Lenny Dykstra, the controversial former major leaguer and ex-con, once unfurled an epic tale to me over a long lunch at the Polo Lounge about his toxic bromance with Charlie Sheen. Sometime between telling of his own supposed post-incarceration hustle as a gigolo to Beverly Hills grandmas and theorizing an actor he knew had hired someone to kill someone else in their social circle (the actor later denied this), Dykstra spoke of his expectation that my imminent coverage for one of the entertainment industry trades would finally greenlight a long-hoped-for multipart streaming special about his colorful life, yielding a plum payday.

“There are so many people to interview, from prison guards to my [private plane] pilots,” he promised.

On another occasion, Heidi Fleiss, the infamous Hollywood madam turned animal-rights activist, vented to me about a powerful movie financier several years ago at her ramshackle property in the remote Nevada desert. She said this old friend had reneged on a deal to contribute to her bird sanctuary in exchange for help in quietly paying off his prostitution debts. She’d sought out a release valve in the press after he’d allegedly threatened her when she pushed for recompense.

“‘You live out there in the middle of nowhere,’” she recounted him telling her. “‘Accidents happen all the time.’”

Soon after we spoke, she recanted. Maybe she got her money, or he got to her. Was she exploiter or exploited? On my phantasmagoric beat as an investigative journalist at The Hollywood Reporter — the Dream Factory, the Land of Make-Believe — I’ve found that little is known for certain.  

For years I’ve encountered challenging subjects, attempting to render and decipher some semblance of fraught inner lives, from Fleiss to Woody Allen’s apparent Manhattan muse who couldn’t decide if she was his groomed teenage victim, to L.A.’s enigmatic blonde-bombshell billboard queen Angelyne, who denied the dark details of her painful history because they didn’t suit her. I’ve covered their stories but doubt I’ve come close to apprehending the fullness of them.   

Nominally, my job is the acquisition, organization and consideration of facts. But really, it’s about navigating fictions. Some are intentional. Mostly they’re accidental, incidental, parenthetical, subliminal. When stories arrive from the newsroom tip line, they’re frequently conspiratorial.

Everyone has their own narrative. They believe in them, promote them and stick to them. Which is fine. After all, it’s how they get by. Except, of course, when those narratives conflict with each other. That’s where I come in. 

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The late film producer and studio head Bob Evans liked to say that there are three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth. “No one is lying,” he added. In my experience, the emotional truth tends to override the literal one. Just about everyone needs to be the hero of their own tale, and the rest settle for anti-hero. They want to be considered on the side of good, or — at worst — thought of as misunderstood.

This pattern persists no matter the specifics. The eccentric son of an ailing TV sitcom icon insists he hasn’t been a negligent caretaker. No, he’s a selfless steward. The charismatic head of an acting conservatory who some members contend has turned into a cult leader isn’t abusive. Instead, she’s an unsung savior. The celebrated trainer of on-screen horses didn’t mistreat his steeds. You’ve just got to believe him: he’s been framed in an orchestrated campaign.

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This being Hollywood, there’s an additional complication — how the inevitable pitching affects the plotting. These real dramas, mostly tragic, can’t help but be shaped by the rush to capitalize on turning them into the bestselling tell-all book, the chart-topping podcast, the prestige unscripted limited docuseries, the based-on-a-true-story feature film.

In my line of work, you need to be flexible, allowing for people’s illusions and delusions — especially when they’re in the spotlight. This can be a path to understanding. 

Or not. Many people don’t quite know who they are. (Sometimes, when you’re reporting, they’re already dead.) Many motivations are unaccountable. (Sometimes they’re all too obvious, yet still unsatisfying.) Many situations, regardless of the probing, will remain a murk. (Sometimes it’s best to simply accept this.)

That’s real life, the frustrating kind of narrative, with no clear arcs or resolutions. Luckily, when questions can’t be answered, fiction offers its own portal.          

Fiction’s capaciousness allows for inquiries beyond the bounds of investigative reporting. It attracts and absolves the richest, trickiest explorations. This was ratified for me when writing my debut novel, In Pursuit of Beauty, about a journalist’s mind games with an incarcerated Beverly Hills plastic surgeon.

Sam Shepard had a line in one of his plays about Hollywood’s self-mythologizers, the L.A. creatives who conjure the pop mythologies for everyone else. “People here have become the people they’re pretending to be.” This is both factually and emotionally true. Whether or not they realize it, people increasingly think of themselves as fictions. That’s why fiction itself remains ever more essential to understanding humanity.     

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In Pursuit of Beauty comes out July 1 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter just had an excellent reunion.

The actors and longtime friends, who will soon star in an upcoming revival of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, spoke to PEOPLE on the red carpet Sunday, June 8, at the 2025 Tony Awards in New York City, where they were in attendance to present one of the awards.

Reeves, 60, and Winter, 59, matched in classic black tuxedo looks. The Matrix star put a twist on his ensemble by adding a white handkerchief in the suit pocket. He also cuffed his blazer sleeves to show the white of his shirt sleeves.

Winter tells PEOPLE that he and Reeves “wanted to work together” again after their famous Bill & Ted movies, and have “known each other a very long time” — fitting for “a play about two people who have known each other a very long time. … And Keanu had this crazy, inspired idea that suddenly turned into reality, for both of us.”

As for what fans can expect, Winter adds, “I think every time the play is done, it’s different, because of who’s playing it. It’s very, very personal, and so we’re bringing ourselves to it.”

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Waiting for Godot will begin preview performances at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre on Sept. 13, ahead of an official opening on Sept. 28. The limited-engagement production is currently scheduled through Jan. 4, 2026.

For Reeves’ Broadway debut, the John Wick actor will play Estragon. Winter, who appeared in Broadway’s 1977 production of The King and I and 1979’s Peter Pan, plays Vladimir in the acclaimed existential work.

PEOPLE debuted a video conversation with director Jamie Lloyd on April 14 about the upcoming production, in which the longtime pals — who first worked together on 1989’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure — explained how they’ll naturally bring their offstage bond to their roles.

“It’s like being in a band together. We kind of know each other’s rhythms,” Winter shared in the video. “Being able to bring that into, onto a stage, that’s sort of our fundamental. That’s in our bones away.”

“The films that we did together, the Bill & Ted films, the language in those films had the architecture and their rhythms,” added Reeves. “Even from early days, we approached them theatrically or even commedia dell’arte: ‘Okay, I do something, you do something, I get the ball, you get the ball.’ “

“That’s why, in the audition, we were so vibed,” Winter recalled of himself and Reeves. “Because you didn’t get that from other actors so much.”

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Reeves and Winter became close while filming Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, a sci-fi comedy that follows time-traveling friends who visit historical figures for their history presentation.

In 1991 and 2020, they reprised their roles as Ted Logan and Bill Preston for a second and third installment of the cult-classic series.

See PEOPLE’s full coverage of the 78th annual Tony Awards, hosted by Cynthia Erivo at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and airing on CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, June 8, at 8 p.m. ET.

Kristin Chenoweth wants her fans to go into The Queen of Versailles with the right expectations.

Speaking with PEOPLE on the red carpet at the 2025 Tony Awards in New York City on Sunday, June 8, the Broadway veteran warned fans of Wicked — in which she originated the role of Galinda/Glinda opposite Idina Menzel’s Elphaba — that her upcoming role is “very different.”

“People think they’re gonna get Wicked — you’re not gonna get Wicked, so don’t get disappointed,” says Chenoweth, 56.

The Stephen Schwartz musical Queen of Versailles, which Chenoweth is co-producing through her production banner Diva Worldwide Entertainment, will mark the actress and singer’s return to the Broadway stage after a decade away.

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An adaptation of Lauren Greenfield’s award-winning 2012 documentary of the same name, The Queen of Versailles follows socialite Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel and her “Timeshare King” husband David Siegel’s multi-million dollar quest to build the biggest private home in America. Chenoweth plays Jackie, with F. Murray Abraham as David.

“We’ve worked on it for five years, and I need to birth this baby, you know?” Chenoweth tells PEOPLE, before reflecting on “22 years with” Wicked music and lyrics writer Schwartz, 77.

And what got her “interested” in The Queen of Versailles was “what it has to say,” despite some initial reservations she admits she had about signing on.

“When Stephen called me [and explained the premise], I was like, ‘I don’t know … ‘ ” Chenoweth tells PEOPLE. “But then we started talking and discussing and developing, and it got me excited.”

As for her Wicked days, they’re not too far removed from Chenoweth’s life now, as both she and Menzel, 54, made surprise cameo’s in last year’s Jon M. Chu-directed movie treatment.

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While Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande took over the roles of Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, Menzel and Chenoweth play members of an Emerald City singing group that perform “One Short Day,” a song about the Wizard of Oz’s magical arrival to the land.

And asked whether she and Menzel will return in the films’ second part — Wicked: For Good, which hits theaters this November — Chenoweth recently told PEOPLE exclusively, “All I can say to the fans is they’ll just have to go and see.”

Chenoweth will appear in The Queen of Versailles at the St. James Theatre in New York City, with previews beginning Oct. 8 ahead of a Nov. 9 opening night.

The 2025 Tony Awards will air on CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, June 8, at 8 p.m. ET.

Daniel Radcliffe is giving his old schoolmate Tom Felton a hand. 

Felton, 37, told PEOPLE on the red carpet at the 2025 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 8, that he’s gotten some magical support ahead of his upcoming Broadway debut in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

“My old school chum, Potter, [Daniel] Radcliffe, has done quite a bit of Broadway, so he’s holding my hand and certainly helping me through all the things that are hard to learn,” the actor says. “But from what I gather, it’s an amazing community of people. The fans are really, really gracious and excited. So I’m just thrilled to be part of it.”

Radcliffe, 35, who portrayed the titular character in all eight installments of the original Harry Potter film series from 2001 to 2011, made his Broadway debut in the 2008 revival of Equus. He previously played the role on London’s West End. 

The actor went on to star in 2011’s revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, 2014’s The Cripple of Inishmaan and 2018’s The Lifespan of a Fact. 

Most recently, Radcliffe starred in the 2023 revival of Merrily We Roll Along alongside Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

Felton, meanwhile, had his breakthrough role as Draco Malfoy in the original film series. He will reprise his role this fall in the Broadway show that takes place 19 years after the closing of the seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. 

He will appear as Draco at the Lyric Theatre in New York City starting Nov. 11 for 19 weeks.

Felton also tells PEOPLE on the red carpet that he’s a “huge fan of the show,” noting that he’s seen it “a dozen times, nearly in England and a few times now on Broadway.”

“I just never saw myself having blonde hair again and reprising that role,” he admits. “Now as a dad, Draco has a son. So yes, it is an old character, but in a very new set of circumstances. I’m excited to explore it.”

Felton announced the role on June 5 on the Today show. His casting marks the first time an actor from the original movies has starred in the play.

Felton hit the red carpet at the 78th Annual Tony Awards in a classic black suit with a white buttoned shirt. He accessorized with a black tie and wore his hair slicked back. 

The ceremony will be hosted by stage and screen star Cynthia Erivo. The first-time host will be joined by a starry list of presenters including Kristin Chenoweth, Ariana DeBose, Danielle Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lea Salonga and Jean Smart.

See PEOPLE’s full coverage of the 78th annual Tony Awards, hosted by Erivo at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and airing on CBS and Paramount+.

Andrea Merriman’s world came to a stop in 2009. 

Her ex-husband, Shawn Merriman, told her that he was living a double life, admitting he had been running a $20 million Ponzi scheme for over a decade.

Shawn, the head of a successful investment company and a bishop at their church, turned himself in to federal agents and was imprisoned for fraud soon after.

The government quickly seized and repossessed all of their assets, most of which were purchased with investors’ money. Shawn, dubbed the “Mormon Madoff,” was sentenced to 12 years behind bars.

Meanwhile, Andrea was left nearly penniless to care for their four children, the youngest of whom was 3 at the time, and had to quickly figure out how the rest of her life would go.

Andrea, 58, talks to PEOPLE exclusively about why she’s sharing her story now and how she’s healed over the past 16 years.

“I remember thinking that, at the time, ‘I’m humiliated to be married to a criminal. I’m humiliated getting divorced,'” she shares. “I’m humiliated to go from riches to rags, I’m humiliated, but to do it in the public eye compounded it and multiplied.” 

Along with the humiliation, Andrea was also dealing with a “degree of guilt” knowing the man she loved had scammed people out of millions.

“There was a lot of guilt around what if I hadn’t been such a peacemaker, what if I hadn’t been such a kind and supportive wife, what if I hadn’t been so trusting,” she says.

“Would it have been possible for him to do it so long and then guilt all the people who probably trusted him because of the kind of life I lived and the kind of person I was? Yeah, but some of it has been because he was a criminal and I didn’t know it.”

After her husband’s conviction stripped them of everything, Andrea moved to Utah with her four children for a fresh start.

Now, she’s turning to TikTok to share her story of rebirth. Her first video, detailing the first 24 hours after her life was turned upside down, went viral, amassing over 10 million views.

She’s gained over 70,000 followers, with users eager to learn how she rebuilt her life. 

Andrea says she always knew she wanted to do something with her story. She was talking to a group of 20-somethings when one of them suggested she start a TikTok account.

“When it happened to me, I felt like I was alone in the world, and there was no one who lived my experience,” she explains. “I started my blog in 2010 to help at least one person by sharing my story and getting my name out there so they knew who to call or email if they needed advice.”

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“That was why I went to TikTok,” she continues. “There’s a whole new audience, a new generation. We need messages of hope and encouragement, and we need people to model how to survive and conquer adversity.”

She shares that her kids were a primary driving force in her recovery and journey, motivating her to forgive and build trust again. 

“Forgiveness has come with therapy. Faith and religion have helped me,” she says. “Being a parent as well, because, as a parent, you cannot require from your kids what you’re not willing to do yourself.”

“When we discovered what happened, my kids looked at me with tears and said, ‘What has happened?'” she recalls. “I said, ‘I don’t know what we’re going to do, but the one thing I know we’re going to do is we’re going to forgive, not for him, but for us.’ ”

Despite everything she’s been through, Andrea still “believes in trust” and that “people are good and kind.”

“Trust is a choice,” she says. “Moving forward is a choice. Resilience… it’s a skill, but it’s a choice. We have more choices than we realize, but when we acknowledge that, we take control of our agency and choose to act rather than be acted upon.”

Years after the initial shock and heartbreak, Andrea remarried, and her family is doing well. Her youngest recently graduated from high school, and her three oldest kids all graduated from college and “are building careers.”

“They’ve grown up and become adults. They’re good, kind, hard-working, and have empathy,” she tells PEOPLE.

“The 16 years of our recovery have been a lesson, a demonstration in resilience and trying new things,” she adds.

Andrea believes “we each have a life here” and “a mission to fulfill.”

“Every one of us has the gifts we need to succeed. We must find them and our hard times help us find them,” she shares.

“I dug deep and found them,” she adds. “I got a lot of help along the way from kind people, and now I’m at the point where I can pay it back and share what I’ve learned and help others, which is a great place to be in.”

For those who find themselves in a similar situation, Andrea advises them to “focus on something other than your misery in the middle of your horror.” 

“I didn’t spend a day in bed. I don’t know how, but I was afraid that if I did, I might never get out of bed again,” she says. “I didn’t let myself indulge in hatred of my ex-husband because I was afraid I would never be able to pull myself out if I did.” 

She continues, telling those who need it to “focus on something other than your misery, have gratitude, [and try] to accomplish something every day.”

“Being a parent, focusing on my kids helped me,” she says. “My worst nightmare in life was to be financially responsible for someone other than myself, and in the end, that’s what I got, and I learned I could do it.”

“I survived, which is a huge thing I learned about myself because I didn’t even realize I would be capable of that. We were poor, but we survived.”

It was an ordinary day in October 2023 when Kasey Allen’s world changed.

Allen tells PEOPLE that she was tidying up while her kids were playing just a short distance away. However, as she was finishing up her chores, she didn’t notice her then-16-month-old son, Asa, swallow a button battery. 

“Asa and my other two children were playing as I was picking up and cleaning in our RV,” Allen recalls. “At some point, Asa grabbed the remote to the backup camera, which was mounted to the steering wheel, dropped it, the battery fell out, and picked it up and swallowed it.”

When Allen walked back into the area, she found the remote lying on the floor, and about 20 minutes later, Asa started showing scary symptoms.

Allen says the little one began salivating, was noticeably flushed in his face, and became very whiny and fussy. Eventually, symptoms of fatigue began setting in.

“I was unsure of what was going on because I didn’t know there was a battery in the remote and didn’t know the signs of symptoms of button battery ingestion,” Allen explains.

“I became worried as his symptoms lingered for about an hour, and then he started coughing up black flakes, which was the outer covering of the battery,” she adds. “We rushed to the ER, where he was X-rayed, and they found he had swallowed a button battery.”

According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, more than 3,500 button batteries are ingested per year in the United States. Signs someone has swallowed a button battery include: noisy breathing, coughing, drooling, difficulty swallowing, a hoarse voice, vomiting, chest or abdominal pain, and gagging, coughing or choking with eating or drinking.

When swallowed, the small lithium batteries often get stuck in the throat and saliva triggers an electric current, which can lead to severe burning, esophageal perforation, vocal cord paralysis and more.

Allen says the recovery process has been “long, disappointing, expensive, exhausting for our family, and extremely hard to watch our son go through.”

“He’s had to go weeks with only IV nutrition, months of torture going back and forth to the hospital, and has dealt with the difficulty of eating and swallowing for 18 months.”

Allen has been sharing Asa’s story and journey of recovery on TikTok. The video she shared of Asa going in for his 27th dilation treatment went viral, amassing over 5.5 million views.

“Miraculously, Asa has zero scarred tissue in his esophagus after four treatments from the new facility/doctor from whom we sought a second opinion,” she says.

“He’s had approximately 27 dilations to stretch his esophagus. We haven’t had to give him any feeds through his G-tube since his first dilation with his new doctor at the end of February. He is growing so big.”

Allen hopes to raise awareness of the dangers of button batteries by sharing their story online.

“Be aware of what electronics in your home may contain a button battery and make sure it’s properly secured with the screw that should now be in place, thanks to Reese’s Law,” she says. “Know the signs that follow the ingestion of a button battery.” 

“If you think your child has swallowed a button battery, honey is said to slow the corrosion of the battery and could potentially be life-saving.” A hack, Allen shares, that she didn’t know at the time. 

Allen chose to share Asa’s story on TikTok because she knows the app reaches millions of people around the world.

“It was my best bet to get this information out quickly and efficiently,” she shares. “We’ve had an outpouring of support and prayers and parents thankful for the information and awareness.” 

For others that find themselves in a similar situation, she urged them to “find a support group, stay strong, and most importantly, learn how to advocate for your child.”