Gawker believes that publicly airing rumors out is usually the quickest way to get to the truth. We also believe that Friday afternoons are a great time to share gossip with your friends. Here’s what we (and you) have heard lately.

Important note: We make every effort to track down and report out the rumors and gossip we hear, but for a variety of reasons we can’t always nail them the way we’d like. So let’s acknowledge that we can’t vouch for the veracity or truth of the rumors we’ll be sharing here—but maybe you can.

Rumor: A tipster tells us (via email) that Jonathan Franzen pulled a $5 million advance on his new novel, Purity. Thank you, tipster!

Rumor: Bill de Blasio is fucking a union rep. Via email:

Tipster: Heard an interesting rumor tonight. He is fucking a UFT rep.

Gawker: Which one?

Tipster: No idea. Just some woman and it has been for a while. Rumor is that is why there is still a guard post outside Park Slope (or at least was until he rented it out).

Gawker: Weird!

Rumor: Bill de Blasio is lying about his marijuana usage. A tipster writes in:

Apparently one of his concerns about moving to Gracie Mansion was the lack of privacy that house affords to engage in precisely this type of behavior. ... He may not be smoking at this very second, but the two different accounts I heard were from completely different circles, one in 2009 and one in 2013.

Rumor: Bradley Cooper used to troll for anonymous gay sex:

There is an old rumor that flew around CAA during my generation that Bradley Cooper answered an ad for anonymous sex and it happened to be this guy who was an assistant in the talent department. This was about ten years ago so I’m hazy on where it was placed. Anyway, the guy said that Bradley had a sheet up with a hole in it and had the assistant blew him through the sheet. — JugEndImpressionist

Rumor: Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow are annual fuck buddies:

Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow get a hotel room and still fuck, once a year. My apartment neighbor swears by this, because it is what his agent also swears by. — KittensAndUnicorns

Rumor: Tyra Banks has a very specific ritual for visiting the dentist:

Her assistant calls the office 20 minutes before her arrival and says, “Ms Banks will be arriving in 20 minutes. When she arrives, NO ONE makes eye contact. You do NOT speak to her unless necessary.” Tyra Banks walks in by herself, does not say anything, does not make eye contact. Only speaks to the dentist. — I should be studying

Rumor: Howard Kurtz and Lauren Ashurn—remember those two?—are no longer friends. A tipster writes in:

Howie Kurtz and Lauren Ashburn no longer follow each other on Twitter and are no longer friends on Facebook after she left Fox. Sadness.

Rumor: Anna Kendrick turned down Luke Russert. A tipster tells Gawker:

I heard Luke Russert once tried to get with Anna Kendrick and she turned him down.

Poor guy.

What gossip have you heard about politicians, athletes, businesses, celebrities? Leave the best in the comments, or drop us an email.