New details on Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez split timeline, more news | Gallery

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez reportedly split a week before they shared the news

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez reportedly let the dust settle on their split before they shared the news with the world on April 15. “They spent time together in the Dominican Republic last week and decided that it’s best to go separate ways,” a source close to the former couple told People after they announced they’d decided they “are better as friends.” The source added, “The split is very amicable.” It’s at least the second time Alex has traveled to the D.R. to be with Jen, who’s there filming “Shotgun Wedding.” In addition to his trip last week, the former Yankees star flew to the Caribbean island in early March amid rumors the couple had called it quits. After the two ended things for good on his second visit — just hours before they went public with their breakup — Alex shared a tribute to Jen on his Instagram Story, including a heart emblazoned with their names. The two began dating in early 2017 and got engaged in March 2019. According to TMZ, they have not yet discussed who will keep the $1.8 million engagement ring.

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Kourtney Kardashian reveals ‘no one wanted’ ‘KUWTK’ at first

What would today’s reality TV landscape look like without the Kardashian-Jenner family? The answer may be hard to imagine, with the 20th and final season of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” underway, but Kourtney Kardashian recently revealed the family initially had trouble selling the idea of a show about themselves. During a chat with Simon Huck and Melissa Gray Washington for their “Emergency Contact” podcast, Kourtney recalled that the seed for what became “KUWTK” was a producer’s interest in working on something with Kim Kardashian West. “They came to the [Dash] store and the girl was like, ‘Oh my God, you and your sisters! This is everything.’ So then we started trying to pitch a show, like, [about] the sisters. I remember we went to E!, we went to everything — I think no one wanted it or something,” Kourtney said. Eventually, a casting director joined the family for dinner at their home and promptly determined the project should be a reality show. That person called Ryan Seacrest, introduced him to Kris Jenner, the family made a demo reel and “it just was picked up right away,” Kourtney said. “I think something happened with like, Lindsay Lohan’s show and they needed filler, and so they were like, ‘Oh, this is going to be a one-season thing.’” Not so much … At the end of last year, the Kardashians announced a multi-year content deal with Hulu — format TBD — that’s slated to kick off shortly after the final episode of “KUWTK” airs. Looking ahead, Kourtney mused, “I think we get so scared of change, just as people … but I don’t know, I’m excited.” She added that it will be “bittersweet” saying goodbye to “the crew that we’ve seen every day for like 13 years.”

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Justin Theroux on his friendship with ex, Jennifer Aniston: ‘We love each other’

Justin Theroux just shut down a long held theory about the end of his marriage to Jennifer Aniston. When the two split in late 2017, multiple outlets indicated it wasn’t working because Jen wanted to stay in Los Angeles and Justin wanted to be in New York City. “That’s a narrative that is not true, for the most part,” Justin tells Esquire in the magazine’s April/May edition. “Look, people create narratives that make themselves feel better or simplify things for them. That whole ‘This person likes rock ‘n’ roll, that person likes jazz. Of course!‘ That’s just not the case. It’s an oversimplification,” he explains. Though he doesn’t say more about the split, “The Mosquito Coast” star does open up a bit about the state of their relationship today — and it’s clearly pretty loving. “I would say we’ve remained friends,” he says. “We don’t talk every day, but we call each other. We FaceTime. We text.” Asked how he deals with the challenge of staying friends with his former partner, he says he and Jen simply, “… didn’t have that dramatic split, and we love each other.” He continues, “I’m sincere when I say that I cherish our friendship. We can not be together and still bring each other joy and friendship. Also, she makes me laugh very, very hard. She’s a hilarious person. It would be a loss if we weren’t in contact, for me personally. And I’d like to think the same for her.” Justin, who’s made a habit of posting glowing and sweet birthday messages on Jen’s Instagram, adds that he believes, “… if you love the person the same way you loved them in the relationship, it would behoove you to love them the same way out of the relationship.”

Brad Pitt spotted leaving medical center in a wheelchair

Brad Pitt gave fans a bit of a scare after he was photographed being wheeled out of a medical center in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on April 15. Clad in dark shades, loose-fitting gray pants and a dark hoodie that had been pulled over his head, the actor, 57, was hardly exuding healthy vibes as a bodyguard rolled him away. Sources later told Page Six, however, that Brad was simply having his wisdom removed. He’s still expected to appear as a presenter at the Academy Awards on April 25, along with Harrison Ford, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon and more stars. Brad (finally) won his first Oscar last year, for his role in “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.”

Gucci heirs are ‘truly disappointed’ about Ridley Scott’s upcoming ‘House of Gucci’ film, starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver

Internet buzz about the forthcoming Ridley Scott film, “House of Gucci,” seems to grow louder with each new batch of campy photos from the set. But the great-grandchildren of the fashion brand’s founder, Guccio Gucci, have serious concerns about the depiction of their family. The film stars Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani and Adam Driver as Guccio’s grandson, Maurizio Gucci. Maurizio, who ran the Gucci fashion brand for a time, married Patrizia in 1973, divorced her in 1991 — and was gunned down by a hit man Patrizia had hired in 1995. The drama of the murder itself, however, isn’t what has Guccio’s great-grandchildren worried. According to the Associated Press, the film is based on Sara Gay Forden’s, “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed,” a book the Gucci grandchildren say contains factual errors. According to Maurizio’s second cousin, Patrizia Gucci, the family is “truly disappointed” the film is being made. She says she’s tried to contact Ridley’s wife and producing partner, Giannina Facio, to no avail. That lack of response has the family extremely worried, according to Patrizia. “They are stealing the identity of a family to make a profit, to increase the income of the Hollywood system,” Patrizia told the AP this week. “Our family has an identity, privacy. We can talk about everything, but there is a borderline that cannot be crossed.” Patrizia said she and her relatives are also concerned about Al Pacino being cast as her grandfather, Aldo Gucci, and Jared Leto playing her father, Paolo Gucci. “My grandfather was a very handsome man, like all the Guccis, and very tall, blue eyes and very elegant. He is being played by Al Pacino, who is not very tall already, and this photo shows him as fat, short, with sideburns, really ugly. Shameful, because he doesn’t resemble him at all,” Patrizia explained. As for Jared’s take on her father? “Horrible, horrible. I still feel offended,” she said. Although the fashion brand is working with the filmmakers to provide wardrobes and props, the AP notes the Gucci family cut ties with the fashion house back in 1993. The label is now owned by a French company, Kering, whose CEO, Francois-Henri Pinault, is married to Salma Hayek. Salma has a role in the film, as well.

Tom Hiddleston gets cagey about James Bond speculation

Hiddleston. Tom Hiddleston. That’s about as much as the Marvel Comics staple was willing to share when asked by Empire magazine about rumors he’ll be the next James Bond. “What can I say that you don’t already know?” Tom asks in the new interview (via DigitalSpy). From there, he plays coy — or maybe he’s just tired of dealing with the question of his rumored future 007 status altogether. “It’s interesting in itself that I’ve suddenly become very aware of what I’m saying, is it not?” he asks. “Because there’s something about what I’m saying that becomes the story. Not for you, but for the world outside. Whatever I say, I’ve found, generated more questions.” Asked if his performance in “The Night Manager” drew at all on previous James Bond figures, he said it did not — then he said he was surprised fans thought otherwise. Buzz about Tom’s 007 potential comes amid similar fan interest in former “Bridgerton” star Regé-Jean Page as a future Bond. Daniel Craig has said “No Time to Die,” due out Oct. 8, will be his final turn as the world famous spy.

Prince Harry, Prince William won’t walk beside each other at Prince Philip’s funeral

New details have emerged regarding the plan for Prince Philip’s funeral this weekend. In an April 15 media briefing, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace revealed Prince Harry, who arrived in the U.K. last weekend from California, will not walk beside his brother, Prince William, in their grandfather’s funeral procession on April 17. As the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin is carried, via a Land Rover he helped design, to St. George’s Chapel, Harry and William will walk on either side of their cousin, Peter Phillips, according to NBC News. The brothers have not appeared together in public since Harry and Duchess Meghan’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which the Sussexes made various allegations about how the royal family treated them before they stepped back from their royal duties and relocated in California. Among those allegations was a claim a royal family member had expressed concern about how dark the color of their then unborn child’s skin would be. Shortly after the interview aired, William was asked by a reporter if the royal family was racist. “We are very much not a racist family,” he said at the time. At the latest media briefing, the palace rep declined to answer a question about whether the princes’ cousin would be walking between them because of tension within the family. Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband of 73 years, passed away on April 9 at age 99.

Larry King’s estranged wife files to be named executor of his estate

Larry King’s widow, Shawn Southwick King, filed new documents in court this week as she continues to pursue control over the TV veteran’s estate. After an initial attempt to be named administrator of her late husband’s estate, she’s now asking to be named its executor, according to People. Larry, who died in January of sepsis after a number of health setbacks, originally named Shawn as his executor in his official, 2015 will. After his death, an amended, handwritten will from 2019 surfaced. Created within months of the second time Larry filed for divorce from Shawn, that document did not even mention her. Instead, it mandated that 100 percent of his $2 million dollar estate be divided equally among his children. At the time, his son, Larry Jr., asked the court to validate the 2019 will and appoint him its administrator. Shawn contested Larry on both. People reports Shawn filed a Petition for Probate this week that would make the 2015 will stand as final, including what was to be her role as executor. (According to Attorneys.com, an administrator, as opposed to an executor, “is appointed by the probate court to complete [the same tasks as an executor] when there is no will or no executor or executrix has been named in the will.”) The next hearing is scheduled for May 4.

J Balvin is expecting his first child with girlfriend Valentina Ferrer

Colombian singer J Balvin and model Valentina Ferrer are going to be parents for the first time! The couple announced their big news this week via Vogue Mexico, which features a photo of Valentina proudly displaying her bump as J wraps his arms around her on its latest cover. “Se va agrandado la familia 💗,” or “The family is growing,” Valetina, 27, wrote alongside the cover shot on Instagram this week. In the accompanying feature, Valentina says she was so surprised by the pregnancy that she “did three [pregnancy] tests in a row” before telling J, who was apparently just as stunned. “He froze,” she shared (via ET). “He was happy, but it was like a call from Zoom that does not work when the WiFi crashes.”