Yesterday I wrote about the Guardian’s expose on Jay Shetty, which included questions about whether or not he lived in India as a monk and what exactly his educational background is. While some of the reporting is very detail-oriented (particularly around the years he was 19-22), it’s not totally unusual for a person in their 30s to not remember dates from 15 years prior, or mix up something that happened when they were 19 with something that happened when they were 21. Memory is a tricky thing.
But the crux of the story is that Jay has allegedly misrepresented himself and built a brand that monetizes his spirituality. People of every faith have done this for centuries, and he does it on Instagram. Gwyneth Paltrow (a friend of Jay’s, obviously) does this by “discovering” elements of Eastern culture to sell to her white audience. Mark Wahlberg has a prayer app. So far, nothing about Jay has come out that’s more egregious than typical celebrity grifting repackaged as altruism.
I’m so worried about Reesa Teesa because instant fame is scary and instant fame without the paycheque (because TikTok has suspended her creator account) is terrifying. There is no upside to being famous without compensation. And it’s even worse when people think you are rich and are “getting paid” which in social media means people think they can treat you like garbage and say horrible things to you because “it’s what you signed up for.”
Cameron Diaz and Keanu Reeves are set to work with Jonah Hill. The last time we heard about Jonah Hill, it was texts released by his ex Sarah Brady accusing him of emotional abuse. As far as I’m aware, he didn’t respond to those allegations. And it brought up a lot of debate about the public examination of private conversations, or if privacy should even be a consideration when there’s a power imbalance and/or it is a cover for bad behaviour.
I don’t know the answer but one thing we can see is this won’t impact Jonah Hill professionally.
Kate Winslet gave an interview and said she’s never heard of Ozempic. OK, we all love Kate but can we admit this is a little annoying! She seems like an intellectually curious person, I’m sure she reads the paper and is aware of what is going in her industry. I don’t think she’s on Ozempic and her thoughts on it are very in-line with what she has said her entire career, but why act like you’ve never even heard the word? I don’t get what that proves? We know she’s not on it and it’s not like being aware of it is an endorsement.
This clip is old but is making the rounds on Instagram. It’s Mariah Carey asking what an electricity bill is and you know what? Unlike Kate, this I believe! I absolutely believe Mimi has never glanced upon an electricity bill. How dire. She rebukes it.
More on Mariah Carey: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame secret ballot story is out and this is interesting because this is a vote about legacy. For the Oscar, the individual performance has some weight but for this, it’s all about influence and longevity. I found their justification for who gets their vote this year versus who won’t pretty interesting. Foreigner is nominated. Did you know they tour without any of their original band members? I learned that from the article.
