Prior to his arrest over the weekend, the founder of Telegram disclosed that he has over 100 biological children spread over the globe.
The creator of the well-known messaging app, Pavel Durov, was placed under arrest in France as a part of a continuing legal probe.
Due to his extensive work in the social media industry, Durov—who has been living in exile in Russia since 2014—has sometimes been compared to be the Russian equivalent of Mark Zuckerberg.
In addition to frequently traveling throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, Durov has been running Telegram out of Dubai for the past few years.
But the 39-year-old was taken into custody on Saturday on suspicion of not moderating enough on Telegram.
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, declared on Monday that the arrest was “in no way a political decision.”
“The arrest of the Telegram president on French territory took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation,” Macron posted via Twitter.
“This is not a political choice in the slightest. The judges will make the final decision.”
Since then, French authorities have made the case public, claiming that the investigation and the arrest that followed were connected to a probe into purported financial and cybercrimes on Telegram.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” the Telegram app stated in a message sent after the arrest. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”
Durov claimed to have over 100 children in a post on Telegram last month, making quite the statement.
He posted: “I was just told that I have over 100 biological kids.”My friend came to me fifteen years ago with an unusual request. He explained that he and his spouse were unable to conceive and wanted me to provide sperm to a clinic so they might become parents.”
Tech mogul went on: “The clinic’s manager informed me that there was a shortage of “high quality donor material” and that it was my civic responsibility to contribute more sperm in order to aid more couples in secret. In 2024, my previous charitable endeavors have aided more than a hundred couples across twelve nations in becoming parents.”Furthermore, at least one IVF facility still keeps my frozen sperm available for people looking to conceive surreptitiously, even though I ceased being a donor many years ago.”
The computer expert continued by saying that he intends to make his DNA “open-source” in order to facilitate easier communication between his biological offspring.
With an estimated billion users, Telegram is an encrypted chat and social media app. The app has a reputation for being especially well-liked in regions of the world with higher levels of censorship or surveillance.
Ryan Seacrest Is Replacing Pat Sajak as ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host
Given how long Sajak and White have worked together, many viewers have wondered over the years whether or not the pair was ever romantically involved. It’s a question that White finally answered. Here’s a brief history of the hosts’ time on the show and their unique relationship.
Joining ‘Wheel of Fortune’
Pat Sajak joined Wheel of Fortune in December of 1981. A year later, Vanna White was also made part of the cast. She made it to the final round of casting over more than 200 other women who hoped to become the future letter flipper. Ultimately, White won out over Summer Bartholomew and Vicki McCarty, the other top choices for the role of hostess.
After testing each of the women on real episodes of the show, the producer decided that White was the one who activated the letters best of all the candidates. She quickly became very popular among viewers, particularly young adults. Many of her fans were interested in her dazzling show wardrobe. The phenomenon, known as “Vannamania,” swept through the United States, earning the new star numerous additional jobs outside of Wheel of Fortune.
Nearly 40 years together
For the next 40 years, White and Sajak would work intimately together as host and hostess of Wheel of Fortune. While they generally stuck to the same roles throughout this time, there were a few instances where they would swap, most notably in November 1996 when Sajak had laryngitis.
Despite their many years together, in 2020 Sajak admitted that he initially didn’t want White to be cast as the hostess. He said, “Not that she wasn’t lovely and wonderful and personable and all that. But she was the most nervous, by far, of any of them.”
White obviously proved him wrong and has done a wonderful job. It helped that the pair seems to have such incredible chemistry together. It’s this very chemistry which has caused many fans to question just what kind of relationship White and Sajak had outside of filming.
Friends or more?
It is well known that White and Sajak get along well – extremely well, in fact. According to White herself, they rarely disagree on anything except whether ketchup should be put on a hot dog. Yet despite their closeness, White has emphasized that they really are just best friends and there is nothing romantic going on between them. The closest the two have come to being involved was when they played a prank on their audience.
“Years and years ago, we did an April Fool’s joke,” White recalled. “I don’t know that we said we were married, but we said something about being together, and we received toasters…” Sajak added later that it took years for people to stop sending the “married couple” Crockpots.
So although the renowned Wheel of Fortune stars have been together, in a work sense, for longer than most couples, they are not, and have never been, in a romantic relationship.
Nearly 20 years without a raise?
Soon after Sajak announced his retirement, fans were stunned to learn that Vanna White has not gotten a pay raise in 18 years. This surprising revelation comes from Puck reporter Matthew Belloni, who says that White, 66, has hired an aggressive lawyer to negotiate a raise as her current deal concludes at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Puck’s report states that White currently earns $3 million annually, while Sajak earns five times more than that. While some argue that Sajak is the host while White is a co-host responsible only for revealing letters on the board, Puck asserts that White engages in significantly more publicity for the show than Sajak. Sony, the show’s production company, declined to comment on Puck’s findings.
Whoopi Goldberg from The View expressed interest in taking over Sajak’s role, and several other notable names, including Ryan Seacrest and Sajak’s daughter Maggie, were mentioned as potential candidates.
Seacrest was named the new host of ‘Wheel’
The New York Times and other media outlets reported on June 27 that Ryan Seacrest will take over as the host of Wheel of Fortune. The news comes just two weeks after Sajak’s announcement. Seacrest, 48, is a talk show veteran himself, having hosted and produced many other programs including American Idol and Live with Kelly and Ryan.
“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest said in a statement. “I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”
Seacrest will also act as a consulting producer on the show.
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