Mel B’s divorce from Stephen Belafonte is one of the messiest and saddest stories of the year, and that’s saying a lot. It’s not sad that they’re divorcing — what’s sad is the horrifying accusations that have come out since their split. Mel B has a long court battle ahead of her. But it looks like the Spice Girl and TV personality is striking back, and she’s armed with evidence that supports her claims — including depositions. Do you guys remember back in December of 2014? Honestly, 2017 feels like it’s lasted at least 1,000 years and we’re barely into September (and with two “500 year storms” already, that’s no surprise), so we’ll understand if you’re drawing a blank. Fans notices bruises on Mel B during an airing of X Factor — on which the Spice Girl was a judge. Mel B responded to speculation by declaring that her husband, Stephen Belafonte would never hurt her . Unfortunately, as we are all aware by now, someone denying that they’re a victim of domestic violence … doesn’t mean anything. Victims will generally say anything to protect their abusers. Until they reach a breaking point, that is. This year, Mel B has split from husband Stephen Belafonte and was granted an order of protection after accusing Belafonte of punching and choking her. That is horrifying to hear. There have also been more salacious stories about their marriage, including claims that Mel B and Belafonte’s nanny was Belafonte’s lover. Allegedly, Stephen Belafonte wanted to control Mel B’s money but also retain a young lover. Belafonte had also allegedly blackmailed Mel B with recordings of their sex life. Mel B’s nanny, Lorraine Gilles, sued for defamation , claiming that she had been Mel B’s consensual lover and that she had never had one-on-one sex with Stephen Belafonte. Based upon new papers that Mel B’s team has filed, it sounds like Gilles is walking back some of those claims. TMZ got a hold of some court documents that allege that Stephen Belafonte arranged a phony marriage for Lorraine Gilles , one that allowed him to keep Lorraine nearby. And that he used Mel B’s money to do it. The documents include portions of Lorraine Gilles’ deposition, in which she admits to having sex alone with Stephen Belafonte — ten to fifteen times. Considering how many years she was in their lives, that sounds like a really low number, but it’s progress from her claim that she only had sex with him during threesomes. Gilles also admits to having had sex with Belafonte around the time that she got an abortion, but claims that it wasn’t his. (We’d ask how she, or anyone, could know for sure, as we can’t imagine that any genetic testing was involved — but hey, we’re no experts) Now, Lorraine Gilles married Michael Bleu — which Mel B alleges was a sham. Her team included a deposition from Bleu himself, in which he admits to having purchased the engagement ring for $30 on eBay. Ah, romance . Gilles also admits that the sex tapes — the ones that Mel B says Belafonte used to blackmail her — definitely exist and that she watched them as recently as July of 2016. (There is a very real fear that Belafonte might release the sex tapes, in part or in whole, during these upcoming court battles) As for Michael Bleu’s incentive for the fake marriage? Apparently Belafonte got Mel B to invest $60,000 in Michael Bleu’s business. At the time, Mel B had no idea that Michael Bleu had been arrested for a sex crime (yikes!) and convicted for false imprisonment. Mel B hopes to keep Belafonte’s domestic violence trial closed to the public, for her sake and for the sake of her children. Belafonte wants it to be public — a powerful intimidation tactic against his accuser. We hope that this whole ordeal comes to an end soon. View Slideshow: Celebrity Break-Ups: Who Called It Quits in 2017?
Mel B’s divorce from Stephen Belafonte is one of the messiest and saddest stories of the year, and that’s saying a lot. It’s not sad that they’re divorcing — what’s sad is the horrifying accusations that have come out since their split. Mel B has a long court battle ahead of her. But it looks like the Spice Girl and TV personality is striking back, and she’s armed with evidence that supports her claims — including depositions. Do you guys remember back in December of 2014? Honestly, 2017 feels like it’s lasted at least 1,000 years and we’re barely into September (and with two “500 year storms” already, that’s no surprise), so we’ll understand if you’re drawing a blank. Fans notices bruises on Mel B during an airing of X Factor — on which the Spice Girl was a judge. Mel B responded to speculation by declaring that her husband, Stephen Belafonte would never hurt her . Unfortunately, as we are all aware by now, someone denying that they’re a victim of domestic violence … doesn’t mean anything. Victims will generally say anything to protect their abusers. Until they reach a breaking point, that is. This year, Mel B has split from husband Stephen Belafonte and was granted an order of protection after accusing Belafonte of punching and choking her. That is horrifying to hear. There have also been more salacious stories about their marriage, including claims that Mel B and Belafonte’s nanny was Belafonte’s lover. Allegedly, Stephen Belafonte wanted to control Mel B’s money but also retain a young lover. Belafonte had also allegedly blackmailed Mel B with recordings of their sex life. Mel B’s nanny, Lorraine Gilles, sued for defamation , claiming that she had been Mel B’s consensual lover and that she had never had one-on-one sex with Stephen Belafonte. Based upon new papers that Mel B’s team has filed, it sounds like Gilles is walking back some of those claims. TMZ got a hold of some court documents that allege that Stephen Belafonte arranged a phony marriage for Lorraine Gilles , one that allowed him to keep Lorraine nearby. And that he used Mel B’s money to do it. The documents include portions of Lorraine Gilles’ deposition, in which she admits to having sex alone with Stephen Belafonte — ten to fifteen times. Considering how many years she was in their lives, that sounds like a really low number, but it’s progress from her claim that she only had sex with him during threesomes. Gilles also admits to having had sex with Belafonte around the time that she got an abortion, but claims that it wasn’t his. (We’d ask how she, or anyone, could know for sure, as we can’t imagine that any genetic testing was involved — but hey, we’re no experts) Now, Lorraine Gilles married Michael Bleu — which Mel B alleges was a sham. Her team included a deposition from Bleu himself, in which he admits to having purchased the engagement ring for $30 on eBay. Ah, romance . Gilles also admits that the sex tapes — the ones that Mel B says Belafonte used to blackmail her — definitely exist and that she watched them as recently as July of 2016. (There is a very real fear that Belafonte might release the sex tapes, in part or in whole, during these upcoming court battles) As for Michael Bleu’s incentive for the fake marriage? Apparently Belafonte got Mel B to invest $60,000 in Michael Bleu’s business. At the time, Mel B had no idea that Michael Bleu had been arrested for a sex crime (yikes!) and convicted for false imprisonment. Mel B hopes to keep Belafonte’s domestic violence trial closed to the public, for her sake and for the sake of her children. Belafonte wants it to be public — a powerful intimidation tactic against his accuser. We hope that this whole ordeal comes to an end soon. View Slideshow: Celebrity Break-Ups: Who Called It Quits in 2017?
Khloe Kardashian’s opening up … just not about her plans to have a baby with Tristan Thompson . For the 10 year anniversary of Keeping Up With The Kardashians , Khloe is reflecting on her experiences over the last decade. And including her regrets. As it turns out, there are two things in particular that Khloe wishes that the show had never filmed anything about. For the 10 year anniversary of Keeping Up With The Kardashians , Khloe Kardashian penned an essay for Glamour that was long and very informal. (That’s not a dig — this post is also informal) She talks about how it all began. “At my mom’s house, we’d always have these big family dinners. Ryan Seacrest came to one and was like, ‘You guys are crazy. You need to be on TV.’ My mom and my sister Kim wanted to do the show, but Kourtney and I were really against it.” That really fits with their respective characters — in the past, anyway. Also, if you ever want to know who should shoulder the blame for the Kardashians, you have your answer. Ryan . “We were like, ‘No — we love our little life. We love what we’re doing.’ But Ryan said, ‘We need the whole family or nobody at all.’ So my mom kind of sold it to us as a great commercial for our stores. We were like, ‘Ugh, fine.’” Note that Kendall and Kylie, it sounds like, never even got a word in. At the beginning, Khloe says, she was a novice about being a reality star. “I’d still go to the Fantastic Sams across the street from my store a few times a week to get a blow-dry for $25. I did my own makeup.” That explains why she looked so much better on Law & Order: LA in her one little cameo appearance but so often wasn’t flattered by camera lighting elsewhere. If you’re going to be on TV, folks, you need to have your makeup done by a professional. (A lot of male politicians seem terrified at this prospect, but even they bite the bullet or the cameras will make a 50 year old man look like he’s at death’s door) “Occasionally I’ll catch an old episode and notice how we all talked in these baby voices. It’s crazy if you listen to it now. I think maybe we did it because we were nervous.” A lot of people use vocal fry when they speak, and it’s not out of nervousness. “We film six days a week, 12 to 18 hours a day, every single day.” Yeah, that’s a bonkers schedule. Though, to be fair, the family is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, so … most would say that it’s worth it. “When you compile that much footage into 13 or 14 44-minute episodes, you can find a lot of drama. Not every episode is juicy to us; it’s only juicy to the audience.” Recently, not that much has been juicy to audiences, either. But every now and then, the show surprises you. But now we get to Khloe’s regrets. “Things like Kim’s robbery or Caitlyn’s transition? That’s the kind of stuff we wish we had never filmed.” That makes a lot of sense. Filming things around what will hopefully be the single most traumatic incident in Kim’s life is … of questionable taste. A lot of people get filmed during or after major traumas (like after the destruction and death of Hurricane Harvey … or, soon, Hurricane Irma). Most people don’t voluntarily film themselves in the aftermath of trauma. Not that extensively, anyway. As for Caitlyn’s transition. … It was important for America to see a tremendously famous trans woman, despite the backlash. Caitlyn Jenner, as it turns out, is still a terrible role model. That’s why she gets confronted by more authentic trans activists who have been fighting for their rights a lot longer, and who don’t support politicians who oppose their rights. Khloe kind of exists in the celebrity bubble, though. Maybe she just meant that she wishes that they hadn’t given Caitlyn so much air time over the years. Currently, Caitlyn is somewhat estranged fromt he family — Cait and Kim Kardashian haven’t spoken in 9 months . Khloe’s meaning isn’t especially clear. Khloe also gets into how things aren’t planned. “We aren’t ever like, ‘Oooh! Let’s do this for season nine.’ This is our life, and these are the things that happen. And it’s funny — when we decide not to shoot things, people feel slighted. But when we film too much, they’re like, ‘Oh, you never should have filmed that.’ It’s a catch-22.” Reality storylines are generally based upon what’s actually happening, with a little dramatic flare sprinkled in and maybe a few “challenges” suggested by the producers to stir up some extra drama, if needed. What Khloe’s getting at with the catch-22 thing is that the Kardashians are a family that many people love to hate. There’s no winning in those circumstances. “When it comes to our drama, we are a large, blended family. If you put a microscope over any family for 10 years, you’re bound to find cracks in the foundation. That’s just the name of the game, and we’re strong enough to endure it.” That’s been their real key to success. Taking the hate and turning it into money. View Slideshow: Khloe Kardashian Gym Selfies
We miss the days when Alaskan Bush People news had to do with finding materials or battling the elements, instead of Ami Brown’s battle with stage four lung cancer . Despite everything, the Brown family has been forging on and making a new life in Colorado, this time a short distance from a hospital in case things with Ami at home should take a turn for the worse. Having medical care nearby was a good call, because the latest update on the Brown family says that Ami is back in the hospital. The Brown family, the stars of Alaskan Bush People — even though they’re now in Colorado — had been grappling with Ami Brown’s tragic cancer diagnosis. They’ve been dealing with it on camera this season, but the fight for her health and for her life continues off camera, too. Though Alaskan Bush People fans implored the Brown children to not close Browntown , the family had clearly had enough of roughing it in Alaska. Honestly, everyone had expected that, between Ami’s cancer diagnosis and how long the series had been running, that the Brown family would just move on and use their reality TV money to live normal lives. You know, back in civilization. (Of course, some Alaskan Bush People fans claim that the show is fake because the Brown family has supplies that aren’t foraged, but … no matter what your stance on that might be, the Brown kids weren’t living normal lives) But the show has still been running strong, and a while back it was reported that they were going ahead with yet another season. We just hope that Ami Brown can hold on and get more time with her family. But, as you know, she’s returned to the hospital. The Facebook page known as Alaskan Bush People : Exposed has kept the world abreast of knowledge of the Brown family that doesn’t quite make it on camera. They posed this oddly cheerful update: “Just a quick update Ami is in the hospital and still being treated with chemotherapy. We will update as soon as any more details become available. Have a great weekend!” This doesn’t sound like it was an emergency treatment, so it’s better than Ami having been rushed to the emergency room. (Which sometimes happens with cancer patients) Alaskan Bush People : Exposed haven’t provided any other updates or clarification, but we hope that this is just another scheduled round of chemo to help give Ami more time with her husband and her children. In the mean time, Ami Brown’s young daughter, Rain, has gotten blasted on social media for posting selfies on Instagram while her mother has cancer. This kind of criticism is absurd, but sadly not uncommon — people who’ve never had a loved one get a cancer diagnosis often don’t realize that life goes on, no matter the circumstances. Rain Brown posting flower crown selfies to Instagram and enjoying her life is exactly what Ami Brown wants for her daughter to experience. We’ve seen this with other celebrity kids whose parents are sick. We’ve even seen this kind of thing with the Brown family. Some fans have slammed Noah Brown for “abandoning” his family when really he’s just living his life and going places with his fiancee, as if visiting a zoo and loving his mother are mutually exclusive. Fans who expect every Brown family social media post to be some sort of weeping, black-and-white tribute to Ami Brown don’t understand family, or grief, or life. We’re all rooting for the Brown family matriarch to pull through. Fans just wished Ami Brown happy birthday last week, and they aren’t prepared to see her go. Neither, we’re sure, is Ami’s large if unconventional family. We don’t know what will become of the family or the series if Ami loses her battle, and it’s hard to imagine the entire Brown family going on as before without Ami. For now, though, she’s getting these chemo treatments to fight tooth-and-nail for her life. That’s all that anyone can do. View Slideshow: Alaskan Bush People: 13 Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know
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