Celebrity Buzz with Snooki and Alan Ritchson

Sep 21, 2026 | 5:57 AM

Converse removed an Instagram ad featuring K-pop singer Karina after critics said it evoked KKK imagery and lynching. The company apologized, stating: “We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong.” Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt criticized the apology: “Do better means catching this before it airs — not after we’re offended.” (Story URL)


Tilly Norwood, the generative AI ‘actress’ from Particle6, malfunctioned during a Piers Morgan interview — suddenly switching from English to Cantonese. Actor Tom Conti had asked about her upcoming film Misaligned when she glitched. “Sometimes my wires get a bit crossed,” Norwood said. Particle6 CEO Eline van der Velden joked: “Tilly can be a bit of a show-off.” (Story URL)


Prime Video has canceled the action-comedy series Ride Or Die, starring Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer, despite having strong viewership numbers. The buddy spy comedy was Prime Video’s most-watched new scripted series over its first 14 days and holds a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score. Paramount Television Studios is shopping the show elsewhere. (Story URL)


Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi announced on Instagram over the weekend that she is officially cancer-free after battling Stage 1 cervical cancer. The 38-year-old Jersey Shore star underwent a colposcopy, conization, and hysterectomy to treat the disease. “GET UR PAP SMEARS LADIES!” Polizzi urged followers. She will receive pap smears every three months going forward. (Story URL)


Nike co-founder Phil Knight and wife Penny have pledged $1.1 billion to build Oregon’s first exclusively women’s hospital at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. The personal donation will consolidate women’s services, expand cardiovascular care, and fund medical training statewide. The pledge pushes the Knights’ total lifetime philanthropy above $9 billion. (Story URL)


Alan Ritchson revealed a planned Reacher season adapting Lee Child’s 1998 novel Die Trying was canceled for political reasons. “I had it approved until someone got re-elected,” Ritchson wrote on Threads, stopping short of naming Trump. The book follows Reacher battling a radical white supremacist militia. Meanwhile, filming on Reacher Season 5 is currently underway. (Story URL)


Presley Gerber, son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, died at 27 on Sunday at a rehab facility, per the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. An autopsy will be performed. “The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time,” a family rep said. He is survived by his parents and sister, actress-model Kaia Gerber. (Source URL)