By Wonderwall.com Editors
8:00pm PDT, May 18, 2023
'You feel a bit boycotted'
Johnny Depp is addressing the backlash that followed him to the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where his new movie — his first leading role in years — was featured on opening night, one year after his latest court battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. At a press conference for "Jeanne Du Barry" on Wednesday, May 16, the actor discussed being canceled as a result of Amber's domestic abuse allegations and revealed he's not a fan of the word "comeback" in relation to his career. "Of course, when you're asked to resign from the film you're doing because of something that is merely a bunch of vowels and consonants floating in the air, yeah, you feel a bit boycotted," he said (via USA Today), referencing his ouster from the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise. "Do I feel boycotted now? No, not at all. But I don't feel boycotted by Hollywood because I don't think about it. I don't think about Hollywood. I don't have much further need for Hollywood myself."
Johnny, who's denied Amber's claims, also expressed frustration with his return to the screen being dubbed a "comeback." "I keep wondering about the word 'comeback' because I didn't go anywhere. As a matter of fact, I live about 45 minutes away. So yeah, maybe people stopped calling out of whatever their fear was at the time. But no, I didn't go nowhere," Johnny said. "I've been sitting around." He added that narratives in the press about his life have largely consisted of "fantastically, horrifically written fiction."
Despite social media protests against the star's participation in the festival, video from Variety shows Johnny and his co-stars enjoying a nearly seven-minute long standing ovation after Tuesday's screening of "Jeanne Du Barry."
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Haters gonna hate
At 81, Martha Stewart's appearance on the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover made her the magazine's oldest cover star yet. And if she looks amazing in the photos, that's because, well, she looks amazing in real life — not because she went under the knife or consented to a heavy photo edit, she says. In a Variety interview published Tuesday, May 16, Martha was asked directly about the social media response to her cover, including comments suggesting she's had plastic surgery. By and large, she said the comments have been quite positive: "There are only a few naysayers saying, 'The pictures are over-retouched.' But they're not. They are incredibly accurate pictures. I was really pleased that there was not much airbrushing." Asked about claims she "must have had a lot of work done to look so good," Martha replied: "Well, it's not true. I've had absolutely no plastic surgery whatsoever. I have very healthy, good hair. I drink green juice every day. I take my vitamins. I eat very healthfully. I have very good skin doctors. I'm very careful in the sun. I wear hats and I wear sunblock every single day."
So has she ever "been tempted" to try plastic surgery or fillers? "Every now and then there are certain fillers that I can do for a little line here or there, but I hate Botox," she told the outlet. "It's a weird thing for me. I really and truly don't do a lot." Maybe it's just that $400 million net worth glow …
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Straight-A student
Kim Kardashian was in New York City this week to open her SKIMS Summer Pop-Up shop, but she's also still making progress in her pursuit of a law degree. In fact, she just got a pair of A's on her latest round of exams. "I'm still studying. I'm actually in Constitutional Law 1 and 2 right now. It's my toughest — not the biggest fan of it, I've been sharing my struggle," Kim told Savannah Guthrie on "Today" on Tuesday, May 16. "But with that said, I took a midterm yesterday. I got 100 percent and then I got a 95 percent on my other midterm. … So … that gives me that boost of confidence again just to push through."
The Hulu star has spent much of the past few years studying under Erin Haney and Jessica Jackson as part of a rarely pursued — and even less often accomplished — goal of passing the California bar without attending a traditional law school. She began a four-year apprenticeship program with Erin and Jessica in 2018 and has taken on a variety of advocacy work stemming from her interest in prison reform and clemency. The mother of four passed the so-called "baby bar" in 2021, though she's admitted she failed three times before she passed. Now, she's nearing the end of her legal studies journey. "Hopefully in the next year or so, I can take the official bar and be done," she said. Kim previously cited February 2025 as her target bar exam date.
'Reckless' paparazzi
Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, were involved in what reps for the couple called a "near catastrophic car chase" while being pursued by photographers in New York City on Tuesday, May 16. Though no one was injured, it wasn't lost on New York City Mayor Eric Adams that Harry's mother, Princess Diana, lost her life in a similar chase in Paris. The mayor commented on the incident on Wednesday at a press briefing where a reporter from People asked if there was any new information. "It's clear that the press, paparazzis, they want to get the right shot, they want to get the right story, but public safety must always be at the forefront," Mayor Adams replied. He went on to note that in addition to the compromised safety of those involved, police officers "could have been injured," as well as "innocent bystanders." While he said he was still being briefed on the chase, he also called out drivers for speeding in such a "densely populated city" as New York. "I don't think there's many of us who don't recall how [Prince Harry's] mom died and it would be horrific to lose innocent bystanders during a chase like this, and something to have happened to them as well, so I think we have to be extremely responsible," he continued. "I thought that was a bit reckless and irresponsible."
In a previous statement, reps for the Sussexes described the incident as, "a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi" that lasted "over two hours, [and] resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers."
'Real Housewives' hiatus?
Could that be it for "RHONJ?" Following this week's explosive Season 13 finale of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" — which centered around Teresa Giudice's increasingly intense feud with her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga — Page Six reports the next season has been put "on pause." Sources say filming was slated to begin in June, but showrunners reportedly told the cast and crew that's no longer the plan, as "Bravo does not know how to proceed under the current conditions," so "no one has been offered a contract — or been fired — for next season." The conditions in question appear to be whatever's gone down between Teresa and Melissa since Melissa revealed why she skipped Teresa and her now husband, Luis Ruelas' wedding. That reason? According to Melissa, Teresa and Luis met privately with Teresa's brother Joe Gorga to dish on rumors Melissa had been unfaithful. Luis also said he'd hired a private investigator to look into the extent of the alleged infidelity. (Luis and Teresa claimed on the Tuesday, May 16 edition of "What What Happens Live" that Luis made up P.I. claim "out of nowhere" because the situation was "frustrating" him.)
Offended and seemingly convinced Teresa and Luis want to break up her marriage, Melissa said in the finale she was skipping the wedding because, "How can I go and celebrate somebody else's marriage when they are the people constantly trying to destroy mine?" All of which adds up to a very real estrangement between the families — and the decision to put the show on hiatus for now, according to the report. It's also worth noting "The Real Housewives" franchise does not rely on union writers, so the WGA strike should not directly affect its programming.
'Tonight Show' backlash
Jimmy Fallon's "Tonight Show" staff were reportedly told without much warning that they will stop being paid as of Friday, May 19, as the writers strike continues. According to HuffPo, an NBC source revealed non-writing staff members on the late-night show were alerted with just a few days notice that they'll be placed on an "unpaid leave of absence" after this week. That's a stark contrast to what's reportedly happening on Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert's teams, where the hosts themselves are "continuing to keep their staff paid," according to HuffPo's sources. Some late-night employees are already tweeting about the shift, with "Tonight Show" staffer Sarah Kobos, posting details about the call where the bad news for "non-union staff who aren't writers" is said to have come down. Fallon's management of his team raised eyebrows early on in the TV and film writers strike, which began May 2.
According to early reports, Fallon's staff was told almost immediately after the strike began that their paychecks would stop arriving after that week and their health insurance would end at the end of the month. Amid criticism on social media, the host reportedly changed course the next day. NBC later said publicly that the staffs of "The Tonight Show" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers" would be paid for three weeks of the strike, after which the hosts would personally cover the cost of their paychecks for one week, HuffPo reported. Some 11,500 TV and film writers with the Writers Guild of America East and West are striking to demand better wages, working conditions and job security, particularly in the era of streaming content.
