The daily gossip: June 3, 2020

(Image credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

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1. John Boyega gives powerful speech at protest: 'I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this'
2. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might already be ready to leave California
3. If Leslie Jones got an L.A. riots do-over, she'd leave her sledgehammer at home
4. Reese Witherspoon got paid $6 million for her bad Quibi show and employees are not happy
5. Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas protest demolition of historic black church

published 3 June 2020

1. John Boyega gives powerful speech at protest: 'I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this'

The Force was with John Boyega as he gave a powerful speech to Black Lives Matter protesters. "This is very important," Boyega, who played Finn in the new Star Wars trilogy, told protesters in London on Wednesday. "This is very vital. Black lives have always mattered." Boyega choked up as he spoke about "how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing," calling the crowd a "physical representation of our support" for George Floyd, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Stephen Lawrence, and Mark Duggan, and reflecting that "we don't know" what they "could have achieved" had they not been killed. Added Boyega, "I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this. But f--- that."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle only just arrived in California, and they're already mulling moving elsewhere, Us Weekly reports. The ex-royals have apparently had a difficult time adjusting to life in Los Angeles, with an insider claiming Harry had "unrealistic expectations" about what things would be like in SoCal. Harry and Meghan have been staying in Tyler Perry's mansion while they've shopped for a place of their own, but "drones have been flying over their house at all hours," sources told Fox News. "It's creepy and incredibly scary from a security standpoint, especially when they are outside with the baby." The pair have even reportedly considered pulling up the stakes, though "they're staying put in California for now," Us Weekly says.

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If Leslie Jones could give advice to her younger self, it'd be: "Don't take that sledgehammer." Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday, the 52-year-old Saturday Night Live alum recalled her participation in the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles back when she was 22. "There was nothing you could've said to me back then — I was ready to burn it down," Jones explained, adding that her sledgehammer "made me a hero" among her peers when she used it to break into buildings. But knowing what she knows now, Jones would've asked herself, "what do you think you're gonna change by going out there with that?" These days, "I'm gonna use my platform to make sure everybody understands the importance of voting," Jones said.

Reese Witherspoon was reportedly paid $6 million to narrate one of the "worst-performing shows" on Quibi, which is really saying something, since the phone-only streamer dropped out of Apple's Top 50 apps weeks ago. It is definitely a coincidence, also, that Quibi happens to be partially run by Jim Toth, who is Witherspoon's husband. Anyway, as you might expect, Quibi employees who've been "quietly let go" during the company's struggles are pretty ticked off. "Quibi may have to implement cutbacks, and people are fuming that stars like Reese got paid millions," one source vented to Page Six, adding — no surprise — that "the mood is dark."

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas went for a march, which is kind of like a daily walk, if you think about it, but more inspiring? On Tuesday, the actors were spotted at a demonstration in Venice, California, protesting the demolition of the First Baptist Church of Venice, which People describes as "a landmark building within the African American community." In addition to holding a sign demanding the church be saved, Affleck held a second sign — written on what looks to be a piece of printer paper — declaring "black lives matter." De Armas did not seem to have a sign, but stood beside Affleck and clapped. As a source told People, "Ben wants to continue to be a model for his children."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.