By Wonderwall.com Editors
1:57am PST, Mar 10, 2023
Viewers send Hoda Kotb messages of support amid 'Today' absence
NEW UPDATE: Hoda Kotb returned to "Today" on March 6 after a two-week absence and revealed why she was gone: "My youngest [daughter, 3-year-old] Hope was in the ICU for and then in the hospital for a little over a week. I'm so grateful she's home, she is back home. I was waiting for that day to come, and we are watching her closely," Hoda told viewers, adding, "So I'm grateful for the doctors at Weill Cornell who were amazing and the nurses. And I'm grateful for my family and I'm grateful to friends like you who were there every single day. So I want to say thank you for that. I love you."
UPDATE: On March 1, "Today" host Craig Melvin shed some light on Hoda Kotb's absence, telling viewers during the morning show broadcast, "We know some of you are wondering how she's doing," Craig said. "We can tell you, Hoda's OK. She's got a family health matter she's been dealing with."
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Hoda Kotb's ongoing absence from "Today" is starting to worry her fans. On Monday (Feb. 27), Hoda was once again MIA from "Today with Hoda and Jenna," her last appearance having been the Feb. 20 edition of the show, which was reportedly taped three days prior. While other members of the "Today" family have joined Jenna Bush Hager as subs in Hoda's absence, no real details have emerged regarding the cause of her now extended time off the air. Monday morning also came and went without a new episode of Hoda's podcast, "Making Space." Meanwhile, the journalist has been sharing messages on social media that have prompted fans to ask if she's OK.
Early Monday, Hoda posted "Choose Hope," including a pair of heart emojis on Instagram. (Her younger daughter is named Hope.) "Sometimes miracles are just people with kind hearts," she wrote over the weekend, adding, "Happy sunday xo." Other posts have included quotes about bravery and allowing "dark clouds" to pass. "Here's to strong women," she shared last week. "May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them." As the cryptic posts continued to mount, fans began responding with questions and concern, as well as assurances that Hoda is missed. While some users suggested she could be adopting a third daughter, others shared comments like, "Your vague posts are giving me major anxiety but caring vibes," and, "Hoping all is well with you and your family. Miss seeing you in the morning."
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Courteney Cox talks Prince Harry's claim he took drugs at her house
Courteney Cox is aware Prince Harry wrote in his memoir that he once took psychedelic mushrooms while staying at her home before he married Meghan Markle. The "Friends" star was asked about the anecdote from Harry's new book "Spare" in a recent interview with Variety. And while she declined to share much in the way of supporting details, she did have warm things to say about the royal. "He did stay here for a couple of days, probably two or three," she said, confirming his claim that he and a pal stayed at her place when she was out of town, then let the pair stick around for a bit after she returned. "He's a really nice person," she said. "I haven't read the book … I do want to hear it, because I've heard it's really entertaining," she said of the mushroom story. "But yes, it's gotten back to me about it."
In "Spare," Harry wrote that he and his friend "gobbled" a few of the mushrooms they spotted at a party at Courteney's, saying they appeared to have been made available "for everybody" who was visiting. He went on to describe his trip — hallucinations and all — and admitted he had a secret crush on the actress. "I'm not saying there were mushrooms!" Courteney told Variety when pressed on the matter. "I definitely wasn't passing them out," she added. She did say she ran into Harry recently at Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's home during a party where they renewed their vows. She said she and Harry didn't speak.
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'Our country has failed us'
Katy Perry broke down in tears on "American Idol" on Sunday (Feb. 26) after contestant Trey Louis revealed he'd survived a mass school shooting. The 21-year-old got a standing ovation from the judges with his rendition of Whiskey Myers' "Stone." When Luke Bryan asked what brought him to the "Idol" auditions, Trey first said some of his favorite singers had gotten their start on the show. He then shared the heart-wrenching second reason for his audition. In 2018, "a gunman walked into my school," Trey said. He was in one art room when the man "shot up" the art room next door. The gunman then entered Trey's art room and continued his rampage. "Lost a lot of friends," Trey said of the incident, which left eight students and two teachers dead. As the camera panned to show Luke's eyes welling up, Trey continued, saying, "It's just really been negative and Santa Fe's had a bad rap since 2018."
That's when Katy crumpled onto the desk, sparking Trey to ask what was going on. "Our country has f******failed us," she shouted. "Facts," Trey said quietly. "This is not OK," Katy continued through tears. "You should be singing here because you love music, not because you had to go through that f****** bulls***. You don't have to lose eight friends. I hope that you remind people that we have to change. Cuz, you know, I'm scared too." The judges all voted "yes" for Trey, sending him to Hollywood. Katy later shared a clip of the moment on Instagram, captioning it with a broken heart emoji. Firearms are now the No. 1 cause of death for children and teens in America, according to the CDC.
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Bill Murray, more stars stuck outside 2023 SAG Awards
Bill Murray, Claire Foy and Rooney Mara were among the throngs of people briefly barred from entering the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 26, according to Twitter footage posted by Variety's Ramin Setoodeh. "Total chaos at the SAGA wards as Claire Foy and Rooney Mara are not being allowed inside the ballroom of the Fairmont Hotel — they're told they need to wait for the Fire Marshal to let them and hundreds of other guests inside," the editor captioned a clip from the luxury hotel in Los Angeles. The Independent later reported "fire safety checks" were the culprit for the delay, which was eventually resolved. Claire, who looked somewhat bewildered during the delay, and her "Women Talking" co-star Rooney Mara were up for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for the film.
The best film cast award went to "Everything Everywhere All at Once," which also snagged the night's film acting awards for best actress (Michelle Yeoh), best supporting actress (Jamie Lee Curtis) and best supporting actor (Ke Huy Quan). Also among the winners in film were Brendan Fraser, who took home best actor for "The Whale," Jessica Chastain, who stumbled on her way to accept her best actress in a limited series or film award for "George and Tammy," and Sam Elliott, who won best actor in the same category for "1883." On the TV side of things, "The White Lotus" snagged the award for drama series ensemble, while "Abbott Elementary" won for best comedy series ensemble.
BJ Novak says he and Mindy Kaling were 'reckless idiots' in love circa 'The Office'
Talk about a love story for the ages. Over the weekend, BJ Novak presented his longtime collaborator — and ex — Mindy Kaling with the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television at the 2023 Producers Guild Awards. And he minced no words in recounting how the pair's work on "The Office" led to a long romance and friendship, in spite of (or maybe because of) their fiery workplace interactions.
"We were in love with each other, and we were reckless idiots," BJ recalled, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "And the two of us would argue about all of these things forever grinding the writers room into a halt until we got too upset and we go to our respective offices and slammed the door where we would continue arguing over AOL and Instant Messenger. It was 2005." Dubbing their relationship a "tumultuous, romantic, toxic, boundary-less mess," he said it was for those very reasons producers encouraged them to put their chemistry on camera on the show. "There was no way out but through …," he continued. BJ went on to praise Mindy's achievements in TV, from writing "far more" episodes of "The Office" "than any other writer on the staff," to helping "pioneer the new streaming era of comedy" with "The Mindy Project," "Never Have I Ever" and "The Sex Lives of College Girls." All these years later, he gushed, Mindy stayed true to herself, "no matter how much pressure she felt, how silly or self-conscious she could have been to care so much about so many things…" When Mindy accepted the award, she gushed right back about BJ, now the godfather of her kids, saying in part, "I am so lucky that my favorite writer is also my best friend, I love you."
Jessica Simpson shares adorable selfie with lookalike daughter Birdie, 3
Jessica Simpson made her followers swoon on Instagram over the weekend when she shared a new mother-daughter selfie with her mini-me, Birdie Johnson. "If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours," Jessica captioned the adorable black and white photo, which features her 3-year-old wrapping her arms around her mom's neck as the two flash similar smiles for the camera. "Smiling back at you two loves 😍😊 ❤️," replied Jessica's mom, Tina Simpson, in the comments. Jess, 42, shares Birdie and the tot's siblings Ace, 9, and Maxwell, 10, with hubbie Eric Johnson.
College admissions scandal mastermind who worked with Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman, begins prison sentence
Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, as well as Felicity Huffman, have long since served their time behind bars for their involvement in the so-called "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal. Now, the man convicted of helping them and dozens of other parents get their kids into top universities on fraudulent terms has reported to prison to begin his 42-month sentence. A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed to TMZ that Rick Singer checked himself in to the Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in Florida on Monday (Feb. 27). Rick's three-and-a-half-year sentence was announced in January after prosecutors pushed for Rick to get six years behind bars. He reportedly worked with federal investigators on the case, though, which may have reduced his time. Lori and Mossimo were accused of paying a $500,000 bribe to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as crew team recruits despite neither girl having ever participated in the sport. They both served their time and were released in late 2020 and early 2021, respectively. Felicity, who pleaded guilty to charges she paid $15,000 to have a proctor correct the SAT questions her daughter got wrong on the test, served two weeks in prison.
