Dancing With the Stars

HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

One of the biggest stories of the week was Megan Fox’s pregnancy, which as you already know was OLD news to our readers since we had the exclusive scoop months ago. Here’s what we know. Megan hasn’t had the easiest of pregnancies and has suffered severe morning sickness as well as some issues with her breast implants. Also, the pregnancy, while planned, hasn’t eased her fears about her fiance Machine Gun Kelly’s roving eye. My source tattles that while the pregnancy has made their relationship stronger, Megan and MGK are still in relationship counseling to deal with trust issues.

Artem Chigvintsev made headlines for his unexpected return to Dancing with the Stars to commemorate the show’s 500th episode. Here’s what we are hearing. Although Artem was only featured in the audience, behind closed doors, plans are underway to bring him back next season as a professional dancer. Apparently producers figured out what we already heard – that Artem’s estranged wife, Nikki Garcia was more than likely the aggressor in their domestic dispute. This explains why Nikki wasn’t invited to be a part of the special episode even though she previously competed on the show.

Jessica Simpson and her husband Eric Johnson were all over the news for rumored marital problems. We are hearing that a divorce is all but inevitable and Jessica and Eric were hoping to keep things friendly and divorce WITHOUT hefty legal fees since they have a solid prenup already in place. Nonetheless, we are also hearing that their keeping it friendly plan has recently run into roadblocks, and both are attorney shopping JUST IN CASE they can’t work it out on their own.

Travis Kelce and his teammate Patrick Mahomes made the news for a scary reason – their mansions were broken into while they were on the road for an away game. Don’t think for a moment that this was lost on Travis’ better half Taylor Swift. We just heard that Taylor has beefed up HER security at all of her properties including her Beverly Hills home. Since her schedule is so public, she wants to make sure her properties are protected from intruders when she’s there and when she’s not.

Leonardo DiCaprio made headlines for his star studded 50th birthday party on November 9, which again was old news to loyal readers since we had this scoop months ago as well. We just heard this update. Now that he’s 50, Leo is fearing he’s losing his boyish looks, so days after his party he met with a top Beverly Hills plastic surgeon (Doc’s facelifts start at $150,000) for an initial consultation. I am hearing that Leo isn’t a fan of the aging process (who is?) and is planning to go under the knife before the end of the year or in early 2025. He wants something subtle, as he described it to a pal, like he “had a good night’s sleep”.

Finally, Ariana Grande seemed to be everywhere this week as she continues her around the world publicity tour for Wicked. Here’s what we know. Ariana has many vested interests in having this movie open to HUGE box office numbers. First, she wants to prove herself as an established actress, and second, she gets a sizable BONUS if the movie opens big. My source says Ariana took a deal that paid her less upfront with big bonuses based on the box office – which explains why Ariana is working her tail off to promote the flick. My source say it could wind up being the biggest movie of the year and make Ariana even wealthier than she already is.

Photo: Instagram

IS JEREMY RENNER READY TO DANCE AFTER THAT AWFUL ACCIDENT?

Jeremy Renner is being wooed to show the world how FAR he’s come after that almost deadly snowplow accident on New Years Day, 2023 – by taking a twirl on Dancing With The Stars. Jeremy is a part of the Disney/Marvel family thanks to his role on The Avengers and Disney owns ABC, the network that airs the popular dancing competition. According to a network insider, ABC wants Jeremy to appear on DWTS not as a competitor, but during a special episode dedicated to Marvel movies. The idea is for Jeremy to rehearse for a few weeks and then do one special dance as a way to promote the Marvel franchise during next season.

Photo: Instagram

GEORGE SANTOS WANTS TO DANCE HIS TROUBLES AWAY

As far-out as it sounds, George Santos is hoping to pivot from Congress to the dance floor! The just indicted Congressman from New York is ignoring calls to resign after pleading not guilty to a plethora of charges, but IF he’s thrown out of the House of Representatives, he’s aspiring to show off his moves on Dancing with the Stars. As we previously reported, George is working on a tell-all book that he hopes to release once his time in Congress ends, but his new scheme involves landing a spot on the popular show. George has a contact who is connected to DWTS and despite the fact that he’s an accused felon and proven liar, the consensus is that he’s PERFECT for this type of reality TV and could very likely compete!

CHERYL BURKE: PUPPY LOVE ETC

She’s no longer Dancing With The Stars, but Cheryl Burke’s next gig might be a better match. The recently divorced (she split from Matthew Lawrence last year) – and former DWTS pro, has been tapped to become the celebrity brand ambassador for Match.com. Despite her good looks and perky personality, for the most part Cheryl has been unlucky in love – her unexpected divorce from Matthew is the latest in a string of failed romances. While she hasn’t signed on the dotted line just yet, an insider says that Cheryl is seriously giving the idea a lot of thought, especially if it helps her find her soulmate.

Photo: Instagram

OLIVIA JADE GIANNULLI HOPES DANCING WITH THE STARS WILL MAKE PEOPLE LIKE HER AGAIN

Looks like Olivia Jade Giannulli plans to arrive at Dancing with the Stars rehearsals every day wearing a full coverage face-mask. Is that to get MORE attention or is she covering up a skin problem? Either way, it IS odd to see someone being rewarded for criminal activity. As you know, her parents, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli served time in prison for paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters into USC. Ironically, Olivia never WANTED to attend USC – she prefers her social media activities on Instagram and YouTube. So instead of USC, Olivia was invited to join the always popular Dancing with the Stars this season -she hopes to increase her online following and maybe even get some of her sponsors back.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

JULIANNE HOUGH REALLY LOVES THOSE FREEBIES

Dancing with the Stars pro Julianne Hough made the MOST of her time at the Day of Indulgence party on Sunday. Looks like she stocked up on just about everything that fit her and more… Will she make it to her car without help? That white bag on her back is full of Spanx which she might need when she appears on The Bachelorette. ABC wants Julianne, who happens to be divorced and between boyfriends, to appear on the show to boost ratings, which have sunk to an all-time low. Julianne is currently on a break from DWTS, and she’s definitely open to appearing on an upcoming season.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

BROOKE BURKE: YOUR SWEATER IS NOT A MASK

What the heck is going on at Nobu in Malibu? Brooke Burke walked out after dinner there, looking like THIS. A pulled up turtleneck is no substitute for a mask (according to Dr Fauci) – we wonder if she got away with this inside. At least her boyfriend, real estate developer Scott Rigsby, has a mask in his hand. Brooke, 49, divorced David Charvet in 2018 and has been with Scott through the pandemic. She has four kids with two ex-husbands so this girl has baggage, but luckily she’s super-cute. (Did you know Brooke started out as a Frederick’s of Hollywood catalog model?) Brooke won Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars and they liked her so much that she hung around as a host on the show for years. All she needs now is a real mask…

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

JENNA JOHNSON: DWTS IS A FAMILY AFFAIR

DWTS pro Jenna Johnson (she’s only 5’2”) gave her dance partner Nev Schulman a special treat – to celebrate being the first couple to get a perfect score of the season on Dancing with the Stars. She brought her adorable little dog to meet Nev and give him a sloppy kiss before practice today. So far Jenna is way ahead of her husband of one year, pro Val Chmerkovskiy and his partner Monica Aldama, in the competition.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

DID DANCING WITH THE STARS USE CAROLE BASKIN AS “BAIT” TO ATTRACT VIEWERS?

Certainly the most unexpected contestant – and object of curiosity- on Dancing with the Stars this year is Carole Baskin. You might remember Joe Exotic accused his rival Carole of murdering her wealthy ex-husband in the Tiger King documentary miniseries. The husband went missing in 1997 and was never found. Carole and her ex-husband ran the Big Cat sanctuary in Florida. She was definitely the most controversial dancer this season, and to tantalize viewers, she appeared last on the opening show. Too bad she got the lowest score. (Her awful costume and hair didn’t help!) During the show, her missing husband’s daughters aired a 50 second ad in Florida offering $100,000 for information about their father’s disappearance. Carole dismissed it as a “huge publicity stunt” but it makes you wonder – why would that family want “publicity?”

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

NELLY: NOT AS DANGEROUS AS HE LOOKS

Nelly has never been the gangster rapper that some people assumed he was. The fact that he’s appearing on Dancing with the Stars should validate that fact. We met Nelly over 16 years ago when he filmed part of a music video at our house. He was slim and cute and surprisingly well spoken- we got the feeling he wanted to be more of a bad boy than he really WAS. (In those days rappers were mostly from the east or west coast – not the midwest, like Nelly.) Fast forward to today – he’s a fierce looking muscleman and he has raised four kids of his own…and he DANCES.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA