Beyonce files petition against the IRS in multi-million dollar tax bill dispute, plus more news

Queen Bey v. Uncle Sam

Beyoncé is pushing back on Uncle Sam after the IRS hit the superstar with a tax bill for nearly $2.7 million. Forbes reports Bey filed a petition on April 17 challenging a January assessment of additional taxes and penalties, plus interest, from 2018 and 2019. The 2018 bill claims the most decorated artist in Grammy Awards history owes $805,850 more in taxes along with a $161,170 penalty, while the 2019 bill alleges an additional $1,442,747 in tax and $288,549.40 in penalties is due. In her petition, Beyoncé seeks to prove the IRS should have allowed her to take millions of dollars in deductions that it nixed for those years, including a charitable contribution of $868,766. She says that if the court finds she still owes any additional tax, the penalty for underpayment should be waived, as she’s “acted reasonably and in good faith.”

In June 2022, Forbes estimated Bey’s net worth was around $450 million; outlets like Celebrity Net Worth estimate it’s now around $500 million. Her husband, Jay-Z, has an estimated net worth of about $2.5 billion as of April 2023, according to Forbes.

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‘Cheer’ star Monica Aldama sued for allegedly trying to cover up sexual assault

A former Navarro College cheerleader featured on Netflix’s “Cheer” has filed a lawsuit against the school, her former coach, Monica Aldama, and others claiming they discouraged her from reporting, then tried to cover up an alleged sexual assault by a fellow cheer squad member. The alleged attacker is also named as a defendant. According to legal documents viewed by the Star-Ledger, the student, whom TMZ identifies as Madi Lane, claims team member Salvatore “Salvo” Amico assaulted her in a dorm room in 2021 when she was in her first semester at the Texas junior college. She claims she was in bed asleep around 4 a.m. when her roommate and the roommate’s boyfriend returned with Salvo. The complaint alleges that Salvo entered the room where Madi was in bed and climbed on top of her. She says he groped and sexually assaulted her, refusing to stop despite her screaming. Madi goes on to accuse multiple people including her teammates of pressuring her to remain quiet about the alleged assault, with “veteran” cheerleader and “Cheer” star Maddi Brum allegedly advising her, “You just need to drink it off and get your mind off it,” and saying Navarro girls “don’t tell anyone, we just keep it to ourselves.” When Madi finally turned to her coach for help, she says Monica told her: “Let’s not make this a big deal. I want the best for you and I will help you cheer wherever you want.”

Madi claims she quit the squad a few after that, but Monica again encouraged her to “keep quiet.” Her suit also alleges the school’s campus police and its Title IX coordinator, Elizabeth Pillans, “discouraged her from reporting the alleged assault.” According to the Star-Ledger, weeks went by before Madi’s “mother contacted campus police and the Title IX office for an update and was told no record of the assault report existed.” The federal suit comes after former “Cheer” star and team member Jerry Harris was sentenced to 12 years in prison on child pornography charges.

Don Lemon says he’s ‘happy to moving in a new direction’ after CNN firing

Don Lemon initially reacted to his unexpected ouster from “CNN This Morning” earlier this week with shock, tweeting, “I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned.” But the veteran journalist was reportedly all smiles at the Time 100 Gala in New York City on Wednesday (April 26), where he told “Extra” that while his firing came as a “surprise, … life goes on … and we’ll see what happens in the future.” Don added, “I live my life with no regrets, and whatever I did, I did, and I owned. I don’t look back and don’t want to change things in the past.” Speaking to “Entertainment Tonight” at the event, Don said he’s “happy to be moving in a new direction,” though he’ll “miss all the talented people and journalists at CNN, who are my friends and who I love.” In the meantime, he emphasized his gratitude for the resources at his disposal, and his happy relationship with partner Tim Malone. “I’m fine, life is good, I’ve got my beautiful fiancé here and we’re all good,” he told ET.

Following Don’s tweet about being fired on Monday, CNN’s communications department denied he’d been let go via his agent rather than network execs.”Don Lemon’s statement about this morning’s events is inaccurate,” the department tweeted. “He was offered an opportunity to meet with management but instead released a statement on Twitter.” Prior to his termination, Don faced backlash for sexist comments he made on the air about when a woman is “in her prime.” He was also the subject of a Variety exposé featuring claims from multiple colleagues and associates about his alleged misogynistic or otherwise inappropriate behavior.

Katy Perry says she’s ‘excited’ for ‘wild’ Windsor Castle stay

Katy Perry’s counting down to her performance at King Charles III’s upcoming coronation concert on May 7 — especially her historic accommodations at Windsor Castle. “I’m really excited … I might be posting a lot because I’m gonna be in a castle, for real. This is wild,” the singer and “American Idol” judge told “Extra” after this week’s show. While a number of stars reportedly declined invitations to perform at the concert, including Elton John, Adele and Harry Styles, the event’s now set to feature Katy and her “Idol” colleague, Lionel Richie, plus British pop group Take That and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who will perform a duet with Grammy-winning Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel. Singer-songwriter Freya Ridings and composer Alexis Ffrench also appear on the bill.

As for Katy’s invitation, “I’m an ambassador to one of his foundations for the British Asian trust,” she told “Extra,” noting that the charity “primarily focuses on ending child trafficking, which is a huge issue of our time that people don’t talk enough about, and it just aligned with all my values.” The physical invitation apparently aligned with her royal family expectations, too. “It was very regal,” she said. “It was like a cursive I have never seen [before] … I loved it.”

Angelina Jolie and son Maddox Jolie-Pitt attend White House state dinner

Decked out in a vintage Chanel jacket and a flowing spring gown, Angelina Jolie attended a state dinner hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House on Wednesday (April 26), with her 21-year-old son, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, on her arm. Held in celebration of the United States and the Republic of Korea’s 1954 Mutual Defense Treaty, or U.S.-ROK alliance, were South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee. “Asia-America relations are important to Angelina’s family,” an Angelina source told People. “She and the children have had close ties to the region, including South Korea, for many years. Maddox studied at Yonsei University in Seoul. Angelina has visited South Korea many times for her humanitarian and refugee advocacy over the past two decades, and as an artist.” Angelina notably visited Seoul in 2019 when Maddox’s first semester at Yonsei began. She also visited one year prior, meeting with refugees there as part of her work with the UN Refugee Agency, according to People. Other celebs at the dinner included “Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gaines and two-time Olympic gold medal winning American snowboarder Chloe Kim.

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