Fame Under Fire

Hollywood film-maker Tyler Perry is facing a second sexual assault lawsuit by an actor employed on one of his productions. Actor Mario Rodriquez claims Perry carried out a series of unwanted sexual advances, some of which happened in Perry’s Los Angeles home. The claims follow an existing sexual assault claim by another actor called Derek Dixon. He was also employed by Perry and is suing for $260...

Liam Neeson appears as the narrator of a controversial film promoted as an investigation into pharmaceutical wrongdoing and Covid-era decision-making. The narration includes claims about Covid lockdowns and vaccines described as “dangerous experiments”, raising the question of what it means when a beloved movie star becomes associated, even indirectly, with polarising health narratives. Host Amber...

A very public and very personal fallout places the Beckham family under renewed attention after Brooklyn Peltz Beckham publishes a series of Instagram statements to his millions of followers. He alleges that family relationships have been shaped by what he calls Brand Beckham, including claims about public promotion, social media expectations and long-standing tensions surrounding his marriage to...

Will Smith is accused of predatory behaviour by a violinist, Brian King Joseph, who played on Smith's 2024/25 tour to promote his latest album, "Based on a True Story." Smith's lawyers say the allegations are "false, baseless and reckless." King says that he and Smith had become close friends with the star once confiding in him that: "You and I have such a special connection that I don't have with...

A writer convicted of cyber-bullying the French president’s wife has told the Fame under Fire podcast he doesn’t regret it. Bertrand Scholler posted an edited photo of Brigitte Macron in a swimming costume. Her head had been cut out and a man’s torso edited in. He was one of 10 defendants in France accused of spreading false claims about Mrs Macron’s gender and sexuality as well as making “malicio...

Anoushka and the Fame Under Fire team would like to wish you a happy new year. We're back next week, but in the meantime, you can go back and catch up on some of the most recent episodes! Got questions? Send us a Whatsapp message on 0330 678 111 4. Subscribe to Fame Under Fire on BBC Sounds and turn on push notifications so you never miss an episode. We’ll let you know as soon as new episodes are...

The Macrons' lawyer has told the BBC that claims the French president and his wife ordered the assassination of Candace Owens are "deranged". The right-wing influencer first made the allegations in a tweet on 22 November which has now been viewed more than 44 million times. In the message labelled URGENT, Owens wrote that she was contacted by what she described as “a high-ranking employee of the F...

Two major developments in the epic legal saga between former co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Lively has responded to Baldoni’s attempt to block the case from going to trial, arguing that a jury should decide. And Baldoni’s sworn deposition has been released. We hear how he responds to her allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation - claims he denies. Host Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty...

The lawyers for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs have called the Netflix four-part series into his life “a shameful hit piece” that relied on “stolen footage”. Produced by Combs’ longtime rival 50 Cent, the documentary includes never-before-seen clips from the days leading up to his arrest, alongside interviews with individuals alleging abuse - claims Combs denies. In July, he was convicted on two charges of tr...

Justin Baldoni has asked the judge to throw out Blake Lively’s lawsuit against him. The former co-stars have been locked in a bitter feud since she sued him last December, accusing him of sexual harassment and waging a smear campaign against her. Claims he has denied. The latest development is that Baldoni’s legal team is asking the judge to grant a summary judgment, which would dismiss the case....

Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner are suing R&B singer Ray J for defamation over “racketeering” claims, which they have called blatantly false. Ray J’s called their lawsuit a “public relations charade” and is now countersuing them for breach of contract. He alleges they broke an agreement not to talk publicly anymore about the sex tape he made with Kim when they dated in 2003. The Kardashians’ la...

Why bring the case in Florida? Why $1bn, and how could the BBC defend itself from a defamation lawsuit? Host Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty and resident trial attorney Shaun Kent analyse US President Donald Trump’s threat of legal action against the BBC. Trump told Fox News he had an "obligation" to sue the BBC over the way a section of his speech was edited in a Panorama documentary. "They actually c...

Hollywood A-lister Rebel Wilson is embroiled in an explosive legal saga with the producers and lead actress of her directorial debut, The Deb. It involves multiple lawsuits in Australia and the US and includes claims of defamation, sabotage and false imprisonment - as well as allegations of sexual misconduct and embezzlement. Host Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty and resident trial attorney Shaun Kent a...

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been told what conditions he must comply with when he is eventually released from jail. The rap mogul was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and acquitted on two other charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. As well as serving a 50-month jail term, he also faces strict conditions on his release. He is appealing the conviction. Host Anous...

Reality TV star Molly-Mae Hague has been getting some flak online for how much she shares about her two-year-old daughter. Clips from the Amazon Prime series, Behind It All, show toddler Bambi refusing to use the toilet, pooing in the bath and talking about biting her friends. Some viewers have said it makes them feel uncomfortable and that it is affecting Bambi’s privacy. The BBC asked Molly Mae...

Retired New York financier Howard Rubin has been charged with sex trafficking multiple women, including Playboy models. Prosecutors allege the women were sexually and physically assaulted in a Manhattan penthouse in a soundproofed room described as “The Dungeon”. Rubin’s former assistant Jennifer Powers is charged as a co-conspirator. They have both pleaded not guilty to all charges. Host Anoushka...

A singer who claims platinum-selling artist Jason Derulo sabotaged her career after she denied his sexual advances has refiled her lawsuit against him. Emaza Gibson first sued Derulo and Atlantic Records in October 2023 in Los Angeles but the original case was dismissed last year after a California judge determined her contracts contained clauses requiring any legal disputes to be heard in New Yor...

Sean "Diddy" Combs has been sentenced to more than four years in prison on prostitution charges. He was convicted of flying girlfriends and male sex workers across the US for sexual encounters which he called “freak offs”. He was cleared of the more serious counts of sex trafficking and racketeering. In addition to the prison time, Judge Arun Subramanian also imposed a $500,000 fine. He told Combs...

Cassie Ventura has said she is worried for her family’s safety ahead of Sean "Diddy" Combs sentencing this week. "I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up,” the R&B singer, who is Combs' ex-girlfriend, wrote in a victim impact statement to the judge. Combs was found guilty in July of transportation for prostitution of...

Candace Owens claims she is being “hounded” by the media to distract her from investigating the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The right-wing influencer was responding to Fame Under Fire’s exclusive story last week that Brigitte Macron is planning to present “scientific evidence” in the Macrons’ lawsuit against Owens. The French president and his wife are suing the podcaster...

Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, are planning to present photographic and scientific evidence in their US lawsuit to prove Mrs Macron is a woman. The French president and Mrs Macron will present the documentation in a defamation suit they have taken against the right-wing influencer Candace Owens after she promoted a theory that Brigitte Macron was born male. Ms Owens’ lawyers have responde...

Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty examines the $50m lawsuit which calls Priscilla Presley “a pit viper willing to prey on her own family”. The case, brought by Priscilla’s former business partners Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko against the 80-year-old star, includes accusations of fraud in the inducement, breach of contract, misappropriation of name and likeness, and intentional interference with contra...

How could Taylor Swift protect her assets - and her cats? Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty and resident attorney Shaun Kent consider what prenup between the billionaire superstar and her millionaire fiance, Travis Kelce, might look like. Plus, celebrity wedding planner Sarah Haywood explains how NDAs and no-fly zones could keep their big day a private affair. Got questions? Send us a Whatsapp message on...

Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty and resident attorney Shaun Kent unpack the months-long legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Lively is suing Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and others involved in the production of the movie It Ends With Us. Her allegations include sexual harassment, retaliation, and defamation. All the claims are denied. Lawyer Bryan Freedman, who is representing all the de...

What’s a guardianship? As media personality Wendy Williams fights hers, we ask criminal defence attorney Shaun Kent how guardianships, also known as conservatorships, like those faced by Williams and Britney Spears work. Plus, when does a rap battle turn into a legal fight? The latest on the Drake lawsuit about Kendrick Lamar song ‘Not Like Us’. It was filed against Universal Music Group who said...