Remember That Time Natasha Lyonne Was Michael Rapaport's Tenant?
After putting the Orange is the New Black actress on blast a decade ago, the actor reveals where things stand.
In today's news about unexpected celebrity connections, we remind you that Natasha Lyonne was once a tenant of actor-comedian Michael Rapaport, and the living situation did not work out so well for either of them.
Yes, back in 2005, Michael put Natasha on blast when he wrote an expose called "Evicting Natasha Lyonne" in Jane Magazine detailing what it was like to rent to the Orange Is the New Black star in the apartment building he owned in New York. And let's just say Natasha wasn't the best neighbor, according to Michael. "People were going in and out of the apartment, [one of the tenants] was telling me about the late-night parties, and random dudes sprawled out on her sofa at all times. [Another tenant] had a little dinner party. Natasha was screaming up at them throughout the party," is just one of Michael's anecdotes from the article, as reported by The New York Daily News.
Natasha was eventually charged with mischief, trespass, and the harassment of a neighbor (and a neighbor's dog) while living in the building in 2004, according to Entertainment Weekly. These charges were dismissed after Lyonne completed court-appointed rehab in 2006.
The actress later realized how Michael must have felt while dealing with her as a tenant during that interview with EW. “At the time I didn’t understand, but now it’s like, if I owned a nice brownstone – and [someone] was constantly moving pianos while listening to Richard Pryor CDs, and trying to figure out how to play ‘Easy Like Sunday Morning’ on the piano for days at a time – I would potentially be pissed too," she said in 2012. “It’s the fallout of shenanigan-based behavior.”
After that experience, you might think that Michael wouldn't be so fond of Natasha these days. But he has run into the actress in recent years, and their relationship has taken an interesting turn. "We're totally reconciled, we're good friends, and she's like a sister to me. So we're cool," he told a caller during the Watch What Happens Live After Show on Wednesday night (clip above). "And she's good people, and she's a solid person and a great actress. She got good hair."
Wow, a friendship and some compliments for Natasha. It sounds like Michael is a man who doesn't hold grudges.
Kenya Moore hasn't either during her recent Twitter spat with Michael. Let her explain how she put an end to it earlier this week on WWHL, below.
