By Mark Gray
8:17am PDT, Apr 12, 2019
Divorce
It's over for Wendy Williams and her husband of 22 years, Kevin Hunter. On April 11, Wendy's attorney confirmed that the talk show host had filed for divorce. Kevin was reportedly served with divorce papers at 6:30 a.m. on April 11. The news came after Wendy, who in recent months has suffered health issues and been working on her sobriety, was photographed without her wedding ring. Just last month, Wendy tried to fend off rumors of marital turmoil — widespread reports have speculated that Kevin recently fathered a baby with another woman — saying of her husband and business partner on her daytime show, "He is my best friend, my lover. He's all this and he's all that. I'm still very much in love with my husband." Wendy then pointed to her wedding ring, adding, "Don't ask me about mine — it ain't going anywhere, not in this lifetime."
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Saying goodbye
More than 20,000 people gathered at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to honor slain rapper Nipsey Hussle on April 11. Fans lined the streets and a throng of celebrities attended including Nipsey's partner, Lauren London, Beyonce, JAY-Z, G-Eazy, Cassie, Big Sean, Big Boy, Meek Mill and NBA stars James Harden, DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook. A silver hearse carrying Nipsey's body arrived before the ceremony. The emotional service featured a video tribute by Snoop Dogg, a performance by Stevie Wonder and a letter honoring the rapper — who was shot in front of his clothing store on March 31 — sent by former President Barack Obama. Afterward, a funeral procession carrying Nipsey's casket went on a 25-mile journey through Los Angeles.
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Guilty plea
Former "Smallville" star Allison Mack pleaded guilty on April 8 to charges pertaining to her involvement in the alleged sex cult NXIVM. Prosecutors said she was in on a scheme to turn women into sex slaves for NXIVM leader Keith Raniere. The group positioned itself publicly as a self-help group. She will be sentenced in September on two racketeering charges. "I believed Keith Raniere's intentions were to help people, and I was wrong," she said in court. "I know I can and will be a better person." Allison faces up to 20 years in prison for each charge, although it's likely she'll get far less than that.
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Taking responsibility
Felicity Huffman is pleading guilty in the college admissions cheating scam that saw 50 people indicted in March. "I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions," she said in a statement on April 8. "I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community." Felicity said her daughter, Sofia Macy, didn't know the actress paid $15,000 to score Sofia more time to take her SAT and have a dishonest proctor correct her answers. TMZ reported that prosecutors want her to do at least four months behind bars.
More charges
"Fuller House" star Lori Loughlin and designer husband Mossimo Giannulli rejected a plea deal for their alleged involvement in a college admissions cheating scandal because the deal involved jail time. "They weren't ready to accept that," a source close to the couple told People magazine. "They're really not seeing how serious this is." After they rejected the deal, they were each hit with additional charges of money laundering and now face up to 20 years in prison for each charge. Lori and Mossimo are accused of paying a $500,000 bribe to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as crew team recruits even though the women were not athletes. "They decided to roll the dice," the source said of the couple, "and it may have been a bad gamble. Now they're in worse shape than before."
Back on?
It looks like Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor might have reconciled. The duo split in 2017 after 17 years of marriage. However, they were seen holding hands while attending "Pretty Woman: The Musical" on Broadway on April 6. The duo attended the show with their kids, Ella, 17, and Quinlin, 13 (seen here in a backstage snapshot afterward). "It was a sweet family night out. The kids were glowing because they all love the theater, and Ben and Christine looked happy together, smiling and laughing and holding hands, especially during intermission," a source told People magazine. "They seemed to really love the show and being around one another."
Signing off
Sara Gilbert is leaving "The Talk," the show she co-created, after nine seasons. "This is something I have been struggling with for a while and going back and forth. But I've decided it's time for me to leave the show," she said on April 9. "I obviously love it here and this was extremely difficult." Sara said she's leaving because her "life was slightly out of balance." The tearful star — who's also raising three kids and starring and executive producing "The Conners" — added, "It's difficult because this is a place that I love and a place that I am extremely happy. I love the hosts, I love the crew, I love our staff. I am so grateful to the audience for letting me into your homes every day. It's been such an honor."
Private birth
You're going to have to wait a few days to find out that there's a new royal baby in the world. This week, the news emerged that Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are reportedly planning to have a home birth at their new residence, Frogmore Cottage. Then Buckingham Palace announced that the couple are planning to keep the birth news private at first, eschewing the longstanding tradition of taking part in a photo-op outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very grateful for the goodwill they have received from people throughout the United Kingdom and around the world as they prepare to welcome their baby," the palace said in a statement. "Their Royal Highnesses have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private. The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family."
Splitsville
A few months after reconciling, Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus have split once again. A source told People magazine and Us Weekly that distance was a factor. "She has a kid and an ex-husband and a job in New York and Ben has his family and a job in L.A. and while they love and respect each other they just realized it wasn't going to work," a source told both outlets. "They really gave it another solid try." The duo went public with their romance in the summer of 2017 and split last August. The reconciled shortly after the New Year, after Ben got sober. People's source said, "They will always have love for each other."
Sued
Jussie Smollett owes the city of Chicago six figures for the cost of its police work related to the investigation of his alleged January attack, according to the city government. Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration filed a lawsuit against the actor on April 11, claiming he owes $130,106 for police overtime hours expended during the investigation into his allegations. After Cook County prosecutors controversially dismissed all 16 charges against the "Empire" star last month, many of the city's top brass openly expressed anger, reiterating investigators' belief that he staged the attack. The lawsuit claims that Jussie intentionally misled officers. In addition to $130K, the city also wants hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover attorneys' fees and additional expenses.
