Keeping track of what’s real and what’s fake in the world of celebrity news is Suggest’s bread and butter, but there are a lot of unsavory gossip outlets out there that just aren’t as trustworthy as they’d have readers believe. It can be confusing to try and decipher which outlets are worth believing and which ones aren’t worth their weight in salt. Here’s a handy guide to navigating the wild world of celebrity gossip.
People
Possibly the most reliable source for celebrity and entertainment gossip is People Magazine. The 47-year-old weekly publication maintains a positive relationship with celebrities and often features exclusive interviews with today’s biggest stars. There is also a People TV show which covers many of the day’s top stories as well as stories covered in the magazine.
How Reliable Is ‘People’?
Because of its popularity among celebrities and their reps, the outlet takes pains to not publish unverified stories or “insider” testimony. Oftentimes, the stories within the magazine come directly from the celebrity themselves and don’t rely on anonymous sources for details. This is what makes People one of the most reliable outlets available. While the magazine does occasionally cite unnamed sources, it seems its sources can be trusted.
Our Reliability Score:
E! News
E! News is one of the most famous entertainment news shows out there. The E! network was once the home of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, but the popular reality show aired its final show earlier this year. In addition to a slew of celebrity-based reality shows, the network also hosts E! News, where hosts discuss the latest celebrity happenings.
How Reliable Is E! News?
Since this outlet relies largely on first-person sources, like interviewing celebrities on the red carpet, this is an entirely trustworthy source to turn to for entertainment gossip. With its sterling reputation in the industry as a source to turn to for up-to-the-minute celebrity gossip, it’s clear that this outlet is focused on providing its audience with only the most authentic news possible.
Our Reliability Score:
Entertainment Tonight
Another entertainment outlet, Entertainment Tonight, has been on the air since 1981. The popular show gives viewers an insider look at the happenings in the world of celebrities, film, and TV.
How Reliable Is Entertainment Tonight?
As another entertainment outlet that relies largely on direct interviews with celebrities, Entertainment Tonight is entirely reliable. Like E! News, it keeps a close relationship with entertainers in the entertainment industry, which allows it access that other, less reputable outlets don’t have.
Our Reliability Score:
TMZ
TMZ is a fairly new player in the gossip industry. It launched in 2005 and is headed by Harvey Levin, who serves as the site’s editor. There’s also a TMZ TV show that features different personalities on the site discussing the latest pop culture events
How Reliable Is TMZ?
The gossip site specializes in on-the-street interviews with celebrities, so much of its reporting comes directly from the source. The site also has sources within law enforcement agencies which means it has plenty of insight into various legal goings ons in celebrity news. Though the often-times salacious site is sometimes criticized for its ethics, the bottom line is that it almost always gets the story correct.
Our Reliability Score:
Page Six
Page Six is named after the entertainment section in the NY Post. The New York-based tabloid has been in publication since 1801 and is still published daily. The Post leans conservative in its political views, like the Daily Mail.
How Reliable Is Page Six?
Because of its political leaning, the site has some biases, however, its reporting is based mostly on facts. The site sometimes publishes speculative pieces and unconfirmed rumors, so it’s best to check other, more reliable sites to see if its reporting the whole story.
Our Reliability Score:
The Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British tabloid newspaper and website and its sister publication is The Mail on Sunday, which is also a physical paper. The site covers current events but another main focus is on celebrities. The site was launched in 2003, but the newspaper started back in the 80s.
How Reliable Is The Daily Mail?
The reporting on the site is often speculative, which dampens its trustworthiness. Much of the reporting is based on paparazzi photos and facts, however, so its reliability varies from story to story. Double-check this site with more reliable sources to make sure you’re getting the real story.
Our Reliability Score:
RadarOnline
RadarOnline is an outlet owned by publishing giant American Media Inc (AMI), which also owns several other tabloids, including the National Enquirer. This site shares a lot of the same reporting with the disreputable tabloid, but also offers original reporting on recent scandals and rumors.
How Reliable Is RadarOnline?
This site often pulls its stories directly from the tabloids and is, therefore, less than reliable. It’s another site that relies heavily on anonymous sources, which makes its reporting untrustworthy. Suggest has debunked the site often enough to know that the rumors it reports on are often not based in reality. The site was revamped and relaunched earlier this year and has behaved more like a gossip aggregator, drawing on other sources, as well as its own sources, and seems to be more honest than in the past, but it’s far too soon to judge how long that will last. This isn’t the first time its tried to reinvent itself.
Our Reliability Score:
Closer Weekly
Originally a British tabloid founded in 2005, Closer Weekly soon branched out into a French publication as well as an American edition. The outlet covers celebrity gossip and tends to cater to an older audience.
How Reliable Is Closer Weekly?
Like other tabloids, this outlet often leans towards the outrageous in its reporting, sometimes insisting there’s a scandal when there is none. As long as there’s no nameless source claiming to have the inside scoop that no other outlet is reporting, however, it’s safe enough to believe.
Our Reliability Score:
US Weekly
American tabloid US Weekly was founded in 1977 and is a weekly publication that covers recent events in the celebrity world. It sometimes contains interviews with celebrities, but its articles are generally about rumors and scandals of the moment.
How Reliable Is US Weekly?
Unfortunately, US Weekly often relies on unnamed sources for its information, which makes its articles speculative and somewhat unreliable. The outlet makes up for this by including interviews. Still, its stories should be taken with a grain of salt. Basically, the information in Us Weekly can go either way. It’s worth noting it’s owned by AMI, which owns a number of U.S. supermarket tabloids that Suggest regularly busts.
Our Reliability Score:
Hollywood Life
Launched by Bonnie Fuller in 2009, Hollywood Life is one of the newest gossip blogs on the market. Its specialty is celebrity gossip, of course, along with fashion, beauty, and women’s issues.
How Reliable Is Hollywood Life?
Over the years, Hollywood Life has changed its ways. Just a few years back, Suggest would debunk the more outlandish and salacious stories that popped up on the site, but lately, it’s far better behaved. Occasionally, the site will claim to have exclusive, anonymous sources who spill stories about celebrities which we caution against believing wholeheartedly. Most of its articles, however, are based on facts and can be trusted. Do your due diligence and double-check with other sources.
Our Reliability Score:
Just Jared
Just Jared is a gossip blog founded by Jacob Eng in 2005. Many of the stories on the site are about widely reported stories and use other sources, like TMZ and People to back itself up.
How Reliable Is Just Jared?
Because it bases much of its reporting on other sites, which are often reliable, this site is fairly trustworthy, but since it often dips into speculation and rumors, it’s another site that should be double-checked against a more reliable source.
Our Reliability Score:
DeuxMoi
DeuxMoi is a blind item gossip blog run through Instagram. The main page is only updated about once a month, but Instagram Stories is where the main rumors are shared. People with connections to celebrities write in to share gossip anonymously, according to the anonymous person running the account.
How Reliable Is DeuxMoi?
Due to the anonymity of the sources, it’s not a trustworthy source. While the blog does get things right on occasion, there are even more rumors it has spread that have turned out to be nothing.
Our Reliability Score:
Naughty Gossip
This site was founded by Rob Shuter, who also has a column called Straight Shuter in the National Enquirer. The site covers the latest in celebrity gossip and provides Shuter’s own commentary.
How Reliable Is Naughty Gossip?
Like most other gossip blogs, Naughty Gossip relies largely on other, more trustworthy sources for its information. Unlike those sources, however, this blog does show bias in its reporting, which makes it less than trustworthy.
Our Reliability Score:
Media Take Out
Media Take Out, otherwise known as MTO News, was founded by Fred Mwangaguhunga, a former corporate lawyer, and focuses on celebrity gossip in the African American community.
How Reliable Is Media Take Out?
This is one of the least reliable sites out there, though many of its stories simply rehash stories that other outlets broke. Much of the so-called reporting is speculative, and the site specializes in taking comments made by celebrities out of context in order to push the most outlandish rumors possible. This site shouldn’t be trusted.
Our Reliability Score:
National Enquirer
The National Enquirer was founded in 1926 and though it has changed hands a number of times over the years, it’s one of the longest-running and most notorious tabloids in the United States. The conservative magazine focuses on public figures, not just celebrities, and includes a section dedicated to crimes committed around the world.
How Reliable Is The National Enquirer?
It’s no secret that Suggest has absolutely zero trust in this tabloid. Not only is the magazine often mean-spirited and spiteful in its reporting, but it’s clear that it often completely makes up rumors. Its so-called “insiders” are about as trustworthy as a hungry crocodile. Read this publication for entertainment if you must, but absolutely don’t believe what it writes, it will only end with you looking foolish.
Our Reliability Score:
Star, Life & Style, In Touch, OK!, And The Globe
These five tabloids. Star, OK!, In Touch, Life & Style, and the Globe round out the American supermarket tabloid list. All are owned by AMI, like the Enquirer and all regurgitate the same stories, often recycled from each other. While in the past these publications might have broken an honest news story, that is virtually never the case anymore. None of the stories should be taken on their face, as Suggest often debunks many of the stories in their pages.
Our Reliability Score:
The world of celebrity gossip is a messy one and knowing which outlets to trust and which not to is tricky, especially as the landscape often changes. As always, follow us here at Suggest if you ever read something that makes you wonder if there is any truth to it at all.