By Mark Gray
8:20am PDT, May 23, 2021
Personal reveal
Billy Porter, the star of the FX series "Pose," this week revealed that he's been secretly living with HIV for nearly a decade and a half. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor said he was diagnosed in 2007. "The shame of that time compounded with the shame that had already [accumulated] in my life silenced me, and I have lived with that shame in silence for 14 years," he told the publication. "HIV-positive, where I come from, growing up in the Pentecostal church with a very religious family, is God's punishment." Due to medical advancements, Billy said he suffers few effects from HIV. "This is what HIV-positive looks like now," he said. "I survived so that I could tell the story. That's what I'm here for. I'm the vessel, and emotionally that was sufficient — until it wasn't. It's time to grow up and move on because shame is destructive — and if not dealt with, it can destroy everything in its path."
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Secret wedding part 2
Surprise! Ariana Grande is a married woman. On May 17, reports revealed that the singer had quietly wed fiancé Dalton Gomez at their home in Montecito, California. The pop star's rep confirmed to People magazine, "They got married. It was tiny and intimate — less than 20 people. The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn't be happier." The wedding was rather informal and there was no real "ceremony," TMZ reported. Ariana and Dalton, a real estate agent, have been dating for more than a year and got engaged around Christmas 2020.
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Legend lost
Farewell, old friend. Legendary actor and comedian Charles Grodin passed away at 86 after a battle with bone marrow cancer, his family announced on May 18. Often known for his cranky humor, Charles appeared in a slew of films and TV shows since the 1960s including "Midnight Run" and "The Great Muppet Caper." In 1978, he also won an Emmy for his work on "The Paul Simon Special." Following his death, many in the entertainment world reacted with sadness. Steve Martin called Charles "one of the funniest people I ever met." Eugene Levy said Charles' performance in "The Heartbreak Kid" was "a masterclass in comedic acting." Bonnie Hunt spoke of working with him on "Beethoven." "I'm so deeply saddened that we won't have more of his unique, sharp wit and trademark pause before the perfect delivery of a line," she tweeted.
Pronoun change
Demi Lovato is going by new pronouns. On May 19, the "Cool For The Summer" singer kicked off the new "4D with Demi Lovato" podcast with a personal announcement. "Over the past year and a half, I've been doing some healing and self-reflective work," the two-time Grammy nominee said. "And through this work, I've had the revelation that I identify as non-binary. With that said, I'll officially be changing my pronouns to they/them. I feel that this best represents the fluidity I feel in my gender expression and allows me to feel most authentic and true to the person I both know I am, and still am discovering." Demi knows this is a switch from what fans are used to, so they'll "be accepting" if people "slip." "I think it's important because I want to use these pronouns that feel right to me," they said. "I also just don't want people to be so afraid of messing up that they don't try to use them."
Backlash
Former "Silver Spoons" star Ricky Schroder issued a mea culpa of sorts after berating a California Costco employee who refused to let the former child star enter the store without a face mask. Ricky recorded the encounter and posted it to his Instagram. The employee, named Jason, explained that that particular Costco in Los Angeles was abiding by the California state-wide mask mandate, which is still currently in place. "You're going to listen to these people? They've destroyed our economy. They're destroying our state. And you're just going to listen to their rules?" Ricky yelled. After facing backlash, Ricky somewhat apologized on Instagram. "Jason, nothing personal. I'm not upset with you or anybody in the position like you have, who works for a living," he said. "I understand you were following your laws and rules. I was trying to make a point to the corporate overlords and I'm sorry that I had to use you to do it. And if I hurt your feelings, I apologize. I do think that independence for medical tyranny is more important than hurting people's feelings, so I'm sorry I hurt your feelings."
Damning report
An independent report released on May 20 confirmed that a BBC employee used "deceitful" methods to secure a landmark interview with Princess Diana back in 1995 — an interview in which she spoke of the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles. The report said BBC journalist Martin Bashir showed fake bank statements to Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, which "deceived and induced him to arrange a meeting with Princess Diana." A man who freelanced for the BBC has admitted to creating the phony statements, which suggested staff was working against her. In the interview, Diana famously said there were "three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," referring to herself, Charles and the former Camilla Parker Bowles, whom Charles went on to marry. After the findings were released, the BBC issued an unconditional apology — but Diana's children were still livid. Prince William said the findings were "extremely concerning," saying BBC employees, "lied and used fake documents to obtain the interview with my mother; made lurid and false claims about the Royal Family which played on her fears and fuelled paranoia; displayed woeful incompetence when investigating complaints and concerns about the programme; and were evasive in their reporting to the media and covered up what they knew from their internal investigation." He continued, "It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said. The interview was a major contribution to making my parents' relationship worse and has since hurt countless others." Prince Harry also issued a statement. "The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life," he said. "Our mother lost her life because of this, and nothing has changed."
Legal issue
"Storage Wars" star Jarrod Schulz has been charged with domestic violence for an alleged incident involving his ex (and former on-screen partner) Brandi Passante. The allegations were kept quiet for several weeks, but on May 16, TMZ reported that the alleged incident occurred in Orange County, California, on April 30. The report said Brandi was at a bar with friends when Jarrod showed up. An argument ensued and he allegedly pushed her twice, and he also yelled at her friends. A few days later, Jarrod told police he did nothing wrong, but the Orange County District Attorney's Office didn't side with him and charged him with one count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery. Jarrod and Brandi split two years ago but have appeared together on all 13 seasons of the A&E show. They share two children.
Injured
Nick Jonas is recovering after sustaining multiple injuries in a bike accident. While appearing on "The Voice" on May 17, the singer revealed that he took "a spill on a bike," causing him to crack a rib. He had "a few other bumps and bruises" too, he said. TMZ reported that Nick's injuries were serious enough that he needed medical attention at a nearby hospital. What exactly Nick was doing when the accident occurred still remains a mystery, and sources are keeping that close to the vest. There is speculation that he and his brothers were shooting a competition show when he took his "spill."
