By Mark Gray
7:59am PDT, Jul 4, 2021
I'm out
"The View" is changing. On July 1, Meghan McCain announced that she's leaving the daytime talk show. "I'm just going to rip the Band-Aid off," she said at the top of the show. "I am here to tell all of you, my wonderful cohorts and viewers at home: This is going to be my last season here at 'The View.'" She will stay on until the current season ends in late July. The conservative said the decision wasn't easy, explaining, "On a professional note, this show is one of the hands-down greatest, most exhilarating, most wonderful privileges of my entire life." Reports claimed one of the main reasons Meghan decided to leave is because of the nasty back-and-forth arguments she found herself embroiled in, often times with co-host Joy Behar.
Denied
Britney Spears' father, Jamie Spears, remains the conservator of her business affairs… for now. On June 30, a judge denied Britney's plea to remove her father as co-conservator over her financials. The following day, Bessemer Trust — the financial group appointed by the judge last year to serve as co-conservator of Britney's estate — bowed out, TMZ reported, because the conservatorship has become a "hornet's nest." Which means her father is currently her financial conservator — solo. The blame game is in full effect this week, as both Jamie and Jodi Montgomery — who took over for Jamie nearly two years ago as conservator of Britney's person — pointed their finger at each other, claiming each other is the reason Britney is so unhappy with her current circumstances.
Ch-ch-changes
Amid pressure, James Corden will change his controversial "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts" segment. The late night host has been feeling the heat after an online petition called for the end of the segment (or a change to it). In the skit, James and another celebrity force each other to eat "gross" food if they refuse to answer a certain question (usually it's a personal or financial question, all but encouraging the stars to eat what's in front of them). The food, the petition claims, is almost always from Asian cultures. "During these segments, [James] is openly calling these foods 'really disgusting' and 'horrific.' In the wake of the constant Asian hate crimes that have continuously been occurring, not only is this segment incredibly culturally offensive and insensitive, but it also encourages anti-Asian racism," the petition stated. While on Howard Stern's radio show, James said things are changing. "The next time we do that bit we absolutely won't involve or use any of those foods," he said. "Our show is a show about joy and light and love — we don't want to make a show to upset anybody."
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Free man
In a shocking turn of events, Bill Cosby was freed from prison on June 30 after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 sexual assault conviction. The high court essentially said the disgraced comedian's rights were violated: A previous district attorney years earlier had agreed not to charge the man once known as America's Dad after he was deposed in a civil lawsuit that accuser Andrea Constand brought in 2005 in which he gave potentially incriminating testimony — but another D.A. decided the agreement was invalid and charged Cosby years later; a jury convicted him on three felony counts. The court also disagreed with the trial judge's decision to let five other alleged Cosby victims testify to prove a pattern of abuse. After his release, Cosby tweeted, "I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law." The D.A. who prosecuted, meanwhile, pointed out that Cosby got off on a technicality and was not exonerated. "He was found guilty by a jury and now goes free on a procedural issue that is irrelevant to the facts of the crime," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement.
Sentenced
Former "Smallville" star Allison Mack has learned her fate. On June 30, a judge sentenced her to three years in prison for her role in the cult-like group NXIVM, for which she recruited women to be sex slaves for the group's leader, Keith Raniere, and branded their bodies. She's already pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and racketeering charges. Her sentence is well below the 14 to 17.5 years recommended under advisory sentencing guidelines, but it seems that the judge was lenient thanks to her cooperation in convicting founder Keith, who in 2020 was sentenced to 120 years in prison for sex trafficking and other crimes. Prosecutors had actually asked the judge for a sentence "below" the guidelines for Allison. Still, the judge admonished her, saying she was "an essential accomplice" to Keith's crimes. "You willingly enslaved, destabilized and manipulated other women so that when they were at their most vulnerable, when they believed that they owed you total obedience and that anything less than that would cause them serious personal and financial harm, when you had taken from them their sense of agency to make their own choices, you gave them 'special assignments' to satisfy Mr. Raniere's sexual interests," the judge said.
Baby bliss
The "B" in Cardi B stands for baby! As she took the stage to perform on the BET Awards on June 27, the rapper publicly debuted her baby bump and confirmed she's pregnant with her second child. The rapper later posted an image of her husband, Migos rapper Offset, holding her belly. "We listened to each other, communicated, prayed and then God blessed us and our family with another little blessing," she wrote on Instagram the following day. "Our home feels so blissful and very busy but we are ready and so happy!! Thank you soo much everyone for the congrats and well wishes." The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Kulture, in 2018.
PPP controversy
The nation capitalized on the PPP loans… Bachelor Nation, that it. On June 28, reports revealed that several notable "The Bachelor" and "The bachelorette" franchise names cashed in on PPP loans during the pandemic. The loans, of course, were meant to help businesses stay afloat and keep people employed. Who took government money? "The Bachelorette" lead Tayshia Adams received a $20,833 bailout for her one-person LLC, Tayshia Adams Media, reports confirmed. Former "The Bachelor" star Arie Luyendyk also took advantage of the program, getting more than $20K for his Instagram Husband LLC. "The Bachelorette" season 16 winner Dale Moss reportedly got a $20,833 loan, but it's unclear what kind of business he runs. Colton Underwood received a $11,355 PPP loan. While some of the loans seem questionable, Tayshia's rep said hers was legitimate. "As a business owner, television and podcast host, and brand ambassador, Tayshia obtained a PPP Loan that enabled her to hire an employee, to whom she offers market-based pay and benefits," the rep said. Colton's rep said his money went to the Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation, which provides support to children living with cystic fibrosis. "Colton's nonprofit filed after their annual fundraising events were cancelled due to COVID. None of the PPP went directly to Colton," his rep said. "In fact, Colton has never received any form of payment from the foundation, all of the proceeds go directly to people living with cystic fibrosis."
Pricey settlement
Jordana Brewster saw a fast decline in her bottom line. As part of her divorce settlement with producer ex-husband Andrew Form, the "F9" star has agreed to pay him $5 million. That number, a report says, represents his half of the value of their Los Angeles marital home, which Jordana is keeping. Neither Jordana nor Andrew will receive or pay spousal support. The actress will keep the money she makes from the new "Fast & Furious" film, which came out in June. A judge still needs to sign off on the settlement, which is nothing more than a formality.
