Married people know one of the hardest things to do is stay together after the shine has worn off. But that’s exactly what took down Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans earlier this year. It came up on the “Tell Me About It with Jade Iovine” podcast. Quote, “For a while, it was kind of like, ‘Okay, this is just a new phase of a relationship,’ because relationships go through seasons, right? “It’s not always going to be butterflies and rainbows. For a long time, I was like, ‘Oh this is just . . . The glitter wears off. That’s what happens.’ And then you get into a phase where you wait for it to come back. And then sometimes it doesn’t.” That’s when she knew it was time to get out, for her own good., “At the end of the day, it is such a disservice and a dishonoring of yourself if you know something is not right and you stay.”
Here’s some great news just in time for the holidays. Ashley Monroe is now CANCER FREE. If you haven’t been following it, she got diagnosed with a rare blood cancer last year, and started chemo that summer. She actually finished her treatments a year ago today. She gave an update in March, and things were looking good. Her doctors told her the type of lymphoma she has isn’t curable, but it’s treatable and you can live with it for a long time. On Tuesday, she gave another update and said she’s officially cancer free and in remission. Check out the video she posted, because it’s great. It’s up on her Instagram page. Before her last chemo treatment, she bought herself this great pair of red pants with rhinestones down the sides. But she promised herself she wouldn’t wear them until she, quote, “felt like ME again.” Now she finally does, and she’s rocking them in the video. She wrote, “Meet my comeback pants. I love you all.”
Stephen “tWitch” Boss, the DJ and dancer from “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “So You Think You Can Dance”, took his own life on Tuesday. He was only 40 years old. tWitch got his start on “Star Search”, before being a runner-up on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2008. He got together with fellow contestant Allison Holker in 2010. They got married in 2013 and have three kids, 14-year-old daughter Weslie, 2-year-old daughter Zaia, and 6-year-old son Maddox. Allison said, quote, “He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans . . . I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory.” tWitch joined “Ellen” in 2014, and became a co-executive producer in 2020. In an Instagram post, Ellen said, quote, “I’m heartbroken. tWitch was pure love and light. He was my family, and I loved him with all my heart. I will miss him. Please send your love and support to Allison and his beautiful children, Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia.” TMZ says that tWitch checked into a hotel just a mile from his L.A. home on Monday morning. He had a small bag with him and only booked the room for one night. Staff said he didn’t seem to be upset about anything, or suffering from any form of distress. On Tuesday, when he missed checkout, staff found him dead in the bathroom from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Country stars are paying tribute to “Twitch” Jimmie Allen seemed to know him the best. He called him “one of the best people” he’s ever gotten to know, and added, “I gonna miss the laughs, the jokes, [and] the honest conversations. I’m so thankful for the friendship we had.”
Just when you thought Blake Shelton was DONE with “The Voice” . . . there’s this. He was asked if he could see himself returning as a celeb mentor on his wife Gwen Stefani’s team. I think you know where we’re going with this . . .He said, quote, “Oh my God, I’d be honored to be [her] mentor. Whatever she tells me to do, I’m gonna do.”
There’s a Christmas edition of “CMT Campfire Sessions” that premieres next week . . . on the 21st. It includes Christmas song performances from Tracy Lawrence, Clay Walker, Jon Pardi, and Old Crow Medicine Show.
Don’t judge Mitchell Tenpenny for saying his favorite Christmas movie is “Jack Frost”. I’m sure there are others who relate to the dad being a touring musician, and getting a second chance. There’s also this selling point. Quote, “There’s a big snowball fight . . . and he can snowboard. I love when snowmen come alive.”
Tim McGraw’s reign as the fittest country star is being threatened by Kane Brown. Yesterday, Kane posted a clip of himself shirtless and cut . . . and doing L-sit pull-ups. It’s your basic pull-up but with your legs in front of you at a 90-degree angle. Your body ends up shaped like an L.
Netflix drops the final episodes of “Harry & Megan” today, but it doesn’t matter what’s on them: The relationship between Harry and his brother Prince William is already TOAST. A so-called “source” close to the Royals says, quote, “The relationship between the brothers is over . . . William will never forgive Harry for selling out his and Kate’s secrets. “Harry knows, more than anyone, how much their privacy means to William and Kate . . . It’s just sickening to [William] that Harry, who knows exactly how distressing it will be to him, is now selling them out to the media.” Pouring even more fuel on the fire, “Harry & Megan” is already Netflix’s biggest documentary debut of all time. People watched 81.55 million hours of it within its first four days of release.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is estimated to have an opening weekend of $150 million to $175 million in the U.S., with a global debut of $450 million to $550 million.
A tearful Al Roker received a sweet holiday surprise from his co-workers on the Today show this week. Hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie led dozens of Today anchors, producers, crew members, and security staff in a sing-along of Christmas carols at Roker’s doorstep to brighten his day following his hospitalization for blood clot complications in his leg and lungs. Roker, who was first admitted to the hospital before Thanksgiving, returned returned home Dec. 9. Kotb & Co. shared a video of the surprise, which was filled with lots of happy tears, on Wednesday’s show. Roker had just returned from a doctor’s appointment with his wife, Deborah, who was in on the big plan, before Kotb and Guthrie rang the doorbell. The Santa-hat-clad staffers launched into a performance of “Jingle Bells” while the beloved weatherman got visibly emotional.
Eddie Murphy will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes.
Reese Witherspoon will produce and star in a comedy series about cheerleading for Amazon.
Don Johnson is 73. Sonny Crockett on “Miami Vice”. Your parents also knew him as “Nash Bridges”. More recently he starred on HBO’s “Watchmen”. His daughter Dakota Johnson stars in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movies.
