En route back to the States, I stopped in London long enough to hear Russell Brand again plead not guilty to rape, indecent exposure and sexual assault.  And with that, he was given a court date…in 2026!  For incidents that allegedly happened in 1999 and 2005.  Really?  Even if these gals prevail, their victory will be celebrated in some old-age home.  I can see it now.  A pensioner comes into money.  “What’s that for, luv?”  “I was fingered by Russell Brand!”

When you consider the age of Russell’s complaints, Jussie Smollett’s fracas almost seems like breaking news.  But here we are, still talking about the “incident” six years later!  It almost feels icky to go into details.  Suffice it to say, had he taken the original plea deal, he would be out less money, and life would have moved on.  Instead, here we are, with Smollett making a total of $60K in charitable donations, not admitting any guilt, and the case is finally over.  So is his career, but that’s another story.

Then there’s Smokey Robinson – who always looks like he just walked into a surprise party!  Allegedly, four former housekeepers claim that he sexually accosted them repeatedly.  The encounters allegedly took place as far back as 2007.  In fact, one of the women who claims to have been harassed stayed on the payroll until 2024.  Huh?  They also claim that Smokey’s wife, Frances, was involved in the shenanigans (these things never happened when Claudette was around).  Reportedly, the women joined together and tried to get $100 million from the singer.  They were turned down – and probably fired.  Then they filed a $50 million civil lawsuit.  But they didn’t stop there.  They filed criminal charges, which meant the police had to investigate.  Well, that was too much for Smokey – he struck back with a $500 million countersuit claiming defamation and elder abuse!  Stay tuned.

Do you remember back in 2020 when Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife Becki were involved in a sex scandal that included a poolboy?  Again, I can’t possibly recap all the sordid details, except to say I’m sure we never heard the full story.  Anyway, Falwell was forced out of his position running Liberty University.  Since then, there have been battling lawsuits between Junior and the college.  Apparently everything has been settled, with Jerry paying the school $440K in expenses.  But don’t cry for Jer – he’s getting about $5.5 million in a settlement in addition to almost $10 million in his retirement package.  That’s one helluva package!