The daily gossip: "The Blind Side" subject alleges he was never actually adopted, Zooey Deschanel gets engaged to Jonathan Scott, and more

1. "The Blind Side" subject alleges he was never actually adopted

Michael Oher, the retired NFL player whose story inspired the Sandra Bullock movie "The Blind Side," has alleged that a "central element" of the film was "a lie concocted by the family to enrich itself at his expense," ESPN reports. In the 2009 movie, Bullock played Oher's adoptive mother Leigh Anne Tuohy, while Tim McGraw played his adoptive father Sean Tuohy. But in a petition filed in Tennessee, Oher alleged the Tuohys never adopted him and instead tricked him into signing a document making them his conservators. This gave them "total control" over his "ability to negotiate for or enter any contract, despite the fact he was over 18 years of age and had no diagnosed physical or psychological disabilities," the petition said, per TMZ. Oher alleges they then struck a deal under which they and their children made millions off the movie, while he received nothing, according to ESPN. The film, which earned Bullock an Oscar, grossed over $300 million at the box office.

ESPN TMZ

2. Zooey Deschanel gets engaged to Jonathan Scott

Who's that girl? It's Jess — and she said yes! Zooey Deschanel is engaged to Jonathan Scott, one half of the Property Brothers. The actress confirmed the news on Instagram, sharing a photo of herself showing off the ring. "Forever starts now!!!!" she wrote. According to People, Scott proposed to Deschanel on Sunday during a family trip to Scotland, and Deschanel's children "played a role in the special moment." Deschanel was previously married to Ben Gibbard and Jacob Pechenik, separating from the latter, with whom she shares two kids, in 2019. Scott, meanwhile, was previously married to Kelsy Ully. He and Deschanel have been dating since 2019, and they met while filming an episode of "Carpool Karaoke," so something good came out of James Corden's show after all.

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People

3. Billy Porter slams "that b---h" Anna Wintour over Harry Styles Vogue cover

Billy Porter has some further thoughts on that Harry Styles Vogue cover. The "Pose" star spoke with The Telegraph about his issue with the magazine making Styles the first man to appear solo on the cover in 2021, wearing a dress. According to Porter, he did a Q&A with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour months earlier. "That b---h said to me at the end, 'How can we do better?'" Porter recalled. "And I was so taken off guard that I didn't say what I should have said." He continued that Styles is "white and he's straight" and "that's why he's on the cover," though he doesn't blame the singer. Instead, "I call out the gatekeepers," Porter said, arguing Vogue should "uplift the voices of the leaders of this de-gendering of fashion movement." He added, "You're using my community — or your people are using my community — to elevate you." Porter previously criticized the cover before apologizing to Styles for "having your name in my mouth."

The Telegraph

4. Aaron Taylor-Johnson "didn't really care for" two of his biggest movies

You didn't see that coming? Aaron Taylor-Johnson told Esquire he "didn't really care for" 2014's "Godzilla" or 2015's "Avengers: Age of Ultron," two of the highest-grossing films he has ever appeared in. The actor explained that after "Kick-Ass," blockbuster projects like these started getting lined up for him, and he was getting offers for things "that nobody knows about — big, huge franchises that were in play." But he didn't star in more blockbusters in order to spend time with his kids, as he "wanted, purely, to be with my babies" — and he also "slightly didn't give a f--k." Taylor-Johnson is now one of the rumored frontrunners to play James Bond, and he didn't exactly deny the speculation in the profile, though he stressed that he could also "easily just f--king retire, and give it all up, and just enjoy being with my kids and being in the countryside."

Esquire

5. Tom Hanks was concerned about Austin Butler's mental health after "Elvis"

Think of Tom Hanks as a reverse Tom Parker figure in Austin Butler's life. In an interview with The Times of London, Butler revealed he ended up in the Apple TV+ miniseries "Masters of the Air" because his "Elvis" co-star was so concerned about his mental health after he threw himself into the role of Elvis Presley. Butler recalled Hanks telling him, "You have immersed yourself so deeply in 'Elvis' that, for your mental health, it would be wise to go straight into something else. If you just jump off the train, you might have emotional whiplash." Conveniently, Hanks just so happened to have a project that he was producing, the Apple series "Masters of the Air," which Butler will star in — so maybe his lingering Elvis accent was actually the most elaborate effort to secure a job in history.

The Times of London Variety