The daily gossip: Naya Rivera's family reflects on the anniversary of her death, the internet is talking about 'Cat Person' again, and more

Today's top entertainment and celebrity news

A Naya Rivera memorial.
(Image credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

1. Naya Rivera's family reflects on the anniversary of her death

Naya Rivera's family and fans are reflecting on the tragic loss of the Glee star one year later. Rivera died in an accidental drowning last July after going out on Lake Piru with her 4-year-old son. Her mother, Yolanda Previtire, opened up about the tragedy to Good Morning America, saying there are "there are no words to describe what we're going through" and recalling the five-day search for her as "hell on Earth." The actress' sister, Nickayla Rivera, said the family is taking things "one day at a time," and Previtire shared that Naya's son, Josey, is just like his mom. "His tenacity, his drive, his zeal, his adventure for life," she said. "He's Naya in boy form."

Good Morning America Deadline

2. A development in the 'Cat Person' story melts the internet once again

Kristen Roupenian's "Cat Person," a 2017 New Yorker short story about a romance between a woman in her early 20's and man in his 30's, was deemed the first short story to go viral. Last week, it was announced Succession's Nicholas Braun will star in a movie adaptation. Now, a reader who found uncanny similarities between the story and her life, despite not knowing the author, is telling her side of the story in an essay for Slate. After dismissing it as coincidence, Alexis Nowicki recently discovered that her ex knew the author. She reached out to Roupenian, who apologized for using specific details about Nowicki's life as a "jumping-off point" for her story. The internet is now again flooded with "Cat Person" takes, thoughts, etc, this time about the ethics of fiction writing, and calls for Charlie Kauffman to take over the film, "Adaptation" style.

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Slate

3. Nick Cannon is purposefully procreating 'like a seahorse'

Nick Cannon, a father of seven who has welcomed four children with three women in the past year, would like to clarify he's "having these kids on purpose." Cannon recently welcomed a baby with model Alyssa Scott, which came weeks after he and Abby De La Rosa welcomed twins, and he also welcomed a daughter with model Brittany Bell in December. When rapper JT suggested the Masked Singer host should perhaps look into the whole condom thing, though, Cannon insisted that "I don't have no accident," and "the ones that got pregnant are the ones that were supposed to get pregnant." He also declared, "I'm like a seahorse out here. That's just the way I'm procreating." Good to know!

Page Six People

4. Ben and Jen reportedly want to be roomies

Don't look now, but Bennifer 2.0 appears to be getting pretty serious. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are "spending almost every night together when they're not working," and they "plan on moving in together very soon," a source told Us Weekly. The two have reportedly been back together since May after Lopez split from Alex Rodriguez; they were previously engaged from 2002 to 2004. Without commenting on the relationship, Lopez recently said she's "super happy" and having the "best time of my life," and one Us Weekly source went as far as to say they're "fully committed" to "spending the rest of their lives together." Could it finally be time for Gigli: Part 2?

Us Weekly

5. Charles Manson hypnotized Danny Trejo in the Los Angeles County Jail

Danny Trejo laid out his trajectory from drug addict to actor in his new memoir, Trejo. Along the way, he crossed paths with Charles Manson. In 1961, Trejo was in the Los Angeles County Jail, where he met the not-yet-infamous Manson, who told inmates he had hypnotic powers that could get them high, without drugs. "It was like a guided meditation," Trejo wrote in his book. "By the time he described [the drugs] hitting my bloodstream, I felt the warmth flowing through my body." After being hypnotized by a cult leader, Trejo fostered a flourishing Hollywood career, starring in hits like Machete, Heat, and Spy Kids. Meanwhile, Manson became the mastermind behind a famous murder spree. "If that white boy wasn't a career criminal, he could have been a professional hypnotist," Trejo wrote.

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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.