Source: Steve Russell / Getty The entire sports world is currently on Kawhi Leonard watch and waiting patiently to learn where the “fun guy” is going to play professional basketball next season. Leonard and his camp have given no indication as to where he is leaning too but reportedly, Toronto Raptors superfan and Global Ambassador Drake is taking it upon himself to keep the Klaw in the six. Drake really likes his chips with the dip , and he’s going to make sure it stays that way for the foreseeable future. After experience what it’s like to win an NBA championship for the first time, Drizzy wants to make sure his Raptors are fully equipped to defend their title with Kawhi leading the way once again. Marc Stein of The New York Times reports the 6 God has his own recruiting plan in place in hopes to convince Leonard to resign with the Raptors. Per Marc Stein: “The Raptors haven’t backed off one centimeter, and Drake is said to be mounting his own recruiting campaign on top of whatever the freshly minted champions are doing to convince him to stay.” 3. The Raptors haven't backed off one centimeter and Drake is said to be mounting his own recruiting campaign on top of whatever the freshly minted champions are doing to convince him to stay — Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 2, 2019 Whether Drake’s alleged pitch works or not is another story. ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne, as well as Stein, are reporting that Kawhi and his camp determining which team they can trust based on how silent they can stay throughout the wooing process. If that is the case, Drizzy might want to make sure his attempt at convincing the 2-time NBA Finals MVP to stay is as low-key as possible can be and that no leaks are coming from his circle. Kawhi has the whole city on edge, and the news of the Los Angeles Lakers being ahead of the Raptors and Clippers in the race to land the highly-coveted free agent doesn’t help ease tensions either in Toronto. We will just have to wait and see, but its clear Leonard knows he has the NBA, Los Angeles, and Toronto in the palm of his giant hand at the moment. — Photo: Steve Russell / Getty
Jenelle Evans is not satisfied. She’s happy, yes. But the disgraced former Teen Mom star has made clear in a new interview that she isn’t about to just sit back and enjoy the time with her recently-reunited family… … because one key member is missing. On Wednesday evening, we were among the first outlets to report that Jenelle and her biogted husband, David Eason, had regained custody of Jenelle’s two youngest kids and Eason’s daughter from a previous relationship. The trio of youngsters had been removed by Child Protection Services after Eason admitted to killing the family dog and a judeg decreed that the controversial couple was not maitaining a safe environment for its kids. This took place on May 28 and Evans had spent the past few weeks in and out of court, fighting for the return of her kids. We recapped yesterday’s custody decision and the preceding scandal below: View Slideshow: Jenelle Evans: I’m Getting My Kids Back! “I am ecstatic to regain custody of my kids back!” Jenelle told E! News shortly after the judge reached his latest decision, adding last night: “Through out this long process and final decision, I am excited to be moving forward and continuing to show America I’m a good parent.” This will likely take a lot of convincing, considering all America has seen Jenelle do and say over the years. But Jenelle told Champion Daily after the hearing that the public has the wrong image of her and Eason, explaining that there’s no proof out there at all that they’re kids are being raised in any sort of dangerous home. “[The judge] didn’t find any evidence against us of neglect or abuse of any sort,” Evans now says. She went on to say that Ensley and Kaiser’s teachers described in court how the couple “were as parents for the past two years,” that this helped paint a positive picture of the couple and: “With everything that was presented as evidence, the judge found that CPS only had ‘hearsay.’ What CPS presented didn’t stand up to the definition of abuse or neglect. “When the judge said her decision it was so ‘matter-of-fact’ tone and blunt that I was in shock but bursted out into tears immediately!” As of 10 a.m. EST on July 4, Ensley and Kaiser were ordered to be returned to Jenelle’s home in North Carolina. What about nine-year old Jace, however? He’s been living with his grandmother (and Jenelle’s mother) for a long time now; Barbara Evans is his legal guardian and Jenelle is only permitted to have supervised visits. (She also recently called 911 to ask for a welfare check on the children living under her mom’s roof.) On a roll with the court now, however, Jenelle says she’s determined to change this arrangement. She noted last night that she’s focused on building a stronger relationship with Jace and is then “planning on getting full custody.” Moreover, Jenelle and Eason are attending “parenting classes and substance assessments” in order to better themselves. Earlier this year, MTV cut ties with Evans following the dog killing incident… but Evans says she is just ready to focus on the improving both herself and her reputation as a whole. “I just want to be home with my kids and hear them arguing, hear ‘Mom, I want a snack,’ or hear ‘Goodnight, I love you,’” she told Champion Daily, concluding: “I missed it so much and so glad to have that back.” For the sake of these very young children, let’s hope she means that.
Halle Bailey is about to be part of our big screen world. The 19-year old — who forms one half of the R&B duo Chloe X Halle, along with her sister — has been cast as Ariel in the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Said director Rob Marshall of the decision to cast Bailey in the title role of the film, which is based entirely on the iconic 1989 Disney cartoon: “After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence and substance – plus a glorious singing voice – all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role.” Melissa McCarthy, Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina are also also talks to star and lend their voices to the movie, which will begin production in 2020. The Little Mermaid will be the latest Disney cartoon to be remade in this live-action fashion, following this spring’s Aladdin and this summer’s The Lion King. So… that’s it, right? End of story and end of this latest piece of interesting movie news? NOPE! Because social media can be a terrible place, full of judgment A-Holes and racists in general, many people out there are aghast over Bailey’s casting. Because they thought it was Halle Berry who was cast as Ariel? Actuallly, yes. This was an initial misunderstanding. But the bigger uproar has centered around the fact that Bailey is African-American and the character of Ariel was not. Of course, she as also a mermaid and Bailey is a human… but no one has really objected to this difference between the singer and the curious mermaid. This person, for example, tried to use science to argue that Ariel simply had to be white: There was also the use of the fake term “blackwashing,” along with some attempts to reason that Ariel is Dutch and, therefore, well, you see… We’ll spare you the disgusting details of other, similar Tweets. But know this: There’s a Change.org petition, which we are NOT about to link to, that calls for Bailey to be fired there must be “justice for Ariel” and the petition signees aren’t about to let “Disney ruin our childhood.” We don’t even know what to say about people who actually get worked up over what ethnicity they think a cartoon ought to be when he or she is brought to life by an actual person. Go outside? Take a nice, long walk? Try to re-evaluate every aspect of your life? Because, seriously, you are 1. Mostly just being racist; and 2. Really need to direct this anger toward pretty much anything else of importance in the world. The above Tweet is how Bailey herself reacted to the casting news. Pretty awesome image, isn’t it? We’re just gonna go ahead and leave it at that,
Heartbreaking news today from two members of the Duggar family. In a lengthy and understandably emotional Instagram post, Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth have alerted fans to the following: They’ve lost their baby. Along with the photo above, this is what the couple wrote on its official social media page late Wednesday night: Today marks one week since we heard these words… “So this is your baby’s heart (pointing to the ultrasound screen). I don’t hear a heartbeat or see any movement.” Duggar and Forsyth had announced they were expecting their second child back on May 1, joining a long line of loved ones who were pregnant and looking forward to welcoming a baby later this year. “Our favorite math is addition and we are very excited to share that the Forsyth family is adding a member!” the Counting On stars said at the time, adding: “Marriage and being a mom and dad to Gideon has already far exceeded our expectations. “We are looking forward to loving another little one and seeing what special dynamic he or she brings to our family. Table for 4 sounds perfect!” The couple is already parents to a boy named Gideon. They got married in May of 2017 and Joy-Anna said this spring that she was due in 2019. Tragically, however, this is no longer the case. We had gone in for our 20-week ultrasound and gender reveal. It was a baby girl, they revealed in this new Instagram message , continuing as follows: Although we don’t understand why, God has given us unexplainable peace and comfort during this very difficult time. Yes, it still hurts and we have cried countless tears, but we know that we can trust the Lord. In the words of King David after the loss of his baby, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Sam 12:23). We don’t grieve as those who have no hope because we trust that we will see this little one again. One in four women suffer a miscarriage. But it’s unusual for this to happen after five months of a pregnancy. We truly cannot imagine what Joy-Anna, who had been excitedly showing off her baby bump , is feeling right now. To conclude their post, she and Austin confirmed the name of their late daughter and wrote: We named her Annabell Elise. Annabell means “God has favored me”, and Elise means “God satisfies”. What a precious thing to know that when our daughter opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the face of Jesus. Please pray for continued healing, not only physically but for our hearts as well. Joy-Anna wrapped the post with this quote by Fanny Crosby: All the way my Savior leads me; What have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy, Who through life has been my Guide? Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, Here by faith in Him to dwell! For I know, whatever befall me, Jesus doeth all things well, For I know, whatever befall me, Jesus doeth all things well. The miscarriage comes less than a month after grandma Mary Duggar’s death, and it also comes while a numner of other Duggars are expecting. Josh and Anna have announced a sixth child is on the way, while Joseph and Kendra are expecting … and so are Josiah and Lauren. Cousin Amy Duggar is also pregnant with her first child. All focus right now is on Joy-Anna and Austin, however. “We were so sad to hear that Joy and Austin’s baby girl passed away mid-way through their pregnancy,” Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar wrote on Instagram in response to this news, adding: “The pain of losing a child is unimaginable. Yet, for the one whose hope is in God, there is a peace that surpasses our finite understanding. “We pray that God will comfort Joy and Austin and carry them through this difficult time.” Wrote Jessa Seewald, who welcomed a daughter this past May: “@AustinandJoyforsyth our hearts are breaking over your loss. “Such beautiful words you’ve written in your post. Annabell will forever be in our hearts. We love you all and are praying for God’s peace and comfort during this time.” View Slideshow: The Duggars: Who’s Courting? Pregnant? Next In Line? [MORE UPDATES!] And then Anna Duggar chimed in with her condolences: “Austin and Joy we love you both so much and my heart aches for your loss, we look forward to meeting Annabel Elise one day in heaven!” And this from Jeremy Vuolo: “We love you and are praying for you. Your trust in the Lord throughout these days has inspired me to know God more intimately. I look forward to meeting Annabell Elise with you in heaven. Josiah Duggar and Lauren Swanson also experienced a miscarriage late last year, sharing the news with supporters in February. We send our thoughts to Joy-Anna and Austin during this very difficult time. View Slideshow: 33 Stars Who Have Suffered a Miscarriage
For Jenelle Evans and David Eason, the nightmare is finally over. According to various outlets, the VERY polarizing reality stars are about to get their children back. This judicial decision marks the end of a several week odyssey that started back when Eason shot his family's dog dead , child protection services then intervened… and authorities determined that the parents were not raising their kids in a safe environment. What has now changed? What, exactly, has a judge decreed? And where does Jenelle go from here? Scroll down for every answer… 1. This Has Been Quite the Saga Jenelle has three kids. Her oldest son, Jace, is under the care of his grandmother and Jenelle’s mom, Barbara. But her youngest two kids, a four-year old named Kaiser and two-year old named Ensley, live with her and husband Eason. 2. At Least They DID Live with Them Between Jenelle’s history of drug use and Eason’s history of violence, fans always believed these two were unfit parents. But it took Eason shooting and killing the family dog to get authorities involved. 3. Yes, This Really Happened Eason claimed the small dog snapped at Ensley, but the video he provided as so-called proof did not make it look like the toddler was in danger at all. 4. And Even If She Was? Eason could have grabbed the dog and driven it away to a shelter of some kind. Instead, he reportedly beat it bloody with his bare hands and then shot it in the woods with a shotgun. 5. Enter the Authorities Child Protection Services paid the Eason/Evans household a visit in the wake of this disgusting act — and then, on May 28, a judge decreed that David and Jenelle were not qualified to raise their kids. 6. A Statement from Jenelle In a statement obtained by People Magazine at this time, Evans’ rep said: “At this time we are cooperating with the judge and legal team from court. We have no comment at this time and appreciate the concerns regarding our client and her children. We will continue to cooperate with the court and their decisions.” View Slideshow
It doesn’t take much to stir up controversy in the Duggar family. The Counting On Clan is so ultra-conservative that the sight of female Duggar wearing pants instead of a floor-length skirt is enough to spark a heated debate. So you can imagine Jim Bob and Michelle’s chagrin over Derick Dillard and the extent to which Jill Duggar’s husband seems to revel in stirring up scandals. As you probably know, Derick was fired from Counting On back in 2017 after making bigoted comments about a trans teen on social media. Jill quit the show as a show of solidarity, and the couple has been doing some serious belt-tightening ever since. The Duggars preach that material wealth is a sign of God’s love and approval, so they’re probably not thrilled about Derick’s decision to toss a couple of six-figure careers out the window. But at least Jim Bob and Michelle can be glad that Jill didn’t wind up with Derick’s brother Dan. If you follow the family closely, you may know that the Duggars had some misgivings about Jill marrying into the Dillard clan, primarily because his family is made up of relatively normal people with normal problems. The Dillards are conservative evangelicals, just like the Duggars (otherwise, the union would not have been approved), but they’re not wealthy, and they’re not as absurdly orthodox in their religious beliefs. The family has endured a number of hardships, including the death of Derick’s father, as well as his mother’s battle with stage four non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Now, Cathy Dillard has detailed her fight with cancer as well as some other family travails, in the dramatically-titled memoir, I Shall Not Die: My Walk Through the Valley of Death. But thus far, the media focus on the book has had less to do with Cathy’s cancer and more to do with hints that her son Dan was briefly a non-believer with a major substance abuse problem. “As I recall, he described how he had been running from God, and he had finally quit running and surrendered, letting Jesus come in and take over,” Cathy writes. “He now realized that had been a decision of his head and not his heart,” she continues. “He had grown up in church and knew all the right things to do and say, but in his words, he had ‘been living a double life.’ He never turned his life over to Jesus.” Dan’s Facebook post seems to corroborate his mother’s account of his “misspent” youth. The father of one revealed that he was on “a path to self-destruction” as recently as 2016. “The past year has been an incredibly difficult journey full of struggles and pain, but one that I have not had to go through alone,” Dan wrote at the time. “This journey is only beginning. If you are reading this, know that I am praying for you and what you are going through right now.” While neither Dan nor his mother went into detail regarding his struggles, fans have reached some conclusions based on his involvement in the fight against opioid addiction. “Enjoyed speaking today at our Boone County Opioid Prevention Project kickoff,” Dan recently wrote on Instagram. “Thanks to the Criminal Justice Institute for their partnership in this initiative #DFC #CJI #Prevention #ReversingTrends.” Whatever his struggles may have been, however, Dan seems to have arrived at a happy ending — he and wife Deena welcomed a baby boy in September. View Slideshow: Jill Duggar & Derick Dillard: Here’s Why Fans Think They’re Getting Divorced
Jenelle Evans chose her husband, David Eason, over the safety of her children, even after he brutally murdered their dog in front of them. One piece of good news is that Maryssa, Jace, Kaiser, and Ensley are not living on The Land right now. Another is that they hopefully won't be put back in harm's way — at least, not right now. Reports say that Jenelle Evans' custody battle could go on for months . That should at least buy the children some time. But Jenelle's (former) castmate, Briana DeJesus, thinks that it's wrong to keep the kids relatively safe. She thinks that they should be sent back to Jenelle's trauma factory of a house. Why? Because Briana believes that kids should stay with their moms — no matter what . 1. Briana is Team Jenelle! They’ve been friends for a while. Some friends would express concern about allegations that David has been abusing Jenelle and her children for years. 2. That’s right — the kids and dogs aren’t the only ones at risk Remember when Jenelle dialed 911 and described David assaulting her but later claimed that it was a misunderstanding? Sure, Jan. But Briana doesn’t seem too worried. 3. Even Briana hasn’t heard from her much lately She’s admitted that she hasn’t spoken to Jenelle regularly since David Eason’s brutal murder of Nugget. 4. That continued even after CPS came for the kids The court acted swiftly and in the best interests of the children by removing them from Jenelle and David’s house of horrors due to Jenelle’s “failure to protect” them. 5. Briana says she understands the unreturned texts “I haven’t spoken to Jenelle in a bit,” Briana admits to RadarOnline. “Due to the fact that she’s clearly tied up, dealing with a lot right now.” 6. Then Briana throws her support behind Jenelle “With that being said,” Briana announces. “I believe all kids should be with their moms, especially the younger ones.” View Slideshow
We can’t believe this has to be said in the year 2019, but thankfully Kaitlyn Bristowe is here to help us say it. Is everyone listening closely? Do you need to turn off any music or any podcasts and really focus here? Okay, go right ahead. We’ll give you a moment to do so… All good? All set to hear this apparently breaking piece of news? Here it is: Women are free to consensually have sex with anyone they please. SHOCKING, right? Sadly, the answer seems to be yes to a handful of critics out there; most notably the one in particular who has dominated this season of The Bachelorette. Over the past couple weeks, villiainous suitor Luke Parker has been outspoken about his disdain for Hannah getting close to other men on the show. Emotionally? Yes, sure. But physically? Absolutely. On a recent Bachelorette episode , Luke scolded Hannah for taking off her shirt while bungee-jumping with Garrett, saying to his possible wife-to-be: “Your body is a temple and honestly I’m just thinking of you holding him, bare-skinned and I’m just thinking in my mind… it just pissed me off, it really frustrated me.” This was only Luke’s opinion on the show itself, but Hannah has sadly been slut/sex-shamed to such a degree that she was forced to make the following statement last month: I refuse to not stand in the sun. I refuse to feel shame. I refuse to believe the lies and evil that flood my comments. I am standing firm in believing that maybe God wants to use a mess like me to point to His goodness and grace. But dang, it’s hard. The amount of hate I and the men on this journey with me receive…it’s chilling to know so many people want to spread hurt so recklessly. We all fall short of the glory of God…we just happen to do it on national television. Perhaps she can now be comforted by the knowledge that she doesn’t need to fight this battle on her own. Bristowe, the season 11 Bachelorette lead, rushed immediately to the Alabama native’s defense on Tuesday after a Twitter user noted “women are coming after” Brown and “slut-shaming her like they did to you.” To her credit, Kaitlyn was simply NOT having this. “Women can have sex if they choose, and women can wait till marriage if they choose,” Bristowe replied, adding with emphasis: “Point is, ITS THEIR CHOICE. When you’re making a life-altering decision to find a life partner, intimacy can be important. Why is that so hard to understand?#TheBachelorette.” We wish we knew, Kaitlyn. Bristowe went on to call for support from all of Bachelor Nation. “Of course, we should,” she tweeted. “Have you ever done something you regret, and needed support? Or would you be fine with everyone coming after you, when you’re probably already being hard on yourself. Sometimes regrets are life lessons, which result in self compassion and growth.” This topic has surfaced once again because a promo for next week’s episode of The Bachelorette features Hannah truly telling Luke off, once and for all. As you can see below, she does so in truly epic fashion — by telling the sexist loser than she had sex with another suitor this season. Twice. IN A WINDMILL. Hannah Brown Taunts Luke Parker: I Boned in a Windmill! Twice! Does Hannah actually send Luke home next week? Or does she somehow justify to herself that he deserves to stay? Click through our section of The Bachelorette spoilers and check out the following slideshow to find otu the answer! View Slideshow: The Bachelorette Spoilers: Who Gets Exposed? Who Wins Hannah’s Heart? [UPDATED]
Mike Johnson was sent packing on this week’s episode of The Bachelorette . It was a heartbreaking development for the contestant, who straight up told Hannah Brown that he could picture himself proposing someday… … only for Brown to NOT echo this sentiment and, consequently, NOT give Mike a rose after their one-on-one date. A portfolio manager who lives in San Antonio, Mike followed up his rejection on the episode by Tweeting the following: Jus saying, my future wife though… girl you ready for smiles, adventure, comfort, growth, honesty, laughter, me falling using my inhaler and kissing your stretch marks and imperfections. He concluded by asking: Where u hiding? The answer, as it turns out, is: Hollywood! Demi Lovato, who had Tweeted here and there about Mike during his Bachelorette journey, actually responded to this message, hilariously writing: I’M RIGHT HERE MIKE I’M RIGHT HERE BOO MY MOM ALREADY LOVES YOU TOO. The artist has openly crushed on Mike for weeks, as she watched Monday’s installment via her Instagram Story as times and can be heard on there at one point saying of the aspiring husband. “Swing me, kiss me! Boo boo.” She even wrote “Mike I accept your rose” in one of her Stories. EEEEK, right?!? As far as we know, a celebrity has never dated a scorned contestant on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. But there’s a first time for everything, right? We swear, we heard that once. Lovato, who has mostly been laying low while she recovers from her near-fatal overdose last summer, is an avid and unabashed fan of The Bachelorette this season. She’s been cheering Mike on from the outset, while agreeing with everyone out there not named Hannah Brown is loudly trashing awful front-runner Luke Parker. “Hannah, honey, do not trust him!!!!!!” Lovato captioned a clip of the dating series on her Instagram Stories last month. She posted this note to Hannah after Luke declared his love for the show’s lead; like two hours after meeting her for the first time. “Huh?! How?!” she wrote in response to this L-Bomb dropping, adding: “I’m uncomfortable. I’m cringing.” She’s also single. As far as we know, at least. So there you have it, Mike Johnson. We know you’re in the running to be the next The Bachelor, but why bother going through that exercise? Why waste your time with potential wives who will yell and argue and make you feel so very awkward at times? Demi Lovato is right here. And she’s totally awesome. We think you know what you have to do. View Slideshow: The Bachelorette Spoilers: Who Gets Exposed? Who Wins Hannah’s Heart? [UPDATED]
Just this week, Ashley Martson told fans that she now regrets having endangered Jay's life after he cheated on her. 90 Day Fiance fans understand her anger. But months and a wealth of other drama have gone by since that scene was filmed. Some of the developments were good — but then Jay cheated again, and it's all been downhill from there. Ashley revealed last month that Jay would be deported, but no one — including Ashley and Jay — knew how this would turn out. Jay is now in ICE custody after violating a protective order. And it may surprise many fans to know that no one is more heartbroken about this than Ashley. Take look at what she had to say: 1. Ashley shared big news on Tuesday night We have her heartbroken post sharing the grim tidings, but first, the context: because Jay and Ashley’s troubles go back a long ways. 2. Jay cheated … again After possibly cheating on Ashley multiple times before their wedding and then immediately downloading Tinder after the wedding, she gave him another chance … and he absolutely blew it. He banged a random girl in the bathroom of the barbershop. 3. Ashley was Big Mad She packed up Jay’s stuff and kicked him out of the house. 4. Jay was put out of the house He was more than a little bewildered. He admitted to the cheating, but obviously didn’t want his marriage to end. 5. She even called the police on him Many 90 Day Fiance fans who saw this scene considered it to be overkill. 6. Ashley expressed her regrets She took to Instagram to share that she had acted rashly and out of anger at the time, and acknowledged that it was not one of her finer moments. View Slideshow
