Debunking This Week’s Tabloids: August 21, 2020

Nicole Kidman Makes ‘Surprise Move’ Back To Australia?

New Idea‘s latest issue reports that Nicole Kidman has given up on Hollywood and is trading it for Australia. As evidence, the outlet refers to the fact that Kidman was photographed saying her goodbyes to Keith Urban, her husband, at the Sydney airport when she left for Byron Bay to film her upcoming mini-series, Nine Perfect Strangers. The magazine’s inside sources add that while all of Kidman’s coworkers are staying in Byron Bay, she’s flying between Sydney and the beach town to maximize the amount of time she’s spending with her family.

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However, Gossip Cop has busted this exact storyline before when New Idea tried to claim that Kidman and her husband moved to Australia in an attempt to repair their struggling relationship. The outlet essentially repeated the same false report, only leaving out the marriage issues part in its latest attempt. The tabloid’s also falsely claimed that Kidman and Urban had a vicious fight earlier this year, as well as publishing a rumor about the couple having to skip the Oscars to focus on fixing their marriage. Obviously, this magazine simply can’t get it right when it comes to Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, and this moving story is no different. Kidman isn’t leaving Hollywood — she’s just filming a project like any other actor.

Ben Affleck Reportedly ‘Seeing Red’ After Jennifer Garner Caught On Date With Bradley Cooper

After Jennifer Garner was seen getting friendly with Bradley Cooper on the beach, New Idea reports that Ben Affleck, her ex-husband, is furious about the relationship. The outlet’s sources tell them that Garner and Cooper have been “quietly” maintaining a relationship for the past few months, much to Affleck’s chagrin. “He was always a bit jealous of Jen and Brad’s connection during their Alias time together,” an anonymous tipster says. “They’ve always been at ease with each other, but now it’s deeper and they’re adorable together,” the insider says, adding that Garner and Cooper’s attraction was “always there, but they didn’t take that next step because they were always in a relationship with other people.”

In reality, however, there’s nothing of the sort happening. For one, Garner’s fresh out of a two-year relationship with businessman John Miller, so it doesn’t really make sense that Affleck would suddenly be mad at his ex-wife for dating anyone else. And more importantly, the idea of Affleck having problems with Garner is a frequent source for tabloid gossip that is nearly always outright false. Gossip Cop has recently busted rumors about Affleck trying to woo Garner once more and the two romantically reuniting, and this story is just as made up. The former couple are more focused on co-parenting their kids than each other’s romantic lives.

Gwen Stefani And Blake Shelton Have ‘Baby Fever’?

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani have “baby fever” and are even starting work on a new home for their family, according to Us Weekly. After seeing what a good step-father Shelton has been to her sons from her previous marriage, the magazine’s sources say that the two realized they would “love to have a child together.” The snitches add that the likeliest path for the couple is using a surrogate, although they’re also allegedly considering adoption and attempting a natural pregnancy. Regardless, one tipster says, the path is set.

“It’s just a question of how and when” they have a child together, the sources say, and they’ll end up sharing more than their new Los Angeles home — they’re even reportedly planning to marry. “Between the baby plans and a wedding to look forward to, 2020 is going to be an amazing year for Blake and Gwen. They’re such positive people, they both deserve nothing but the very best,” a source concludes.

While we wouldn’t be shocked if Stefani and Shelton end up exchanging vows or having a child together, there’s no reason to believe this latest rumor. After all, Gossip Cop has investigated countless iterations of the same gossip, and they’ve all been totally baseless so far. Whether it’s IVF treatments, natural twins, or surrogacy, the tabloids have claimed that they had the inside scoop on the couple’s plans. Until Stefani or Shelton publicly announce anything, it’s safe to ignore these stories.

Report: Jimmy Kimmel Being Replaced

After a series of somewhat tasteless sketches of him in blackface resurfaced, one outlet says that Jimmy Kimmel’s in the hot seat as ABC looks for someone to replace him as a late-night host. Kimmel admitted that he held back his apology for the videos because he was worried it would backfire, and the National Enquirer reports that his network has already started to move on from him. “ABC execs… are already seeking a replacement,” a source says, naming Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Seacrest, and Melissa McCarthy as likely candidates.

However, the tabloid completely omits the fact that Kimmel already signed a three-year contract extension with ABC last year, and although he’s off this summer to spend time with his family, his return is inevitable. After all, this is the same outlet that came up with a bogus story about Ray Donovan‘s cancellation, as well as other fake rumors about American Idol‘s low ratings leading to its end or The Talk being on the chopping block. There’s no reason to believe this latest cancellation talk either — Kimmel’s apology was fairly well-accepted, and there are no legitimate reports of his show being at risk.

Life & Style reports that Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen are recovering from what sources say was a troubled time for them and have put their previously impending “divorce on hold.” According to the insiders, “things took a dark turn after he left the New England Patriots” as Bundchen “begged Tom to retire from football so that they could fully work through their issues.”

The sources argue that although the couple made a lot of progress in couples’ therapy together, “Gisele surprised everyone by agreeing to give him a second chance — again.” Apparently, the situation was so bad that the model would even “threaten to smash all of Tom’s beloved Super Bowl rings” if things didn’t get better. Brady, meanwhile, admits that “moving to Florida didn’t solve their problems and perhaps was a mistake.”

The only people who would know about it to such a degree are Brady, Bundchen, and the unnamed therapist that can’t legally speak about it, so all of the “sources” are sketchy at best. Despite the tabloid’s insistence that there’s trouble in the relationship, the couple actually looks like they’re doing well, posting sweet messages to each other on social media and supporting each other in their careers. Life & Style is just repeating this narrative of stars saving their marriage, like in its rumors about Will and Jada Pinkett Smith taking a vacation to salvage their relationship or George and Amal Clooney having twins to keep the marriage going.