In an unexpected move that has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, ABC has terminated its long-standing relationship with Jimmy Kimmel, effectively canceling his late-night show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” After nearly two decades of late-night banter, celebrity interviews, and comedic skits, the network has decided to pull the plug, citing a decline in viewership and a shift in the network’s strategic direction. The decision was announced early Tuesday morning, leaving fans and critics alike in disbelief.
Jimmy Kimmel, a fixture in American late-night television since 2003, has been known for his quick wit, satirical humor, and the ability to navigate the fine line between comedy and controversy. However, according to ABC executives, it appears that Kimmel’s brand of humor no longer aligns with the network’s vision for its future. In a press release, the network stated, “After careful consideration, we have decided to move in a different direction. We appreciate Jimmy’s contributions to ABC and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”The news has sparked a flurry of reactions from across the political and cultural spectrum. Critics of Kimmel, particularly those with conservative leanings, have long accused the comedian of harboring a liberal bias, arguing that his political commentary alienates a significant portion of the American audience.
Kimmel’s monologues, often laced with criticisms of conservative politicians and policies, have made him a polarizing figure, admired by some for his outspokenness but derided by others for what they perceive as partisan sniping disguised as entertainment. In recent years, the landscape of late-night television has undergone a profound transformation.
The genre, once dominated by universally appealing comedy and light-hearted interviews, has increasingly veered into the territory of political commentary and advocacy. Kimmel himself has been at the forefront of this shift, using his platform to address serious issues such as healthcare, gun control, and immigration. While these segments have earned him praise in certain circles, they have also contributed to a growing sense of divisiveness, prompting some viewers to turn away in search of less politically charged entertainment options.
The decision to cancel “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” raises important questions about the future of late-night television and the role of comedians in the public discourse. On one hand, comedians like Kimmel have demonstrated the power of humor to shine a light on societal issues, engaging audiences in conversations about topics of critical importance. On the other hand, the blending of comedy and politics runs the risk of alienating viewers who seek entertainment as an escape from the contentiousness of the political arena.
ABC’s move to sever ties with Kimmel may be indicative of a broader industry trend toward depoliticizing late-night television. As networks grapple with declining viewership and the fragmentation of the media landscape, the pressure to appeal to a wider audience and to steer clear of controversy has never been greater. In this context, the decision to cancel “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” could be seen as a strategic attempt to recalibrate the network’s programming and to reclaim viewers who have felt marginalized by the show’s political content.The fallout from ABC’s decision is likely to be far-reaching.
For Kimmel, the cancellation marks the end of an era and the beginning of an uncertain future. While his talent and influence are undeniable, the challenge of navigating a media environment that is increasingly intolerant of political divisiveness cannot be understated. For ABC, the task of filling the void left by “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will be no small feat. The network must find a way to strike a balance between entertainment and engagement, humor and seriousness, in a way that resonates with a broad cross-section of the American public. As for the audience, the end of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” signals a pivotal moment in the evolution of late-night television. In an age where entertainment and politics are deeply intertwined, the appetite for purely comedic content, free from the undercurrents of partisan debate, may be growing.
Whether other networks and comedians will follow ABC’s lead remains to be seen, but the cancellation of Kimmel’s show underscores a fundamental truth: in the quest for laughs, the line between funny and funereal is thinner than ever. In conclusion, ABC’s decision to fire Jimmy Kimmel and cancel his late-night show is more than just the end of a television program; it’s a reflection of the changing dynamics within the entertainment industry and society at large.
As the dust settles, the legacy of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and its impact on the landscape of American late-night television will continue to be debated. What remains clear, however, is that in a divided nation, the role of the comedian as both entertainer and commentator is fraught with challenges, and the quest for a formula that can unite rather than divide is ongoing.
Many people love Michael Bublé, a singer from Canada who became really famous in 2005 with his album “It’s Time” and in 2007 with “Call Me Irresponsible.” Those albums reached number one on charts in Canada, the UK, the US, and more.
Even though he’s sold over 75 million records worldwide and won Grammy Awards, Michael has stayed down-to-earth. He is married to Luisana Lopilato, an actress from Argentina, and they have four children together.
The couple’s son, Noah, who will turn 9 this year, went through a tough time when he was diagnosed with liver cancer at just 3 years old. The singer, Michael Bublé, got the heartbreaking news right before he was about to perform on The One Show in London.
His wife sent him a text saying something was wrong, and it was really tough for him. He described it as one of the worst things a parent or any person could hear. Fortunately, Noah is now in remission, which means he’s getting better. But going through that experience was extremely difficult for the family.
The musician said, “I would have preferred it to be me. Many times I wished it was.” He also mentioned that the tough experience made their family even stronger and changed the way they look at life. On Noah’s eighth birthday, Michael Bublé wrote a heartfelt post on Instagram, calling him his hero.
He talked about how brave and kind Noah is and expressed deep love. He also shared two pictures of them together over the years
Bublé mentioned that the prayers from fans, friends, and even strangers were a big support during their battle against cancer as a family.
Felix rushes to help when he sees his elderly neighbor struggling to cut her overgrown lawn. She forces an unusual antique box on him as a token of her appreciation, but the gift lands Felix in deep trouble when her lawyer phones to request an urgent meeting.
Felix was going through the monthly figures for his handyman business when the growl of a lawnmower drew his attention. He peeked through his kitchen window and was shocked to see elderly Mrs. McAllister struggling to control her lawnmower with one hand while using her cane with the other.
When Felix caught up to her, Mrs. McAllister was red in the face and sweating profusely. She switched the lawnmower off.
“Felix…is there…something…I can help…you with?” she panted.
“Step aside and let me help you! Honestly, Mrs. McAllister, your son should be helping you with these chores. It ain’t right to let your elderly Mom struggle alone.”
After a long morning cutting and raking the tall, damp grass, Mrs. McAllister invited Felix inside for a glass of lemonade. He was astonished by the dusty clutter of knick-knacks, dirt, and cobwebs in her home. It seemed to Felix that his kindhearted neighbor couldn’t take care of herself anymore.
“Here you go, dear.” Mrs. McAllister placed a glass of lemonade on the table.
“I also want you to have this. It’s an antique that’s been passed down in my family.”
Felix frowned at the metal box she held out to him. It had an odd set of dials on the lid and was surprisingly heavy.
“I don’t need a fancy gift for such a simple task, Mrs. McAllister.” Felix handed the box back to her.
Mrs. McAllister frowned with disappointment. She insisted he take something for his troubles and fetched a grocery bag filled with apples for his daughter, Suzie. Afterward, she slumped into her armchair with a loud groan, clearly exhausted.
Felix insisted that Mrs. McAllister call him next time she needed help and left her to rest. Later that day, Suzie rushed up to Felix with an excited grin.
“Dad, look what I found under the apples Mrs. McAllister gave us!” She showed him the same strange metal box. “I think these dials are a combination lock, but I can’t open it.”
“I’m sorry, Suzie, I know you love old puzzle boxes and things, but we aren’t keeping this.” He held out his hand for the box. “I’m going to return it to Mrs. McAllister.”
Suzie was deeply upset, but Felix insisted. He marched back to Mrs. McAllister’s house with the box, but she didn’t answer the door. With a frustrated groan, he tried the door handle. He yelled to Mrs. McAllister that he was coming in to return her box safely, then stepped inside.
Mrs. McAllister’s body was slumped in the armchair. Her eyes stared at the wall, unseeing and empty.
“Mrs. McAllister!” Felix shouted as he rushed to her side, but it was no good: Mrs. McAllister was gone.
Felix forgot about the box until much later when he realized it was in his pocket. On a whim, he searched online for similar antique boxes. He swore when he finally found a match.
This box was worth $250,000!
Felix hadn’t wanted to keep the box, but he couldn’t return it anymore, and that amount of money would secure Suzie’s future. He had to sell it, for Suzie’s sake. In the meanwhile, Felix stored the box in a safe place. A few days later, Felix got a strange phone call.
“This is Tim, Mrs. McAllister’s lawyer. I’d like to meet with you, as soon as possible. Are you available now?”
Tim’s urgency made Felix wary, but he agreed to meet the lawyer at a cafe in town. Despite his unease, he was curious about why Tim wanted to see him. His confusion grew when he arrived and saw Mrs. McAllister’s son, Henry, seated at a table with the man who had to be Tim.
Henry glared at him when Felix joined them. “I’m going to cut to the chase, Felix. A precious heirloom has gone missing from my mother’s house, a small box with some dials on the lid. You were the last person in her house and I wanted to give you a chance to do the right thing.”
“You think I stole from your mother?” Felix yelled. “Mrs. McAllister gave the box to me as thanks for cutting her grass—a chore you should’ve done for her!”
“Mom would never have given you that box!” Henry stabbed his finger in Felix’s direction. “It belonged to my great-great-grandfather, a well-known politician, who commissioned it from a famous artisan! It’s one of only two in the world! You’re going to return the box to me and I’ll give you $1000 for it. Deal?”
“No.” Felix stood. “You’re welcome to join the bidding when I put it up for auction. Goodbye, Henry.”
The next day, Felix went to a local auction house to have the box appraised. An earnest man with a snooty accent called Mr. Whitaker invited him into a back room for the appraisal. They were joined by a woman called Ellen.
“I can immediately verify that the craftsmen’s mark on the underside is authentic,” Mr. Whitaker said. “That means this is quite a notable piece, sir. One of only two in the world.”
Ellen leaned over to study the box. “That is quite lovely…may I see your provenance documentation?”
“Excuse me?” Felix asked.
A muscle twitched in the woman’s cheek. “You need to provide a certificate of authentication, or any verifiable document that proves the artifact’s authenticity and your ownership.”
“Uh…I left all that stuff at home,” Felix lied. He didn’t like the turn this appraisal had taken. He took the box from the table and moved toward the door. “I’ll fetch it and be right back.”
“We can’t let you do that.” Ellen sidestepped to block his path to the door.
“We are obliged to notify the authorities of any…irregularities concerning items tied to historical figures.”
Felix panicked. He dodged around the woman and Mr. Whitaker and rushed into the hallway. He reached the reception area just as an alarm started blaring.
Felix felt like he was back on his high school football field as he dodged and slipped past guards who hurried to stop him. One caught hold of his arm, but he jerked free and raced out of the building and onto the street. He ran from there until his legs felt like jelly.
Felix paced his sitting room as he pondered his next move. He needed to sell the box to invest in Suzie’s future, but he couldn’t do that without some kind of paperwork.
He wished he could ask Mrs. McAllister about it. She’d know exactly what documents he needed to prove provenance and probably be able to provide them too. Felix paused as he realized there might be a way to sell the box. It wasn’t something he wanted to do, but he had no other choice.
Felix selected some useful items from his toolboxes and then fetched his boltcutter from the garage. After Suzie went to bed that night, Felix crept out and broke into Mrs. McAllister’s house to search for the documents he needed.
A chill went down Felix’s spine as he stepped into Mrs. McAllister’s bedroom. It still smelled like her in here. Looking through her personal space felt creepy and invasive, but he forced himself to continue. He was halfway across the room when the bedroom light turned on.
“Not so high and mighty now, are you Felix?” Henry crowed from the door.
Felix turned. Henry was holding his phone up, and the flash flickered in Felix’s eyes as Henry took photos of him.
Felix raised a hand to hide his face. “This isn’t what it looks like, Henry. I just need—”
“The documentation for the box, I know.” Henry smirked. “My family has a known connection to that box so the auction house contacted me after you tried to scam them. Of course, I told them you stole it—”
“That’s a lie!”
“But you can’t prove ownership without proper documentation.” Henry crossed his arms and widened his stance, filling the doorway. “You can’t sell it either. I’ll give you until 8 a. m tomorrow to hand it over, otherwise I’ll call the cops.”
Henry stepped aside, and Felix fled from Mrs. McAllister’s house. The consequences he now faced weighed heavily on him. He wished he’d left the box in Mrs. McAllister’s house the same day he found her dead.
But she’d wanted him to have it! Felix didn’t believe Henry would stick to his word if he handed the box over. Thoughts raced through his mind. By dawn, he knew what he had to do.
He asked his mom to come over immediately, then woke Suzie and told her to quickly pack a bag. A few hours later, they all stood at the front door. He’d explained everything, and now they had to say goodbye.
Felix gave the box to Suzie. “Sell it as soon as you can. Don’t take anything less than 100, 000 dollars for it, okay? This is the only way to get clear of this mess while still ensuring you get to live your life to the fullest.”
Felix hugged his daughter tightly and held back the tears forming in his eyes. Saying goodbye to her was one of the hardest things he’d ever faced in his life.
“Promise me you’ll live a good life, Suzie,” he said as he looked into her eyes. “Study hard so you make something of yourself, and travel so you can see what the world has to offer you. Take care of your grandma…family is important, and the elderly deserve our respect.”
Police sirens wailed in the distance. It was 8:30 a.m., half an hour past Henry’s deadline. He suspected those sirens were coming for him. He watched Mom and Suzie pull out of the driveway as the police sirens grew closer and closer. He took some comfort from knowing they were clear of this mess when the cops arrested him.
Despite Henry’s threats, the charges against Felix were complicated by legal technicalities. Since the box was now missing, key parts of Henry’s case were in doubt. Felix spent four months in a holding cell awaiting his court date. One day, a guard told him someone posted his bail.
Felix was deeply confused. He followed the man to the front section of the prison, where Suzie was waiting for him. They walked outside together. Mom was parked at the curb, waiting for them.
“Okay, Suzie, I can’t wait anymore,” Felix said as they got into the car. “What’s going on?”
“Well, I didn’t listen to you about the box.” Suzie smiled sheepishly. “Instead, I figured out how to open it. Inside it was a certificate of authentication, and a note from Mrs. McAllister. She really wanted you to have that box, Dad. The note said so.”
Felix frowned. He still didn’t understand Mrs. McAllister’s insistence that he take the box, but Suzie wasn’t finished, so he didn’t get much time to mull it over.
“So I showed the note to your lawyer, and then I took the box with all the papers to an antique dealer.” Suzie grinned broadly. “He gave us enough money for it to post bail and we still have $100,000 left!”
This look can go from the bedroom to the dinner table and back again.
Bianca Censori can’t resist a tights-only outfit, but she switched up her style from sheer hosiery to a lacy look to head out to dinner with husband Kanye West in Los Angeles Thursday night.
The Yeezy architect, 29, enjoyed a date night with the “Gold Digger” rapper, 46, at Gigi’s restaurant while wearing a lingerie-inspired ensemble consisting of a black lace bra and a pair of ivory tights with nothing underneath.
She appeared to have cut the feet out of her lace-patterned hosiery, wearing them with a very early aughts pair of cork-heeled platform sandals.
Censori went without underwear beneath her tights, but covered her private areas with a black purse as she left the French restaurant with West, whom she married in December 2022.
Mrs. West wore her hair in her usual slicked-back style, sporting several simple rings and multiple hoop earrings.
Meanwhile, the “Flashing Lights” singer wore a black hoodie and baggy pants with Nike sneakers, donning a pair of dark shades despite the late hour.
Censori has been wearing the tights-as-pants aesthetic (going commando or not) for quite some time, causing a stir during Paris Fashion Week when she revealed her undercarriage in a see-through pair of black hosiery in February.
She went for a more opaque version of the look while hitting up Hollywood’s surprising new fave restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory, in March, wearing a fluorescent green pair of tights with no undies and a nude bandeau top.
The Australian beauty also wore lace tights sans pants to hang out with Kim Kardashian at a “Vultures” event and to see a movie with West and his children last month, although she covered up her bottom half with a blue bodysuit for the latter occasion.
With hotter weather ahead, will Censori trade her tights for an even skimpier style? Only time will tell.
Jaclyn Smith, who is 77 years old, shared pictures on her Instagram. She looks very young even though she’s older. You might know her from the show Charlie’s Angels where she played Kelly Garrett.
In the pictures, she’s wearing clothes from her own line called JS for Nordstrom Rack. She has on a soft, knitted cardigan with slightly puffy shoulders. It’s a light cream color.
She also wore some pretty gold jewelry and white jeans. Around her neck, she had on gold chains, chokers, and some pretty pendants. She also wore some special rings, bracelets, and bangles.
Jaclyn also did something nice with her hair. She added some honey and golden colors to her dark hair to make it look even prettier. She styled it in loose, wavy curls that look nice and casual.
She said that this light and comfortable V-neck cardigan can be worn by itself or layered with other clothes.
In another picture, the person who loves 1970s fashion wore a sweater with big, puffy sleeves in a brownish color.
They also wore a pair of dark gray-black jeans that looked a bit worn for a relaxed look.
The famous actress has already shared how she stays looking young. She said the secret is a special kind of healthy drink called a green smoothie.
Jaclyn Smith is from Houston, and she’s been married four times. She’s been married to Brad Allen, who is a heart doctor, for 25 years. They got married in 1997.
She has two kids from her third marriage to a person who works with making movies, Anthony B. Richmond.
Jaclyn Smith has two grown-up kids. Her son, Gaston, is 40 years old and works as a cameraman, just like his dad. You might have seen his work in movies like Annabelle, The Kids Are All Right, and Chasing Mavericks.
Her daughter, Spencer Margaret, is 36 years old. She’s a fashion designer and is married to Fran Kranz.
Jaclyn is not only a talented actress but also a proud grandma. Her granddaughter Bea is six years old. She was born to Spencer in 2016. Gaston, her son, also became a dad in 2019. His daughter, Olivia Rose, is three years old.
As one of Hollywood’s hottest young stars of the 1990s, Jennifer Love Hewitt was poised to become a celebrated actor with respectable adult performances for decades to come.
But in 2015, the star of the hit TV show Ghost Whisperer, the “it girl” who tabloids loved, ghosted Hollywood, leaving fans speculating on the reason behind her disappearance.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Jennifer Love Hewitt was one of the biggest teen stars of the nineties. I mean, who didn’t fall for Jennifer Love’s Hewitt?
According to me, she possessed the most captivating smile, and there was something truly heartwarming and genuine about her presence.
After appearing in several TV commercials, Hewitt, now 44, had her big break when she was only 10 with the Disney Channel’s Kids Incorporated (1989 to 1991).
The show, about young people who perform in a rock band, served as a launching pad for many celebrities, like Fergie of the Grammy-winning band Black Eyed Peas, Mario Lopez, of Saved by the Bell and Access Hollywood, And Eric Balfour who had starring roles in 24 and Haven.
Of course, also Hewitt, who was later cast as a regular on the popular TV drama Party of Five, where she starred with an ensemble cast of Scott Wolf, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell, and Lacy Chabert.
When Party of Five ended after six seasons in 1999, Hewitt then went on to star in touchstone films of the 1990s like the teen horror franchise I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997 and 1998) and the teen drama Can’t Hardly Wait (1998).
In 2001, Hewitt starred as the daughter of Sigourney Weaver’s character in the film Heartbreakers, an appearance that Roger Ebert critiqued in his review as Hewitt spending “the entire film with her treasures on display, maybe as product placement for the Wonderbra.”
Hewitt, who’s had a turbulent relationship with the media since she started filling out as a woman, said in a 2018 interview with LA Times, “It wasn’t actually until later, in the time when I took the step back, that I went “ugh.” It’s the worst–that’s not what I want to be remembered for.” She continued, “I don’t want my kid to Google me one day and see ‘She looks terrible’ or ‘She has big boobs and she’s hot.’ I don’t want that to be who I am.”
In 2002, she co-starred with Jackie Chan in the spy parody Tuxedo, where she was mostly covered up, oftentimes wearing the superpower-holding tuxedo.
Returning to TV in 2005, she played Melinda Gordon, a woman who communicates with the dead, in Ghost Whisperer.
Though the show failed to earn the respect of critics, it still had a loyal following. Hewitt said she was crushed when Ghost Whisperer was abruptly canceled in 2010, leaving viewers hanging.
“For me, it was a total shock… I thought our next season probably would be the last, just because the show had been on for a really long time,” she said. “It’s hard to come up with new things that will keep people intrigued, but I never thought in a million years that was going to have been our last season.”
In 2012, Hewitt earned her first Golden Globe nomination for her starring role in the Client List, where she plays a single mother, who makes a living as an erotic masseuse to support her children.
While filming Client List, Hewitt, also a singer, met her first and only husband, Brian Hallisay, who in the show plays the deadbeat dad to her on-screen children.
In real life, Hallisay is a great husband and father of three. The two married in 2013 and had their first daughter, Autumn, days after they wed. The pair then had Atticus in 2015, and Aiden in 2021.
Having worked tirelessly since she was a child, Hewitt slipped away from the spotlight in 2015, explaining that she needed time to be a wife and mother.
“There was a lot going on in my own life that just felt like I needed some space and some time to kind of be. I’ve really enjoyed the break, and I feel like now, the last few months, having gone back into acting, it’s really done a beautiful thing for me in that it’s made everything that I do in my acting/entertainment life not less important but less like, ‘It’s everything all the time,’ like it used to be.”
In her time away, Hewitt was also trying to heal from the death of her mother, who was 67 when she died of cancer in 2012, a loss she says still “feels very raw.”
During this challenging period in her life, Jennifer made the decision to leave Twitter as well. For some reason, she faced a great deal of hate on the platform.
Being pregnant, she couldn’t handle all the negativity and hostility, so she chose to step away from Twitter, which caused quite a stir.
”Unfortunately with all the negativity people choose to send on twitter as well as threats to their own well being I’m sad to say Twitter is no longer for me,” Jennifer wrote in 2013.
Since starting her career in 1989, Jennifer Love Hewitt has embarked on an incredible transformation journey, both physically and emotionally.
Unfortunately, she has also experienced the downsides of Hollywood, celebrity status, and objectification by tabloids. Some online media outlets went too far and made some really derogatory and harsh comments when bikini photos of Jennifer were leaked, highlighting her weight gain. Some of these outlets commented on her bikini pictures, saying things like “I know what you ate last summer.”
Jennifer could handle the tough comments, but she worried about how the pictures and headlines were impacting other girls struggling with their body image.
In a powerful response, she directed a message to all the ”girls with butts, boobs, hips and a waist” and instructed them to “put on a bikini, put it on, and stay strong”.
The Ghost Whisperer star encouraged them to proudly wear a bikini, stay strong, and embrace themselves as they are. Jennifer has gone through several weight journeys, sought the help of personal trainers, and strives to live a healthy lifestyle.
Today, she “never looks at the scale” and she doesn’t count calories. The 90’s star looks healthier than ever and remains active on social media and regularly shares updates about herself on her Instagram and Facebook accounts.
In 2020, following a three-year hiatus, Hewitt returned to work with “renewed energy and vigor,” appearing in the TV series 9-1-1, that follows the lives of first responders.
Starring as Maddie Buckley, a former nurse turned 911 operator, the show–now in its eighth season–gave Hewitt a platform to develop her profile, from one where she was earlier typecast as a symbol, to a mature, seasoned actor.
“I also feel like I have new things to pull from as an actress that I didn’t have before. I think it’s so odd as actors that we, especially kid actors, which I was, we’re expected to pull from all these life experiences that so many of us haven’t had,” Hewitt told the LA Times. “I feel like I acted for a lot of years from my heart, but not really, truly understanding some of the things that I understand now.”
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 25 years since we fell in love with Jennifer Love Hewitt’s infectious smile on Party of Five!
As the mother of three, it’s great she’s found the balance between work and family life, and we look forward to seeing her in even more mature roles in the future!
Late Cloris Leachman met her only beloved husband, George Englund, through his sister Patsy. Leachman was fond of her future sister-in-law because she was not easily intimidated by those in authority and was a straightforward person.
Veteran actress Cloris Leachman met her only spouse George Englund in 1950. The couple was introduced by Englund’s sister Patricia, affectionately known as Patsy.
Leachman and Patsy co-starred in the Broadway “As You Like It” at the time, and she played Celia. The two ladies shared a dressing room.
The eight-time Emmy Award winner revealed why she loved his sister so much in her autobiography titled “Cloris Leachman with George Englund.” Leachman explained the fellow actress earned her respect when one afternoon, they went out for lunch and got back to the theater a few minutes later:
“Karl Nielsen, our very military stage manager, immediately reprimanded us and gave us a terse lecture on our responsibility to be on time. Patsy, unintimidated, spoke up, ‘Karl, you are absolutely right. It won’t ever happen again.’”
Leachman said that’s all it took, and the case was closed, adding the “Last Wish” star was laudable in many ways. She even wondered if Patsy had a brother.
Thankfully for her, she did. On one evening, her brother George, including their stepfather Ken Englund and their pal Herb Sargent walked toward her and Patsy.
On another evening, George came backstage, “and the car I was driving suddenly changed lanes,” said Leachman, adding that they became husband and wife not long after.
The comedienne retold the story to FilmFestival.com in 2017 and revealed she and George, a film director, first crossed paths after she moved to New York City in the 1950s:
“I was in a play called ‘As You Like It’ on Broadway for a year with Katharine Hepburn. It was there that I met George Englund, whose sister was in the play.”
The pair lived together for four years and decided to make things official by walking down the aisle in April 1953. That same year, the newlyweds welcomed their first child, Adam. Leachman and George had four more kids, George Jr., Dinah, Morgan, and their late son Bryan.
George was born in June 1926 to actress Mabel Albertson and Harold Austin Ripley. He was named George Howe Ripley at birth, but that changed when his parents divorced. His mother remarried and wed Ken, a screenwriter who adopted him and his sister Patsy.
Per the LA Times, the Washington D.C native studied at Black-Foxe Military Institute and earned an English and Philosophy degree. George also took part in sports as the captain of the basketball and tennis teams.
Like his wife, the film editor was also a Hollywood star. But as an actor, he had only appeared in a few films and TV shows. George’s main focus was being a screenwriter, a producer, and a director.
He assisted in creating “The Eddie Fisher Show,” including credits in movies such as “The Ugly American,” “See How She Runs,” “Dark of the Sun,” and “The Streets of LA.”
As a family man, George was hardly home because of work. Sometimes he was gone for weeks, leaving his wife with the housekeeper and their brood. That led to him and Leachman being at loggerheads with each other.
The Iowa native revealed when her husband came home; that he would be surprised at why things they agreed on were undone. Wondering why the kids seemed unkempt and, in some ways, uncared for. Leachman added:
“If there was one giant source of stress between us, it was, and I’m sure always will be, how the children should be raised. George feels our disagreement about it was what kept us separated so much of the time.”
The couple lived on Beverly Glen Boulevard, two doors away from George’s mother, so they saw her daily. When Mabel and her son talked about him getting a stable job, she pointed out that he was overly impatient.
The actress suggested he get a job as a television stage manager and work his way up. George told her that he did not want to be a stage manager:
“Muth, I’ve done that. I did my apprenticeship in New York. I don’t want to be a stage manager. I want to be a producer and director.”
Meanwhile, his spouse was happy to be a mom on-and-off screen, saying nothing could top that experience. But the issues the couple had still lingered. “George and I had a conflict about the same old thing, how the children should be raised,” said Leachman.
She starred in the 1954 drama series “Lassie” at the time, which aired for 19 seasons. All the while, George’s co-star actress Joan Collins allegedly had an eye on him.
After Leachman exited the show while still in the dark about her husband’s relations with Collins, she took her kids and visited her sister Mary in Darien, Connecticut. She explained, “I was concerned about the boys, who were now aged one and half, three, and four and a half.
Life in Darien was good for Leachman and her children. They were warmly welcomed with open arms by Mary and her husband Bob Castle, a vice president of the J. Walter Thompson Company, an advertising agency. She stated
:
“They welcomed my boys, and Bob was a loving surrogate father. Life was so appealing. I bought a little house nearby for fifteen thousand dollars, and the boys and I moved in.”
While she had found a new life with her children, her spouse was full-time in New York and would visit. One night, he came over, and Leachman conceived. Soon after, she got a call to go to Los Angeles to do a television show.
Leachman had to leave instantly, and George offered to pick up his sons and bring them back with him to LA. While filming for the TV show, the “Raising Hope” alum had to run, jump and run around repeatedly.
The rehearsal put a lot of strain on Leachman, who became exhausted, and because of her pregnancy, she was in an unfavorable position.
She then began staining and later started to bleed every few minutes. “Something akin to a large liver came out of me. George took me to the hospital. I had a miscarriage,” Leachman explained.
The daunting experience severely affected her emotionally, and she was heartbroken over it. When Leachman arrived home, she was frail and torn.
While away for work in New York, George called her. Leachman divulged, “there was an urgency in his voice, ‘Babe,’ he said, ‘you have to come back. The children need you.’”
She then went back to Darien to visit and spent the weekend with Mary and her spouse. The Hollywood starlet was worn out when she went back to New York, and in a few weeks, her health did not improve. “I was anemic and sad and lifeless,” said Leachman.
One night, she called George telling him how much she missed everyone and needed to see her children. He understood her situation and assured him that he would send the kids to see her or bring them himself.
Leachman was grateful for his unwavering support, but she was not ready to see her brood no matter how much she missed them. Instead, she wanted to take it day by day until she felt better, and George agreed.
Two nights later, while standing in the wings about to perform on stage, Leachman saw a newspaper Helen Hayes had been reading with the headline: “Joan Collins Should Get An Oscar For The Love Scene She Played With George Englund Last Night.”
Upon glancing at it, she went blank from reading but managed to get through her performance. Three nights later, at 4:00 a.m. Leachman received a call from Collins.
“Cloris, this is Joan. George just left here. We see each other every day. I’m in love with him. What do you want to do about that?” she asked.
Leachman shared she was sleepy and perplexed by what she had just heard and responded: “I don’t know. I’m not sure what the choices are. Do you think you two can make a go of it?”
Collins answered yes while saying she loved George. She noted that he loved Leachman too. Under heavy emotions, Collins dropped the phone without hanging up, and Leachman could hear her throw up in the background.
When George learned what his mistress had done, he was furious. Though he and Leachman did not have a confrontation about his affair, his main concern was his wife’s stability and that of the family.
In her autobiography, Leachman also revealed that she had flings of her own while married to the author. She secretly dated stars such as Gene Hackman and Andy Williams.
Surprisingly, the “Phyllis” star admitted that she suspected George was cheating on her and deemed the circumstances a “somewhat open marriage.”
Nonetheless, when Leachman finally finished up with work in the play “A Touch of the Poet,” she returned to LA in a reduced state. She had no idea what would become of her union with George and felt guilty that she was away from her children for so long.
“Physically, I was still anemic,” Leachman explained. When she arrived at the airport, she found George and the kids waiting for her, and what she saw was an unhappy and curious group:
“Adam was off by himself, fifteen feet away from the others. He was looking down, his eyes hooded. Bryan was standing beside George, and George held baby George in his arms.”
Leachman revealed George Jr. kept asking where his mother was while standing right in front of him. He did not recognize her. Before Leachman left for New York, she and her brood had moved from the little house on Beverly Glen, next to her mother-in-law, onto Comstock Avenue in West Los Angeles.
But the family of six only lived there for a year, and she and George separated. He then moved to an English cottage above the Sunset Strip.
When George filmed 1963’s “The Ugly American,” he wanted the kids to go along with him to Thailand, and Leachman had to tag along to take care of their boys while on the trip. He wanted their children to experience different countries and their cultures, and it was important to him:
“George and I had discussions about it, and ultimately, we faced the obvious. I was the best one to go. We made a pact that under no circumstances would we fight during this trip.”
Leachman shared they both understood the responsibilities he had as a producer for the movie and being a first-time director, realizing it could be a good opportunity for his career.
The family had the experience of a lifetime while on the work trip. They visited fascinating places all over Bangkok. Every morning, they explored the city when they left the hotel in a samlor, a three-wheeled pedicab peddled by a young Thai man.
Apart from taking care of the kids, Leachman also ensured her estranged spouse was well-taken care of. She brought him juice when he was shooting outdoors, and he thought she did a marvelous job at it:
“An outstanding wife and a wonderful companion throughout the whole adventure.”
Seeing the couple had promised to be civil with each other; made all the difference. Not once did the pair have conflict while in a foreign land. On the other hand, George had broken up with Collins, who then moved on with actor Warren Beatty.
Leachman and George decided to fight for their marriage, and when they got back home, they purchased a house in Brentwood Park and moved in as a family.
During that period, they welcomed their fourth son, Morgan. Their only daughter, Dinah, arrived in January 1966. However, after 26 years of marriage with five kids, Leachman and George divorced in December 1978.
Helen Mirren has definitely earned a legion of fans throughout her more than 50-year career as an actress, and her commitment to ageing naturally has garnered her even more popularity.
Mirren started off in the entertainment industry as a theater actress, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company before making her debut on London’s West End in 1975.
Though, the now-78-year-old didn’t become a household name until later on in her life – she was 35 when she landed her breakout role as a gangster’s girlfriend in ‘The Long Good Friday’ (1980), opposite Bob Hoskins.
Having focused on her career for much of her adult life, finding the right partner and having children wasn’t on Mirren’s radar… Until she met her now-husband – US film director Taylor Hackford.
“I was 38 when I met Taylor, pretty late in life,” she stated in a 2016 AARP interview, recalling how the director had kept her waiting for an audition when they first met. When she eventually landed the part, the pair got to know each other and their relationship grew from there.
Eventually, Mirren and Hackford were able to bond over their similar working class upbringings (her mother was a working class woman whose own family came from a long line of butchers, while Mirren’s father was a Russian aristocrat who escaped to the UK during the Russian Revolution and became a cab driver to support his family).
The future spouses also bonded over their love for traveling, and apparently had a similar view on storytelling, both being in the entertainment industry.
Even though Hackford’s two children from previous marriages supported Mirren’s union with their father, this didn’t change her stance on becoming a mother herself. Though, she did explain that she found Hackford’s dedication to being the best parent to his children rather endearing.
The pair eventually married in 1997, after they came to the realization that they knew they would be together forever. At that point, they’d been together for over a decade.
Fast forward to 2008, and Mirren went viral for an image her husband snapped of her at the beach… Something that stunned fans and even the legendary actress herself!
The married couple had been on a romantic Italian beach vacation when they trekked to a secluded beach spot to take in the breathtaking views in private.
She recalled how she took a photo of her husband and then, in return, he snapped a quick pic of her. Though, Mirren said that the moment she sucked in her stomach when posing, she saw a small flash in the distance and crouched down on the rocks to hide from the apparent paparazzo.
When Mirren’s husband turned around, he couldn’t see the paparazzo, and said his wife was just being “paranoid”. Though, sure enough, the photo taken of Mirren in a red bikini was posted by a tabloid and went viral everywhere.
A few years later the actress told Ellen DeGeneres on the latter’s talk show that the image was just a fluke, saying: “I look at that picture and say, god, I wish I look like that. But I don’t.”
Years later, people are still stunned by the image of Mirren, who was 63 years old at the time it was taken – with many people on the internet commenting that they don’t look half as good as her despite being decades younger!
In 2014, the Oscar winner spoke about the image just before her 68th birthday, telling People: “The truth is I don’t really look that good, it was just a flattering picture.”
She added: “I am beyond the bikini-wearing age, really. I wouldn’t normally wear one. I look like a woman in her 60s. I’ve always looked awful in a bikini, even when I was young.”
Joan Van Ark rose to fame as Valene Ewing on Dallas, but foremost the spinoff series Knots Landing. The actress reprised her role in 2012 for one episode, and today, she’s happily married to her high school sweetheart with whom she’s had one daughter.
Van Ark has gotten older, but the 78-year-old is still going strong. This is all you need to know about Joan Van Ark’s life – and why she claims that the downfall of Knots Landing was all her fault.
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Joan Van Ark was born on June 16, 1943, in New York City, New York, as one of four children of Dorothy Jean Van Ark and Carroll Van Ark. She and her family moved to Boulder, Colorado when she was 7 years old, and later in her career, the change of setting helped her plenty.
Joan Van Ark – early life & career
Even though her parents – with her mother working as a writer and her father in public relations – never worked in the film business, Van Ark knew from the start that she wanted to become an actress.
She told We Love Soaps that when the quarterback of her high school football team didn’t invite her to prom, Joan decided that she was to work in show business.
“That developed more in Boulder. I auditioned for a play at the Community Playhouse. The quarterback on the football team didn’t ask me to the prom, so I said, ‘Screw boys,’ and went and auditioned for a play,” Joan Van Ark recalled.
“I didn’t get the part I auditioned for but got the flower girl and the bug bit. I did a monologue as my audition, and you could hear a pin drop. They complimented me so much I said, ‘Who needs guys?’
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While performing in Denver, Van Ark met actress Julie Harris while interviewing her for a local newspaper, and the actress persuaded her to study acting and drama at the Yale Drama School.
As a result, Van Ark became the youngest student ever to receive a scholarship to the well-respected school and the second woman ever to enroll. The first woman was Julie Harris, who helped Van Ark into the school.
“She wrote to the dean and asked him to meet me. Long story short, my parents drove me to New Haven, Connecticut, to meet the dean, who gave me a scholarship,” she recalled.” It was meant to be.”
Valene Ewing on ‘Dallas’ and ‘Knots Landing’
Van Ark began her professional career at the Minneapolis Guthrie Theater, where she starred in The Miser by Moliere. After working about a year at the Arena Stage in Washington DC, she moved down to work with the national touring company Barefoot in the Park in 1963, which led to her Broadway debut. In 1971, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play after starring in The School for Wives.
At that point, Joan Van Ark had begun working in front of a screen rather than on stage. She appeared on television series including Temperature’s Rising, Spider-Woman, and Days of Our Lives and even in one episode of Bonanza.
Even though Joan Van Ark wasn’t short of jobs, she was still looking for her significant breakthrough role as the 1980s approached. In 1978, she made several appearances as Valene Ewing on Dallas – which led her to the role of a lifetime.
Knots Landing – a spinoff of Dallas – premiered in 1979, and Joan Van Ark reprised her role as Valene Ewing. She starred in 327 episodes – acting alongside Michele Lee as Karen and Ted Schakleford as Gary – and became a massive star.
Even though it was a spinoff of Dallas – about the rotten but wealthy Ewing Clan – it was initially brought to CBS years before.
However, the network wanted a “big rich family” show, and Dallas got picked as the one. But later on, Knots Landing became a massive success as the studio realized how big of a show Dallas had grown into, and after only one season, it rose into the top 20 in TV ratings.
How Joan Van Ark almost missed out on her biggest role
Knots Landing became the story of Gary Ewing and his wife Valene – played by Van Ark – and how they decided to start a new life in Knots Landing.
However, Van Ark almost missed out on the part of Valene Ewing. She explained that she had a “three-way clash” where she did TheLove Boat simultaneously, as well as a commercial in New York.
In the end, it was her husband – John Marshall, who we will come back to in a minute – that persuaded her into choosing Dallas. And it was a significant – and important – decision.
“I got the call asking me to do a guest appearance in this show called Dallas, which was attracting a lot of buzz, but I said to my husband, ‘John, why should I even read this script? I can’t be in three places at once,’” she told Express. “Then he read it and said, ‘No, you’ve got to do it. It looks wonderful.’”
“So basically, he talked me into a schedule that had me in LA one day, then flying to Dallas for two days, followed by two days in New York and then back to Texas. But looking at this old cast photo from Knots Landing – the spinoff from Dallas – I’m so glad I listened to him,” she added.
Dallas and Knots Landing became a 15-year commitment for Van Ark, who became identified by her role. As earlier mentioned, she and Julie Harris had quite a history – and in 1980, they met again.
“I could stay forever on the show and be safe”
Harris was cast in Knots Landing as the mother of Van Arks’ character, and for the actress, it was almost too good to be true.
“When the producers told me they had finally last someone to play my mother, I held my breath,” she recalled in a 1984 interview with Florida Today.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, are they going to say Phyllis Diller or Zsa Zsa Gabor, or who?’ Then they said it was Julie Harris, and I went right through the roof. I couldn’t believe they had picked her to be my mother. They didn’t even know we were friends.”
Joan Van Ark stayed for 13 seasons and 327 episodes on the show. Then in 1993, just one season after she left, Knots Landing was canceled. But the reason for Joan leaving wasn’t that she didn’t like it. Instead, it was all about her trying on new challenges.
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“I could stay forever on the show and be safe,” Van Ark told the Los Angeles Times in 1992.
“But three years ago, I did Night of the Iguana in Williamstown (Mass.), and I had a quote from Tennessee Williams taped on my mirror, taken from an essay he’d written on success. It said, and I’m paraphrasing here: ‘Security is in the shape of a kidney-shaped pool in Los Angeles, where you sit waiting for your residual checks.’ I was in a comfortable spot on Knots, and an artist should not be comfortable.”
At the same time, the television series became a huge part of Van Ark’s life. So even though she felt comfortable leaving, it was a tough blow since she thought it would be easier.
Blamed herself for ‘Knots Landing’ cancelation
“I have loved more than life the 13 years I’ve had on that show,” she said. “[Knots Landing creator] David Jacobs is a great influence on my life, has taught me so much about so many things. Ted [Shackelford] is the other half of every breath I take on the show, and personally, he’s a large part of my heart. The people are my family–we have shared marriages, deaths, divorces. It’s far more difficult to leave than I thought.”
The show didn’t quite work without the great chemistry between characters Valen and Gary. In fact, Joan took the blame for the show being shut down.
“Well, it was my fault. I jumped over to NBC to do a pilot which did not sell,” she said. “I was so ready to go, after fourteen years with the one lady, so I auditioned for the pilot, and they cast me. It wasn’t as cleanly negotiated as it should have been. When the pilot didn’t sell, they asked me back, and I did do the four-hour finale of the show.”
Joan Van Ark left the soap opera business behind but continued to star in many television series. She had minor parts in television series, including Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and starred in some television movies. Between 2004 and 2005, Joan appeared as Gloria Fisher in 55 episodes of the hugely successful television drama The Young and The Restless.
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Joan Van Ark – marriage, husband, children
It’s common for celebrities in Hollywood to marry other celebrities, and show-biz marriages don’t always last very long.
But that wasn’t the case for Joan Van Ark, who met the love of her life back in high school. She met her husband, John Marshall, while the two were students in Boulder. In 1966, the couple married on a military base in Germany.
“Believe me, it was nothing like the marriages [Valene Ewing] has gone through,” she told UPI.
In 1969, they welcomed daughter Vanessa Marshall, who also chose a career in entertainment. She became a well-known voice-over artist and actually gave up on her on-camera acting career. Instead, Vanessa Marshall has lent her voice to animated films, television series, and several video games.
John Marshall went on to become an Emmy newsman, working on KNBC-TV and NBC. He’s had a flourishing career just as his wife Joan, and while the couple was working hard to make it in their respective fields, Vanessa was growing up.
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For Van Ark, becoming a mother while trying to navigate through the business was tough. And she gives credit to her husband, John, for keeping the family together during those stressful years.
“He is the reason we have the most wonderful daughter in the world and that the marriage has stayed strong,” Van Ark told The Leader-Post in 1988. “I feel I am the committed person who can’t give up time for this or that.”
“He did not want to miss watching Venessa grow up, and he did not want to miss me,” she added. “He knows correspondents live out of suitcases. John made career choices I didn’t agree with because if it had been me, I would have packed my bags, and I would have been waiving at the airport.”
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Joan Van Ark – net worth
Besides her acting job, Joan Van Ark has a great interest in running. The 78-year-old has completed several marathons and explained she’s running instead of going to a psychologist. However, when it comes to her husband, she stated that she would never go on a run with him.
Why? Because “it’s the quickest way to a divorce that I know of. You’re always criticizing the other’s style,” Joan said.
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In the last decade, Joan Van Ark has continued to work on stage in several productions for theater and starring in television series and movies such as Watercolor Postcards and Psycho Wedding Crasher. But she will always be most remembered for her magnificent spell on Dallas and Knots Landing.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Joan Van Ark has a net worth of around $10 million.
Joan Van Ark attends The Hollywood Show held at Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport on July 01, 2023 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
What do you think of Joan Van Ark and her performances in Dallas and Knots Landing? Give us your opinion in the comment section.
Meanwhile, share this article if you also would like to see more of Joan’s performances in the near future!
Malia Obama, daughter of former POTUS and FLOTUS Barack and Michelle Obama, is now a grown woman who is slowly forging a new path for herself – and she’s even decided to change her name.
The 25-year-old recently showcased her directorial debut, The Heart, at the Sundance Film Festival.
Interestingly, the film’s credits notably didn’t include her family surname.
President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and daughters Malia (L) and Sasha (R) pictured at the White House in 2015. Credit: Pete Souza / The White House / Getty.
Born Malia Ann Obama on July 4, 1998, her middle name pays tribute to her paternal grandmother, who succumbed to ovarian cancer at 52 in 1995. Growing up in the limelight as the President’s daughter and graduating from Harvard, Malia opted to explore a career in screenwriting.
In her latest project, The Heart, where Malia assumes the roles of director and screenwriter, she adopted the pseudonym Malia Ann. Making a striking appearance on the festival’s red carpet earlier this year, Malia enjoyed the premiere of her movie.
Though, this venture into filmmaking isn’t Malia’s inaugural foray into the industry. In 2021, she contributed to the writing team for the series Swarm, which later streamed on Amazon Prime. With notable cast members such as Billie Eilish and Rory Culkin, Swarm marked a promising start to her professional journey.
Malia Ann Obama attends the ‘The Heart’ premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Credit: Dia Dipasupil / Getty.
“Some of her pitches were wild as hell, and they were just so good and so funny. She’s an incredible writer,” Swarm co-creator Janine Nabers told E! Online about Malia’s talent. “She brought a lot to the table… She’s really, really dedicated to her craft.”
Despite her prominent lineage, executive producer of Swarm Stephen Glover was quick to say that Malia was treated no differently from other members of the creative team.
“We can’t be easy on her just because she’s the [former] President’s daughter,” he admitted to Vanity Fair. “Nah, she’s very down to earth and cool. So, it’s not a problem at all.”
Credit: Dia Dipasupil / Getty.
Proud parents Barack and Michelle Obama have openly expressed their pride in Malia, showering her with affectionate birthday wishes on her recent 25th birthday.
“Happy birthday to this talented, hilarious, and beautiful young woman,” Barack wrote on Instagram. “Malia, I hope 25 brings you everything you’re looking for and more.”
Michelle echoed her husband’s words, posting: “Happy birthday, Malia! I feel so lucky to be your mom and to be able to watch you become the wonderful young woman you are today. Love you so much! ”
From Malia Obama to Malia Ann, from the President’s daughter to a budding Hollywood screenwriter and director, it’s clear that there is a bright future ahead!
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