00:00:03
Speaker 1: Thank you.
00:00:21
Speaker 2: Hey, I do part two. It's Bachelor Nation alum Joan Bassos and Kathy Swartz. We are back to bring you the latest headlines in chapter two. We've got a little bit of everything today from honoring a past partner to true crime and some celebrity dating news, of course. So, Kathy, I am excited about this episode. There's some really interesting stuff in here. Let's get right to it. What do you think?
00:00:44
Speaker 1: I think we should. We got all kinds of divorce stories and then some. So get to it. Let's go.
00:00:50
Speaker 2: Okay. Well, I love doing this story because I was actually with Whitney Rose recently. So Whitney Rose is officially ending her marriage to the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star filed for divorce from her husband, Justin Rose in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, October 6th. Just happened after nearly 17 years of marriage. People confirms. They tied the knot in 2009. Whitney, 40, also filed a parenting plan for her two kids, son Brooks, 13, and daughter Bobby, 16. Page Six was the first to report the news. A rep for Whitney did not immediately respond to people's requests for comment. So I'm thinking, gosh, I remember when the story started and their kids were little, little, little. So they're growing up. The divorce filing comes three months after a source close to the couple told people that the pair were living separately. They have been living separate lives for a while now and rarely see each other, the source said in July. There wasn't one dramatic moment. It was a gradual breakdown after years of trying to make things work, said the source. One contributing factor was financial strain. And like, I feel like I need to talk about this, the insider said, which took a major toll on them. Their financial struggles were documented in recent seasons of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, and their recent relationship troubles are currently playing out on season seven of the Bravo reality show. The source also said that at the time that the couple's priority was their kids. They're trying to handle this with as much respect as possible. Their children remain their biggest priority, and they're committed to keeping things as peaceful as they can. Along with Brooks and Bobby, Whitney was stepmom to Justin's three sons from a previous marriage, Austin, Trey, and Christopher. You know, it's funny that... They're talking about those three kids because Whitney and I talked a lot about her being a stepmom to kids who are in their 30s and she's only 40. Right. Like what a weird dynamic kind of in that household with those kids, you know?
00:02:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I agree. I think one of the stranger things is that they're saying they want to keep things great for the kids, their priorities, the kids. And yet they say they haven't seen each other in a very long time. So how is that normal for kids when you don't see each other? Even what, on the changeover, they throw the kids to the curb? I mean, you know, I don't know.
00:03:08
Speaker 2: I feel like that's really weird. And the kids are certainly going to notice. I mean, they're teenagers. Their parents aren't together. So as normal as that can be, I don't think it's that normal. But, you know, I do remember even in college. Earlier episodes of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, maybe from a couple years back, there was a whole chunk of episodes that.
00:03:28
Speaker 1: Talked about.
00:03:32
Speaker 2: Her starting a business called Wild Rose.
00:03:36
Speaker 1: Right.
00:03:36
Speaker 2: And he was funding it. I remember that he had the idea to make this an MLM. And she... was not really great about that, but she followed him into this. And that is eventually, I think, what took the business down.
00:03:51
Speaker 1: Well, first of all, should people go into business together? That's the first issue because now we have a situation where the business has failed, the marriage has failed. My husband and I had an LLC, Limited Liability Corporation. But the difference was we each had our own businesses under the umbrella of that. I cannot imagine... what it would be like to have a business, in this case, it failed. But can you imagine sharing a business and then you get divorced and you're trying to put the kids first? I mean, it sounds like a nightmare to me.
00:04:25
Speaker 2: I also think it's a hard business to be in. There are so many makeup brands out there now. I mean, you probably get as many packages in the mail on your doorstep. I mean, weekly with a different face cream and a different mascara. And I think it's a hard business to be in. And she was also like, the kids were little when she was starting this. I remember when this show first started, her kids were little, teeny, like, you know, like in little ballet tutus and just little ones. So.
00:04:50
Speaker 1: I think, I do think that, I mean, they say financial strain is one of the biggest things that breaks up marriages. I've read that many times. So You know, that's that's unfortunate, but still wishing them best and all the kids. You know, I hope it comes out OK for the kids because they didn't ask for this. OK, let's move on. Our next story is Kyle Cook gives his latest divorce update and it might shock some Summer House fans. Nine months after the Summer House star and his wife of four years, Amanda Batula, announced their breakup. Kyle addressed the real reason he and his ex still haven't officially filed for divorce. He said, it's been a little slow going. She was busy and I was busy, the DJ told E! News in an exclusive interview during Page Six's Virtual Reality Tea Awards 2026 at New York City's Edison Ballroom on September 6th. Quote, we're still working on the details of that. And even though Amanda, 35, moved on some time ago with their former co-star, Wes Wilson, Kyle isn't rushing to become legally single again. And he says, it's never fun to have those formal talks. And maybe there's the side of us that put it off a little bit, the 44-year-old confessed. But yeah, we will eventually make it formal and sign on the dotted line. I don't know about you, Joan, but I find that a little strange. Are you in or are you out? And if you're out, why aren't you out?
00:06:19
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:06:21
Speaker 1: I just find that a little strange. What do you think?
00:06:24
Speaker 2: I totally agree with you, especially since they're, you know, they're living in a very public way. I mean, they're on summer house.
00:06:29
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:06:29
Speaker 2: So yeah, everybody knows it's happening and that they just like, it just sounds like he's saying, Oh, we got a little lazy. We don't really, we just never got around to it. I mean, that's kind of like, come on, being, being adult.
00:06:39
Speaker 1: Or Joe, it's giving prenup vibes and there's going to be a big argument about money and let's, you know, let's.
00:06:44
Speaker 2: There was pre like, so a lack of prenup, maybe, um, I agree with you that they don't, he said like, that's a hard conversation to have. So I totally agree with that, but come on, let's, Let's be adults.
00:06:55
Speaker 1: Okay, so he went on to say, the logistics aside, Kyle entered this year's Hamptons share house feeling totally single and ready to mingle while filming season 11. He said, I carried a lot of stress these last many years. The bra-velebrity reflected to E. It truly felt like a weight had been lifted and I could let my hair down. Well, I don't have a mullet anymore, but I could just be myself again. and not have to apologize for everything. I had a lot of fun, the lover boy founder added. I feel like we returned to the roots of the show to some extent. Everybody entered single, which is a first. So it's no shocker that Kyle fully embraced his hot boy summer these past few months. Everybody keeps telling me this is exactly what I should be doing, he said. I feel so fortunate to be traveling and filming and everything in between. As for his co-stars, Lindsay Hubbard echoed Kyle's sentiments about the upcoming fun-filled season. She said it makes for a great TV show when there's lots of singles in the house every weekend. Lindsay did tell me before cheekily adding of her longtime BFF. Kyle is a great wingman. I mean, OK.
00:08:05
Speaker 2: So I was at that award ceremony and he got the award for there was like like new hottest guy. And they showed a lot of pictures of him shirtless. I think he's like in his Playboy era and he's embracing it. And like he I think he thinks everybody knows he's single. And so like actually filing for the divorce is not like a big deal because it's kind of well known.
00:08:26
Speaker 1: OK, well, I I'm going to argue that it is a big deal. for the next woman he finds. But either way, if you're single, you're single. And if you're not, you're not. And you can be in your hot boy summer era, but at some point you got to sign on the dotted line. And I guess, you know, you don't hear her saying anything either, by the way, that she's desperate. So I'm going to say it all boils down to money and why, why, Push into it until somebody has a reason to want to get out.
00:08:57
Speaker 2: I think that you and I know people that have not filed for divorce because it just wasn't convenient or there was a money issue and they just didn't want to address it. And they didn't really need to do it until something major happened.
00:09:12
Speaker 1: In their life. Yeah, that's what I just said. So something major is going to happen. And, you know, unfortunately, it's all going to play out in the news. So we're going to keep tabs on it. And we'll see when they actually do file for divorce.
00:09:23
Speaker 2: When this happens. Yeah, maybe they're saving it to, like, maybe some good filming.
00:09:28
Speaker 1: Or maybe they're hiding money in the Bahamas. Who knows?
00:09:31
Speaker 2: Well, I think maybe they're saving it for TV. That's my new thought on this.
00:09:34
Speaker 1: All right.
00:09:35
Speaker 2: That makes good TV. Okay, let's move on because this is a really sweet thing. And I really love reading this. Terry Irwin is paying tribute to her late husband, Steve Irwin, 35 years after they met. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, October 6th, Terry, 62, shared a throwback photo of the two looking at a snake. It was 35 years ago today that I met the most incredible man at a tiny roadside wildlife park in Queensland, Australia. She began in the caption, this chance meeting would change my life forever. I always felt that Steve and I were more than soulmates, she continued. Our life's purpose was even bigger. I am truly blessed to live a life so full of love, family, and adventure. Steve and Terry met when she visited the wildlife park his parents founded, then known as Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, according to the Australia Zoo. Steve took over managing the park on October 4th, 1991, and he met Terry two days later on October 6th. Sounds like fate to me, right?
00:10:47
Speaker 1: Right.
00:10:48
Speaker 2: He and Terry married in 1992 and welcomed daughter Bindi Irwin, who we all know from Dancing with the Stars and also on TV. in 1998 and son Robert Irwin in 2003. Steve died on September 4th, 2006. I think we all remember this day at the age of 44 when he was stung by a stingray in an unprovoked attack while filming a documentary off the coast of Australia. I have to ask you, Kathy, because I don't remember the day I met my late husband and I feel really bad about that. I've actually met him a couple times throughout our history of dating. Do you remember the.
00:11:20
Speaker 1: Day that you're- I remember- Exactly. It was the first week of September. I was a freshman in college. He was a senior. We were at a fraternity party, and he was the president of the fraternity, and I was just in awe of all these good-looking guys. I remember I was a freshman in college, and I looked at him across the room, and I said to my roommate who came to the party with me, I said, you see that guy over there? She said, yeah. I said, I'm going to marry him. And I did, 18 months later.
00:11:54
Speaker 2: That's crazy. I know that you guys got married really quickly. I remember you telling me that story. I love that, like the kind of the family. First of all, I do want to say I'm wondering why after 35 years, years they decided to do this. It seems like, did they do this throughout the history? Did she do it at 10 years? And did you do it at 20 years?
00:12:13
Speaker 1: I'll tell you, it's tough, Joan.
00:12:14
Speaker 2: At 35 years, it seems a little weird or a little unusual. I don't know. I should never say it's weird because whatever hit her, hit her. Have you commemorated things like wedding anniversary or birthdays or passing days or Like of, you know, your late husband or have you like stuck to a schedule? I mean, or does it just hit you sometimes when you talk about it online? How have you handled this?
00:12:39
Speaker 1: Well, my kids are three grown children. They don't really like. celebrating the day he died, as you and everyone else at this point, my husband died by suicide. So no one wants to celebrate that day. We try to do something for his birthday. I'll be honest, though, it's his birthday. The kids don't even remember when our anniversary is. That's sort of my day to remember. Birthdays, Christmas, holidays, they're tough. We remember him. We talk about him. I try to do something special. even if it's just me doing something special, playing a song that we like. But I usually always, always send a text, not usually, I do, send a text to my kids on his birthday and say, it's been this many years that he's been gone. And I know you joined with me and wish he were back with us. So I think for some people, Joan, it's harder to face those holidays and Um, but I do honor, I do. Do you, do you honor? Yeah, I do.
00:13:42
Speaker 2: I do. Um, I always go and visit him at the cemetery on our anniversary. I still talk to him. I know it sounds weird, but I'll be at the cemetery. If no one's around, I'll have a little conversation with him. If there are other people around, I won't. Um, we, we, we go on his birthday, um, his birthday and Thanksgiving are all right, right around the same time. So, um, we'll go kind of visit him. We'll bring him flowers. We'll sing happy birthday. My kids and I will go. So we do honor things. I've done a couple. I mean, this was, you know, very public the way she's honoring him. She did it on Instagram. I have done that a little bit in the past. I struggle a little bit talking about John because I still feel very sad about it. And like you do. So I remember the one time I did something that made me really happy. And I said, you know, so many people share stories with me when I see them out about John. And I love hearing those stories because The thing that I don't want ever to happen is to people forget about him, like for him to just fade from this life. And so I love it when people tell me stories. And so I said, hey, if you have any stories, just share them here on Instagram. I got so many stories and it was a lot of my kids' friends who remember Mr. Vassos when he took us to the pool and, you know, such and such happened or when he drove us to school that day and he didn't have shoes on and you forgot, like someone forgot their lunchbox. They had to walk in the school without shoes on and like just funny stories about him that I loved. So I see why maybe she's doing this. And I think maybe this spurred on a little bit of And maybe that's what she wanted because Bindi then commemorated the anniversary by sharing a picture of her parents on her Instagram, writing, 35 years ago today, my parents met. They began the most beautiful love story together, which continues to transcend life and loss. Terry commented on the post, so blessed to have a chance meeting, begin a lifetime of love every day. I'm thankful for the family we grew together, you and Robert light up my world. And certainly we've seen them interact because both Bindi and Robert have been on Dancing with the Stars together and the mom always comes. And so you can see their strong bond. But I find this really interesting that in January 2018 interview with People, Terry shared that she hadn't been on a date since Steve's death and that was okay. I think it's wonderful when people who have lost someone find love again, but I'm not personally looking and I haven't been on a date in 27 years, she said then. In fact, it's been so long, I've had a couple of lovely women ask me out because they figured that's the case. Continue, Terry. But I'm content. I have two beautiful kids, a really full plate. I've already had my happily ever after. What do you think, Kathy, about her never dating again?
00:16:20
Speaker 1: You know, I think... Everyone does what works for them. I often say, my husband's been gone seven years, and I do date, but I never will replace. Just as you said the same thing, Joan, we're never going to replace our husbands, and we're not trying to replace them. I would like to find companionship, but I think everyone does what works for them. I have three great kids. I have five grandchildren, so I'm extremely busy too. At the same time, I like the idea of having someone to go to dinner with, maybe travel with, have adult conversation with that's not my children. I just wanted to add one other thing. My kids, interestingly, always acknowledge their dad's birthday on Christmas. Instagram or Facebook. I never do. And that's so funny because I'm out in the public and I have a podcast and all that, but I don't know. I can't do that. Yet my kids always put a picture up of them with their dad. Isn't that interesting that they always acknowledge it, but I can't do it.
00:17:26
Speaker 2: Yeah. I have a hard time doing it too. Like I told you, I did it that one time, but I, I've done it a few times, but not often, but that one did bring me a lot of joy. So I'm so happy I did that one.
00:17:35
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:17:36
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:17:37
Speaker 1: Okay, well, we're going to move along to Ben Affleck. And he says that Jennifer Garner was very wise to turn down playing his wife. in a new movie. Ben Affleck, he gets why his ex-wife Jennifer Garner wasn't keen on playing this role in his new thriller, Animals. During a recent visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 54-year-old actor and director explained that his longtime pal, Matt Damon, was originally supposed to play the lead role in the film and that Garner would play his wife, However, when Damon bowed out to star in The Odyssey, Affleck took over the role. And well, that's where Garner drew the line. She said at that point, obviously, Jen was like, yeah, great. But no, I'm not going to play your wife in a movie. No, thanks. Exactly. And of course, Jimmy Kimmel left. He said, probably the best that lesson's been learned. She's very wise in many ways. And I thought that was interesting because I don't know if you're aware of this, but Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, who are also married, they did a movie together called Kiss of the Spider Woman. And Jennifer Lopez says she could barely manage to pull it off. And that it was his company. And so she was really trying to get through it. But so I think that's probably what what Jimmy Kimmel was alluding to. Like, yeah, not a good thing. So so so after that, you know, obviously I needed a new lead and Kerry Washington. took over the role in her stead, with Affleck describing the Scandal star as someone he's always wanted to work with. After taking over the role, Affleck explained that he spoke with Garner about the situation, and she was like, we don't want to do that. You just get baggage. That being said, the Oscar winner noted that he really would love to share the screen again with his ex one day. I don't know. I found that very strange.
00:19:35
Speaker 2: I think it's hilarious that he said, I get it why she didn't want to do it. He knows that he would have problems working with her and she knows that she would have problems working with him. It's really obvious. He acknowledged that she made the right decision. Like there was no conversation.
00:19:48
Speaker 1: It sounds right so I and again like I said he did work with Jennifer Lopez and that didn't work so well either so I think that's just him trying to get out of it gracefully at least I hope that's what it.
00:19:59
Speaker 2: Is yeah do they have kids together Yes.
00:20:01
Speaker 1: They do. I think they have two or three kids together and they're a little bit older now.
00:20:05
Speaker 2: So I think it's really smart, honestly, that if you think it's going to cause any turmoil that will then maybe eventually like affect the kids, you should just not do it. So they don't need the money. Neither one of them need the money. Neither one of them need to work with each other. They're not desperate. Right.
00:20:20
Speaker 1: I do like though how he ended it. He said, she's fabulous and we're really good friends and I'm profoundly grateful to her and we have a great thing. I still would want to work with them in the future, but what you don't want to do is take the audience's baggage and have it work against you, you know? I have no clue what that really means, the audience's baggage, unless it means... the audience reaction to working with the ex, commenting, and then again, that could reflect negatively on them and then maybe upset their kids. But I think Jennifer made the right decision, and I think that it all worked out at the best.
00:20:58
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, I think that, you know, everybody's so free now with being able to share their opinions about everything on so many different platforms that, you know... like thinking about what the audience might say about the two of them working together. If it goes poorly, they're going to say, oh, they had a bad relationship. They're divorced. Why were they working together? If it goes great, then the rumors may be, oh.
00:21:18
Speaker 1: Oh, they're getting back together. Oh, yeah, you can't win.
00:21:21
Speaker 2: They should not do it. And they didn't. And that was smart. I think it was a really good idea. Okay, I want to shift to something really interesting. Okay. I don't know. This is like probably us. I do part two, merging with true crime. And I'm really excited about this story because I remember watching it as it played out. So I'm going to go and give you kind of the headlines about it right now. So Gypsy Rose Blanchard, I hope you remember her, shares proof of bullying and harassment. Ken Urker... Okay, so Gypsy Rose Ransford is sharing examples of what she says isn't even a fraction of the online harassment her late husband, Ken Urker, endured prior to his, I'm sorry, not late husband, late partner, Ken Urker, endured prior to his death. Urquhart was found dead at his Louisiana home on his 31st birthday on October 1st. It's on his birthday. That's incredibly sad. The 35-year-old mother who shares daughter Aurora with Urquhart posted a list of alleged cases of bullying, the majority of which came from the same Reddit forum. The incidents Blanchard shared claimed that Reddit posts mocked Urquhart's appearance, sexuality, and questioned the status of his relationship with Blanchard numerous times. These screenshots show only a small portion of the evidence log documenting the cyberbullying, ridicule, allegations, and targeted harassment Ken faced across social media over the years. There is substantially more that has yet to be documented. Blanchard captioned the post, people need to understand that what sustained online harassment can look like when hundreds or thousands of individuals post comments, videos, and discussions accumulated against one human being. Blanchard urged the public to remember that on the other side of the screen was a real person, a father and a partner. She then shared an image of herself with Urker, writing, he was our world, before posting another image of their daughter and writing, she was his. Continuing her call for a new law in Urker's honor, Blanchard wrote, Kenan's law is about turning awareness into change. It is about recognizing the cumulative impact of cyberbullying and pushing for stronger protections and accountability online, and asked her followers to sign the petition for the proposed law. Blanchard told People, the reasoning behind her post is because there are people who participated in harassment who would rather sweep what happened online under the rug than acknowledge the real harm their words caused. an action can cause. I'm not going to let that happen. So I love this, that she is turning this horrible tragedy into potentially something good. I do wonder how successful this could be, because I do feel like we have laws and it's part of our constitution that we are allowed to talk. You know, we have freedom of speech.
00:24:24
Speaker 1: I wonder if Oh, but cyberbullying, Joan, has become a huge thing. And you can prosecute for that. So I give her great credit for, you know, she can't change. I don't know what happened to him. Is it a little odd that he died so young on his birthday at home?
00:24:42
Speaker 2: Well, let me tell you. Of course, there was a police investigation. And it says in a statement to people, Blanchard claimed that Urker wasn't in a good state of mind lately. He had been drinking a lot to cope. A spokesperson for the La Feroce, Paris Sheriff's Office told people that they had found no evidence of foul play so far in their investigation. As long as the investigation is ongoing, of course, we cannot rule it out. So obviously, you know, it's still an investigation, but they did find paraphernalia, specifically syringes and a spoon in the bathroom next to a brown powdery substance, according to the sheriff's report. So They did find some things. And he even had a handgun in his bed, his nightstand next to the bed. Sounds like maybe, I don't know, maybe he had that for safety or maybe he had that because he was contemplating something. So it's scary. And I know that hits home for you, Kathy. I'm sorry.
00:25:33
Speaker 1: That's okay. No, no, that's okay. I guess my question though is, and it's only conjecture, right? Is what was going on? Did he have a drug issue? Did he have marital issues? was cyberbullying getting to him. It seems like Gypsy Rose Blanchard is trying to draw a very strong connection between cyberbullying and his death. And I'm not a police officer and I'm not an investigator, but I do think there might be more in this story than just cyberbullying.
00:26:12
Speaker 2: I agree with you.
00:26:13
Speaker 1: As a cause of death.
00:26:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree with you. I'm also trying to figure out what the bullying was based on. So obviously he's kind of a public figure just because he married her and they have a child together.
00:26:23
Speaker 1: Right.
00:26:24
Speaker 2: Were people criticizing him? for being with her. You know, she's had such a crazy past and, you know, she, you know, went to jail.
00:26:33
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:26:34
Speaker 2: So she, I don't know if you remember the story. I remember following it really closely that she was born and her to this woman named Dee Dee Blanchard.
00:26:42
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:26:42
Speaker 2: And Gypsy Rose from a very young age had been suffering abuse from her mother at, by, and the abuse was called Munchausen's by proxy. So if you know what Munchausen's is, it's about So it's about people thinking or pretending that they have an illness. Well, D.G. Blanchard forced her daughter to pretend that she had leukemia, muscular dystrophy, and severe asthma. Gypsy was subjected to unneeded surgeries, feeding tubes, and wheelchair confinement. DG lied about Gypsy's age and made her appear sick to get charity, free chips, and public sympathy. So later on when Gypsy figured out that all these things, that she was not that sick, I mean, she even shaved her head to pretend that she had cancer so she'd get sympathy. They lost her house after a hurricane and people paid for her to have a new house built with a ramp. I mean, they really got a lot. Her mother was really very devious and used her child But later in life, as Gypsy got a little older, she met an online boyfriend named Nicholas Gojon and convinced him to travel to her home in Springfield, Missouri, which they planned a scheme to kill Dee Dee, the mother, which they did. And they planned it together, but he was the one that actually murdered the mother. I think he stabbed her like 17 times. It was pretty brutal and awful.
00:28:11
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:28:12
Speaker 2: And she pled guilty to second-degree murder and went to jail and spent time in jail. He is in jail currently for that murder. So, you know, she's been— I' m not sure if you call her a villain. I mean, she hired or she asked somebody, she convinced somebody to kill her mother. But, boy, she had been through an awful lot. It reminds me a little bit of the Menendez brothers who had, like, enjoyed it for many, many years. What do you think about that?
00:28:37
Speaker 1: Well, I think that, again, I think there's more to the story because— Blanchard and Urker were originally engaged, I don't know if you know this, in 2018 while she was in prison for the murder of her mother, as you said, Dee Dee Blanchard. But then she called things off with Urker and then they reconciled. She called things off before they reconciled again in 2019. They split again. They reconciled again after her divorce from Ryan Anderson. So I just think there is more than cyberbullying. Yes, Jip Thoreau's Blanchard story, I remember it well. They had a child together. But I think the investigation is going to show that There's more going on here than cyberbullying or more was going on. And I think it's very sad. And I do think it's very curious that he died on his birthday.
00:29:28
Speaker 2: But even, yeah, it sounds like, you know, birthdays are milestones for people. 34, I'm not sure if that would have been a huge milestone for me, but 35 maybe. But, you know, they are milestones and it makes you maybe think about your life a little bit. And if you, I mean, she said it wasn't just hundreds, it was thousands of messages from people. And I know you and I, we, you know, we're kind of out in the public a little bit and, you know, we recognize that you open yourself up to that by living a public life. I'm not sure, like he... sought out a woman who was living a public life. And I don't think you ever plan on people hating you or, you know, the vitriol you get from, you know, from anything you do, even the way you look. It talked about the way you looked and like they, you know, like talked about his sexuality. I mean, like people can attack you for anything. So it's really brutal out there.
00:30:18
Speaker 1: I mean, both you and I, Joan, have experienced cyberbullying.
00:30:20
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
00:30:21
Speaker 1: Yeah, all the time. And we're not looking to end our lives. So I think some, I know it has happened. I'll be interested to see where it all turns out. The only other thing I want to say about this story, do you realize how much has changed? God only knows what medications and stuff that mother was giving her daughter. Now, like I remember back in the day, if you had a drug addiction, you could get drugs. You just go to a different doctor, right? He'd write a script. And that's how people got so addicted. Now they have these national forums where you're signed. They can look and see where you've been. So, you know, probably this wouldn't have happened now. Yeah.
00:31:01
Speaker 2: I remember being so shocked how the system failed her so drastically that there were so many places that she went. They moved and like they just went from hospital to hospital and to doctor to doctor. Like how in the world do you convince a doctor that your daughter has leukemia? I don't know. And or whatever. But I don't think she convinced a doctor, but she shaved her head. She pretended to take her to the hospital. She stuck her in wheelchairs. It just was. It is.
00:31:25
Speaker 1: It's truly a Ripley's, believe it or not. But this is a, you know, a story that's ongoing, and we are going to have to keep following it to see where it all ends up. Yeah.
00:31:35
Speaker 2: I feel like Gypsy Rose, even though she's had a very, like, odd life, she's endured a lot. I mean, you've got to imagine. I mean, she's had, like, a bunch of shows they did, like, Life After Lockup for her and a couple other, like, reality shows, like, documenting her life. But she's, boy.
00:31:51
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:31:51
Speaker 2: She's been through a lot.
00:31:52
Speaker 1: All right. Well, we're going to keep on top of it. And now a little bit happier story. We're going to move on. Jessica Simpson was spotted in New Mexico with boyfriend Thomas Eisenhood following her split with Eric Johnson. They were having some quality time together. The musician couple was seen spending time at Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta Park on Sunday, October 4th. The photos were provided by TMZ. In the images, Simpson, 46, could be seen sporting a suede fringe jacket, which she accessorized with a pair of oval sunnies and several oversized rings. Eisenhut, who's 33, appeared in a red hoodie. According to the outlet, the pair were seen walking through the park and taking selfies with the hot air balloons in the background. Okay, before we move on to anything else, she's 46, he's 33. I just want to point that out.
00:32:48
Speaker 2: I don't think she's having a hard time finding a boyfriend or a date, right?
00:32:51
Speaker 1: I mean, listen, if you can get a guy 13 years younger and walk around in your suede fringe jacket, I'm all with you.
00:32:58
Speaker 2: Kind of a sexy musician, too.
00:32:59
Speaker 1: That's right.
00:33:01
Speaker 2: What I got to say, the other thing I want to say about that paragraph is I really need a suede fringe jacket now. I have this urge to go buy because I mean, like.
00:33:09
Speaker 1: That's what I just said. If you can get a red fringe suede jacket and find a guy that's 13 years younger, I'm off to Macy's myself.
00:33:17
Speaker 2: Maybe you and I need to go get suede fringe jackets.
00:33:20
Speaker 1: Let's do it, Joan. Okay, so bystanders told TMZ that another couple ended up taking photos of Simpson and Eisenhood, where the latter wrapped his arm around her and the former rested her head on his shoulder. According to the outlet, Simpson and the Nashville-based artist were seen laughing throughout the park and tried to avoid attention. In April, an exclusive source told people that Simpson was dating Eisenhood, a member of the Stoop Kids band, which broke up in 2023 per its Instagram bio. The source exclusively told people that the fashion mogul was happy. She's in a great place and excited for her future, the source added. The relationship began more than a year after Simpson and Eric Johnson, I don't know if you remember him, but he was an NFL player, and he's 47, announced their separation in January of 2025. The former couple were married for 10 years, and they shared three children, daughters Maxwell Drew, who's 14, Birdie Mae, who's 7, and son Ace Newt, who's 13.
00:34:25
Speaker 2: I wonder, you know, she has a documentary coming out about her next year. And I wonder if he's going to be a big part of that. Sounds like they're kind of ingrained. They're kind of exclusive.
00:34:38
Speaker 1: I mean, if it hasn't been filmed yet, I'm going to go with yes. Because who wouldn't want to be waltzing around with her 33-year-old boyfriend? I mean, she sounds happy. I say, go girl.
00:34:51
Speaker 2: I look at the ages of our kids, and I got to imagine that a 33-year-old, I mean, I know that they have a father, so he's not going to be a father figure to them. But I got to imagine him coming into a relationship with somebody who has two teenagers, a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old and a 7-year-old. That's got to be hard.
00:35:10
Speaker 1: Wait a minute, Joan. He could, I mean, physically, he could be the dad. He could be. He could be.
00:35:16
Speaker 2: But I think coming in, I mean, this sounds like this has been going on for about a year, coming into a relationship where the kids are already teenagers sounds hard. And he doesn't sound like he's, he's 33. He hasn't had a lot of life experiences, doesn't have his own kids. He, like, he's dealing with teenagers. Like, I can see that being a really trying thing and maybe something really interesting to watch in a documentary.
00:35:38
Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, the documentary, I hope, includes how you manage this public life with, you know, your good looking sweetheart and how you manage a new relationship with teenage kids.
00:35:50
Speaker 2: Hot ex-husband.
00:35:52
Speaker 1: And yeah. Hey, listen, maybe we should go after the 46 year old. He's probably already in another relationship too. They always are. Oh, Joan, this has been so much fun. Are you trying to put your life back together after divorce, but need some advice? We can help. Send us an email or leave us a voicemail. All the info is in the show notes. Follow us on socials. I do part two and I heart podcast where falling in love is the main objective.
Speaker 1: Thank you.
00:00:21
Speaker 2: Hey, I do part two. It's Bachelor Nation alum Joan Bassos and Kathy Swartz. We are back to bring you the latest headlines in chapter two. We've got a little bit of everything today from honoring a past partner to true crime and some celebrity dating news, of course. So, Kathy, I am excited about this episode. There's some really interesting stuff in here. Let's get right to it. What do you think?
00:00:44
Speaker 1: I think we should. We got all kinds of divorce stories and then some. So get to it. Let's go.
00:00:50
Speaker 2: Okay. Well, I love doing this story because I was actually with Whitney Rose recently. So Whitney Rose is officially ending her marriage to the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star filed for divorce from her husband, Justin Rose in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, October 6th. Just happened after nearly 17 years of marriage. People confirms. They tied the knot in 2009. Whitney, 40, also filed a parenting plan for her two kids, son Brooks, 13, and daughter Bobby, 16. Page Six was the first to report the news. A rep for Whitney did not immediately respond to people's requests for comment. So I'm thinking, gosh, I remember when the story started and their kids were little, little, little. So they're growing up. The divorce filing comes three months after a source close to the couple told people that the pair were living separately. They have been living separate lives for a while now and rarely see each other, the source said in July. There wasn't one dramatic moment. It was a gradual breakdown after years of trying to make things work, said the source. One contributing factor was financial strain. And like, I feel like I need to talk about this, the insider said, which took a major toll on them. Their financial struggles were documented in recent seasons of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, and their recent relationship troubles are currently playing out on season seven of the Bravo reality show. The source also said that at the time that the couple's priority was their kids. They're trying to handle this with as much respect as possible. Their children remain their biggest priority, and they're committed to keeping things as peaceful as they can. Along with Brooks and Bobby, Whitney was stepmom to Justin's three sons from a previous marriage, Austin, Trey, and Christopher. You know, it's funny that... They're talking about those three kids because Whitney and I talked a lot about her being a stepmom to kids who are in their 30s and she's only 40. Right. Like what a weird dynamic kind of in that household with those kids, you know?
00:02:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I agree. I think one of the stranger things is that they're saying they want to keep things great for the kids, their priorities, the kids. And yet they say they haven't seen each other in a very long time. So how is that normal for kids when you don't see each other? Even what, on the changeover, they throw the kids to the curb? I mean, you know, I don't know.
00:03:08
Speaker 2: I feel like that's really weird. And the kids are certainly going to notice. I mean, they're teenagers. Their parents aren't together. So as normal as that can be, I don't think it's that normal. But, you know, I do remember even in college. Earlier episodes of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, maybe from a couple years back, there was a whole chunk of episodes that.
00:03:28
Speaker 1: Talked about.
00:03:32
Speaker 2: Her starting a business called Wild Rose.
00:03:36
Speaker 1: Right.
00:03:36
Speaker 2: And he was funding it. I remember that he had the idea to make this an MLM. And she... was not really great about that, but she followed him into this. And that is eventually, I think, what took the business down.
00:03:51
Speaker 1: Well, first of all, should people go into business together? That's the first issue because now we have a situation where the business has failed, the marriage has failed. My husband and I had an LLC, Limited Liability Corporation. But the difference was we each had our own businesses under the umbrella of that. I cannot imagine... what it would be like to have a business, in this case, it failed. But can you imagine sharing a business and then you get divorced and you're trying to put the kids first? I mean, it sounds like a nightmare to me.
00:04:25
Speaker 2: I also think it's a hard business to be in. There are so many makeup brands out there now. I mean, you probably get as many packages in the mail on your doorstep. I mean, weekly with a different face cream and a different mascara. And I think it's a hard business to be in. And she was also like, the kids were little when she was starting this. I remember when this show first started, her kids were little, teeny, like, you know, like in little ballet tutus and just little ones. So.
00:04:50
Speaker 1: I think, I do think that, I mean, they say financial strain is one of the biggest things that breaks up marriages. I've read that many times. So You know, that's that's unfortunate, but still wishing them best and all the kids. You know, I hope it comes out OK for the kids because they didn't ask for this. OK, let's move on. Our next story is Kyle Cook gives his latest divorce update and it might shock some Summer House fans. Nine months after the Summer House star and his wife of four years, Amanda Batula, announced their breakup. Kyle addressed the real reason he and his ex still haven't officially filed for divorce. He said, it's been a little slow going. She was busy and I was busy, the DJ told E! News in an exclusive interview during Page Six's Virtual Reality Tea Awards 2026 at New York City's Edison Ballroom on September 6th. Quote, we're still working on the details of that. And even though Amanda, 35, moved on some time ago with their former co-star, Wes Wilson, Kyle isn't rushing to become legally single again. And he says, it's never fun to have those formal talks. And maybe there's the side of us that put it off a little bit, the 44-year-old confessed. But yeah, we will eventually make it formal and sign on the dotted line. I don't know about you, Joan, but I find that a little strange. Are you in or are you out? And if you're out, why aren't you out?
00:06:19
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:06:21
Speaker 1: I just find that a little strange. What do you think?
00:06:24
Speaker 2: I totally agree with you, especially since they're, you know, they're living in a very public way. I mean, they're on summer house.
00:06:29
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:06:29
Speaker 2: So yeah, everybody knows it's happening and that they just like, it just sounds like he's saying, Oh, we got a little lazy. We don't really, we just never got around to it. I mean, that's kind of like, come on, being, being adult.
00:06:39
Speaker 1: Or Joe, it's giving prenup vibes and there's going to be a big argument about money and let's, you know, let's.
00:06:44
Speaker 2: There was pre like, so a lack of prenup, maybe, um, I agree with you that they don't, he said like, that's a hard conversation to have. So I totally agree with that, but come on, let's, Let's be adults.
00:06:55
Speaker 1: Okay, so he went on to say, the logistics aside, Kyle entered this year's Hamptons share house feeling totally single and ready to mingle while filming season 11. He said, I carried a lot of stress these last many years. The bra-velebrity reflected to E. It truly felt like a weight had been lifted and I could let my hair down. Well, I don't have a mullet anymore, but I could just be myself again. and not have to apologize for everything. I had a lot of fun, the lover boy founder added. I feel like we returned to the roots of the show to some extent. Everybody entered single, which is a first. So it's no shocker that Kyle fully embraced his hot boy summer these past few months. Everybody keeps telling me this is exactly what I should be doing, he said. I feel so fortunate to be traveling and filming and everything in between. As for his co-stars, Lindsay Hubbard echoed Kyle's sentiments about the upcoming fun-filled season. She said it makes for a great TV show when there's lots of singles in the house every weekend. Lindsay did tell me before cheekily adding of her longtime BFF. Kyle is a great wingman. I mean, OK.
00:08:05
Speaker 2: So I was at that award ceremony and he got the award for there was like like new hottest guy. And they showed a lot of pictures of him shirtless. I think he's like in his Playboy era and he's embracing it. And like he I think he thinks everybody knows he's single. And so like actually filing for the divorce is not like a big deal because it's kind of well known.
00:08:26
Speaker 1: OK, well, I I'm going to argue that it is a big deal. for the next woman he finds. But either way, if you're single, you're single. And if you're not, you're not. And you can be in your hot boy summer era, but at some point you got to sign on the dotted line. And I guess, you know, you don't hear her saying anything either, by the way, that she's desperate. So I'm going to say it all boils down to money and why, why, Push into it until somebody has a reason to want to get out.
00:08:57
Speaker 2: I think that you and I know people that have not filed for divorce because it just wasn't convenient or there was a money issue and they just didn't want to address it. And they didn't really need to do it until something major happened.
00:09:12
Speaker 1: In their life. Yeah, that's what I just said. So something major is going to happen. And, you know, unfortunately, it's all going to play out in the news. So we're going to keep tabs on it. And we'll see when they actually do file for divorce.
00:09:23
Speaker 2: When this happens. Yeah, maybe they're saving it to, like, maybe some good filming.
00:09:28
Speaker 1: Or maybe they're hiding money in the Bahamas. Who knows?
00:09:31
Speaker 2: Well, I think maybe they're saving it for TV. That's my new thought on this.
00:09:34
Speaker 1: All right.
00:09:35
Speaker 2: That makes good TV. Okay, let's move on because this is a really sweet thing. And I really love reading this. Terry Irwin is paying tribute to her late husband, Steve Irwin, 35 years after they met. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, October 6th, Terry, 62, shared a throwback photo of the two looking at a snake. It was 35 years ago today that I met the most incredible man at a tiny roadside wildlife park in Queensland, Australia. She began in the caption, this chance meeting would change my life forever. I always felt that Steve and I were more than soulmates, she continued. Our life's purpose was even bigger. I am truly blessed to live a life so full of love, family, and adventure. Steve and Terry met when she visited the wildlife park his parents founded, then known as Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, according to the Australia Zoo. Steve took over managing the park on October 4th, 1991, and he met Terry two days later on October 6th. Sounds like fate to me, right?
00:10:47
Speaker 1: Right.
00:10:48
Speaker 2: He and Terry married in 1992 and welcomed daughter Bindi Irwin, who we all know from Dancing with the Stars and also on TV. in 1998 and son Robert Irwin in 2003. Steve died on September 4th, 2006. I think we all remember this day at the age of 44 when he was stung by a stingray in an unprovoked attack while filming a documentary off the coast of Australia. I have to ask you, Kathy, because I don't remember the day I met my late husband and I feel really bad about that. I've actually met him a couple times throughout our history of dating. Do you remember the.
00:11:20
Speaker 1: Day that you're- I remember- Exactly. It was the first week of September. I was a freshman in college. He was a senior. We were at a fraternity party, and he was the president of the fraternity, and I was just in awe of all these good-looking guys. I remember I was a freshman in college, and I looked at him across the room, and I said to my roommate who came to the party with me, I said, you see that guy over there? She said, yeah. I said, I'm going to marry him. And I did, 18 months later.
00:11:54
Speaker 2: That's crazy. I know that you guys got married really quickly. I remember you telling me that story. I love that, like the kind of the family. First of all, I do want to say I'm wondering why after 35 years, years they decided to do this. It seems like, did they do this throughout the history? Did she do it at 10 years? And did you do it at 20 years?
00:12:13
Speaker 1: I'll tell you, it's tough, Joan.
00:12:14
Speaker 2: At 35 years, it seems a little weird or a little unusual. I don't know. I should never say it's weird because whatever hit her, hit her. Have you commemorated things like wedding anniversary or birthdays or passing days or Like of, you know, your late husband or have you like stuck to a schedule? I mean, or does it just hit you sometimes when you talk about it online? How have you handled this?
00:12:39
Speaker 1: Well, my kids are three grown children. They don't really like. celebrating the day he died, as you and everyone else at this point, my husband died by suicide. So no one wants to celebrate that day. We try to do something for his birthday. I'll be honest, though, it's his birthday. The kids don't even remember when our anniversary is. That's sort of my day to remember. Birthdays, Christmas, holidays, they're tough. We remember him. We talk about him. I try to do something special. even if it's just me doing something special, playing a song that we like. But I usually always, always send a text, not usually, I do, send a text to my kids on his birthday and say, it's been this many years that he's been gone. And I know you joined with me and wish he were back with us. So I think for some people, Joan, it's harder to face those holidays and Um, but I do honor, I do. Do you, do you honor? Yeah, I do.
00:13:42
Speaker 2: I do. Um, I always go and visit him at the cemetery on our anniversary. I still talk to him. I know it sounds weird, but I'll be at the cemetery. If no one's around, I'll have a little conversation with him. If there are other people around, I won't. Um, we, we, we go on his birthday, um, his birthday and Thanksgiving are all right, right around the same time. So, um, we'll go kind of visit him. We'll bring him flowers. We'll sing happy birthday. My kids and I will go. So we do honor things. I've done a couple. I mean, this was, you know, very public the way she's honoring him. She did it on Instagram. I have done that a little bit in the past. I struggle a little bit talking about John because I still feel very sad about it. And like you do. So I remember the one time I did something that made me really happy. And I said, you know, so many people share stories with me when I see them out about John. And I love hearing those stories because The thing that I don't want ever to happen is to people forget about him, like for him to just fade from this life. And so I love it when people tell me stories. And so I said, hey, if you have any stories, just share them here on Instagram. I got so many stories and it was a lot of my kids' friends who remember Mr. Vassos when he took us to the pool and, you know, such and such happened or when he drove us to school that day and he didn't have shoes on and you forgot, like someone forgot their lunchbox. They had to walk in the school without shoes on and like just funny stories about him that I loved. So I see why maybe she's doing this. And I think maybe this spurred on a little bit of And maybe that's what she wanted because Bindi then commemorated the anniversary by sharing a picture of her parents on her Instagram, writing, 35 years ago today, my parents met. They began the most beautiful love story together, which continues to transcend life and loss. Terry commented on the post, so blessed to have a chance meeting, begin a lifetime of love every day. I'm thankful for the family we grew together, you and Robert light up my world. And certainly we've seen them interact because both Bindi and Robert have been on Dancing with the Stars together and the mom always comes. And so you can see their strong bond. But I find this really interesting that in January 2018 interview with People, Terry shared that she hadn't been on a date since Steve's death and that was okay. I think it's wonderful when people who have lost someone find love again, but I'm not personally looking and I haven't been on a date in 27 years, she said then. In fact, it's been so long, I've had a couple of lovely women ask me out because they figured that's the case. Continue, Terry. But I'm content. I have two beautiful kids, a really full plate. I've already had my happily ever after. What do you think, Kathy, about her never dating again?
00:16:20
Speaker 1: You know, I think... Everyone does what works for them. I often say, my husband's been gone seven years, and I do date, but I never will replace. Just as you said the same thing, Joan, we're never going to replace our husbands, and we're not trying to replace them. I would like to find companionship, but I think everyone does what works for them. I have three great kids. I have five grandchildren, so I'm extremely busy too. At the same time, I like the idea of having someone to go to dinner with, maybe travel with, have adult conversation with that's not my children. I just wanted to add one other thing. My kids, interestingly, always acknowledge their dad's birthday on Christmas. Instagram or Facebook. I never do. And that's so funny because I'm out in the public and I have a podcast and all that, but I don't know. I can't do that. Yet my kids always put a picture up of them with their dad. Isn't that interesting that they always acknowledge it, but I can't do it.
00:17:26
Speaker 2: Yeah. I have a hard time doing it too. Like I told you, I did it that one time, but I, I've done it a few times, but not often, but that one did bring me a lot of joy. So I'm so happy I did that one.
00:17:35
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:17:36
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:17:37
Speaker 1: Okay, well, we're going to move along to Ben Affleck. And he says that Jennifer Garner was very wise to turn down playing his wife. in a new movie. Ben Affleck, he gets why his ex-wife Jennifer Garner wasn't keen on playing this role in his new thriller, Animals. During a recent visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 54-year-old actor and director explained that his longtime pal, Matt Damon, was originally supposed to play the lead role in the film and that Garner would play his wife, However, when Damon bowed out to star in The Odyssey, Affleck took over the role. And well, that's where Garner drew the line. She said at that point, obviously, Jen was like, yeah, great. But no, I'm not going to play your wife in a movie. No, thanks. Exactly. And of course, Jimmy Kimmel left. He said, probably the best that lesson's been learned. She's very wise in many ways. And I thought that was interesting because I don't know if you're aware of this, but Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, who are also married, they did a movie together called Kiss of the Spider Woman. And Jennifer Lopez says she could barely manage to pull it off. And that it was his company. And so she was really trying to get through it. But so I think that's probably what what Jimmy Kimmel was alluding to. Like, yeah, not a good thing. So so so after that, you know, obviously I needed a new lead and Kerry Washington. took over the role in her stead, with Affleck describing the Scandal star as someone he's always wanted to work with. After taking over the role, Affleck explained that he spoke with Garner about the situation, and she was like, we don't want to do that. You just get baggage. That being said, the Oscar winner noted that he really would love to share the screen again with his ex one day. I don't know. I found that very strange.
00:19:35
Speaker 2: I think it's hilarious that he said, I get it why she didn't want to do it. He knows that he would have problems working with her and she knows that she would have problems working with him. It's really obvious. He acknowledged that she made the right decision. Like there was no conversation.
00:19:48
Speaker 1: It sounds right so I and again like I said he did work with Jennifer Lopez and that didn't work so well either so I think that's just him trying to get out of it gracefully at least I hope that's what it.
00:19:59
Speaker 2: Is yeah do they have kids together Yes.
00:20:01
Speaker 1: They do. I think they have two or three kids together and they're a little bit older now.
00:20:05
Speaker 2: So I think it's really smart, honestly, that if you think it's going to cause any turmoil that will then maybe eventually like affect the kids, you should just not do it. So they don't need the money. Neither one of them need the money. Neither one of them need to work with each other. They're not desperate. Right.
00:20:20
Speaker 1: I do like though how he ended it. He said, she's fabulous and we're really good friends and I'm profoundly grateful to her and we have a great thing. I still would want to work with them in the future, but what you don't want to do is take the audience's baggage and have it work against you, you know? I have no clue what that really means, the audience's baggage, unless it means... the audience reaction to working with the ex, commenting, and then again, that could reflect negatively on them and then maybe upset their kids. But I think Jennifer made the right decision, and I think that it all worked out at the best.
00:20:58
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, I think that, you know, everybody's so free now with being able to share their opinions about everything on so many different platforms that, you know... like thinking about what the audience might say about the two of them working together. If it goes poorly, they're going to say, oh, they had a bad relationship. They're divorced. Why were they working together? If it goes great, then the rumors may be, oh.
00:21:18
Speaker 1: Oh, they're getting back together. Oh, yeah, you can't win.
00:21:21
Speaker 2: They should not do it. And they didn't. And that was smart. I think it was a really good idea. Okay, I want to shift to something really interesting. Okay. I don't know. This is like probably us. I do part two, merging with true crime. And I'm really excited about this story because I remember watching it as it played out. So I'm going to go and give you kind of the headlines about it right now. So Gypsy Rose Blanchard, I hope you remember her, shares proof of bullying and harassment. Ken Urker... Okay, so Gypsy Rose Ransford is sharing examples of what she says isn't even a fraction of the online harassment her late husband, Ken Urker, endured prior to his, I'm sorry, not late husband, late partner, Ken Urker, endured prior to his death. Urquhart was found dead at his Louisiana home on his 31st birthday on October 1st. It's on his birthday. That's incredibly sad. The 35-year-old mother who shares daughter Aurora with Urquhart posted a list of alleged cases of bullying, the majority of which came from the same Reddit forum. The incidents Blanchard shared claimed that Reddit posts mocked Urquhart's appearance, sexuality, and questioned the status of his relationship with Blanchard numerous times. These screenshots show only a small portion of the evidence log documenting the cyberbullying, ridicule, allegations, and targeted harassment Ken faced across social media over the years. There is substantially more that has yet to be documented. Blanchard captioned the post, people need to understand that what sustained online harassment can look like when hundreds or thousands of individuals post comments, videos, and discussions accumulated against one human being. Blanchard urged the public to remember that on the other side of the screen was a real person, a father and a partner. She then shared an image of herself with Urker, writing, he was our world, before posting another image of their daughter and writing, she was his. Continuing her call for a new law in Urker's honor, Blanchard wrote, Kenan's law is about turning awareness into change. It is about recognizing the cumulative impact of cyberbullying and pushing for stronger protections and accountability online, and asked her followers to sign the petition for the proposed law. Blanchard told People, the reasoning behind her post is because there are people who participated in harassment who would rather sweep what happened online under the rug than acknowledge the real harm their words caused. an action can cause. I'm not going to let that happen. So I love this, that she is turning this horrible tragedy into potentially something good. I do wonder how successful this could be, because I do feel like we have laws and it's part of our constitution that we are allowed to talk. You know, we have freedom of speech.
00:24:24
Speaker 1: I wonder if Oh, but cyberbullying, Joan, has become a huge thing. And you can prosecute for that. So I give her great credit for, you know, she can't change. I don't know what happened to him. Is it a little odd that he died so young on his birthday at home?
00:24:42
Speaker 2: Well, let me tell you. Of course, there was a police investigation. And it says in a statement to people, Blanchard claimed that Urker wasn't in a good state of mind lately. He had been drinking a lot to cope. A spokesperson for the La Feroce, Paris Sheriff's Office told people that they had found no evidence of foul play so far in their investigation. As long as the investigation is ongoing, of course, we cannot rule it out. So obviously, you know, it's still an investigation, but they did find paraphernalia, specifically syringes and a spoon in the bathroom next to a brown powdery substance, according to the sheriff's report. So They did find some things. And he even had a handgun in his bed, his nightstand next to the bed. Sounds like maybe, I don't know, maybe he had that for safety or maybe he had that because he was contemplating something. So it's scary. And I know that hits home for you, Kathy. I'm sorry.
00:25:33
Speaker 1: That's okay. No, no, that's okay. I guess my question though is, and it's only conjecture, right? Is what was going on? Did he have a drug issue? Did he have marital issues? was cyberbullying getting to him. It seems like Gypsy Rose Blanchard is trying to draw a very strong connection between cyberbullying and his death. And I'm not a police officer and I'm not an investigator, but I do think there might be more in this story than just cyberbullying.
00:26:12
Speaker 2: I agree with you.
00:26:13
Speaker 1: As a cause of death.
00:26:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree with you. I'm also trying to figure out what the bullying was based on. So obviously he's kind of a public figure just because he married her and they have a child together.
00:26:23
Speaker 1: Right.
00:26:24
Speaker 2: Were people criticizing him? for being with her. You know, she's had such a crazy past and, you know, she, you know, went to jail.
00:26:33
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:26:34
Speaker 2: So she, I don't know if you remember the story. I remember following it really closely that she was born and her to this woman named Dee Dee Blanchard.
00:26:42
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:26:42
Speaker 2: And Gypsy Rose from a very young age had been suffering abuse from her mother at, by, and the abuse was called Munchausen's by proxy. So if you know what Munchausen's is, it's about So it's about people thinking or pretending that they have an illness. Well, D.G. Blanchard forced her daughter to pretend that she had leukemia, muscular dystrophy, and severe asthma. Gypsy was subjected to unneeded surgeries, feeding tubes, and wheelchair confinement. DG lied about Gypsy's age and made her appear sick to get charity, free chips, and public sympathy. So later on when Gypsy figured out that all these things, that she was not that sick, I mean, she even shaved her head to pretend that she had cancer so she'd get sympathy. They lost her house after a hurricane and people paid for her to have a new house built with a ramp. I mean, they really got a lot. Her mother was really very devious and used her child But later in life, as Gypsy got a little older, she met an online boyfriend named Nicholas Gojon and convinced him to travel to her home in Springfield, Missouri, which they planned a scheme to kill Dee Dee, the mother, which they did. And they planned it together, but he was the one that actually murdered the mother. I think he stabbed her like 17 times. It was pretty brutal and awful.
00:28:11
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:28:12
Speaker 2: And she pled guilty to second-degree murder and went to jail and spent time in jail. He is in jail currently for that murder. So, you know, she's been— I' m not sure if you call her a villain. I mean, she hired or she asked somebody, she convinced somebody to kill her mother. But, boy, she had been through an awful lot. It reminds me a little bit of the Menendez brothers who had, like, enjoyed it for many, many years. What do you think about that?
00:28:37
Speaker 1: Well, I think that, again, I think there's more to the story because— Blanchard and Urker were originally engaged, I don't know if you know this, in 2018 while she was in prison for the murder of her mother, as you said, Dee Dee Blanchard. But then she called things off with Urker and then they reconciled. She called things off before they reconciled again in 2019. They split again. They reconciled again after her divorce from Ryan Anderson. So I just think there is more than cyberbullying. Yes, Jip Thoreau's Blanchard story, I remember it well. They had a child together. But I think the investigation is going to show that There's more going on here than cyberbullying or more was going on. And I think it's very sad. And I do think it's very curious that he died on his birthday.
00:29:28
Speaker 2: But even, yeah, it sounds like, you know, birthdays are milestones for people. 34, I'm not sure if that would have been a huge milestone for me, but 35 maybe. But, you know, they are milestones and it makes you maybe think about your life a little bit. And if you, I mean, she said it wasn't just hundreds, it was thousands of messages from people. And I know you and I, we, you know, we're kind of out in the public a little bit and, you know, we recognize that you open yourself up to that by living a public life. I'm not sure, like he... sought out a woman who was living a public life. And I don't think you ever plan on people hating you or, you know, the vitriol you get from, you know, from anything you do, even the way you look. It talked about the way you looked and like they, you know, like talked about his sexuality. I mean, like people can attack you for anything. So it's really brutal out there.
00:30:18
Speaker 1: I mean, both you and I, Joan, have experienced cyberbullying.
00:30:20
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
00:30:21
Speaker 1: Yeah, all the time. And we're not looking to end our lives. So I think some, I know it has happened. I'll be interested to see where it all turns out. The only other thing I want to say about this story, do you realize how much has changed? God only knows what medications and stuff that mother was giving her daughter. Now, like I remember back in the day, if you had a drug addiction, you could get drugs. You just go to a different doctor, right? He'd write a script. And that's how people got so addicted. Now they have these national forums where you're signed. They can look and see where you've been. So, you know, probably this wouldn't have happened now. Yeah.
00:31:01
Speaker 2: I remember being so shocked how the system failed her so drastically that there were so many places that she went. They moved and like they just went from hospital to hospital and to doctor to doctor. Like how in the world do you convince a doctor that your daughter has leukemia? I don't know. And or whatever. But I don't think she convinced a doctor, but she shaved her head. She pretended to take her to the hospital. She stuck her in wheelchairs. It just was. It is.
00:31:25
Speaker 1: It's truly a Ripley's, believe it or not. But this is a, you know, a story that's ongoing, and we are going to have to keep following it to see where it all ends up. Yeah.
00:31:35
Speaker 2: I feel like Gypsy Rose, even though she's had a very, like, odd life, she's endured a lot. I mean, you've got to imagine. I mean, she's had, like, a bunch of shows they did, like, Life After Lockup for her and a couple other, like, reality shows, like, documenting her life. But she's, boy.
00:31:51
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:31:51
Speaker 2: She's been through a lot.
00:31:52
Speaker 1: All right. Well, we're going to keep on top of it. And now a little bit happier story. We're going to move on. Jessica Simpson was spotted in New Mexico with boyfriend Thomas Eisenhood following her split with Eric Johnson. They were having some quality time together. The musician couple was seen spending time at Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta Park on Sunday, October 4th. The photos were provided by TMZ. In the images, Simpson, 46, could be seen sporting a suede fringe jacket, which she accessorized with a pair of oval sunnies and several oversized rings. Eisenhut, who's 33, appeared in a red hoodie. According to the outlet, the pair were seen walking through the park and taking selfies with the hot air balloons in the background. Okay, before we move on to anything else, she's 46, he's 33. I just want to point that out.
00:32:48
Speaker 2: I don't think she's having a hard time finding a boyfriend or a date, right?
00:32:51
Speaker 1: I mean, listen, if you can get a guy 13 years younger and walk around in your suede fringe jacket, I'm all with you.
00:32:58
Speaker 2: Kind of a sexy musician, too.
00:32:59
Speaker 1: That's right.
00:33:01
Speaker 2: What I got to say, the other thing I want to say about that paragraph is I really need a suede fringe jacket now. I have this urge to go buy because I mean, like.
00:33:09
Speaker 1: That's what I just said. If you can get a red fringe suede jacket and find a guy that's 13 years younger, I'm off to Macy's myself.
00:33:17
Speaker 2: Maybe you and I need to go get suede fringe jackets.
00:33:20
Speaker 1: Let's do it, Joan. Okay, so bystanders told TMZ that another couple ended up taking photos of Simpson and Eisenhood, where the latter wrapped his arm around her and the former rested her head on his shoulder. According to the outlet, Simpson and the Nashville-based artist were seen laughing throughout the park and tried to avoid attention. In April, an exclusive source told people that Simpson was dating Eisenhood, a member of the Stoop Kids band, which broke up in 2023 per its Instagram bio. The source exclusively told people that the fashion mogul was happy. She's in a great place and excited for her future, the source added. The relationship began more than a year after Simpson and Eric Johnson, I don't know if you remember him, but he was an NFL player, and he's 47, announced their separation in January of 2025. The former couple were married for 10 years, and they shared three children, daughters Maxwell Drew, who's 14, Birdie Mae, who's 7, and son Ace Newt, who's 13.
00:34:25
Speaker 2: I wonder, you know, she has a documentary coming out about her next year. And I wonder if he's going to be a big part of that. Sounds like they're kind of ingrained. They're kind of exclusive.
00:34:38
Speaker 1: I mean, if it hasn't been filmed yet, I'm going to go with yes. Because who wouldn't want to be waltzing around with her 33-year-old boyfriend? I mean, she sounds happy. I say, go girl.
00:34:51
Speaker 2: I look at the ages of our kids, and I got to imagine that a 33-year-old, I mean, I know that they have a father, so he's not going to be a father figure to them. But I got to imagine him coming into a relationship with somebody who has two teenagers, a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old and a 7-year-old. That's got to be hard.
00:35:10
Speaker 1: Wait a minute, Joan. He could, I mean, physically, he could be the dad. He could be. He could be.
00:35:16
Speaker 2: But I think coming in, I mean, this sounds like this has been going on for about a year, coming into a relationship where the kids are already teenagers sounds hard. And he doesn't sound like he's, he's 33. He hasn't had a lot of life experiences, doesn't have his own kids. He, like, he's dealing with teenagers. Like, I can see that being a really trying thing and maybe something really interesting to watch in a documentary.
00:35:38
Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, the documentary, I hope, includes how you manage this public life with, you know, your good looking sweetheart and how you manage a new relationship with teenage kids.
00:35:50
Speaker 2: Hot ex-husband.
00:35:52
Speaker 1: And yeah. Hey, listen, maybe we should go after the 46 year old. He's probably already in another relationship too. They always are. Oh, Joan, this has been so much fun. Are you trying to put your life back together after divorce, but need some advice? We can help. Send us an email or leave us a voicemail. All the info is in the show notes. Follow us on socials. I do part two and I heart podcast where falling in love is the main objective.
