Table of contents for September 21, 2020 in People

‘I think that if I could have ever cornered the market on flamed shirts, that I probably would be living a different life right now’—GUY FIERI, joking about his trademark look, to Food & Wine ‘I’m not a dumb blonde. I’m just very good at pretending to be one’—PARIS HILTON, on her public persona, on CBS Sunday Morning ‘Awards or no awards, we are history’—BILLY PORTER, on Pose breaking ground for LGBTQ+ representation in Hollywood, on IMDb’s Movies That Changed My Life podcast ‘I went gray at just the right moment’—JANE FONDA, on embracing her natural color right before COVID-19 hit in America, to The New York Times ‘I said, “Cause I’m not going to need to know how to drive. I’m going to have a driver”’—JENNIFER LOPEZ, on…

CATE’S RED CARPET RETURN Venice, Sept. 6 Cate Blanchett wore a crystal-embellished Giorgio Armani jacket with white trousers and a white shirt for the Venice Film Festival premiere of Khorshid. SERVICE WITH A SMILE Chepstow, Wales, Sept. 7 Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall visited the headquarters of the 1st Battalion, The Rifles at Beachley Barracks, after being appointed Colonel-in-Chief, a title she takes over from Prince Philip. MEGAN THEE PERFORMER Morrison, Colo., Sept. 2 Rapper Megan Thee Stallion got back onstage for Red Rocks Unpaused, a three-day virtual music festival at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. TOM GETS BACK IN ACTION Hellesylt, Norway, Sept. 6 Tom Cruise greeted fans in between filming scenes for Mission: Impossible 7. POWERFUL PRODUCER Water Mill, New York, Sept. 5 Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson hosted the outdoor…

When Carole Baskin agreed to compete on Dancing with the Stars, she never expected she’d be any good. But just three days into rehearsals in Los Angeles, the Tiger King star, 59, is surprising herself. “It’s so much easier than I thought it would be,” she says. “When I first saw some clips on YouTube, I thought, ‘There’s no way that I’m going to be able to do that, not in 100 years of training.’ But now, I’m like, ‘Dang! This could potentially work.’” Baskin admits her biggest challenge is staying focused: “During rehearsal I’ll do the routine 10 times in a row. By the 11th, my mind drifts and I’ve forgotten all the steps. Then it’s time to regroup!” While she’s miles away from Howard Baskin, her husband…

By SUSAN KATZ KEATING and WENDY GROSSMAN KANTOR A Dog Becomes a Butterfly King With a Flower Crown BURBANK Milo is just 2 years old, but he already has more than 65,000 Instagram followers. His owner, Jen Bennett, started the account (@milo_the_toller) to showcase the “sweet” nature of her Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever. She quickly found that Milo is a natural model. “He’s such a ham. He poses. He finds better spots for me to take his picture. He’s always right!” says Bennett, a TV editor for reality cooking competitions. Milo bounded into stardom when Bennett started posting photos and videos of him calmly interacting with the monarch butterflies that she raises in her garden. Gentle Milo, who often wears a flower crown to attract his winged friends, “is…

Even amid a pandemic, Niecy Nash has found one heck of a silver lining. “I’m in wedded bliss,” says the 50-year-old actress, speaking on the phone from her Santa Barbara honeymoon, days after she married singer-songwriter Jessica Betts in an intimate ceremony on Aug. 29. “I’ve got my feet up, I’m looking at the ocean, and I’ve got the greatest love of my life in my peripheral. I couldn’t be happier.” While the news that Nash, who divorced her second husband, Jay Tucker, in March, had married Betts may have come as a surprise to fans, the Claws star is unequivocal. “I know love by the way it feels,” she says. “Life is short.” As far as her commitment to Betts, to whom she got engaged July 3, “it has…

It was late one night in December 2015, while Alison Epperson was out at a bar with some friends, that her worst nightmare came true. Alison, then 22, had long been worried about her boyfriend, Zac Easter, who was struggling with debilitating depression and just weeks earlier had tried to kill himself. The former high school football standout, then 24, planned on joining her that night but had suddenly decided to stay home, saying he wasn’t feeling well. Then around midnight she received a text that chilled her. “I love you and will always be over your shoulder looking after you no matter what,” he wrote. “Always remember me.” Fearing the worst, Alison called Zac’s older brother, who roused their sleeping parents, Myles and Brenda Easter. “We went sprinting upstairs…

1 Tyler Perry makes the billionaire list It’s a Madea family fortune. Forbes declared that the actor and producer has attained a 10-figure bank account, thanks to his popular film franchise and his prolific production company, Tyler Perry Studios. 2 A Back to the Future cookbook is coming Great Scott! A cookbook inspired by the ’80s movies will arrive in October, featuring recipes like the McFly Family Table Tuna Noodle Casserole. 3 Nike launches a maternity line Go, moms! The brand’s maternity collection, tested by pregnant athletes like Olympic swimmer Ona Carbonell, considers mothers the “ultimate endurance athletes.” 4 Miranda bests Reba’s CMA record A country queen was dethroned when the Country Music Association announced its 2020 nominees—Lambert received seven nods, putting her at a lifetime total of 55. McEntire has 51. 5 Jamie…

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently had to take on his most challenging opponent yet: COVID-19. The actor and former pro wrestler, 48, announced on Sept. 2 that he and his wife, Lauren Hashian, 36, and their daughters Jasmine, 4, and Tiana, 2, had all tested positive for the coronavirus. In a heartfelt video he posted on Instagram, Johnson admitted it had been an incredibly tough few weeks. “This has been one of the most challenging and difficult things we have ever had to endure as a family, and for me too personally as well,” said Johnson, adding, “and I’ve gone through some doozies in the past.” While his two young daughters suffered only mild sore throats, he and Hashian apparently experienced harsher symptoms: Johnson stated they “had a rough…

Just Married! Cody Gifford & Erika Brown Cody Gifford—the 30-year-old son of Kathie Lee and the late Frank Gifford—wed his longtime girlfriend over the holiday weekend. “God gave us a glorious day to celebrate this glorious couple. So grateful,” Kathie Lee wrote of the pair, who got engaged last year. Happy Anniversary Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka The actor, 47, and his husband, 45, celebrated six years of marriage on Sept. 6. “Thank you, David, for both creating and rocking my world,” wrote Harris. The pair share twins Harper and Gideon, 9. Back Together? Sofia Richie & Jaden Smith The model and the musician—who dated briefly in their teens in 2012—enjoyed a beach day in Malibu on Sept. 5. “They kept flirting and hugging,” a source says of…

Babies • Food Network star Katie Lee, 38, welcomed her first child, daughter Iris, with her husband, TV producer Ryan Biegel, 38. • Singer Ed Sheeran, 29, and his wife, Cherry Seaborn, 28, announced the arrival of their first child, daughter Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran. • TV producer Ryan Murphy, 54, announced the birth of his third son, Griffin, with his husband, photographer David Miller, 53. He joins big brothers Ford, 5, and Logan, 7. • Singer Usher, 41, is expecting a baby with his longtime girlfriend, Jenn Goicoechea, 36. He’s also dad to two sons with his ex, Tameka Foster. • Singer-songwriter Teyana Taylor, 29, and her husband, basketball player Iman Shumpert, 30, welcomed their second child, daughter Rue Rose, on Sept. 6. They’re also parents to daughter…

Alonzo Brooks, the baby of his close-knit family, was a homebody who loved living with his mom, Maria Ramirez. Working two janitorial jobs in the town of Gardner, Kan., he favored movie nights at home with his nieces and nephews, and after being spoiled by his four older siblings for all of his 23 years, he never really learned to drive. “We did all baby him, drove him around, did everything for him,” recalls his sister Demetria Leslie, 44. So when acquaintances offered to take Brooks to a party on April 3, 2004, it was surprising that he agreed—“Alonzo wasn’t a social-butterfly type,” says his best friend, Rodney English—but not at all surprising that he needed a ride. Sixteen years later it still haunts Maria Ramirez, 65, that her son…

Across 1 1,004 in old Rome 4 Sue Grafton’s ___ Is for Burglar (2 wds.) 7 Norse god played by Tom Hiddleston 11 Said three times, a Seinfeld catchphrase 12 Cleopatra biter 13 Give off, as light 14 Elvis’s middle name 15 Stranger Things star Winona Ryder, ___ Horowitz 16 Chess or Candy Land 17 Social media personality (2 wds.) 20 Boxing ring result, for short 21 Swindle 22 17 Across’s music-making brother-in-law ___ West 25 17 Across’s model sister ___ Jenner 29 Winter illness 30 Military conflict 31 Hawaiian garland 32 17 Across’s dad, ___ Jenner 35 17 Across’s half sister ___ Kardashian 37 Long, long time 38 Keanu’s iconic Matrix role 39 Wizards of Waverly Place actress and Rare singer (2 wds.) 44 Penn or Connery 46…

The Year We Stopped Dressing Up I love fashion and clothes. When I was 7, my grandmother asked me what toy I wanted for my birthday, and I wished for a new striped T-shirt and coordinating navy shorts. From that moment on, I’ve loved the fun and creativity of clothes, being able to evolve through silver tank tops and satin shirts in my college days to tailored suits and beautiful leather shoes in my 30s. I used to spend far too much time thinking before bed each night about what I would wear to work the next day—and far too much money in the sales twice a year. This year has been very different. This is the year people stopped dressing up. In the past six months I have…

Armie Hammer is flaunting his newfound bachelor status. Nearly two months after announcing his split from his wife of 10 years, Elizabeth Chambers, the actor, 34, has been casually hanging out with several other women. On Aug. 31 he had a lunch date with writer Jessica Ciencin Henriquez (who was previously married to actor Josh Lucas before they divorced in 2014). A few days later he took a stroll with Rumer Willis, 32. “He and his ex were together since he was 20 years old, so he’s going out and meeting people,” a source says of Hammer, who shares daughter Harper, 5, and son Ford, 3, with Chambers, 38. “He’s not dating any one person in particular.” Though his status with Willis remains unclear, it’s likely he won’t be…

I watched what happened with George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and others, and I kept thinking about their moms. As a mother, I feel so fortunate to not know what that’s like to go through. My aunt and uncle lost a son to gun violence, and I personally saw the aftermath of that [grief]. I wanted to help families in these situations, so decided to start My Good. A common denominator with all these families is how much they need counseling and grief specialists. We’re offering a network of the right people for them to talk to and offering the financial support to pay for it. One woman we are helping couldn’t work for two years after a family member was shot. She was completely debilitated from depression and PTSD.…

What can fans expect to see? JACKSON High energy, some genuine laughs and all the latest entertainment news. What’s it like working together? ADAMS Lawrence is a perfect balance to my sometimes bounce-off-the-wall personality. He’s a true calming presence. What are you most excited about? JACKSON People has been doing this for a long time, so I’m happy to grab the baton for this next chapter. Any dream guests? ADAMS I would faint if we got to interview Julia Louis-Dreyfus!…

CLOSET CLASSICS You can’t go wrong with these elevated basics THE ACCESSORIES YOU NEED IN 2020 WORK FROM HOME MUST-HAVES With virtual meetings still the norm, it’s all about looking good from the waist up TAILORED BLAZERS A double-breasted style can be thrown on over a tee before a last-minute Zoom. RUFFLED TOPS A high neck plus a touch of frill give your average blouse a sophisticated upgrade. PRINTED HEADBANDS The perfect accessory for days when you barely have enough time to pull together an outfit, let alone style your hair. 3 BEAUTY BOOSTERS When telecommuting life wears you down, try one of these little pick-me-ups. 2 WAYS TO WEAR… THE SWEATER DRESS This animal-printed style works for all your fall activities FOR APPLE-PICKING FOR DRINKS ON THE DECK INSIDER SHOPPING TIPS…

Her story is so legendary, so Hollywood, that it almost sounds apocryphal. When Hilary Swank was 15, she and her mother, Judy, left their home town in Washington state with little more than $75 and Swank’s dream to be an actress. They even lived out of their car in Los Angeles for a time, but a few years later Swank landed a major role on Beverly Hills, 90210. But midway through her only season in 1998, she was fired. “I’m so grateful though—it’s why I’m where I am today,” says Swank, now 46. The abrupt end to her time as Carly Reynolds opened another door: the part of trans man Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry, which a year later earned Swank her first Best Actress Oscar. “I scratched the…

Last Moment of Gratitude My partner, Jennifer [Cheyene], makes me thankful all day long. She can fix almost anything, like “I don’t need to hire a handyman,” although she’s very feminine and soft. She’s really smart. Last Time I Cried I was reminiscing about Barack Obama giving me a tour of the Oval Office during his term as President. I teared up for things that once were. Last Fashion Disaster I wear these big pants that are so comfortable, but you have to be at a certain angle for them to look good. I was photographed in them with a blouse that didn’t work. But I’m wearing them now! Last Thing I Learned About Myself I like things done quickly. In quarantine I have to put my mask on,…