Bill Maher Downplays Jada Pinkett Smith’s Alopecia After Oscars Slap: ‘It’s Not Leukemia’

Bill Maher weighed in on the Oscars slap heard ’round the world on Friday and decided to take aim at Jada Pinkett Smith in the process.

“I must say, comparing a woman to Demi Moore looking her hottest is not exactly the worst insult I’ve ever heard in the world,” the talk show host said on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher, referencing Chris Rock’s G.I. Jane joke during the 2022 Academy Awards as well as the onstage altercation with Will Smith that followed. “I mean, alopecia, it’s not leukemia, OK? Alopecia is when your hair falls out … there are worse things.”

Later in the show, Maher brought up the topic again in a roundtable with politician Andrew Yang and legal analyst Laura Coates, saying, “If you are so lucky in life as to have that be your medical problem, just say, ‘Thanks, God.’ It’s not life-threatening. It’s part of — for most people, 80 percent of men, 50 percent of women — it’s part of aging.

“Aging is, trust me I know, it’s the degradation of the flesh. It happens to all of us,” he continued. “And you know, just put on a f—ing wig like everybody else at the Oscars if it bothers you so much.”

For her part, Pinkett Smith has been open about learning to accept her alopecia with grace, though her husband clearly didn’t take kindly to Rock’s public swipe while presenting the award for best documentary feature.

The eventual best actor Oscar winner has faced public consequences for his actions since, including resigning from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and having two film projects — Fast and Loose and Bad Boys 4 — face uncertain futures.

Watch Maher’s opening monologue about the Oscars below.

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Grand Ole Opry Owner Sells Minority Stake to NBCUniversal, Atairos

NBCUniversal and independent investment company Atairos are set to acquire a 30% minority ownership stake in Ryman Hospitality Properties’ subsidiary OEG Attractions Holdings.

OEG Attractions Holdings directly or indirectly owns the assets that comprise Opry Entertainment Group (OEG), including the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, WSM 650 AM, Ole Red and a 50% interest in the country lifestyle media network Circle (which Ryman Hospitality Properties owns in a joint venture with Gray Television).

The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.

Atairos’ investment values OEG at $1.415 billion (including OEG’s previously announced acquisition of Block 21, which is expected to close June 1). Atairos has agreed to make an additional $30 million investment in OEG, contingent on certain performance targets being met. The initial $1.415 billion valuation includes a recapitalization of OEG with a new $300 million Term Loan B and the assumption of a $137 million CMBS facility for Block 21 upon consummation of that transaction. Atairos’ and NBCUniversal’s initial 30% equity investment in OEG will be approximately $293 million, with Atairos directly investing approximately $278 million and NBCUniversal directly investing up to approximately $15 million.

Once the transaction is complete, Ryman Hospitality Properties will retain a controlling 70% interest in OEG, with chairman and CEO Colin Reed serving as executive chairman of OEG. Atairos will enter into an LLC agreement with Ryman Hospitality Properties and OEG upon the closing of the investment. Atairos partners Alex Evans and Jackson Phillips will join OEG’s board of directors, which will be comprised of four Ryman Hospitality Properties directors and two Atairos directors.

In a statement, Reed said, “Back in June 2021, given the unsolicited interest we had received, we embarked on a formal process to identify a strategic partner that shares our vision for growing OEG to a position where it can operate independently of our core hospitality business while enabling our shareholders to participate in the significant upside for OEG that lies ahead. We view this partnership as a significant opportunity to strengthen these beloved institutions and cement their influence on American music culture.”

Michael Angelakis, chairman/CEO of Atairos, added, “OEG’s dynamic collection of entertainment venues, digital content and iconic country music brands provide a strong foundation for continued growth as a fully-integrated country lifestyle platform. We are excited to partner with the RHP and OEG teams to explore new content distribution strategies and support their ambition of becoming the leading player in country lifestyle live entertainment and media content.”

In his own statement, David Pietrycha, executive vp of strategy and business development at NBCUniversal, added, “We are excited to invest in OEG alongside our strategic partner Atairos. We look forward to exploring opportunities to leverage our media, technology and content creation expertise to help OEG accelerate its plans and bring its iconic brands, as well as artists and storied cities, to music lovers worldwide.”

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Jazmine Sullivan Wins Best R&B Album at 2022 Grammys: ‘I Wrote This Project to Deal With My Own Shame’

Jazmine Sullivan is now a two-time Grammy Award winner. During the Sunday (April 3) ceremony, the singer took home the 2022 best R&B album award for her work on 2021’s Heaux Tales— her second award of the night — and delivered a touching speech about the album’s inspirations.

“I wrote this project to deal with my own shame and unforgiveness around some of the decisions I made in my 20s that weren’t favorable. But what it ended up being was a safe space for Black women to tell their stories, for us to learn from each other, laugh with each other and not be exploited at the same time and that’s what I’m most grateful for,” Sullivan said. “Shout-out to all Black women who are just living their lives and being beautiful.”

Sullivan’s road to the Grammys has been a long one. The artist won her first-ever Grammy award earlier in the evening for best R&B performance with “Pick Up Your Feelings” in a tie with Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open.” The 34-year-old was nominated for best new artist in 2009 and has since racked up nominations in the best traditional R&B vocal performance, best female R&B vocal performance and best R&B song categories.

Heaux Tales found commercial success, with the LP hitting the Billboard 200 chart at No. 4, where it spent a total of 19 weeks. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart, while its lead single, “Pick Up Your Feelings,” peaked at No. 7 on the Hot R&B Songs tally and earned top 10 placements on the R&B Streaming Songs, R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, R&B Digital Song Sales and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts.

Watch Sullivan’s acceptance speech below:

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Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr. & Rachel Zegler Sing Sondheim Tribute During Grammys In Memoriam

Foo Fighters – who swept their categories at the 2022 Grammys – were originally scheduled to perform at the Sunday (April 3) night ceremony in Las Vegas, but understandably pulled out after the unexpected death of drummer Taylor Hawkins at age 50 on March 25. Ahead of the 2022 telecast’s In Memoriam section, Hawkins – one of the most beloved drummers in the business — received a special video montage tribute, introduced by host Trevor Noah.

The primary In Memoriam segment doubled as a tribute to the late Stephen Sondheim, who died at the age of 91 last November. It opened with Tony, Grammy and Emmy winner Ben Platt taking the stage for a somber take on “Not a Day Goes By” from 1981 musical Merrily We Roll Along as the names and photos of late artists and music business players flashed on the screen behind him.

Next up was Tony and Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo, who delivered a gorgeous rendition of “Send In the Clowns,” originally from A Little Night Music but also made popular by Judy Collins, whose version went to the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Tony and Grammy winner Leslie Odom Jr. joined Erivo onstage, singing “Not a Day Goes By” as a countermelody to Erivo’s “Clowns.”

Finally, Rachel Zegler – who portrayed Maria in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of West Side Story and won a Golden Globe for it – entered to sing “Somewhere” from West Side Story. It ended with all of them blending their voices on the musical theater classic as the In Memoriam segment wrapped.

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Olivia Rodrigo Wins Best Pop Vocal Album at 2022 Grammys, Achieving Her Childhood ‘Pipe Dream’

Olivia Rodrigo took home the notable best pop vocal album award at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards Sunday (April 3) for her debut album, Sour.

Wearing a floor-length black and purple gown reminiscent of a goth prom dress, Rodrigo gave Sour producer Dan Nigro a long hug before ascending onto the Grammys stage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to accept her third ever Grammy award. Dedicating the honor to her parents, Rodrigo shared a sweet story of her childhood gymnast dreams as a 9-year-old, before deciding “the next week” that she’d grow up to win a Grammy. “[My mom] was very supportive even though I’m sure she thought it was a little kid pipe dream,” she said, cradling the golden gramophone in her hands.

The 19-year-old pop star was up against Justin Bieber’s Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe), Doja Cat’s Planet Her, Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever and Ariana Grande’s Positions. Earlier in the evening, Rodrigo won best new artist and took home best pop solo performance for her smash single “Drivers License.”

The award was presented to the “Drivers License” singer by 30 Seconds to Mars’ lead man and actor Jared Leto. Sour debuted atop the Billboard 200, and held the top spot for five non-consecutive weeks. Her debut hit “Drivers License,” spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

During the first hour of the Grammy Awards ceremony, Rodrigo gave a heartfelt performance of “Drivers License” while appropriately seated behind the wheel of a Mercedes convertible. The stage also transformed into a suburban street to fit the theme.

Watch her acceptance speech below:

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