Look, if you’re going to do a news story about a bear, don’t be surprised when the bear shows up in your shot.
Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News
Hakeem Jeffries is threatening Brendan Carr with an investigation after his threat to suspend television licenses if they don’t report on the war in Iran favorably. I miss the days when I didn’t know the name of the head of the FCC, you guys.
Jimmy Kimmel has some thoughts on Carr’s recent threats.
So we know more about the incident that has paused filming on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and it’s not good … especially for ABC and The Bachelorette. According to People Magazine, a spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department has confirmed that there is an open “domestic assault investigation” involving Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex-boyfriend and baby daddy, Dakota Mortensen. The spokesperson confirms that allegations were made against both parties and took place on February 24th and 25th, shortly after she had finished filming The Bachelorette.
According to TMZ, Paul allegedly choked Mortensen and grabbed his face and throat while their son, Ever, was in the room. The police were called that night, but Mortensen recanted his claims. Paul was with him the next night, and allegedly, things became physical again, and police were called. Taylor Frankie Paul disputes these claims and says that Mortensen was physical with her in a recent car ride. However, sources from the crew of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives dispute this, and say Paul was abusive towards both Mortensen and their son Ever.
Adding to all of this messiness, it was revealed in the last season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives that Paul slept with Mortensen the night before she began filming on The Bachelorette, causing some of her fellow castmates to worry that she was not emotionally ready to participate on the reality dating show. Additionally, her being cast as the Bachelorette has been questioned for some time, as this is not the first time she has faced domestic violence allegations: season one of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives opened with Paul being arrested after she choked, hit, and threw a chair at Mortensen, which hit her daughter. She pled guilty to one count of aggravated assault, and the charges of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse, and criminal mischief were dismissed. ABC defended casting her as the Bachelorette by saying she had received therapy. Clearly, it didn’t take.
Meanwhile, ABC has a publicity nightmare on its hands, as Paul’s season of The Bachelorette is set to debut on Sunday. ABC claims to have been blindsided by these allegations, which, according to the timeline, took place three weeks ago. And, in fact, Taylor Frankie Paul was part of Sunday’s Oscars Red Carpet coverage, as though nothing had happened. As of today, the plan is to debut The Bachelorette as scheduled, though fans of the show are demanding that it be canceled. Stay tuned.
View on Threads
Sarah Michelle Gellar has more to say about the killing of the Buffy revival:
“No one saw this coming, including the head of Searchlight [Pictures],” she says, noting her new film Ready or Not 2 is a Searchlight production, under the same corporate umbrella as the intended Buffy reboot on the television side.
“And I got the call as we were stepping onto [the] stage for the premiere of their own movie. And it’s also the weekend of Chloé going to the Oscars as a best director nominee for Hamnet. For them to call us on the Friday of what should have been Chloé’s victory lap for an incredible film, and my world premiere of something that I worked very hard for is…,” she pauses. “That says something.”
Gellar says it was one person who killed the project. “We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him.”
“That’s very hard when you’re taking a property that is as beloved as Buffy, not just to the world, but to me and Chloé. So that tells you the uphill battle that we had been fighting since day one, when your executive is literally proud to tell you that he didn’t watch it,” says Gellar.
According to Deadline, that executive was Craig Erwich, head of Hulu Originals, ABC Entertainment, and 20th Television, and apparently not a fan of strong female monster killers.
Sarah Michelle Gellar was on The View this morning, and I hoped they would discuss the Buffy situation, but the topic was carefully avoided, probably because The View is a Disney/ABC series and there was no way the Mouse was going to let them talk about it there.
To his credit, Lindelof apologized and took responsibility for the glib comment:
The rumor is Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney do not care for one another, and with the return of Euphoria around the corner, what better way to make sure all the press is paying attention to her and not her co-star than by putting those wedding rumors out there? (Also, she’s promoting a movie, blah blah blah.)
Is this the death knell for daytime talk shows? Well, it’s certainly not positive news …
Meanwhile, we’re still out here spreading rumors about who is going to take over The Kelly Clarkson Show, I guess on the assumption that The Kelly Clarkson Show will continue to exist despite the fact that it won’t?
Yeah, I don’t think Regé-Jean Page is coming back to Bridgerton, guys.
The Oscars hosting gig is Conan’s for as long as he wants it. Also: Leonardo DiCaprio really hadn’t signed up for that meme joke; the producers are sorry that they didn’t have time to include Eric Dane and James Van Der Beek in the In Memoriam; they’re going to rethink the speeches after the mess-up with the KPop Demon Hunters acceptance speech, and more Oscars post-mortems.
President Tissue Skin and Kid Rock got their fee-fees hurt by the meanies at the Oscars.
Look, I recognize that by including this, that I am feeding the same beast that I am attempting to criticize, but how is a football player’s mother getting new windows worthy of TMZ coverage?
#MeToo
Valerie Bertinelli’s new book reveals that she was sexually abused when she was 11 years old.
The chapter of the book that details the abuse opens with a photo of Bertinelli when she was 11. She told People she wanted to include that “because that was the little girl that was sexually abused. And it boggles my mind that this little girl was taken advantage of that way. It boggles my mind because it’s still happening… and I’m furious about it.”
Bertinelli explained that she’d been grappling with her trauma for a decade, keeping most of story to herself and a select few others before seeing “these incredibly brave survivors speaking out about unspeakable things.”
“We have idiots in Congress,” she said. “I want to use a stronger word… that are protecting them, and that are still having their job by protecting them.” She then paused with visible frustration before adding, “I’m so angry, and I’m so disappointed in our world as a whole, and how we treat survivors and how we just play it off as if it’s nothing. It changes your entire…” at that point, though, she was bleeped out for using a swear word and apologized, saying, “I’m so furious that we aren’t doing something. Sorry, I have a little passion about it.”
The victim, whose name was redacted from the recent files, reportedly spoke with the FBI between July and October 2019. In the files, the woman claimed that “Epstein took her off of the island when she was between 13 to 15 years old. He drove her and/or flew her to either New York or New Jersey. She was introduced to someone with money, money… It was Donald Trump.”
The unproven allegations also contain details of the woman’s supposed interaction with Trump. She stated that he once asked everyone to leave the room and put her “head down to his p***s.” However, the woman claimed she “bit the s**t out of it.” Following this incident, Trump allegedly hit her and said, “Get this little b***h the hell out of here.”
The Department of Justice also released more pictures of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor with victims. His daughter Princess Eugenie has since stepped down from Anti-Slavery International, a UK charity focused on combating human trafficking.
David Blaine is leaving his Las Vegas show after being exposed as being in the Epstein Files.
Renowned paleontologist Jack Horner has parted ways from Chapman University after being discovered in the Epstein Files, but our President, who is mentioned in the Files more than one million times, keeps on keeping on.
Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales has ended his re-election campaign after it was revealed he had an affair with a married staffer who later committed suicide.
David Del Rio hasn’t given up his fight against CBS for firing him from Matlock after he was accused of assaulting his fellow cast member, Leah Lewis.
Timothy Busfield is denying new allegations of assault from a former co-star, Claudia Christian.
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles star Tracy Tutor has accused former real estate agent Oren Alexander of drugging and assaulting her in 2014. Alexander and his brothers, Alon and Tal, are currently on trial for sex trafficking and have been mentioned in the Epstein Files.
The G.I. Joe movie written by Max Landis is no longer moving forward at Paramount, and it has nothing to do with the backlash they received when everyone heard they were rehabilitating a sex pest. On the one hand, I don’t entirely believe that, but on the other hand, if the reason they dropped this script was entirely because of merchandising and not because they realized they shouldn’t be doing business with an unrepentant monster, as they claim, that’s pretty gross, too.
This Rebel Wilson mess is a MESS. Wilson is the director of a small film, The Deb, that premiered two years ago at the Toronto International Film Festival. However, Wilson and the producer of the film, Amanda Ghost, had some sort of falling out, and the two have been fighting publicly for over a year now. Recently, The Hollywood Reporter got their hands on a recording of Wilson’s crisis PR team, Jed Wallace and Melissa Nathan, plotting to smear Ghost online as a “’madame’ whose work involves procuring young women for wealthy and powerful men.” At one point, Wallace mentions Wilson’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, as being involved. They also discuss a document supposedly written by Wilson’s team detailing false allegations about Ghost that they wanted spread across the internet. Wilson and her team deny any involvement.
Here’s what’s interesting: this crisis PR team is the same one that worked for Johnny Depp and Justin Baldoni — and you might recognize Freedman’s name as being Baldoni’s lawyer in the It Ends With Us disaster. So do tell me again how Amber Heard and Blake Lively were somehow the aggressors and weren’t the subject of vicious smear campaigns.
Domestic abuse charges against NFL player Christian Bamore have been dropped.
Christina Applegate says that Adam McKay and Will Ferrell took pay cuts on Anchorman to boost her salary, and that’s what allyship looks like. But she should have been offered a proper salary in the first place, full stop.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.
Renewals
- Paradise has been renewed for a third season on Hulu.
In Development
- One More Christmas, starring Candace Cameron Bure and Jonathan Scarfe, is in the works at Great American Family.
- I Am Helen, starring Nicola Coughlan, is in the works at Channel 4.
Casting News
- Jason Ritter and Patrick Wilson have joined The Last of Us on HBO.
- Jane Levy has joined the cast of the untitled private detective comedy pilot at NBC.
- Haley Baylee will host Win the Mall on Netflix.
- Tina Casciani is returning to The Young and the Restless on CBS.
- Benjamin Bratt has joined the cast of Ally Clark at Amazon MGM.
- Eli Brown, Odeya Rush, and Luke Eisner have been added to the cast of Goodbye Girl at Amazon MGM.
- Tina Fey is hosting the first episode of Saturday Night Live U.K. on Peacock with musical guest Wet Leg; Jamie Dornan with Wolf Alice on March 28; Riz Ahmed with musical guest Kasabian on April 4.
Mark Your Calendars
- Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War will premiere on Prime Video on May 20.
- Love on the Spectrum returns on Netflix on April 1.
- Outcome will debut on Apple TV on April 10.
- Primate will premiere on Paramount+ on March 25.
- Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord debuts on Disney+ on April 6.
- The Neighborhood: A Farewell Special will air on CBS on April 6.
- The Crash will premiere on Netflix on May 15.
- The Housemaid will premiere on Starz on April 1.
- CNBC Cures: Defying Rare Disease will debut on CNBC on March 19.
R.I.P.
Kiki Shepard, Co-host of Showtime at the Apollo, and actress who appeared in Baywatch, Baywatch Nights, NYPD Blue, A Different World, Thunder in Paradise, Grey’s Anatomy, Everybody Hates Chris, Mind Your Business, and more
WATCH THIS
High Potential: An astronaut is murdered in plain sight. 8 p.m., ABC
Memento: If you haven’t seen Christopher Nolan’s twisty masterpiece, do yourself a favor and check out the movie that laid the foundation for Inception, Interstellar, and Tenet. 8 p.m., Cinemax
No Country for Old Men: There’s a strong argument that this is the Coen Brothers’ finest movie. (If Raising Arizona didn’t exist.) 6:45 p.m., The Movie Channel Xtra
Late Night:
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Linda Cardellini, Derrick White, Katie Boyle
- Late Night with Seth Meyers: Tessa Thompson, Mark Normand
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Elijah Wood, David Alan Grier, Lea Michele, the Broadway cast and orchestra of “Chess”
- Jimmy Kimmel Live: Chelsea Handler, Chris Robinson
- The Daily Show: George Saunders, host Jordan Klepper
- Watch What Happens Live: Mark Consuelos, Jesse Solomon
| TUES. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Will Trent (new) |
High Potential (new) |
R.J. Decker (new) |
| CBS | NCIS (new) |
NCIS: Origins (new) |
NCIS: Sydney (new) |
| CW | WWE NXT (new) |
Local |
| FOX | 2026 World Baseball Classic (live) |
| NBC | NBA Basketball (live) |