Entertainment

Diddy placed in solitary following NBC News report on his VIP prison life

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been placed in solitary confinement following an NBC News report on his VIP lifestyle inside prison, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
The disgraced hip hop mogul arrived at the Fort Dix federal prison in New Jersey in October after he was sentenced to 50 months behind bars for transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters.
Since then, he has spent thousands of dollars a month to bring his high-end lifestyle to the low-security prison, NBC News reported Tuesday in a story based on interviews with four men who spent time in the same unit as Combs.
They said he had no trouble acquiring contraband items such as cellphones and premium liquor, including Hennessy. He also pays several inmates who cook special meals for him, clean the toilet and shower areas before he uses them, do his laundry, make his bed and even give him Chinese-style massages.
“This is not some normal s— you see in jail. This is some rich s—,” one of the sources said. “It looks crazy, but again, it’s Diddy.”
NBC News also obtained photos and videos inside the prison, which includes footage of Combs appearing to use a contraband cellphone.
After the report was published, Combs was removed from his dormitory-style quarters and placed in a special housing unit, better known as solitary confinement or the SHU, according to the source.
A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny that Combs was moved.
“For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not comment on the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including quarters assignment or whether a particular individual is the subject of allegations, investigations, or sanctions,” the spokesperson said.
TMZ was first to report that the Bad Boy Records founder was moved to solitary.
Federal prisons often transfer inmates to the special housing unit when they are the subjects of an investigation, experts say.
“We’d put people in the SHU while we were gathering evidence,” said Vito Maraviglia, a retired special investigator for the Bureau of Prisons who worked at Fort Dix in the late 1990s.
Maraviglia said the New Jersey prison is known as one of the cushiest in the federal prison system. It has segmented housing areas that are more difficult to monitor than at other facilities, making it easier for inmates to hide and use contraband items like cellphones.
“A high-profile guy like that, with all that money, I’m surprised they put him at a place like Fort Dix,” Maraviglia said.
Inmates placed in the SHU are locked in a cell with one other person for at least 23 hours a day, according to two men who spent time at Fort Dix. Inmates are allowed a book or two and a wind-up radio, the sources said, and they must wear an orange jumpsuit instead of the regular khaki uniform or grey sweatpants and shirts.
Meals are delivered in trays but commissary access is restricted, and they are permitted to shower only a few days a week. The sources said they must otherwise wash up in a sink.
“It’s nasty down there,” one of the sources said.
It isn’t Combs’ first time in solitary confinement at Fort Dix. Last summer, he was placed in the special housing unit after he got into a fight with another inmate.
He was later kicked out of a drug treatment program at the prison but continued paying inmates to do a range of services for him, NBC News reported Tuesday.
The story prompted responses from people as varied as Combs’ longtime nemesis 50 Cent and the prominent attorney Gloria Allred, who represents a woman suing him for allegedly raping her more than 20 years ago. (Combs has denied the allegations, and the case is ongoing.)
“These serious allegations against Mr. Combs cry out for an immediate federal investigation and appropriate federal action including a prosecution if the allegations of having and using a cell phone while incarcerated can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” Allred said in a statement.
Other famous people have also received perks in prison, including Martha Stewart and Harvey Weinstein.
Combs’ trial last year centered on drug-fueled orgies he organized called “freak offs.” They involved male sex workers and his former girlfriends – including the singer Cassie – who filed a lawsuit against Combs alleging years of physical and sexual abuse. (The case was settled, with Combs denying any wrongdoing.)
The trial ended in a split verdict, with a New York jury finding him not guilty on the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him in prison for life.

Entertainment

Hilary Swank, 52, announces she’s pregnant with baby No. 3

Hilary Swank is expecting her third child in December.
The “Million Dollar Baby” actress, 52, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a video of herself, husband Philip Schneider and their 3-year-old twins, Aya and Ohm, dancing and wearing what appeared to be glow sticks taped to their bodies.
Swank also showed off her baby bump featuring a tiny glow stick baby.
“A lot of people have been asking what project I’m doing next, this one releases in December. 😉👼🏼🫶🏼,” she captioned the creative family video.
Fans in the comments thread were in disbelief, with one person writing, “Whatsssss ? Wait, am I crazy, or are you pregnant again?”
Another wrote, “Ahhh congratulations!!! How beautiful! What a fun announcement 😍❤️” while a third chimed in, “Best news of the day, week, month and year!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!”
A fourth gushed, “As a 44 year old mom of twin 7 year olds, I’m so excited and impressed!! I would love to have another baby if only I had the stamina!!!! Enjoy your new hormones 😊”
Want more celebrity and pop culture news?
Start your day with Page Six Daily.
Thanks for signing up!
Enter your email address
Please provide a valid email.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Want celebrity news as it breaks?
The Oscar winner and Schneider welcomed Aya and Ohm back in April 2023. She was 48 at the time.
“It wasn’t easy. But boy (and girl!) was it worth it. 👼🏼🤍👼🏼 Happy Easter!” she captioned a snapshot of herself holding the infants while taking in a sunset.
She added, “🐣🐣 Posting from pure Heaven. 🙌🏽.”
The actress first announced she was becoming a mom during an interview on “Good Morning America” in October 2022.
The “Beverly Hills, 90210” actress gushed that she was “so happy” to share the news, confessing that it was something she’d “been wanting for a long time.”
“And not just of one but of two,” she added.
Swank — who was previously married to actor Chad Lowe — and Schneider tied the knot in California back in 2018.
Image gallery

Entertainment

Chuck Lorre says Anna Faris’ exit from ‘Mom’ confirmed his casting concerns

Chuck Lorre suggested his reservations about Anna Faris starring in “Mom” had been “correct” when she left the show for “mysterious reasons.”
The co-creator of the hit CBS comedy reveals in his new memoir, “Sitcom,” that he was initially hesitant to cast Faris, 49, in the lead role, despite her being the network’s first choice to play Christy Plunkett.
“I wasn’t sure Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material,” Lorre, 73, writes in his book. “Then I thought about how badly I’d bungled my working relationship with Charlie Sheen.”
In his memoir, Lorre claims that Melanie Lynskey was “terrified” of Sheen while filming the final episode of “Two and a Half Men” ahead of the actor’s 2011 exit from the show.
He also writes that the cast and crew were in a “constant state of anxiety” around Sheen.
Sheen, 61, would later tell Lorre to “suck his f–king butt” during a radio show tirade over his “firing,” but the pair eventually mended their relationship when Lorre realized Sheen would be perfect for a role in his HBO comedy series “Bookie.”
Want more celebrity and pop culture news?
Start your day with Page Six Daily.
Thanks for signing up!
Enter your email address
Please provide a valid email.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Want celebrity news as it breaks?
Reflecting on his experience with Sheen, Lorre says he reconsidered his reservations about Faris, writing, “Someone’s personal life is none of my business. The mom in ‘Mom’ would be, and should be, Anna Faris.”
The “Scary Movie” actress went on to star alongside Allison Janney, who played Bonnie Plunkett, from 2013 to 2020, before exiting the series ahead of its eighth season.
“As the years went by, it became apparent that my initial reluctance to hire Anna was, in fact, correct,” Lorre writes in his memoir. “After six years, she left the show for mysterious reasons that were not mysterious to anyone on the show.”
Lorre praises the show’s later seasons, writing that “‘Mom’ found its true voice” by showing that “there is hope, and there is laughter in overcoming the seemingly fatal disease of alcoholism.”
He also criticizes CBS for canceling the series after eight seasons in 2021, writing, “CBS decided they could live without a perfect cast led by a national treasure. They canceled a show starring Allison Janney.”
Faris would later open up about her decision to leave “Mom” during a June appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast.
“I do think the intensity, like, towards the end, I think I started to lose my focus,” Faris said.
“I’d never had a job, besides waitressing, for over three and a half months before,” she added, noting that her decision to leave came during a “complicated time.”
Image gallery

Entertainment

Listen to Hayden Panettiere 911 call as Brian Hickerson’s brother desperately tries to save actress’ life

Zach Hickerson’s desperate attempts to save actress Hayden Panettiere’s life have been revealed in a a newly released 911 audio dispatch.
A 911 call, obtained by CBS News Wednesday, revealed Brian Hickerson’s brother called authorities in a panic after finding the “Heroes” alum unresponsive in an Airbnb in South Carolina on Aug. 16.
“Oh god, oh my god,” Zach — who said he had just returned from church when he found her — can be heard on the call before the dispatcher asked if Panettiere was breathing. “No, I don’t think so.”
The dispatcher instructed Zach to find a defibrillator, which he was unable to locate. He then confirmed the actress was not breathing.
“OK, we need to start CPR,” the dispatcher told Zach. “I’m going to tell you how to do CPR, OK? We’re gonna start with ventilation first.”
Zach proceeded to perform the life-saving measures on Panettiere until first responders arrived and took over.
The “I Love You Beth Cooper” star was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m. local time. She was 36.
Additionally, a police report previously obtained by Page Six revealed Brian, who was involved in an on-again, off-again relationship with Panettiere since 2018, gave officers a “bag of medication” she had been taking.
Page Six confirmed that Panettiere died from the toxic effects of 4-ANPP, fentanyl, methocarbamol, alprazolam and quetiapine.
Her manner of death was ruled an accident, with “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
Hayden’s death was confirmed by her father, Skip Panettiere, via a statement that same day.
“She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” he wrote. “We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Ahead of her death, Hayden was candid about her ongoing addiction to opioids and alcohol, and her journey with postpartum depression.
The “Nashville” alum recalled in 2015 the “really scary” and “painful” experience after she gave birth to her and her then-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko’s now 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding — there’s a lot of people out there that think it’s not real, that’s it not true, that it’s something that’s made up in their minds, that, ‘Oh, it’s hormones,’” she shared on a vulnerable episode of “Live with Kelly and Michael.”
“They brush it off. It’s something that’s completely uncontrollable. It’s really painful and it’s really scary and women need a lot of support.”
Ultimately, Hayden’s battle with addiction led to her engagement with Klitschko ending in 2018, and her giving full custody of Kaya to her ex.
“It was the hardest thing I ever had to do,” Hayden said in 2022, per People. “But I wanted to be a good mom to her — and sometimes that means letting them go.”
According to a Greenville County Coroner’s Office obtained by Page Six, Hayden had allegedly overdosed and entered rehab before she died.

Entertainment

Kaley Cuoco gives birth to second baby with fiancé Tom Pelphrey

Kaley Cuoco and fiancé Tom Pelphrey’s second child has arrived.
The “Big Bang Theory” alum gave birth to baby No. 2, a girl named Philomena Carmine Bobby, on Monday, three years after welcoming daughter Matilda.
“There are no words to describe this feeling once again,” Cuoco, 40, wrote on Instagram Wednesday, alongside photos of the couple with their newborn daughter.
“What a blessing,” she continued. “We are so grateful for the crazy wild up and down journey that brought us to our little Philo! Family officially complete 😭Time to bring Matilda’s baby home! 😂💕.”
Cuoco also wrote that Pelphrey’s “life exploded the minute we met, and the gifts keep coming.”
“I love you forever, girl daddy,” she concluded her post.
The actress announced her pregnancy news — and the little one’s sex — in a June Instagram post.
“completing our little family , what a dream come true ! 💖” Cuoco captioned the social media upload at the time.
“This second time around journey has been a little windier in many ways, but wow we are so grateful for this moment!!” she continued. “Little sissy on the way!!!”
The “Flight Attendant” star concluded by dubbing her partner a “girl dad for life.”
She and Pelphrey, 44, have been an item since 2022.
The duo, who share the same management team, started dating on the heels of Cuoco’s divorce from second husband Karl Cook.
Before marrying the equestrian in 2018, Cuoco was married to tennis star Ryan Sweeting from 2013 to 2016.
Five months after going public with Pelphrey, Cuoco revealed she and the “Ozark” alum were starting a family.
Matilda was born in March 2023, with the new mom gushing, “Overjoyed and grateful for this little miracle. … @tommypelphrey didn’t think I could fall even more in love with you, but I did.”
The following year, Pelphrey proposed to the Emmy nominee — despite her previously swearing off ever walking down the aisle again.
“Amazing weekend,” the bride-to-be wrote alongside her August 2024 engagement ring debut.
Cuoco subsequently teased to People that “maybe another kid” would “come first” before they walked down the aisle.
The “Meet Cute” star, who had yet to “start planning anything” for their nuptials, quipped, “We’re gonna go way out of order. That’s our plan.”

Entertainment

‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’ Renewed For Season 2 By Apple TV

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed will be back for another go-round. Apple TV announced Wednesday that it has renewed the dark comedy thriller for a second season.
A writers room is underway, we hear, with Season 2 production slated for the first half of 2027.
Starring Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany and Jake Johnson, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed follows newly divorced mom Paula (Maslany) as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder and youth soccer. Convinced that she witnessed a crime — while simultaneously struggling through a custody battle and an identity crisis — Paula begins her own investigation, one that could unravel a greater conspiracy while also holding the keys to rebuilding her family and sense of self.
RELATED: 2026 TV Cancellations Photo Gallery: Series Ending This Year & Beyond
The series hails from Apple Studios and Counterpart Studios and is written and executive produced by creator and showrunner David J. Rosen. David Gordon Green served as director and executive producer. The series is also developed by and executive produced by Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon for Genre Films under their first-look deal with Apple TV, and Bard Dorros for Anonymous Content.
In addition to Maslany and Johnson, the ensemble cast is led by Murray Bartlett, Dolly De Leon, Brandon Flynn, Jessy Hodges, Jon Michael Hill, Charlie Hall, Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg and Nola Wallace.
“We are delighted to continue the story of MPG and deeply grateful to Apple and our incredible cast and crew,” said Rosen. “This is all pretty amazing for a show whose title came from a spam email.”