Photo credit: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce/Instagram
It’s been almost a year since Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift went public and accordingly, there’s romantic speculation and rumors of an engagement flying. So, what could be more of a fairy tale happy ever after than a superstar pop icon and an NFL hero finally deciding to tie the knot? How about a secret engagement?
How Will Travis And Taylor Celebrate Their One-Year Anniversary?
It was 2003 when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced they were an item to the watching world. Thanks to the media’s unwavering commitment, we’ve been glued to seats ever since. But, sources close to the couple can’t seem to hold their excitement, either, even though they say the engagement will happen soon.
Since the Swifties and the Chiefs Kingdom are getting ready to celebrate their idols’ one-year anniversary anyway, it would be an auspicious time to make the announcement. However, it’s also a great time to kick off another Kelce/Swift rumor, which according to Kelce’s rep, is all this is. Bear in mind, some fans have taken speculation one step further, by declaring the couple must already be secretly engaged.
It’s all unverified, so probably not true but then, there’s what some chief exec’s wife overheard, saying…
Travis Kelce Was Engagement Ring Shopping
This particular kitty was let out of the bag in a suite at the Morgan Wallen concert in Kansas City on Thursday. Usually, the source of gossip isn’t so specific and so, the mystery deepens. But there is more evidence.
In December 2023, according to Page Six, Kelce was out and about engagement ring hunting. It had to be perfect. Sources around at the time also claimed Kelce had visited Scott Swift, Taylor’s father, to formally ask for her hand, which was given, wholeheartedly.
Travis Kelce And Taylor Swift’s Undeniable Love
Swift is still out on her Eras tour, despite unexpected cancellations and a short break in August. Kelce has supported her through multiple performances, even joining the cast for a brief cameo for the London show in June. There’s little doubt the pair wanted to be with one another.
A close source told People magazine that they were very serious. They have fun. Friends can see they are very alike and good together even if, at first, everyone was wondering what they had in common.
Kelce’s left no-one in any doubt about how deeply he feels for Taylor. Both say they’ve never felt anything like this before, but it’s clear Kelce is bursting with love for his Taylor. On a Bussin’ with the Boys podcast in June 2024, he candidly described how he fell in love with her. What caught him was how genuine Taylor was with her family and friends. His love and admiration were obvious as he talked about how he valued her support. He called her his lady, now that’s romantic.
Fans are waiting for the news. And although the pair are very busy, an engagement announcement on a first anniversary, when you’re on a vacation, is just perfect timing. However, the secret engagement idea carries some weight, and eight months is a very long time for any eager young man to walk around with the perfect engagement ring in his pocket.
Photo credits: Nini.truly.nyelle44/TikTok and Nelly/Instagram
Being the mother of a successful rapper comes with some pretty big perks.
According to Hot New Hip Hop, Nelly reportedly has a net worth of $70 million dollars in 2024.
Which means his mom Rhonda Mack can safely say that she’s financially comfortable these days.
But it hasn’t always been like that for her.
Nelly Speaks Out About Challenging Times As A Child
Nelly recently opened up about how challenging things were for his mom before he made it big.
She went through some unbelievably difficult moments. Both in her personal life and her professional life.
In the season 7 premiere of The Shop, Nelly spoke up about how he got to be so good with money.
And he credited his mother, saying that it was her hard labor that inspired him to hustle and learn how to make, save and invest money.
He revealed that his mom was a single parent, who had to work incredibly hard to pay the bills and put food on the table.
She reportedly worked in the fast food industry for 35 to 40 years, and Nelly pointed out that anyone who’d worked in a fast food franchise would know how hard that was.
He said that it was constant, and that it could be very taxing.
In an interview he had with Access Hollywood, Nelly explained that she’d sometimes need to work two jobs at once even.
Nelly Attributes His Mom, Rhonda, For Work Ethic And Financial Literacy
Nelly remembered a time when he wanted to go to his high school’s homecoming but Rhonda only had $50 dollars to give him for it.
But she offered to get him a job working at a food truck so that he could make some extra cash for himself. He was just fourteen at the time.
He told the co-hosts of The Shop that he ended up making $140 dollars by the time Homecoming came around, which was a lot of money to him back then.
Nelly later ended up with a job working the grill at a McDonald’s in St. Louis, Missouri and was there all throughout his high school years.
Although he wasn’t destined to stay in the food industry, he confessed that it was his mom that give a strong work ethic.
Afrotech reported that in 1993, he formed the rap group St. Lunatics with 5 other members and they started to have success.
Just over six years later Nelly became a household name when he released his hit album, Country Grammar, which ended up getting to number 1 on the Billboard 200.
How Nelly Showed His Mom Gratitude
And he decided to show his mom his gratitude for her having worked so hard to raise him by doing a grand gesture.
In his Access Hollywood interview, the rapper talked about how he decided to surprise his mom at her place of work one day.
Rhonda was working a shift at Rally’s when her son pulled up to the drive-thru window, rolled down the window and told her that she should quit and come with him.
He said: “the best memory that I had was being able to pull up to her job and tell her she doesn’t have to work there anymore.”
He shared that it felt very rewarding to be able to do that for her after everything she’d done for him over the years.
Nelly’s Mom, Rhonda Mack, Speaks Out
A couple years after her son had risen to stardom, Rhonda sat down with the Baltimore Sun to talk about how much her life had changed since Country Grammar came out.
One of the tracks off the album, Luven Me, had a verse that was about her.
The proud mother said that one of her favorite lines from it was: ‘You don’t have to work no more.’
She confessed that the song had made her cry when she first heard it.
Looking back at her life before Nelly became famous, Rhonda told the outlet that she had to do what she had to do to support him.
Throughout Nelly’s entire life, she said that she worked two jobs to support him, sometimes three.
She admitted that she couldn’t call him Nelly, she’d gotten used to calling him ‘Man’, because he was the man of the house.
Rhonda Had Different Dreams For Nelly
According to her, Nelly was a handful as a child, but she didn’t expect him to be any other way.
Rhonda noticed her son’s musical talents when he was little, but she didn’t encourage them as much as she did his sporting abilities.
She reportedly had dreams of him being a professional baseball player.
But when Nelly quit his job with UPS to pursue his budding rap career, she was supportive.
She said: “I knew he had it in him. He worked hard to get there and he had to make sacrifices to get there.”
Rhonda admitted that his success came with a lot of changes, both good and bad.
She didn’t appreciate the public attention her family had begun to get, and she especially didn’t appreciate the tabloids that came knocking at her door.
Why Nelly’s Mom Wanted To Work Again
Ironically, Nelly’s big gesture of showing up at her workplace and having her retire early might not have been exactly what his mother had wanted.
Rhonda told the Baltimore Sun that she had plans to go back to work.
She’d been working at her son’s 4Sho4Kids foundation, helping disadvantaged youth, but she wanted a regular job again.
She shared that she appreciated everything Nelly had done for her, and that she’d been really blessed.
But she was at the point where she felt she was losing her independence. She added that she loved fast food, and that she could stock shelves.
Of course, this time things would be very different from how they were when Nelly was younger.
Back then she had to work because she had to, because she was a single parent.
Nelly Speaks Candidly About Father, Cornell Haynes Sr.
But what happened to Nelly’s father, Cornell Haynes Sr. ?
He reportedly didn’t give his family an easy time when Nelly was growing up.
Contact Music revealed that during an interview on VH1’s Behind The Music, the rapper got candid about what being under his father’s roof was like as a little kid.
He claimed that his father led by fear. So, he did what his father said because he was scared of being harmed by him.
He shared that Cornell’s voice rang so vividly in his head that it was just a fear for him.
Eventually, his mom asked for a divorce, and Nelly’s parents separated when he was just 7-years-old.
Which was how he ended up in St. Louis. Rhonda moved him there so that they could start over. They lost touch with Cornell, and he faded from the picture.
The Tragedy Of Nelly’s Sister, Jackie Donahue
Nelly’s mom was left to raise him and his half-sister, Jackie Donahue, who Cornell had from a previous relationship and then abandoned with Rhonda, per Contact Music.
Tragedy struck the family in 2001 when Jackie was diagnosed with Leukemia.
A report by Today explained that the cancer was in remission for almost 2 years, but she then suffered a relapse and the illness claimed her life in 2005.
It’s unclear how close she and Nelly’s mom were, because even though one article claimed that Rhonda helped raise her, most articles talk about her biological mom.
According to PEOPLE, also, Nicki Swift reported on how Jackie’s mother Sarah Donuhue was with her daughter until her final days.
And in an interview on the Tamron Hall Show, Nelly talked about how he adopted her two children after she passed, and credited Sarah for her help raising them.
So, it’s difficult to say what kind of relationship Jackie had with his mother, but if she was a big part of her life, it would’ve been a true hardship for Rhonda.
Nelly And His Father Rekindled Their Relationship
As for Jackie and Nelly’s father, it wasn’t until Nelly was a successful adult that he and Cornell formed some kind of a relationship again.
According to Contact Music, Nelly let him back into his life in the early 2010s after he allegedly admitted to him that he messed Nelly up because of bad parenting.
Around that time, Nelly revealed that he was being a way better grandfather to his kids than he ever was as a father to him.
But their rekindled relationship didn’t last for too long.
Nelly Dissed His Father On Social Media
And things got sour pretty fast. Nelly’s normally a private person, but he went public with how disappointed he was with his dad in 2018.
The Daily Mail reported that the rapper turned on Cornell and began posting tweets about him.
He wrote: “The word father is a strong word … something I never knew anything about as a child because mine never did what he had to do, only what he wanted.”
Nelly added that he hoped what he did was worth it because he was done with him, and he announced that he wasn’t going to give him any more money.
He then praised Rhonda by saying that she always had a job, she taught him how to play sports, she came to his games, and she saw him graduate.
While nobody could pinpoint exactly what his dad did to upset him that much, there was some speculation that it had something to do with his then ex-girlfriend, Ashanti.
Days earlier, his father was seen in a selfie with her that she posted on her Snapchat account while at her concert in St. Louis.
In his Twitter rant, Nelly finished by saying that he was Mama’s boy, and that he loved her.
Zac Efron recently suffered a medical incident while swimming in a pool in Spain, which worried fans around the world. Thankfully, he ended up being okay. He recently broke his silence on the incident and let his fans and the public know how he’s been doing since the accident.
What Is Zac Efron Known For?
While many people were first introduced to Zac Efron thanks to his role in “High School Musical” in the mid-2000s, he’s transitioned his fame into several other acting roles over the years. This includes roles in Hairspray, The Iron Claw, Neighbors, Baywatch, and several other well-known films. Zac has also won numerous awards throughout the years for his work in TV and film.
After a very busy last few years filming movies and shows, he decided to take a well-earned trip to Europe for vacation and visit numerous locations, including the Olympic Games, where he attended the Opening Ceremony. He also made a stop in the beautiful island of Mykonos in Greece. Zac was also seen on-stage with musical artist Martin Garrix (who is also a close friend) during a show in Ibiza at the beginning of August.
Zac ‘Showed Signs Of Distress’
However, on this trip, Zac went through a harrowing medical experience that could have ended incredibly poorly. While swimming in a pool in Ibiza, Spain, he reportedly dove too deep into the pool, and hit his chest on the bottom of the pool, and began to almost drown, as his lungs began to fill with water.
After eventually getting out of the water, he was taken to the hospital as a precaution so he could be checked and some tests could be done to see the extent of his injuries. According to sources, he took in a lot of water into his lungs and “showed signs of distress”. He was also dazed for a moment after the event, too.
After getting an X ray and some imaging done, it thankfully showed that the water had passed through his lungs, and he wasn’t in any danger. While he was free to leave the hospital after being cleared, he decided to stay for a few more hours, as photographers and reporters were waiting for him as they figured out he was in the hospital and which one he was at.
Zac Efron: ‘Happy and Healthy’
After eventually leaving, he posted an Instagram story showing himself lifting some weights while laying on an exercise ball in the sun. The photo was also accompanied by the phrase “Happy and Healthy”, which let fans breathe a sigh of relief that everything was okay with him. He also gave his thanks for the many well wishes that came his way once people heard what had happened to him.
So it seems that Zac Efron is completely fine after this scare and is back to enjoying his vacation with his friends, though there’s no doubt how serious this incident could have been, and it serves as a cautionary tale to be careful when swimming and diving.
JLo and Ben seem to be on slightly different pages following their separation. She may be missing him more than she lets on.
Is she staging events to get back into the limelight now that they have separated? Maybe.
Here’s what we know:
Did she stage a photoshoot?
JLo was caught biking around in the Hamptons with family and friends on what many have called a photo-op. She seemed to be enjoying the beach vibes of the location and getting some ice cream at the time.
But, some are convinced she staged a paparazzi photo shoot for the outing, given the picture-perfect look of the place and the stylish attire she chose for the bike ride. According to MSN, Whitney Port had the following to say about the incident:
“Candy Kitchen in Bridgehampton … is so special that I’m pretty sure J. Lo the other day was riding her bike to get a scoop of ice cream for a paparazzi shot.”
She went on to describe the entire scene with JLo as weird and she alleged JLo must have showed up for the picturesque exterior of the building. She also claimed JLo needed the photo shoot to show that she can still turn heads in the right settings.
According to MSN, Tim Rosenman chimed in on the situation as well, stating:
“She’s already as famous as you can be. Why does she need to stoke the flames of her own fame.”
Ben is Beaming
In contrast to JLo, many have noted that Ben Affleck has been looking much happier than usual. In fact, Yahoo reported that Ben was seen sporting a spectacular smile on his face shortly after spending some time with JLo in his rental home. Are the two reuniting? Probably not. But, he did look a lot happier than he has since their initial separation.
Commenters on Yahoo had a lot to say about how Ben looked, going so far as to claim he actually looks the best he has looked in a long time because he has had plenty of time away from JLo. One posted the following:
“Ben looks Amazing, younger, less stressed, his new haircut and clean face radiates a whole new energy looks stronger than before. His son Samuel is his mini me. Glad to see Ben looking happy.”
She’s Committed to the Kids
JLo and Ben may have separated, but her relationship with their kids appears to be as strong as ever. She was seen visiting Ben’s home and taking his son Samuel out shopping at the mall, according to In Style.
A source for the publication explained how her commitment to their kids is likely to continue indefinitely, despite their breakup. The source touched on how she prioritized blending their families so that all five of their kids could be close. They also pointed out that she makes the most of the time they have together before they all head off to school.
The relationship between JLo and Ben is likely to keep being a bit confusing for a while, though. NY Post reported that the film “Unstoppable”, which Ben produced, features JLo as well, so they’ll still be around each other for some time to come.
Jana Duggar shocked the world this week when she got married out of nowhere on Thursday, August 15th, 2024.
Although rumors had swirled for months around a possible engagement after she posted photos on Instagram with a ring on her hand, she had never confirmed or denied that she was in a relationship or planning a wedding.
That all changed on August 15th, though, when the news leaked that she had filed for a wedding certificate in Arkansas.
But everyone couldn’t help but wonder- who exactly is her husband?
Well, his name is Stephen Wissmann. And we’ve actually uncovered a lot of information about him, which is pretty shocking, considering just how secretive their relationship has been over the years.
Yes, you read that right.
Jana and Stephen have secretly been in an on and off relationship for years. And you’ll never believe all of the information that’s been uncovered about him since news of their wedding dropped. Stephen Wissmann is originally from Nebraska, and he’s 31 years old, making him three years younger than his new bride, Jana.
How Jana and Stephen Met
According to the People Magazine exclusive featuring their wedding, Jana and Stephen met years ago when she was about 21 years old and he was about 18 years old.Stephen’s family had been visiting the Duggars and got snowed in, but Jana hadn’t paid much attention to Stephen at that time.
Instead, the two connected years later, towards the end of 2020. Rumors first began about a possible relationship between Jana and Stephen during the Christmas season in 2020. The Wissmann family posted a blog about how they celebrated Christmas, and in the blog post, there was a picture of Jana and Stephen sitting next to each other by the Christmas tree, meaning she had spent Christmas in Nebraska with the Wissmann family.
Then, a few months later, a fan captured a picture of Jana and Stephen hanging out together at a fair. And then, as further proof, Jana’s sister, Jessa, posted a vlog around this same time that showed Jana and Stephen eating next to each other at the Duggar kitchen table. It seemed as though Jana was on her way to a quick wedding, just like all her siblings.
Around that time, Jana and Stephen’s relationship seemed to end. Some speculated that Jana and Stephen were never actually courting, but rather, they were both serving as chaperones for their siblings, as Jana’s brother, Jeremiah, married Stephen’s sister, Hannah, in March 2022.
However, Jana admitted in the People Magazine feature that they had been dating in 2020 and 2021, but had broken up and reconnected at the beginning of 2024. To fans, Jana and Stephen always seemed like a good match, and they were thrilled to learn that they had reconnected.
And if you’re wondering just who Stephen is outside of his relationship with Jana, there’s actually a lot of information out there about him for someone who’s lived a private life until now.
Stephen is the 8th child of the 13 Wissman siblings, meaning that he comes from a big family, just like Jana. He and his family were in a traveling family band while he was growing up, performing all over the country, which is a very common occurrence with families in the Duggars’ social circles. Because of his family’s band, the family kept up a blog with biographies for each of the 13 children.
In his biography, it states that he enjoys being a pilot- just like Jana’s twin brother, John David- and he’s also the assistant manager of Wissmann Enterprises, Inc., his family’s business. Already, he seems like a perfect match for Jana. On top of that, he enjoys making small furniture, and everyone who knows Jana knows that she loves home renovations, interior design, and everything that comes along with that.
He also directs his family’s music arrangements and plays the mandolin in the family band, which lines up perfectly with Jana’s love for playing the piano. Overall, he seems like a perfect match for Jana, who was known for being the eldest unmarried Duggar child. It seems like her search for Mr. Right has paid off, though, because it seems like they’re a match made in heaven.
Jana shared that the two plan to move into the house that he purchased in Nebraska, a 5-bedroom, 2-bath home that he purchased for $275,000 in 2023, and they’ll renovate it together.
It seems like this is just the start of Jana’s happily ever after with her new husband and life in Nebraska.
Jana Duggar is officially married to Stephen Wissman, her long-time rumored boyfriend.
The news broke late at night on August 15, 2024 that the couple had been married just hours before in a ceremony in Prairie Grove, Arkansas. This came as a shock to many because it was never even confirmed that Jana was in a relationship with anyone, let alone engaged and planning a wedding.
Rumors swirled last month when she posted pictures with her twin brother, John David and his wife Abbie, and seemed to have an engagement ring on her left ring finger. However, nothing was ever confirmed until August 15th, when paperwork got leaked that showed that Jana and Stephen had applied for a marriage license in Arkansas the day before.
Fans Are Overjoyed
Fans were immediately overjoyed for Jana, because she has notoriously been known as the unmarried eldest daughter of the Duggars. People have questioned whether or not Jim Bob would let her get married, or if he wanted her to keep living at home to help raise her siblings.
For years, fans watched as each of Jana’s siblings found partners and got married, and wondered when it would be Jana’s turn. Now, that day has finally come.
Jana shared the details of the wedding exclusively with People Magazine, many of which were unique choices for a traditional Duggar wedding.
Jana and Stephen opted for a smaller wedding than what is typical in their social circle. The two invited 500 guests to the wedding, which might seem like a very large wedding to most, but almost all of Jana’s siblings invited thousands of people to their weddings, making this a much smaller affair.
Jana also chose to wear an off-the-shoulder dress, which seems to go against the modesty standards that the Duggars hold themselves to.
The Duggars originally found fame for their unique way of living, including their strict dress codes.
The women in their family were not allowed to wear pants or shorts, and had to have their shoulders covered in order to meet the family’s modesty standards.
Jana Goes Against Her Parents
As each of her sisters has gotten married, they’ve seemed to stray from the family’s modesty standards, but Jana always seemed to stay in line with her father’s rules, even as a 34-year-old woman.Her choice in wedding dress, though, goes against those rules that her dad has had in place over the years.
The women in the wedding party also wore dresses that fall out of line with Jim Bob Duggar’s clothing rules.
All of the bridesmaids wore sleeveless dresses, which is a fashion choice that is rarely seen at a Duggar wedding.
But what really raised eyebrows from the wedding was the person missing from the bridal party- Jill Duggar Dillard.
Jill and Jana were famously close growing up. Jill was often referred to as the “triplet” due to her closeness in age to Jana and John David, the twins.
Jana even served as the maid of honor in Jill’s wedding to Derrick Dillard, making it especially shocking that Jill doesn’t appear to have been a bridesmaid in Jana’s wedding.
Instead, Jana chose her other sister, Jessa Duggar Seewald, to be her matron of honor. Growing up, the two were known on the family’s TV show for fighting and not getting along, but it seems as though they put their differences aside as they got into adulthood.
But still, fans are wondering- why was Jill not in the wedding?
Is it due to her estrangement from their father, Jim Bob? Is Jana siding with Jim Bob in the feud, or was she simply not allowed to have Jill in the wedding because of Jim Bob?
Jill released a book last year detailing her disagreements and legal issues with her father over the years, and it has seemingly caused an even bigger rift between herself and her family.
But those weren’t the only surprising choices that Jana made for her wedding.
Surprise Touches
They chose to have a sit-down meal at the wedding, which is a unique choice for the Duggar family.Usually, given the thousands of people invited, Duggar weddings usually only consist of a dessert, not a dinner.According to People Magazine, the Wissman family catered the event themselves, serving everyone chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls and coleslaw.
Jana explained her vision for the wedding, saying:
“Because we’re doing an evening wedding, I envisioned this more formal, sit-down dinner,” says Jana. “The Wissmanns are incredible cooks. They’re going to do a full spread and they’ve been working on it. I’m like, ‘Just do it. I trust y’all. Y’all making amazing food.’ “
She also shared her plans to move to Nebraska to live with Stephen after the wedding, shocking everyone with her choice to leave Arkansas and the siblings she has notoriously helped raise.
Around a decade ago, Noah Ritter (better known as Apparently Kid) went viral during an interview with a WNEP news network at the Wayne County Fair in Pennsylvania. With 10 years passing since the original, many people are interested in what he’s been up to since then.
Well, a recent video shed some light on this as it caught up with Noah, now 15 years old, at the same place that made him famous.
How Noah Ritter ‘The Apparently Kid’ Became Famous
For those unfamiliar with the video, it features a young Noah being interviewed about a ride at the fair. During his interview, the young child used the word “apparently” on numerous different occasions. It’s a very wholesome video and the world seemed to love it, and it was a major hit.
It quickly went viral, and the original video has nearly 70 million views as of mid-August 2024. He quickly became an online sensation, with thousands of people leaving positive comments on the video. He was even welcomed onto the Ellen DeGeneres show on multiple occasions, where he met several celebrities like Bill Clinton, Jennifer Garner, Jim Carrey, Sofia Vergara, and others.
What Has ‘The Apparently Kid’ Been Up To?
Over the last decade, many people have been curious about what Noah has been up to and where life has taken him after the video. Well, the network that held the initial viral interview with Noah recently caught up with him at the place where it all began, the Wayne County Fair.
In the video, Noah recited a few of his famous lines from the original video, mimicking his voice from back in the day. After being asked what it felt like to say those words again, Noah said that it feels pretty good and he feels very nostalgic about the entire situation. He says it makes him reminisce about a decade earlier being in that same location where it all began.
His grandfather, Jack, who also appeared in the original video, was also on-hand for this one, and has played a major role in helping to raise Noah over the years. Jack has a long history with the fair, as he used to show cattle there. He said that this history with the fair and the fact he used to come as a kid is why he began to bring Noah, and to show him all the animals and other things to do there.
Noah Ritter’s Success
Since the video has debuted, Noah has also created a YouTube channel that has over 90,000 subscribers in mid-August 2024, and he posts everything from movie reviews, to videos with his grandfather, vlogs, gaming videos, and more.
And despite being busier now with school, playing sports, YouTube, and more, Noah has no plans of stopping his annual visits to the fair with his Grandpa, as he said: “I wouldn’t trade my buddy for the world”.
It seems that Noah has grown into a fantastic and respectful young man, and he’s embraced the video and seems very grateful for what it’s done for him over the years.
Let’s get back to the Gypsy Rose Blanchard story because more details have emerged to add to this mind-boggling saga revolving around the 32-year-old’s medical condition. Ready yourselves for a brand new twist.
Dee Dee Blanchard’s Deception Decoded
Let’s start at the beginning. Gypsy Rose was born July 7th, 1991, in Golden Meadow, Louisiana. Her mother was Dee Dee. From a child, Gypsy Rose was a victim of Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy. Dee Dee convinced everyone that her daughter had multiple ailments, even Gypsy Rose herself.
Dee Dee’s deception went through a catalog of illnesses and ailments she claimed her daughter had. Many were life-changing, some even life-threatening.
Over time, Dee Dee Blanchard claimed her daughter, Gypsy Rose, had infant sleep apnea, muscular dystrophy, leukemia, asthma, seizures, vision and hearing issues, developmental delays and a chromosomal defect. She had Gypsy, believing she needed medication, a wheelchair, and a feeding tube.
Gypsy Rose’s Medical Conditions
This is a sorry saga in every sense of the word. Jump forward to 2015, and Gypsy is under investigation for the murder of her mother along with Nicholas Godejohn, her online boyfriend. It’s this investigation that turned up the truth about the Munchausen’s. Almost all Gypsy’s many illnesses were made up by her mother.
The one real medical condition Gypsy Rose had was disclosed in the Lifetime documentary Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, after Dr. Rob Steele, Gypsy’s former pediatrician, reviewed her medical records. It’s a condition many babies are born with, called hypertropia or, put simply, cross eyes.
Gypsy had weak eye muscles and had surgery to correct them before she was a year old. She was never told and had no idea. However, she acknowledged she’s had issues with her right eye and that it was serious enough to be a problem. Could this have been Dee Dee’s trigger?
Gypsy’s Mom Suffered From Munchausen’s Syndrome
Dee Dee was suffering from a textbook case of Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy. It’s a mental illness now renamed Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA). In FDIA cases, the caregiver fabricates illnesses for those in their charge. It isn’t always a child. They seem to want sympathy and attention rather than any kind of financial gain.
There are other types of factitious disorders, such as making up medical conditions about oneself. It’s a condition associated with emotional difficulties. Dee Dee took FDIA to new levels.
Gypsy Rose came out ready to talk and put things straight. She starred in the new Lifetime documentary Gypsy Rose: Life after Lockup (June 3rd, 2024) apparently, Gypsy thinks it’s like The Truman Show but with prison tatts, which hints at her sense of humor.
Gypsy Rose is also the subject of an HBO documentary aptly entitled Mommy Dead and Dearest, and her incredible story has been put on film in The Act by Hulu.
50 Cent has used his talent for trolling to reignite one of his most famous feuds. Last month it was reported that the rapper had touched a nerve when he appeared to rub Ashanti’s pregnancy in the face of her old record boss Irv Gotti. HipHopDX reported that 50 had made fun of Irv by sharing a meme at Irv’s expense.
The meme, which 50 later removed from his Instagram account, showed a picture of Irv looking angry during his Drink Champs podcast appearance. In the background of the picture were images of Ashanti looking happy with new husband and baby daddy to be, Nelly. Alongside the meme, 50 wrote in the caption that he just had to share it. The joke was a clear reference to some infamous claims Irv has made in the past about a romance between himself and Ashanti.
Irv Gotti’s Wild Claims
Irv’s wild claims blew up after his appearance on the podcast alongside Ja Rule. Irv claimed that he had an affair with Ashanti two decades ago.He also said that he was married to his first wife, Debbie Lorenzo, at the time of the alleged affair. And he went on to admit that Ashanti was actually with Nelly at the time, bringing her loyalty to the rapper into question.
This was especially provocative since cheating rumors were always hovering around Nelly and Ashanti’s 2013 split. Irv said that he and Ashanti were together every day that she wasn’t with Nelly. And he claimed that he actually came up with Ashanti’s 2002 hit song Happy after they shared an evening together.
Irv and Ashanti’s Current Relationship
Irv went on to discuss what their relationship was like these days.And he said that they “didn’t see eye to eye” anymore.Soon after Irv made these claims, Ashanti came out with a very different story.During a chat with Angie Martinez on her IRL podcast, she quickly shut down any talk of Irv ever being her boyfriend.
She repeatedly stated that that was never the case and said that Irv just flat-out lied about so many things.She said that Irv had several girlfriends while separating from Debbie, but she was never one of them.And she went on to add that Irv was salty when he found out about her dating Nelly.Which also explains why 50 found the post he shared so hilarious.
Nelly and Ashanti still going strong after so many years apart must have driven Irv crazy. And then she also made some huge claims of her own. Ashanti recalled the gross way Irv reacted to the news about her and Nelly dating. She alleged that Irv tried to block her career from progressing in some kind of revenge. Allegedly, he would even order other artists not to record with her, and would stop her from coming to the studio.
The Battle Between Irv and 50
Because Ashanti was signed to Irv’s label for so long, she actually got caught up in the battle between 50 and Irv back in the day. But even then, 50 made it clear that he had no ill feeling towards her. In an interview with DJ Whoo Kid, Ashanti said that she had never previously had a problem with 50.
She said that they would see each other now and again, and there never seemed to be any animosity toward her. In fact, on one occasion, they found themselves sitting near each other at a Christian Dior event when 50 made an admission to her. Now that Ashanti’s happy news has given him fresh ammunition to hurt Irv with, 50 probably respects Ashanti more than ever.
Chrissy Teigen recently dropped a health update on her and John Legend’s son Miles. Through her Instagram, Chrissy announced that Miles has recently been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Her decision to share this news with the rest of us came after a picture she shared of her family at the Paris Olympics.
Eagle Eye Fans See Something At The Olympics
In this picture, Chrissy, her daughter Luna, and her son Miles can be seen holding up cardboard boxes with Simone Biles’s name as a way of showing their support for Simone and Team USA. But something else caught the eyes of everyone in the picture. On Miles’s raised left side, there was a small rectangular white patch attached to his left arm.
And after putting two and two together, it didn’t take long for people to realize that Miles was actually wearing a continuous glucose monitor, usually used to help treat diabetes.From there, people started flooding Chrissy’s comment section and inbox declaring their support for her family and Miles.
And this was what made Chrissy come out and officially reveal Mile’s diagnosis.
Chrissy Teigen Speaks Out
Part of her post reads, “A lot of you noticed something a little special about a photo I posted a few days ago. Luna, Miles, and I celebrating Simone and Team USA. Miles had his arm up, soooo many of you reached out to say the most beautiful and incredible words I have ever witnessed on this platform.”
In the series of responses that followed, she explained how the item noticed on Miles’s arm was indeed a Type 1 Diabetes monitor. Then she went on to talk about how grateful she is for her community and the kindness and encouragement she’s received so far from people.Especially because she knows that so many parents around the world are going through terrible things that she can’t begin to imagine.
And their situation could have been worse, but it isn’t. This is something she constantly tries to remind herself of every time she and John get a red alert blasted to their phones.
Speaking more on Type 1 diabetes, Mayo Clinic described it as a chronic condition where the organ responsible for producing insulin is the body, the pancreas, makes little to no insulin. Insulin is a hormone responsible for regulating our blood sugar levels. And when it’s absent or not working the way it should, the body is left with more sugar aka glucose than it has use for which can cause a lot of harmful conditions.
No Cure
The inability of the pancreas to produce adequate amounts of insulin is usually caused by a defect in cells called Beta cells which are responsible for producing insulin in the pancreas. And this condition has no cure.There are various factors that can cause this defect, ranging from genetics to environmental factors.
Type 1 Diabetes was previously known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes as most people who are diagnosed with this condition are adolescents.Although it can also happen to adults, which caused the change in name.
Now, speaking on how they found out about Miles’s condition, Chrissy explained that they received his diagnosis after he had fallen sick with Shigella at camp. For context, Shigella are bacteria that can cause diarrhea. Apparently, a good bunch of the kids at Miles’s camp had gotten this bug.
Either way, they’re grateful for everyone who has supported their family in one way or the other since finding out about Miles’s diagnosis. According to Chrissy, it helps Miles a lot to know that he isn’t alone and that other people are going through the same thing with him.
