Billie Lourd has given her first interview since she suffered not one, but two unimaginable losses in the span of just over 24 hours last December. First, the young actress said goodbye to her mother, beloved Star Wars icon Carrie Fisher. Then, the very next day, Lourd’s grandmother (and Fisher’s mother), Debbie Reynolds, also passed away. Lourd, best known in the entertainment world for her role on Scream Queens, has commented here and there about the tragic deaths via her Instagram page. But she opens up in major detail for the first time in this Q&A with Town & Country. Speaking to American Horror Story star Sarah Paulson for the latest issue’s cover story, Lourd contrasts life with her organized father against that of her famously chaotic mother. “He gets home at the same time every day, and we eat dinner together, we do homework together, we watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and cry, and then go to sleep,” Lourd explained of living with her dad. “At Mom’s it was like, ‘Let’s put Christmas lights in the palm trees at 2 a.m.’ “Do you remember when Sharper Image was 24 hours? We went there all the time, 1 a.m. or 3 a.m., just picking up little trinkets… as if that was what you do!” Both Fisher and Reynolds became household names in the entertainment industry, but Lourd says neither wanted her to follow in their acting footsteps. “I think in a normal family they would have looked at me and been like, ‘Hey, this kid’s a performer.’ But I was so scared. I was embarrassed, honestly,” she tells the publication, adding: “Because they were like, ‘This is going to be a really s–tty lifestyle, and everyone’s going to be scrutinizing you deeply and constantly.’ “My mom wrote five books and a one-woman show; they didn’t want more things for people to be able to Google about me.” Fisher was known for being outspoken. At absolutely all times. Lourd says she was initially turned off by just how honest and raw her mother was – on stage, writing in books or when speaking to reporters – but she eventually came to admire it. Now, Billie says she wants to emuluate Fisher. “Looking back and watching her interviews, I try to model what I do after her. She was so good at it. She would get so annoyed with me if I ever did a fake interview. “She’d say, ‘Tell the real story.'” Billie says she surprised everyone (including herself) with how comfortable she felt on the set of her first film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens – and her family quickly became supportive of her burgeoning career at this small role. “Debbie was still encouraging me to put an act together. Literally three days before she died, she was like, ‘What numbers are you going to put in your act? Who are you going to impersonate?’ “I said, ‘I don’t think people do acts as much anymore,'” “And she came back, ‘That’s why if you do one you’ll be more successful than anyone else. The act is a dying art, and someone needs to revive it.” Elsewhere, Lourd says she’s keeping her mother’s compound (“It’s so magical.”) and that she relied on humor to get her through the hardest week of her life: “If life’s not funny, then it’s just true – and that would be unacceptable,” she says, quoting her mom. “Even when she died, that was what got me through that whole thing. “When Debbie died the next day, I could just picture her saying, ‘Well, she’s upstaging me once again, of course – she had to.” View Slideshow: Carrie Fisher: Mourned, Honored by Hollywood Billie, of course, would give anything to have her loved ones alive and back in her life. But there’s an opportunity now for her to become more independent. “I’ve always kind of lived in their shadows, and now is the first time in my life when I get to own my life and stand on my own,” she says.” “I love being my mother’s daughter, and it’s something I always will be, but now I get to be just Billie.” When was the last time she saw her mom alive? What does she think her mother would say to her now? “The last time I saw her in person, this episode of Scream Queens was on, and it was a big episode for me. “I had tons of scenes, and I was so hard on myself about it – I hated how I looked, hated my performance. I was really frustrated. She told me, ‘Come over right now. I want to watch this with you.’ “And she made me sit down and watch it, and she forced me to see the good parts. She was incredible like that. “But she was really hard on me, saying, ‘Shut up. You’re great in this. Have faith in yourself. Be more confident.'” View Slideshow: Debbie Reynolds: Mourned, Honored by Hollywood In conclusion, Lourd is in as much awe of her late mother’s honesty as any Star Wars fan out there. “It’s good to be authentic, to help other people, but if it’s not helping other people, then don’t do it. “There were a couple incidents I wish she could have kept to herself. But, you know, that was the beauty of her.”
Now that Ryan Edwards has completed a stint in rehab, Maci Bookout is opening up about her struggle with his well-documented addiction. Specifically, with regard to co-parenting their son. If you watch Teen Mom OG online , you were privy to one of the more surprising and disturbing storylines in recent memory this season. Maci worried repeatedly about Ryan’s drug use, causing tension between herself, his fiance Mackenzie Standifer, and Edwards’ parents. Then, on the finale, Ryan married Mackenzie in a makeshift, parking lot wedding attended only by its officiant and Ryan’s mom and dad. Oh, and Ryan drove high to the wedding . So high, in fact, that he appeared to nod off behind the wheel, resulting in widespread fan criticism of both Mackenzie and MTV itself. A Teen Mom crew member defended this with an interesting explanation, but regardless, no one came away from this looking good. Fortunately, the dust has settled a bit since. Ryan is out of rehab, and while Mackenzie and Maci are still feuding over the finale, Bookout offered a positive update on his condition. “Yeah I knew there was an issue in the past,” Bookout said after watching the disturbing scenes play out like the rest of us this summer. “I didn’t know it was anything like it was.” Also like the rest of us, when Maci learned that the father of her first-born child would be going to rehab, she felt a strong sense of relief. “I felt like a completely different person right away,” she said, adding that he is “where he needs to be” these days after receiving treatment. “I knew the cloud over me, and all of us, was big, dark and heavy, but I just didn’t know how big, dark and heavy it was until it was gone.” Throughout the season, Bookout admits that she received advice from an addiction counselor who advised her to use Bentley as leverage. Surely, she would prefer not to use those words, but if he refused to get help for his obvious drug problem, she felt she had zero choice. As for whether she’s still playing that card? “I’m going to do my best to not discourage him, but also keep my child safe,” Maci said, implying that she’s leaving all options on the table. Clearly, there are unresolved issues between the ex-couple (and his current wife), as this isn’t a situation that can be swept under a rug. On the Teen Mom OG reunion, Mackenzie came out swinging against Bookout, accusing her of being an exploitative enabler basically: “Maci you told me to my face merely days after I had informed you that Ryan was seeking help that you have known about his problem.” Not only did she know, Mackenzie said, but she knew “since November… that was 186 days he could’ve died and still you said nothing.” “You let everyone know that you feared for his life while concurrently exploiting Ryan’s addiction on the show,” Standifer said pointedly. She continued, “Helping Ryan doesn’t mean talking about all of his problems on national television, it means being supportive.” A good partner or co-parent would refrain from “kicking someone down,” she says, and ” respect the privacy we all so graciously deserve .” Bookout called that “ridiculous” and told Standifer she shouldn’t have signed up for a reality show if she wanted more privacy than this. Hopefully, cooler heads prevail going forward and Ryan sticks with his out-patient treatment, for Bentley’s sake and all of theirs as well. View Slideshow: Teen Mom Couples: RANKED From Worst to First!
It’s not every day that a celebrity of Kim Kardashian’s standing has to scramble to shut down rumors over Twitter. But after fans noticed something suspicious and out-of-place in one of Kim’s Snapchat videos, the reality personality and social media star took to Twitter in an effort to quash the story before it could take off. We’ll see if that was enough to put the rumors to rest. … So, that looks like a run-of-the-mill still from yet another Kim Kardashian Snapchat video. She’s talking about her products dropping on the 17th and, you know, the usual Kardashian deal. Remember, the Kardashians kept pushing their products even through the explosive start to the Rob Kardashian-Blac Chyna feud . It’s kind of who they are, at this point. Kim’s also, very obviously, using a Snapchat filter that adds a flower crown … and makes her look like some sort of frightening apparition. (She can use whatever Snapchat filter she likes just like she can use whatever makeup she likes) (But … it looks how it looks, and people are entitled to opinions) So, that’s all business as usual … except, as some eagle-eyed fans noticed, for something that the mirror reveals. Look in the reflection, at that black countertop. Do you see the two streaks of what appears to be some sort of mysterious white powder? It’s in the corner, right over her shoulder. Some fans immediately wondered if they might be looking at a couple of lines of cocaine. Today, Kim took to Twitter in an effort to shut down the rumors before they can really take off. “I do not play with rumors like this so I’m gonna shut it down real quick.” She’ll try, at least. “That’s sugar from our candy mess from dylan’s candy shop.” So, somebody’s sugary treat of some variety left a pair of somewhat linear messes on that countertop, and she didn’t think anything of it and didn’t want to wait for a cleaning lady to take care of it before plugging her products. That’s … plausible, right? Now, the Kardashians aren’t a perfect lot. Khloe can be controlling, Kendall can be tone-deaf, Rob Kardashian may face criminal charges and his every move seems like an almost comical mistake by an unrelenting dumbass. But Kris Jenner didn’t raise her daughters to carelessly flash drugs on Snapchat, you know? And, if we’re being honest, coke doesn’t really seem like Kim’s style. (Is this where we make an obligatory joke about Kendall Jenner’s infamous Pepsi commercial ?) (Get it? Because … coke? You know what, never mind) Kim’s actually way less of a party girl than you’d think. She claims to not even like the taste of alcohol. (Though, like, you don’t have taste buds on the inside of your nose, but we get the idea) Also, those look a little spread out to be lines of coke. We feel like we might actually believe her here. It’s not that we’ve never been surprised before, but Kim seems too judgmental about even something as simple as drinking to be much of a coke fiend. (Though some people judge the hell out of others for drinking but don’t mind hard drugs, so you really never know) But, though it wouldn’t rule out her covering for someone else, it seems totally plausible that Kim Kardashian being a busybody is her biggest vice. Kim might regret her tweet, though. Sometimes nothing fuels rumors more than a denial. View Slideshow: Kim Kardashian on Kourtney Kardashian Birthday Party: Nipple Clamps, Nude Cartwheels and More!
After months of wedding rumors, Joy-Anna Duggar tied the knot with Austin Forsyth earlier this spring in the couple’s native Arkansas. Despite false reports of a fall wedding (on Joy’s birthday), the Duggars sent out invites to relatives and friends like any family would. Invitations that (obviously) include the date: Why is this invite – sent to The Hollywood Gossip exclusively from a source lucky enough to receive one – significant, you ask? In many ways, really most ways, it’s not at all. We can see the Facebook comments now: “Ooh, A wedding invitation was sent out that included the date and the names of the duo getting hitched. What a BOMBSHELL exclusive, THG!” We concede the point. It is worth noting, however, that this was sent to hundreds of people, each of whom honored a request on the back: Do not post this on social media . If you watch Counting On online , you saw Joy-Anna and Austin’s road to the altar culminate in the season premiere early last month. That’s barely two weeks after this wedding. Which means the Duggars either kept TLC in the dark, or the network is equally good at keeping secrets, and either way … it’s impressive. Up until the night Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth married (and Joseph and Kendra Caldwell got engaged), we were in the dark. So was the rest of the celebrity gossip world. There were the aforementioned reports, complete with a fake registry, suggesting that the two would tie the knot later this year. A week before the wedding took pace, an erroneous report indicated that Joy would become Mrs. Forsyth the previous Friday night. Some critics, including our source (who wishes to remain anonymous), say this is just a classic example of deceit by Jim Bob Duggar. We’re not sure we would go that far. To be sure, Jim Bob knows that the courtships, weddings and pregnancies of his adult daughters are keeping his reality TV empire afloat. (We won’t bother to point out the irony of a show about a deeply patriarchal family being rescued by a generation of young women.) To be sure, JBD will shamelessly attempt to choreograph the release of details (most notably photos and videos) from such milestones. Still, he’s hardly the first person to use public interest in his family to get paid … nor would he want to sabotage his daughter’s wedding. If you were to give him the benefit of the doubt: Do you really expect him to spread the word publicly, not only impeding efforts to control media coverage but inviting unwanted attention? Controversial as they are, the Duggar family could easily become targets of unwanted paparazzi, even protesters or deranged fans. Not exactly a dream come true for Joy, is it? Some Jim Bob detractors believe he is motivated by riches, fame and public perception more than the religious views he vocally espouses. That very well may be the case. Many of his actions through the years would support that argument … we’re just not sure guarding Joy-Anna’s wedding date qualifies. View Slideshow: Joy-Anna Duggar Wedding Photos: Check Out Mrs. Forsyth’s Big Day! At the end of the day, we’re just surprised he was able to guard it so successfully, all while mailing invites out like any father of the bride. Perhaps his biggest asset is Northwest Arkansas. Living there, so far from New York or L.A., even such a famously huge family and community can remain relatively tight-knit and private. (At least until 6-7 weeks go by and some lucky invitee finds theirs and tips us off after the fact … and for that, we thank them.) Can you believe, though, that in the digital age, and given their popularity and the tabloid scrutiny surrounding them, that his plan worked? Love him or loathe him, what a big win for JBD. Maybe keeping all the kids off of Instagram and other social media platforms until they get engaged is even more diabolical than we thought … View Slideshow: 16 Disturbing Things BANNED By the Duggar Family
Though we don’t know Kailyn Lowry’s exact due date , based on her social media posts, we can conclude that she’ll be welcoming her third child within the next couple weeks. In the meantime, there’s been more than enough drama to keep her Twitter and Instagram followers tuned in. This week, it mostly has to do with Javi Marroquin’s relationship with Lauren Comeau . Marroquin and Comeau became acquainted online, then started dating after meeting at a wedding earlier this month. After just a few days together, Javi announced the relationship publicly. Kailyn has yet to respond directly, but many fans believe a sullen tweet that Kailyn posted shortly after Javi’s announcement was her way of reacting to the news: “Today is not a good day. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better,” Lowry wrote. It was enough to make some fans think there might be something to those persistent rumors about Kailyn wanting to get back together with Javi . Earlier today, a fan tweeted that she’d had a dream in which Kailyn got married again. Lowry swiftly clarified that that dream will never become a reality. “Def a dream cause I won’t be getting married again,” she tweeted. One fan clearly missed Kailyn’s point and read the comment as her way of hinting at a reconciliation with Marroquin. Again, Kailyn responded by making herself very clear: “My ex is an ex for a reason,” she tweeted. So there you have it. Sounds like we won’t be seeing a Kailn/Javi reunion any time soon. Most recently, Lowry briefly dated Chris Lopez , and it sounds like that experience turned her off of relationships for the foreseeable future. Despite the fact that they’ll soon have a child together, Lowry and Lopez reportedly have very little contact with one another. Specifics are hard to come by, but insiders say the relationship ended badly after just a few weeks, and Lopez will not be a presence in the life of his child. We could see how that experience might lead Kailyn to the decision to stay single. Watch Teen Mom 2 online to relive Kail’s tumultuous love life. View Slideshow: Kailyn Lowry: Timeline of a Turbulent Teen Mom Life
Sara Geurts was only 10 years old when she was diagnosed with a rare skin condition called Dermatosparaxis Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Known in the short-hand as EDS, this disease is a connective tissue disorder that inhibits the body’s ability to produce collagen. In the case of Geurts, this means her skin produces the sort of wrinkles you'd never expect to see on a 26-year old. Yes, Sara Geurts is only 26 years old. You may need to remind yourself of that fact as you click through the aspiring model's very inspiring photos, and learn more about her story, below… 1. Geurts is on a Mission “My skin was my biggest insecurity, but now I think it’s the most beautiful thing ever,” says Sara, who was born in Minneapolis, but who now resides in Los Angeles. She aims to inspire others who think they’re “ugly” by traditional standards. 2. Be Proud of Your Imperfections “Each imperfection you have is individual to you, and it tells a story about you and who you are, and the struggle and the journey that you have been on,” she says. 3. A Viral Sensation In 2015, sGeurtse submitted her story to the Love Your Lines campaign, a project that praises women’s fauts and imperfections. Her latest video, produced by Barcroft TV, has thus far been viewed almost two million times. 4. She’s Only 26 Years Old We said that already, we know. But we say it again to show appreciate for the bravery Geurts is showing by posing in this manner. 5. Sage Words of Wisdom “You’re going to meet people who are intimidated by you,” Sara wrote on Instagram recently. “You’re different. People don’t know how to react or how to accept someone who doesn’t follow the crowd.” 6. About These Critics, Though? “They are not used to someone who doesn’t try to fit in. So instead of bolstering your uniqueness, they’ll try and make you feel like you’re weird or damaged. I’m here to offer some well earned advice: Screw them.” View Slideshow
South Dakota Law Now Allows Unlicensed Braiders To Work Out Of Their Homes This is a really interesting one. A white South Dakota woman named Rachael Gorsuch had a big battle on her hands trying to pursue her passion — braiding hair from home. The issue is South Dakota has a strict state law making it illegal to braid hair without a license. Someone reported Gorsuch to the South Dakota Cosmetology Commission and she could have ended up in real trouble, but she turned her negative into a positive, rallying her clients to help her lobby to change the law. Before Gorsuch’s campaign, a license to braid hair required 2,100 hours of official training in South Dakota. Gorsuch has been braiding black women’s hair since she was 14, and even when she attended Black Hills Beauty College she was the only one at the school who knew how to braid black hair. “If you call any random salon, they’re going to tell you that they don’t do it,” Gorsuch told the Argus Leader. “You’re not even teaching it in the schools, yet you’re making people get a license?” According to Census data there are only around 11,000 black people in South Dakota, comprising 2 percent of the state’s population. Gorsuch’s movement won support from Governor Dennis Daugaard who signed House Bill 1048, which decriminalizes the practice of braiding hair without a license. “We rallied because it’s important to my family and it’s important for people all across the state,” Ryan Howlett told The Argus Leader. “My daughter needs protective styling for her hair to be as beautiful as it can be, and it’s a service that’s needed.” Beautiful story right? Featured Image: LUIS ROBAYO/AFP/Getty Images
A new Miss USA has been crowned. But not without the sort of controversy that often accompanies beauty pageants of this nature. First, however, the facts from Sunday night: Kára McCullough earned the honor of Miss USA 2017 by defeating 50 other women from across the country, impressing judges with her beauty, talents and intelligence. A scientist at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, McCullough held off strong challenges from runner-up Meredith Gould (Miss Minnesota) and Chhavi Verg (Miss New Jersey). McCullough, meanwhile, represented the District of Columbia. Dancing With the Stars’ veteran Julianne Hough and Terrence J hosted the competition, which aired live from the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on the Las Vegas Strip and which featured performances from Pitbull and country star Brett Eldredge. Ashley Graham worked backstage as a co-host, while Halima Aden, Carson Kressley, Brooke Lee, Nancy Lublin, Jeannie Mai and Janet Mock chose the winners. Now, on to the remarks that turned McCullough into a trending topic on Twitter… With Congress having recently voted to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a plan that would take away health care from millions of Americans, the contestants were asked for their thoughts on this polarizing political subject. And the eventual winner McCullough sent some heads shaking on Sunday night when she said affordable health care in America is a “privilege” instead of a “right. “I’m definitely going to say it’s a privilege,” McCullough explained during the question-and-answer segment, expounding as follows: “As a government employee, I’m granted health care. “And I see firsthand that for one, to have health care, you need to have jobs, so therefore we need to continue to cultivate this environment so that we’re given the opportunities to have health care as well as jobs for all Americans worldwide.” In response to this point of view, Twitter users slammed McCullough, saying they hoped she didn’t take home the crown. “Miss DC was my fav but … not after that answer,” wrote Twitter user Charlsley Carey. “Everyone has a right to health care.” Added Kathy Lovett: “Well I guess poor people don’t deserve health care because the new Miss USA said it was a privilege.” But McCullough did have her defenders, and we’re not just talking about the judges who awarded her the grand prize later in the evening. “Miss USA is beautiful inside and out,” tweeted Politixgal. “Healthcare IS NOT a right. It costs money & someone has to pay. You shd be paying for your own.” This, of course, is far from the first time that a beauty pageant contestant created a firestorm with politically-charged comments. Remember the reaction after Carrie Prejean expressed her stance on gay marriage back in 2009? View Slideshow: 20 Ugly Beauty Pageant Scandals Clearly hoping to stir up social media, Miss USA organizers also asked the following question of this year’s contestants: What do you consider feminism to be, and do you consider yourself a feminist? Replied McCullough: “As a woman scientist in the government, I’d like to lately transpose the word feminism to equalism. I don’t really want to consider myself – try not to consider myself like this die-hard, you know, like, ‘Oh, I don’t really care about men.’ “But one thing I’m gonna say, though, is women, we are just as equal as men when it comes to opportunity in the workplace… “And I say firsthand: I have witnessed the impact that women have in leadership in the medical sciences, as well as just in the office environment. “So as Miss USA, I would hope to promote that type of leadership responsibility globally to so many women worldwide.” In a video shared on the Miss USA Twitter account after the competition, McCullough cried backstage as she said she was feeling “extremely overwhelmed with joy,” given that she had just entered the pageant for fun. She concluded: “I decided to take life as it comes, and if I could encourage anyone else in the world to do that, please – just take your time. “Understand the process is so much more important to focus on than just looking toward the outcome.”
Ashley Graham is baring both her soul and her body. In every possible way. The plus-size model, who frequently receives praise for being so open with her figure even in the face of criticism, is featured in the latest issue of V Magazine… … in her birthday suit! And we’re not talking about some cheap nude spread in which the subject is actually sort of clothed… or covering most of her private parts with a bed sheet or something. We’re talking the full monty and then some. You’ll have to visit the official V Magazine website to drool over the most explicit photographs, none of which we can post here because we try to be a family destination for celebrity gossip. But here’s one of the more tame examples from Graham’s latest pictoral. The brunette bombshell has taken off her clothes on plenty of previous occasions, of course. In this case, however, she exposes more than just her bare boobs. She also delves deeply into her upbringing, specifically her religious upbringing. “I grew up in a very Christian home, so words have power,” she says, explaining: “I took that with me into every area of my life. If you say, ‘I’m fat,’ that’s how you’re going to feel. If you say, ‘I’m stupid,’ that’s how you’re going to start your day.” Indeed, Graham has always stood strong against the body-shamers and critics out there. She’s written an upcoming book titled A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like. “I wake up sometimes and I feel like the fattest person alive, but I’m not going to let that affect the rest of my day,” she says. What sort of advice might Graham offer to others who feel this way? “Say to yourself, ‘I like this day. I am bold, I am beautiful, and I am brilliant.’ For me, that hits the interior, the exterior, and it makes me feel smart.” Ashley also recalls to the publication how she discovered she had cellulite for the first time, back when she was in middle school. “I remember telling my mom, ‘Isn’t it disgusting? It’s so ugly.’ She pulled her pants down and said, ‘Look, I have it, too.’ “And I was like, ‘Gasp!’ She looked at me, then at it, and just rolled her eyes. She didn’t tell me that it’s beautiful or ugly. She just made it a nonissue.” Graham does the same thing now online. She’ll often just share photos of her own cellulite for other women to take note of. “It doesn’t define my worth,” Ashley concludes, speaking to Tracee Ellis Ross, who conducted this interview. “If women like you and me continue to preach that, then I feel like younger girls are going to grasp it and they’re going to be like, “Who cares!” Amen. In related news, we totally love Ashley Graham.
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