I apologize profusely for putting a link in this week's newsletter to the leaked photo of Rihanna's battered face. I had no idea that TMZ acquired it through deceptive and dishonest ways, and I'm furious at TMZ for stealing that photo from the LAPD and publishing it for their own benefit. It saddens me that as a famous woman, Rihanna cannot count on getting even the tiniest bit of privacy, and now she has the entire country feeding off of her personal tragedy and gushing sympathy. Being the victim of violence is hard enough without some stupid fucking celebrity gossip website posting stolen pictures and harassing her on the street for a comment. When someone becomes a celebrity, they expect the public to know about their relationships, about when they slip and fall in public, about how much they spend on clothing... but I doubt Rihanna ever predicted she would be in this situation.

Even before I knew TMZ stole the photo, I shouldn't have linked it, and I'm very sorry.