Category: Show Business

The parties at Dunder Mifflin have stopped, but The Office still had an unofficial holiday get-together.

Several stars of the NBC sitcom that aired from 2005 to 2013, including Jenna Fischer (Pam), Angela Kinsey (Angela), Ellie Kemper (Erin), and Mindy Kaling (Kelly), on Friday shared photos from a festive reunion.

"It's been 20 years since I first met these beautiful women!" Kaling captioned a snapshot of the four looking festive. "This year was a rollercoaster to say the least, and it’s so nice to be able to unpack life’s joys and challenges with people who knew me when I was a 24 year old customer service rep in the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. I love you guys!"

Kemper, who joined the Emmy-winning series in its fifth season, playing the Scranton branch's new receptionist, after regular receptionist Pam left, noted that the other actresses had "welcomed me with warmth and kindness."

The reunion was impromptu, according to Fischer.

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"When we realized we were all in the same city at the same time we knew we had to make this happen," Fischer wrote. "Thank you ladies for making me laugh so much last night and for all being so real and amazing after a hard year. I love so much! (I also love that we all dressed up! Fashion show, fashion show, fashion show at dinner!)"

Kinsey shared a photo of the four friends sitting down, looking much more relaxed and happy than they were attending an Office fete coordinated by her bossy character Angela.

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She declared it "such a fun catch up dinner."

Although, Kinsey and Fischer at least speak often, for their popular podcast, Office Ladies, on which they rewatch and discuss episodes of the NBC favorite, as well as personal news, including Fischer's recent cancer diagnosis.

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On this week's episode, they interviewed award-winning actress Kathy Bates, who said it was tough adjusting to their way of doing things.

"I did have a problem transitioning from lines that were written and then the improvisation that we were allowed to do," Bates said. "I don't know if I ever really succeeded. I kept getting tripped up on that. But it was a wonderful experience."

She can relive it along with the rest of us during daily reruns.

Leave Sydney Sweeney alone! Or else she might have to take care of you herself.

The Euphoria and Anyone But You actress swung hard on her haters in a video posted to Instagram on Friday that begins by showcasing a slew of nasty comments about her appearance. Comments like "quite frumpy" and "she has a horrible body" flash across the screen, set to the Bloodstone song "Natural High." Then the video abruptly switches to an intense training montage, showing Sweeney lifting weights, boxing, and flipping gigantic tires, set to Joey Valence and Brae's "OK."

"Check this out," the duo rap, "I look good."

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The comments appear to be culled from responses to paparazzi photos published a day earlier. Taken from a far-off vantage point, the photos capture Sweeney in a bikini lounging around the pool of her Florida home. While some online trolls criticized the actress' appearance, other observers rushed to her defense, calling out the comments' lecherous and misogynistic overtones and reproaching the invasion of privacy represented by the photos themselves.

The final frame of Sweeney's video is the name "Christy Martin" spelled out in glittering pink letters. Sweeney has been promoting an upcoming biopic about the boxer for months, sharing an update in October that showed her in a crimped brunette wig flexing her newly earned biceps.

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Martin is a legendary figure in the sport, one whom the World Boxing Association records as having a career total of 49 wins, seven losses, and three draws. In November, Sweeney shared a picture with Martin herself with a caption that described the film as "a testament to resilience, survival, and finding the strength to keep fighting. I can't wait for you all to see it — not only because I'm proud of the transformation and the work I've poured into it, but because Christy's story deserves to be told.

"And yes," Sweeney concluded, "you'll get to see me kick some serious ass."

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Celeste O'Connor and Isabela Merced, who costarred with Sweeney in the superhero flick Madame Web, both showed Sweeney support in the comments of her Instagram post Friday. Merced wrote, "The thing is these people would never say it in person. Too scared. But if they ever did? best believe it's hands," while O'Connor simply commented, "SO baller omfggggggg."

In a group interview for Madame Web earlier this year, O'Connor shed some insight on Sweeney's diligence when it comes to preparing for her roles, quipping, "Sydney was our training outside of stunt rehearsal. She would send us a schedule of all the Pilates classes that she had reserved for the week, and she was like, 'All right, girls! This is what we're doing!' I have her to thank for this bod."

Will Smith wants no affiliation with Sean "Diddy" Combs.

The King Richard star took a moment between songs at a concert near San Diego on Friday to distance himself from the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, who is incarcerated following federal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. "I haven't addressed any of this publicly, but I just wanna say this very clearly: I don't have s— to do with Puffy, so y'all can stop all them memes," Smith said in a video acquired by TMZ. "You can stop all of that bulls—."

Rumors have swirled online about other musicians and entertainers attending Diddy's alleged "freak-offs" — that is, Combs-hosted gatherings that allegedly involved sex workers and/or sexual assaults, as described by Cassie Ventura in her now-settled lawsuit. (Combs has denied all allegations of sexual assault.) Smith said that he had no connection to those events: "I ain't been nowhere near no damn freak-off," he told the audience. "Listen, I do enough of my own s—, don't be putting me in other people's bulls—."

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Although Smith has been photographed alongside Combs at multiple industry events over the years, he said, "I ain't been nowhere near that man, ain't did none of that stupid s—. So whenever y'all hear it, if somebody say that, it's a damn lie."

Smith noted that he ordinarily doesn't like to address rumors or online chatter about him, but he thought it'd be worthwhile to distance himself from the conversation around Combs. "I usually don't respond to dumbass stuff, 'cause like, it's so many things," he said. "People say so much stuff. But that one, your memes was doing too much. Y'all was having me mad."

See Sean Combs brag about his parties getting shut down in resurfaced 1999 video: 'Probably be arresting me'

Smith's comments come in the wake of Jay-Z being named in a new lawsuit accusing the "99 Problems" rapper of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside Combs at an afterparty for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Jay-Z denied the allegations and claimed the lawsuit was attempted extortion.

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Jay-Z is the first major star to be named as a co-defendant during Combs' recent legal battles, though prosecuting attorney Tony Buzbee implied that numerous other well-known celebrities may be implicated in future lawsuits against Diddy. "The names that we’re going to name, assuming our investigators confirm and corroborate what we’ve been told, are names that will shock you," Buzbee said at a press conference in October.

Combs was arrested in September on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. His arrest followed several civil lawsuits that accused him of sex trafficking and sexual assault, as well as federal raids on his homes that he condemned as "excessive show of force."

Warning: This story contains spoilers about Outlander season 7, episode 12, "Carnal Knowledge."

William Ransom has some serious daddy issues.

On Friday night's episode of Outlander, audiences caught up with William (Charles Vandervaart), who was hit with a bombshell at the conclusion of last week's episode when he accidentally overheard that he is not actually the son of a nobleman, but instead of Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), a Scot and a rebel.

It's a secret that Lord John Grey (David Berry), Jamie, and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) have kept from William his entire life, and the truth comes out at the worst possible moment. As Jamie pretends to take Lord John Grey hostage at gunpoint, William confronts Claire about what he has just heard, immediately flying off the handle.

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"His entire identity has been held up on this idea that he is the ninth Earl of Ellesmere," says Vandervaart of William's extreme reaction. "He grew up on English values and the values of the royals and of the people in power. Finding out that that's all based on a lie is to say that his identity is a lie, and that's not who he truly is. That'd be so hard to deal with. That's not something I would take lightly in my own life."

However, it's not merely William's crisis of identity that sends him reeling, but the fact that the man he loved as a father, Lord John, and many of those close to him have lied to him for so long. "The thing that hurts more, though, is the betrayal that he feels coming from the people he loves most," Vandervaart continues. "The people that he's always trusted in his life — the groom at Helwater, Jamie Fraser; his father that raised him, Lord John Grey, the person he loves the most; Claire; and his cousin Ian — have all been lying to him. That feels like an ultimate betrayal. The lie from Lord John Grey, the person that's been the consistency in his life, is probably the worst thing about all of it."

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After unleashing his venom and shock on Claire, William stalks out into town, confronting Ian (John Bell) and Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) about this truth. Ian has known for some time, while Rachel is unsurprised given the obvious resemblance between Jamie and William. William hauls off and punches Ian, unprovoked, and then turns him over to the redcoats, before forcibly kissing Rachel.

He eventually goes to forget his troubles with a prostitute, Arabella (Silvia Presente), who he is intrigued and peeved by in equal measure. When Captain Harkness (Adam Jackson-Smith) lays claim to the girl on another evening, William offers for her instead and refuses to sleep with her, instead offering her a night of rest. Touched by his commitment to his honor, Arabella reveals her real name is Jane and takes William to bed.

We caught up with Vandervaart to talk about William's extreme reaction, this new bond with Jane, and much more.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: As Rachel says, the resemblance is fairly obvious. Is that something he's never clocked? Do you think it's a bit of willful ignorance?

CHARLES VANDERVAART: I think so. There is always a strange feeling of unbelonging for William because he has this fieriness that isn't necessarily mirrored back to him through the people in his life. The only person that understood him truly would've been the groom at Helwater, Jamie Fraser. He has all of these personality traits that are so Jamie that I don't know if he could quite place with anyone else in his life. So, there was always that unconscious longing, that idea of like, 'Oh, maybe this is who I really am.' But that would contradict his entire identity as the Earl of Ellesmere. So, I'm sure that got compartmentalized really quickly. But he might've always known in one small part of his brain.

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Do you think there's ever a point where this is something he can accept and make peace with it?

For William's own peace of mind and for the people around him, I hope that happens eventually. When he first left England to go fight in this war, he had these really romanticized ideas about war and fighting for justice. When he finally got there and saw the reality of it all, it was horrible to him. He's been disillusioned by the horribleness of war. That maybe drove him away from his patriotism and from his rigid moral code that he grew up on. That's continuing when he finds out his true identity. I do think that there's going to be a lot of walls that William has up before he can finally accept that as his identity. But it is who he truly is. So, maybe [he] and his healthiest self will finally reconcile with that.

He's really concerned about his sense of honor. But then he also hauls off and punches Ian without provocation, which is very not honorable. What's happening there? Is it just this revelation gives him a space to put his anger about Rachel not choosing him?

So not honorable at all. Billy, whatcha doing? It's a lot of things. I don't think he's thinking very rationally because, if he was thinking about his honor, he probably wouldn't have done that. But Ian is someone that has lied to him, someone that knew his true identity since they've met, and is also a representation of Jamie Fraser. It's someone that's blood related to Jamie Fraser. It's his own kin. That makes William see him as more of a threat and exactly what he doesn't want to be. And then on top of that, the salt in the wound is the fact that this girl, who he thought he shared mutual feelings with, it turns out that was not the case. Those three things adding up result in William not being able to control his anger and acting in a way that's reprehensible.

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Do you think that his desire to let Arabella/Jane sleep is any way tied to the fact that he forces himself on Rachel earlier in the episode?

There is a bit of guilt about the way that he acted with Rachel and this very unforgivable thing that he did. Maybe his logic was that he wanted to restore his honor and that wasn't who he was, and he was acting out of character and he wanted to prove that to himself. It is so tough this episode. He hits rock bottom so many times. But I think that bit with Rachel is really his rock bottom, because he did something that she did not deserve. And that sense of guilt probably carried on to that scene with Arabella.

I don't think he broke that honor with Jane because it was something that they both mutually wanted in that moment. But it was something that after the fact, William definitely was ashamed about, because that was the last bit of honor that he was holding onto — the ability that he could restrain himself and save someone for the sake of saving someone without any strings attached and without any benefit to himself. But Jane and William do have a special bond that started in this episode.

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From the first moment they meet on the street, they really seem to be drawn to each other. What is it about Jane that draws William in? Is it a savior complex thing? What's going on there?

Initially, he probably goes in because he doesn't care about anything anymore. Then, he starts to get to know Jane. He met Arabella initially, and then he finally gets to know Jane, who she truly is. They seem to have chemistry that came out of nowhere. There's a sense of familiarity between the two of them. They come from totally different worlds. He comes from a world of powerful men, and she comes from a world of powerful men taking advantage of innocent, good people. Even though they're completely different, they find a bond. They're both people that feel lost.

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He finally breaks down and cry when he's with her after having so much anger this whole episode. How important is that level of vulnerability for his journey going forward?

He really needed that. He needed some cathartic crying right there. I really like the idea that he could put aside his values of You have to be strong and you have to put those emotions aside. To be vulnerable is very important. It's something that he probably learned from Lord John Grey and from Jamie, because they're both very strong men. But they can be vulnerable when they need to be. That was an important step in William's journey of healing. He's very far away from healing at the moment, but give him a couple seasons, baby. He'll get there.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Outlander airs new episodes Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the Blue Bloods series finale, "End of Tour."

Blue Bloods has reached the end of the line.

The long-running police procedural aired its series finale, titled "End of Tour," on Friday night, concluding 14 seasons on CBS. The episode offered each member of the Reagan law enforcement dynasty a fitting (if bittersweet) sendoff that provides a strong sense of hope as the show draws to a close.

The episode begins with Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) and Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez) investigating the murder of a judge who'd previously dismissed threats from the Ace Double Treys gang. The next episode shows Eddie Janko (Vanessa Ray) and Luis Badillo (Ian Quinlan) responding to a carjacking that quickly evolves into a shootout with two motorcyclists. The duo hits one of the shooters as the other escapes — and Badillo ends the encounter with critical wounds, while Janko gets grazed on the arm.

Meanwhile, Mayor Peter Chase (Dylan Walsh) also takes a bullet in a drive-by shooting as he oversees a ceremony at a new historic landmark. Frank (Tom Selleck) visits him in the hospital, and Erin (Bridget Moynahan) watches a video from a gang leader demanding amnesty for incarcerated gang members.

In the hospital, Frank explains that there's been a coordinated attack that left four cops shot and one NYPD precinct firebombed. The mayor entrusts the city's leadership to Frank (under the table, of course): "I'm handing you the keys. You're driving. Get us out of this."

Janko awakens in the hospital and asks where her partner is. Jamie (Will Estes) remains awkwardly silent as another officer says, "He's not here." Janko pushes further: "Not here in this hospital? Or not here anymore?" Jamie shakes his head. "There's nothing you could've done," he tells his wife, confirming that Badillo succumbed to his wounds.

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In perhaps the stupidest decision of the episode, another cop approaches the room and announces, within earshot of Janko, that Badillo's shooter is on the same floor of the hospital. Janko freaks out and demands to see the shooter face to face, jumping out of bed. "I have every right to see him!" she yells as the hospital staff sedates her.

After that, Joe (Will Hochman) and Jamie resolve to find Emilio Mars, another one of the shooters, by whatever means necessary. Meanwhile, Danny analyzes a video from the executed judge and identifies the killer as Carlos Ramirez (Manny Perez) — the Ace Double Treys member who caused a stir before escaping in a helicopter in the midseason premiere.

Ramirez's mother later enters the precinct, and Danny tells her that Ramirez's daughter Amelia didn't show up to school. Amelia, who bonded with Janko in the midseason premiere, calls the wounded detective and tells her that Ramirez has taken her to an unfamiliar location.

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Erin and her ex-husband Jack Boyle (Peter Herrman) interrupt the action with a tender scene (re)defining their blossoming relationship. "You know, when push comes to shove, we really do work well together," she says. "Maybe we should do something about that… despite our best efforts, we're still right here. One foot in and one foot out. Maybe we try both feet." Erin surprises Jack with a low-key marriage proposal (sans ring), and he agrees on her conditions: "Party of two, city hall. Tell everybody about it after the fact."

Next, Frank visits Lorenzo Batista (Edward James Olmos), the father of another one of the shooters, in an attempt to pressure him into revealing information about his son. After a long bout of gruff banter, Frank gets personal, invoking his dead son, Joseph. "If someone were to say to me before it happened, 'Here's your choice. We can kill him now or he can spend the rest of his life in prison,' I'd tell you what: I wouldn't blink," he says. "I'd be up there at that prison every chance I got with a bag of hamburgers for us and a deck of cards so we could spend time together just playing gin and shootin' the bull. And I'd be thrilled to be there. And eternally grateful for the chance, because I know the cold dark the other choice brings."

Later, Danny receives a pep talk from his grandfather Henry (Len Cariou), who implores him to settle down. "I always told you not to bring the job home," Henry says. "As far as I can see, you've done a good job with that. But the problem now is, you have no one not to bring it home to. I have no doubt that you'll get these guys and go onto another case and another case. The problem is…"

"That I don't have anyone not to bring it home to?" Danny asks.

"Promise me that when this case is over, you'll find that someone," Henry responds.

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Danny then joins Baez in a raid on Ramirez's house. Upon seeing Amelia, he tries to appeal to the gangster's paternal sensibilities. "My dad used to tell me that kids learn from their fathers' example, not from their words. This could go bad," Danny says. Ramirez tells his daughter to go upstairs, then pulls a gun on his own head. Danny implores him not to take his own life: "You could still be her father. You could still give her advice. C'mon, she already lost her mother, don't let her lose her father too." Ramirez drops the gun and surrenders.

Jamie and Joe also close in on their suspect by tracking him to the hospital where his partner has just given birth. Jamie pins the perp against the wall and, in a moment of poetic closure, Janko arrives and cuffs him using Badillo's handcuffs. We also see Frank drive past a building as Batista's son is being taken into custody, suggesting that Olmos' character gave him up to spare his life.

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In Danny's last scene in the precinct, Amelia thanks him for saving her. Then, heeding his grandfather's wishes, Danny asks Baez out for pizza, and the duo walk out of the office, arms interlocked.

After Badillo's nearly wordless funeral, the finale fittingly ends with one last family dinner. Erin proclaims that she has an announcement to make, but she's interrupted by Janko bringing a wooden high chair to the table. "This is my high chair from when I was a baby," she says.

"We're gonna use it when the baby's born," Jamie adds. Congratulations abound.

"I'm just glad you all know now, 'cause we're gonna need all the parenting advice we can get," Janko says.

"Oh, just trust your gut," Frank responds.

"Can't think of anyone who would make better parents than you two," Danny adds.

After a lighthearted fight over what gender the baby will be, Joe chimes in, "Well, whether it's a he or a she, if I may, they will be really lucky to be a part of this family."

Erin ultimately backtracks on her announcement, pivoting the conversation to work. "I think we're getting murder one indictment for Badillo's killer," she says, giving a knowing grin to Jack, suggesting they'll save their big news for another time.

Frank ends the episode — and thus, the season and the series — with a note of appreciation. "You know, we've got a lot to be thankful for," he says. "And looking around at this table, I gotta say, I couldn't be more proud or grateful."

All 14 seasons of Blue Bloods are streaming now on Paramount+.

It doesn’t get much sweeter than this.

Taylor Swift received a series of heartfelt birthday messages from the Kansas City, Mo., children’s hospital patients she visited this week on the eve of her 35th birthday.

The official Instagram account of the Children’s Mercy Kansas City hospital shared a video montage in celebration of the singer’s special day on Friday.

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“Happy birthday, Taylor! It was special for you to come and visit me because I’ve always been kind of just, like, a normal, outcast kid,” one young patient said in the clip. “So for you to come and visit me makes me know that I’m not just a kid and I’m somebody special.”

Another adorable Swiftie — clad in a “1989” album shirt — held up her hands to form the shape of a heart as she told Swift, “You made me feel so special yesterday.”

A third enthused patient wished the global superstar a happy birthday and showed off a doll she got as it reminded her of the singer.

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At the end of the video, several staff members got together and shouted out Swift’s fans for “all the support” they’ve shown the hospital and its patients following her visit.

“🤩 We can’t shake it off – the excitement, smiles and laughter that filled our halls yesterday as @TaylorSwift visited patients in Kansas City,” the video’s caption read.

“Helping kids feel special, cared for and at their best is what we aim to do, and Taylor, you made that possible. Thank you and happy birthday from all your fans at Children’s Mercy! 💙 💛.”

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Swift surprised the hospital’s patients Thursday by spending time with them and signing copies of her new “Eras Tour Book.”

“We absolutely gained so much more love and respect [for] Taylor,” Melissa Nuzum, the mother of an 11-year-old patient, exclusively told Page Six after the visit. “She was lovely and personable.”

Another patient’s family member claimed Swift’s beau, Travis Kelce, was also in the building — but spoke to children separately from the birthday girl.

While no photos from Kelce’s reported visit have surfaced just yet, an organization affiliated with the hospital, Big Slick Kansas City, thanked both stars for swinging by on its Instagram page.

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The “Cruel Summer” hitmaker clearly had the Kansas City Chiefs tight end on her mind during the visit, as she gushed about him with one of the patients she met Thursday evening.

“I like Travis now,” the little girl said, to which Swift replied, “Yes, me too. That’s an absolute yes on that one.”

The 14-time Grammy winner also got a kick out of one of the patient’s towels, which read, “Go Taylor’s Boyfriend,” referring to the NFL star.

Page Six has reached out to Kelce’s rep for confirmation of his visit but did not hear back.

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While Swift’s official 35th birthday plans have yet to be revealed, she partially celebrated by gifting one of the patients she met a $600 Dyson Airwrap.

Swift surprised the excited girl after she said she wanted one for Christmas.

According to a video posted on social media Friday, Swift left a note with the gift that read, “In case Santa doesn’t come through. Love, Taylor Swift.”

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An unidentified woman who accused both Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping her when she was just 13 years old in 2000 is now admitting that there were some inconsistencies in her allegations.

“I have made some mistakes,” the Alabama woman told NBC News Friday, addressing the allegedly “catastrophic event” she claims happened at a house party following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.

During the interview, the woman acknowledged three inconsistencies in her account of what allegedly went down that evening. As a result, Jay-Z’s attorney has requested to expedite the case’s dismissed in a legal document obtained by Page Six.

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Lawyer Alex Spiro asked the judge Friday night to shorten the filing deadline for the case dismissal from 21 days to one.

The request was made in light of “today’s stunning public disclosures and severe ongoing harm to Mr. Carter’s reputation,” he said in the letter filed to the New York court.

According to NBC News, the anonymous woman — who went by Jane Doe in the court documents previously obtained by Page Six — claimed her father picked her up after the alleged rape. However, her dad reportedly confirmed he has no recollection of doing so.

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The alleged victim said she still stood by her memory, however, and claimed that her father has a hard time recalling events from that time period.

“There are a lot of things, and this is stuff that we argue about constantly, something he said or did back in New York around that time period he just doesn’t remember,” she alleged to NBC News. “It actually causes a lot of fights sometimes in the household.”

The woman also claimed she spoke to Benji Madden at the alleged afterparty. However, a representative for the Good Charlotte rocker said he and his brother, Joel Madden, were on tour halfway across the country at the time of the alleged incident.

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“Honestly, what is the clearest is what happened to me and [the] route that I took to what happened to me. Not all of the faces there are as clear,” the woman told the outlet about some of the blurriness of her claims. “So I have made some mistakes. I may have made a mistake in identifying.”

Additionally, images from the night in question show Jay-Z and Combs, both 55, at a location that does not match the alleged victim’s description.

NBC News obtained and reviewed photos of the longtime friends at Lotus nightclub after the 2000 VMAs, but the woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, said she did not state that the assault took place at the now-shuttered nightclub.

“We have attempted to confirm the correct location. We have never suggested the location was the Lotus club,” Buzbee told NBC News. “Our client has been very specific and detailed about the description of the venue she says she was taken to, and she has never stated it was the Lotus Club.”

Despite the uncertainties in her memory, the accuser said she still stands by her allegations overall.

The woman originally only named Combs in her initial filing from October, but amended her complaint to include Jay-Z over the weekend.

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Representatives for Combs have continously maintained his innocence as he faces dozens of civil suits alleging sexual assault, rape, sex trafficking and more.

In response to the latest news, Combs’ rep told Page Six in part, “Today, for the second time this week, a Buzbee plaintiff has been exposed.”

Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, vehemently denied the rape claims and celebrated Doe’s admission of inconsistencies in a statement to Page Six Friday.

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“Today’s investigative report proves this ‘attorney’ Buzbee filed a false complaint against me in the pursuit of money and fame,” the “Empire State of Mind” hitmaker said. “This incident didn’t happen and yet he filed it in court and doubled down in the press. True Justice is coming.”

He added, “We fight FROM victory, not FOR victory. This was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realize it yet, but, soon.”

Attorney Spiro also addressed the latest news, telling Page Six, “It is stunning that a lawyer would not only file such a serious complaint without proper vetting, but would make things worse by further peddling this false story in the press.”

He continued, “We are asking the Court to dismiss this frivolous case today, and will take up the matter of additional discipline for Mr. Buzbee and all the lawyers that filed the complaint.”

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Buzbee is a Texas-based attorney who is representing over 120 men and women who claim Combs sexually assaulted them.

Jay-Z accused Buzbee of filing the lawsuit as a “blackmail attempt” in a statement to Page Six earlier this week.

In response, the lawyer tweeted that his firm “sent [Jay-Z’s] lawyer a demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him.”

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Furthermore, on Tuesday, Page Six obtained a filing in which Jay-Z’s lawyer accused Buzbee of encouraging another woman to lie about her connection to Combs in a separate suit.

“She felt directed and coached by Mr. Buzbee’s firm to say that someone held her down and
put drugs in her mouth when that was not her experience,” the filing claims. “She felt forced to lie.”

Buzbee has backed all of his clients, however, including Jay-Z’s accuser.

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“Jane Doe’s case was referred to our firm by another, who vetted it prior to sending it to us. Our client remains fiercely adamant that what she has stated is true, to the best of her memory,” he wrote in an email to NBC News.

“We will continue to vet her claims and collect corroborating data to the extent it exists. Because we have interrogated her intensely, she has even agreed to submit to a polygraph. I’ve never had a client suggest that before.”

Despite Jay-Z and Combs’ teams fighting back so adamantly, Doe does not regret coming forward.

“You should always advocate for yourself and be a voice for yourself,” she told the outlet. “You should never let what somebody else did ruin or run your life. I just hope I can give others the strength to come forward like I came forward.”

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.

Don’t mess with Sydney Sweeney — especially in the gym.

The “Euphoria” star took to Instagram on Friday to clap back at the body-shaming trolls who have been attacking her looks online in recent weeks.

Sweeney, 27, shared a new video that featured several mean screenshots from various cyberbullies, who called her everything from “too pale” to “frumpy” to “an average chunky Yankee girl.”

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The clip then switched over to footage of the actress lifting heavy weights in preparation for her latest role as famed female boxer Christy Martin for an upcoming biopic.

As seen in the videos, the intense training routine Sweeney’s been following to bulk up for the untitled project includes flipping tires, repeating cable pull-ups and cardio-heavy boxing exercises.

Many of Sweeney’s fans quickly flooded her comments section to share messages of encouragement and support amid the negative remarks.

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“Guess they drag you no matter what you do,” one fan wrote. “You’re actually a dope human being.”

“There are a LOT of clowns not employed by the circus, Sydney. Stuck to their phones/keyboards in delulu land,” another social media user said. “They only hate you because you’re a better individual than themselves. Keep being amazing, we love the sh*t outta you”

The post also garnered the attention of “Bridgerton” alum Phoebe Dynevor, who commented, “👊👊👊❤️” under the video.

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Sweeney announced her role in the David Michôd-helmed biopic in October after she was photographed in costume by paparazzi.

“Well the cats out of the bag thanks to some paps in bushes so here’s a little bts from my film im working on right now,” the actress, who was recently snapped relaxing poolside, said on Instagram at the time.

“Over the past few months, I’ve been immersed in training to bring to life the story of an incredible woman – a true champion who fought battles both inside and outside the ring. Her journey is a testament to resilience, strength, and hope, and I’m honored to step into her shoes to share her powerful story.”