Author: Shari Weiss

(Getty Images/New York Post)

Is Kanye West’s hospitalization part of an insurance scam? At least one outlet thinks so. Gossip Cop looked into the allegation.

As Gossip Cop reported, West’s “Saint Pablo Tour” was canceled on Monday, just hours before he was hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation. It is likely the rapper had an insurance policy to ensure that, in the event of illness, he would still be paid for any canceled concerts and not be financially liable for contracts with venues and vendors. Now the New York Post is suggesting West was only hospitalized to get the insurance pay-out.

“People in the music industry are speculating that Kanye West was put on a psychiatric hold to recoup insurance money for the millions he would lose by backing out of his ‘Saint Pablo Tour,’” writes the paper, which quotes a “music insider” as saying, “He had just canceled for no reason, no injury, no force majeure, so they were going to lose a bunch of money. Kanye is crazy, but not crazy enough to not get his insurance money. [He] knows what he is doing.”

The purported “insider” goes on to call it a “sticky situation,” and predicts that “this will be a disputed claim” with an “intense investigation.” The tabloid further accuses West of purposefully being hospitalized to “‘clean up’ his brand.” The alleged tipster claims, “He went too far off with the rants. It was going to alienate his core fan base. There are real business people around him, including Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian, who want the payday. They needed to preserve the brand this way.”

But there’s a few problems with these theories. There is no indication that West faked his psychosis, and he in fact remains hospitalized with round-the-clock treatment. Fabricating such an illness to collect an insurance settlement would amount to fraud, which is a rather serious crime. Readers may recall that, similarly, MediaTakeOut falsely accused Kardashian of “staging” her robbery for insurance money, an untrue allegation that led to a lawsuit.

Additionally, there’s no evidence in West’s case that this incident is rehabilitating his image whatsoever. On the contrary, while the performer has received some support from fellow celebrities, many everyday people on social media have been mocking him, despite the gravity of the circumstances. It is generally not considered a career-boost when a star is hospitalized for mental illness.

Gossip Cop spoke with a rep for West, who dismissed the New York Post story as “ridiculous.” Sadly, the rapper has been battling emotional issues for quite some time. It remains to be seen what will happen with any insurance claim, but flawed articles like this only make the situation worse.

(Getty Images)

Katy Perry has not been “dumped” by Orlando Bloom, despite a tabloid story about a supposed “painful breakup.” Gossip Cop can correct the report.

A series of headlines in this week’s In Touch allege, “Katy’s heartbreak,” “Dumped by Orlando” and “Orlando Bloom ends things with Katy Perry.” The article alleges “it’s over” and the couple has “called it quits.” A so-called “source” claims, “Not long after Halloween, Orlando confessed to pals that he’d decided to end their relationship.”

“He claimed that he’s just not ready to get married and have babies,” continues the supposed snitch. A purported “insider” says Perry is “starting to hear her biological clock tick,” but the subject allegedly didn’t go over well with Bloom. “He has a young son with his ex-wife and is in no hurry to have more children. So he put the brakes on Katy’s suggestion real fast. He told her point-blank that it’s not something he’s willing to do at this point in his life.”

The magazine describes Perry as “devastated,” and suggests it’s why she recently canceled a show in China. Its “insider” further says, “She’s at her lowest point right now. She thought this was the real deal. She’s heartbroken.” The story goes on to assert that “insecurities also damaged the relationship,” and a Perry “friend” contends, “She said they were on different life paths and as much as she likes him, it’s time to move on.”

Conveniently, though, the publication ends its piece by saying Perry and Bloom “find it hard to stay away from each other,” and there could be a “reunion between the two.” That, of course, is the tabloid’s way of covering itself for when it emerges the couple is still on. And they are.

Perry and Bloom spent Thanksgiving together, just two days after this “breakup” tale hit newsstands. He obviously didn’t “dump” the singer. But readers should dump this false story.

(ABC)

Andy Cohen battled skin cancer, he revealed on Friday’s “Live With Kelly.” Watch below.

Cohen guest co-hosted “Live” in a pre-taped episode with best friend Kelly Ripa. During the opening of the show, which was filmed sometime before the Thanksgiving holiday, the Bravo personality revealed his health battle. And he shared that it was Ripa who prompted him to get checked out.

Earlier this year, the “Live” host and her husband Mark Consuelos both urged Cohen to be evaluated by a doctor for a “black dot” on his lip. At it turned out, it was a melanoma. It’s unclear when the “tanorexic” Cohen was diagnosed, but he said he had a “chunk removed,” and it’s now “all fine.”

Both he and Ripa, who noted she’s alerted two other friends to possible skin cancer, urged viewers to be aware of the medical issue and proactive about any suspicious marks, and Cohen expressed gratitude towards his close pal for making him seek help. The health crisis was not mentioned in Cohen’s new book, Superficial, which came out earlier this month, despite the “Real Housewives” producer candidly talking about other topics, such as taking an AIDS test. It’s possible the book’s text was set before Cohen faced this ordeal.

The “Watch What Happens Live” host is the latest star to go public about facing skin cancer. Hugh Jackman has discussed his own plight with the disease several times, while this past August, Khloe Kardashian opened up about having a cancerous mole removed. Watch the video from “Live With Kelly” below.