Oh man, A-Rod
It's Gossip Time!
Hello and welcome to Gossip Time, a weekly guide to the stars by Allie Jones. This week: an ex-MLB player FaceTimes a reality star, a current NFL player hooks up with another actress, and Julianne Hough carries a huge water bottle.
Should a soon-to-be married, famous former Major League Baseball player FaceTime a reality star? And if he FaceTimes her, should she tell Page Six about it? These are the questions we unfortunately find ourselves grappling with this week, as headlines like this hit the feed:
Oh boy. Before we parse the moral dilemmas laid out before us, let’s identify the players. One is Alex Rodriguez, a 45-year-old ex-MLB player who is currently engaged to Jennifer Lopez, a 51-year-old multi-hyphenate who has never had Botox. The other is Madison LeCroy, a 30-year-old hairdresser and cast member on Bravo’s Southern Charm. You don’t have to be familiar with that program to understand what’s happened here, just know that the drama originated on the “reunion” show that aired this week.
During the broadcast, another cast member accused LeCroy of flying to Miami to hook up with an “ex-MLB player.” LeCroy denied flying to Miami, and Bravo bleeped the name of the player in question, so the story could have ended there. But then LeCroy immediately called Page Six to say that the guy they were talking about was, indeed, A-Rod. (This is not the first time LeCroy has accused a former professional sportsman of paying attention to her; there was a whole thing with Jay Cutler a couple weeks ago, which you can read about in depth here, if all this isn’t enough.)
LeCroy told Page Six that yes, she had FaceTimed with A-Rod, but that the calls were “innocent.” They probably met on Instagram, as LeCroy lives in Charleston, SC, where Southern Charm is filmed, and Rodriguez lives in Miami with Lopez. (According to Us Weekly, Rodriguez “liked” several of LeCroy’s photos over the summer.)
“He’s never physically cheated on his fiancée with me,” LeCroy said to Page Six. “I don’t know what to do. I have tried to be as quiet as possible. I don’t want anything bad for his family, or for mine. We are definitely innocent in this.”
Haha, okay! I don’t know about you, but I’m loving this gal. My guess is Rodriguez is probably not (anymore, anyway). Sources connected to him have told just about every tabloid that he’s “never met” LeCroy in person, which is not really what he’s being accused of at this point.
It doesn’t help that Rodriguez is sort of famously known to cheat, and not just on the field. In 2019, just after Rodriguez and Lopez got engaged, Jose Canseco accused him of hooking up with his ex-wife in a really amazing tweet:
And then do you remember back in 2008 when Rodriguez was getting divorced from his first wife, Cynthia Scurtis? Her lawyers accused him of having an emotional affair with Madonna. They called it an “affair of the heart,” which is cute.
What is the 2021 version of an “affair of the heart”? Perhaps carrying on a FaceTime relationship with a talkative and outgoing reality star you met on Instagram.
So far, Rodriguez and Lopez haven’t directly addressed LeCroy’s claims. For the record, I don’t think they’ll break up or anything, I just don’t think this is the last time we’ll hear about something like this from A-Rod. Ah well. Congratulations, Madison!
Are there any professional sports guys who are happy right now? Perhaps one: Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers quarterback has reportedly started dating another Hollywood actress, Shailene Woodley. This has been a rumor for awhile, but now, suddenly, all the tabloids are confirming it. According to People, Rodgers, 37, and Woodley, 29, are in a “casual” but “very happy” relationship.
A source told E! News that the new couple has “kept things private and low key." Until now, I guess. Rodgers, of course, has had high profile relationships before: He was most recently with Danica Patrick, and before that, he dated Olivia Munn for three years. Woodley, meanwhile, has been more circumspect in talking about her romantic life (but very open about her personal care routines).
Also in love: Boston Celtics power forward Tristan Thompson and Khloe Kardashian. Allegedly. The couple revealed in a trailer for Keeping Up With the Kardashians this week that they are planning to have another baby together, despite the fact that Thompson cheated on Kardashian throughout her last pregnancy.
"Khloe has been very vocal and adamant about wanting a big family," a source told Entertainment Tonight of the decision. "She of course sees herself marrying Tristan one day, but he has a lot to prove in order for their relationship to elevate to that level." Godspeed!
Kim Kardashian, meanwhile, is reportedly “completely done” with husband Kanye West. A source told E! News that the estranged couple is “no longer speaking.” And Page Six reports that West has moved his sneaker collection out of the family’s home in Calabasas. I guess we’re going to keep getting updates like this every week until somebody files the paperwork.
STUFF BY HILARY DUFF: According to Hilary Duff, today is #WorldNutellaDay, “one of the best days of the year.” How do you plan to celebrate?
Finally, I’ll leave you with these recent photos of Julianne Hough carrying an absolutely enormous water bottle.
Not sure what else to say about it, just wanted you to see it.
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"It doesn’t help that Rodriguez is sort of famously known to cheat, and not just on the field." *chefs kiss*
this is my absolute favorite newsletter. thank you.