Gossip

TV personality Julie Chen admitted last week she had plastic surgery early in her career to make her eyes appear larger and less Asian. The former news anchor, now a co-host of CBS’s The Talk, opted to undergo eye surgery in her 20s after a local TV executive in Dayton, Ohio, refused to let her anchor, saying her Chinese eyes made her look “disinterested and bored” on camera. Chen had her eyelids surgically altered soon afterward, and went on to become an anchor at CBS Morning News. Chen, who is now married to CBS chairman Les Moonves, said she felt that society pressured her into the decision—“I wondered, did I give in to the man?”—but insisted, “No one’s more proud of being Chinese than I am.”

Katherine Heigl has damaged her career by earning a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most difficult actors, says The Hollywood Reporter. The former star of TV’s Grey’s Anatomy ascended to Hollywood’s A-list after starring in the hit comedy Knocked Up, but the industry has since soured on her “exceptionally difficult behavior and demands,” said the Reporter. “She can cost you time every single day of shooting,” one insider alleged. “Wardrobe issues, not getting out of the trailer, questioning the script every single day.” Another source said that while Heigl is very talented, she’s now widely seen as “not worth it.’’ Heigl did not comment on the report, but Patrick Wilson, her co-star in upcoming film North of Hell, defended her as a “great person to work with.”

Paula Deen received a 10-minute standing ovation in Houston last week, during her first public appearance since the scandal that appeared to end her television career. The Southern chef broke down in tears at a cooking show as the audience welcomed her with cheers and clapping. “These are tears of joy, y’all,” she said. “You are forgiving folks with hearts as big as your state.” Deen was fired by the Food Network in June, after admitting that she had used racial slurs in the past.

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