So 2023 is almost over, and we’re still suffering from some of this year’s news.
Celebrity trials in court, the demise of daytime combo Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, extraterrestrial contacts, and plenty of unexpected baby announcements have all made for an exciting year in showbiz.
We’ve also had near-death experiences and full-fledged death hoaxes; superstars dressed to the nines and nothing at all.
Britney Spears‘ biography was out, we all wore pink in honour of John Frankenheimer, and Gwyneth Paltrow was referred to in court as “King Kong.”
So, with only a few days before 2024, here’s a look back at some of the most bizarre showbiz stories this year.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s skiing trial
Gwyneth Paltrow’s trial in the United States took place in 2023, after her suit by retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who accused her of crashing into him on a ski hill in 2016.
Sanderson was suing for $300,000 (£239,000) in damages, saying he was left with fractured ribs and brain injuries, while Gwyneth claimed he had really crashed into her, costing her ‘half a day of skiing’ with her family.
A jury found her innocent and won her $1 counter-claim, and as she left the court on the last day, she bent down to Sanderson and said, ‘I wish you well.’
The trial was full of strange moments, from her remark about a “half-day of skiing” to Sanderson being questioned about if he had compared his opponent to “Godzilla” or “King Kong coming out of the jungle.”
Sanderson’s lawyer also appeared to become a bit starstruck while interrogating the actress, stating Gwyneth ‘probably had a better ski suit’ than everyone else and that she was ‘jealous’ of her height since ‘I have to wear four-inch heels just to get it to 5’5′′.
Kanye West and Bianca Censori’s fashion statements
Kanye West made news after divorcing Kim Kardashian and ending his romance with Julia Fox by’marrying’ Yeezy staff member Bianca Censori.
Their romance has produced many crazy moments, one of which being their choice of clothing when jet-settering throughout the world.
Bianca has been spotted several times in a transparent see-through bodysuit, looking completely naked and carrying something to cover her modesty, such as a cushion or a teddy bear.
Kanye, on the other hand, prefers to cover himself from head to toe.
When the couple went on vacation to Europe this summer, Bianca’s extremely provocative costumes sparked outrage among locals.
Kanye was reportedly barred from a boating business following an alleged sex act in public, with Bianca kneeling before him on a canal in Venice, Italy, with his trousers down and buttocks exposed.
Secret babies
2023 was the year to keep your pregnancy a secret, with some celebrities revealing their new arrivals either after birth or with only a few days to go.
Stacey Solomon surprised fans when she revealed that she and Joe Swash were expecting their fifth child, Belle, in February, just a few weeks after revealing her pregnancy at the end of December.
OnlyConnect actress Victoria Coren Mitchell then revealed in November that she had given birth at the age of 51, after keeping the pregnancy a secret.
Victoria and her actor husband David Mitchell, 49, had a daughter, with Victoria nonchalantly breaking the news by referencing her Halloween outfit, writing: ‘Many people are assuming my post yesterday was a Halloween costume.
‘Not at all; last week I had a baby and nothing currently fits me except cloaks.’
She added: ‘Luckily, Only Connect is a pre-record. Happy All Saints Day!’
In August, This Morning host Emma Kenny disclosed that she had given birth to a daughter at the age of 50 after battling to conceive for a decade.
After keeping her pregnancy hidden, she announced her daughter’s birth with an Instagram picture, stating, ‘I’ve waited 10 years to finally hold you in my arms.’
‘‘I have spent the last 9 months hiding my pregnancy, travelling the country with my theatre show, filming my YouTube crime content, and working on as many projects as possible in a bid to distract myself from the growing hope and possibility that this time you may just become a reality, and that this time things will end in the sweetness of joy, instead of the agony of loss.’
Daniel Radcliffe and wife Erin Darke also had a kid, with the couple keeping their private lives covert and only revealing the birth months later, after paparazzi images showed the couple wheeling a pram.
Octogenarian dads
Continuing with the baby news, there were a few unexpected new parents in 2023.
Both Robert De Niro and Al Pacino remarried, Robert aged 79 and Al at 83.
And, like other 2023 new parents, Robert made a surprise announcement about his daughter Gia during a live TV appearance, stating he had welcomed a daughter with fiancée Tiffany Chen.
When the reporter mentioned that he has six children, Robert quickly corrected himself, saying, ‘Seven actually – I just had a baby.’
Robert has Elliot and Helen with ex-wife Grace Hightower, Drena and Raphael with former partner Diahnne Abbott, and twins Aaron and Julian with ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith, in addition to Gia.
His kids range in age from 52 to 7 months.
The actor was among the first to publicly congratulate Al on the news that the 83-year-old’s partner, Noor Alfallah, was pregnant at the age of 29.
Noor gave birth to their son, Roman, in June, and while the pair is still together, they worked out a custody arrangement with the actor, who pays thousands of dollars in child support each month.
Oscar nominee Al is already the father of Julie, 33, with former Jan Tarrant, and Anton and Olivia, 22 with Beverly D’Angelo.
Jeremy Renner’s snowplough accident
Just before the new year began, Marvel fans were heartbroken to learn that Jeremy Renner had been in a snowplough accident and was battling for his life in the hospital.
The singer ‘nearly died’ on New Year’s Day 2023 after being ran over by his snowplough while attempting to spare his nephew from being hit by the six-tonne vehicle.
He was airlifted to the hospital after breaking over 30 bones and suffering from a collapsed lung and a perforated liver.
Jeremy miraculously survived and spent the remainder of the year rehabilitating, including learning to walk again.
The actor has made remarkable improvement, and he is now back on the red carpet and filming for his new programme Mayor of Kingstown.
This Morning in chaos
This Morning began the year with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, as it had for the previous ten years and 13 National Television Awards.
However, Phillip abruptly left This Morning in May 2023 after it was discovered that he had lied about having an affair with a young runner on the show.
ITV revealed that it questioned Schofield and the runner some years ago when suspicions initially surfaced, but they both disputed the claims at the time, and a new investigation was launched into the circumstances surrounding his departure.
Phil never returned to This Morning, and Holly reappeared on the afternoon show alongside Jodie Gibson, where she began a statement by asking listeners, ‘First and foremost. ‘Are you all right?’
She claimed Phillip had acted in a way that he felt forced him to “resign from ITV and step down from a career” that he “loved,” and she felt “shaken, troubled, and let down,” while thanking fans for their expressions of support.
Holly returned to the show’s helm with a rotating co-star, but left permanently in October after a horrifying plan to abduct and murder her was discovered.
Gavin Plumb, 36, a security worker, was accused with recruiting a US hitman to murder the singer, which he denies.
Holly announced her immediate resignation from This Morning in a message on Instagram, writing: ‘I have let ITV know today that after 14 years, I will not be returning to This Morning.
Goldie Hawn’s alien encounter
Goldie Hawn, the mother of Kate Hudson, made a shocking statement in October: ‘An extraterrestrial touched me and it felt like the finger of God.’
She said on Apple’s Time To Walk that when she was in her twenties, she shouted out to any aliens who were listening, stating, ‘we’re not alone, and I’d want to meet you one day.’
Just four months later, while working as a dancer, she was laying down for a sleep in a friend’s car when she heard a ‘high frequency’ in her ear.
She claims she then saw three “triangular-shaped heads” in silver with a “tiny little nose,” “no ears,” and “a slash for a mouth.”
The aliens ‘were pointing at me … discussing me like I was a subject.’
She says she was unable to move, but that the aliens ‘touched me and it felt like the finger of God.’
‘It was the most benevolent, loving feeling. This was powerful. It was filled with light.’
Jada Pinkett Smith revealing everything about her and Will Smith’s life
Jada Pinkett Smith disclosed in October that she and husband Will Smith had been privately separated for eight years.
The actress also said that after hearing speculations that she and Will were divorcing, Chris Rock took her out on a date, and that when Will notoriously smacked the comedian at the Oscars, it was the first time in years he spoke to her as his wife.
In another shocking admission, Jada admitted that she had enabled others to label her as an adultery since Will wasn’t ‘ready’ to inform the public about their breakup.
Days later, Kate appeared to suggest that she and Will may be reuniting, and subsequently referred to the Oscars slap as the “holy slap” for aiding in their reconciliation.
Among all the Will revelations, she said that rapper Tupac, with whom she had a close acquaintance, had alopecia.
As the headlines continued, fans begged the actress to’stop talking’ and’remove us from the group conversation.’
Lil Tay’s death hoax
The death of US child star Lil Tay was reported in August on her own Instagram profile, in what was undoubtedly one of the most perplexing events of 2023, only to be proven to be a fake.
A now-deleted message on the 14-year-old’s Facebook page confirmed her and her brother’s deaths.
She later sent a statement, accusing the announcement of being a hack on her account, resulting in a “traumatising 24 hours.”
In a statement to TMZ she claimed her account had been hacked, saying ‘‘I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive.’
Lizzo’s lawsuit
In 2023, numerous of Lizzo’s former backup dancers accused her of a variety of offences, including sexual and racial harassment.
Three former dancers have accused the pop singer of discrimination and creating a “hostile work environment,” as well as sexual harassment for allegedly forcing them to touch naked performers at a European strip club.Crystal Williams, Noelle Rodriguez, and Arianna Davis alleged sexual, religious, and racial harassment, as well as handicap discrimination, assault, and false imprisonment.
Lizzo has angrily disputed the charges, calling them “outrageous” and “sensationalised,” and has requested a judge to dismiss the case entirely.
One word: Barbenheimer
Two of the year’s biggest films were released on the same day, but instead of establishing a competition, everyone decided to attend see both and make a huge deal out of it.
It resulted in moviegoers wearing bright pink attire – or a half-pink dress, half-grey suit – to the theatres on release day, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joining in.
Fans of both Barbie and Oppenheimer drove both films to success at the box office, albeit Barbie came out on top, grossing over $1.4 billion (£1.1 billion) globally, compared to Oppenheimer’s $890 million (£734 million).
Celebrities getting hit with flying missiles
Celebrities being hit in the face by flying items was a bizarre and hazardous new fad in 2023.
Bebe Rexha suffered facial injuries after a concertgoer hurled his iPhone at her face during a performance, making her the first significant news about singers being attacked.
Following that, there were many high-profile instances, including Harry Styles being left bent over in agony after being smacked in the face, Lil Nas X being thrown an adult toy on stage, and Pink being thrown a fan’s mother’s ashes.
Tulisa of N-Dubz told Metro.co.uk about being ‘licked in the face’ by an iPhone, while John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, labelled such fans ‘the lowest form of existence.’
Austin Butler’s Elvis voice
To say Austin Butler took his role as Elvis Presley in a biopic seriously would be an understatement.
Austin looked unable to shed the Elvis accent and voice nearly two years after production concluded, and his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes for best actor in a motion picture drama had admirers asking what was up with his prolonged Memphis drawl.
As the acceptance speech aired, viewers flocked to Twitter – aka X – asking ‘why is Austin Butler still dong his Elvis accent?’
He was even asked about it in interviews, and told Variety ‘I don’t think I sound like him still… but I guess I must because I hear it a lot.’
Taylor Swift and Matty Healy
Yes, this occurred only this year.
Taylor Swift is presently seeing NFL player Travis Kelce, but earlier this year she began dating The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, causing complete pandemonium.
Who, as we all know, is the son of Loose Women’s Denise Welch.
The Loose Women panel debating if Denise would become Taylor’s mother-in-law, and Matty’s father Tim Healy grumpily questioning why it was so hilarious that he might be Taylor’s father-in-law.
There was also some backlash, with some fans upset Taylor was spending time with Matty after his statements on a podcast were deemed ‘homophobic’ and’misogynistic’ by some.
Britney Spears’ entire year
This year saw the publishing of Britney Spears’ long-awaited biography The Woman In Me, which contained a number of shocking accusations and heartbreaking discoveries.
Her previously unseen stories about her adolescent relationship with Justin Timberlake and the fallout that followed were among the most shocking, as she revealed she had an abortion when she became pregnant with his child and spoke about how she felt victimised by his Cry Me A River bombshell – despite claiming he had also cheated on her multiple times.
Britney was going through a divorce at the time, and her relationship with husband Sam Asghari had fallen apart.
It resulted in a dog custody struggle, with Sam removing the Doberman he had purchased for Britney as a protection dog and Britney having to pay for Sam’s new bachelor pad rental.
Fans were also alarmed when Britney began posting videos of herself dancing with knives on Instagram – though he assured the knives were not real and were instead movie props.
subsequently that year, Britney attempted to mend fences with her mother, Lynne Spears, as they shared images together, and she subsequently expressed her support for Jamie Lynn Spears after she was eliminated from Dancing With The Stars.
Her father, Jamie Spears, who was in charge of the conservatorship over her, subsequently had an illness and had to have his leg amputated, and while initial reports said she was prepared to repair their connection, a source later stated this was false.
