By Mark Gray
10:46am PDT, May 31, 2019
Personal reveal
Ellen DeGeneres claims she was sexual assaulted by her stepfather while she was teenager. The talk show host made the reveal on David Letterman's Netflix show, "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction," claiming her mother married a "very bad man." Ellen claimed her stepfather fondled her breasts under the guise of checking for lumps. "It's a really horrible, horrible story and the only reason I'm actually going to go into detail about it is because I want other girls to not ever let someone do that," she said. "We [women] just don't feel like we're worthy, or we're scared to have a voice, and we're scared to say no … That's the only reason I think it's important to talk about it because there's so many young girls and it doesn't matter how old you are." On Friday, Ellen's mom, Betty DeGeneres, broke her silence on the claims, stating, "I know now that one of the hardest things to do is speak up after being sexually abused," Betty said. "I love my daughter, and I wish I had the capacity to listen to her when she told me what happened." She continued, "I live with that regret, and I wouldn't want that for any other parent. If someone in your life has the courage to speak out, please believe them."
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Responding well
Alex Trebek's body is responding well to chemotherapy, and some of his pancreatic cancer tumors have shrunk by 50 percent. In a new interview with People magazine, he said he's in "near remission." "It's kind of mind-boggling," the "Jeopardy!" host said. "The doctors said they hadn't seen this kind of positive result in their memory…" Alex, 78, announced in early March that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He's not out of the woods yet, but there are a lot of positive signs. "I've got a lot of love out there headed in my direction and a lot of prayer," he said, "and I will never ever minimize the value of that."
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Book scrapped
Tony Robbins' forthcoming book has been shelved amid allegations he sexually harassed fans and staffers. On May 30, it was confirmed that Simon & Schuster will no longer publish the self-help guru's book "The Path: Accelerating Your Journey to Financial Freedom." Tony, 59, has been under fire ever since BuzzFeed News released a damning report in mid-May that accused him sexual misconduct and berating victims of rape and violence. "We are not proceeding with publication of 'The Path,'" a source told BuzzFeed. Entertainment Weekly later confirmed that the publisher had scrapped plans to publish "The Path." However, lawyers for the motivational speaker denied that the book has been shelved, telling BuzzFeed, "To state or suggest otherwise is absolutely false."
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Getting treatment
Kit Harington checked into a "wellness" clinic to deal with personal issues, his rep confirmed on May 29. Earlier reports claimed that the "Game of Thrones" star went to rehab because he was having a hard time dealing with the end of the celebrated HBO series and was struggling with alcohol problems. "Kit has decided to utilize this break in his schedule as an opportunity to spend some time at a wellness retreat to work on some personal issues," his representative said. Kit reportedly checked into a $120,000-a-month treatment center prior to the May 19 "GoT" finale. A source told Us Weekly that the British star sought help at the behest of his wife, Rose Leslie. "Kit went to treatment for Rose," a source said. "He was living a very unhealthy lifestyle. He was stressed all the time and using unhealthy coping tools." Rose is "so supportive of" her husband, the source added. "[She] loves him very much. She had been telling him to get into treatment for a little while now."
Racism accusation
Meek Mill's lawyer revealed the rapper's plans to sue the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas for booting him from the property over Memorial Day weekend amid claims the resort has a racist agenda. There are differing stories concerning why he wasn't allowed in (one report claims the club he wanted to go to inside the hotel was at capacity, another claims he was involved in a prior incident at the hotel). Meek's team said the hotel and others are discriminating against black rappers and circulating an "illegal" blacklist that all but prohibits them from entering. Meek's lawyer told TMZ he sent a letter to the hotel demanding an apology. On May 30, TMZ reported that he hotel intends to issue a public mea culpa — one that Meek will accept if it happens.
Custody issues
Jenelle Evans has lost custody of her three kids — at least temporarily — and, a source told TMZ, "it's all David's fault." David, of course, is her controversial husband David Eason, with whom she shares her youngest child. After four days of testimony, a North Carolina judge decided on May 28 to keep Jace, 9, Kaiser, 4, and Ensley, 2, away from David and Jenelle's home, as the judge believes there are issues that put the children's safety at risk. TMZ reported that under the current court order, Jenelle and David can only see the kids once a week for an hour with supervision. Kaiser, who's now living with his father (Jenelle's ex Nathan Griffith) is said to be "extremely fearful" of returning to the home. Child Protective Services became involved in the "Teen Mom 2" couple's life after David admitted to shooting and killing their family dog in late April. A source told TMZ that the judge laid out what it will take for David and Jenelle to regain custody, and requirements include parenting classes, counseling and weekly drug testing.
Holding out "hope"
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom split more than five years ago, but he still holds a flame for the reality TV star. In a series of interviews this week promoting his new memoir, "Darkness to Light," the former basketball star admitted to repeatedly cheating on Khloe when they were married, acknowledging that he's deeply ashamed of his drug-fueled behavior. In a chat with Jenny McCarthy, he said Khloe is still the love of his life. Whether he thinks there's a chance for a reconciliation, he said, "I don't know, you probably would have to ask her. I hope. I wake up hoping that, but you probably would have to ask her." Lamar did mention that Khloe texted him the day his new book was released and said that the text "was friendly."
Baby boy
Kate Mara and husband Jamie Bell have welcomed a daughter, she announced on May 27. "We had a baby a couple weeks ago… Here are her feet ," Kate captioned a snapshot of the newborn's toes. The ultra-private couple revealed they were expecting a baby on Instagram back in February. "Went on a date with our bun in the oven," Kate captioned a photo with her belly peeking out of her dress.
More charges
There's more trouble for R. Kelly. On May 30, the R&B singer was charged with 11 counts of sexual abuse in Illinois. Charges included five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault (which are class X felonies, one class below murder) and two counts of criminal sexual assault. According to court documents, the alleged incident in question took place around 2010, and the victim was between 13 and 16 years old. The music star will be arraigned on the new charges during the first week of June. He's continued to maintain his innocence. In February, the embattled singer was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Illinois.
Walking away
When Adam Levine walked away from "The Voice" after 16 seasons, he walked away from a huge payday. It was revealed this week that by doing so, he walked away from about $30 million. The Hollywood Reporter suggested that Adam was simply burnt out on the show — because of its rigorous filming schedule — and needed to walk away. On May 28, current "The Voice" coach Kelly Clarkson said she understands why the Maroon 5 frontman had to leave. "It was kind of a shocking thing," she told "Extra." "But I kind of get it. He's been doing it for eight years — that's a long time. He's got a couple kids. Still has a career. Still touring. It's a very rigorous schedule fitting everything in." She added, "It'll be weird going to work. 'Where's Adam?' But I totally get how busy it is trying to fit everything in plus having a family."
