Gossip

Cory Monteith, who starred as the musical jock Finn Hudson on Fox’s hit TV show Glee, was found dead last week of a drug overdose in a Vancouver hotel room. Monteith, 31, had long struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and had completed a trip to rehab earlier this year. Post-mortem tests revealed he died of “mixed-drug toxicity involving heroin and alcohol.’’ Monteith starred opposite real-life girlfriend Lea Michele in the show, which is beginning production on its fifth season. Michele was said to be “inconsolable,’’ but thanked fans for their support.

King of Queens star Leah Remini has left the Church of Scientology. The actress, 43, had been among the church’s most prominent members, but the New York Post reported that she had fallen out with the church’s powerful leader, David Miscavige. The rift began in 2006 after an argument at Tom Cruise’s wedding to Katie Holmes, according to former church elder Mike Rinder, who has since become a fierce critic of Scientology. Remini made the mistake of asking after Miscavige’s wife, Shelly, who has not been seen in public since 2007. An aide to Miscavige allegedly told Remini, “You don’t have the f---ing rank to ask about Shelly.” Remini was then subjected to years of “interrogations” and attempted “thought modification,” said the Post, and decided enough was enough. Scientology denied all of Remini’s allegations.

Actress and former Playboy playmate Jenny McCarthy was named a new host of ABC’s morning show The View this week, to replace departing conservative host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. McCarthy’s hiring was greeted with alarm by health-care experts, who fear she’ll use the popular talk show to promote her belief that vaccinations cause autism. McCarthy’s claim that her son’s autism was caused by pediatric vaccines “spread fear among young parents, which has lead to an increased number of children who have not received life-saving vaccines,” said Amy Pisani, executive director of Every Child By Two, a pro-immunization group. Multiple scientific studies have concluded that childhood vaccines do not cause autism.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up