Hollywood is a world all on its own — a world that most people will never experience. The money, fame and fast-paced lifestyle looks glamorous, but living a high-profile life invites high-profile drama. The entertainment realm never fails to display A-list chaos, and the past few weeks have been especially hectic. Mugshots and family break-ups are what make up this week’s celebrity shenanigans.
Tristan Thompson cheats on Khloé Kardashian
Reality television star Khloé Kardashian recieved a huge dose of reality on Feb. 18 when reports surfaced that the father of her child, NBA player Tristan Thompson, had cheated on her at a party with her younger sister Kylie Jenner’s best friend, Jordyn Woods. It was claimed by party goers that Woods was all over Thompson, even giving him a lap dance and staying at his house till 7 a.m. the next morning.
Woods remained silent until March 1 while Khloé immediately commented emojis that seemed to communicate “speak up!” on the Instagram page of Hollywood Unlocked — the first outlet to break the story. Shortly after Khloé commented, two of her friends chimed in on the post as well, saying “amen” and “strong facts.”
Woods decided to tell her side of the story on the Facebook show called Red Table Talk, hosted by Jada Pinkett-Smith. She admitted to being drunk and getting a bit too close to Thompson, but she insists that nothing physical happended beyond him kissing her when she left his house that morning. Woods went on to admit that in an effort to forget the entire encounter, she did not tell Khloe that he kissed her.
Khloe followed by tweeting after the Red Table Talk that Woods was lying and was the reason her and Tristan were no longer a family. Khloe immediately received backlash for her tweet because users felt that she was putting all of the blame on Woods instead of holding Tristan responsible — this being his second time cheating on Khloe.
Khloe later apologized for saying that Woods was the reason her family is broken up and admitted that she is hurting. Woods has made no public statements beyond her Red Table Talk interview.
Jussie Smollett is charged for staging an attack
On Jan. 22, actor Jussie Smollett received an anonymous racist letter that threatened to kill him. Seven days later in Chicago, the star was allegedly attacked in the early hours of the morning by two white men who screamed racist and homophobic slurs at him.
He was taken to the hospital and the assault was publicized later that day. Thousands of tweets, videos and kind words poured in wishing Smollett well.
While the incident was under investigation, Smollett did his first interview post-attack with Good Morning America. On Feb. 12, suspicions arose when the phone records Smollett had submitted to the police were “heavily redacted.” Two days later, a pair of Black Nigerian brothers were arrested for the assault, but were released soon after. The brothers told Chicago police that they were paid by Smollett to stage the attack.
After further investigation, Smollett was charged with a felony for filing a false police report — the singer turned himself in to Chicago police. He was released shortly after posting $10,000 of his $100,000 bail. Upon returning to the set of his show, Empire, Smollet’s castmates were conflicted on how to feel.
The Chicago Police Department stated that Smollett likely staged the letter to get attention and possibly raise his salary on his show. When the letter did not get enough attention, police believe he staged the attack.
It was announced on Feb. 22 that Smollett’s character would not make an appearance in the show’s final two episodes of this season. The Chicago Police Department also released a statement saying that they have more evidence against Smollett that has not been shared with the public. A court date has not yet been disclosed for Smollett’s case and he has not been officially fired from Empire. Smollett has maintained his innocence during his Good Morning America interview as well as in statements released by his lawyer.
