MIAMI, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 06: Maluma performs at Miami International Airport to announce this upcoming tour on Nov. 6, 2026, in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Romain Maurice/Getty Images)
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From a royal family scandal to a surprise airport concert, Florida was the backdrop for a flurry of celebrity headlines this week.
Here’s a quick catch-up on the stories making waves across the Sunshine State:
- Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., 82, was arrested Friday in Lakeland on a federal child pornography charge after agents seized roughly 78 items of suspected child sexual abuse material from two Los Angeles-area storage units.
- Telemundo “Al rojo vivo” host Lourdes Stephen announced her separation from husband Michael Puchades on Instagram, weeks after he publicly called her “promiscuous” in a since-deleted social media rant. The couple has been married 18 years and shares a 10-year-old son.
- Reggaeton star Maluma staged a surprise pop-up concert at Miami International Airport for passengers flying to Colombia, announcing his 60-city “Loco x Volver” world tour. It kicks off in Bogota on Feb. 5, 2027, and tickets went on sale this week.
- “Real Housewives of Miami” star Larsa Pippen, 52, revealed on Instagram that she was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. She said the aneurysm is small, under control and does not require surgery, and credited Dr. Steven Resnick of Mt. Sinai Medical Center.
- NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal stopped by Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton Monday to share financial advice with students as part of Credit One Bank’s Credit Tip Off Tour — then took over the DJ booth as DJ Diesel for an on-campus party.
- Comedian Russell Brand, who relocated to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, in 2024, was sentenced Monday to 10½ years in prison for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. Before the trial, he threw a 100-person farewell barbecue at Grayton Beach on Sept. 27.
- Billy Joel, who bought a waterfront mansion near Boca Raton in 2024, will perform a limited Q&A at Florida Atlantic University on Dec. 14. The event follows his May 2025 diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus and a shunt procedure that has helped him steadily improve.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
