Dear Gossips,

Billy Bush, not surprisingly, has hired a high-powered LA attorney to help negotiate his departure from NBC after “Grab ‘em by the pussy” became the catchphrase of the year. Marshall Grossman is now representing Billy and while he has not yet filed a lawsuit on behalf of his cli…

Taylor Swift wants you to know that she still has friends. So many friends. She even has new friends! The squad is expanding and evolving! Taylor Swift and the squad went out last night in NYC and this dinner had more A-listers than most awards shows these days. Who went out with Tay-Tay? Cara Delevingne (still bruised from her St. Vincent split), Dakota Johnson (she’s new to the squad), Karlie Kloss, Zoe Kravitz (she’s new to the squad as well) and… Serena Williams!!! Oh, Serena, what are you doing???? I had no idea that Serena and Swifty were friendly at all. I didn’t even know Serena had any friendships within the squad? And you know that Serena is also friendly with Kim Kardashian. And Beyonce and Jay-Z. Hm. I have to admit, finding out that Serena is cool with Taylor Swift makes me like Taylor a little bit more. Is that how squads are supposed to work?

This Thursday night outing wasn’t the only time we saw Taylor this week, even if I didn’t cover it (we didn’t have the photos!). On Wednesday night, Tay and some of the squad hit up the Kings of Leon private concert, then the Bowery Hotel for drinks with Aziz Ansari (wtf?) then they went to the Cabin Down Below. On Wednesday, Taylor was with Sienna Miller, Lily Donaldson and Zoe Kravitz. Lorde was there too, for the concert at least.

Meanwhile, In Touch Weekly tried to claim this week that Taylor Swift was rebounding from the Tiddlebanging with none other than Ben Affleck. Sources claimed that Ben found Tay-Tay enchanting and she has dreams of another Hollywood romance. Obviously, Gossip Cop’s sources denied it completely. Let’s be realistic here – Taylor is not Ben’s type and Ben is not Taylor’s type. Give her some credit! She’s not going to be interested in Sad Batfleck (who is still married!).

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

Every morning this week, I wake up and one of the first things I wonder is “what fresh hell has Donald Trump wrought for today?” At this point, Trump gossip is the only gossip. It feels like even celebrities know that, because celebrity-gossip has been suspiciously low-key this week. Everyone in America must be waking up the same way, wondering what new horrors await us in this final 24 days. So let’s breakdown some of the hell-on-earth:

Trump had a thing about Marlee Matlin. Yesterday, we heard about Trump harassing Marlee and making sexually explicit comments to her while she appeared on Celebrity Apprentice. Now the Daily Beast reports that Trump allegedly referred to Matlin – who is deaf – as “r-tarded.” He would often treat her like she was mentally disabled… just because she was deaf. Ugh.

Trump’s unearthed 1994 interview. Nancy Collins interviewed Trump for ABC’s Primetime Live and the Hollywood Reporter just published the transcript of the interview, which you can read here. Here’s a pearl of wisdom from Trump: “Psychologists will tell you that some women want to be treated with respect, others differently. I tell friends who treat their wives magnificently, get treated like crap in return, ‘Be rougher and you’ll see a different relationship.’ Unfortunately, with people in general, you get more with vinegar than honey.” *shiver*

Donald Trump had a go-to line to pick up little girls. In the 1990s, whenever he saw girls from the ages of 10 to 14, he would say some variation of “we’ll be dating in ten years!” Gross.

The NYT responds. Trump is making a lot of noise about how he’s going to sue the NY Times and his lawyers even sent the Times a letter, and the NYT responded – go here to read. The NYT’s official position is that their reporting is not libel because Trump is disgusting in his own words.

Donald Trump Jr. is a pig too. Just in case you ever wondered about how his father’s views affect future generations, in a 2013 interview, Donald Jr. dismissed sexual harassment in the workplace, saying: “I’m of that mindset — and I’ll get into trouble, I’m sure I’ll get myself in trouble one of these days – if you can’t handle some of the basic stuff that’s become a problem in the workforce today, then you don’t belong in the workforce. Like, you should go maybe teach kindergarten. I think it’s a respectable position. You can’t be negotiating billion-dollar deals if you can’t handle, like, you know…” Donald Jr. trailed off. What? You can’t negotiate billion-dollar deals if you’re a sexual predator obsessed with grabbing women by the p-ssy? Because that’s what I think.

Donald Trump Jr. keeps talking. When trying to explain his father’s comments, Junior said: “I’ve had conversations like that with plenty of people where people use language off color. They’re talking, two guys, amongst themselves. I’ve seen it time and time again. I think it makes him a human. I think it makes him a normal person, not a political robot. He hasn’t spent his whole life waiting for this moment to run for the presidency. I think it means that he’s a human being that he’s a regular person like everyone else. I think that’s what endeared him to the American public.”

Melania Trump wants People Mag to print a retraction. Melania says she never spoke to the journalist, Natasha Stoynoff, in public. And that’s what Melania wants retracted?

The only good thing I have to say at this point is that Hillary Clinton currently has an 85% chance at winning the presidency according to FiveThirtyEight. She’s been hovering in 80s all week, and I suspect that’s where she will remain.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Usually, when I don’t care for something the Duchess of Cambridge wears, I still understand why she chose it. Like, Kate’s style (as it is) isn’t my cup of tea, but at this point in my coverage of her sartorial choices, I can tell when a certain look is “Kate-approved.” She loves a full skirt, preferably made of light material that flies up at a moment’s notice. She loves lace, of good and bad quality. She loves very delicate-looking patterns. She loves theme-dressing for different occasions and events. She loves a nautical look. She loves shades of blue, likely to match her sapphire jewelry. But knowing what I know about Kate’s style, I can’t explain this fug coat. It breaks the mold of what I’ve come to expect from her. It seems like something a FLOTUS would have worn in 1977.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are spending the day in Manchester today. One of their big stops is to the National Football Museum, because William is president of the Football Association (although he does next to nothing for that patronage). They have three other stops besides the “fun” football museum gig. For the outing, Kate chose this Erdem Resort 2016 coat which is… really, really bad. Kate has worn Erdem pieces before, to mixed results, and I don’t think it’s a good collaboration at all. With someone as coat-obsessed as Kate, I would think that she would wear more Burberry, but here we are. This coat is perhaps one of the ugliest things she’s ever worn. I can’t even find something nice to say about it! She’s also wearing a vintage (lace) blouse underneath.

Meanwhile, William did a solo event last night in London. He attended a reception for The Kennedy Memorial Trust at Buckingham Place. I didn’t know this was a thing, and I’m pleasantly surprised that it is. The Kennedy Memorial Trust is for the upkeep on the British memorial for John F. Kennedy in Runnymede. Queen Elizabeth herself opened the memorial in 1965, and now William is attending fundraisers for the memorial. Go here to read more.

Something nice: her hair looks pretty here. This is a new style for her.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Many people have been “over” Jon Hamm since we learned the details around a particular brutal story involving his fraternity hazing some pledges. This happened more than 20 years ago, but the details of the situation are horrifying and awful. We learned about that last year, when it seemed like Hamm’s life was falling apart in general. Mad Men was ending, he broke up with Jennifer Westfeldt, and he ended up in rehab for substance abuse. Now he has a new movie, Keeping Up with the Joneses, and he’s trying to… I don’t know, NOT talk about those old frat-boy-hazing stories. He’ll talk about anything else besides that. Hamm gave a lengthy interview to Mr. Porter’s Journal and surprisingly, the fraternity story didn’t come up at all. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

He has weekly therapy: “I find it very helpful. I know the English are a lot more sceptical about it than Americans are, but maybe after Brexit, you’ll change your minds.”

His time in rehab: “It has all these connotations, but it’s just an extended period of talking about yourself. People go for all sorts of reasons, not all of which are chemically related. But there’s something to be said for pulling yourself out of the grind for a period of time and concentrating on recalibrating the system. And it works. It’s great.”

Whether he’ll have kids: “I don’t know. I don’t think it’s necessarily an imperative. I’m not going to psychoanalyse myself here, but… well, never say never. I’ve got nieces and nephews and I’ve been a teacher. I’ve probably been around kids a lot more than all my friends. I feel if you shut that off entirely you calcify. You turn into that guy.”

He doesn’t understand social media: “I speak to young kids starting out and they can’t even get into an audition unless they have a certain number of followers on Instagram. Of course, it doesn’t mean anything – you can go out and buy 100,000 followers. But it becomes meaningful if business decides it’s meaningful. In time there will be a correction and we will look back on this period and say, ‘Wow. We were really dumb.’”

He’s been in therapy ever since his dad died when he was 20: “After I’d lost my dad, I had this horrible paralysing inertia – and no one in my family was capable of dealing with it. So what do you do? Go and see a professional. I preach it from the mountaintops. I know it’s a luxury and it’s not something everyone can afford. But if you can, do it. It’s like a mental gym.”

What he learned from playing Don Draper: “I don’t share a lot of sartorial clues with Mr Draper, other than we’re the same suit size, but it did open my eyes to buying clothes that fit properly. I generally try and dress a little more appropriate to my age. It’s epidemic out here. So often I’m like, ‘What are you wearing? You have an Ed Hardy T-shirt and a wallet chain and biker boots and you’re 65 years old?’”

He turned down superhero movies? He has turned down superhero movies, despite being a Marvel fan as a boy. “I was very hesitant to be involved with any of that stuff. It takes so long as they don’t want one movie, they want three movies with two crossovers… You’re [just] doing it for the exposure.”

Frustration over the lack of roles: “From a features standpoint, it’s really difficult to get hard dramas made if you’re not Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Denzel Washington or Ben Affleck. That’s what those boys do and there are only so many slots. There are five or six leads who get the first look and if you’re lucky you might get a second. But hope springs eternal around this time of year. We’re done with the capes and tights and laser beams and we’re starting to see the serious movies that are up for awards.”

Growing up in St. Louis, Black Lives Matter: “Police violence is such a difficult thing to comprehend. If you sat me next to a black person who had also grown up in St Louis, simply by the nature of the colour of our skin, we’re going to have completely different experiences. It’s so difficult for people to grasp as it just rams up against our ideas of fairness and authority. The more and more sh-t that comes out like this, it’s harder and harder for people to dismiss. I’m an optimist. And I do think the more we find out, the more the centre of gravity in the culture will shift. I hate this idea that nothing matters. It can’t all be a dumbshow. Sorry, that got real dark real quick.”

[From Mr. Porter]

He also describes himself as “shy” at one point, which I don’t really believe – “shy” is not the word I would use to describe him, but I’ll buy that he’s not happy-go-lucky or a total famewhore. He also makes it sound like he’s single but he doesn’t want to talk about his love life at all. I tend to think he and Westfeldt are still spending time together but yeah, maybe he’s technically single. What else? I like what he says about therapy and I hope it’s helped him. I think he is sort of bitter about the lack of roles for… attractive white guys in their 40s. Because we all know how harsh Hollywood is for those guys! Maybe he should have taken a superhero movie after all, eh?

Photos courtesy of Mr. Porter/Journal.

Time Magazine is really delivering some spectacular covers this election season. Behold, this week’s Time cover, “Total Meltdown.” It’s meant to visually mimic their cover in August, which was simple “Meltdown.” Similar graphic, only now the orange face is melting. I actually sat here and read Time’s full cover story – go here to read – and I came out of the article really, really worried. Like, at this point, I really do believe that Hillary Clinton is going to win. That’s not the issue. The issue is how f—king awful it’s going to be in the lead up to Election Day, and the bloodbath within the GOP which will follow the election.

Meanwhile, Trump is probably mulling over a new slogan, from Make America Great Again to, perhaps, No P-ssy Left Ungrabbed. Yesterday, we discussed the five women who had told their stories Wednesday evening to various media outlets. One of those women is Natasha Stoynoff, a longtime journalist for People Magazine. Natasha’s story of being sexually assaulted and harassed by Trump was heartbreaking, creepy and scary. Natasha’s story also got a lot of attention yesterday, and Trump paid special attention to how he denied the allegations:

Speaking in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump argued that stories in the New York Times and People magazine were “pure fiction” and “outright lies” created to undermine his campaign. He also argued that he had “substantial evidence” to dispute them that he will make public later.

“These vicious claims about me of inappropriate conduct with women are totally and absolutely false. And the Clintons know it, and they know it very well,” he said. “These claims are all fabricated. They’re pure fiction, and they’re outright lies. These events never, ever happened.”

Reading off a Teleprompter at his Thursday rally, Trump barely contained his anger as his unleashed a series of allegations of his own, claiming that the media is coordinating with Hillary Clinton’s campaign in an attempt to ruin his candidacy. Trump responded to two allegations directly during his speech. Of Jessica Leeds, who told the Times that Trump grabbed her breasts on an airplane, Trump said: “Another ridiculous tale, no witnesses, no nothing.” And of People writer Natasha Stoynoff, who said Trump pushed her up against a wall and kissed her without her consent while she was writing a profile, Trump seemed to imply that her looks prove he would not have wanted to kiss her.

“Look at her, look at her words, you tell me what you think,” he said. “I don’t think so. I don’t think so. These people are horrible people. They’re horrible, horrible liars. And interestingly, it happens to appears 26 days before our very important election. Isn’t that amazing?”

Trump also claimed that the “invented account” has “already been debunked by eyewitnesses,” which isn’t true.

[From Time Magazine & Jezebel]

“Look at her, look at her words, you tell me what you think. I don’t think so.” Yeah, Donald Trump only sexually assaults the most beautiful, classy women in the world, people! What do you think he is, a savage? He’s not going to assault some *journalist* who works for People Magazine. This reminds me of what one of his sons said about sexual harassment in the work place, which is basically that affluent, educated women don’t get harassed. And to Donald Trump, the only women worth assaulting and harassing are the beautiful ones.

Not that it matters, but Natasha Stoynoff is beautiful. Look at her and you tell me what you think. Yeah.

– #Trump on Natasha Stoynoff: You look at her…I don’t think so”
Okay, #LookingAtHer : pic.twitter.com/MebIly1GVA

— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) October 13, 2016

Photos courtesy of WENN.

I’ve been wondering for a while if Hillary Clinton might be better served if she merely goes on vacation to Margaritaville for the next three weeks and empowers her surrogates to fight on her behalf. Pres. Obama is a great surrogate, as is Joe Biden, as is Elizabeth Warren. But HRC’s best surrogate? Michelle Obama. You guys, when FLOTUS speaks, everyone stops and listens. Michelle hasn’t even been able to say Donald Trump’s name, which makes it even more powerful. Michelle f—king thrashed Trump every time she makes a speech these days and she does it all with heart, passion and love… and she never even bothers to say “Donald” or “Trump.” HRC should just let Michelle finish out the campaign.

So this is what happened yesterday and I want every one of you to watch this MULTIPLE TIMES. Watch how emotional she is. Watch how brilliantly she dissects a small man like Donald Trump.

I mean… Michelle said it all. When she says his comments “have shaken me to my core,” she means it and you can see it. You can read the full transcript of her speech here at Time Magazine, and I would also suggest you study the way she constructed her argument. This wasn’t simply “he is an awful man and his comments were disgusting,” although there’s a good dose of that too. No, she also talks about how it feels as a woman to hear the constant repetition of misogyny, the barrage of insults and violent rhetoric, the stomach-churning admissions of groping and assault. Michelle’s speech is worth your time, forever and always.

What was also amazing? Twitter blew up during and after her speech. Even seasoned journalists were like “FLOTUS IS FIRE!”

Here is the official transcript of the speech @FLOTUS just gave: ????????????????????????

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) October 13, 2016

The 2 best political speeches this year were delivered by the same person: Michelle Obama

— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) October 13, 2016

What the world needs now is love. And @FLOTUS Michelle Obama. https://t.co/Sy1X3zJ63i

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) October 13, 2016

I’d say the odds are against Melania stealing this Michelle Obama speech.

— Aaron Levie (@levie) October 13, 2016

Michelle Obama: “Strong men don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are strong lift others up” #BOOM

— Mark Warner (@MarkWarnerVA) October 13, 2016

Michelle Obama is preaching the Gospel of life right now. If you are missing it, please find a way to watch it later.

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) October 13, 2016

Michelle Obama is giving one of the most important speeches of the entire campaign.

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) October 13, 2016

This Michelle Obama speech will be remembered as a major moment in this 2016 campaign

— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) October 13, 2016

Fox News Channel is ignoring Michelle Obama’s sexual assault speech

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) October 13, 2016

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

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Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are set to celebrate their first year as an official couple next month. OMG – has it only been a year? Gwen and Blake took her three sons, Kingston, Zuma and Apollo, and her niece, Stella, to Disneyland on Wednesday (LA schools had Wednesday off, if that matters to anyone). You can see photos here – so, so many photos. Apparently this was Blake’s first trip so he received a Disneyland’s 1st Visit button, which he proudly wore. How has he never been to Disneyland?!? I’m sorry, I’m fine with every giggle of their relationship being documented but I have to judge him a little for not hitting up The Mouse’s House before now. Plus, I honestly thought he had been but then I remembered he was just on the phone throughout Gwen’s last visit.

Following D-Land, Gwen took Blake on a tour of Anaheim, including her childhood home and the Beacon Street house, which is where most of No Doubt lived and wrote their first couple of albums. Again, we know because the whole visit was recorded on Snapchat:

(Co-admin) #snapchatalert? #gwenstefani #blakeshelton #gwenandblake #stoppingbyheroldhouse? #beaconstreethouse #goingonatourtoshowhercowboy #ocgirlpride #anaheimhillbillies #sorad #memorylane #relationshipgoals #kingston #familytime Thank you @gwenstefani for sharing a little bit of your history via #snapchat? #weloveyou ?? #SHEFANI #weirdosandfreaks #fromallovertheworld??? ?? @gwenstefani @blakeshelton

A video posted by @gwenandblake on Oct 12, 2016 at 8:13pm PDT

I’m surprised at how giddy she was – has she never been back? Maybe I am misreading her and she is just really excited about Blake seeing it. I get that; showing off the hometown is pretty exciting. And The Beacon Street Collection is a great album, so the house is worthy.

People recently asked Gwen about her and Blake’s inaugural year of coupledom. Gwen was shocked at how quickly the time has flown by (for whom???). She again said that she is “so blessed” and that there were “so many beautiful memories.” Good companionship is a lovely thing to share so congrats to them for enjoying each other so much. I think we should start with a Ring Watch, though. When Ryan Seacrest asked her about an imminent engagement, Gwen stammered, “I don’t know! God, I don’t know. Everything is going so quickly. I’m in the moment and um…Look at me! You got me tongue-tied.” If she gets tongue-tied just being asked about a proposal, she might want to start practicing for the really thing. Maybe she can sing her answer.

Embed from Getty Images

Photo credit: WENN Photos and Getty Images

Gabrielle Union covers the November issue of Essence to promote several different projects. She’s the lead in the TV show Being Mary Jane, but she’s also got a small but significant role in The Birth of a Nation. I’ve said before and I’ll say again: I feel sorry for Union and the many layers of creepiness she’s had to deal with during filming and afterwards. She seems to know it too, and in this interview she says outright that she’s totally fine if you don’t want to see the movie. She’s a rape survivor too, and she doesn’t want anyone to be triggered by it. Some highlights from the interview:

Her career at this point: “I’m at an age where my ego doesn’t live and die by how many lines I have. There’s more to life than line counting. I don’t just want to be a hired gun. I want to have a little bit more control over the narrative. The only way I can be empowered to do that is to be a producer. Now with as many projects that will have me, it’s part of the deal.”

Becoming a producer on Being Mary Jane. “For the first time in my whole career, I’ve actually been invited to the writer’s room. I walked in there as if I was meeting the Pope.”

Stepmother to her husband’s kids, Zaire, 14, Zion, 9, and Xavier, 2: “Teens get teen-y. It’s harder. I never understood that. ‘You won’t sleep.’ I always associated that phrase with babies. Crying, teething babies. No. Until they walk through the door, I’m terrified. Sometimes I just want to stay off my timeline, because it makes those waits until they walk through the door a thousand times worse. One of my biggest fears is them being a hashtag on some bulls—t.”

She’s fine if you don’t want to see The Birth of a Nation: “As a rape survivor and as an advocate, I cannot shy away from this responsibility because the conversation got difficult. I don’t want to put myself above anyone’s pain or triggers. Every victim or survivor, I believe you. I support you. I support you if you don’t want to see the film. I absolutely understand and respect that. I can’t sell the film. This movie has always been about more than one person, and for the outspoken feminist advocates and allies who risked a lot to be a part of this project—Aja Naomi King, Aunjanue Elllis, Penelope Ann Miller—we are okay if you have to sit this one out, and we’re okay if you don’t, and we understand.”

[From Essence & E! News]

“One of my biggest fears is them being a hashtag on some bulls—t.” I take that to mean that her biggest fear is that something will happen to one of her stepsons AND she’ll find out about it first through social media. Which is both a realistic fear and an insane fear. Realistic because that’s actually happening – social media has radically changed the way police-violence issues are seen and discussed in real time, independent of the news cycle. It’s an insane fear because I can’t believe this is the world we live in now, that one of the best “checks” on unaccountable police power is to tweet about it and post videos online.

As for what she says about the movie…she’s saying exactly the right thing. And I have to think that even if she’s proud of her performance in the film, she’s no longer proud of the film as a whole because of Nate Parker.

Photos courtesy of Essence.

Yesterday we covered excerpts from Bryan Cranston’s new memoir in which he admitted fantasizing in graphic detail about murdering an ex girlfriend he claims was stalking him. I asked if this was normal, because I have had similar thoughts about an ex but up until that point I never thought of actually admitting to them. It turns out that this wasn’t the first time Cranston had talked about murdering someone, presumably. In the 1970s, when he was traveling cross country with this brother and taking odd jobs, a coworker they both hated (whom everyone hated according to Cranston) turned up dead right after Cranston and his brother had moved on from that job. Cops asked if anyone wanted to do the man harm, the answer was that everyone did but that two people had just left right around the time the guy turned up dead – Cranston and his brother. He told this story on The Tonight Show and the video is below.

We took a two year motorcycle ride across the US in the mid 70s. We picked up jobs here and there… We were in Daytona Beach staying for a while trying to earn some money. We got a job [as waiters] at a polynesian restaurant called The Hawaiian Inn. The head chef was a guy named Peter Wong. Peter was a good chef and a horrible person, the first person I’ve ever met who I’ve realized ‘Oh my God, I hate this guy…’ Not a nice guy, miserable and mean.

So during the waiter meetings… we’d all talk about how each one of us would kill Peter Wong. So I said I would slice him up, nice tender slices. We’re joking around.

The season comes to an end, my brother and I hop on our motorcycles [and] take off again to go up north. Policemen come into the Hawaiian Inn… they said “Anybody ever talk about hurting or killing Peter Wong?”

“Yeah, all of us.”

“Anybody who’s no longer here who talked about killing Peter?”

“Well the Cranston brothers… left about a week ago.”

“That fits the timeline.”

Because Peter was murdered and they were looking for us. They put an APB out on our motorcycles.

[From The Tonight Show]

So how did he get out of it? That was an expert way to tell that story so that people will buy his book. Am I the only person who wondered whether Cranston did it? I’m sure he didn’t – it just crossed my mind because he was so convincing as cold blooded killer Walter White and because he’s such an incredible actor. If anyone could murder someone, convince the cops he was innocent and then use it as a personal anecdote on a talkshow it’s Bryan Cranston. Although it’s news to me, he did tell this story before, last year on Ellen. Cranston said “I didn’t murder him, though. I murdered someone else.” He needs to win an Oscar already. You know I couldn’t remember whether he won or not this year, because again I conflated his character in Trumbo with the actual man. That’s how good of an actor he is. Good enough to kill a man and convince cops he was innocent.

photos credit: WENN.com