The editors of TMZ allege that they've received a ransom note demanding that millions in Bitcoin be delivered to a specific account in exchange for Nancy's release.
As we previously reported, Nancy, 84, went missing from her home on Saturday night.
Savannah Guthrie attends the "Mostly What God Does" book presentation on February 21, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Her family placed a 911 call reporting her missing after she failed to show up for court the following morning.
They have ruled out the possibility that she may have wandered off on her own, explaining that she does not suffer from any cognitive issues, but does have mobility problems that would prevent her from traveling far on foot.
Police say they are "aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie."
Journalist Savannah Guthrie attends The Hollywood Reporter 35 Most Powerful People In Media 2017 at The Pool on April 13, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter)
The letter, they said, will go "directly to our detectives who are coordinating with the FBI." They have yet to confirm or deny the authenticity of the letter.
"We're downloading and analyzing cell phones, obtaining cell tower information, conducting interviews, and providing any and all investigative support that the sheriff's department needs," FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jon Edwards told NPR this week.
Needless to say, this story grows more mysterious and more troubling by the day.
On Monday, the Guthrie family requested that all Tucson residents and anyone with any information about Nancy's whereabouts cooperate with police to help bring her home.
Later that night, Savannah took to Instagram and asked her followers to pray for Nancy.
"We believe in prayer. We believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. We believe in goodness. We believe in humanity. Above all, we believe in Him," Savannah wrote on Instagram late Monday night.
Savannah Guthrie attends the "Mostly What God Does" book presentation on February 21, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
"Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment," she continued, adding:
"We need you.
"He will keep in perfect peace those whose hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.' a verse of Isaiah for all time for all of us. Bring her home," Guthrie concluded.
The post promptly received hundreds of thousands of likes, along with supportive comments from many of Savannah's celebrity friends.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
We have tragic news to report from the world of music today.
Famed jazz musician Ken Peplowski has passed away at the age of 66.
And while he had been battling an illness, Peplowski's died not at home or in a hospital — but out at sea.
Acclaimed jazz musician Ken Peplowski passed away on a cruise ship this week. (YouTube)
According to a report from TMZ, Peplowski had been performing on a jazz cruise at the time of his passing.
News of his passing comes courtesy of a statement from Peplowski's close friend, musician and music journalist Lee Mergner:
"On the final day of The Jazz Cruise, Ken Peplowski died suddenly," Mergner wrote today.
"Since 2021, the clarinetist/saxophonist/bandleader had been suffering from multiple myeloma. He battled the often fatal disease with a unique combination of courage, fortitude and humor," he continued, adding:
"After all, humor was just one of Ken's many remarkable gifts. He was without question the quickest and sharpest wit amongst all our artists. Ken always brought the joy to every gig or occasion.
"No one came away from a conversation with him without a laugh or smile. His humor was both incisive and self-deprecating. He would as easily make fun of you as he would himself. A truly rare combination."
Mergner wrote that Peplowski was one of the most gifted clarinetists on the planet — and added that his talents didn't stop there.
"Ken was also a remarkable tenor saxophonist, with a soft and fluid sound that was influenced by Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Ben Webster and many other tenor greats," he wrote, adding:
"'For me, I spend most of my time practicing on clarinet, because that's the more unforgiving instrument,'" Ken told me.
"'The technique transfers over to the saxophone. When I pick the saxophone up, it's all about reminding myself of what I want it to sound like. I'm not saying I achieved this, but my goal for sound on tenor would be people like Ben Webster and Zoot Sims.'"
Across social media, many agreed with Mergner's observation that Peplowski was one of the jazz world's greatest talents.
Our thoughts go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.
Kody Brown is basically a liar and a jerk and, most notably, a deadbeat dad who makes no real effort to reach out to his children.
This, according to one of those children themselves.
In an interview with the Growing Up in Polygamy YouTube channel, Mykelti Brown Padron — the daughter of Christine Brown Woolley and Kody Brown — didn't hold back very much when the conversation shifted to her dad and his relationship with most of his kids.
And also to her dad's wife.
(Image Credit: TLC)
"I would say there's probably 80-85 percent of my siblings who don't like Robyn," Mykelti said, clarifying that she wasn't referring here to Robyn's biological kids with Kody.
Over the last few months, meanwhile, the father of 18 has talked a bit more than usual about his broken relationships and has kinda, sorta, occasionally taken responsibility?
"Several of my siblings have blocked him," Mykelti said during this new interview. "I know which ones have, but I'm not going to say it, but I do know that there are several of my siblings who have told him point-blank, 'Do not ever contact me again.'"
She continued, clearly critical of her father:
"So obviously with those, he's still going to generalize us, and he's not going to name us by name. But he isn't actively reaching out [to them] and seeking that relationship."
(TLC)
On the November 6 episode of Fox's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, Brown actually broke down while admitting to his own shortcomings as a father to his sons and daughters.
"I should have had a stronger relationship with my children," Brown told a couple fellow contestants on this reality program.
"I'm at a place in my life now where I'm very willing to say that I've been wrong," he added, actually starting to cry on air.
"My failures were because I didn't know about being a good dad and husband, and I thought I did. I really thought I did, and I misunderstood that. I did it wrong in so many ways, and I hated being blamed for it, and so it made me resistant to ownership."
Sounds like a mature perspective.
But Mykelti added of her father's attempts to reconcile:
"I think he could try harder. He's not trying as hard as he could, and there's room for improvement."
(TLC)
Mykelti has never been shy about speaking her mind.
"She just was not a very good parent," Mykelti said simply at the time. "She wasn't a very good mom. She was not fun to be [around]."
Concluded the reality star back then of Meri
"I don't think she's a bad person. I just think she's made mistakes. She still deserves happiness at the end of it. I'm just never going to have a relationship with her."
In addition to threatening to have even more kids, Kail trashed Ike's baby mama.
Now, she's issuing a public apology. It turns out that her taste in men is tragically consistent.
On her Karma & Chaos podcast, Kailyn Lowry discussed her deadbeat dad in what are likely his final days. (Image Credit: Apple Podcasts)
Has Ike been 'robbed' of fatherhood?
On Monday, February 2, Kailyn took to her Instagram Stories to issue a bit of a retraction.
First, we should explain the claims that she made on her Patreon during an interview with Ike.
Kail, eager to defend her latest man, announced that Ike was being "robbed" of parenting his daughter with his baby mama, Jess.
Ike's daughter is 8 years old. Kailyn strongly implied that Jess is keeping him from their daughter. That is apparently not the case.
"I see what type of father he would be, and it makes me upset that his daughter is not getting [that]," Kail complained at the time. "That's what we are building for."
Her face shining with tears, Kailyn Lowry acknowledges that mental illness drives her cosmetic surgeries. (Image Credit: YouTube)
"Your daughter should be able to be raised with the chaos even if it's just a couple of weeks or the summertime. Because I see how much he tries," Kailyn insisted.
"He was robbed," she boldly claimed. "I don't care what her camp has to say. I know what I saw. I know what I've read. I know what conversations I've listened to and he was robbed as a father."
Given the quality of Kail's exes, it seems that her standards for men are so low that essentially anyone who deserves to live has the qualifications of a "great dad." That's not how she phrases it.
She phrases it: "It's hard for me to understand where she's coming from because there was no domestic abuse. Whatever the relationship looked like. I don't care. If there was no domestic abuse, why aren't you including him in [parenting]?"
These sound like they could have been great questions for Kailyn to ask Jess before mouthing off.
Kailyn Lowry has no regrets about her time on Teen Mom. (MTV)
Did he think that Kail would never hear from any of his exes?
Multiple women from Ike's past took to social media in the aftermath to clarify things.
As it turns out, Ike and Amanda reportedly dated for about a decade.
It was during this relationship that he cheated on Amanda with at least one person — Jess. That's how Jess became pregnant.
(Ike has admitted to being a cheater, but claims to be "in recovery," which is not a real thing for cheating. Betrayed partners "recover" from cheating, while cheaters choose to cheat)
Based upon the responses, as captured on Reddit, it sounds like Amanda and Jess have become friends. And it sounds like she's concealed Ike's cheating from those closest to her, only for it now to become a public conversation.
As screenshotted and shared on social media, Ike's ex, Amanda, took to Facebook to lament how Kailyn is publicly and inaccurately discussing her relationship history. (Image Credit: Facebook)
A close friend of Jess' also denounced Ike, The Ashley reports.
"He was not — in any way, shape or form — robbed of fatherhood!" she shared. "That allegation is crazy."
She argued: "He was given every opportunity to step up as a father, to the point where his baby's mother befriended his girlfriend [Amanda] at the time — they're still close to this day. She befriended his girlfriend at the time to give him the opportunity to be a father."
Her statement continued: "And he chose different. He never tried to initiate plans to come see [his daughter], never called her, never Facetimed. Birthdays went by, holidays went by, nothing. Crickets, up until now."
She accused: "Now, he's in this relationship with this 'Teen Mom' girl, and now he is interested in a relationship [with his daughter] and it's very convenient. … He has not been interested in a relationship with his daughter until now."
Kailyn Lowry is pictured here on an episode of Teen Mom 2, courtesy of an installment that aired in 2022. (Photo Credit: MTV)
From the bottom of Kail's heart: her bad
On her Instagram Story, Kailyn offered a grudging apology.
"I'm gonna apologize to Jess, because I don't need to speak on anything that Isaac goes through and I don't need to speak on what y'all have going on," she admitted.
Kail acknowledged: "I don't need to involve myself in any intricacies of y'alls dynamic." Smart!
"At the end of the day, I'm going to stay in my lane when it comes to [Ike's] parenting," she continued. "I know my kids, I know my situation."
Kailyn added: "I wouldn't want someone to speak on [my situation] that wasn't around. So, my lips are sealed and I don't need to speak on things that do not pertain to me."
She concluded, as always, on a defiant tone: "However, other people getting upset that are not related to Jess in any way, I don't give a f**k about your feelings."
William Stevenson, a Delaware man who was married to Jill Biden from 1970 to 1975, has been arrested.
According to police, he was indicted Monday in Wilmington, Delaware after his wife, Linda Stevenson, was found dead in the couple's living room on December 28.
First responders administered aid but were unable to revive the 64-year-old.
William, 77, was the one who called 911.
William Stevenson, the ex-husband of Jill Biden, has been arrested for murder. (New Castle County Police Department)
According to a report from TMZ, he was taken into custody on Monday and is currently being held on $500,000 bail.
He is facing a charge of first-degree murder, according to a grand jury indictment filed in Delaware.
New Castle County police did not provide any details on the nature of Linda's fatal injuries.
The grand jury reports that William was arrested after an "extensive weekslong investigation" into the death of his wife.
He is currently in custody at the Howard Young Correctional Institution
Stevenson is the owner of The Stone Balloon near the University of Delaware.
U.S. President Joe Biden embraces first lady Jill Biden following the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
According to The New York Post, he and Jill worked on Joe Biden's first campaign for Senate in 1972,
That same year, Biden's first wife, Neilia, and their infant daughter were killed in a car crash.
Stevenson alleges that Jill began having an affair with Joe before her first marriage had ended.
The Bidens have always maintained that they had their first date in 1975 after Jill's marriage to Stevenson had come to an end.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden ahead of him speaking at a campaign event at Pullman Yards on March 9, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)
They went on to welcome daughter Ashley Biden in 1981.
In addition to Naomi, Joe was already parent to Hunter and Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015.
Obviously, beyond whatever compassion she feels for the victim, Jill has no connection to William's crimes, as the two of them have been divorced for over 50 years.
But this is a time when everything is partisan, and every scandal is dissected in search of a conspiracy.
So you can expect that people who hated the Bidens before all of this happened will delight in sharing the grisly details as they emerge.
We will have further updates on this developing story as more reliable information becomes available.
She addressed multiple topics with host Rachel Martin, but ultimately had to address the elephant in the room.
Martin even phrased it that way when she brought up French Gates' ex-husband, Bill Gates, and the latest release of Epstein documents.
The documents contain allegations that her ex engaged in multiple extramarital affairs and contracted an STI — and sought medication, and made plans to secretly administer the treatment without French Gates' knowledge.
Obviously, the documents also contain many horrific accounts of crimes committed by rich and powerful men against women and girls. But these communications featuring her ex of 27 years are obviously very personal.
French Gates acknowledged that the reporting reminded her of low moments from her erstwhile marriage.
She admitted that she feels "so happy to be away from all the muck that was there."
She expressed: "It's personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage."
French Gates affirmed: "I have moved on from that. I purposely pushed it away and I moved on."
However, she remains very much aware that, her ex-husband's alleged affairs with Russian women aside, she is not the center of this story.
Bill Gates speaks onstage at the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum 2025 at The Plaza Hotel on September 24, 2025. (Photo Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Bloomberg Philanthropies)
'I hope there's some justice'
"I'm able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say, 'My God, how did that happen to those girls?'" French Gates remarked, centering the conversation upon the primary victims.
She reflected upon how she can so easily remember being the ages of these girls.
"I had to leave my marriage. I wanted to leave my marriage," she acknowledged. "At least for me, I've been able to move on in life."
French Gates then affirmed: "And I hope there's some justice for those now-women."
That would be nice. They certainly deserve justice.
However, history tends to indicate that evil, powerful men can do almost anything and get away with it.
And Donald Trump's 2024 campaign seems to have primarily been motivated by his desire to avoid prison.
When it comes to the allegations from these countless women, French Gates expressed feelings of "unbelievable sadness."
She added: "Whatever questions remain there… are for those people and for my ex-husband, they need to answer to those things, not me."
That is certainly true. Women are not responsible for the alleged crimes of their husbands, let alone their ex-husbands.
Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates introduce the Goalkeepers event at the Lincoln Center on September 26, 2018. (Photo Credit: LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Epstein is, famously, not around to offer clarity on the powerful men implicated in his crimes
For what it's worth, a spokesperson for Bill Gates has claimed that the allegations against the man are "completely false."
Rather, the spokesperson called the mentions of Gates within the documents proof that Jeffrey Epstein was plotting "to entrap and defame" wealthy, famous acquaintances.
It is of course possible that one of the world's most infamous dead pedophiles, who was apparently plotting the downfall of civilization much as it seems to be playing out, was also a liar.
We do not know if he was lying or telling the truth or somewhere in between in these documents.
However, we can all understand how French Gates must be feeling in this moment. We can also hope for justice for all of the Epstein victims, alive or dead.
Erika Kirk accepts the inaugural Charlie Kirk Legacy Award onstage during the 2025 Fox Nation Patriot Awards at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts on November 06, 2025 in Greenvale, New York. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
We learned today that Erika has made a new request of the judge who will preside over the trial of Tyler Robinosn, the man accused of murdering Charlie.
In court papers obtained by TMZ, Erika and her lawyers insisted that "any request to close court proceedings from the public eye should be denied."
It seems that Erika wants the trial to play out as publicly as possible, which makes sense.
After all, her husband was a public figure, and video of his death had circulated all over the world and been viewed tens of millions of times within hours of the murder.
Erika Kirk, the wife of the late conservative activist and media personality Charlie Kirk, attends the swearing-in ceremony of U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in the Oval Office of the White House on November 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The judge might draw the line at cameras in the courtroom, but he'll likely agree that the unusual circumstances necessitate transparency during the trial.
This is not the first time that Erika and her legal team have filed documents pertaining to Robinson's trial.
She previously criticized the long delays in Robinson's court proceedings and noted that as a victim in this case, she too has a constitutionally protected right to a speedy trial.
It's unclear how the judge responded to that complaint.
Elsewhere this week, Erika paid loving tribute to her late husband in a moving social media post.
"I relive you in a thousand quiet ways. Especially in these DC memories from a year ago…it's weird even typing out that this was a year ago. I replay it all," Erika captioned a collage of photos and videos from January of 2025, when she and Charlie attended the inauguration of Donald Trump.
"The way you love our babies, how we soaked in every moment for the season you worked so hard for, and the quiet moments of just the way we looked at each other when words weren't needed because the depth of love was so felt," she continued, adding:
"It just loops like a sacred film. And I find myself reliving the past, not to stay there, but to rewitness God's humbling grace…a living testimony that the Lord was faithful then, and He is faithful still."
Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, speaks during a Turning Point USA event where U.S. Vice President JD Vance is expected, at the Pavilion at Ole Miss at the University of Mississippi, on October 29, 2025 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)
Not surprisingly, the post was promptly flooded with supportive comments, some of them from Erika's celebrity friends.
"I love you so so much! Charlie is so proud of you," wrote Savannah Chrisley, whose parents were recently pardoned by Trump.
"He was truly the best of us," another user wrote.
Just a few months ahead of the trial, a friendly voice message from Baldoni has come out. He praised Lively as "beautiful."
Blake Lively attends the "Another Simple Favour" photocall at the Corinthia Hotel on April 15, 2025. (Photo Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
'Thank you for sending those pictures'
TMZ has obtained a voice memo from before It Ends With Us began filming.
"Hey Blake," Baldoni says in the audio recording.
"I hope the fitting was, uh, super successful," he expresses.
"Thank you for sending those pictures," Baldoni tells her.
"I was in the department head meeting and they came through," Baldoni details. "And I was, like, waiting for them to load."
He raved: "And I legit got the chills when I saw it."
Baldoni tells Lively: "You look beautiful."
He concludes by assessing: "It's gonna work so well."
That is a very friendly and, in the context of responding to a wardrobe fitting, very professional work interaction. Sadly, the good times did not last.
Actor/filmmaker and VOS Honoree, Justin Baldoni speaks onstage at the Vital Voices 12th Annual Voices of Solidarity Awards at IAC Building on December 09, 2024. (Photo Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Vital Voices Global Partnership)
That's so different from later communications
Per TMZ's reporting, this memo came so far before filming that they had yet to even cast the actress who would portray the younger version of Lively's character.
(Though that discussion is not public, it was apparently under discussion at the same time)
That is pretty normal. Wardrobe fittings can somehow help to define large portions of the aesthetic of a film.
In many cases, a boss telling someone at work that they are "beautiful" would cross a line.
But this, at least, is pretty normal for the entertainment industry (where evaluating someone's look in a specific outfit is part of the job!) and sounds professional.
Actress Blake Lively attends the LACMA Art+Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in Los Angeles, California, on November 2, 2024. (Photo Credit: ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images)
At this point during the movie-making process, it seems that Lively and Baldoni were still friendly.
They were, at the time, still figuring out the filming schedule.
Obviously, things went downhill pretty dramatically after this.
Lively accuses Baldoni of, among other things, sexual harassment. And she is not the only actress to have filed a complaint.
Actor Justin Baldoni attends the New York premiere of "It Ends With Us" at at AMC Lincoln Square in New York, August 6, 2024. (Photo Credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
Their legal war plays out in full force in May
Fast-forward to late 2023, and now-released text messages tell a very different story.
Several disturbing conversations and alleged sexual harassment incidents later, and Lively was clearly counting down the days until the film hit theaters and she could detach herself from Baldoni.
That was before the smear campaign against her overshadowed the actual film.
Lively and Baldoni's film came out in the summer of 2024. It's now 2026, and they're set to go to trial in May.
We're sure that even more past communications and witness statements will come out at that time.
Chappell Roan wore a VERY revealing outfit on the red carpet of the Grammy Awards this past Sunday night.
And now the singer has revealed her true feelings on it.
As you may have heard — or, to be more accurate, as you may have seen — Roan donned a sheer red Mugler dress this weekend … the bodice fabric of which was connected to a pair of nipple rings affixed to her breasts.
Otherwise? She was basically naked from the waist up. Scroll down to see what we mean…
(GETTY IMAGES)
The outfit turned heads and caused quite a ripple across social media.
But Roan doesn't really comprehend why.
"Giggling because I don't even think this is THAT outrageous of an outfit," the artist wrote on Instagram on February 2. "The look's actually so awesome and weird. I recommend just exercising your free will it's really fun and silly."
Chappell, who was up for Record of the Year and Pop Solo Performance at the event, concluded:
"Thank you for having me @grammys and those who voted for me!!"
Chappell Roan attends the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 01, 2026. (Photo Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
For those wondering, the controversial star was actually wearing prosthetic nipples, so the look wasn't quite as nude as it initially seemed. But still. Just look at that photo immediately above.
Once inside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Roan changed into a second look by Rodarte that was a tad bit more tame as she presented this year's trophy for Best New Artist.
This would seem to imply that she was at least somewhat aware of how her original piece of attire had come across.
Roan won her first Grammy last year, taking home the Best New Artist award after dominating the airwaves with her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
This year, she was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "The Subway," losting to Kendrick Lamar and SZA for "Luther" and Lola Young for "Messy," respectively.
Chappell Roan speaks onstage during the 68th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 1, 2026. (Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
After the event wrapped up, though, most observers were more focused on Roan's fashion choice than her music.
Responding to Billboard's video of Roan on the red carpet, one post read, for example: "I love her but this is too much. Is she gonna get banned?"
Another individual wrote: "I don't know what people have against wearing clothes."
Known for her individual style and smash hits including Pink Pony Club, Hot to Go and Good Luck, Babe!, Chappell is really the alter-ego of the more reticent Kayleigh Amstutz.
We have sad news to report from the world of music today.
Chuck Negron — best known as the frontman for the legendary rock band Three Dog Night — has passed away.
He was 83 years old.
Three Dog Night singer Chuck Negron has died at the age of 83. (YouTube)
News of Negron's passing comes courtesy of a statement from his publicist, who says that the singer died peacefully at his home in Studio City, California on Monday, "surrounded by his loving family."
"Negron was a testament to never giving up – persevering through everything life throws at you, everything you may throw at yourself, and striving on," the press release read (via People).
The statement noted that Negron had been diagnosed with heart failure in the final months of his life.
The condition exacerbated his existing health issues, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Born in Manhattan in 1942, Negron was a successful high school athlete who began to shift his focus toward music in his later teen years.
After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles, where a chance meeting with Danny Hutton and Cory Wells led to the formation of the rock group Three Dog Night in 1967.
The band became one of the most successful acts of its era, scoring a nearly decade-long string of hits that included "Joy to the World," "One," "Easy to Be Hard," "Just an Old-Fashioned Love Song," and "The Show Must Go On."
Sadly, in the midst of this success, Negron's life offstage was marked by profound challenges.
He battled addiction and was arrested for possession of cocaine in Kentucky in 1975. Three Dog Night disbanded the following year.
After leaving or being expelled from more than 30 treatment programs, Negron finally got sober for good in 1991.
He returned to music with a string of modestly successful solo albums, and he shared his story in the candid memoir Three Dog Nightmare.
Negron is survived by his four children and his wife and former manager, Ami Albea.
Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.
Gabrielle Union has spoken about her divorce and marriages, and the lessons that she has learned along the way.
In addition to her prolific career as an actor, Gabrielle Union's activism has endeared her to millions of fans.
Not all of those fans remember, however, that she is a divorced woman.
Fortunately, the beloved actor has spoken very directly about the valuable experiences that her relationships — and mistakes — have yielded.
Gabrielle Union attends the Prime Video's "The Idea Of You" New York premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 29, 2024. (Photo Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Gabrielle Union's First Marriage To Chris Howard
After meeting at a party in 1999, Gabrielle Union and NFL player Chris Howard swiftly moved towards marriage.
On May 5 of 2001, they tied the knot. It was rushed, as Union would later acknowledge.
In October of 2005, the couple separated.
The Chris Howard and Gabrielle Union divorce was finalized in 2006.
Gabrielle Union and her husband Chris Howard arrives at the premiere of "Deliver Us From Eva" at the Cinerama Dome and after-party at the Sunset Room on January 29, 2003. (Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
The Chris Howard and Gabrielle Union divorce was inevitable
During a 2023 Armchair Expert podcast interview, Gabrielle Union spoke about infidelity during her marriage to Chris Howard.
"In our first marriage, neither one of us felt like the marriage should get in the way of our dating," she admitted. "A part of it was keeping up with his activities and I was like, 'Oh, that's what you're doing? Oh, you're gonna feel this one.'"
Gabrielle Union went on to explain:
"I just felt entitled to it, as well. I was paying all the bills, I was working my a– off and I felt like that's what comes, the spoils of riches."
It took her time to realize that she and Howard didn't have much in common — except infidelity. They had both simply been in a rush to marry.
Gabrielle Union and her husband Chris Howard attend the after-party for "Bad Boys 2" July 9, 2003. (Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
In 2007, Gabrielle Union met Dwyane Wade
On February 4, 2007, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade met at a Super Bowl party.
They didn't really rub elbows. In fact, she was fairly dismissive of him — in part because of his youth. She also didn't feel that they were compatible.
According to Union, she was enjoying the party while Wade was having a more serious, sober talk with friends.
Even so, they eventually hit it off.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade attend The 2024 Met Gala Celebrating "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2024. (Photo Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union began dating in 2009 (in secret)
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade went public with their relationship on July 17, 2010.
Once they had posed for photos at a benefit dinner, they went to further public events — showing some PDA on dates.
Clearly, things were going well for them.
After months together, they'd decided to reveal their romance.
However, a few years later, things hit a rough patch.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade attend the NAACP Image Awards Dinner at Hollywood Palladium on March 14, 2024. (Photo Credit: Leon Bennett/Getty Images For NAACP)
In January of 2013, they (temporarily) split
Gabrielle Union explained her brief split with Dwyane Wade because of their busy schedules.
This is a common (and often real) explanation for breakups, especially in the entertainment industry — where people are spending months filming our touring away from home.
The two reconciled within just a few months.
However, in November came a baby bombshell: during their hiatus, Wade had impregnated Aja Metoyerin (star of Basketball Wives).
That news, despite the complex feelings of it, did not drive them apart again.
Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade attend "A Celebration of Olympic Basketball" presented by NBC Universal and NBA at Team USA House, Palais Brongniart on August 05, 2024. (Photo Credit: Julien M. Hekimian/Getty Images for NBC Universal)
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union became engaged
On December 21 of 2013, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union took to Instagram to share the good news: "She said YES!!!"
As they would later share, Wade involved his children in the proposal, having them hold up signs that read "Will you marry us?" Wade's children had been pushing for the two to marry for two years.
However, she turned to see Wade on one knee, presenting the ring (which you can see below).
As soon as she realized that this was not a prank by the children but a real proposal, she knew her answer: yes.
Gabrielle Union married Dwyane Wade on August 30, 2013
The couple held an intimate wedding in Miami, with close friends and family in attendance.
Gabrielle Union also became a stepmom to Dwyane Wade's children.
On November 7, 2018, they welcomed their daughter, Kaavia James, via surrogate, adding to their precious family.
As a couple, Union and Wade have also won over countless fans through their devotion to their role as parents. Not all celebrity parents are on their level.
Zaya Wade and Gabrielle Union attend the GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton on March 30, 2023. (Photo Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for GLAAD)
Both are firm supporters of Zaya Wade
In February of 2020, Zaya Wade came out as transgender.
Both Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union have been firmly in her corner, giving her the sort of support that all children deserve — but not all receive.
Union and Wade have spoken in their own interviews and social media posts to affirm their love and support for Zaya, introducing her to fans. The family has also delved into advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.
"Meet Zaya. She's compassionate, loving, whip-smart and we are so proud of her. It's OK to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people."
Zaya Wade and Gabrielle Union attend When We Gather: A Night of Stand-Up Comedy Curated by Dwyane Wade during Netflix is a Joke Fest at The Miracle Theater on May 09, 2024. (Photo Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Netflix)
What allows them to avoid a second Gabrielle Union divorce?
Both Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union have reflected upon how they stay together despite obvious pain in their past.
For Wade, it's about listening to his wife and supporting her as she pursues what she wants.
And for Union, it's about not repeating the mistakes from their respective first marriages — and collaborating with each other. They "meet in the middle," as she puts it.
To be clear, Britney is disputing the claim that she owes this amount.
She is seeking a redetermination of the notice.
This sort of thing happens all of the time — just not normally on this scale, and not normally to someone so famous.
Presumably, Britney has a team of attorneys and accountants who can prove her case — or at least argue it.
It is possible that the transition period in which she regained personal and financial control was a factor if an error did occur. Perhaps the details will become apparent in court.
It sure sounds like her family's trying to twist this to turn public opinion against her
To no one's surprise, RadarOnlinereports that Britney's family is hoping to use this to stoke fears about the singer's mental stability — and to threaten her legal autonomy.
"People around Britney are seriously alarmed because this isn't just about one tax bill or a bad month," an alleged insider claimed.
"The money has been flying out the door for a long time," the source claimed, "and it's finally catching up with her."
According to the insider: "But when anyone tries to talk sense to her about her spending, she brushes them off."
The source claimed that Britney "acts like they're crazy to worry that she'll ever run out of cash."
"She insists on living like she's still on top of the world," the insider then griped.
The source complained that Britney's generosity includes "footing the bill for all her so-called friends who never seem to leave."
Without presenting evidence, the insider claimed: "She's pulled millions from pension and savings accounts, borrowed against the house, and piled up debts that still haven't been settled."
The source then claimed: "Unless something changes fast, she really could burn through everything she has left and lose her house."
Short of multibillionaires (whose fortunes often replenish faster than they can spend money, because our financial system is a broken nightmare), it is true that anyone could theoretically spend tens of millions of dollars and accidentally become penniless.
In 2004, Britney Spears appeared on the very first season of 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show.' (Image Credit: NBC)
So yes, in theory, she COULD one day go broke
But let's be so real for a moment, because several things are true.
First, we don't actually know what Britney's spending or financials are like. She likes high-end vacations but that tells us very little, especially with money from her book and biopic flowing in.
Second, Britney's finances aren't on par with other pop superstars. She spent the majority of her adult life under a conservatorship that controlled her personal and financial decisions. So it's not like her 8-figure fortune isn't 9-figures because she messed up, or something.
And third, the most important of all, is that her money isn't really our business? Like, sure, she's a public figure, but our understandable curiosity doesn't really mean anything. She's allowed to spend as much or as little as she likes.
Ultimately, every report about Britney's alleged "unstable" behavior (which is often deliberately misleading, as we have reported) feels like an attempt by her more unscrupulous relatives to regain control of her finances and her life.
