Latest
Amanda Peet says parents compared her acting dreams to being a ‘hooker’
Amanda Peet’s parents weren’t impressed when she first told them she wanted to be an actor.
“I feel like they saw acting in the beginning similar to just ‘Oh, so you want to start modeling or you want to be a hooker,’” she told Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett on the “Smartless” podcast on Monday.
Her parents were “as far from the entertainment business as you could possibly be,” Peet added, explaining that her father was a corporate lawyer and her mom was a social worker and psychotherapist.
Peet said that she also had terrible stage fright surrounding anything “high brow,” but when she’d audition for anything “low brow,” like a chapstick commercial or a soap opera, she could “kill it.”
‘BAYWATCH’ STAR NICOLE EGGERT UNDERGOES MAJOR CANCER SURGERY AFTER ALARMING TEST RESULTS
“And so then I was undoing what I wanted to portray to my parents,” she admitted. “I’d be like ‘I’m on a Skittles commercial,’ and they’d be like ‘I rest my case.’”
Her parents did relent somewhat, she said, with her mom helping her find an acting class when she turned 13.
Peet said she did all the school plays at her tiny high school and was one of the best singers there, “which is saying nothing.”
HEATHER GRAHAM SAYS HER ‘CONTROLLING,’ ‘REALLY RELIGIOUS’ FATHER TRIED TO KEEP HER OUT OF HOLLYWOOD
“And then as soon as I got to college, I started — I sort of walked in confidently to all these auditions, and I never got a single play. I auditioned for 20 plays. It was as if they had already decided, they already had their own clique.”
She called herself a “self-hating actor.”
“I couldn’t quite admit that I wanted to do this as more than a hobby,” she said.
SHARON STONE BLASTS HOLLYWOOD’S NUDITY DOUBLE STANDARD IN FIERY INSTAGRAM VIDEO
Once she got into an adult acting class with actor and teacher Uta Hagen, Peet said she finally was able to get an agent.
And amid the excitement of finally getting representation, Peet said the rep walked her over to a corner of the room and told her she had a mustache.
“She was saying ‘Congratulations, we want to rep you,’ she started giving me the lay of the land. And then was like, ‘And we just wanted to know, so for your, you have a little bit of, you’ve got a mustache, a little bit here. We’re just wondering if…what can we do about that?’ ‘And boy, was she right.’”
Peet told the co-hosts that she tried to get rid of the hair above her upper lip by any means necessary, including bleaching, waxing and hair removal cream.
“You f—ing name it, I did it,” she admitted.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Peet got her breakthrough role in “The Whole Nine Yards in her late 20s, and went on to star in movies like “Something’s Gotta Give,” “Saving Silverman,” “Identity,” “Identity Thief,” and she currently stars in the Apple TV+ show “Your Friends & Neighbors.”
She said she has also found a lot of joy in working behind the camera.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“Once I started writing a little bit, when I was shooting ‘The Chair,’ which, you know, when I was behind the camera and all the ladies like Sandra Oh had to get there earlier and I could roll in in my snowpants with my mustache and my hair and but still be the boss, I was like ‘This is f—ing great. What have I been doing this whole time?’” she said on the Netflix show she co-created about the chair of a college English department. “And it’s really fun to have last cut, final cut.”
The 54-year-old actress also discussed her breast cancer diagnosis that she received last fall while her parents were in hospice care. Her father Charles died in late 2025 and her mother Penny died in January 2026.
“And I was very lucky. I’m clear, I did radiation,” she explained, adding that her op-ed in the New Yorker last month was the first time she went public about her condition because she and her husband hadn’t told their children right away as they waited to find out how serious it was.
“We didn’t want to tell the kids for a while until we knew whether I was going to do chemo and what the course of treatment was going to be, so I wanted to keep it a secret because I wasn’t even telling my children,” she added.
Latest
Former UCLA gynecologist sentenced after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting patients at school
A former doctor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), was sentenced to 11 years in prison Tuesday, after he was accused of sexually assaulting his patients as an obstetrician-gynecologist at the school.
James Heaps, 69, pleaded guilty to 13 counts, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release, including six felony counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person, five felony counts of sexual battery by fraud, and two felony counts of sexual exploitation of a patient.
Throughout his 35-year career at UCLA, the university spent nearly $700 million to settle civil claims made against him.
He will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.
APPEALS COURT OVERTURNS CONVICTION OF UCLA GYNECOLOGIST OVER ISSUE AT TRIAL
Heaps’s plea comes after an appeals court in California determined he was denied a fair trial in 2023 due to concerns that one juror did not speak enough English to adequately carry out their responsibilities.
At the time, his attorney, Leonard Levine, told The Associated Press that, “justice is slow, but it’s finally been done.”
“I believe it’s just a matter of time before he is totally exonerated,” he added.
Levine did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Prosecutors, however, framed the outcome differently.
“Today marks the second time that we’re holding James Heaps responsible for the unconscionable crimes he committed while being entrusted with the safety of his patients,” Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said, according to the release.
“For years, Heaps exploited the sacred trust between a doctor and patient to prey on vulnerable victims during medical procedures. This sentence ensures that Heaps will finally be held accountable for the harm he inflicted under the guise of care. To the survivors: I hope today brings you closure knowing that the individual who violated your trust has been definitively brought to justice. To all survivors, please know that we believe you and we will fight for you.”
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
In 2023, the doctor’s former patients claimed he groped them, made suggestive comments, or conducted unnecessarily invasive exams at the college’s student health center, the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, or in his campus office.
The women who filed lawsuits against Heaps claimed the school ignored their comments and allowed the abuse to continue.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Normand-Diamond contributed to this report.
Latest
Colorado highway descends into chaos after massive 75-vehicle pileup, amid hazardous winter weather
At least 75 vehicles were ensnared in a massive, chain-reaction pileup on a Colorado highway Tuesday, authorities said.
The crashes unfolded in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver, specifically near Loveland Ski Area, and followed a chaotic morning that saw six separate wrecks, mostly along the same highway, according to the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials said the latest crash forced a two-way lane shutdown on Interstate 70, as photos released by the authorities showed emergency crews assisting drivers at the scene.
“The closure is due to a severe multi-vehicle crash on the east side of Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel that took place this afternoon,” the Colorado Department of Transportation (CODOT) said. “There is currently no estimated time for reopening.”
DRIVER HOPS CURB, STRIKES 9 STUDENTS DURING AFTER SCHOOL PICKUP IN IOWA
According to the photos, the crashes appeared to have occurred on a snow-blanketed roadway, as winter weather may have created hazardous driving conditions in the mountain corridor.
The area near Loveland Ski Area has also long been known as a major bottleneck on I-70, particularly as ski traffic converges with Denver-area commuters during the spring season.
Officials have not yet reported any injuries.
Earlier in the day, officials reported six crashes during the morning hours, with some involving single vehicles and others multi-vehicle collisions. Five of the crashes occurred on I-70 westbound near mile marker 221, with another reported on U.S. Highway 40.
The sheriff’s office indicated that all of those earlier incidents had been cleared before the major 75-vehicle pileup unfolded nearby on I-70 eastbound near mile marker 216.
An hour later, the authorities shut down both lanes of the highway.
“Due to the severity of the crash, drivers approaching the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel should expect to be turned around for the next several hours,” CODOT said.
“Bottom line, we need folks to slow down, increase following distance, and make it to their destination safely,” the sheriff’s office said.
Colorado State Patrol is leading the crash investigation.
Utah reality star Taylor Frankie Paul will not face new domestic violence charges, according to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office.
According to People, prosecutors claimed on Tuesday that they will not be pressing additional charges against Paul. In February, two Utah police departments opened separate domestic violence investigations involving Paul and her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.
Per the outlet, the press release stated that the incident happened more than two years ago, placing them outside the statute of limitations.
Mortensen had also reported to police that Paul had scratched him during an explosive fight in February, while Paul claimed she was not the aggressor during that incident. The District Attorney’s office noted that any additional domestic violence claims lacked “sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges.”
Paul previously pleaded guilty to assaulting Mortensen in 2023, which meant any new charges would have violated her parole.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Paul and Mortensen for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
On March 25, authorities in West Jordan, Utah, told Fox News Digital that they were investigating allegations of domestic violence against Paul stemming from an incident in 2024, brought by her ex-boyfriend.
“The West Jordan Police Department is currently investigating an incident involving Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen. The allegations were reported at the end of February 2026, and detectives have reviewed video believed to have been recorded in early to mid-2024,” authorities confirmed.
Police were reviewing multiple videos tied to the alleged altercation to determine details and timelines.
“Investigators are actively working to gather and verify information and are in the process of interviewing those involved. At this time, no charges have been filed, as the investigation remains ongoing.”
Police in Draper, Utah, confirmed with Fox News Digital that a separate domestic violence investigation involving both Paul and Mortensen had been opened, with allegations on both sides having been reported on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Due to the domestic violence incident resurfacing, Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” was canceled.
A spokesperson for Paul previously told Fox News Digital, following the cancellation of her season of “The Bachelorette,” “Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security. After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.”
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives,” the spokesperson continued. “Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation, and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story.”
The first domestic violence incident resulted in charges against Paul, who pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in August 2023. Video of the incident was shared earlier this month by TMZ, and soon after, ABC announced that it would not be airing Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette.”
Production on Season 5 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” has also reportedly been halted following the resurfaced incident.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.
SETON MOTLEY: It Appears We Dodged A Fake Energy-Carbon Market Bullet In Trump’s FERC
Democratic Strategist Doug Schoen Says GOP Might Have An Edge In California Governor’s Race
‘Bachelorette’ star Taylor Frankie Paul won’t face new domestic violence charges
All Hell Breaks Loose On Fox When Jesse Watters Asks Fetterman One Question
Melania Gets Huge Surprise 24 Hours After Making Epstein Announcement
Pentagon targets Iran-linked militias in Iraq as Hegseth vows ‘we will finish this’ for fallen US troops
-
News5 days agoAll Hell Breaks Loose On Fox When Jesse Watters Asks Fetterman One Question
-
Latest5 days agoMelania Gets Huge Surprise 24 Hours After Making Epstein Announcement
-
Politics4 weeks agoPentagon targets Iran-linked militias in Iraq as Hegseth vows ‘we will finish this’ for fallen US troops -
News4 weeks agoInside Joe Kent’s abrupt fall as GOP backlash grows over antisemitism accusations, FBI probe
-
News3 weeks agoTop Democrat Arrested By Capitol Police – Dragged Out In Handcuffs
-
Latest12 hours agoVance Leaves Meeting, Looks Straight Into Camera, Announces Stunning Arrest
-
Entertainment9 years ago9 Celebrities who have spoken out about being photoshopped
-
News5 days agoTucker Carlson Makes Trump Immediately Regret Publicly Attacking Him