The daily gossip: Jim Carrey is 'probably' retiring, comedian Jerrod Carmichael comes out as gay before hosting SNL, and more
Today's top entertainment and celebrity news
- 1. Jim Carrey is 'probably' retiring from acting
- 2. Comedian Jerrod Carmichael comes out as gay before hosting 'SNL'
- 3. Did Oscars producer Will Packer lie on 'GMA' about The Slap?
- 4. Andrew Lloyd Webber had the only good April Fools' Day joke this year
- 5. Will Olivia Rodrigo pull a Billie Eilish at the Grammys this weekend?
1. Jim Carrey is 'probably' retiring from acting
Somebody stop him! Jim Carrey says he's "probably" retiring from acting, meaning his final film role ever might be Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. "Well, I'm retiring," Carrey told Access Hollywood. "Yeah, probably. I'm being fairly serious." The 60-year-old actor apparently plans to take the George W. Bush route going forward, explaining he likes living a "quiet life" and "putting paint on canvas." He added, "This is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists: I have enough. I've done enough. I am enough." That being said, Carrey didn't sound super firm in this commitment, and he suggested he could come out of retirement "if the angels bring some sort of script that's written in gold ink that says to me that it's going to be really important for people to see." Well in that case, we'll see you back for Sonic the Hedgehog 3!
2. Comedian Jerrod Carmichael comes out as gay before hosting 'SNL'
Comedian Jerrod Carmichael is debuting a new comedy special tonight on the eve of hosting Saturday Night Live, and he uses it as a platform to officially come out as gay. In the special, "Rothaniel," Carmichael reportedly recounts a story about catching his father cheating. "After that was out in the open, I was left alone feeling like a liar, because I had a secret," he says, according to Variety. "One that I kept from my father, my mother, my family, my friends, and you. Professionally, personally. And the secret is that I'm gay." According to Variety, the revelation is followed by silence and then claps from the audience, which appears to leave Carmichael feeling relieved. "I thought I'd never, ever come out," he says. "At many points I thought I'd rather die than confront the truth of that, to actually say it to people. Because I know it changes some people's perceptions of me." But now, he says he feels "freer." The comedian, who created NBC's The Carmichael Show, will make his SNL hosting debut tomorrow after his special airs tonight on HBO.
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3. Did Oscars producer Will Packer lie on 'GMA' about The Slap?
So, this is not going well. The team behind this year's Oscars has been accused of lying about the Will Smith slap debacle for a second consecutive day. On Friday's Good Morning America, Oscars producer Will Packer claimed Will Smith was not removed from the ceremony after slapping Chris Rock because Rock himself didn't want him to be. "They were about to physically remove Will Smith," Packer said. "I immediately went to the Academy leadership that was on site, and I said, 'Chris Rock doesn't want that.'" Yet TMZ alleges "that's a lie," citing sources close to Rock who claim "he was never asked if he wanted Will removed" at all. The Academy was already accused of lying by claiming Smith was "asked to leave the ceremony and refused" when reports later said he was not formally asked to go. How much worse can the Academy make this situation? And will we ever be able to leave this story behind us? Tune in on Monday for Slapgate Week Two!
4. Andrew Lloyd Webber had the only good April Fools' Day joke this year
It's official: Andrew Lloyd Webber is the only person still permitted to do April Fools' Day pranks in 2022. The legendary composer declared Friday it's "about time I wrote something new," so he shared the opening number for his alleged new musical … Dogs. "After the Cats movie, I've moved on," he says before playing the song, which contains such award-worthy lyrics as, "Dogs, I'm talking of dogs! Not kangaroos, not centipedes or frogs, I'm talking of dogs!" Like the rest of the world, Webber famously despised the film adaptation of Cats — so much so that it actually made him buy a dog. "Cats was off-the-scale all wrong," he told Variety last year. "There wasn't really any understanding of why the music ticked at all. I saw it and I just thought, 'Oh, God, no.'" With that in mind, we're honestly not 100 percent sure he's joking despite today's date. Who's up for more digital fur technology in the Dogs movie?
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5. Will Olivia Rodrigo pull a Billie Eilish at the Grammys this weekend?
It might be a brutal night for anyone not named Olivia Rodrigo at Sunday's Grammys. Rodrigo is nominated for her massively popular debut album Sour and the hit song "Drivers License," and she could become only the third artist in history to win all four major awards in the same year: Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year. She'd be following in the footsteps of Christopher Cross, who did so in 1981, and Billie Eilish, who did so in 2020. The biggest threat to Rodrigo's sweep might be Eilish, who could take Album of the Year prize for Happier Than Ever, and Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett's Love for Sale is another strong contender. Rodrigo, Eilish, and Gaga are all set to perform, but Kanye West isn't due to his disturbing social media posts. After looking at the Oscars' ratings bump, though, don't be surprised if the Grammys try to out-slap the slap with a WrestleMania style Kanye West vs. Pete Davidson showdown.
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.
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