The daily gossip: Martha Stewart issues a peacock correction, a Flamin' Hot Cheetos controversy is brewing, and more

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1. Martha Stewart slams 'fake news' that she has 16 peacocks: 'I actually have 21'
2. The guy who claims to have invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos might have made it all up
3. Prince Harry calls the First Amendment 'bonkers'
4. No one really wanted to see Addison Rae make out with Tanner Buchanan
5. Ricky Schroder issues an extremely unapologetic apology after confronting a Costco worker over masks

published 17 May 2021

1. Martha Stewart slams 'fake news' that she has 16 peacocks: 'I actually have 21'

It's very important to Martha Stewart that the world doesn't get the wrong impression about how many "glorious" peacocks she has. Stewart took to Twitter to slam the New York Post for a "fake news" story that said she has 16 peacocks on her farm. She'll have you know that her peacock game is far stronger than that. "I actually have 21 of these glorious birds," Stewart declared. For anyone wondering, she also clarified that these peacocks "do not smell," their "voices are loud but such fun to hear," and they're "so friendly." So there you have it! The Post subsequently added a correction, bumping up Stewart's number of peacock friends and possibly avoiding the libel case of the century.

There's a flamin' hot controversy cooking up at Frito-Lay. For the last decade, Richard Montañez has claimed that he was working as a Frito-Lay janitor when he came up with the company's now-famous chile-covered Cheeto, which he pitched to the CEO. Subsequently, Flamin' Hot Cheetos became a celebrity favorite, munched on by everyone from Selena Gomez to Katy Perry (to, more disastrously, Lil Xan). Montañez's story secured him book deals, as well as a forthcoming biopic based on his life, directed by Eva Longoria. But an investigation by the Los Angeles Times found that there is no proof Montañez actually invented the snack. "If that story existed, believe me, we would have heard about it," one former Cheeto product manager said. "This guy should run for office if he's that good at fooling everyone."

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Prince Harry is in a spot of trouble after calling the U.S. First Amendment — arguably the single most important tool for maintaining a democratic government — "bonkers." Appearing on the Dax Shepard podcast, Harry was apparently referring to the attention he and his wife, Meghan Markle, received while staying at Tyler Perry's mansion when he ranted, "I've got so much I want to say about the First Amendment as I sort of understand it, but it is bonkers." The Duke of Sussex went on to slam free speech protections, claiming "you can find a loophole in anything." Now, we might forgive a prince whose ancestors literally used to execute their subjects for insulting the monarchy for only "sort of" understanding the First Amendment — but still, Meghan, collect your man!

Fans were not having Addison Rae's surprise kiss with her He's All That co-star Tanner Buchanan at the MTV Movie and TV Awards on Sunday night. The pair appeared on stage together to present the Best Kiss award to Outer Banks' Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes — which they did by sharing an extended smooch of their own. Rae and Buchanan were "definitely just out here promoting the film with this PDA moment, no need to panic," Cosmopolitan reassured, but that didn't stop Addison's name from "trending for hours." The average reaction went something like "no one wanted to see that" and "delete this." Most unhappy of all, though, seemed to be Rae's ex-boyfriend, Bryce Hall, who tweeted without context: "sucks, but moving on."

Former child star Ricky Schroder, who drew criticism for confronting a Costco employee over the store's mask policy in a viral video, is both apologizing ... and doubling down. The Silver Spoons actor on Instagram apologized to the Costco worker he filmed himself confronting for not allowing him into the store without wearing a mask, while at the same time suggesting that it was something he "had" to do to make a point against mask mandates. "I was trying to make a point to the corporate overlords," Schroder said in a video, addressing the Costco worker. "Sorry that I had to use you to do it. If I hurt your feelings, I apologize." Ah yes, the classic non-apology of it's not my fault that my direct words and actions made you feel uncomfortable!

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.