
‘Motherhood is all-out f***ing war'
In a rented bungalow at the Chateau Marmont, a party is in full swing. It is a late afternoon in August 2018 and the gates to the property are tied with big balloons. Inside, tables are strewn with crayons, paper and cigarettes. The guests, briefed beforehand with invites that read 'No gifts, unless it's drugs', have duly complied. Their host, Sarah Hoover, is wearing a bum-skimming dress embroidered with red mouths smoking cigarettes and she has been sloshing white wine into her glass since noon.
The crayons and primary-coloured balloons are a nod to the party's theme. This is a post-baby shower Hollywood style. Hoover's ten-month-old son, Guy, is passed from lap to lap as appetisers and bottles of vodka and tequila do the rounds,
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Cheers actor George Wendt's cause of death revealed after shock passing aged 76
Cheers icon George Wendt's cause of death has been revealed two weeks after his shock passing aged 76. The legendary actor, who died in his sleep on May 20, played the beloved Norm Peterson on the hit NBC show from 1982-1993 and earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for the role. Wendt died from cardiac arrest per a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health death certificate. Congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and hypertension are listed as underlying causes on the certificate obtained by TMZ. Other significant contributing conditions listed include end-stage renal disease, kidney failure, and hyperlipidemia, which relates to high levels of fat in the blood. Per the certificate, Wendt was pronounced dead at 10am on May 20 and cremated on May 28. Wendt's family said in a statement: 'George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. 'He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.' His shock passing came just six months after the frail star was seen being wheeled out of an California dialysis clinic and 32 years to the day that the Cheers finale aired. In the wake of his shock death, his Cheers co-star Ted Danson, 77, who played bartender Sam Malone - paid emotional tribute to his 'Georgie.' In a statement to People, Danson said he's 'devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us. 'I am sending all my love to Bernadette and the children. It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie.' Wendt's iconic sitcom Cheers ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993, though the show was almost canceled after its first season due to low ratings. However, it spent eight of its remaining 10 seasons in the top 10, becoming the most-watched show in Season 9. It earned 28 Emmy Awards from 117 nominations, earning Outstanding Comedy Series nominations all 11 seasons, winning four. Wendt - who is also the uncle of Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis - impressively appeared in every episode until it went off air in May 1993. His lovable, happy-go-lucky barfly Norm - whose occupations included accountant, painter and decorator and coast guard - quickly became a fan favorite, thanks to his iconic entrance into the bar. Norm would arrive and yell 'Afternoon/evening everybody!' with the bar crowd shouting his name back. He told Chicago Magazine in 2021: 'Norm is just me with better writing. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of actors who could have delivered on the absolute gems that I was handed on a silver platter every Wednesday morning.' Wendy forged close friendships with his co-stars Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer and Woody Harrelson. Wendt's former Sabrina the Teenage Witch co-star Melissa Joan Hart said 'heaven just got a little funnier' with his arrival. 'He was warm, professional and kind and our cast and crew were gifted with his presence every time. Rest in peace! #GodBlesstheFunnyPeople.' Hailing from Chicago, prior to acting Wendt was expelled from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana over poor grades before moving into showbusiness, where his first job was sweeping a theatre floor. Guest roles in Taxi and M*A*S*H were followed by his big break on Cheers, and two years after it finished he launched a self-titled sitcom on CBS, but it was canceled after eight episodes. Other than his success in the hit sitcom, the popular entertainer has appeared in shows such as Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Columbo and Wings. He also had a recurring sketch on SNL's Bill Swerski's Superfans, which was dedicated to sports fans from Chicago. Other than his success in the hit sitcom, the popular entertainer has appeared in shows such as Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Columbo and Wings. Wendt had been married to Bernadette Birkett – who played the voice of the mysterious Vera on Cheers – since 1978 and they have one daughter and two sons. Wendt had kept a low profile in recent years, making only a handful of small appearances on screen, including his stint as a contestant in The Masked Singer in 2023. More recently, he made a surprise appearance on stage when he reunited with the Cheers cast at the Emmy Awards in January 2024. Wendt was joined by former co-stars Danson, Grammer, Perlman and Ratzenberger around a recreated set of the show's iconic bar. Cast members Long and Harrelson did not attend the reunion. Sudeikis explained to Playboy in 2011 how his mother's brother Wendt inspired him to embark upon his own career path. He admitted: 'He's always been very encouraging, but there was no Tuesdays With Morrie kind of relationship between him and I. 'He didn't take me to the park to explain comic timing. There was nothing like that. He was just a good example that being an actor was a viable option.' The actor added: 'Here's a guy from the Midwest, in my family, who took the road less travelled and it worked out for him. The advice he gave me, and I say this jokingly, is "Get on one of the best sitcoms of all time and then ride it out."' Wendt encouraged his nephew to audition for Saturday Night Live after attending one of his improv performances. In June 2024 Wendt lauded his nephew - the son of his sister Kathy on the podcast Still Here Hollywood with Steve Kmetko He said: 'He's such a great kid. Very proud. Proud especially, you know, not only of the success, but he's solid. Have you read profiles and stuff? I mean he is such a mesh, so smart, so thoughtful. I mean, it all comes out in the show. Right?'


Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's daughter Violet reveals which relative she's leaning on amid climate 'controversy'
Violet Affleck was enjoying some down time in the ritzy Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Wednesday. The 19-year-old daughter of actors Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck is on her summer break from Yale University in Connecticut where she just completed her freshman year. The teenager was with a family member when getting lunch on a sunny day. She has some famous people in her family apart from her parents: her former stepmother is Jennifer Lopez and her uncle is Casey Affleck. Violet chose to spend the afternoon with dad Ben's mother, Christopher Anne 'Chris' Boldt, a Harvard-educated elementary school teacher. The Oscar-winning actor's mother was dressed chicly in a white cardigan and slacks with black strappy wedge heels. Violet was in a black shirt with a long floral-print skirt, white sneakers and her furry Chloe purse on her shoulder. The brunette was with a family member when getting lunch on a sunny day. Violet chose to spend the afternoon with dad Ben's mother, Christopher Anne 'Chris' Boldt, a Harvard-educated elementary school teacher Affleck and Garner — whose divorce was finalized in 2018 — are also parents to Fin, 16, and Samuel, 13. Both parents have moved on. Ben was wed to Jennifer Lopez for two years before their union ended in divorce earlier this year. Violet seemed to be close to Lopez when the star was her stepmother, but in recent months they have not been photographed together. Ben and Jennifer both seem to be single since their divorce. Meanwhile, Garner has been dating CEO John Miller for the past several years as it's reported they now live together. This sighting comes after Violet sparked outrage over an essay for school where she candidly revealed a disagreement she had with Garner. She had turned in the paper for her university's Global Health Review which was titled A Chronically Ill Earth: COVID Organizing as a Model Climate Response in Los Angeles. The college student has been vocal about her advocacy for both climate change and public health - such as the student demanding 'mask mandates' last year during an impassioned speech According to the teen, the past incident had taken place amid the devastating LA fires in January after her family was forced to evacuate. Fans were shocked when Violet sported a very expensive designer items this month. She had on Chloe Nama shoes that are priced around $800, per the brand's official website. Last week, the student was also seen with a vintage Chloe Marcie Bucket Bag, which can be purchased at a resale price for around $1,000. Days earlier, she was also spotted with a pricy Marc Jacobs bag, which is worth between $200–$300. Critics wondered how she could wear such expensive designer goods after complaining about climate change, but both items could have been recycled from her mother's closet. Last year during an interview with People, Garner got candid about raising her three kids and shared that she found it 'hard' to let them make their own decisions as they get older. 'I'm just watching them in this new phase of life where they're figuring out who they're going to be and what they're going to study,' she explained. 'And I'm so interested in them. All the time, I'm interested in everything about them.' The actress later admitted to the outlet, 'I have a really hard time not saying, "This is what I see you as," and "I think you should." I really have to sit on my hand.'


The Guardian
37 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Judge threatens to remove Sean ‘Diddy' Combs from court over facial gestures
The judge in the federal sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs threatened to remove the music mogul from court for looking and nodding at the jury during testimony on Thursday. During a lunch break after the jury left the room on Thursday, Judge Arun Subramanian said that he saw Combs looking at the jury and 'nodding vigorously' during the cross-examination of Bryana Bongolan, a former graphic designer for Combs and a longtime friend of Combs's former girlfriend, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura. The judge warned Combs's lawyers that if he saw it again, it 'could result in the exclusion of your client from the courtroom'. 'There should be no efforts whatsoever to have an interaction with this jury,' the judge added. Combs's lawyer said that it would not happen again. Earlier on Thursday, Bongolan resumed the testimony she began on Wednesday. Bongolan previously testified about her friendship with Ventura and described an alleged incident from 2016 in which she says that Combs dangled her from the balcony of Ventura's 17th-floor apartment in Los Angeles for 10 to 15 seconds, before throwing her on to some balcony furniture. She testified that the incident left her bruised and emotionally scarred and that she experiences nightmares and paranoia. During cross-examination, Combs's lawyers challenged Bongolan's credibility, citing inconsistencies between her current testimony and prior statements she gave regarding the alleged balcony incident. On Thursday morning, Combs's lawyers pressed her on the timeline. They claimed that the alleged balcony incident could not have occurred when she alleged because Combs was performing on the east coast for much of September 2016. Before concluding the cross-examination, Combs's lawyer suggested that Bongolan was lying about the balcony incident and the injuries. 'I can't agree with you,' Bongolan responded, adding that she could not recall the exact date of the alleged incident, but she 'will never forget him holding me on that balcony'. Another former girlfriend of Combs, who alleges she was abused and made to participate in drug-fueled sex sessions known as 'freak-offs', is also expected to be called to the stand on Thursday. Testifying under the pseudonym 'Jane', the woman has been described by prosecutors as a single mother who began dating Combs in 2020. Her testimony is expected to be similar to that of Ventura, Combs's former longtime girlfriend, who testified during the first week of the trial. Ventura, who dated Combs on and off from 2007 to 2018, told jurors last month that she was subjected to years of physical and emotional abuse during the relationship. She alleged she was coerced, through violence, and blackmail, into taking part in the so-called freak-offs which she said were orchestrated and directed by Combs and involved drugs and male sex workers. During cross-examination, Combs's attorneys sought to portray Ventura as a willing participant in the freak-offs, framing the encounters as part of a 'swingers lifestyle'. Now in its fourth week, the trial has featured graphic and emotional testimony from several witnesses. To date, more than 16 witnesses have testified, including the singer Dawn Richard, three of Combs's former assistants, Ventura's mother, and rapper Scott Mescudi, also known as 'Kid Cudi'. Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and faces federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts. Prosecutors allege that Combs ran a criminal enterprise since at least 2004 that engaged in or attempted to engage in crimes including sex trafficking, kidnapping, forced labor, arson, bribery, enticement to engage in prostitution and obstruction of justice, with the help of his associates and employees. While Combs's lawyers have acknowledged his history of domestic violence, they argue that the women participated in the freak-offs consensually and they maintain that Combs is not guilty of sex trafficking or racketeering, or of operating a criminal enterprise. Prosecutors have said that they may rest their case next week, with the defense expected to begin calling its own witnesses soon after. However, Combs's lawyers have signaled that their presentation may take longer than anticipated, potentially extending the trial into early July. If convicted on all counts, Combs could face life in prison. The Associated Press contributed reporting In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women's Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via