailed shortly after this frightening incident took place, Demi hit up a club in Hollywood to celebrate a pal’s birthday and then continued the celebration with a smaller group of acquaintances at her home. (These were allegedly the toxic influences that Lovato has since vowed to eliminate from her life.) Following her night out at Saddle Ranch on the Sunset Strip, and after she returned to her residence with these friends, the aforementioned TMZ article states that Lovato sent a text message to a drug dealer at 4 a.m. The drug dealer received the text and responded, arriving at Demi’s home with two freebased Oxycodone on tin foil. But that’s not all. This new and scary report goes deep. These sources say, unbeknownst to the singer, the drug dealer in question had a dangerous habit of buying dirty drugs from Mexico — and the batch he handed over appeared to be laced with fentanyl. This is the same drug that killed Prince and Lil Peep. Ummm… yikes, right? Original reports after Demi’s overdose alleged that the star overdosed on heroin, but most of these were later corrected via follow-up posts and quotes. TMZ even writes that the drug dealer remained at Lovato’s home until he noticed she was breathing heavily in bed, at which point he fled the scene. Eventually, Demi’s assistant found the singer unconscious and called 911. It’s more or less been confirmed at this point that paramedics administed Narcan to Demi, a drug used to combat the dangerous of an overdose. This may have been what saved Lovato’s life, as she regained consciousness and was then rushed to the hospital. Lovato spent about two weeks under doctors’ supervision and then jetted off to an out-of-state treatment facility last week. She has understandably canceled all tour dates for the remainder of 2018 and there’s a very good chance we don’t hear from her, or even about her from anyone named on record, for a long time. “She will be in rehab for several months and is doing an extensive program to ensure she gets the help she needs,” a source tells E! News. The 25-year-old, though, is currently in Chicago, where she’s undergoing treatment with a therapist who focuses on sobriety, mental health and wellness. Demi has made it clear over the years, in numerous interviews, that she faces all of these problems and more. She has struggled with substance abuse, an eating disorder and general self-esteem issues. View Slideshow: Demi Lovato: Stars Shower Her With Love After Overdose Lovato has not been in much contact with anyone close to her, although ex-boyfriend Wilmer Valderrama has checked in whenever possible. “Wilmer has been in touch with the family and has been checking in on Demi’s status,” writes E! News, adding that the actor hasn’t really spoken to Lovato directly: “The family is trying to make sure they eliminate all distractions and want her to be focusing on her health right now.” We continue to keep Lovato in our thoughts.
