Janet Charlton's

HOLLYWOOD

One of the BIGGEST stories of the week, (and it’s only going to get bigger) was Jimmy Kimmel Live! being put on an indefinite hiatus from ABC – over what was deemed as an inappropriate joke about that slain conservative influencer.  So many of today’s recaps will involve this development since it’s a HUGE story in Hollywood and has everyone talking.  Here’s what we know.  Hours after the hiatus was announced, Jimmy, his legal team and the network’s suits, started discussing a possible resolution. The network wants Jimmy to publicly apologize and lay off the jokes at the expense of thin skinned conservatives.  Thus far, Jimmy is refusing to give in to censorship.  As of today the talks continue… We really hope Jimmy comes back on his own terms – he happens to be one of the nicest guys in Hollywood.

We also know this.  During the last Hollywood strike, Jimmy opened his checkbook and paid much of his staff during the downtime and once again he’s planning to do the same during this hiatus.  No one knows how long this hiatus will go on, or if the show will even come back or be cancelled.  It’s all happening in real time so things could quickly have changed by the time you read this.  Nonetheless, Jimmy knows the hiatus not only affects him, but has a more devastating financial impact on much of his staff, especially those in more entry level positions, so he’s planning to pay them at least until they can collect unemployment, if it comes to that.

And here’s another thing we just heard.  If the show doesn’t come back, Jimmy is pivoting to a podcast which seems to be the direction Hollywood, the entertainment industry, and the world is heading.  As my network source reveals, TV is pretty much dead, and streaming podcasts are now where the money is at.  Jimmy and his team are well aware if he’s given a severance package he might have to agree to a no compete clause for a period of time, but one way or another his plan is to host a podcast where he won’t have to deal with censorship.  It’s happening – and he’s already transforming a room in his Los Angeles home into a recording studio.

Finally, our last recap on this story.  While Donald Trump is already gloating about the situation (remember he called for Jimmy to get cancelled two months ago) much of Hollywood is rallying around Jimmy and planning to protest Trump, censorship, and what many say is the start of fascism.  We can tell you this.  A star studded protest is already in the works and while the details are very sketchy, ( it’s barely been 24 hours since the hiatus was announced) a few variations of protests are being discussed and they include some of Hollywood’s biggest names. My source adds that some details of the protest should be announced within the week  – but it’s going to be a large scaled well orchestrated event.

The Emmys were the other big story of the week,  and we can tell you one of the first people to congratulate Best Actor in a Drama winner, The Pitt star, Noah Wylie, was his former ER costar George Clooney.  Although George wasn’t in Hollywood for the award show, a few days later he sent Noah a Buccellati ( a very high-end Italian jeweler) sterling silver frame with a photo of them from 1994 the year ER premiered.  In addition to the fancy frame, George included an invitation inviting Noah to spend some time with him at his villa on Lake Como.  My source says that the two, while always friendly, grew apart once George left ER and now George is hoping to reconnect.

Their show Hacks didn’t win Best Comedy but its stars, Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder both won for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in a comedy series.  On the red carpet it was revealed that the upcoming season 5 will be the show ‘s last.  We can tell you this.  The season will be filled with major guest stars, including Kelsey Grammer, who Jean costarred with on Frazier (she was a recurring guest star playing his girlfriend).  As we previously reported, Jean is also hoping to share the screen with her surviving Designing Women costars, and  Hannah’s real life mother, SNL original cast member, Laraine Newman (!) is also set to appear.

Here’s something we know and you probably don’t yet.  We would usually write this as a separate item but decided to include it in our weekly recap since it’s gossipy and much needed happy news.  A well placed source reveals that Rihanna gave birth to her third child last week!   The singer has a history of keeping her pregnancies and children’s births as private as possible for as long as possible.  While our source is vague on the details, we can tell you that Rihanna and her team have been buying tons of PINK baby clothes and she recently bowed out of a planned business meeting at the last minute and has been MIA from other scheduled appointments.  Plus, someone from her inner circle was spotted delivering a huge pink teddy bear to her Beverly Hills home.  Again, we know the details are sparse, but don’t be surprised if all of this is soon revealed!