Ellen DeGeneres is returning to Netflix… Judge Judy is suing the ‘National Enquirer’… Piers Morgan update… Harry & Meghan’s charity is ‘delinquent’… and Taylor Swift files trademark

Listen to “Showbiz – May 14, 2024” on Spreaker.

Ellen DeGeneres wants to go out on a high note. She’s returning for her second and final Netflix comedy special later this year, saying, “To answer the questions everyone is asking me- Yes, I’m going to talk about it. Yes, this is my last special. Yes, Portia really is that pretty in real life.” Ellen’s last Netflix stand-up special was 2018’s Relatable. This is the first since she dealt with her toxic workplace scandal and the ultimate demise of her daytime talk show. Ellen is also kicking off a multi-city stand-up tour on June 19, beginning in San Diego. Jerry Seinfeld blames the lack of sitcoms on sensitive sourpusses, but Denis Leary ain’t scared. According to Deadline, Denis will star in the newly greenlit comedy Going Dutch, which follows an arrogant loudmouth U.S. Army Colonel who gets punished with a reassignment to the Netherlands, at a frou-frou base with a Michelin-star level commissary and the only fromagerie in the US Army.

Ellen DeGeneres is returning to Netflix for her final stand-up special, six years after her last comedy hour, “Relatable.”

The special, which marks her second for Netflix, will arrive later in 2024. https://t.co/LKWV6dN0LZ pic.twitter.com/eeqxBL4i9r
— Variety (@Variety) May 13, 2024

Judge Judy is suing the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly for defamation. Both publications ran a story claiming that Judge Judy was trying to get a retrial for the Menendez brothers, who are both serving life in prison for murdering their parents. But Judge Judy said there’s absolutely no truth to it. She said, “When you fabricate stories about me in order to make money for yourselves with no regard for the truth or the reputation I’ve spent a lifetime cultivating, it’s going to cost you. When you’ve done it multiple times, it’s unconscionable and will be expensive. It has to be expensive so that you will stop.” There’s no word exactly how much she’s suing for.

Judge Judy is suing the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly, alleging that they defamed her by falsely claiming she was trying to get the Menendez brothers a retrial. https://t.co/ehAorHDFxe
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) May 14, 2024

Piers Morgan was hesitant, but his team persuaded him to do an interview with Fiona Harvey, who was revealed as the inspiration for the stalker in Baby Reindeer. He was then accused of chasing clicks and exploiting a vulnerable person. But Piers ain’t sorry! That interview has been viewed about 11M times. He said, “I have a YouTube channel called Piers Morgan Uncensored and I want people to click on it. Shock horror!” Fiona is thinking about suing Netflix, and Piers thinks maybe she should. He told the Lorraine show that Netflix didn’t do enough to protect Fiona’s identity, but “the key question is whether they’ve defamed her. If you accuse somebody of being a convicted stalker and they’re not a convicted stalker, that’s a pretty serious mistake to make.” But Piers might be facing a lawsuit from Fiona, as well. She told The Daily Record that she was offered only £250 ($313) to do the interview, and she now wants £1M. She said, “I asked if that was what they paid everyone and, if so, I wanted to see documentation to that effect. That documentation has not been forthcoming. I have not signed a contract for the interview and I will be seeking far more.” But Piers said, “She’s not going to get a million pounds. What she wants is an agent. We gave her the same amount we give, I would say, 95% of all of our guests. We don’t discuss the terms but we paid for her to have a nice haircut, a car, and everything else. I think we have performed our duty of care (and) we’ve stayed in touch with her since.”

Fiona Harvey says she was paid $313 for her 'Baby Reindeer' Piers Morgan interview, and would 'settle' for $1.25 million https://t.co/UABwVOUHzC
— Insider Entertainment (@insiderent) May 14, 2024

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell charity foundation has been declared delinquent and ordered to stop fundraising and distributing funds immediately. Apparently, they failed to pay their registration fees at the beginning of this month, and could not only face penalties, but also be suspend or have their registration revoked. Initially, Page Six was told that the foundation had filed for an extension, but they were later told that a check WAS sent but must’ve gotten lost in the mail. Reportedly, a new check has been issued and now just has to be processed.

Mystery of the missing cheque as Prince Harry and Meghan's charity is banned from raising or spending money: Archewell Foundation is deemed DELINQUENT for 'failing to pay fees and submit records' – but Sussex sources insist payments were 'lost in the post' https://t.co/vW44zJpSI4 pic.twitter.com/W4OOIvf2eL
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) May 14, 2024

Last week, Taylor Swift filed to trademark Female Rage: The Musical, something she shouted during her concert in Paris, explaining it’s the new theme of The Tortured Poets Department segment of her Eras Tour. Is she seriously planning to write a musical? Fingers crossed! Or is she simply protecting her intellectual property from being used by Etsy shops who are already printing t-shirts and mugs with there phrase, along with Taylor’s likeness from the tour? Her trademark filing doesn’t say…but it does lay out everything she wants to do with the term, including turning into musical recordings, video recordings as well as slapping it onto a bunch of merch.