The daily gossip: Kelly Ripa had to work out of a janitor's closet, Selena Gomez was supposed to be bi on Wizards of Waverly Place, and more

1. Kelly Ripa had to work out of a janitor's closet at 'Live' for years

Listen up, Morning Show writers: Kelly Ripa is out here spilling the tea and providing tons of free material. Speaking to Variety, the Live with Kelly and Ryan host revealed ABC wouldn't give her a permanent backstage office for years, so even though "there were empty offices that I could have easily occupied," she was "working in the janitor's closet with a desk." After Regis Philbin left and Ripa became the show's main host, she was allegedly still told she couldn't have a real office because it was being saved for "the new guy," so she "forced" her way into one. Ripa also revealed she didn't initially have paid vacation time or maternity leave, and she wasn't given a private bathroom in the show's early years despite Philbin having one, forcing her to share a public bathroom with audience members and "wait in line" with them — even when she was pregnant. Who knew Live was once run by Harry Potter's uncle?

Variety

2. Selena Gomez's 'Wizards of Waverly Place' character was supposed to be bisexual, showrunner reveals

Release the Stalex cut! Selena Gomez's character on the Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place was meant to be bisexual, but the writers couldn't make this explicit, showrunner Peter Murrieta has revealed. On the Wizards of Waverly Pod podcast, Murrieta was asked about storylines he wishes he could have explored on the show, and he knew his answer immediately. "I wished we could have played more with what was quite obvious to a lot of us, [which] was the relationship between Stevie and Alex," Murrieta said, referring to the characters played by Hayley Kiyoko and Gomez, respectively. They became friends in the third season, but Murrieta explained that although it was "pretty clear to all of us" that they were actually more than that, the writers weren't "able to" make this more obvious "in that time." Adjust your headcanon accordingly — and "Stalex" shippers, enjoy the victory lap.

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Wizards of Waverly Pod

3. Emily Ratajkowski reportedly 'begging' Olivia Wilde for forgiveness after kissing Harry Styles

It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss! Emily Ratajkowski is "begging" her friend Olivia Wilde "for forgiveness" after making out with Wilde's ex-boyfriend, Harry Styles, Page Six reports. The model was recently spotted publicly smooching Styles in Tokyo in a video obtained by the Daily Mail. This came about four months after the end of his relationship with Wilde, who he infamously worked with on Don't Worry Darling. It also came weeks after Ratajkowski and Wilde were spotting hanging out at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, and fans noted that they danced side-by-side at a Styles concert last year. "This is a betrayal," a source told Page Six, while a source told Us Weekly that seeing Ratajkowski and Styles together "upsets" Wilde, who is "trying not to be jealous because she is moving on as well." Ratajkowski, meanwhile, is presently preparing for battle against Styles' League of Evil Exes.

Page Six Us Weekly

4. Ryan Coogler is apparently working on a new 'X-Files'

Ryan Coogler tackling The X-Files? We want to believe. X-Files creator Chris Carter appeared to casually reveal on On the Coast With Gloria Macarenko that the Black Panther director is working on bringing back the classic sci-fi series. "I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount The X-Files with a diverse cast," Carter said. It was a strangely offhanded remark considering Coogler's involvement in an X-Files project would be a pretty big deal and hasn't previously been reported, though an animated comedy series called The X-Files: Albuquerque was announced in 2020. "He's got his work cut out for him because we covered so much territory," Carter said of Coogler. He provided no other information, so it's not clear whether this would be a full reboot or something set in the universe of the original series, nor did Carter clarify whether Coogler is working on a movie or a TV show. But the truth is out there somewhere.

Bloody Disgusting

5. 'The White Lotus' is headed to Thailand for season 3

Your next White Lotus vacation destination has been determined. The third season of Mike White's hit HBO anthology series will be set in Thailand, according to Variety — and possibly according to White himself, who seems to have accidentally spilled the beans earlier this year. In January, writer Evan Ross Katz shared a video message that White sent where the creator flat out states he's "here in Thailand," sparking speculation that he was location scouting. "Not Mike all but confirming WHITE LOTUS: THAILAND in this video lol," Katz tweeted at the time, which turned out to be accurate. We don't know much else about the next season, but White has teased that it will focus on "death and Eastern religion and spirituality." There has also recently been speculation that Danny DeVito could be involved after a fan on Reddit claimed to have spotted the actor at dinner with White. Can he offer you a nice White Lotus role in this trying time?

Variety