The daily gossip: Report alleges 'Lost' was a toxic work environment, Matty Healy insists his podcast controversy 'doesn't actually matter,' and more

1. Report alleges 'Lost' was a toxic work environment

The co-showrunner of "Lost" has admitted he "failed" as a manager after a damning report alleged racism and sexism behind the scenes. In an excerpt from the book "Burn It Down" published at Vanity Fair, Maureen Ryan cited sources who claimed the ABC show had a toxic, "nakedly hostile" work environment where casual "racist, sexist and insensitive remarks" were frequent. Harold Perrineau, who played Michael, recalled expressing concerns over a script he felt reinforced the narrative that "nobody cares about Black boys" before being written out of the show. Sources claimed co-showrunner Damon Lindelof said the actor "called me racist, so I fired his a--." The staff "didn't like their characters of color," the writers room was full of "racist commentary," and the showrunners were "vindictive" toward actors, sources went on. Lindelof told Vanity Fair he was "shocked and appalled and surprised" by these allegations, while co-showrunner Carlton Cuse said it's "deeply upsetting to know that there were people who had such bad experiences."

Vanity Fair

2. Matty Healy insists his podcast controversy 'doesn't actually matter'

What controversy? Matty Healy, the frontman of the 1975 and reported boyfriend of Taylor Swift, insisted to The New Yorker that nobody really cares about his highly controversial appearance on the podcast "The Adam Friedland Show," during which he laughed as the hosts made offensive comments about rapper Ice Spice. Healy also admitted to watching a porn channel that BuzzFeed said "degrades and humiliates Black women." But Healy told The New Yorker that this controversy "doesn't actually matter," claiming, "Nobody is sitting there at night slumped at their computer, and their boyfriend comes over and goes, 'What's wrong, darling?' and they go, 'It's just this thing with Matty Healy.' That doesn't happen." He went on to accuse fans who do care about this of "either lying that you are hurt" or being "a bit mental for being hurt," which Merriam-Webster may soon use as an example of the phrase "adding fuel to the fire."

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The New Yorker

3. Billie Eilish calls out 'bozos' mad at her for wearing 'anything remotely feminine'

If you're giving Billie Eilish a hard time for the way she dresses, you just might be the bad guy. On her Instagram story, the singer went off on comments she receives claiming she's a "sellout" for feeling "comfortable enough to wear anything remotely feminine or fitting." Eilish, who said she spent the first five years of her career being "OBLITERATED by you fools for being boyish" and "constantly being told I'd be hotter if I acted like a woman," slammed these "f--king bozos" as "true idiots." Though Eilish was originally known for a style that included baggy clothing, fans noticed a shift after she wore lingerie on the cover of British Vogue in 2021. But "women can be interested in multiple things" and "femininity does not equal weakness," Eilish said on Instagram, dubbing those who have a problem with this "women hating a-- weirdos."

PopCrave

4. 'The Flash' director says Ezra Miller won’t be recast if the film gets a sequel

DC fans can't get rid of Ezra Miller so easily, according to the director of the upcoming "The Flash." Speaking on "The Discourse" podcast, "The Flash" director Andy Muschietti said Miller would be brought back in a potential sequel despite the criminal allegations against the actor. "If [a sequel] happens, yes," Muschietti said. "I don't think there's anyone that can play that character as well as they did." Producer Barbara Muschietti added that Miller "was brilliant and the most committed and the most professional [actor]." Fans had been assuming this would be Miller's last time playing the role, considering the actor was arrested multiple times last year and accused of assault, burglary, grooming, and more. But Muschietti told "The Discourse" that Barry Allen "feels like a character that was made for them." Last year, Miller said they were seeking treatment for "complex mental health issues."

The Playlist

5. Jeremy Strong really drank that smoothie in the 'Succession' finale

"Succession" is over, but Jeremy Strong has one last method acting story for the road. The show's Sunday series finale included a gross scene where Shiv and Roman make Kendall a "meal fit for a king," which involved throwing whatever they could find in their mother's kitchen into a smoothie, including milk, hot sauce, bread, an egg and its shell, cocoa powder, and even Shiv's spit. Kendall drinks it before Roman pours it over his head. On HBO's official "Succession" podcast, Strong, who infamously goes to great lengths to get into character, revealed he really drank "all those things" that Kendall did. "We did it only a few times, and I went outside and retched and jumped in the ocean and washed it off my hair." He confirmed it was as nasty as you'd imagine but added, "I wouldn't know how not to drink it." The disgusting brothers would be proud.

HBO