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Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman gets surprise message from Lin-Manuel Miranda

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Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Amanda Gorman said she feels “amazing” after making history Wednesday as the youngest poet in recent history to perform at a presidential inauguration.

“It’s not often that you wake up on a morning feeling like this,” Gorman, 22, said Thursday on Good Morning America in her first live TV interview since President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Gorman, a Los Angeles native, became the breakout star of the inauguration with her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” which she finished writing on the night of Jan. 6, hours after rioters took siege on Capitol Hill.

Gorman’s Hamilton references in her inaugural poem caught the eye of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, who tweeted to Gorman on Wednesday that she was “perfect.”

On Thursday, Miranda surprised Gorman with a special message delivered on GMA, saying, “The right words in the right order can change the world, and you proved that yesterday with your brilliant piece. I’m so incredibly proud of you and I can’t wait to see what’s next. You smashed it.”

“I almost fell out of my chair,” Gorman said in reaction to Miranda’s praise. “That’s amazing.”

Gorman also received praise for her poem from the likes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey, who gifted her with Maya Angelou-inspired jewelry for the inauguration.

Amid all of the attention she received at the inauguration and in the 24 hours since, Gorman said she was especially touched by meeting Lady Gaga, who sang the Star-Spangled banner on Wednesday.

“It was so incredible meeting Lady Gaga. I mean I’m gaga for Gaga, literally,” she said, adding, “It was just such a great moment because what she does with music I aspire to do with poetry so it was great to have that woman to woman camaraderie.”

By Katie Kindelan
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tim McGraw + Tyler Hubbard on singing "Undivided" on Inauguration Day: "It’s been one miracle after the next"

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Courtesy of Big Machine Label GroupTim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard made a stop on NBC’s Today Thursday to share the story behind “Undivided,” the duet they performed last night during the Celebrating America TV special to cap off Inauguration Day.

“It’s just been one miracle after the next,” recounts Tyler, who wrote the song while quarantined on his tour bus as he recovered from COVID-19 last fall. “It’s so surreal, the opportunity we had last night — even the opportunity to get to sing with Tim, for me, was a huge honor.”

Tim adds that he first heard the song while on a cross-country road trip with his wife, fellow superstar Faith Hill.

“I had to stop at a gas station because I’m so technically challenged, and download the song, and then listen to it,” the singer jokes, adding that the song’s message immediately moved him.

“This song really made me check myself,” he explains. “Am I living up to what I sang five years ago on ‘Humble and Kind’? This song was just an add-on to that, to me.”

The pair gave their performance against the backdrop of downtown Nashville, with a bridge in the background — imagery that they hope lends itself to “Undivided”’s message of solidarity.

“This song’s bigger than us,” says Tyler. “We’re just honored to be able to share such a positive to the world on such a large platform.”

The Celebrating America performance marked the live debut of “Undivided,” which came out just days ago.


By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kristen Bell opens up about "struggling" with her mental health, therapy with husband Dax Shepard

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ABC/Craig Sjodin(LOS ANGELES) — Kristen Bell wants to be open and honest about her life and, on Wednesday, revealed that she and husband Dax Shepard sought counseling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking with People, the Frozen 2 star said quarantine did bring her and her husband closer together, but it also exposed that the two needed “a little therapy brush-up.”

“Dax and I, when we started this pandemic, were at a point in our marriage where we definitely needed [it,]” said Bell, who views therapy as a way to strengthen her marriage.

“Every couple of years, we’re like, ‘We’re being very antagonistic towards each other,’ and we don’t want that.  We go back to therapy and figure out what I’m not doing that’s best for you and what you’re not doing that’s best for me, and how we can serve this team goal better,” the 40-year-old Golden Globe winner noted. 

Bell, who is outwardly pro-therapy, says seeing a counselor with Shepard has “been incredibly helpful.”

Besides a successful marriage, The Good Place actress admits she has had a hard time adjusting to the new normal brought on by the pandemic, which she says makes her restless. 

In a separate Instagram post, the Emmy-nominee opened up about a decline in her mental health and confessed Wednesday, “I’ve been struggling the last 2 weeks, for who-knows-why-slash-ALL-the-reasons.”

“Today I finally got back on the tredmill [sic,] figuratively and literally. And I’m proud. ‘Good job, kb.’ I said to myself,” the actress continued, who shared the vulnerable post in order to tell her 14.6 million followers that they’re not alone.

“To anyone who’s been feeling the same, you can do it. Just do the next right thing,” said Bell, who signed off with “I love u.”

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

'The Bachelor''s Sarah Trott explains her sudden exit from the show

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ABC/Craig Sjodin(LOS ANGELES) — Sarah Trott’s abrupt exit from The Bachelor on Monday was something nobody saw coming, and on Wednesday, the 24-year-old former journalist explained her decision.

Sarah, who appeared to be one of the frontrunners for Matt James’ heart, says several factors drove her decision, including her inability to stay in touch with her father, who suffers from ALS.

“A couple of people told me that I would be able to talk with family,” Trott tells Entertainment Tonight.  ”I thought I would be able to communicate with my parents and have access to a phone and talk with them, but some of those things turned out differently once I got there.”

Another factor was her rapidly deteriorating relationship with the other women, who saw her fainting spell at the rose ceremony, interrupting a group date to speak to Matt and isolating herself from the group as a ploy to get his attention.

Sarah told fellow contestant Katie that she was going to leave to be with her dad, but as fans discovered during her emotional goodbye to Matt, Trott cited the women as her reason for leaving, accusing them of being “cruel and malicious.”

As for her future plans, Sarah tells ET she’s currently focusing on “being a caregiver to her father, working as a freelance journalist and splitting her time between Los Angeles and San Diego.”

The Bachelor airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

By George Costantino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Morgan Wallen “struggled” with the idea of fatherhood when he first found out he was going to be a dad

• No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAIn July of 2020, Morgan Wallen surprised fans by introducing the newest member of his family: His baby boy Indigo Wilder, who was born to the rising country star and his ex-girlfriend, KT Smith. 

And though Morgan was over the moon about his son’s arrival, he admits that at first, he found the prospect of being a co-parenting single dad a little daunting. He’d always envisioned raising kids with someone with whom he was in a committed relationship, the singer explains to People.

“[Being a single dad] is definitely not how I imagined parenthood. I wanted to have a family like my parents,” he notes. “…Obviously, that’s not the way it turned out. And I struggled with that a little bit when I first found out.”

Navigating a co-parenting relationship isn’t easy, and Morgan admits that he and KT had “some difficulties” early on in that role. But fortunately, the two parents have always been able to keep the health and happiness of their son as their first priority.

“We’re doing our best to figure it out, just trying to do the best we can with the situation,” he says. “I mean, a lot of people have obviously been in this situation before — having a kid with someone you’re not with — but knowing that doesn’t make it any easier.”

Now six months old, Indie is spending more time with his dad, including some overnight stays. “KT’s worked with me throughout the whole time, so I’ve been able to see him a lot since he was born. So if you walk in my house now, you think a baby lives here,” Morgan relates.

When not adjusting to his new role as dad, Morgan spent 2020 at work on his sophomore double album, Dangerous. That project dropped this January.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.