Debunking the week’s tabloid stories: May 15, 2020

Meghan Markle Forced To Testify In Court?

The latest issue of In Touch reports that Meghan Markle has been forced to testify in her lawsuit against a British tabloid. The cover promises “shocking lies” and says Markle has been “exposed under oath.” This is walked back inside the article, where a tipster tells the outlet, “Meghan Markle may be force to testify against her dad – and spill royal secrets.”

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Of course the disreputable magazine backs off its wild claim on the cover, because all it wanted was a clickbait-like headline to grab readers and then take the opportunity to trash Markle. The entire report is likely completely made up. The imagination of the tabloid is running completely wild. Gossip Cop has no other choice but to debunk the story as a tall tale devoid of any meaningful facts. Even if Markle does eventually testify, she’s not going to be “spilling secrets” about her family, except maybe her father.

Last October, In Touch falsely alleged Markle had walked out on Prince Harry and taken their son Archie with her. Gossip Cop busted the story at the time and eight months later, obviously, the family is still together. In February, the outlet claimed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were “desperate for cash” after leaving the royal family. Of course, Gossip Cop called the magazine out for its false report. As usual, this tabloid is out of touch with the royal couple and can’t be trusted to report the facts.

Mark Harmon Quitting NCIS?

This week, Star is reporting Mark Harmon of the hit show NCIS has gotten tired of Hollywood and is ready to retire from acting and “escape” to the Montana ranch he owns with his wife, Pam Dawber. “He’s tired of the traffic and the crowds,” says an insider. “He loves being surrounded by nature and seeing the stars at night. It’s getting to the point where he just wants to be on the ranch.”

The insider goes on to say that Dawber “wants to enjoy life with him before they get too old,” and suggests that the production hiatus due to coronavirus presents an opportunity for Harmon to step back. “He’s had a great ride,” the tipster finishes, “but as Mark himself has said, nothing goes on forever.”

Gossip Cop reached out to a spokesperson for Harmon to find out more, who pointed out the fact that NCIS was renewed for an 18th season just a few days ago. Harmon’s contract was indeed up for renewal at the end of 2020, but the actor signed a new contract and is expected to return for the next season.

It seems like publishing this phony story is turning into a yearly ritual for this tabloid: in May 2019, the tabloid wrote a story about Dawber wanting Harmon to quit NCIS. A source close to the couple told Gossip Cop the story was false. Earlier that year, Star’s affiliate publication, the Globe, published its own phony report alleging that Harmon was quitting the hit series, which his spokesperson dismissed for us.

Richard Gere Did Tell-All Interview With Tabloid?

“Richard Gere Finally Tells All!” reads the cover of the latest issue of Star. Inside, the article switches and says Gere has been “opening up to friends as never before” about his “sordid and storied love life.”

“Richard believes his failed relationships are part of his life’s rich tapestry,” says an insider,” “and he’s learned from every mistake he made in his youth.” Among these “failed relationships,” the outlet includes Gere’s two-time co-star, Julia Robert. In a section titled “The Truth About Julia,” another insider says that “it’s an open secret that they fell for each other” while filming Pretty Woman. The publication then goes on to discuss his marriages to Cindy Crawford and Carey Lowell, and current relationship with Alejandra Silva.

This story’s claim is so weak it almost debunks itself. The cover page of the tabloid is completely misrepresenting what’s inside, which is essentially a summary of Gere’s dating history with some extremely suspicious quotes thrown in. If you still need convincing that the article has nothing useful to say, Gossip Cop checked in with Gere’s spokesperson for comment, who tells us quite plainly that “there was no interview.”

The Julia Roberts/Richard Gere narrative is one that Star is especially fond of forcing on its readers, despite the fact that Roberts has been happily married to her husband Danny Moder for 18 years. In 2017, we busted the tabloid for falsely claiming that Roberts and Gere were developing a secret romance, and then, a month later, that – Moder told Gere to stay away from Roberts. Time to move on from this rumor, guys.

Chip And Joanna Gaines In “Cash Crunch?”

The Globe reports Chip and Joanna Gaines are in a “lockdown meltdown” because their Magnolia brand is spiraling down the drain. “Their business has been temporarily closed for a month due to quarantine and they’re not sure when they’ll open up and be running again,” an insider says. The source continues the Gaines’ are “getting really worried” and “they put all they had into their businesses and now they’re losing thousands a day with hardly any money coming in.”

Despite what the Globe is asserting, the story is completely fabricated. The Gaines’ are not facing a “cash crunch.” While the dubious tabloid used an unnamed and untraceable source’s quotes for the piece, Gossip Cop checked in with a spokesperson for the spouses who deemed the story “laughable” and completely false. Furthermore, this wouldn’t be the first time the tabloids were off-base about the couple.

Earlier this year, we busted the Globe’s sister publication, the National Enquirer, for incorrectly stating the Gaines’ remodeled homes were flopping on the resale market. The tabloid alleged the couple’s renovated homes “lost their touch” once the couple moved on from the projects. Gossip Cop looked into the story and found it to be completely fabricated. That’s not to mention the many times we’ve debunked false stories in various tabloids contending Joanna is pregnant with a sixth child. None of these tabloids have any insight into the couple’s private – or public, it seems – life.

Keanu Reeves “Finally Engaged” To Alexandra Grant?

This week’s issue of OK! reports Keanu Reeves is “finally engaged” to Alexandra Grant. “Nineteen years after losing his soulmate, Keanu Reeves has found love again,” says the article inside. An unnamed insider says that the John Wick actor “slowly started to become this person with a permanent smile on his face” after years of seeming “to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.” Grant, this source says, has “taught him how to love again and healed his broken heart.” Grant and Reeves are now allegedly planning a simple backyard wedding and a honeymoon in Europe.

The only “evidence” the article bothers to show to back up its engagement claim is a picture of Grant supposedly wearing an engagement ring, but there’s nothing to suggest it’s an engagement ring: sometimes, women just wear rings. There are other photos since with no ring, as well. Furthermore, when Gossip Cop checked in with Reeves’ official spokesperson for comment, and we were told the story is not true. There you have it: Reeves and Grant are not engaged at this time.

Last November, shortly after the couple went public with their relationship, the tabloid published a phony report that Keanu Reeves and Alexandra Grant were planning a secret wedding in Malibu. Guess it must have forgotten about that one. The previous January, the magazine wrongly insisted that Reeves was developing a romance with Halle Berry, his John Wick: Chapter 3 co-star. It’s safe to say the magazine has nothing truthful to say about Reeves or his dating life.