Intro for October 1, 2026

Dear Gossips,

Trigger warning for sexual assault.

All seven episodes of East of Eden are now available to stream on Netflix which is probably what some of us will be bingeing this weekend – and we can talk about it some more next week. I’ve glanced at a few reviews and so far, not surprisingly, the consensus seems to be that Florence Pugh is the standout, with The Hollywood Reporter noting that she “towers” over the “accomplished” show. Expect East of Eden to be a factor during the upcoming award season then – Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards, and the SAGs.

As mentioned earlier this week, during the final promotional push for the series these last few days, Florence has been talking about Jane Doe’s lawsuit against Cornell University and the seven men who allegedly raped her. And she has continued to talk about it, on the carpet last night at the premiere and also earlier in the day on The View.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The View (@theviewabc)

Note that in the clip above, Flo makes a point of saying that she appreciates being asked about it, that she is grateful to have a platform to bring further awareness to the situation. And I can’t imagine that Netflix’s marketing team, weeks ago, when conceiving of the promotional plan, could have anticipated that the lead actor on this project, and the one with the most name recognition, would be using her spotlight to advocate for sexual assault survivors and calling out rape culture. The way it used to work in these situations is that the talent would be discouraged from wading into perceived controversial issues while promoting the work. Not that criticising rape culture and sticking up for a survivor should be considered controversial at all. But in this timeline – and every timeline before it – this is the reality. And Flo, clearly, isn’t about that. It would appear that she’s become less and less about that the more famous she gets.

If you’ve been following the Cornell investigation, and the latest details that have emerged about how the university and the authorities mishandled the situation, the New York Times just this morning published a good initial summary from the internal inquiry with further insight into Jane Doe’s allegations. The New Yorker also has a piece about how the case became a “national scandal”. It’s more than a national scandal at this point – it’s an international scandal, covered around the world. And so it should be. Keep it on the front page for as long as possible. Florence Pugh is certainly trying.

Yours in gossip,

Lainey