The daily gossip: May 29, 2020
by Jeva Lange1.
Forbes suspects Kylie Jenner isn't actually a billionaire
In an explosive report published Friday, Forbes alleged that Kylie Jenner has been "inflating" the success of her company, Kylie Cosmetics, for years. The magazine announced last year that Jenner was the youngest self-made billionaire ever, but now it says her business is "significantly smaller, and less profitable, than the family has spent years" leading the industry to believe. The report describes how Jenner's publicists showed Forbes tax returns demonstrating the unbelievable growth of her company, but says there is "virtually no way" they were accurate. Forbes estimates Jenner is actually worth "just under $900 million" — which still isn't too shabby! Jenner, meanwhile, tweeted "I can name a list of 100 things more important right now than fixating on how much money I have." [Forbes, The Week]
2.
Taylor Swift forcefully rebukes Trump in rare political statement
Taylor Swift has decided to speak now. In a rare political statement issued Friday, the singer blasted President Trump for "stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism," vowing that "we will vote you out in November." The tweet is undoubtedly the strongest stance the singer has taken against the president to date, in addition to apparently being the first time Swift has called out Trump publicly by name. Back in 2016, Swift faced criticism from fans for keeping silent about then-candidate Trump, explaining in 2018 that she had been "reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now." [Twitter]
3.
Khloé Kardashian quips that her 'weekly face transplant' is why she looks so different
This week, Khloé Kardashian posted a nearly unrecognizable photo of herself on Instagram, prompting a slew of comments about her new "hair." But as She Knows observed, "Not since the days of Heidi Pratt's on-air reveal of her plastic surgery had I seen such a drastic transformation." So you might say it was a case not so unlike the old story about "The Emperor's New Clothes" when one commenter finally responded to a pic Khloé posted Thursday with: "Why do you look so different in all your photos?" Khloé, who is known for her spicy rejoinders, didn't hesitate to fire back. "My weekly face transplant clearly," she wrote. Khloé since deleted the comment, but it will live on forever in our hearts. [She Knows, E! News]
4.
Dakota Johnson says her grandmother, Tippi Hedren, does not approve of 'the Joe Exotic lifestyle'
Dakota Johnson shared that her grandmother, Tippi Hedren, does not approve of "the Joe Exotic lifestyle" during an interview with her neighbor, Jimmy Kimmel, on Thursday night. Hedren, who is 90, still keeps "13 or 14 lions and tigers," Johnson has previously revealed, down from the 60-odd cats the Birds actress had during her heyday. But Hedren is far more of a Carole Baskin-type than a showy exhibitor like Joe Exotic: She founded the feline advocacy group, the Roar Foundation, in 1983. Johnson is also apparently doing some animal wrangling of her own these days, but it mostly involves trying to keep her dog, Zeppelin, out of Kimmel's yard. [Just Jared, Jimmy Kimmel Live]
5.
Duck Dynasty star learns he has a 45-year-old daughter from an old affair
Remember Duck Dynasty? Well the show's, uhhh, problematic patriarch Phil Robertson announced on his "Unashamed" podcast this week that he recently learned he has a 45-year-old daughter from an old affair. That's quite the news coming from someone who once described his family as "Bible-thumpers who just happened to end up on television!" Phil's sons explained that they were contacted by a woman who "said that by a DNA search, she thinks that Dad might be her dad," despite Phil having been married to "Miss Kay" since 1966. Their dad agreed to a test: it was a 99.9 percent match. Phil, 74, has previously discussed being a philanderer before becoming Christian in the 1970s, and his family agreed the news of a long-lost sister was "super awesome." [People, Dlisted]