Morning! While you were sleeping (or staying up to binge-watch Friends for the tenth time, or pulling an all-nighter in the library), a few things went down that you’ll probably want to know about. So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and get scrolling.
Rumor Has It
In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, Sophie Turner credits Joe Jonas for saving her life following years of struggling with mental health and body image issues.
Sophie Turner Says Husband Joe Jonas ‘Saved My Life’ Amid Mental Health Struggles https://t.co/cnhv8BNSzR
— People (@people) May 19, 2019
Turner, who started on Game of Thrones when she was only 13, revealed that encountering fame at such an early age led to her feeling “mentally unwell.”
The GoT actress said she was “desperately unhappy” and a “complete mess,” and even considered suicide at one point.
Getting extremely candid about the issues she has faced, the 23-year-old actress told the Sunday Times that by the time she was 19, she needed to start going to therapy and that her biggest struggle was with body image.
“Suddenly, everyone’s metabolism slows down at 17, 18 and then that’s documented,” she said. “My skin and everything. People commenting on it. I was too aware of my body at a young age. And it just kind of took over my mind, it was all I would think about. Calorie counting, everything. ‘Oh, I’ll just eat nuts today.’”
Her food restriction, though, started to have a grave impact on her body, noting, “I stopped having my period for a year—that’s when I decided to have therapy.”
“I just think it’s so important everyone should have a therapist, honestly,” Turner added.
According to Turner, she was “mentally unwell” when she first met Jonas, 29, when she was 20-years-old.
“He was, like, ‘I can’t be with you until you love yourself, I can’t see you love me more than you love yourself,’” Turner said. “That was something, him doing that. I think he kind of saved my life, in a way.”
Though social media had severely negative impacts on Turner’s health with all of the criticism regarding her appearance, social media did help her find happiness after she and Jonas met after he slid into her DMs, according to the Sunday Times.
Earlier this month, the couple surprised fans by getting married in Las Vegas after the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, E! News reports. The couple is to have a larger wedding later in France.
Turner revealed that at some point in their relationship, she and Jonas broke up for one day.
“It was the worst day of our lives,” Turner said. “For a second, we both had cold feet, then 24 hours later we were both, like, ‘Never mind.’”
News You Can Eat
Calling all chocolate lovers, because Hershey’s Chocolate World is opening a new attraction today, May 20th, and it will take chocolate lovers on the journey of a lifetime.
The latest attraction to hit Hershey’s Chocolate World is Hershey’s Unwrapped: A Chocolate Tasting Journey, an immersive and interactive (and delicious!) experience that is designed to take chocolate enthusiasts on a behind-the-scenes chocolate tasting adventure.
Image via Hershey’s Chocolate World
What makes the attraction so unique is that it’s a theatrical show, a hands-on experience and a chocolate tasting sessions all in one, Romper reports. How fun is that?!
The experience starts off with the theatrical show, hosted by a nutty professor who teaches the guests how to “utilize their senses” most efficiently before meeting Doc Chocolate, a seasoned chocolatier, according to a press release for the attraction.
Doc Chocolate will lead guests through a series of tasty experiments in the chocolate lab, where visitors will be able to sample Hershey’s most “iconic and sought-after” chocolate.
“Multiple generations of families have created memories at Hershey’s Chocolate World over the last four decades. For our guests, the standard of a new attraction is high,” Suzanne Jones, Vice President of the Hershey Experience, said in a press release. “That’s why I’m so excited about Hershey’s Unwrapped. The experience will truly exceed those high expectations, with a lot of laughs — and of course, plenty of chocolate — along the way.”
This attraction honestly sounds like a dream.
While entrance to Hershey’s Chocolate World, which is located outside of Hersheypark, is free, admission to Hershey’s Unwrapped is $15.95 for anyone 13 and older, and children between the ages of three and 12 can get in for $12.95, PEOPLE reports.
But there is more fun to be had at Hershey’s Chocolate World, including a 4D Chocolate Movie, Create Your Own Candy Bar and Hershey’s Chocolate Tour ride. You can make your trip even more fun by visiting the adjacent Hersheypark, which boasts more than 70 attractions, including waterslides and rollercoasters.
Looks like it’s time to plan for a Memorial weekend trip!
Then This Happened
Women’s and civil rights groups are planning to hold nationwide protests this week over the recent bills that states have passed restricting access to abortions.
Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Women’s March and other groups are organizing the nationwide demonstrations Tuesday, The Hill reports.
They’re coming for women.
They’re coming for doctors.
They’re coming for Roe.But we’re the majority—and we’re NOT going back. Join us, @MoveOn, @IndivisibleTeam, @PPact @ACLU, and more in the streets on 5/21. Find a #StopTheBans event near you: https://t.co/G4OqYZwl5F pic.twitter.com/sE8fP14NeV
— NARAL (@NARAL) May 17, 2019
“Across the country, we are seeing a new wave of extreme bans on abortion, stripping away reproductive freedom and representing an all-out assault on abortion access,” the groups said on the “Stop The Bans” protest website.
“This is [President] Trump’s anti-choice movement… and it’s terrifying, particularly for women of color and low-income women who are most affected by these bans,” the groups said, adding that these bans are an “unconstitutional attempt to gut Roe and punish women.”
Demonstrations will be held Tuesday at statehouses, town squares and courthouses across the country.
“We will show up to speak out and fight back against this unconstitutional attempt to gut Roe and punish women,” the protest website states, referring to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S. “Politicians shouldn’t be making decisions best left to women, their families and their doctors.”
Pro-choice groups have expressed outrage in the recent weeks as numerous states have passed laws to restrict access to abortions.
This past week, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed into law the nation’s strictest restriction on abortion, prohibiting all abortions in the state unless a mother’s life is at risk due to a pregnancy and making it a felony in the state of Alabama for a doctor to perform an abortion, HuffPost reports.
On Friday, Missouri lawmakers passed a ban on abortions after eight weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest victims. Republican Gov. Mike Parson told reporters he’ll sign the bill into law.
Georgia and Ohio have also passed what is called “heartbeat legislation,” in which abortions are prohibited once a fetal heartbeat is detected.
So far, a total of 16 states have either passed or are considering heartbeat laws.
(Not So) Happy Thoughts
Us now that Game of Thrones has ended: