- The world of entertainment provided many headlines in 2023, from Jamie Foxx being hospitalised earlier this year, to famous actors taking the stand in high-profile trials.
- We also saw a number of celebrity couples decide to call it quits, however, we still remain unsure about what’s happening with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith.
- In the music industry, Rihanna graced us with her first live performance in seven years at the Super Bowl, while simultaneously revealing her pregnancy of baby number two.
From strikes paralysing Hollywood to a record year for celebrity divorces, musical comebacks and bombshell memoirs, the world of entertainment provided many headlines this year.
We recap some of the biggest showbiz stories of 2023.
In sickness and health
The year kicked off with several celebrities dealing with health issues. In April, Jamie Foxx was hospitalised for a mysterious medical emergency. At the Critics’ Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema and Television, his first public appearance since the incident, the 55-year-old said he wouldn’t wish what he went through on his worst enemy.
Madonna was forced to delay the start of her career-spanning tour after being hospitalised in intensive care for a severe bacterial infection.
Likewise, Celine Dion cancelled all her remaining Courage World Tour shows for 2023/24. The tour started in 2019 but was halted after 52 performances due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In December 2022, Dion revealed she has stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder. Earlier this month her sister gave an update on the singer’s health and said Celine “doesn’t have control over her muscles”.
Celine Dion is seen as she departs her hotel on 8 March 2020 in New York City.
Second time around dads
Oscar winners Robert De Niro and Al Pacino became fathers again, aged 79 and 83 respectively.
Pacino and Noor Alfallah, the mother of his son, Roman, have a custody agreement in place. The veteran actor will pay $30 000 (R540 000) a month in child support, an annual payment of $15 000 (R270 000) for his college savings account, a one-off $100 000 (R1.8m) amount and another $90 000 (R1.6m) at the end of the year “depending on his earnings”, according to court papers as reported by YOU Magazine.
The year of the celebrity divorce
Is love dead? 2023 has been a record year for celebrity divorces both locally and internationally.
A-listers who called it quits include Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied, Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner, Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson, Jeremy Allen White and Addison Timlin, Jeannie Mai Jenkins and Jeezy, Britney Spears and Sam Asghari, Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello, Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert, Tina Knowles-Lawson and Richard Lawson, Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef…. you get the picture.
READ | The jaw dropping cost of a Hollywood divorce – and why so many A-listers split in 2023
Also, we’re not sure what’s happening with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. In October, Pinkett-Smith revealed that she had been separated from Will since 2016.
In an interview with Drew Barrymore in December, the Set it Off actor said about their relationship: “We’re staying together forever.”
Bombshell celebrity memoirs
Speaking about Pinkett-Smith, she was one of the celebrities who released a memoir this year. In the memoir, Worthy, Pinkett-Smith lays bare her life and her relationships and discusses the infamous Oscar slap.
Britney Spears released her memoir in which she said she had an abortion to end a pregnancy by fellow pop star Justin Timberlake while the two were dating. News24’s Bashiera Parker wrote in her review of the book: “The Woman in Me is a heartbreaking and infuriating read, but an absolute must.”
The cover of Britney Spears’ book “The Woman in Me” from an online retailer in front of a picture of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake at the American Music Awards from 9 January 2002.
AFP Chris DELMAS / AFP
Court cases and lawsuits
Actors Kevin Spacey and Gwyneth Paltrow and singer Ed Sheeran were among the famous names taking the stand in high-profile trials.
New Mexico prosecutors said they intend to recharge actor Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021.
In September, UK police received a report of alleged sexual assault against Russell Brand. A joint investigation by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 television reported claims from four women of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse against the actor and comedian. In November, the 48-year-old was questioned by police following more claims of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.
Singer Cassie filed a lawsuit against rap mogul Sean Combs in November, accusing him of rape and physical abuse. A day after she filed the case, the pair settled “amicably”. In December, a fourth woman publicly accused the 54-year-old of a sexual offence.
Combs said:
Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family, and the truth.
The suits have been filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act, a law that opened a one-year window for the filing of sexual offence claims that would otherwise have dated too far back. Other high-profile celebrities sued under the act include Jamie Foxx and Axl Rose, the former lead singer of Guns N’ Roses and Vin Diesel; all have denied the allegations.
Hollywood goes on strike
Hollywood studios faced their first dual work stoppage in 63 years when writers and actors went on strike over higher compensation in the streaming TV era plus safeguards around the use of artificial intelligence, forcing them to halt many productions across the United States and abroad. Unions for both groups eventually reached agreements with major studios.
Musical comebacks and record-breakers
The biggest music comeback of the year is, without a doubt, Rihanna, albeit short-lived. In February, the 35-year-old wowed the Super Bowl halftime crowd at her first live performance in seven years and revealed she was expecting her second child. Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their second son Riot Rose in August.
The last Beatles song, featuring the voice of late member John Lennon and developed using artificial intelligence, was released.
The Rolling Stones released Hackney Diamonds, their first album of original material since 2005 and the first recording since drummer Charlie Watts died in 2021.
Black Coffee at Madison Square Garden.
Photo: Noemad Reid/MSGE
Black Coffee’s Madison Square Garden show made him the first South African DJ and producer to headline at the venue. The sold-out performance took place on 7 October. The show was widely praised, even by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Grammy winner celebrated the sold-out show on X (formerly Twitter); he wrote: “We did it.”
GALLERY | A look at Black Coffee’s historic Madison Square Garden performance
Ahead of the historic performance Black Coffee told News24: “I know my story is written, so help me to go where I’m supposed to be. That’s how I see things. And, it may seem like a miracle, but it’s so I’m just following what I’m supposed to be doing.”
Music superstars Taylor Swift and Beyoncé kicked off their hugely successful concert tours, and both brought films of them to cinemas. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour hauled in an estimated $126 million-plus globally in its opening weekend, a boost for cinemas after the Hollywood strike prompted studios to delay releases for titles like Dune: Part Two.
Person of the Year: Taylor Swift
Swift also made headlines for her personal life when she began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, sending sales for his jersey soaring and television ratings up as fans speculated on whether she would appear at the player’s games.
Time Magazine named the popstar Person of the Year earlier this month.
The cover of Time magazine announcing the 2023 Person of the Year with US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.
Photo: AFP PHOTO / Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh
“Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light… Swift is the rare person who is both the writer and hero of her own story,” Time editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs wrote in a statement.
“Much of what Swift accomplished in 2023 exists beyond measurement. She mapped her journey and shared the results with the world: She committed to validating the dreams, feelings, and experiences of people, especially women, who felt overlooked and regularly underestimated.”
