The daily gossip: Keke Palmer collaborates with Usher after drama with her boyfriend, Beyoncé says she loves Lizzo amid scandal, and more

Today's top entertainment and celebrity news

Keke Palmer
Palmer is teaming up with Usher in his new music video for "Boyfriend."
(Image credit: Jeff Spicer / Getty Images for Universal)

1. Keke Palmer collaborates with Usher after drama with her boyfriend

Deal with it, Darius. Keke Palmer is set to star in Usher's latest music video for his song "Boyfriend," she teased Tuesday on social media. According to YouTube, the video will debut Wednesday, but Usher has already revealed some of the lyrics, which include the lines, "Somebody said that your boyfriend's looking for me, oh that's cool, that's cool / Well he should know I'm pretty easy to find / Just look for me wherever he sees you." This just so happens to come after some drama went down involving Usher, Palmer, and Palmer's boyfriend, Darius Jackson. In July, Jackson criticized the outfit Palmer was wearing in a video showing her being serenaded by Usher during his Las Vegas residency. "It's the outfit tho … you a mom," Jackson tweeted, prompting backlash against him for publicly shaming Palmer, with whom he shares a child. The YouTube description for the forthcoming music video confirms it was shot in Las Vegas. We stan a petty queen.

2. Beyoncé says she loves Lizzo amid scandal

Lizzo hasn't been stung by Queen Bey after all. Beyoncé gave a supportive shout-out to Lizzo during her latest concert, seemingly backing the "About Damn Time" singer amid an ongoing sexual harassment scandal. After three former dancers for Lizzo recently sued her and alleged she created a sexually charged, hostile work environment, fans noticed that Beyoncé seemed to omit her name during a performance of "Break My Soul (Queen's Remix)," which some interpreted as a response to the claims. But it turns out, we may have been reading into that too much. Video shared on social media showed that while performing the song on Monday night in Atlanta, Beyoncé gave a shout-out to Lizzo and expressed support for her, saying, "Lizzo! I love you, Lizzo!" So either Beyoncé believes Lizzo that the allegations against her are false or she seriously needs to catch up on the news.

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3. Ashley Olsen reportedly welcomes her first child

Ashley Olsen has a new hand to hold onto. The Olsen twin is officially a mom after welcoming her first child with husband Louis Eisner, TMZ reports. In fact, she has apparently been a mom for a bit, as TMZ says she actually gave birth "a few months ago" in New York and kept it under wraps until now. Olsen reportedly married Eisner, whom she had been dating since 2017, in December, but they have maintained an impressive amount of privacy in their relationship. Nobody even knew Olsen was pregnant until now, let alone that she already had the baby. Olsen hasn't commented on the news, but a source confirmed to Us Weekly that "Ashley and Louis welcomed their son months ago and are thrilled to be parents," and the boy's name is reportedly Otto. Congrats, Ashley: You got a dude!

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4. "Tron" director says sequel is shut down, over 150 people laid off due to strikes

This is no game. Director Joachim Rønning said on Instagram that "Tron: Ares," the upcoming sequel that ironically is "about AI and what it means, and takes, to be human," was supposed to begin principal photography this week but is currently held up due to the ongoing Hollywood strikes. "We are shut down with over a hundred and fifty people laid off," the filmmaker revealed. "It's indefinite, which makes it exponentially harder for everyone." Jared Leto, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Evan Peters are set to star in this long-delayed "Tron" film from Disney. After arguing that AI must be regulated and noting the actors and writers' requests aren't "unreasonable," Rønning called for the AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA and WGA to "speed up the negotiating process," adding, "This is Hollywood. We close deals for breakfast. Why do we suddenly have all the time in the world when every day is so precious?" The WGA recently revealed it received a counterproposal from the studios and will "evaluate their offer."

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5. "Maestro" trailer teases Bradley Cooper's transformation into Leonard Bernstein

Will Bradley Cooper's latest directorial effort score at the Oscars? Netflix has dropped the first trailer for "Maestro," the new biopic starring Cooper as famed conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. It's the second film the actor has directed after 2018's "A Star is Born." The trailer teases a movie focused heavily on Bernstein's relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre, played by Carey Mulligan. We see both of their characters at very different ages, and the teaser juxtaposes two similar scenes of them sitting back-to-back in the park, one when they're younger and another when they're older. The trailer also shows that the movie will mix black-and-white and color scenes, and intriguingly, it credits Mulligan before Cooper, perhaps suggesting the story could be told from her point of view. Netflix described "Maestro" as a "love letter to life and art" and "an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love." Get ready to hear audiences everywhere lose their minds over the surprise cameo by Lydia Tár.

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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.