The daily gossip: Bill Cosby released from prison, Allison Mack sentenced to prison, and more

Today's top entertainment and celebrity news

Bill Cosby.
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1. Bill Cosby released from prison after conviction overturned

Bill Cosby was released from prison on Wednesday after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction. The comedian was sentenced to between three and 10 years behind bars after being convicted of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. But on Wednesday, the court said an agreement he had with a previous prosecutor prevented him from being charged, and within a few hours, Cosby was already back home. Two of his accusers spoke out against the news, with Janice Baker Kinney telling ABC she was "shocked" by it, while Victoria Valentino said, "My stomach is lurching and I am deeply distressed about the injustice of the whole thing."

2. Cosby Show costar celebrates Cosby's release, gets slammed as 'rape apologist'

Clair Huxtable weighed in on Bill Cosby's prison release on Twitter, and let's just say it makes sense she turned replies off. Phylicia Rashad, who played the wife of Cosby's character on The Cosby Show, drew fire after celebrating his prison release, declaring, "FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted — a miscarriage of justice is corrected!" The West Wing star Joshua Malina slammed her as a "rape apologist," and critics were quick to note she was appointed dean of Howard University's College of Fine Arts in May. "Phylicia's response here is not surprising," reporter Victoria M. Walker wrote, "but it is disappointing, given her role as an academic dean charged with the welfare of her students, some of whom will be survivors."

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3. Allison Mack gets 3 years in prison

Meanwhile, Smallville star Allison Mack is headed to prison for three years for her role in a sex cult. The actress received a three-year sentence on Wednesday after she pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors alleged she recruited women to a supposed mentorship group in the organization NXIVM that engaged in sex trafficking and whose victims were "exploited, both sexually and for their labor." Mack apologized for "to those of you that I brought into NXIVM," saying, "I am sorry I ever exposed you to the nefarious and emotionally abusive schemes of a twisted man," NXIVM founder Keith Raniere. Raniere himself was previously sentenced to 120 years in prison.

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4. The Weeknd is headed to the small screen

Following his minor roles Uncut Gems and American Dad!, The Weeknd is committing to an entire series. The singer is set to star in The Idol, an HBO drama from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson that The Weeknd will co-write and executive produce. "The series follows a female pop singer who starts a romance with an enigmatic L.A. club owner who is the leader of a secret cult," Deadline reports, though details on The Weeknd's character haven't been released. Perhaps the year he spent performing as his After Hours character was just a warm-up.

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5. Ryan Gosling is not an Instagram husband

He may be a dream husband, but an Instagram husband Ryan Gosling is not. Eva Mendes revealed Gosling doesn't take any of the photos she posts to social media. "My friends take them and I take theirs. It's a girl thang," she told a fan. While he might not be behind the camera, you will find occasional snaps of Gosling on Mendes' Insta. But she noted in early 2020 it's important for her to keep her kids and husband private, so don't expect never-before-seen pics of or by Gosling. If you are looking for celebrity Instagram husband husband content, try Chrissy Teigen, Beyoncé, or Michelle Obama's pages.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.