Entertainment

Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse by four women in a new report published by three U.K. outlets on Saturday.

According to The Sunday Times, The Times of London and Channel 4’s “Dispatches,” one of the women said she had been raped, while three others — including one who was 16 at the time — said they were sexually assaulted by Brand. One of the women also claimed Brand was physically and emotionally abusive towards her.

The abuse allegedly took place between 2006 and 2013. Brand was married to Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.

Brand issued a denial on social media Friday, before the reports went live. While he admitted to being “promiscuous” during this time, he said his relationships were “absolutely, always consensual.”

If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.

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Ashton Kutcher is stepping down as chairman of the board of Thorn, a nonprofit organization aimed at fighting child sex abuse and human trafficking, ABC News has confirmed.

The decision comes after the actor and his wife, Mila Kunis, faced backlash for writing letters of support for their former That ‘70s Show co-star Danny Masterson, a convicted rapist.

“Victims of sexual abuse have been historically silenced and the character statement I submitted is yet another painful instance of questioning victims who are brave enough to share their experiences,” Kutcher wrote in a letter sent to Thorn’s board this week and obtained by ABC News.

“After my wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning, and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at Thorn, I have determined the responsible thing for me to do is resign as Chairman of the Board, effectively immediately,” he continued. “I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve.”

Kutcher co-founded Thorn in 2009 with his now-ex-wife, Demi Moore.

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After receiving backlash for her decision to resume her daytime talk show amid the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, Drew Barrymore posted an emotional video to social media Friday.

She took responsibility for the decision and said her intent was not to upset or hurt anymore. “I deeply apologize to writers, I deeply apologize to unions,” she said.

“My decision to go back to the show — I didn’t want to hide behind people,” she continued. “I won’t polish this with bells and whistles and publicists and corporate rhetoric. I’ll just stand out there and accept and be responsible.”

Barrymore also explained why she made the decision for The Drew Barrymore Show to resume production.

“I certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention,” she said. “We aren’t gonna break rules, and we will be in compliance. I wanted to do this because, as I said, this is bigger than me, and there are other people’s jobs on the line.”

The Drew Barrymore Show‘s fourth season is set to premiere September 18.

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Hugh Jackman and his wife of 27 years, Deborra-lee Furness, are separating, ABC News has confirmed.

The two issued a joint statement saying they have agreed to part ways amicably.

“We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage,” the statement reads. “Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”

“Our family has been and always will be our highest priority,” they continue. “We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.”

They conclude by saying this will be the only statement they’ll be making on the matter.

Hugh, 54, and Deborra-lee, 67, share two children together, 23-year-old Oscar and 18-year-old Ava.

The two met on the set of the Australian TV series Corelli in 1995 and married the next year. Jackman posted a tribute to their marriage on Instagram last April for their 27th wedding anniversary.

“Together we have created a beautiful family. And life,” he wrote. “Your laughter, your spirit, generosity, humor, cheekiness, courage and loyalty is an incredible gift to me. I love you with all my heart.”

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Comedian Hasan Minhaj has admitted to making up some of the stories told in his past stand-up specials.

In a New Yorker profile, the former Daily Show contributor says, “Every story in my style is built around a seed of truth. My comedy Arnold Palmer is 70% emotional truth — this happened — and then 30% hyperbole, exaggeration, fiction.”

One such fabrication was a story he told in 2022’s The King’s Jester special, where he said his daughter had been exposed to a white powder thought to be anthrax and was hospitalized. In another fictionalized anecdote, he talked about an FBI informant that was undercover at his family’s mosque.

Minhaj tells the New Yorker those stories were rooted in “emotional truth” and that “the punch line is worth the fictionalized premise.”

“No, I don’t think I’m manipulating [the audience],” he adds. “I think they are coming for the emotional roller-coaster ride…To the people that are, like, ‘Yo, that is way too crazy to happen,’ I don’t care because yes, f*** yes — that’s the point.”

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Just in time for the start of spooky season, Nickelodeon and Paramount+ have released the new trailer and premiere date for Monster High 2.

The sequel to the live-action movie musical based on the Monster High doll franchise will begin streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday, October 5, and will premiere on Nickelodeon the same day at 7 p.m. ET/PT. Nickelodeon will also show encores every weekend in October.

The story follows the children of famous monsters and creatures as they enter their sophomore year at Monster High. It stars Miia Harris, Nayah Damasen and Ceci Balagot.

The first Monster High movie came out in 2022 and became the #1 kids and family movie on Paramount+ during its debut week.

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Have no fear, your reality roundup is here! Here’s a look at what’s happened in the world of reality television this week.

Summer House (Bravo)
Lindsay Hubbard has shared a heartfelt Instagram post addressing her sudden breakup with fiancé Carl Radke. In her emotional statement on Instagram, Hubbard expressed gratitude to her followers for their support during this challenging time. She described the past two weeks as the most heart-wrenching of her life, feeling bewildered by the abrupt end of an 8-year friendship and engagement. Hubbard admitted to feeling humiliated and heartbroken, struggling to find closure. Radke apologized for the lack of communication and confusion surrounding their split.

The Surreal Life (MTV)
MTV has unveiled an exciting lineup for the upcoming season of The Surreal Life, set to begin production this month. The star-studded cast includes well-known personalities such as Macy Gray, Chet Hanks, Ally Brooke, O.T. Genasis, Kim Zolciak, Johnny Weir, and Josie Canseco, per the press release. The iconic series is known for its unique blend of “celeb-reality,” promising a wild and over-the-top adventure that encourages these celebrities to reveal unexpected facets of themselves.

Real Housewives of New York (Bravo)
RHONY star and UBAH HOT founder Ubah Hassan has teamed up with renowned restaurateurs Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato of Serafina Restaurant Group to introduce UBAH HOT Pizza. This collaboration features a spicy twist on the classic margherita, featuring habanero-infused San Marzano tomato sauce, creamy fior di latte mozzarella, thinly sliced habanero, and delicate basil julienne, per the press release. The pie is available exclusively at all 13 Serafina locations across New York City.

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The new romance film Love at First Sight drops on Netflix Friday, and for Jennifer E. Smith, the author of the book the movie is based on, watching her words come to life couldn’t be more surreal.

The film centers around two people who fall in love while on a flight to London. There was one moment Smith really hoped would feel just like her book, and she is happy to report that stars Haley Lu Richardson and Ben Hardy pulled it off.

“When they almost kiss outside the bathrooms on the plane,” Smith said. “The first time I saw it in the movie, I cried. I had chills. It’s just, it’s even better than I imagined it, honestly, when I was writing it.”

This isn’t the first time one of her books has been adapted for the screen — Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between was released in 2022 — but Smith says it’s always nerve-racking.

“You’re always thinking about the readers who love the source material and wanting them to be happy with an adaptation,” Smith said. “I’ve just been very, very fortunate with both of these in having teams who really cared about the book.”

In fact, Smith had such a great time watching her book come to life that it messed up her cameo in the film. She was supposed to play a disgruntled person in line at a ticket counter, but she was having too good of a time to pretend to be angry.

“I was, like, biting my lip to keep from smiling,” Smith said. “And then [director Vanessa Caswill] called me back and she was like, ‘You’re too happy.’ And I was like, ‘I am happy, though. My book is being made into a movie right now. I can’t not be happy.’”

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Just two weeks after its launch, the pirate adventure One Piece has been renewed for season 2 at Netflix. Based on Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece stars Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, a young adventurer who sets off with his crew ZZ — Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp and Taz Skylar as Sanji — to find the titular article of treasure. The series is the No. 1 title globally on Netflix with 37.8 Million views amassed since its release, according to the streamer…

Disney+ released the official trailer for Goosebumps on Thursday, September 14. The live-action series based on R.L. Stine’s bestselling books “follows a group of five high schoolers as they embark on a shadowy and twisted journey to investigate the tragic passing three decades earlier of a teen named Harold Biddle — while also unearthing dark secrets from their parents’ past,” per the streamer. The series, set to premiere on both Disney+ and Hulu on Friday, October 13, stars Justin Long and Rachael Harris, alongside Eastenders‘ Zack Morris, Star Trek: Picard‘s Isa Briones, Gossip Girl‘s Ana Yi Puig, The Equalizer‘s Will Price and newcomer Miles McKenna…

Ellen DeGeneres will make her TV return in the two-hour Discovery Channel special Saving the Gorillas: Ellen’s Next Adventure, according to People. The documentary follows the comedienne and former talk show show host, “as she travels to Rwanda to learn more about gorilla conservation efforts” and her Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund,” per the outlet. Saving the Gorillas: Ellen’s Next Adventure premieres on September 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Discovery Channel and on September 24 on Animal Planet, Max, and Discovery+…

The writers and the studios are set to get back around the negotiating table. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), in a statement obtained by ABC Audio on Thursday, revealed, “On Wednesday, September 13, the [Writers Guild of America] reached out to the AMPTP and asked for a meeting to move negotiations forward. We have agreed and are working to schedule a meeting next week. Every member company of the AMPTP is committed and eager to reach a fair deal, and to working together with the WGA to end the strike.” The Writers Guild later confirmed the meeting in a separate statement, writing, “The WGA and AMPTP are in the process of scheduling a time to get back in the room”…

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The new film A Million Miles Away tells the remarkable true story of José Hernández, a migrant worker, who picked produce in the fields of central California, before succeeding in his dream to become a NASA astronaut.

Hernández tells ABC Audio that he hopes the film, which debuts Friday, September 15 on Prime Video, will show people that he didn’t, and couldn’t, achieve his dream on his own.

“It was a communal effort, family effort that got me there,” he explains. “That’s why it’s going to resonate so much, because they’re going to see so much of themselves in this picture. And hopefully we change the perception of what an Hispanic family is like growing up here in America.”

Hernández says a key factor in accomplishing his dreams, was putting into action his father’s five step recipe for success: “Determine your purpose in life. Recognize how far you are. And then draw yourself a plan, a roadmap so you know how to get there. Prepare yourself according to the challenge. Develop a work ethic second to none.”

“And my ingredient, the sixth one, is perseverance,” he adds. “Never, ever give up on yourself.”

Crucial to the film’s authenticity was the direction of Mexican filmmaker Alejandra Marquez Abella, who did a great job of highlighting the pride of migrant farmworking, “a[n] honorable job … a noble job,” according to Hernández. “[A]s my father said … you’re bringing food to the tables of everybody in the world. And you should never be afraid of that or ashamed of that.”

Appropriately, the film debuts at the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, ” … a celebration of the accomplishments of a lot of people that come before us [and a] reminder … for our younger kids that anything is possible if you really put the work in.”

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