The daily gossip: Kesha and Dr. Luke settle defamation case, Jennifer Lawrence felt like she was 'gonna die' on 'Hot Ones,' and more

Today's top entertainment and celebrity news

Kesha
(Image credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

1. Kesha and Dr. Luke settle defamation case

It's finally over. After nine years, a legal battle between Kesha and producer Dr. Luke has come to an end, as the two have "agreed to a resolution of the lawsuit," according to a statement shared on Instagram. In 2014, Kesha accused Dr. Luke of raping her in 2005, leading him to sue her for defamation. The case was headed to trial in New York, which was scheduled to start in July. But they have now resolved the lawsuit, though terms of the settlement weren't disclosed. "Only God knows what happened that night," Kesha said, adding that she "cannot recount everything that happened" and is "looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one." Dr. Luke, meanwhile, maintained he "never drugged or assaulted her" and said that after fighting to "clear my name" for almost a decade, "it is time for me to put this difficult matter behind me and move on with my life."

Instagram

2. Jennifer Lawrence felt like she was 'gonna die' on 'Hot Ones'

There may be some hard feelings between Jennifer Lawrence and Sean Evans after this. Lawrence appeared Thursday on "Hot Ones," the talk show where guests eat spicy wings, and had a pretty rough time, sobbing through her answers for almost nine straight minutes after trying what Evans described as the "hottest, most disgusting hot sauce" in the world. It was so hot that the host warned her about it beforehand. "Oh my God, I'm panicking," she said soon after tasting the sauce, drinking water right from the pitcher before realizing that nothing was helping. "I feel like I'm gonna die!" she exclaimed. "Have you ever had anybody act like this?" At one point, Lawrence even tossed this hot sauce on the ground, jokingly telling Evans, "Thank you for warning me, but I guess f--k you for having it here." But she managed to answer a few more questions, and all in all, it was the most impressive hunger game Lawrence has survived to date.

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First We Feast

3. Sarah Snook to take on 26 roles in new play

"Succession" star Sarah Snook has found her next role — or, rather, her next 26 roles. The Shiv Roy actress is set to star in "The Picture of Dorian Gray," based on the novel by Oscar Wilde, in London starting in January 2024, and she'll portray all 26 characters in the play. "I am elated to return to the London stage in such an astonishing piece of theater," Snook said, per Playbill. "From Oscar Wilde's remarkable original text to Kip Williams' stunning adaptation, this story of morality, innocence, narcissism, and consequence is going to be thrilling to recreate for a new audience. I can't wait." According to the Theatre Royal Haymarket, the show will be an "explosive interplay of live performance and video," and it will be great practice for the "Succession" remake featuring Snook in every role, "Norbit" style.

Theatre Royal Haymarket

4. Tom Cruise wouldn't kick Pom Klementieff in the stomach for 'Mission: Impossible'

Pom Klementieff chose to accept a kick in the guts from Tom Cruise, but he didn't feel the need. Klementieff told Entertainment Weekly that while filming a fight scene with Cruise for "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One," she asked her co-star to kick her in the stomach for real. "I kept telling him to just kick me here," she said. "I was squeezing abs. [I said], 'You can just go for it.'" But Cruise wouldn't do so, even though she felt it would aid her performance. "He was like 'No, no, no, no, no.' I was like, 'But it's going to help me!' But he wouldn't do it." God forbid anyone come close to legitimately being injured on a "Mission: Impossible" set, Cruise presumably thought … before immediately launching himself off a cliff.

Entertainment Weekly

5. Harrison Ford has no plans to retire from acting

Indiana Jones might be riding off into the sunset, but Harrison Ford isn't going anywhere. The actor told CNN's Chris Wallace that although "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" will be his last time playing the iconic archaeologist, he has no plans to retire from acting. In fact, he almost seemed baffled by the question, taking a long pause before answering. "I don't do well when I don't have work," Ford said. The 80-year-old actor has been as busy as ever lately, recently taking on his first major television projects with "1923" and "Shrinking," and he'll make his Marvel debut next year in "Captain America: Brave New World." He told Wallace he wants to continue acting because he loves to "work" and "feel useful," adding, "It's my jones." Just don't ask him to explain what a Force ghost is or retirement might start looking more appealing.

Variety

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan is a staff writer at The Week. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in journalism, he also writes about horror films for Bloody Disgusting and has previously contributed to The Cheat Sheet, Heavy, WhatCulture, and more. He lives in New York City surrounded by Star Wars posters.