(SPOILER ALERT) Everyone’s favorite fun-loving American girls are back in season 2 of The Buccaneers.
The status quo has shifted in the premiere episode, which debuts Wednesday on Apple TV+.
Nan, played by Kristine Frøseth, is now the Duchess of Tintagel through her marriage to Theo (Guy Remmers). Meanwhile, her mother, Mrs. St. George, played by Christina Hendricks, is surprised by the arrival of Nell, played by Leighton Meester.
It was a shock to fans that Nell turns out to not only be Nan’s birth mother, but Mrs. St. George’s sister, too.
“We were really excited that she was joining the cast. I think there was a lot of excitement about that and she was just fantastic,” Hendricks said of Meester. “She was a fan of the show. She really enjoyed it. And so she came ready to work with lots of really wonderful insight of her character that helped bring out things that helped us discover some more things about our characters.”
As for what fans can expect going forward, Frøseth notes that in season 2, Nan “is definitely a bit more isolated from” her friends.
“There’s a lot of betrayal and lies and people following their hearts, and it’s very complicated and complex,” Frøseth said. “It really goes to show, I mean, friendships are complicated, life is complicated, love is complicated, and the show does a good job of showing all sides to it.”
What, in particular, makes it all so complicated? Frøseth teases a particular incident of betrayal between Nan and one of her best friends.
“I was definitely very surprised to see that one of the girls in the friend group does what she does,” Frøseth said. “I’m curious to see how that unravels.”
Tyler Perry is being sued for $260 million over sexual assault claims, which he has denied.
A lawsuit was filed against the actor and filmmaker on Friday, June 13, by Derek Dixon, who plays the character, Dale, in Perry’s show, The Oval.
In the complaint, Dixon alleges “a sustained pattern of workplace sexual harassment, assault, and retaliation perpetrated by Tyler Perry” and is suing the filmmaker for alleged quid pro quo sexual harassment, work environment harassment and more.
The lawsuit alleges Perry promised Dixon “career advancement and creative opportunities,” only to “subject him to escalating sexual harassment, assault and battery, and professional retaliation when Mr. Dixon did not reciprocate Mr. Perry’s unwanted advances.”
According to the lawsuit, Dixon and Perry met in 2019 while Dixon worked for an event company that was hired to plan the opening party for Tyler Perry Studios. Dixon claims he was assigned a role at the party that “required frequent conversation with Tyler Perry.” According to the lawsuit, the Madea filmmaker and Dixon exchanged phone numbers at the end of the party and Perry began asking the then-aspiring actor about his goals.
The lawsuit states that Perry cast Dixon in his show, Ruthless, and began sending Dixon “strange and untowardly” messages.
In January 2020, the lawsuit alleges Perry invited Dixon to his home in Douglasville County, Georgia, where they drank alcoholic drinks and had “friendly” conversation.
The lawsuit continues that at the end of the night, Perry told Dixon not to drive home and offered Dixon the guest room in his home. The lawsuit alleges Perry assaulted Dixon that night.
According to the lawsuit, following the assault, Dixon tried to ignore Perry’s calls or texts, which became more aggressive “until finally Perry offered Dixon a part in a new show called The Oval.” According to the lawsuit, Dixon “put up” with Perry’s comments due to fear over his role in the show being cut.
“Dixon immediately understood that his job security depended on his ‘relationship’ with Perry,” the lawsuit states. “From this point on, Dixon worked with the constant fear of losing his job if he did not engage with and endure Perry’s sexual harassment.”
Things allegedly escalated between Dixon and Perry after they filmed the episode where Dixon’s character was shot four times, “indicating a seeming end to his role on the show and his termination from the job.”
Perry had invited Dixon to his trailer for drinks. The lawsuit states that after he asked Dixon if he was attracted to him and other inappropriate questions, Perry allegedly assaulted Dixon when he was about to leave the trailer.
“As soon as Derek Dixon left the trailer following Perry’s violent assault, Dixon became severely nauseous and extremely anxious about his job, careers and livelihood,” the lawsuit states.
Another incident took place on Perry’s private island in the Bahamas, where the cast was having a party, the lawsuit alleges.
By December 2020, Dixon began “feeling depleted” due to Perry’s “continued pattern of sexual harassment,” according to the lawsuit. “The assaults and harassment began manifesting in his physical health and Mr. Dixon had no one to turn to.”
The complaint alleges that as the sexual harassment continued through the beginning of 2021, Dixon was prescribed an antidepressant for the stress he began experiencing.
In June 2021, Dixon claimed he was invited by Perry to his house again to discuss the pilot for Dixon’s show, Losing It. At the meeting, Dixon alleges he was sexually assaulted again.
Dixon decided to move to Santa Monica, California, in or around January 2023, allegedly “to put some distance between himself and Perry.” But the lawsuit states that the “quid pro quo harassment and attempts to cover up the sexual assault by promising a show continued.” After dangling the promise of producing Dixon’s show multiple times, Dixon realized in 2024 that Perry was doing so in an effort to prevent Dixon “from exposing the dark side of Tyler Perry,” the suit claims.
When reached for comment, attorneys for Dixon told ABC, “At this point Mr. Dixon has no comment. We believe the complaint speaks for itself.”
In response to the lawsuit, Matthew Boyd, an attorney for Perry and TPS Production Services, LLC, said, “This is an individual who got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam. But Tyler will not be shaken down and we are confident these fabricated claims of harassment will fail.”
Good Morning America has reached out to BET for comment.
Lilo & Stitch actor David Hekili Kenui Bell has died, according to a Facebook post from his sister Jalene Kanani Bell. Bell was 46 years old.
“It is with a heavy heart I share that my sweet, generous, talented, funny, brilliant and handsome little brother David H. K. Bell will spend today in the company of our Heavenly Father,” Jalene Kanani Bell wrote in the post, which was shared Sunday. “I’ve been waiting for the words and mindset to properly express the joy of a human, and Prince of a Man he was, but fate pushed my hand this morning by a pre-scheduled Father’s Day newsletter honoring the men in our lives.”
The Hawai’i Police Department confirmed in a statement to People on Monday that Bell died June 12.
“We have launched a coroner’s inquest investigation (as is standard practice) and an autopsy is being scheduled to determine the exact cause of death,” a police spokesperson said, according to People. “The investigation is ongoing at this time. No foul play is suspected.”
Bell’s representative Lashauna Downie also told People in a statement, “I am learning like you through social media. This is heartbreaking & sad, if true.”
“He was one of my best talent & embodied the true meaning of aloha…a gentle giant,” Downie added.
Bell most recently appeared as “Big Hawaiian Dude” in the new live-action Lilo & Stitch movie, where he made a lasting impression as the man holding a shave ice near the end of the movie trailer. He was also a guest on the shows Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.
“David loved being an actor, doing voiceovers,” his sister wrote in her Facebook post Sunday. “The film industry and entertainment was so exciting to him and I loved that he enjoyed the arts.”
Describing him as “a diamond in the rough” and “a bright and shining star,” she said her brother “recently made it on to the big screen with an iconic Lilo & Stich [moment].”
“He planned ahead and purchased the best seats in the house for us all to go together to opening night in Kapolei just two short weeks ago,” she wrote. “We talked about and were so energized by the fans dressed in L&S gear head to toe, t-shirts, onezees, hats, mask, and the merch galore flying off the shelf as we stood in line for pop-corn.”
“Hug your loved ones today…our last time together after returning home from the movie was just sitting on my living room couch talking story about life, having a seltzer and doing a little genealogy,” she added. “Blessed by this and all the big and small moments, I will keep our memories alive.”
ABC News has reached out to the Hawai’i Police Department, Bell’s representative Downie and SAG-AFTRA for comment.
The actress, who played Lily Tucker-Pritchett on Modern Family, has come out as bisexual. She shared the announcement to her Instagram on Monday.
Her announcement video used audio from a Modern Family scene where her character, Lily, had a conversation with her parents, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet), and aunt Gloria (Sofia Vergara).
In the scene, Gloria tells Lily she is Vietnamese. “No I’m not, I’m gay,” Lily says in response.
Anderson-Emmons lip-synched the quote from the show while other text she wrote appeared on top of the footage. “people keep joking so much abt me being gay when I literally am(I’m bi),” the text reads.
Her caption also shared a message to her fellow members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“happy pride month to all and to all a goodnight hehehe,” Anderson-Emmons captioned the video.
Anderson-Emmons joined the cast of Modern Family in season 3. She portrayed Lily until the show’s 11th and final season in 2020.
Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images for British Vogue
DC Studios has found its Clayface.
Relative newcomer Tom Rhys Harries has been cast in the titular lead role in the upcoming film Clayface. DC Studios head JamesGunn announced the decision in a post shared to Threads on Tuesday.
“After a long and incredibly exhaustive search, we finally have our DCU Clayface in @tomrhysharries,” Gunn wrote. “Both MattReeves and I were just blown away by this guy, and can’t wait for you to see this film, directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan.”
The Batman director Reeves is producing Clayface from a script by Flanagan, who is known for his Netflix horror projects TheHaunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass.
Harries is a Welsh actor known for the Apple TV+ series Suspicion, and Guy Ritchie‘s The Gentleman and The Return.
The Clayface story follows a B-movie actor who drinks a substance that is supposed to help his career and instead causes him to be made up entirely of clay, according to Variety.
Gunn officially announced the Clayface film was coming in a post to social media in December 2024.
“Exciting news out of @DCOfficial Studios today as #Clayface, a DCU story from a script by Mike Flanagan, has been OFFICIALLY greenlit,” Gunn wrote at the time.
One of the two doctors charged in connection with Matthew Perry‘s ketamine death case has agreed to plead guilty to distributing the drug, the Department of Justice said Monday.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia is expected to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine in the coming weeks, the DOJ said.
The charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.
Plasencia is one of five people charged in the wake of Perry’s death from a ketamine overdose at his home on Oct. 28, 2023, at the age of 54. The Friends actor was discovered unresponsive in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home, police said. An autopsy report revealed he died from the acute effects of ketamine.
Plasencia, who operated an urgent care clinic in Malibu, had been set to go on trial in August in the case.
His plea agreement comes after Mark Chavez, the other doctor charged in the case, pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine in October 2024. Chavez is scheduled to be sentenced in September.
According to Plasencia’s plea agreement, which was filed on Monday, he distributed 20 vials of ketamine, ketamine lozenges and syringes to Perry and the actor’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, between Sept. 30, 2023, and Oct. 12, 2023.
Plasencia “admits that his conduct fell below the proper standard of medical care and that transfers of ketamine vials to Defendant Iwamasa and Victim M.P. were not for a legitimate medical purpose,” his plea agreement stated.
Iwamasa, who admitted in court documents to administering the ketamine on the day that Perry died, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, the DOJ said. He is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
Plasencia’s attorney, Stefan Sacks, told ABC News following Plasencia’s arraignment in August 2024 that a plea deal was possible in the case.
According to his plea agreement, Perry asked Iwamasa to help him procure ketamine in September 2023 and provided his assistant with “money, or promised to reimburse him, and directed him to find sources from whom to acquire the drugs.”
One of Plasencia’s patients introduced him to Perry on Sept. 30, 2023, with the unidentified patient referring to the actor as a “‘high profile person” who was seeking ketamine and was willing to pay “cash and lots of thousands” for ketamine treatment,” according to Plasencia’s plea agreement.
Plasencia contacted Chavez, who had previously owned a ketamine clinic, to discuss Perry’s request for ketamine and purchased vials of liquid ketamine, ketamine lozenges and other items from him, according to the agreement.
Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry at the actor’s home on several occasions, as well as left vials and lozenges with Iwamasa to administer, according to the plea agreement. In one instance, he was paid $12,000 for such a visit, according to the agreement.
One instance occurred outside of the home, when Plasencia administered ketamine to Perry in a parking lot near an aquarium in Long Beach, according to the plea agreement. Upon learning about that, Chavez “reprimanded” the other doctor “for “dosing people in cars, and in a public place where children are present,” Chavez’s plea agreement stated.
Plasencia returned to Perry’s home on Oct. 12, 2023, to administer ketamine, during which the actor’s blood pressure spiked, causing him to “freeze up,” according to Plasencia’s plea agreement.
“Notwithstanding Victim M.P.’s reaction, defendant left additional vials of ketamine with Defendant Iwamasa, knowing that Defendant Iwamasa would inject the ketamine into Victim M.P.,” the agreement stated.
After receiving 10 more vials of ketamine through a licensed pharmaceutical company using his DEA license, Plasencia texted Iwamasa on Oct. 27, 2023, according to the plea agreement: “I know you mentioned taking a break. I have been stocking up [in] the meanwhile. I am not sure when you guys plan to resume but in case its when im out of town this weekend I have left supplies with a nurse of mine …I can always let her know the plan.”
Perry died the following day after overdosing on ketamine, which Plasencia had not provided, according to the plea agreement.
Another defendant in the case, Eric Fleming, admitted in court documents that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. He admitted in court documents that he distributed 50 vials of ketamine that he obtained from another defendant in the case — Jasveen Sangha — to Iwamasa, including the ketamine that killed Perry, the DOJ said. Fleming is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
Sangha, allegedly known as “The Ketamine Queen,” is accused of selling 50 vials of ketamine over two weeks to Perry, working with Fleming and Iwamasa to distribute the drugs to Perry, prosecutors said. She is accused of selling Perry the batch of ketamine that killed him.
Sangha pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in August.
The official trailer for The Naked Gun has arrived. Paramount Pictures released the trailer for the upcoming reboot of the franchise on Monday. It finds Liam Neeson‘s character, Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., following in his father’s footsteps. Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser also star in the upcoming film, which arrives in theaters on Aug. 1 …
Kevin Hart‘s upcoming Netflix comedy film 72 Hours has added brand-new members to its cast. The upcoming bachelor-party comedy, which also stars Mason Gooding and Marcello Hernández, has added Teyana Taylor, Zach Cherry, Ben Marshall and Sam Patterson to its cast. The film is about a 40-year-old executive who strives to save his career by joining a group of 20-somethings on a three-day bachelor party weekend …
Tucci in Italy has been renewed at Nat Geo. The travel series will return for season 2 on the network, Deadline reports. Season 2 will consist of five episodes where actor Stanley Tucci explores regions in Italy …
To coincide with Pride Month, Star Trek icon George Takei has documented his journey as a gay man in a new memoir in graphic novel form called It Rhymes With Takei. As he reveals in the book, Takei came out at age 68 because he was furious that California’s 2005 same-sex marriage bill had been vetoed. But there was another reason, too.
“It was rage, but it was also guilt, because progress was being made and all these people … gave up their jobs, their careers, some their families, and were out advocating for equality for LGBTQ people,” Takei tells ABC Audio. “And here I am protecting my career.”
As Takei relates in the book, he was closeted for years because back in the day, an actor outed as gay might find himself permanently out of show business. In addition, there was always the fear of arrest by overzealous law enforcement.
“There is a full, rich, turbulent, fraught story to our achievement,” Takei says of gay history. “And it’s happening again with the transgender community, so it’s a very relevant story to our times.”
And telling that story in graphic novel form is an effort to reach as many people as possible, says Takei.
“I wanted to reach young people. But then I realized that there are older people who find it difficult to read, but they’ll look at comic books,” he explains.
Takei also hopes the history he relates in the book will hit home in the current political climate.
“The whole LGBTQ movement is under threat,” he says. Then, using a Star Trek reference, he notes, “Things in politics go in cycles, and now we have that Klingon in the White House who is making it a real challenge. And that means we’ll have to get galvanized again.”
Daddy was more than a state of mind this Father’s Day.
New York City held a Pedro Pascallookalike contest on Sunday. Brooklyn dad George Gountas was unanimously crowned the winner of the competition, beating nearly 30 other contestants for the title. He won $50 and a year’s worth of free burritos from the event’s organizer, Son Del North.
In a post announcing the Pascal lookalike event on Instagram, Son Del North asked several questions. “Do you look like this man? Or know someone who does? Do they also claim there’s no good Mexican food in NYC? Bring them to Orchard.”
It’s a reference to Pascal’s Hot Ones appearance from 2023, where he said there was no good Mexican food in New York City.
While Son Del North said the event is a parody and not affiliated with or endorsed by anyone, it promised “the burrito prize is real.”
Gountas may not be starring in three films playing in theaters this summer (Materialists, Eddington and The Fantastic Four: First Steps) like Pascal is, but he does have roots in the entertainment industry. According to his IMDb page, Gountas is a lighting director who has worked on The Daily Show for years.
Robby Klein/Getty Images for IMDb, Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
The live-action Masters of the Universe film is one step closer to coming to the big screen.
Nicholas Galitzine confirmed production on the film has ended in a photo shared to Instagram on Monday. The picture shows him in costume as He-Man. It is taken from behind and is shadowed, with his signature Sword of Power, loincloth, boots and gauntlet on display.
“Well, that’s a wrap on Masters of the Universe,” Galitzine wrote. “It has been an honour shouldering the responsibility of playing Adam and He Man.”
The actor said He-Man was “the role of a lifetime” and that he “put everything into it.”
“There’s not much I can show you, but I am so proud of the movie we’ve made. Thanks to our amazing cast and crew for all your hard work,” Galitzine continued in his caption.
Camila Mendes, who portrays Teela in the film, also took to Instagram to commemorate the end of the film’s shoot.
“getting to play teela has been one of the most exciting and challenging experiences of my career,” Mendes wrote.
She said the week of suspense between her final audition and landing the role “was excruciating to say the least.”
“but here i am almost a year later, a full-blown gym bro and converted redhead, wrapping up 7 incredible months of living like a london girl, eating like an athlete, and running around as a warrior woman!!” Mendes wrote.
While Mendes lamented not being able to share more about the experience at this time, she said the carousel of photos she shared “will have to do for now.”
The carousel includes selfies with her brand-new red hairstyle and blue-colored contacts. She also included a video of her and Galitzine hugging.
“grateful is an understatement,” Mendes said.
Masters of the Universe arrives in theaters on June 5, 2026.
