One of the few success stories on network TV this season is NBC’s wildly popular This Is Us. The show has breathed new life into the careers of Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia, and it’s making stars out of relative newcomers Justin Hartley and Chrissy Metz, who play brother and sister. The story also includes another brother, played by Sterling K. Brown, who was already an extraordinary journeyman actor before this show came around. The show is already being called the weekly cry-fest, and it’s good to see a network do a solid, scripted family-driven drama. Anyway, this story is about Chrissy Metz. Metz is a plus-sized actress, and there’s a storyline on the show where her character is trying to lose weight, and she decides to get gastric bypass surgery. As Metz does press for the show, she’s been saying that it’s in her contract that she has to lose weight over the course of the show to play this character, so that everything will look realistic. People have been side-eyeing the sh-t out of Metz, NBC and the show’s producers because of that too. And now Metz has been sent out to do some damage control.

Chrissy Metz wants to clarify that her This Is Us contract does not say she has to lose weight. The 37-year-old actress had previously revealed to PEOPLE that she would have to go on the same weight loss journey as her character Kate does on the show.

“It’s definitely a conversation that we’ve had, and it’s in my contract,” she said, emphasizing that both she and Kate would be shaping up “in a healthy manner.”

But while chatting with PEOPLE at the 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball in Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Friday, Metz clarified her previous comments.

“It wasn’t mandated in the contract, and I probably — if I ever said the word contract, I didn’t mean it in that way,” she said. “I was pitched that the trajectory of Kate is that she’s going to lose weight. That is who and what’s going on.”

While her character Kate decided to get gastric bypass surgery on the show, Metz was clear that the weight loss isn’t mandated and that she doesn’t have to get to a particular size. But she’s looking forward to the challenge of losing weight, and feels motivated by the show.

“Why not have a motivation beyond me to get to a healthy weight?” she said. “Every actor does that. We’re chameleons. We change, we grow as an actor… you lose weight, you gain weight, you change your hair or whatever.”

Metz said that she “wasn’t surprised” by the traction her initial comments received – noting that, other than Melissa McCarthy on Mike and Molly, women her size haven’t been represented often on network television.

“It’s like all people want to talk about is my weight,” she said. “I was like, ‘Okay, this is weird.’”

[From People]

My guess is that NBC freaked out when she started saying she was contractually obligated to lose weight, because A) it’s not in her contract or B) there is some gentle wording in her contract and NBC doesn’t want to publicly step into that minefield of being called out for body-policing their talent. While I understand that Metz is a unique situation, I also think it’s a terrible precedent to set for any show or network to dictate (contractually or otherwise) weight loss or weight gain for their actors. And I mean, what are they going to do if she doesn’t lose weight? Recast her with Hilary Duff?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Jessica Chastain loves to work, and she’s amazing at her job. She constantly brings her A-game on-screen, but she also knows how to be a top tier celebrity, which Lainey and I saw firsthand last night at the Miss Sloane premiere in Toronto.

Check out this tweet:

Amazing experience see…

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Everyone knows Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are together at this point, right? They have been talking about their relationship nonstop for the entire year they’ve been together. And they don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. Blake went on Ellen DeGeneres last Friday and – shocker – the discussion turned to Gwen. In Blake’s defense, Ellen asked. She teasingly suggested that she knew he “hated” talking about Gwen. As he usually does, Blake had nothing but lovely things to say about Gwen, including the fact that he finds her incredibly “hot.”

It’s not hard to get Blake Shelton to talk about Gwen Stefani.

“I love talking about Gwen,” he said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Friday. “Are you kidding me?

Ellen DeGeneres admitted that when the music superstars first became an item in the fall of 2015, many people thought they “seemed like the most unlikely couple.” But after they both went through high-profile divorces, it made more sense. “You were going through something at the same time and it brought y’all together. You are just an adorable couple. Whenever I see y’all together, I mean—you’re just both crazy about each other, and I’m happy for both of you.”

Shelton—who is nominated for three People’s Choice Awards—thanked DeGeneres for her kind words. “It’s been just an eye opener to be with someone like her,” the “She’s Got a Way With Words” singer admitted. “Believe it or not…I mean, you think Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, and she is literally maybe the most normal person that I’ve ever met in my life. It’s been good for me to be with somebody that’s so grounded and just a good human being with a great heart.”

“She’s very, very down to earth,” the host said in agreement. “She’s kind of like a homebody.”

“And she’s hot,” Shelton added. “Have you seen her? I mean look at that!”

“Oh, I didn’t notice. I just realized,” DeGeneres joked. “Now that I look at her, she is attractive!”

[From E! News]

When you hear Blake say it, his choice of using “I mean, look at that,” is not as offensive as it reads. He was actually smitten as he said it. These kinds of public declarations are not my thing but they are obviously Blake and Gwen’s so it’s cute. And Gwen, although manicured, is hot. Who doesn’t like to be reminded of that?

Seeing as we are treated to so many pap and event shots of Gwen, I am struggling with the “homebody” label Blake gives her but I am willing to accept that she might be. Primarily because it plays into this story about them that I don’t think is true but I really want it to be. In Touch reports that Gwen is “obsessing” with Blake’s ex mMiranda Lambert’s, new album because it speaks of their breakup. But Gwen has yet to hear it because, they claim, Blake lives with her while they’re filming The Voice and he has a rule that, “Miranda [Lambert]’s music isn’t played — ever.” I’m picturing Gwen sneaking out of the house to go listen to Miranda’s album without Blake knowing, “Just popping out to the store to get, uhm, some paperclips… BRB!” Making this more fun is that Blake and Miranda are both headlining the Bayou Country Superfest in May. So now I’m picturing Blake backstage with his fingers in his ears as Miranda performs and Gwen in the audience wearing a fake mustache and dark glasses… but still looking hot.

Photo Credit: WENN and Fame/Flynet Photos and Getty Images

Serena Williams matched Steffi Graf’s 22 singles Slam titles this year. But Serena also lost her #1 ranking to Angelique Kerber, and Serena failed to medal at the Rio Olympics, and she only won one major in 2016. And she turned 35 years old. She’s still a young woman, of course, but there aren’t many people or athletes in history that can provide any kind of insight into what Serena is doing at this point. By any metric which we use to measure athletes, she should have retired years ago. And yet she’s still a force to be reckoned with, she’s still reaching and striving to be the greatest, to be her best even when her best has no roadmap. So in this crap-heap of a year, Serena has written an open letter to all women striving for excellence. She wrote this for Porter Magazine’s Women of 2016 issue, and The Guardian re-published it:

To all incredible women who strive for excellence,

When I was growing up, I had a dream. I’m sure you did, too. My dream wasn’t like that of an average kid, my dream was to be the best tennis player in the world. Not the best “female” tennis player in the world. I was fortunate to have a family that supported my dream and encouraged me to follow it. I learned not to be afraid. I learned how important it is to fight for a dream and, most importantly, to dream big. My fight began when I was three and I haven’t taken a break since.

But as we know, too often women are not supported enough or are discouraged from choosing their path. I hope together we can change that. For me, it was a question of resilience. What others marked as flaws or disadvantages about myself – my race, my gender – I embraced as fuel for my success. I never let anything or anyone define me or my potential. I controlled my future.

So when the subject of equal pay comes up, it frustrates me because I know firsthand that I, like you, have done the same work and made the same sacrifices as our male counterparts. I would never want my daughter to be paid less than my son for the same work. Nor would you.

As we know, women have to break down many barriers on the road to success. One of those barriers is the way we are constantly reminded we are not men, as if it is a flaw. People call me one of the “world’s greatest female athletes”. Do they say LeBron is one of the world’s best male athletes? Is Tiger? Federer? Why not? They are certainly not female. We should never let this go unchallenged. We should always be judged by our achievements, not by our gender.

For everything I’ve achieved in my life, I am profoundly grateful to have experienced the highs and lows that come with success. It is my hope that my story, and yours, will inspire all young women out there to push for greatness and follow their dreams with steadfast resilience. We must continue to dream big, and in doing so, we empower the next generation of women to be just as bold in their pursuits.

[From The Guardian]

Much like the evolution of Beyonce, I’ve enjoyed the evolution of Serena in her 30s. Serena and Bey are the same age (allegedly, in Beyonce’s case) and they’ve followed a similar path of high-achievement, an awakening feminism and social consciousness and a desire to inspire girls and women around the world. And for me, Serena is absolutely right there with Roger Federer, LeBron, Michael Jordan, Mohammed Ali: she is one of the greats, one of the icons, one of the most inspirational people in the world. [HEART EMOJI]

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Prince Harry’s tour of the Caribbean ended on Sunday. Instead of flying home to London, he went straight to Toronto to see Meghan Markle. Apparently there were blacked out SUVs outside her house yesterday and security seen walking about. It’s been over 3 weeks since they’ve spent time together. A…

One of my Facebook friends posts cute videos with the message “Do you need a smile today?” That’s what I thought of when I saw this clip of Will Smith on Jimmy Kimmel, above. He’s so charismatic and funny that I ended up laughing and clapping my hands while hearing this story. It’s also one of those short digestible stories that just makes you feel good, particularly the way it’s told. If you can’t listen with the sound on, please watch it anyway because just seeing Will Smith make gestures will give you the warm fuzzies. Smith is promoting his film Collateral Beauty, out December 16th, and costarring Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet and Keira Knightley. He plays a man confronting Love, Time and Death as concepts that connect us all. You can watch the trailer here and here’s what he said on Kimmel:

Do you ever disguise yourself and go out so that you’re not noticed?
I want people to recognize me. I’ve met a lot of people where fame can be a burden. I just love it. You be pointing at people.

About three weeks ago I was driving and I realized I was on E. I hadn’t been paying attention. I was like ‘Oh no.’ I was about thirty minutes from my house. I pulled into the gas station and I didn’t have my wallet. I was like ‘Oh, tragedy.’ I’m looking and I’m like ‘Well can I call Jada?’ Then she [has] to drive 30 minutes to come.

I was looking on the other side and I saw a dude, he was about 36 years old, and I’m like ‘That dudes a Fresh Prince fan.’ You can spot ‘em.

I kind of rolled the window down I was like [poses smiling]. After a couple of minutes he was like ‘Will?’ He said ‘Hey man, can I get a picture?’

I said ‘Yeah man, I need about $10.’ He was like ‘Really?’ We took the selfie he lent me the $10. I was like ‘Give me your number I’ll send it back.’ He was like ‘Dude, no way that’s yours.’ I was like [points and smiles].

That story made me so happy and just watching Will Smith talk is like therapy.

Smith said his mustache is for a role, he’s playing an LA cop, and that he hates it basically, because it makes him look like the “Colt 45 Billy Dee.” He joked around that he’s a “tool for the director” and that he wants to make sure he helps realize the director’s vision. He’s working with David Ayer, who also did Suicide Squad. Smith said that Ayer takes hair seriously and once shaved off Jay Hernandez’s eyebrows to help him get in character as Diablo.

He also talked about the fact that he’s part owner of the Philadelphia 76ers. Kimmel asked him if he had any advice for the players and Will said they all seem so young to him and that they don’t need advice about how to make it, but about how not to screw it up. He said “As hard as it is to get it, you can mess it up in one drunk night. Your cousin can ruin the whole thing for you.” As for Bad Boys 3, Will confirmed Martin Lawrence’s news that they’re going to start shooting Bad Boys 3 soon!

Photos are from Jimmy Kimmel, from the set of his upcoming cop film, Bright, and from the EMA Awards in October. Credit: WENN and Fame/Flynet

Meggy! Happy Birthday with love always from Susie and Stacy because no one could be a better little sister than you. By request, here are some pictures of James McAvoy!

Here are some photos from last night’s British Fashion Awards. This is Gigi Hadid in a rather stunning Versace jumpsuit, which works surprisingly well on her. I would not have thought to put Gigi in Versace, but the combination is nice. I also enjoy the fact that she decided to wear pants rather than some cheeseball gown. Is this particular jumpsuit the most flattering and amazing thing in the world? No, of course not. It makes her torso look crazy-long, the sateen pants are wrinkled and Gigi’s slicked-back hair isn’t helping the look. But overall, this is solid. Just what I’d expect from the Model of the Year. Yes, that’s right. Gigi won the award for Model of the Year. Traditionally, at the British Fashion Awards, that award is usually given to a British model. But since Gigi is banging a British guy, I guess they figured, “good enough.”

More photos from the BFAs… here’s Alexa Chung. I’m sorry to all of the Alexa apologists out there (there are so many of you!), but she is absurd.

Jaden Smith looks great here. No joke.

Kate Moss, wearing fur and looking… tired. Let’s go with tired.

Karlie Kloss… I like this dress, but it only works on someone tall and skinny.

I laughed out loud when I saw Salma Hayek in this Gucci dress. Baby girl, stop pouring yourself into these terrible dresses! SO BAD.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.

Dear Gossips,

Grammy nominations. As I’ve been anticipating for a while now, it’s all about Beyoncé and Adele. As I’ve been hoping for a while now, would it be too much to wonder about that collaboration? All Night and Hello? With 9 nominations, Beyoncé is now the most nominated woman in Gram…

I usually don’t cover the Grammy nominations when they come out, mostly because I don’t care that much about the Grammys? The only people who really, really care about the Grammys are, like, Taylor Swift and Kanye West. Everybody else just treats the Grammys with a shrug. I mean, it must be nice to win a Grammy, but unlike the big film awards, being a Grammy-winning artist isn’t some huge deal, one way or the other. And much like the film industry, the Grammys have such a rotten history of not recognizing the contributions of artists of color, it’s easy to not take the Grammys seriously. So why care this year? Because the Grammys are setting up a showdown between Adele and Beyonce! You can see the full list of nominations here. Here are some of the big ones:

Song of the Year
Beyoncé, “Formation”
Adele, “Hello”
Mike Posner, “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”
Justin Bieber, “Love Yourself”
Lukas Graham, “7 Years”

Record of the Year
Adele, “Hello”
Beyoncé, “Formation”
Lukas Graham, “7 Years”
Rihanna, “Work (feat. Drake)”
Twenty One Pilots, “Stressed Out”

Album of the Year
Adele, 25
Beyoncé, Lemonade
Justin Bieber, Purpose
Drake, Views
Sturgill Simpson, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth

Best New Artist
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Chance the Rapper
Marin Morris
Anderson .Paak

Best Pop Solo Performance
Adele, “Hello”
Beyoncé, “Hold Up”
Justin Bieber, “Love Yourself”
Kelly Clarkson, “Piece by Piece (Idol Version)”
Ariana Grande, “Dangerous Woman”

Best Pop Vocal Album
Adele, 25
Justin Bieber, Purpose
Ariana Grande, Dangerous Woman
Demi Lovato, Confident
Sia, This Is Acting

[From E! News]

Interestingly enough, Beyonce scored more nominations than Adele, and Beyonce was nominated across the pop, rock, R&B and rap categories for various songs off Lemonade. Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West (for Life of Pablo) all scored eight nominations each. I pretty much think that in the biggest categories, it will be a head-to-head battle between Adele and Bey too. Lemonade is arguably the strongest album Beyonce has ever made, and Adele’s 25 is her huge “comeback” album after a four-year absence. It will be interesting to see how everything shakes out. Also: Beyonce and Adele are tight. They’re not BFFs, but they love and respect each other and they’re very friendly. I hope their fandoms don’t fight, because Adele is straight-up a card-carrying member of the Beyhive.

Oh, and “I Took A Pill in Ibiza” is a terrible f—king song. And who thinks The Chainsmokers will win Best New Artist?

Photos courtesy of WENN.