The ballad of Jason Sudeikis and the Page 3 girl
Hello and welcome to Gossip Time, a weekly guide to the stars by Allie Jones. This week: an American actor meets Page 3, the royals make plans to talk to Oprah, and Bradley Cooper wears a disguise.
Does the phrase “Page 3 girl” mean anything to you? Until yesterday, I was unaware of the concept, but apparently it’s a super feminist tradition in the British tabloids where the editors run a photo of a topless gal on … page 3. Former Page 3 models include Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, infamous British TV personality Katie Price, and the woman we are about to start discussing, model and actress Keeley Hazell.
Yesterday, The Sun exclusively reported that Hazell — who first appeared on Page 3 of the tabloid in 2004 — is dating Jason Sudeikis. Sudeikis, of course, recently split from his longtime fiancée Olivia Wilde. And Wilde is now publicly dating famous British person Harry Styles. So … someone wants us to know that Sudeikis is also dating an at-least-somewhat famous British person? From Page 3??
The pairing isn’t completely random: Hazell, 34, had a bit part in Horrible Bosses 2, so she could have conceivably met Sudeikis, 45, on the set of that film in 2014. And she also briefly appears in the first season of Sudeikis’s new TV comedy Ted Lasso. But The Sun’s story doesn’t provide evidence to suggest that Hazell and Sudeikis are anything more than occasional co-workers. The piece seems to be primarily concerned with burnishing the reputation of The Sun’s Page 3 tradition, which began in the 1970s and was officially discontinued in 2018.
A source told the tabloid that Sudeikis turned to Hazell for support after his split from Wilde, and that the two have been meeting up in secret in London as Sudeikis films the second season of Ted Lasso. “Jason has always found Keeley incredibly attractive, and has told pals he's had a crush on her since her Page 3 days,” the source revealed.
Lol. Yes, of course, this American actor has been following the tabloid career of a British model for the last 15 years, and now, finally, they are together. In case that’s not actually true, the source also hedged a bit, claiming that the relationship is in its “early days,” and that readers should “watch this space.”
If you’ve seen Ted Lasso — which is great, by the way, but I’m only on episode six so please don’t tell me what happens — you know that there’s an influencer-type character on the show named Keeley. Confusingly, Hazell does not play this character; Juno Temple does. The Sun’s source claimed, however, that Sudeikis named Temple’s character after Hazell. Does this mean Sudeikis has actually been obsessed with her for the last 15 years? Or this all just a coincidence The Sun is happy to exploit? Keeley is a fun name, regardless. According to TheBump.com, it has Gaelic origins and means “slender, pretty.”
Neither Sudeikis nor Hazell has commented on their alleged romance or what’s up with the Keeley name thing. But some of the American tabloids have tentatively confirmed that the actor and Page 3 darling are kind of potentially knowing each other. A source told Us Weekly last night, “They have grown closer for sure, but Jason absolutely isn’t ready for any type of serious relationship.” People, meanwhile, reports that the two are “casually seeing” each other.
People also reported this week that Wilde, 36, and Styles, 27, are headed to London together, now that they’ve finished filming Don’t Worry Darling in L.A. A source noted that Wilde will be bringing her two young kids to meet up with their dad, Sudeikis. Will Hazell be invited to this cozy family reunion?
Perhaps The Sun will tell us, as Hazell seems to have a friendly relationship with its editors. Last fall, the tabloid ran a profile of her in which she spoke fondly of her glamour modeling days. “I absolutely loved working for The Sun on Page 3,” she said. “It was an amazing job and a catalyst for future opportunities.”
Watch this space!
In potentially more consequential British cultural news, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are going to do an interview with Oprah. And they’re having another baby! They announced the pregnancy on Valentine’s Day, with a black-and-white photo taken by Misan Harriman. (Close watchers of the couple have known this was coming since at least December, when Meghan wore a parka in 80-degree L.A. weather.)
Us Weekly reports that the baby is due at the end of spring. But “Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special” will air much sooner, on March 7. According to the network, Oprah will start by interviewing Meghan, Harry will join in sometime later, and no topic is off-limits. This, of course, means that royal reporters in the U.K. are freaking out about what the couple might say. (Remember that Meghan just won her privacy lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail.)
Also: Buckingham Palace released a statement this morning confirming that Meghan and Harry have no plans to return as working royals. The Queen has taken back the couple’s honorary military appointments and royal patronages, and so the official split, which started over a year ago, is now complete.
Meghan and Harry released their own statement through a spokesperson, assuring the public that they will continue to support U.K. service organizations. “We can all live a life of service,” the spokesperson said. “Service is universal.”
So true, but I hope Meghan and Harry tell Oprah something a little more fun. How do you think this is going to go?
STUFF BY HILARY DUFF: People.com says Hilary Duff has pregnancy sciatica :(
Finally, I’ll leave you with this photo of a person who is allegedly Bradley Cooper:
According to Just Jared, the 46-year-old actor was keeping a “low profile” during a walk around Manhattan this week. It does seem that way.
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This is the most engaging and clever analysis of celebrity gossip and the highlight of my week - thanks Allie!