By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:18am PDT, Apr 10, 2020
"Tiger King" star Joe Exotic signs on for new TV show
Page Six reported on April 6 that "Tiger King" star Joseph Maldonado-Passage — the big cat breeder and zookeeper known as Joe Exotic — recently signed on to participate in an upcoming Investigation Discovery series that will "take a deeper dive" into the disappearance of Carole Baskin's first husband, Jack "Don" Lewis. According to Entertainment Weekly, although the show will be titled "Investigating the Strange World of Joe Exotic," it will focus on his nemesis and her late husband, showing "the investigation you didn't get to see, revealing the secrets only Joe knows and the exclusive footage that has never been shown." Joe has accused the animal rights activist of being involved in Don's death. Meanwhile, on April 12, Netflix will debut a special eighth episode of "Tiger King" titled "The Tiger King and I." The Joel McHale-hosted aftershow will feature new interviews with John Reinke, Joshua Dial, John Finlay, Kelci "Saff" Saffery, Erik Cowie, Rick Kirkman, and Jeff and Lauren Lowe.
RELATED: The best reality TV spinoffs
"Good Morning America" cameraman dies of coronavirus, Robin Roberts says "he was such a bright light"
On the April 8 episode of "Good Morning America," Robin Roberts announced that the morning show lost one of their own — studio camera operator Tony Greer — to the coronavirus. "He was such a bright light working in our studio for more than six years," she said. "You could just feel Tony's beautiful spirit — you could feel it from a mile away. … We loved every single moment we were blessed to spend and share with Tony. … [He] was a good man. He was kind, he was thoughtful, he was always a gentleman." Co-hosts George Stephanopoulos, Michael Strahan and Ginger Zee also paid tribute to the late cameraman on "GMA."
RELATED: Stars we lost in 2020
CBS airing Sunday night movies to fill void left by shortened TV seasons
TVLine reported on April 7 that throughout the month of May, CBS will air iconic films from the Paramount Pictures library to fill the void left by the network's regularly scheduled Sunday night lineup, which was dramatically affected by the coronavirus pandemic. (Many shows were forced to cut their seasons short when they shut down production to adhere to various stay-at-home orders.) Starting May 3, CBS will broadcast "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Forrest Gump" (May 10), "Mission: Impossible" (May 17), "Titanic" (May 24) and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (May 31).
RELATED: The most popular movie the year you were born
Ellen DeGeneres sparks backlash after joking that self-quarantine is like "being in jail"
Ellen DeGeneres sparked swift backlash after she joked on the April 6 episode of her eponymous talk show that quarantining in her multimillion-dollar mansion amid the coronavirus pandemic is like "being in jail." Said the comedian, "One thing that I've learned from being in quarantine is that people — this is like being in jail, is what it is. It's mostly because I've been wearing the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay." Fired back one Twitter user, "Except that people in jail can't practice social distancing, don't have enough water or toilet paper and are going to die at exceptional rates from Covid-19. Except for that, Ellen, your quarantine experience is just like being in jail." Prisons and jails across the country have faced horrific outbreaks of COVID-19.
"Modern Family" finale recap: How life changes for all, from empty-nesting to far-away moves
The 11th and final season of "Modern Family" came to an end on April 8 with an hourlong episode that saw Claire and Phil's three adult children finally move out of their extremely overcrowded family home. (Alex gets a job in Switzerland with her new love interest, Luke is accepted into the University of Oregon and Haley moves into Mitch and Cam's old apartment with Dylan and their twin babies.) Meanwhile, after introducing their newborn son, Rexford, Mitch agrees to move to rural Missouri so that Cam can take his dream job as the head football coach at the University of North Central Missouri — making him the first openly gay college football coach in the country. And finally, as Manny prepares for a yearlong adventure abroad, Jay supports Gloria in her burgeoning real-estate career, assuring her that her family will always need her — even as he takes over responsibilities at home. He also learns Spanish and commits to joining her when she goes to visit her family in Colombia.
Lady Gaga apologizes to Jimmy Fallon after awkward "Tonight Show" exit, announces NBC, ABC and CBS are teaming up for star-studded global special
On the April 6 episode of "The Tonight Show: Home Edition," Lady Gaga apologized for her abrupt exit from the April 1 episode, during which she'd been scheduled to make a big announcement related to an upcoming COVID-19 project. "I'm so sorry. We weren't quite ready yet, and I really appreciate you being so nice about it — and thank you," she said before dishing on the mysterious project: a celeb-stuffed April 18 TV special, "One World: Together at Home," that will air simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS, as well as on Amazon Prime Video, Apple, Facebook, Instagram and more digital platforms. NBC's Fallon will co-host the special with Jimmy Kimmel, who hosts ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and Stephen Colbert, who headlines "The Late Show" on CBS. In addition to Gaga and the trio of late night hosts, the special will feature John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Kacey Musgraves, Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Chris Martin, David Beckham, Idris Elba, Keith Urban, Alanis Morissette, Kerry Washington, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and many more bold-faced names. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the special is being produced in partnership with Global Citizen and the World Health Organization and "will celebrate community health care workers and support the WHO's global fight to end COVID-19."
James King of TLC's "My 600-lb Life" dies at 49
"My 600-lb Life" star James King died at a Nashville hospital on April 3. He was 49. His cause of death has not been released, though TMZ noted on April 6 that he faced a number of health problems in the past, including sepsis and cirrhosis of the liver.
Carson Daly's daughter Goldie makes her television debut on the "Today" show
Carson Daly's newborn baby girl, Goldie, joined her famous father and his wife, Siri Pinter, on the April 7 episode of the "Today" show. "She is doing great. Mom is doing awesome," said the father of four. "She is the little pot of gold at the end of our family rainbow, and she came, obviously, at a much-needed time with what's happening in the country. So she's been a wonderful distraction." Goldie arrived on March 26.
