Entertainment

Marlee Matlin reveals the TV star who let her live with his family for two years

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Marlee Matlin had just split from her abusive boyfriend, William Hurt, and was fresh out of rehab with nowhere to live when she turned up on Henry Winkler’s doorstep.

What was supposed to be a weekend stay morphed into a two-year residence in the late ’80s with the “Happy Days” alum and his family, she exclusively tells Page Six.

Winkler and his wife, Stacey, treated Matlin as one of their own, telling her “to clean my room every day” and having her at family meals alongside their kids, Jed, Max and Zoe.

“I call Henry my second dad,” Matlin tells us. “I mean, who gets to say that about Henry Winkler? [He’s] probably one of the most famous American icons ever.”

She adds, “But honestly, he’s very genuine and he’s been a huge mentor in my life.”

Matlin, 59, met Winkler, 79, when she was around 12 years old while performing on stage at the Chicago Center on Deafness.

“We invited him and sure enough he showed up, which is amazing,” the “CODA” star explains. “Here he is, the Fonz! And I had been a fan of his for a long time.

“But we stayed in touch after that, and I didn’t anticipate that we would be staying in touch. And we stayed friends.”

Her friendship with the “Barry” star blossomed, and she even had her wedding to Kevin Grandalski at the Winkler home. The couple shares four children and one granddaughter.

Matlin became a huge star when she became the youngest Oscar winner in the best actress category in 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God,” in which she starred opposite Hurt.

The pair began dating during filming and has since alleged that Hurt was physically and verbally abusive throughout their two-year relationship.

Matlin confesses that she “wasn’t necessarily familiar in terms of even the language used to describe what I was experiencing” and was unaware that “I could reach out for help, not knowing that there was a name for what I was going through.”

Hurt died at age 71 in 2022.

The one good thing that did come out of her turbulent relationship with Hurt is that he inspired her to enter rehab.

“He went to rehab, and I was able to see what it did for him,” she says in the documentary, “and I knew that checking in there would do me great.”

Matlin went to the Betty Ford Center, the first deaf person to do so, and was forced to pay for an interpreter out of her pocket.

Many of the indignities and cruel questions Matlin has been asked over her career are included in the documentary. The film’s director, Shoshannah Stern, who is also a deaf actress and a longtime pal of Matlin, says that she wanted to garner a strong reaction from the audience.

“You should be uncomfortable as a viewer,” Stern explains. “It was important for me to kind of treat the media, also, as a character without making a comment about it…You have to feel uncomfortable for change to actually happen. And to understand.”

Matlin’s long career, which includes a memorable “Seinfeld” episode and many guest appearances, recently saw her returning to the Oscars for the 2021 movie “CODA,” which won best picture and best actor for deaf actor Troy Kotsur.

She admits to being disappointed at not being able to speak on stage when the cast gathered for best picture.

“But it is what it is,” she says. “So I fortunately had the opportunity to then say what I wanted to say backstage. And that’s when I said, ‘I’m not alone anymore.’ That’s what I wanted to say out in front, in front of millions of viewers watching the Oscars. That’s all, I just wanted to say. Simple as that.”

The Oscar winner hopes that after watching the documentary, people “leave with a greater sense of empathy and understanding for the deaf community, as well as a greater understanding of why it’s so important to not exclude us.”

And yet, the exclusion seemingly continues as Stern notes that Matlin has not worked since “CODA.”

“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” will be in theaters June 20 in NY, June 27 in LA, and will then expand nationally.

Entertainment

No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease

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No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease “a number of years ago.”

The musician shared the “personal update” with his Instagram followers on Saturday, clarifying in the caption that he is “doing well.”

The 58-year-old went into detail about his health issues in a video, filmed from his home.

“I went to my doctor, I went to a neurologist, did a whole bunch of tests, and I was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease,” he recalled in the upload. “It’s been a struggle. It’s a struggle every day.”

Acknowledging the band’s upcoming Las Vegas residency, Dumont noted “the good news” — he can “still play music.”

He added, “I can still play guitar. I’ve been doing really well.”

As for why he chose to share, Dumont explained, “I’ve just been very inspired by other people who have come out to talk about their health issues on social media, and that sort of thing.”

“I think it helps erase some of the stigma, and it raises awareness obviously,” he continued. “And awareness is really important for prevention and for research.”

Dumont, elsewhere in the video, gushed about how much “fun” it has been preparing for the Sphere residency, which kicks off in Sin City on May 6, with singer Gwen Stefani, drummer Adrian Young and bassist Tony Kanal.

“Looking through old footage and looking at old photographs and relearning old songs and rehearsing … it’s kind of made me think about how grateful I am for the life I’ve gotten to lead as a musician all these years,” he said.

Dumont concluded, “I’m really excited about the shows, can’t wait to see everybody.”

His fellow No Doubt band members shared supportive comments over the weekend.

“My friend, bandmate, and hero, I love you brother,” Young, 56, wrote, while Kanal, 55, commented, “Love you beyond words my friend. Can’t wait to get on stage with you again.”

Trombonist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Gabrial McNair, for his part, wrote, “You are such a beautiful soul, Tom!! I love you so much and can’t wait get on stage with you!! LFG!!”

The band formed in 1986 and have gone on hiatus multiple times as Stefani, 56, pursued a solo career.

They reunited in for a Coachella 2024 performance after nearly a decade apart, and their most recent show together was at the FireAid LA benefit concert in January 2025.

Entertainment

Sabrina Carpenter apologizes for mistaking fan’s cultural chant with yodeling in awkward Coachella moment

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Sabrina Carpenter delivered an apology after she misidentified a fan’s celebratory Arabic call as “yodeling” during her Coachella headlining set in an awkward moment that sparked outrage.

“My apologies,” she wrote on X on Saturday afternoon. “I didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly. My reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm, and not ill-intended. Could have handled it better!”

“Now I know what a zaghrouta is!” she added. “I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out.”

During her Friday night performance on the California festival’s main stage, Carpenter paused between songs after hearing a loud call from the crowd.

After finishing her hit “Please Please Please,” she sat at her keyboard as the audience quieted — except for one fan who continued shouting.

“I think I heard someone yodel,” Carpenter said, prompting the fan to repeat the sound.

“Is that what you’re doing?” she asked. “I don’t like it.”

“It’s my culture,” the fan replied.

“That’s your culture, is yodeling?” Carpenter said.

“It’s a call of celebration,” the fan explained.

Carpenter didn’t engage further with the clarification and instead joked, “Is this Burning Man? What’s going on? This is weird.”

The exchange quickly spread online while many people identified the sound as “zaghrouta,” a traditional celebratory vocal expression used in Arabic cultures at weddings and parties.

my apologies i didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly. my reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill intended. could have handled it better! now i know what a Zaghrouta is!
I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out https://t.co/f3KuT8sggH

— Sabrina Carpenter (@SabrinaAnnLynn) April 11, 2026

The moment fueled debate on social media over whether Carpenter’s reaction was appropriate.

“The way Sabrina doubled down and decided to continue to be ignorant even after it was clarified yodeling is part of that person’s culture says a lot about her,” one disappointed fan tweeted.

“Did Sabrina Carpenter just call that girl’s culture weird and creepy?” another added.

Others, however, defended the “Espresso” singer amid the backlash.

“She clearly could not hear the girl speaking,” one user wrote. “You have to remember she’s all the way up on stage.”

Before introducing her next song, Carpenter explained to the crowd why there was a slight delay, saying, “You know, the last time I played Coachella, I had some crazy piano malfunctions, so I’m making sure that we’re good here.”

She then introduced the track “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night”, telling fans, “I wanted to sing you guys a song I’ve never sung before from ‘Man’s Best Friend.’

“If anyone here has ever been in a relationship that starts, and ends, and then starts and ends, and then starts, and then ends, and then maybe it starts again and ends again, I’m singing this directly to you.”

Carpenter’s Old Hollywood-themed show also featured several surprise appearances.

Susan Sarandon made a cameo as an older version of the pop star in a theatrical segment, after recently saying she had been blacklisted in Hollywood over her pro-Palestine views.

Will Ferrell appeared onstage in a comedic bit as an electrician dragging a cable, Samuel L. Jackson contributed a voiceover segment during “Juno,” and the performance opened with a black-and-white intro featuring Sam Elliott.

Entertainment

‘Love on the Spectrum’ stars Abbey Romeo and David Isaacman break silence after split

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“Love on the Spectrum” stars Abbey Romeo and David Isaacman have confirmed their split.

“Abbey and David spent four and a half years together and truly value the time they shared and each other,” Romeo, Isaacman and their families told People in a joint statement on Friday.

“At this point, they want different things and have decided to go their separate ways, but they remain friends wishing each other the best.”

News of the split first surfaced on Thursday, with a source telling the US Sun “they couldn’t come to an agreement on when to get married.”

The source told the outlet that Isaacman was the hold up as Romeo “was ready” to tie the knot “years ago,” but her partner “still needed time.”

Despite the breakup after five years of dating, Romeo, 27, still showed some love to Isaacman, 31, as she shared her support for the release of his new children’s book, “The Big Five Save the Lions.”

Just two weeks before their breakup hit the news cycle, Romeo was gushing about her love for her now-confirmed ex on the “We Need To Talk” podcast.

She told host Paul C. Brunson that the couple enjoyed going to places like the LA Zoo, Disneyland, Universal Studios and the Griffith Observatory together, and shared what she likes about him.

“He says things that make me feel good, he covers my ears when there’s a certain noise I don’t like,” she said.

Isaacman and Romeo met and fell in love in Season 1 of the hit show, which aired in 2021.

The exes shared their marriage plans during Season 4 of “Love on the Spectrum,” which premiered April 1.

“Neither one of us are ready to get married,” Romeo told producers.

“We’re already married in our hearts,” the “Boyfriend Forever” singer explained, adding that she did not “want to be a divorced lady like [her] mom” and plans to “take [her] time.”