The daily gossip: Lizzo says she isn't 'the villain' after accusations, Marc Maron blasts 'insecure babies' offended by 'Barbie,' and more

1. Lizzo denies former employees' "false" and "outrageous" allegations

Lizzo has broken her silence to address those disturbing allegations. On Instagram, the "Truth Hurts" singer responded to "false" claims leveled against her by three of her former dancers, calling them "outrageous" and "as unbelievable as they sound." The former dancers sued Lizzo this week, accusing her of sexual harassment, creating a hostile workplace, fat-shaming, and more. "These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional," Lizzo said. She went on to say it's "never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable" and that she is "not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days." She also insisted she would "absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight." The plaintiffs told CNN this response was "incredibly frustrating," while attorney Neama Rahmani told Deadline, "Given Lizzo is denying that any of this happened, let's take it to trial."

Instagram

2. Marc Maron blasts "insecure babies" offended by "Barbie"

WTF is going on with the "Barbie" backlash? Marc Maron wants to know. The "WTF" host took to TikTok to offer his two cents on Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," declaring the hit film a "f--king masterpiece" and praising the "radical" way it explores "feminist ideas in a way that's funny." Maron also loved the "inspired" comedy about men, but he addressed those upset by these jokes. "The fact that certain men took offense to the point where they tried to build a grift around it" is "so embarrassing for them," Maron said. "Any dude that can't take those hits in that movie, they've really got to look in their pants and decide what they're made of. I mean, Jesus Christ, what a bunch of f--king insecure babies." Ben Shapiro is among the conservatives who have slammed the film, and at this point, the odds of a question about "Barbie" being asked during a 2024 presidential debate is dangerously high.

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

TikTok

3. Jonathan Majors' assault trial postponed

A resolution to the Jonathan Majors case will take a bit longer than expected. The actor appeared in court on Thursday, the day his assault trial was scheduled to begin in New York. But according to The Associated Press, New York City prosecutors asked for more time to prepare for the trial, and the judge postponed it a month. The Marvel star was arrested in March for allegedly assaulting a woman, but he has repeatedly denied the allegation. His attorney reiterated to the AP his claim that he was the one who "suffered at the hands" of the accuser and is the "real victim in this shameful ordeal." Meanwhile, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said that "we look forward to presenting the full facts and evidence at trial." The trial is now tentatively set to begin on Sept. 6. In October, Majors is expected to appear in the second season of "Loki."

The Associated Press

4. Conleth Hill was "inconsolable" after the "rushed" end of "Game of Thrones"

The ending of "Game of Thrones" was rushed, and Conleth Hill is willing to die on that hill. The actor told The Times he "felt frustrated with the last couple of" seasons of the HBO show, as his character, Varys, "wasn't the all-knowing character he had been" before. "I think the writers wanted to do one thing to end it and the studio HBO wanted to do another," he said. "I felt that last series was a bit rushed." Until these last two seasons, Hill had "no complaints at all." But based on what happened to his character, he "thought I'd done something wrong." Hill admitted he was "inconsolable," although "now I'm fine about it." He was the latest "Thrones" star to reveal dissatisfaction with the final season after Arya actress Maisie Williams admitted the show "definitely fell off at the end." But now that "House of the Dragon" is a hit, apparently, we're all ready to get hurt again.

The Times IGN

5. Adam Brody auditioned for Star-Lord in "Guardians of the Galaxy"

In another universe, Adam Brody was the one hooked on a feeling. The "O.C." star revealed to Variety he auditioned for the lead role of Star-Lord in the original "Guardians of the Galaxy," but lost the part to Chris Pratt. "I wanted that one," Brody said. But in the end, he thinks Pratt was a "better" fit for the character. "He is bigger, stronger, but tonally, I really dug it," Brody noted. Glenn Howerton also came close to landing the role, as director James Gunn has said the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star was his second choice. In 2021, Howerton admitted not getting the part "still hurts." A few years later, Brody landed a role in a superhero universe, but it was DC, not Marvel. He played the adult version of Freddy in the "Shazam!" films, which for him, after being up for Star-Lord, must have felt like a real "we have 'Guardians of the Galaxy' at home" situation.

Variety