Health announcement

Bruce Willis is stepping away from acting because of a medical condition affecting his cognitive abilities. The “Die Hard” star’s daughter Rumer initially made the announcement on Instagram on March 30, and Bruce’s family — including ex-wife Demi Moore — followed suit. “To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities. As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him,” the statement said. “This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.” As expected, many Hollywood heavy hitters voiced their support for Bruce and his family after the announcement.

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We Will/Rock you

Will Smith‘s actions at the Academy Awards dominated the week in celebrity news. On March 27, the actor slapped Chris Rock in the face on live TV after the comedian made a “G.I. Jane” joke at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith, Will’s wife, who has a shaved head. Cameras showed Will initially laughing at the joke while Jada rolled her eyes. Will then walked up to the stage and slapped a stunned Chris, returned to his seat and shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.” The general public was split on happened, as some felt that Will was sticking up for his wife. Others, though, felt that Will crossed a line and should have been arrested for assault. Chris reportedly refused to press charges. A few moments later, Will won the best actor Oscar for his performance as Richard Williams in “King Richard.” In his speech, he spoke of being a “protector” of his family. He then apologized to the Academy Awards and his fellow nominees, but not to Chris. However, on March 28, Will publicly apologized to Chris on Instagram (meanwhile, Jada called for “healing.”). The Academy, by the way, has launched a probe into Will’s actions and will determine in a few weeks what “appropriate action” should be taken. The Academy also announced on March 30 that Will was asked to leave the ceremony after the incident but refused. However, on March 31, Will’s camp said he was never asked to leave.

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Sad news

On March 29, the Foo Fighters canceled all their upcoming tour dates, including a performance at the April 3 Grammys, following the untimely death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. Taylor was found dead on March 25 in his hotel room in Colombia hours before the band was set to perform at a music festival in Bogota. His body was returned to the United States on March 29. After his death, a slew of musicians honored Taylor, with Paul McCartney calling him a “true rock and roll hero.” In a statement, the Foos called the loss “staggering.”

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Baby fever

Seventh heaven! On March 29, Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria Baldwin announced that she’s pregnant with their seventh child together. “After many ups and downs over the past few years, we have an exciting up and a huge surprise: another Baldwinito is coming this fall,” Hilaria captioned a video of herself and Alec playing with all of their children. “We were pretty sure our family was complete, and we’re beyond happy with this surprise. I’m sharing with you the moment we told the kids — as you can see, they are super excited! Our new baby is a very bright spot in our lives. A blessing and a gift during such uncertain times.” Alex is a dad to adult daughter Ireland Baldwin with ex-wife Kim Basinger, while he and Hilaria share daughters MariLu and Carmen and sons Rafael, Leonardo, Romeo and Edu. 

Arrested

“Justice League” star Ezra Miller was arrested in Hawaii on March 27 and charged with disorderly conduct and harassment following an incident at a bar in Hilo. The “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” franchise star “became agitated while patrons at the bar began singing karaoke” and “began yelling obscenities,” a police report said. Ezra allegedly grabbed the microphone from a woman singing karaoke and, later, lunged at a man playing darts and refused to calm down despite pleas from the bar owner. Police Assistant Chief Kenneth Quiocho told the Associated Press that Ezra has been the source of police calls in Hilo 10 times since March 7, although most the incidents have been minor. Then, on March 29, news came that Ezra was staying with a couple in a hostel. That couple filed a petition for a temporary restraining order, claiming the actor broke into their bedroom, threatened them and stole some of their belongings, including a passport and wallet.

R.I.P.

The Wanted singer Tom Parker died on March 30 at 33 after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm Tom passed away peacefully earlier today with all of his family by his side,” Tom’s wife, Kelsey Hardwick, announced. “Our hearts are broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence.” Tom was diagnosed with inoperable stage four glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer, in October 2020. Kelsey said Tom “fought until the very end.”