‘The Traitors’ Season 2… 98 Degrees says *NSYNC ‘stole the thunder’… Health updates… Britney Spears is reportedly not up to undertaking a big television interview… and Halsey & Avan Jogia are dating

Listen to “Showbiz – Sept 21, 2023” on Spreaker.

“The Traitors” was a big hit for Peacock. If you’re not familiar, this was originally a Dutch show known as “De Verraders” and it’s been adapted in Australia, the UK and, most recently, the US. In our version, Scottish actor Alan Cumming hosts 20 people in a Scottish castle — 10 of them are reality stars and 10 of them are just regular folks. Alan secretly pick 3 of them to be the Traitors and the rest are called the Faithful. They do a bunch of competitions and every night the Traitors get together and decide to murder someone. Their goal is to eliminate all the Faithfuls before they figure out who the traitors re, so they can split $250K. And the Faithfuls’ goal is the same — eliminate the Traitors so whoever is left at the end can split the prize money. It sounds complicated, but you’ll catch on quick if you watch. ANYWAY, “Real Housewives of Miami” star Larsa Pippen and her boyfriend Marcus Jordan have flown to Scotland to participate in Season 2. The reason their relationship is so intriguing is because Larsa was married to Scottie Pippen and Marcus is Michael Jordan’s son. And by the way, Michael does not approve of this relationship. While Larsa and Marcus are the only two confirmed contestants, some of the other reality stars rumored to be participating include former Bachelor Peter the Pilot Webber, Real Housewives stars Phaedra Parks, Sheree Whitfield and Tamra Judge, “Dancing with the Stars” alum Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peppermint from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan Join 'The Traitors' Season 2 Cast (Exclusive) https://t.co/ui59NKKxPk
— People (@people) September 21, 2023

98 Degrees were guests on Andy Cohen’s radio show to promote their comeback, which was more than overshadowed by ’NSYNC reuniting for the VMAs last week. Andy asked the guys how annoyed they were, and Nick Lachey jokingly admitted ’NSYNC stole their thunder. But Justin Jeffre said ’NSYNC reuniting for a single could actually be a good thing because, “When one succeeds, we all succeed. Because we’re all kind of like, us, ‘NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, we’re all clumped into the same kind of pile there. SO if one’s elevated, it elevates everybody.” And Nick went so far as to say his fingers are crossed that ‘NSYNC is actually going to do more. And speaking of the Backstreet Boys, Howie D said he’d be open to doing a combined tour with ’NSYNC. He did reveal that the two groups are very close and have discussed a possible combined tour in the past, but nothing has come to fruition just yet. 98 Degrees is still waiting to be clumped in for that…

98 Degrees Says *NSYNC ‘Stole the Thunder’ From Them Amid Comeback Plans https://t.co/DPo1ZBladZ
— billboard (@billboard) September 19, 2023

A couple of celebrity health updates — Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy posted that he’s out of the hospital and doing better. As she was getting ready for the last night of London Fashion Week, influencer Kate posted on TikTok, “So I’ve gotten a lot of questions about Liam, asking about how he’s doing. I just want to let everybody know that he’s doing so much better. He’s out of the hospital and he’s in good hands.” Meantime, Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley updated his fans on battle with pneumonia. He posted, “Although I’m not out of the woods yet and have been told to be prepared for a bit of roller coaster sickness over the next couple of weeks, I’m staying positive and doing my best to get through all of this. I’m still bedridden, having a hard time breathing, tight chest pains and some pretty wild fever dreams, that I guess are keeping this whole thing somewhat entertaining. I’m in the best hands and am on the right medicine.” Despite all this, Derek promised he’ll be well enough to perform at the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas on October 21 and 22.

Liam Payne Is ‘Out of the Hospital’ After ‘Serious Kidney Infection,’ Girlfriend Kate Cassidy Says https://t.co/UGIZLAl2q9
— billboard (@billboard) September 21, 2023

It would be the biggest interview of the decade. Every TV outlet you can think of is trying to get her. You know Oprah is pulling out all the stops. But sources told Page Six that Britney Spears will not be doing interviews to promote the release of her biography “The Woman in Me,” which comes out Oct. 24. One source says Britney’s team is shutting down all the interviews, while another said the decision “solely” rests with Britney. That source says, “She’s a free woman…It’s her choice…She doesn’t want to do anything.” The source says Britney doesn’t believe the press has been fair to her, constantly scrutinizing her “mental health, sexuality, parenting and body image.”

Why Britney Spears has NO interest in doing book promo: https://t.co/oBiPKy7NX7
— Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) September 20, 2023

Back in June, paparazzi caught them vacationing together in Barcelona. And now it’s official — Halsey and Avan Jogia are officially a couple. You may remember him from “Victorious.” He played Beck, who dated that awful Jade….Halsey is a BIG improvement. Back in April, we found out Halsey had separated from Alev Aydin after two years of dating. She has filed for full physical custody and joint legal custody of their 2-year-old son Ender Ridley. A source said it’s all very amicable and they are raising their son together. Halsey had to file for full physical custody as a formality so she could bring Ender on tour with her.