Elizabeth Wagmeister-Senior: Last News

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent For more than 22 years, Kelly Ripa has had a few “TV husbands” — but today, her real-life husband, Mark Consuelos, becomes her official co-host on “Live.” Ripa and Consuelos have been married for nearly 27 years, and have worked together for their entire relationship. But they never planned for it to be that way. The couple first met in the ’90s on the soap opera “All My Children.” From the day Ripa became co-host of “Live With Regis and Kelly” in 2001, Consuelos would appear on the talk show, whether it be as a guest co-host or for a Valentine’s Day special, and America has watched their three now-adult children grow up on television. They have acted together on each other’s shows, playing lovers on the sitcom “Hope & Faith” and the CW’s “Riverdale.” And they run their own production company together, Milojo, which takes after the first two letters of their children’s names: Michael, Lola and Joaquin.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Kim Kardashian is adding yet another item to her ever-growing resume: the reality star turned businesswoman is joining Season 12 of “American Horror Story.” Kardashian made the announcement Monday on her Instagram account, posting teaser video with eerie music, along with the eyeball and blood drop emojis as her cryptic caption. The video posted by Kardashian says that she will be joining “American Horror Story” regular Emma Roberts in the 12th season, which is coming this summer. Kardashian’s video reveals that the upcoming season of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series will be called “Delicate.” No other details regarding Kardashian’s character, the magnitude of her role or the season’s theme were revealed in her post. FX did not immediately respond to Variety request for comment, regarding Kardashian’s role.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent “Support is what all women in every industry could always use more of — and will seldom ask for,” Kelly Ripa said, as she took the stage at Variety‘s Power of Women: New York event on Tuesday afternoon. “Offer support to someone who needs it. Encourage others to do the same. Sometimes just being asked is enough.” Ripa’s advice was part of her stirring speech at Variety‘s annual luncheon where she was one of five Power of Women honorees, along with Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Rosie Perez, Natasha Lyonne and Judy Blume. “Don’t ever be afraid to advocate for yourself. Don’t ever be afraid to advocate for others,” Ripa continued. “Knowing that a person or group of people have your back can be the most powerful thing in the world.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent The stars and creatives behind Hulu’s “Tiny Beautiful Things” celebrated the premiere of their upcoming show at an ethereal and intimate event, presented by Hulu, ABC Signature and Variety. “Tiny Beautiful Things” stars Kathryn Hahn as an anonymous and revered advice columnist whose own life is falling apart. Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern are among the executive producers behind the buzzy show, which begins streaming on April 7 on Hulu. Adapted for television by Liz Tigelaar, “Tiny Beautiful Things” is based on Cheryl Strayed’s New York Times bestseller of the same name, which is comprised of a collection of essays from Strayed’s “Dear Sugar” advice column, which she wrote anonymously more than a decade ago.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent When Mike Fleiss announced he was leaving “The Bachelor” franchise earlier this week, he released a chipper statement to the media, congratulating the latest winning couple from the reality dating show that he created more than 20 years ago.  “First and foremost, congratulations are in order for Zach and Kaity. I wish them a long and happy life together,” Fleiss said, announcing his sudden departure. “I want to thank WBTV and ABC for 21 extraordinary years. They’ve found the perfect creative team for me to entrust ‘The Bachelor’ franchise and keep this lightning in a bottle bold and moving forward. Let the journey continue.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Kelly Ripa first appeared on morning TV when she was a soap star on “All My Children.” At that time, she was being booked as a guest on “Live With Regis & Kathie Lee” by a young executive producer, Michael Gelman, who eventually helped cast her in a lead role, replacing Kathie Lee Gifford in 2001 to co-host with Regis Philbin. More than 22 years later, Ripa and Gelman are still working together every day on “Live!” which has continued on as one of the greatest successes in television history, currently reigning as the top daytime talk show in syndication. “She had that ‘wow factor’ as a guest,” Gelman tells Variety, reminiscing on when he first met a 20-something Ripa in the ’90s.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent In 2014, Nick Viall revealed on national TV that Bachelorette Andi Dorfman had slept with him during their time together on the show. Heartbroken that she didn’t choose him as her winner, Viall asked why she “made love” with him; she said him talking about their sex life was “below the belt.” The episode invited think pieces discussing whether Viall had slut-shamed Dorfman. Fast-forward nine years and “Bachelor” history has repeated itself. The star of “The Bachelor” Season 27, Zach Shallcross, broke his own rule not to sleep with any of his final contestants in the fantasy suites. When he was intimate with his runner-up, Gabi Elnicki, he decided it was the appropriate choice to tell the other women that they had slept together. Viewers weren’t shocked when this decision blew up in Shallcross’ face, angering Elnicki, finalist Ariel Frenkel and, the eventual winner, Kaity Biggar.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent “The Bachelor” creator Mike Fleiss is parting ways with the franchise he created more than two decades ago, Variety has learned. Fleiss will be replaced by new showrunners Claire Freeland, Jason Ehrlich and Bennett Graebner, all of whom have long-term ties to “The Bachelor” franchise. The news of Fleiss’ departure comes the day after “The Bachelor” wrapped up its 27th season. “The Bachelorette” heads into Season 20 this summer. “First and foremost, congratulations are in order for Zach and Kaity. I wish them a long and happy life together,” Fleiss says in a statement to Variety, referencing the winning couple from “The Bachelor” Season 27. “I want to thank WBTV and ABC for 21 extraordinary years,” Fleiss’ statement says. “They’ve found the perfect creative team for me to entrust ‘The Bachelor’ franchise and keep this lightening in a bottle bold and moving forward. Let the journey continue.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent When Ryan Seacrest announced he’d be leaving “Live! With Kelly and Ryan,” at least three people were very concerned: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos’ children. Ripa and Consuelos’ two adult sons and daughter have grown up in front of America. They’ve also grown up with Seacrest, who Ripa jokes is known as “Uncle Cool” in their household. Seacrest and Ripa have shared six years together as co-hosts on their top-rated show, but they’re relationship started long before that. The duo are such close friends that Seacrest has attended graduation ceremonies for the Ripa-Consuelos kids, and he regularly texts Consuelos for advice on everything from fashion to investing. In fact, Seacrest says he would have never considered moving across the country for “Live!” had it not been for Ripa.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead, if you have not watched “The Bachelor” Season 27 finale, which aired on Monday, March 27 on ABC. 27 seasons later, “The Bachelor” is still handing out his final rose to the sound of tears, heartbreak and joy. On Monday night, leading man Zach Shallcross had a big decision to make between his final two contestants, Gabi Elnicki and Kaity Biggar. The finale followed last week’s very dramatic “sex week” episode where Shallcross, for some reason, felt compelled to discuss his sexual intimacy behind closed doors with Elnicki with his other finalists, only after telling them that he would not have sex with anyone. To no one’s surprise at all, that created high tensions with his final two women going into the proposal week.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Sheryl Lee Ralph has alleged she was sexually assaulted by a “famous TV judge” at a business event years ago, claiming network executives witnessed the attack, but asked her to stay silent to avoid “bad press.” “I’m at a very public place. I was suited. I had my suit on. I was handling my business for the television show I was on at that time. He and I were on the same network,” Ralph said, recalling the alleged incident. “This man walked in, grabbed me by the back of my neck, turned me around and rammed his nasty ass tongue down my throat,” Ralph said. “And everybody at the network saw it.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Sarah Ann Masse, an actor and activist who appeared in the film “She Said,” launched an outreach campaign via her organization Hire Survivors Hollywood, which had Hollywood notables wearing pins to support survivors of sexual violence across the entertainment industry at some of the buzziest events in the biz. Masse — who is a real-life survivor of Harvey Weinstein, but did not play herself in “She Said” — is the founder of Hire Survivors Hollywood, a grassroots organization that aims to get major studios and networks to make a pledge to hire survivors and give them the same opportunities as others, and stand against retaliation for speaking up. Masse started Hire Survivors Hollywood out her own necessity, after she says she was retaliated against for coming forward about Weinstein, and because she believed other survivors of sexual abuse were facing similar professional backlash.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent “The Bachelor” franchise is no stranger to controversy, and after having been embroiled in race-related scandal in recent years, the ABC dating show addressed a contestant controversy head-on in the latest episode. Greer Blitzer is a contestant on the current season of “The Bachelor,” which stars leading man Zach Shallcross. Before the season premiered, Reddit users unearthed former tweets from 2016 where Blitzer defended wearing blackface. The reality star apologized on her own social media in January for the racially insensitive tweets, but the show had not addressed the controversy until now. On Tuesday’s episode of “The Bachelor: Women Tell All,” host Jesse Palmer put Blitzer in the hot seat and asked her address the backlash regarding her “troubling” and “disturbing” posts, in front of a studio audience.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent When one door closes, another one opens — and for ABC contestant Charity Lawson, her “Bachelor” breakup with Shallcross that aired last night was the best thing to ever happen to her. Why? Because now she’s the star of her own show. Lawson has been cast as ABC’s newest leading lady for “The Bachelorette” Season 20, which will air this summer. The announcement was made on Tuesday night’s episode of “The Bachelor: Women Tell All” where host Jesse Palmer surprised Lawson with the news. “Women Tell All” taped on the Warner Bros. lot on February 24th, and when Lawson’s “Bachelorette” announcement was made, the set was cleared so members of the media who were present were not made privy to the news. Variety was at the taping of “Women Tell All,” and the scene with Lawson was the last piece filmed that day. It’s typical for “The Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” casting news to leak, so the franchise pulled off a rare feat with no leaks of Lawson’s big news.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Just as Harvey Weinstein’s Los Angeles legal battle came to a close, another accuser has publicly come forward to reveal her identity. Kate Jaggard was set to be Jane Doe No. 5 in Weinstein’s 2022 rape trial, but she was ultimately never called to testify. In turn, the four charges associated with her allegations were dropped. Little details were shared about Jaggard, other than her being an actor and model who lives in Australia. She is represented by attorney Gloria Allred, who revealed her identity to the media on Tuesday following the final hearing in Weinstein’s L.A. case.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Last year, Harvey Weinstein was found guilty by a Los Angeles jury — though in a mixed verdict, jurors could not reach a unanimous decision on all counts, with the judge declaring a mistrial on three of seven charges. On Tuesday, the judge dismissed those three remaining charges, and ruled that she would not be putting Weinstein back on trial. Prior to the judge’s decision, the prosecution announced the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office would not be proceeding with the remaining charges. Weinstein was sentenced last month to 16 additional years for his most recent conviction in L.A. He is already serving a 23-year sentence for his 2020 rape and sexual assault conviction in New York, and will all-but-likely spend the rest of his life behind bars. He is appealing both of his convictions.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent “The Late Late Show With James Corden” might be making its final curtain call on CBS this spring, but CBS Studios is continuing its partnership with Fulwell 73, the production company behind the late-night show and much more. Fulwell 73 has re-upped its first-look development deal with CBS Studios for three more years, Variety has learned. A person familiar with the agreement says the renewal deal began last fall. Under the deal, Fulwell 73 will continue to develop scripted, alternative and digital projects for the studio across broadcast, cable, streaming and digital platforms. Fulwell 73 first inked a deal with CBS Studios in 2016. The company has been in business with CBS since 2015 when Corden began hosting “The Late Late Show,” which became a mega success for the company defined by countless viral moments during its run.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Evgeniya Chernyshova — formerly known as Jane Doe No. 1 in the Harvey Weinstein trial — sat down for her first television interview, revealing her identity on-camera and speaking about why she decided to come forward. Chernyshova was the first witness called in Weinstein’s Los Angeles trial last year. Her testimony compelled the jury to convict Weinstein on three charges of rape and sexual assault, ultimately resulting in a 16-year sentencing. Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence from his New York conviction in 2020. Once the most powerful man in Hollywood, the disgraced movie mogul is appealing both of his convictions. “You can stand. You can fight a monster. You can win,” Chernyshova said in a television interview with ABC News, which aired on Feb. 27.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent After being sentenced to 16 additional years last week, Harvey Weinstein is all-but-likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Weinstein is appealing his rape and sexual assault conviction, but for survivors, they feel justice has finally been served. “Today, he will be sentenced. He cannot hurt anyone anymore,” Evgeniya Chernyshova, known in the case as Jane Doe #1, said at Weinstein’s sentencing on Feb. 23 at the criminal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. “I truly believe that this verdict, and the maximum sentence, will restore the faith in the justice system for many survivors out there,” Chernyshova told the judge, moments before Weinstein was handed his punishment.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison on Thursday, but his lawyers will continue to fight for the disgraced producer to live a life outside of jail, pledging to appeal his Los Angeles conviction. Weinstein’s defense, led by Mark Werksman and Alan Jackson, is finalizing their notice for appeal and is expected to file as soon as late Friday or mid-next week, Variety has learned. Werksman and Jackson did not immediately respond for comment, but at Weinstein’s sentencing, they told the judge that they planned to appeal. When contacted by Variety regarding the appeal, Weinstein’s spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, provided a statement claiming that Weinstein had an unfair trial.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Jennifer Siebel Newsom, one of the star witnesses of Harvey Weinstein’s west coast trial, says justice was served with the convicted rapist’s 16-year sentencing on Thursday, but warns there is more work to be done. A filmmaker and actor, Siebel Newsom is married to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, making her the First Partner of the state. She testified in Weinstein’s trial, accusing him of raping and sexually assaulting her in 2005. While the jury found the disgraced Hollywood producer guilty on three charges, they acquitted him of the two charges related to Siebel Newsom’s accusations. Speaking in a video posted to her social media on Thursday, Siebel Newsom spoke about her experience throughout the trial and called on the public to end the culture of sexual abuse.