Elizabeth Wagmeister-Senior Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent A Ukrainian influencer was pulled off the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, after she covered herself in fake blood on the steps up to the Palais, staging a protest in support of Ukraine. This year, the city of Cannes banned protests along the Croisette and its surroundings during the festival. Ilona Chernobai — a Ukrainian fitness trainer with one million followers on Instagram — walked the red carpet at Cannes in a blue and yellow dress, symbolizing the Ukraine flag. As she got to the stairs, she pulled bags of fake blood from underneath her dress and poured them over herself. Security immediately grabbed her and escorted her off the carpet.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Dermot Mulroney is showing his support for the writers on strike — in somewhat dramatic fashion. Mulroney walked off “The View” during a segment that is scheduled to air on Friday, a source tells Variety, explaining to the hosts that he was going to “symbolically walk off in support of the writers” as he left the stage toward the end of his interview. Before leaving the stage, the actor asked the hosts if they were getting ready to go to commercial break and then thanked them before walking off mid-segment, according to an individual who was on-set, who adds that Mulroney’s interview was friendly and went smoothly, covering topics of his upcoming Disney+ series “Secret Invasion,” his past roles, his career, family and work ethic and longevity in Hollywood. When Mulroney left the stage, Variety is told the hosts remained professional and Joy Behar plugged his Disney+ series as she tossed to break.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent NBC has announced its panel of coaches for “The Voice” Season 25, with Grammy-winning artists Dan + Shay joining the show as the first-ever coaching duo. Dan + Shay will serve as coaches alongside RebaMcEntire, John Legend and Chance the Rapper. Season 25 will air in the spring of 2024. The network’s announcement comes ahead of the show’s 24th season, which airs this fall with the previously-announced coach lineup of Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani, Legend and McEntire in her debut season as coach. Season 24 will be the first season without veteran coach Blake Shelton, who has been with “The Voice” since it premiered in 2011 and took his final bow with Season 23, which wrapped up last month.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Brooke Shields came up in a different time. The model and actress has been working since infancy, and when she shot to superstardom in the ’70s and ’80s, she became a lucrative commodity whose own opinion was rarely heard, but became the focus of many other people’s opinions. This is all explored in her two-part documentary, “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” which hails from ABC News Studios and launched on Hulu earlier this year. Produced by Ali Wentworth, George Stephanopoulos and director Lana Wilson (Taylor Swift’s “Miss Americana”), the doc that received rave reviews out of its premiere at Sundance uses Shields’ story of being sexualized as a child to paint a bigger picture of the treatment of women in society.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Sherri Shepherd’s daytime talk show, “Sherri,” is shaking up its executive ranks, setting a new senior producing team ahead of its second season. The inaugural season of the top-rated freshman show carried over the production staff from “The Wendy Williams Show,” which was replaced in its time slot on the Fox stations by “Sherri” when Williams’ show ended in 2022. Now, Shepherd’s show has parted ways with some of Williams’ top producers, who helped launch “Sherri,” which has been renewed through 2025. “Sherri” hails from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, the same company that was behind “The Wendy Williams Show” for its 13-year run.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Jimmie Allen has been dropped byBBR Music Group, the label confirmed to Variety late Friday, after a second woman sued him for sexual assault. “BBR Music Group has dissolved its relationship with Jimmie Allen,” the brief statement reads. “He is no longer an active artist on its roster.” The country singer was previously put on suspension by label, as well as his agency and manager, in the wake of being sued by his former female manager for sexual assault and battery. Allen denied the claims from his ex-manager that he raped and sexually abused her over the course of 18 months, calling the allegations “not only false, but also extremely damaging.” But less than one month after those first accusations, another woman came forward to accuse Allen in a new sexual assault lawsuit in which the second Jane Doe alleges the singer secretly filmed her during sex without her consent or awareness. After that alleged incident, which occurred in July 2022, this woman filed a police report, according to her lawsuit.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Country star Jimmie Allen is being sued for sexual assault by a new accuser, who claims she filed a police report after Allen secretly filmed her during sex. This is the second woman to come forward publicly with sexual assault allegations against the Grammy-nominated country singer. The new lawsuit, filed Friday in Tennessee federal court, comes less than one month after Allen was accused of rape and repeated sexual abuse by a woman who worked on his former management team. Those accusations, first reported by Variety, resulted in Allen being dropped by his publicist and suspended by his label, agency and management. In the new lawsuit, obtained by Variety, the woman — who is identified as “Jane Doe 2” – alleges that she was randomly approached by Allen on a plane last year, and after that first meeting, the country singer pursued her and engaged in daily communication over the phone. After two months of constant, long-distance conversation, they agreed to meet in Las Vegas where, according to the lawsuit, she was sexually assaulted.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent “The Rookie: Feds” remains on the bubble, as one of two shows at ABC awaiting news regarding a renewal — and its star, Niecy Nash-Betts, is crossing her fingers for a second season. Nash-Betts has had an in-demand year, starring in Netflix’s “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and hosting Fox’s gameshow “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” in addition to headlining “The Rookie: Feds.” And she’s hoping to keep her busy schedule going, continuing to play her character, Simone Clark, on the ABC police procedural. “I love my job so much, I love the people that I work with, and I love the fact that I get to work with my better half over there,” Nash-Betts says of her wife, musician Jessica Betts, who plays her love interest on “The Rookie: Feds.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Lily-Rose Depp takes on her biggest role to date, playing pop star Jocelyn, in HBO’s “The Idol,” which premiered on Sunday night. Depp — who knows a thing or two about stardom, having grown up in the Hollywood limelight herself — says she was interested in “The Idol” because it delves into the crazy and chaotic world of the music industry. “I was really intrigued by this project as soon as I heard about it. The world that it was exploring with all of the craziness and chaos that goes on is one that we don’t get to see all the time,” Depp says. Speaking about her character, she adds, “Jocelyn is a pop star who is constantly surrounding by people who she’s not sure if she can trust.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent A paparazzi photographer is suing Ye — the musician formerly known as Kanye West — for assault, battery and negligence after he was caught on-camera grabbing her phone and throwing it into the street. The photographer, Nichol Lechmanik, says she was just doing her job as a celebrity photojournalist when she was capturing content of Ye. “He reached into my car as if he were going to hit me, he grabbed my phone out of my hand and then angrily threw it into the street,” Lechmanik said on Thursday during a press conference. “He caused so much fear that I have not been the same since.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Leonardo DiCaprio was seen taking a selfie with a lady in red as he sat sandwiched in between Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux and festival president Iris Knobloch, deep in conversation at Kering’s Women in Motion Dinner. As he left, he walked to the back balcony of the party where Salma Hayek was sitting on a step smoking a cigarette. He bent over and hugged Hayek as he headed home just before 1:00 a.m. If DiCaprio had stayed a bit later, he might have been dancing on a table with Michelle Yeoh and Brie Larson. Yeoh — the night’s honoree as the recipient of Kering’s Women In Motion Award for 2023 — left shortly before 2 o’clock in the morning, glistening with sweat after dancing the night away with Larson, who is a member of the Cannes jury. The two Oscar winners got up on chairs to dance and were joined by a saxophone player, who jumped on the table, and even Frémaux, who got in on the dance party. (The video, first captured by Variety, has now gone viral with Yeoh and Larson sharing on their social media and raving about meeting each other for the first time.)

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Cate Blanchett debuted her latest acting role in “The New Boy” at the Cannes Film Festival this week, but the Oscar-winner wouldn’t mind staying behind the camera a bit more. “I’m always trying to get out of acting,” Blanchett said. “I’ve been trying to stop acting my entire professional life.” Speaking at her Kering Women in Motion talk at Cannes, in conversation with her producing partner, Coco Francini, Blanchett said that her recent producing work behind the camera “feels an extension, for me, of my work as an actor.” “I remember an Australian film director saying to me really early on in my career that I had to stop taking small roles,” Blanchett recalled. “And I said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘That was the most interesting role.’ I didn’t want to play the lead. I want that one.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent After years and years of teasing it would happen, ABC has finally given the greenlight to its long-awaited senior citizen season of “The Bachelor.” This fall, one lucky older man will embark on a journey to find love, flipping the formula of “The Bachelor” franchise, which for more than two decades has starred 20-something singles — or sometimes barely 30-somethings. The new series will be called “The Golden Bachelor.” The leading man has yet to be announced, and his cast of female suitors will be announced at a late date.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent A new social media campaign with the hashtag #CannesYouNot is calling out the Cannes Film Festival for “celebrating abusers for 76 years.” The campaign was launched online, days before the festival, by supporters of Amber Heard. Her ex-husband Johnny Depp’s new film, “Jeanne du Barry,” will open the prestigious festival on Tuesday night when Cannes kicks off in the South of France. Eve Barlow — a journalist, activist and close friend of Amber Heard’s — posted the hashtag across her social platforms. “Cannes seem proud of their history supporting rapists and abusers,” Barlow posted on social media with the French expression, “Plus ça change,” which roughly translates to, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Kelly Clarkson has addressed a report detailing the culture on her daytime talk show, which contained allegations that “The Kelly Clarkson Show” is toxic behind the scenes. “To find out that anyone is feeling unheard and or disrespected on this show is unacceptable,” Clarkson said in a statement posted on Instagram. “I have always been, and will continue to be, committed to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment at ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show.'” On Friday, Rolling Stone published a report in which 11 current and former employees anonymously made complaints about being “overworked” and “underpaid” on Clarkson’s talk show, telling the magazine that working under the show’s “toxic environment” was “traumatizing to their mental health.” In the report, the anonymous staffers said Clarkson is “fantastic,” but a number of the producers make their lives “hell.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum country star Jimmie Allen has been suspended by his agency UTA, following a sexual assault and battery lawsuit lodged against him. “We have suspended our representation of Jimmie Allen due to the recent allegations against him, which we take seriously,” a spokesperson for UTA told Variety. Allen has been accused of rape, sexual assault and harassment by his former day-to-day manager, who sued the singer and his former management firm, alleging she was manipulated and groomed by Allen into an abusive sexual relationship while she worked on the singer’s management team. The lawsuit was first exposed in a Variety investigation into the woman’s allegations.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent In May 2021, Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum country star Jimmie Allen visited “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” to promote his latest project, a children’s book titled, “My Voice Is a Trumpet.” Images flashed across the screen of Allen with his wife and kids, as he spoke about his recent wedding and gushed about his new baby girl. “When you see things happening that shouldn’t, stand up for it,” Allen said on the talk show as he shared the inspiration behind his book. “It’s so important to teach them at a young age,” he continued. “That way, they grow up to be adults that still have that same confidence to speak up for themselves and speak up for other people.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent For the past two seasons, Kelly Clarkson has filmed her talk show’s premiere weeks in New York City, but now, she is taking her show to the Big Apple for good. “The Kelly Clarkson Show” will move production from the Universal lot in Los Angeles to NBC Studios in 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York next season, Variety has confirmed with a NBCUniversal spokesperson. The talk show will film in front of a studio audience in the iconic studio 6A, which has been home to Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien and David Letterman. A new state-of-the-art studio will be built for Clarkson’s show, as well as technical facility and support space.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Don Lemon has been accused of many things, but being camera-shy is certainly not one of them. Days after the former star anchor was terminated by CNN, Lemon walked a red carpet Wednesday evening, telling press he’s ready for his new chapter. “I don’t have to rush to another job — even if I want another job,” Lemon said on the red carpet at the Time 100 gala in New York City on Wednesday night. “I want to work again. But I am lucky enough to be in a position where I don’t have to worry about those things.” Speaking to various media outlets at the gala, Lemon was in high spirits with a smile on his face, despite his departure — and alleged behavior in the workplace, as reported by Variety — dominating headlines.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Food Network superstar Guy Fieri will continue to travel and eat across America for another season of his series, “Guy’s All-American Road Trip.” The road trip series has been renewed for a second season by Food Network, Variety has learned exclusively. “Guy’s All-American Road Trip” is a travel and food series that follows Fieri with his family — his wife, Lori, and his sons, Hunter and Ryder — as they pack up their RV for an epic road trip together, along with a caravan of campers full of their family and friends. Season 2 will see the family road trip through Appalachia where cameras will follow them on wild adventures, family competitions and enjoying some of the best food in Tennessee and Kentucky. The second season will be comprised of four hourlong episodes, each of which will highlight new dishes, destinations and attractions.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent After a mistrial was declared with a hung jury last year, Danny Masterson’s second rape trial began with a more aggressive and pointed approach from the prosecution who repeatedly told the new jury that they will present evidence that proves the former star of “That 70’s Show” drugged women before he forcibly raped them. “The evidence will show they were drugged,” said Los Angeles deputy district attorney Reinhold Mueller in his opening statement on Monday, speaking of the four women who will testify against Masterson during the trial. “The symptoms that they’re going to describe,” Mueller told the jury, will include “lightheadedness, loss of vision, loss of motor skills, loss of strength, inability to control their body, vaginal pain, anal pain, all occurring after the defendant had given them an alcoholic beverage and all occurring within a matter of minutes.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson is back on trial again. The new trial began on Monday morning with jury selection in downtown Los Angeles, after the jury in Masterson’s first trial last year failed to reach an unanimous verdict, stating they were “hopelessly deadlocked.” With a hung jury, a mistrial was declared in November and Judge Charlaine Olmedo denied a defense request to dismiss the case.  Now, Masterson will face the same three rape charges associated with the same three alleged victims, but in front of a new jury. Masterson — who maintains his innocence — is accused of forcibly raping the women at his home in the Hollywood Hills in incidents spanning from 2001 to 2003. At the time, he was starring on the hit sitcom “That ’70s Show,” which ran on Fox from 1998 through 2006.

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 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 “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.