The daily gossip: Pete Davidson might be going to space, HBO responds to report on Euphoria's 'hellish' production, and more

1. Pete Davidson might be going to space

Pete Davidson has come up with a novel way of escaping Kanye West's constant attacks: leave the planet Earth. The Saturday Night Live star is in talks with Jeff Bezos to take a trip to space on one of his Blue Origin rockets, TMZ and Page Six report. "Pete is excited," a source told Page Six. "They haven't signed a contract yet, but it looks like it's going to happen. … He got on really well with Jeff when they met." This would reportedly be happening later in 2022, making Davidson the latest celebrity to take a Bezos-backed joyride to space after William Shatner's 10-minute jaunt last year. The news coincidentally comes just after Kanye West shared an absolutely deranged claymation video that depicted him kidnapping and burying Davidson, who's dating West's estranged wife, Kim Kardashian. We've all probably muttered "I don't want to be on this planet anymore" after looking at some of West's recent posts — but Davidson, unlike the rest of us, can afford to really follow that dream.

TMZ Page Six

2. HBO insists 'Euphoria' isn’t a toxic work environment

Euphoria's second season may be over, but the behind-the-scenes drama is just getting started. On Friday, The Daily Beast reported on the alleged "toxic" and "hellish" production of the hit HBO series, which alleged, "Workdays would sometimes stretch to 18 hours and there were several complaints made to SAG-AFTRA." Background actors reportedly complained about the production "failing to provide them meals on time and refusing to let people use the bathroom," and a union representative even allegedly had to come to set to ensure guidelines were being followed. Sources reportedly blamed the long hours on director Sam Levinson usually not coming to set with a shot list. HBO said Euphoria's second season was "in full compliance with all safety guidelines and guild protocols," also saying it's "not uncommon for drama series to have complex shoots" and there were never any "formal inquiries raised." The series that gives parents everywhere nightmares is set to return for a third season — but The Daily Beast helpfully suggests HBO might want to work to ensure it's "less of a clusterf--k."

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The Daily Beast Variety

3. 'The Boys' actor Antony Starr arrested for alleged drunken assault

Is Antony Starr taking method acting a little too far for the next season of The Boys? Starr, who plays the evil Superman-esque Homelander on the Amazon series, was reportedly arrested in Spain this week over an alleged drunken assault. According to the New Zealand Herald, Starr was accused of punching a 21-year-old chef twice and hitting him in the face with a glass, sending him to the hospital, where he had to get four stitches. Starr is in Spain filming a movie with Jake Gyllenhaal, and he reportedly received a 12-month suspended sentence and a more than $5,400 fine. The chef whom Starr allegedly attacked reportedly said the actor told him, "You don't know who you've messed with. You don't know who I am and what you've done" — in which case it seems the casting director who selected him for Homelander really did nail it.

Variety The New Zealand Herald

4. Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher launch $30 million fundraiser for Ukraine

Ukrainian Mila Kunis and her husband Ashton Kutcher have launched a fundraiser for Ukraine aid, and it's already raised over $6 million. The couple's GoFundMe hopes to raise $30 million for humanitarian aid after Russia attacked Ukraine. Kunis was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, and came to the U.S. when she was 7. "I have always considered myself an American, a proud American," Kunis said. "I love everything that this country has done for myself and my family. But today, I have never been more proud to be a Ukrainian. The events that have unfolded in Ukraine are devastating. There is no place in this world for this kind of unjust attack on humanity." Kutcher also said he has "never been more proud to be married to a Ukrainian." They said they'll be matching $3 million in donations, an amount that was easily reached within the first 24 hours — with a little help from Reese Witherspoon, who commented on the announcement, "Donating now!"

The Week

5. ABC allegedly threatened to cancel the Oscars

Did you know ABC can just straight up cancel the Oscars whenever they want? Apparently so, and that allegedly came close to happening. The Hollywood Reporter delved into the Oscars' controversial announcement that eight awards won't be presented live this year, which has sparked backlash. But it could have been a lot worse, as a source claimed "ABC had warned the Academy that it would cancel the Oscars telecast, via a clause in the Academy and ABC's deal for the Oscars' broadcasting rights, if 12 categories were not removed from the show." This source said, "We were told we'd have to sacrifice something or we were going to lose the whole show." The Reporter says, though, that the current plan to not present eight awards live, rather than simply cutting half of them, satisfied ABC, which has been determined to make room for more "ratings-drivers" in the ceremony. After all, who needs to honor crafts like editing and score when you can spend that time on what movies are really about: Glenn Close dancing to "Da Butt."

The Hollywood Reporter