Articles by Shania Russell

Technology

Lily Allen reveals why she was banned from Hinge after David Harbour split

Lily Allen is ready to get back out there after her split from David Harbour — but the apps aren't making it easy. In the spirit of promoting her new album, West End Girl, which pulls no punches when addressing her four-year marriage and eventual separation from the Stranger Things star, Allen has been candid about the details of her personal life, revealing that she has not only begun exploring dating apps, but that she's already been banned from one. "They're awful, especially if you're going through heartbreak," Allen said of the apps in a recent chat with Interview. "There is nothing more depressing than hundreds of people that are nothing like the person that you're missing. It's just like, 'No, that's not him. That's not him. That's not him.'" As for the additional stress of dating as a public figure, the singer said, "I'm not really looking to go out with another famous person. Also, when I go on dates with other people, there's a bit of a barrier in terms of — not so much here, but in England — it's a bit of a novelty to be on a date with me… To want to get past that, I have to really, really be interested in that person." Allen, who said she uses the membership-based dating app Raya, also noted that she spent some time on Hinge — that is, before she got banned for "impersonating" herself. "I'm like, 'I can prove that I'm that person,'" she said. "They're like, 'You'll need to send us your ID.'" There was just one problem: The singer was born Lily Rose Beatrice Allen, so the name on her profile was not a perfect match. "I'm like, 'Actually, my name and the name on my ID aren't the same,'" she recalled saying. Alas, she was booted off the app. Allen's foray back into online dating comes on the heels of her February separation from Harbour, after the two were married for four years. But this is not her first time traversing the world of dating apps: She previously opened up about exploring Raya in 2023, explaining that her relationship with Harbour began there. "It was the first time I'd been on this dating app," she recalled during a visit to The Jonathan Ross Show. "I was scrolling through and landed on David's profile and pressed accept. I didn't know who he was. I thought he was just like a sexy policeman from a reality TV show because he was wearing a policeman's uniform. It was a still from Stranger Things… I'd never seen Stranger Things." She added that she didn't expect it to go anywhere. "I don't even know what I was looking for. It was just something to do on holiday — swiping. It's a bit of fun." After meeting in 2019, the couple tied the knot a year later in a 2020 ceremony in Las Vegas. Allen's new record addresses their relationship and breakup across several songs in which she implies that her ex-husband cheated on her and violated the terms of their open marriage. "It's not a cruel album," Allen told Interview. "I don't feel like I'm being mean. It was just the feelings I was processing at the time." She worked on West End Girl alongside producer Blue May — who served as the musical director of her 2018 tour — over the course of 16 days in December. "At the time, I was really trying to process things," she said. "And that's great in terms of the album, but I don't feel confused or angry now. I don't need revenge." She continued, "It was very important to me that I didn't sound like a victim, so I'd be like, 'We have to change that line. It just sounds too 'poor me.' I wanted it to feel brutal and tragic, but also empowering, that there was joy in being able to express it." Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter. Allen also clarified that the album isn't wholly autobiographical. "Some of it is based on truth," she said, "and some of it is fantasy."

Technology

Miles Teller spoofs “Property Brothers,” White House remodel on “SNL”: 'Nothing says democracy like a crown, right?'

Miles Teller pulled double duty while hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend — and he didn't even have to sing. In a sketch poking fun at Donald Trump's recent controversial demolition of the White House's East Wing, the actor spoofed Property Brothers, playing both Drew and Jonathan Scott, the twins at the center of the home renovation show. "This week, we're taking on our biggest challenge yet: building the new White House ballroom," Teller's Drew begins the parody. "Donald and Melania moved into this house nine years ago. They were evicted for four years… but they moved back in." After meeting Trump (played by James Austin Johnson) and the First Lady, Melania Trump (Chloe Fineman), face to face, the duo start by touring the White House, noting that the president has a "strong eye for interior design." Among his additions to the decor are several golden urns, scattered throughout the rooms. "I put these gold urns everywhere," Trump says, holding even more of them in his arms. "Like a hundred in every room. That makes me happy. It’s very important to be happy these days — really dark stuff happening in the world. Some of it is me." He later shows off a crown from his trip to Asia, asking, "Nothing says democracy like a crown, right?" Other big changes to Trump's pad include remodeling the Rose Gardens to resemble outdoor seating at an Olive Garden, replacing a portrait of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a painting of Trump as a soldier from Halo, and putting up spooky decorations that the Scott brothers wrongly assume are for Halloween. "Those are for Christmas," Fineman's Melania says of the special additions — skeletons and dead trees. As for the East Wing, the First Lady tells the Property Brothers that she and her husband desperately need to expand. "The house is only 55,000 square feet and 132 rooms," she complains. "We need more space!" Trump exclaims, noting that he specifically requires a ballroom to satisfy his love of dance. Returning to the narration, the brothers then explain their next steps and address the cost of the renovations. "We asked Donald what his budget was, and he said between $350 million and infinity. And then we asked if he needed a permit, and Donald laughed really hard," one of them says, smiling uneasily. "He said, 'I could build this ballroom with the bones of my enemies, and no one could stop me.'" After consulting with Trump's mood board — which includes photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Star Wars' notorious sluglike crime lord Jabba the Hutt — they begin the overhaul in earnest. The brothers start by demolishing the East Wing, but with no staff due to the government shutdown, they opt to "force Park Rangers and astronauts" to carry out the operation. "It will be ready just in time for my third term," Trump declares. Melania agrees, "That's right, we want this to be our forever home." "Yes, because we're not leaving," Trump adds. "We're going to be doing something called 'coup.'" When their work finally concludes, one brother says, "I guess the only thing left is the payment for the construction.” "Aren't you guys from Canada?" Trump replies. He then yells, "ICE!," prompting agents to storm the room and chase the twins away. "There goes ICE. We like them. Spooky, very spooky. It’s a very spooky secret police thing." Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter. Trump's decision to tear down the historic East Wing of the White House to construct a ballroom — a project with a reported cost of $300 million — will more than double the size of the White House property. The move has been met with strong criticism, with many pointing to its problematic timing amid the government shutdown. Trump has argued that keeping the East Wing would "hurt a very, very expensive beautiful building," per the Associated Press, and added that he and "some friends of mine" will pay for it, with no tax dollars funding the project during the shutdown. Watch the full Property Brothers spoof above.