No one is more closely acquainted with tea than the Brits, so Rob Shuter, celebrity gossip columnist and publicist, is here to dish out the freshest brew in his podcast Naughty But Nice. “We’re a pinch, not a punch,” he says. “We’re not mean girls! You can listen to us almost guilt-free.” Along with co-host Delaina Dixon, he spends this episode going through all the hottest gossip right now: Jessica Simpson’s memoir, NeNe Leakes’ memo to Bravo, Oprah’s reasons for stepping away from a #MeToo documentary, what Leonardo DiCaprio likes to call Brad Pitt, Kelly Clarkson’s refusal to get plastic surgery, and much more.
Jessica Simpson’s memoir, Rob tells us, reveals her struggle with pills and alcohol after she and Nick Lachey got divorced. Rob worked for Jessica at the time, he says; “It was a really painful, painful time of her life...people around Jessica knew she was really, really suffering...I don’t think we knew it was this bad.” He and Delaina recall difficult times during that period, when Jessica was being told that she could be “the next Julia Roberts,” but was too drunk to do a photo shoot for OK magazine: “I don’t think those photos ever saw the light of day.” But she’s doing much better these days, and “once again...inspiring people,” Rob says. “If you can tell these stories with honesty, wit, and humor, which she certainly has, I think we all benefit from that.”
Right before it was due to premiere at Sundance Film Festival, Oprah Winfrey stepped away from producing a documentary called On The Record, focused on sexual harassment in the music industry; it “got a little backlash because they were...only speaking about men of color.” Though rumors say Oprah stepped back from the project because of pressure from Russell Simmons, Delaina dismisses them: “She’s saying the reason...is because there were some inconsistencies in the documentary,” and of course getting the facts straight is essential.
They also talk about NeNe Leakes’ text to Wendy Williams claiming that she’s quitting the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Delaina thinks it’s just a salary negotiation tactic: “NeNe is one of the highest paid Housewives out there...maybe she wants a little bit more coin, you know?” Rob ponders why Leo calls Brad Pitt “lover,” but Delaina isn’t surprised: she’s met him on the red carpet and everyone “fell in love with Brad in the 15 seconds we got to speak with him. He’s extremely charming.” Any hope of a reconciliation with Jennifer Aniston? What’s going on with Taylor Swift’s mom? And what did Kelly Clarkson say about P!nk? Tune in to Naughty But Nice to find out, but remember: “If you’re going to be naughty, you have to be nice!”
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