Anthony Cumia was arrested and charged this weekend with strangulation in the second degree, unlawful imprisonment in the second degree, assault in the third degree, and criminal mischief in the third and fourth degree. A woman, apparently Cumia’s girlfriend, uploaded a video of the incident to Periscope.
Anthony Cumia, part of the shock jock duo of SiriusXM's The Opie and Anthony Show, exploded into a hours-long, racist rant on his Twitter feed last night after he was allegedly attacked by a woman and a group of men in Times Square. Cumia, along with his co-host Gregg "Opie" Hughes, have a long, sordid history in talk radio for their debauched antics, which have resulted in multiple FCC fines, suspensions, and outright firings over the years. But Cumia's history of racism appears to be just as long and shocking as the stunts he participates in on his radio show. And it's mostly gone hidden in plain sight.
Anthony Cumia, one half of the SiriusXM's comedy show The Opie & Anthony Show, claims to have been assaulted by a woman in Times Square Tuesday. According to his Twitter feed, he was apparently trying to take photos of the area when the woman was caught in the frame. When she objected to being in the photos, she allegedly starting punching him. He responded by calling her a cunt. Cumia then took to Twitter—for hours—for a racist, violent tirade.
Gossip Cindy Adams celebrates her 79th birthday today. Barbra Streisand is 67. Designer Jean-Paul Gaultier turns 57. Mets star Carlos Beltran is turning 32. Playwright Eric Bogosian is 56. Djimon Hounsou (and Kimora Lee's significant other) is 45. Political reporter Andrew Kirtzman turns 48. Mystery writer Sue Grafton is turning 69. Veteran diplomat Richard Holbrook is 67. Kelly Clarkson is 27. Cedric the Entertainer is turning 45. And Shirley MacLaine is 75. Weekend birthdays—including that of the newly-named worst CEO ever, Dick Fuld, this Sunday—after the jump!
• If you're out shopping and you find yourself facing off against Kelly Killoren Bensimon for the last dress in your size, let her have it: The former model and Real Housewives star was arrested and charged with third-degree assault last week after punching her 30-year-old boyfriend in the face, leaving him with a "black eye and opening a blood-gushing gash on his left cheek." [NYP, NYDN]
• Poor Olivia Palermo says she's been misrepresented by MTV producers, since she's actually "a much nicer person in real life." Also? She's currently "vacationing in London with her model boyfriend," if you're interested. [People]
• How's this for a comeback: Rihanna and Chris Brown have reportedly been holed up in a studio working on a new track together for the past few days. [E!]
♦ Charges will not be filed against Shia LaBeouf in connection with his car accident in LA in July. He may still lose his license, though, for failing to submit to a blood-alcohol test after the crash. [E!]
♦ Lindsay Lohan is so scared of her dad that she may take out an order of protection against him. [P6]
♦ Last week it was rumored Leonardo DiCaprio and Bar Refaeli had split up. Now it's rumored they're back together. [OK!]
♦ Robert De Niro is a giant pain to work with who makes "weird midnight phone calls." Or at least that's what Harvey Weinstein and Quentin Tarantino said in a taped phone conversation from 1997 that's just now been leaked. [P6]
♦ Julia Roberts left the Waverly Inn covered up in a pashmina, which means it's time for a fresh round of rumors that she's secretly pregnant. [The Sun]
When you're seconds away from offing yourself, you probably wouldn't think of calling in to the "Opie and Anthony Show" as your last earthly act. Maybe you should? Yesterday the show's beyond boorish hosts, Anthony Cumia and Gregg Hughes, took a timeout from cracking fart jokes to dissuade a distraught caller from shooting himself. A man identifying himself as Tom, who'd previously called in to say that he planned to kill himself because of his debilitating lung condition—which everyone took as a joke at the time—called back to say he was ready to go through with it. On air. Now. "Had a great run, my time is now, have fun," he said, reading aloud from his suicide note. And you thought it was radio that was dying.
