By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:16am PDT, May 18, 2018
"Kevin Can Wait" cancelled, stars Kevin James and Leah Remini react
On May 12, CBS announced its decision to cancel "Kevin Can Wait" after two seasons. In the wake of the cancellation, stars Kevin James and Leah Remini took to Instagram to address the news. "I want to say thank you to all the fans for the love and support," the actor captioned a photo of a "Kevin Can Wait"-branded black leather jacket. "I was so blessed to be able to work every day with the most amazing cast, crew, writers and support team! Thank you all! Thank you @cbstvstudios and thank you @sony for your constant dedication to the show. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world… Okay, maybe a season 3. Love to all." Leah, who joined the sitcom as the female lead during the second season after Erinn Hayes' character was killed off at the conclusion of Season 1, addressed the cancellation news in the caption of an Instagram selfie with her co-star: "I want to say thank you to the amazing cast, crew, producers, and the writers of @kevincanwaitcbs," she wrote. "You accepted me with open arms. For me to get to work with @officialkevinjames again day in and day out was a Godsend. I laughed everyday, and I will miss that the most. You don't always get a second chance at something that meant so much to you and I did, and I am so grateful for it. It came at a time when I needed to laugh. So thank you all. I am so happy that it happened and I will miss seeing all of you. Thank you to @cbstv and @sony for a great time. #kevincanwait."
Seann William Scott joins Season 2 of "Lethal Weapon," returning star Damon Wayans Jr. accuses fired Clayne Crawford of assault, emotional abuse
On May 13, FOX announced its decision to cast Seann William Scott as a new lead character on the upcoming third season of "Lethal Weapon." The "American Pie" alum will effectively replace former star Clayne Crawford, who was fired from the show last week following a string of bad behavior on set. The announcement sparked a fan backlash on Twitter, which returning star Damon Wayans Jr. addressed in a series of since-deleted posts. "Now that the fate of the show is solidified.. I'd like to address the TWITTER outrage with this video and image to follow. #directedby@ClayneCrawford," he captioned a video of himself being hit with shrapnel following an explosion on set during the shooting of an episode directed by Clayne. Damon then shared a close-up shot of an injury on the back of his head, blood dripping down his neck. "How does the shrapnel from this hit me on the opposite side of the head? #directedby@claynecrawford," he wrote in the caption. In another tweet, Damon said his former co-star offered an explanation — but no apology — for how the injury occurred. He then tweeted that Clayne once "hit another actor in the mouth with a bottle of green tea and busted his mouth open" with the hashtags #notanaccident and #knowyourfacts. Damon also shared a photo of stickers reading "Clayne Crawford Is An Emotional Terrorist," which he says have been popping up around set since the troubled actor got the boot. "Here's another photo of images other people were posting in and around the lot. Not me! He became UNINSURABLE! Relished in making female cry. And stuck fear in cast and crew. #dontblameme," he wrote in the caption.
ABC exec Channing Dungey defends controversial "Roseanne" joke about black and Asian families
Channing Dungey, the president of entertainment at ABC, went to bat for Roseanne Barr during a conference call with reporters on May 15. The writer-actress landed in hot water last month over a controversial joke her on-screen alter ego, Roseanne Conner, made to John Goodman's Dan Conner about black and Asian families on the April 3 episode of "Roseanne," which depicts the couple waking up on the sofa after falling asleep watching TV. "It's 11 o'clock. We slept from 'Wheel' to 'Kimmel,'" says Roseanne, referencing ABC's nightly lineup, which kicks off with "Wheel of Fortune" and ends with "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Replies Dan, "We missed all the shows about black and Asian families," referencing "Black-ish" and "Fresh Off the Boat." Roseanne fires back, "They're just like us! There, now you're all caught up." Critics called the jab tone-deaf and reductive for implying that all minority families are the same. (Writer-producer Kelvin Yu criticized the sitcom for showing the conservative Conners "literally sleeping through stories about people of color.") "I was a little surprised, to be honest, by the reaction to that line," said Channing. "We felt writers were looking to tip a hat to those shows. It certainly wasn't meant to offend. I do stand by the 'Roseanne' writers. I think they were expressing the point of view of the Connors, and what they would have actually said. We do similar things on our other shows." Added the exec, referencing Anthony Anderson's "Black-ish" character, "We're very clear on 'Black-ish' about how many opinions are voiced by Dre Johnson."
Pauley Perrette says she suffered "multiple physical assaults" during time on "NCIS"
On May 12 — four days after she made her final appearance on CBS's "NCIS" after 15 years on the show — Pauley Perrette took to Twitter to allege that she'd suffered "multiple physical assaults" on the set of the long-running procedural. "I refused to go low, that's why I've never told publicly what happened. But there are tabloid articles out there that are telling total lies about me. If you believe them? Please leave me alone. You clearly don't know me. (Sorry guys, had to be said)," she tweeted. "Maybe I'm wrong for not 'spilling the beans' Telling the story, THE TRUTH. I feel I have to protect my crew, jobs and so many people. But at what cost? I.don't know. Just know, I'm trying to do the right thing, but maybe silence isn't the right thing about crime," she tweeted the following day, later adding, "There is a 'machine' keeping me silent, and feeding FALSE stories about me. A very rich, very powerful publicity 'machine'. No morals, no obligation to truth, and I'm just left here, reading the lies, trying to protect my crew. Trying to remain calm. He did it." Pauley, who stopped short of identifying the "he" to whom she was referring, continued, "I've been supporting anti-bullying programs forever. But now I KNOW because it was ME! If it's school or work, that you're required to go to? It's horrifying. I left. Multiple Physical Assaults. I REALLY get it now. Stay safe. Nothing is worth your safety. Tell someone." On May 15, CBS released a statement confirming that more than a year ago, Pauley came to the network with a "workplace concern." Said CBS, "We took the matter seriously and worked with her to find a resolution. We are committed to a safe work environment on all our shows." The actress returned to Twitter to thank the network for their support: "I want to thank my studio and network CBS They have always been so good to me and always had my back," she tweeted on May 15.
"Chicago Fire" star Monica Raymund won't be back for Season 7 as Dawson
Monica Raymund took to Twitter on May 15 to announce that she would not be returning for the upcoming seventh season of NBC's "Chicago Fire," on which she's starred since the series debuted in 2012. "It has been an honor to play Dawson on Chicago Fire and one of the most meaningful experiences of my life," she said in a handwritten note. "I am so thankful for the journey and especially to all of you for watching, but I have made the decision that it's time for me to move on to the next chapter in life. I'll always be proud to have played a fierce paramedic with such an incredible cast and crew. On to the next! See you on the ice. Love, Monica." The actress has portrayed Gabby Dawson, who moved to Puerto Rico to assist with relief efforts at the conclusion of Season 6, on every episode of "Chicago Fire" so far.
Jennifer Love Hewitt joining cast of "9-1-1" for Season 2 following Connie Britton's exit
Jennifer Love Hewitt has been cast in a lead role on the upcoming second season of FOX's "9-1-1," multiple media outlets reported on May 14. She'll reportedly portray a new character named Maddie, the sister of firefighter Evan "Buck" Buckley (Oliver Stark), who is starting her life over as a 911 operator. The casting news follows an announcement in March that Connie Britton, who had a one-season contract with the show, would not return to "9-1-1" for a second season as Abby Clark. Season 1 ended with Abby's decision to travel to Ireland following her mother's death.
Ryan Seacrest makes inappropriate comments to Katy Perry during live "American Idol" show
The May 13 episode of ABC's rebooted "American Idol" featured a bizarre exchange between Ryan Seacrest and Katy Perry during which the host seemingly hit on the singer while unaware that the cameras were rolling. "Your mom's pretty," Ryan told Katy while tapping a pen on the judges table after she piped in to tell him that they were back on air. "My mom? Well, I hope the apple doesn't fall from the tree," replied the judge before smiling and winking at the camera. "You are too. But you're not a mom yet," said Ryan. "Not yet," confirmed Katy. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked, prompting a shocked "What?" from Katy, laughter from Luke Bryan and a dumbstruck smirk from Lionel Richie, who muttered, "Don't start." As the awkward moment drew on, Katy asked, "Are we live?" Replied Ryan, "I think we're back, yes." Questioned Katy, "Is this real TV? Are we professionals?" It's unclear whether or not the controversial moment was staged. It was especially troubling to some critics considering the longtime "AI" host recently combatted claims of sexual harassment and assault by a former E! stylist, which he's denied.
MTV suspends production of "Catfish" after woman who appeared on the show accuses host-producer Nev Schulman of sexual harassment
MTV has suspended production of "Catfish: The TV Show" in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct by a woman who previously appeared on the hit docuseries. "We take these allegations very seriously," an MTV spokesperson said in a statement. "We're working with Critical Content, our third party production company, to conduct a thorough investigation, and we've put a pause on shooting until the investigation is completed." On May 12, Ayissha Morgan, who appeared on "Catfish" in 2015 and identifies as a lesbian, alleged in a YouTube video that host and producer Nev Schulman sexually harassed her throughout production. She claims he excessively complimented her appearance, asked her multiple times when he could take her out as a date, questioned her sexuality and propositioned her for sex. She also alleges that a female production assistant got her drunk, took advantage of her and then bragged about it to the rest of the production staff. "The behavior described in this video did not happen and I'm fortunate that there are a number of former colleagues who were present during this time period who are willing to speak up with the truth," Nev said in a statement. "I have always been transparent about my life and would always take responsibility for my actions — but these claims are false." The host and his wife, Laura Perlongo, co-star on a web series for ATTN: called "We Need to Talk." The media company said in a statement that they've also made the decision to "pause working with Nev until this investigation comes to a conclusion."
"The Bachelorette" star Becca Kufrin poses with her suitors for the first time
Becca Kufrin posed with 27 of the 28 men who competed for her heart on Season 14 of ABC's "The Bachelorette" in an exclusive photo obtained by People magazine and published on May 17. The Minnesota native's search for love kicks off when her season debuts on May 28.
