The Gist:

• Prolific TV creator Norman Lear died at 101 and was married three times throughout his life.
• Norman’s marriages produced six children who range in age from 29 to 71.

• Norman’s family was very important to him, and his kids have been in the public eye to varying degrees.

Perhaps the most prolific and important TV creator of the 20th century, Norman Lear lived a long and impressive life before his death at 101. Norman’s death, which was announced on Dec. 6, 2023, has sparked a renewed interest in who he was both as a professional and as a person.

Among the things many were curious about related to Norman was his personal life, including whether he was married and had any children. Norman was married three times throughout his life, and two of his marriages lasted for several decades.

Norman was married three times throughout his life. His first marriage was to Charlotte Rosen, and the two got engaged when they were just teenagers. Norman said that they didn’t have much in the way of common interests, and their marriage fell apart after just a few years together. Norman ultimately wanted to move to New York for his career, while Charlotte wanted to stay in Los Angeles.

Following his divorce from Charlotte, Norman was married to Frances Loeb, the publisher of Lear’s magazine, from 1956 to 1985. The two separated in 1983, and Frances eventually received $112 million from Norman in a divorce settlement.

Frances explained that she ultimately left Norman after she realized that she had been entirely consumed by their marriage and his career success.

Norman married Lyn, his wife at the time of his death, in 1987.

“My wife is her own individual and I fell in love with that,” Norman explained to People. “She is a sterling human being. I love that she loves me.”

Lyn is a documentary filmmaker who has been Emmy nominated, and she also supported Norman’s constant drive to work, even well into the later years of his life.

Norman had six children throughout his life. His first child, Ellen, was born during his marriage to Charlotte. Ellen split her time between her mother and father while she was growing up.

Norman also had two children with Frances, Kate and Maggie, who are both public-facing on various levels.

Norman also had three children during his relationship with Lyn.

Ben was born in 1988, and Madelaine and Bernard are twins who were born in 1994.

Madelaine has stayed largely out of the spotlight, but did say that her dad places a huge emphasis on family.

“For him, family is everything,” she said. “I have no doubt in my mind that he would skip the Oscars or some really important event to spend time with family.”

The Gist:

• Ralph Cirella, Howard Stern’s personal friend and frequent guest, has died at just 58 years old.
• Ralph died of heart failure during a routine procedure and was undergoing treatment for a rare lymphoma that Howard said was treatable.
• Howard said that Ralph waited too long to address the lymphoma and “didn’t take care of himself.”

In large part because he has been on the air for so long, Howard Stern’s personal and professional lives have always been intertwined. Friends he has in real life wind up being guests on his show, and the bonds he has with them become familiar to his audience as well.

In early December 2023, Howard announced that Ralph Cirella, his longtime friend and stylist who had also been a frequent contributor to Howard’s radio show, had died. Howard seemed to be devastated by the news, but also paid tribute to the long friendship the two of them had. What was Ralph’s cause of death?

The Gist:

• Clare and Cameron have their share of differences on Married at First Sight.
• They move in together in the Dec. 6 episode of MAFS.
• Clare and Cameron have a hard time getting on the same page about intimacy and affection.

Marrying a stranger, honeymooning with them, and moving in together right after that is hard. Add to that the expected pressure of affection and intimacy and things are even more difficult. Which is exactly what Clare and Cameron are dealing with an an exclusive clip from the Dec. 6 episode of Married at First Sight.

In a way, their issues aren’t a total surprise. They’ve separately expressed concern about affection with one another before. And things weren’t easy on their honeymoon. But now, they meet with Dr. Pepper to sort things out and see if they can work on it before it becomes an even bigger issue.

Not everyone on Married at First Sight feels that immediate connection or attraction for their partner. And even when they do, it still doesn’t always work out for them. When it comes to Clare and Cameron, the biggest issue is giving and receiving affection. When one of them feels they should be getting it from the other person, the other assumes the same thing. For Cameron, it’s about getting more in return from Clare.

“I think the thing that Clare and I maybe struggled with the most during the honeymoon was trying to build a comfortable space for physical intimacy,” Cameron tells Dr. Pepper in the MAFS clip.

The issue doesn’t seem to be that there is a lack of attraction between Clare and Cameron. But instead, it looks like Clare is just having a harder time fully opening up and she needs that strong emotional connection first.

Clare agrees that it has been difficult for her to express her “love and affection.” But for Cameron, just hearing Clare explain why she is moving at a slow pace, which includes past relationships and intimacy there, is enough for him. And, it seems, this open line of communication could be just what they need.

Despite some MAFS couples hitting it off right away some seasons, they don’t always jump into bed together on their wedding nights or even during their honeymoons. Most participants are quick to remain guarded when it comes to actually hooking up with their new spouse. And if Clare and Cameron are dealing with that just a tad more than others, it just means they’re taking things slowly.

Watch Married at First Sight on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.