By Wonderwall.com Editors
11:00am PST, Nov 29, 2023
Tweaked speech
At the Gotham Awards in New York City on Nov. 27, Robert De Niro claimed a segment of his speech targeting former President Donald Trump was removed from the text that appeared in his teleprompter. The Oscar winner was onstage presenting a tribute to his new Martin Scorsese-directed drama "Killers of the Flower Moon" when he reportedly completed his remarks and let a video play, then pulled out his phone while still at the podium.
"I just want to say one thing. The beginning of my speech was edited, cut out, and I didn't know about it. And I want to read it," he said, according to multiple reports.
"History isn't history anymore. Truth is not truth. Even facts are being replaced by alternative facts and driven by conspiracy theories and ugliness," the actor began. "In Florida, young students are taught that slaves were taught skills that could be applied for their personal benefit. The entertainment industry isn't immune to this festering disease.
He went on to paraphrase racist comments made by John Wayne before taking aim at Trump.
Keep reading to see what he said and who's been accused of making the changes, then click on for more news …
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"Lying has become just another tool in the charlatan's arsenal. The former president lied to us more than 30,000 times during his four years in office," Robert De Niro said of Donald Trump. (He was apparently referencing The Washington Post's January 2021 tally, which reported Trump had made 30,573 "false or misleading statements" while in office.)
"And he's keeping up the pace in his current campaign of retribution," Robert continued. "But with all his lies, he can't hide his soul. He attacks the weak, destroys the gifts of nature and shows disrespect, for example, by using 'Pocahontas' as a slur [referencing Sen. Elizabeth Warren]."
"This is where I came in and I saw that they had edited all that. So I'm going to say these things but to Apple and thank them and all that," he said of Apple TV+, which financed "Killers of the Flower Moon." "Gotham, blah blah blah, Apple. But I don't really feel like thanking them at all for what they did. How dare they do that, actually," he added.
The next day, Variety reported the tweaks were made "at the behest of Apple" in response "to feedback from the filmmaking team that wanted the actor's remarks to be centered on the movie." The outlet cited sources "with knowledge of the show." Apple had not commented on the incident as of Nov. 28.
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Defending Dolly
Sure, haters gonna hate — but they better think twice about criticizing country music icon Dolly Parton. Fans including Dolly's sister, Stella Parton, and Whoopi Goldberg made that quite clear amid backlash over the sparkly Dallas Cowboys cheerleader ensemble Dolly, 77, wore onstage last week during the NFL's showdown between the Cowboys and the Washington Commanders.
"I personally thought my big sister Dolly was cute as hell in her Dallas Cowboys cheerleading costume at the half time show on Thanksgiving," Stella wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Nov. 26. "To those of you being so critical of a 77 year old kicking up her heels, I say f*** yourself. Shame on you not her."
Stella's post earned plenty of support online, with other social media users chiming in with their own Dolly defenses.
MORE: Dolly Parton turns 77: See her life in photos
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Whoopi Goldberg, meanwhile, opened "The View" on Nov. 26 with her own blunt response to Dolly Parton's style critics.
"Apparently, my turkey wasn't the only thing online that people were hating," the star said, per ETonline.com. While Whoopi, 68, said she thought Dolly "stole the show" with her Thanksgiving day performance, "some critics told [Dolly] to act her age," she explained. "Bite me," Whoopi said. "Everybody that participated in this, you should be ashamed of yourself."
Dolly, for her part, seems to be doing just fine in spite of the criticism. According to Billboard, her new double LP "Rockstar" — featuring an image of the singer in tight black leather motorcycle gear — is now the highest-charting album of her decades-long career.
Together forever
In her 2023 memoir "Worthy," Jada Pinkett Smith revealed she and Will Smith secretly separated in 2016, writing that she was surprised when he slapped Chris Rock over a comment about her hair at the 2022 Oscars because they'd been living apart for so long. But it sounds like that's all water under the proverbial bridge now.
In an appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show" on Nov. 28, Jada told Drew she and Will are definitely "staying together forever," despite the marital challenges they've faced through the years.
"I tried. We tried …," the "Red Table Talk" host said, according to the Daily Beast. "I just — I was like, I don't even need to talk about him very much. I want to be with you. I want to be with this human being."
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Elsewhere in the show, Jada Pinkett Smith addressed detractors who've continued to blame her for Will Smith's decision to slap Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars.
"Everybody should be responsible for their own actions," Jada said. "No one should be blamed for what someone else does."
After "Worthy" hit shelves in October 2023, Will made a surprise cameo alongside his wife at a promotional event, where he acknowledged their 30-year marriage had been "long and tumultuous," but explained that "it was brutal and beautiful at the same time," according to the Baltimore Banner. The Oscar winner also credited Jada with supporting him as he "achieved every single thing I have ever wanted in my entire life."
More love for Matthew
One month after Matthew Perry died unexpectedly at age 54, the late "Friends" star's stepfather, "Dateline NBC" correspondent Keith Morrison, broke his silence on the actor's death.
"This is not the sort of thing I commonly do, this pitch," Keith wrote on the social media site X on Nov. 27. "But this year is different. And tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. Do what you can; he would have been grateful." He then shared a link to the Matthew Perry Foundation, which the late star's loved ones established after his death on Oct. 28 to continue his "commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction."
Comic John Mulaney also spoke out about Matthew's death this week, telling Variety in an interview published Nov. 28 that he "identified with" Matthew's addiction battle.
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"Addiction is just a disaster," the comic, who's been sober for three years and counting, told Variety when asked about Mathew Perry's death. "Life is like a wobbly table at a restaurant and you pile all this s*** on it, and it gets wobblier and wobblier and more unstable. Then drugs just kick the … legs out from under the table. I really identified with his story. I'm thinking about him a lot."
John also explained his decision to use his 2020 relapse as fodder for jokes in his 2023 Netflix special, "John Mulaney: Baby J."
"Going to rehab and a lot of other things had become public knowledge, and I felt there was no way to start doing stand-up again without going through this," he said. "I also had a lot to say about it. It had been an extremely eventful time, and the goal from the beginning was to do this as funny as I could make it — not as impactful as I could make it, not to pause for dramatic effect. I just wanted it to be a little wilder and put you in my very confident, demented brain during the time of addiction."
Lawsuit fallout
In the wake of multiple sexual assault lawsuits, Bad Boy Records founder Sean "Diddy" Combs has relinquished his leadership role at Revolt, the digital TV network he founded in 2013. "Sean Combs has stepped down from his position as chairman of Revolt," the company said in a statement on Nov. 28. People reports the change is temporary.
"While Mr. Combs has previously had no operational or day-to-day role in the business, this decision helps to ensure that Revolt remains steadfastly focused on our mission to create meaningful content for the culture and amplify the voices of all Black people throughout this country and the African diaspora," the statement continued, in part.
The update comes after Diddy was accused of rape in two separate lawsuits filed in New York City on Nov. 23. One suit, filed by a Jane Doe, claimed the music mogul and singer-songwriter Aaron Hall raped her and another woman more than three decades ago, according to People. In a second suit, Diddy was accused of sexually assaulting a college student in 1991. He's denied all of the claims through his rep.
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Earlier this month, Diddy settled a third lawsuit filed by his ex, singer Cassie Ventura, who accused the star of rape as well as physical and emotional abuse over the course of many years.
The flood of lawsuits surfaced ahead of the expiration date on New York's Adult Survivors Act.
"These are fabricated claims falsely alleging misconduct from over 30 years ago and filed at the last minute," Diddy's rep told People in a statement referencing the second and third lawsuits. "This is nothing but a money grab. Because of Mr. Combs' fame and success, he is an easy target for anonymous accusers who lie without conscience or consequence for financial benefit."
Diddy and Cassie dated on and off from 2005 until 2018. They have both said their settlement was "amicable."
