Entertainment
Jessica Simpson on How She Overcame Her Nerves for First TV Performance in 15 Years
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NEED TO KNOW
- Jessica Simpson admitted to being very nervous for her television return after a 15-year hiatus
- The singer performed on the American Idol season finale Sunday, May 18
- Her next projects include her EP Nashville Canyon, Pt. 2 and a cameo on Ryan Murphy’s All’s Fair
Jessica Simpson used a few not-so-common tricks to help combat her nerves for her first television performance in 15 years.
Speaking to Extra after the American Idol season finale on Sunday, May 18, the 44-year-old singer admitted to using hairspray to keep her rooted.
Disney/Stewart Cook
“Oh, my God, I was dying. I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since I’ve been that nervous. Like, I had to put hairspray on my feet to stand still, like, not that it actually keeps me put, but, like, my feet were sweating. I’m like, my feet don’t sweat,” she told the outlet.
Simpson continued, “I just kept telling myself, ‘Do not cry. Do not cry. I know this is a big moment … do not cry.’ And then I see my dad, like, up in the corner, and I’m like, ‘Ah, I’m going to cry. I’m going to cry. Do not cry. Just sing your songs. Just sing your songs.’ ”
The “Sweetest Sin” singer admitted her more than a decade absence has been “a really long time.”
For her return, she was joined by former contestant Josh King. The two did a duet of her 2005 song, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin,’ ” which she recorded for the Dukes of Hazzard soundtrack.
Disney/Christopher Willard
“The last time was a Christmas song, so that’s easy,” she said of her prior performance years ago.
Now, the star has a new EP, Nashville Canyon, Pt. 1, with part two set to arrive this summer.
“It is so much a part of my soul, and so to sing a song off of that I felt naked, to be honest, like, it was very bare and raw and very vulnerable,” Simpson said of the new music.
As for how her little ones feel, Simpson said she can’t wait to hear their reaction.
“I haven’t gotten to talk to them yet, but I’m so excited to talk to them because they’ve never seen me sing live like that,” the proud mother said during her interview with Extra.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty
Simpson and her estranged husband Eric Johnson are mom and dad to three kids: Maxwell “Maxi” Drew, 13, Ace Knute, 11, and Birdie Mae, 6.
The former couple were married for 10 years before announcing their split on Jan. 13.
In addition to getting back onstage, the Employee of the Month actress added that she’s also back in front of the camera.
“I did an episode of ‘All’s Fair,’ and what a show! I mean, great cast. It is so fun,” she said. “I didn’t want it to end, like, I was so grateful that Ryan Murphy thought of me.”
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Telling the story of female divorce attorneys who start their own firm, the upcoming series stars Glenn Close, Teyana Taylor, Kim Kardashian, Niecy Nash-Betts, Naomi Watts and Sarah Paulson.
“His people called my people,” Simpson said of the series creator contacting her. She also added that she and the Skims mogul, 44, are friends, adding, “I don’t know if it was her idea at all, but definitely, I was glad she was on set and we had scenes together.”
She described her role on the show as “very crazy.”
While speaking of her new endeavors, she added, “This is like Jessica Simpson 4.0.”
Entertainment
Tennessee intending to rename Nashville airport in honor of Dolly Parton

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport announced Friday that they intend to name the airport in honor of Dolly Parton, moving toward a major tribute to the icon after an outpouring of public support for the beloved late country music legend’s legacy.
Lee said he spoke with Parton’s team about the proposal this week. Her team expressed appreciation for the support and is open to continuing the conversation, according to a joint announcement from the governor and the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority.
The proposal would place Parton’s name on the gateway to Music City, connecting the transportation hub with a woman whose music, philanthropy and deeply rooted connection to her home state made her perhaps its most celebrated figure.
“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” said Lee about the Tennessee native, who died Tuesday at 80 after a brief cancer battle. “From her rural mountain home in East Tennessee to global stages, Dolly carried the Volunteer Spirit with her.
“At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith, and kindness.”
The announcement comes amid a groundswell of support for renaming the airport after Parton. A Change.org petition titled “Rename Nashville International Airport to Dolly Parton International Airport” had accumulated 155,501 verified signatures, according to the petition page.
The petition was originally launched in January 2025 by Lydia Popovich and Dan Dion, who argued that Parton’s influence extended far beyond the music that made her famous, pointing to her philanthropy and her Imagination Library literacy program.
Following Parton’s death this week, the organizers said tens of thousands of additional supporters signed the petition and renewed their effort to have Nashville’s airport carry her name.
The campaign has also drawn support from Tennessee officials. State Rep. Todd Warner said in a response published on the petition page that he would introduce legislation supporting the change.
“Yes I will definitely introduce legislation to rename the BNA airport Dolly Parton International Airport! Thanks, TW,” Warner wrote, according to the response reproduced by Change.org.
Nashville Council member Russ Bradford also said he would sponsor a resolution asking the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority to consider the change, while stressing that the authority, rather than the council, has the ultimate say over the airport’s name.
“I’m proud to sponsor a resolution asking the Metro Nashville Airport Authority to consider renaming BNA to Dolly Parton International Airport,” Bradford said in a response published by Change.org.
The tribute carries particular resonance because Parton had previously resisted efforts to put her own legacy on a pedestal.
In 2021, Parton asked Tennessee lawmakers to withdraw a bill that would have allowed a statue of her to be erected on the grounds of the state Capitol.
“I am honored and humbled by their intention, but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration,” Parton said at the time in a post shared to social media.
She explained that she did not believe such an honor was appropriate while the country was confronting larger challenges, but left open the possibility that Tennessee might honor her in that way someday.
“Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time,” Parton said. “I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I’m certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean.”
The proposal to rename the airport will be discussed at the Metro Nashville Airport Authority’s next meeting on Sept. 17, according to their release.
Entertainment
Jax Taylor allegedly threatened to ‘gut’ ex Brittany Cartwright: protective order

Brittany Cartwright was granted a temporary restraining order against estranged husband Jax Taylor amid their contentious divorce, Page Six can confirm.
In a bombshell declaration submitted to the L.A. Superior Court on Thursday, Cartwright described years of alleged abuse by her ex — including an instance when he allegedly threatened to “gut [her] like a fish.”
She alleged that her “Valley” co-star said this during a furniture-throwing attack that led her to suffer injuries.
Cartwright also claimed that Taylor, who now must remain 100 feet away from her, subjected her to
“coercive control, financial abuse, emotional and psychological abuse, gaslighting and even physical violence,” per court docs.
The “Vanderpump Rules” alums, notably, were together from 2015 to 2024 and share 5-year-old son Cruz, with Cartwright alleging Taylor has intimidated her via child support and spousal support requests post-breakup.
While she requested sole custody of the little one — five months after the exes reached a custody agreement — the judge denied this Thursday pending a hearing.
Cartwright alleged in her declaration that Taylor insulted her in front of Cruz — and in public — calling her “bitch”, “c–t”, “fat ass bitch”, “fatty”, “broke ass bitch” and “whore.”
She went on to describe alleged instances of Taylor breaking three of her iPhones and an iPad, as well as additional property, in the documents.
Cartwright alleged in the filing that her fellow Bravolebrity even took her $70,000 wedding ring and has refused to return it.
Additionally, Cartwright’s declaration detailed alleged stalking behavior, including claims Taylor gained access to her iPhone and deleted messages.
TMZ was the first to report on the protective order.
Taylor’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Last year, Cartwright detailed an alleged abusive incident that took place in November 2024, claiming Taylor screamed “the most despicable things” at her during a car ride with Cruz.
That same month, Taylor admitted to “seeing red” and throwing furniture during an explosive argument with his former spouse — but insisted to “Hot Mic” podcast listeners that Cruz was “luckily” nowhere near when his dad hit his “breaking point.”
The reality star subsequently sought treatment at a mental health center, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and narcissistic personality disorder.
Taylor is currently sober, which he pointed out while blasting his ex in a scathing Instagram rant about allegedly trying to “sabotage” his life.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
Entertainment
What’s at stake in Dolly Parton’s $450 million estate — from Dollywood to her music catalog

Dolly Parton may have sung about working “9 to 5,” but the country queen clocked a six-decade shift that leaves behind a massive $450 million empire.
Her meticulously crafted estate plan is set to determine who gets the keys to the kingdom — and what happens to the fortune she spent a lifetime building.
The music legend’s assets include a 3,000-song catalog estimated at $120 million, an estimated $165 million stake in Dollywood, a sprawling Tennessee property valued at roughly $10 million and, potentially, decades’ worth of personal possessions, including her famously extensive wardrobe and memorabilia.
How that fortune will be divided, and who ultimately controls the pieces of Parton’s empire, could remain private for some time.
“We know Dolly did not have any children of her own, so it is difficult to predict who she planned to leave it to,” Robert Strauss, expert estate lawyer and director at Los Angeles estate planning firm Weinstock Manion, told Page Six.
Whatever Parton’s estate plan says, her business savvy could make the transition of her music catalog considerably smoother.
“Because Dolly Parton famously owned her own publishing instead of selling it off to a major, her passing shouldn’t disrupt the management of the catalog itself,” Guy Blake, managing partner at Granderson Des Rochers, LLP, told Page Six.
“The copyrights — and the income they throw off — pass to her estate, which can keep managing them exactly as she did,” Blake said.
Neither Strauss nor Blake are directly affiliated with Parton’s estate.
Raised in a large family alongside 11 brothers and sisters, Parton is survived by six siblings: Willadeene, Robert Lee, Stella, Cassie, Freida, and Rachel.
Parton – who secretly battled cancer before she passed away — also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews, as well as her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus.
Bryan Seaver, her nephew and longtime head of security, announced her death on behalf of the family on Tuesday.
Still, the details of the estate were apparently so closely guarded that even some of Parton’s longtime business associates were left scrambling to figure out what came next after her death, according to the Daily Mail.
A source who worked with the star for nearly 40 years shared that Parton kept her estate planning details fiercely under wraps, though her extended family isn’t expected to launch a nasty courtroom battle over the fortune.
“She’s taken care of all of them,” the insider told the outlet, adding, “I don’t see there being any fight with all of them because I think… they’re all being treated very fairly.”
The Daily Mail source expects the bulk of Parton’s fortune to go to charity, continuing the philanthropic work that was so central to her life.
That could mean her music and business empire ultimately helps fund causes including the Dollywood Foundation and its Imagination Library, a program inspired by her father’s illiteracy that has since put more than 300 million free books into children’s hands.
“She was one smart lady, as gifted in business as she was in music,” the source said.
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