I can’t read the original reporting about Benjamin Milliped cheating on Natalie Portman but the fact that PEOPLE is covering it and confirming the affair and his regret is significant because this is an admission on his part. It’s the A-list version of releasing a Notes app on social media. Their team is clearly involved in controlling the story and I wonder if they had a heads up before it broke or if it was a shock. 

 

In a time of misinformation, good gossip is harder to come by. And by “good” I mean juicy but solid sourcing with real insight. Usually celeb-vs-celeb combat is very good gossip but Busy Philipps calling out Leonardo DiCaprio for dating someone who looks her child’s age is a bit of a flop even though it should be spectacular. Busy has called out Leo before (with Michelle Williams standing beside her lol) and it’s funny. This latest post is taken from the headlines but the thing is, the headlines are a little suspect. It’s about model Meghan Roche and yes, models are Leo’s MO. But the reporting around this is low-hanging fruit because she appears to be dating a member of Leo’s crew, who is in several photos (even holding hands). Their relationship goes way back on social media so this doesn’t seem credible. There was another model, Neelam Gill, who recently went to dinner with Leo along with his mom, which also sparked headlines but Neelam’s boyfriend was with them. Should we feel bad for Leo being linked to every model he interacts with? No, of course not because it does no damage to his brand and it’s an easy assumption to make. This is more about us, as gossip connoisseurs, wasting our time on nothingburgers.

Busy Philipps's Instagram Story
 

What an absolute perfect cover for Drew Barrymore, genius art direction here. This is instantly memorable and suits her zany energy so well.

 

The Al Pacino baby news has been a little odd because there were a few stories about how a paternity test was required because of some questions about the physical possibility of this (on his part) and now a happy story in PEOPLE, which is of course the PR sanctioned story. Pictured is Noor Alfallah with her mother. Being nosy, why did Brian Grazer comment “Happy Mother’s Day love” on this? He and Noor (along with her sister) are in a production deal for a podcast but it’s a very specific comment to add on, no? Or is this just the way Brian comments?

 

Is going to a billionaire’s island is a little tainted now? Not that Richard Branson has a whiff of Epstein-type of stories but it is definitely not aspiration. Even the words “billionaire” and “island” in the same sentence is a little ick.

 

Nicola Peltz-Beckham went from subtly shading her mother-in-law’s design skills to posting her on main. I feel like this is maybe a life lesson for Nicola in that money doesn’t buy popularity. No one cares if your dad is an old billionaire, that has no pop culture currency. It’s actually kind of uncool.