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Four years after Freida McFadden’s popular thriller series debuted in April 2022, the Housemaid author has revealed the true identity behind her pseudonym. On April 9, USA Today published an interview with the mysterious author, whose real name is Dr. Sara Cohen. Yes, doctor.

“I’m at a point in my career when I’m tired of this being a secret,” Cohen told the publication. “I’m tired of people debating if I’m a real person or if I’m three men. I am a real person and I have a real identity and I don’t have anything to hide.”

Here’s everything we know about the author behind the best-selling Housemaid series, and what the revelation means for the future of the books, which recently found an even wider audience thanks to the film adaptation starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried.

Who is The Housemaid author Frieda McFadden?

Frieda McFadden is the pseudonym Cohen has been writing under for the past 23 years. Her first psychological thriller was the 2014 best-seller Dead Med, which follows a med student unpacking the tragic and mysterious deaths of her classmates.

According to her website, Frieda is a physician (true) who “​lives with her family and cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.”

It’s unclear how accurate that last part is, but we do know she’s wearing a wig in her author photo. “I have no idea how to style my hair,” she told USA TODAY.

Who is Dr. Sara Cohen?

Dr. Cohen is a brain disorder specialist working in Boston. “It’s so much more boring than anything that happens in my books,” Cohen says of her career.

In the new interview Cohen said she initially wrote under a pseudonym so that her books wouldn’t interfere with her medical career. As she put it, “My whole goal was to keep it a secret until I was (ready to) step back from my doctor job, so it wouldn’t be like everyone I work with suddenly knew and it compromised my ability to do my job.”

Why reveal her identity now?

Well, Cohen says her colleagues found out anyway but were “really nice about it” and kept her secret. She “stepped away” from her medical career in 2023, adding, “I’m only working like once or twice a month.”

But that was still three years ago, and Cohen seemed content to let people speculate about her identity as recently as December 2025. “Some of [the theories] are just so out there,” she said on Jenna Bush Hager’s Open Book podcast at the time. “Some of it is great. I think every author gets ‘AI is writing her books,’ even though most of them were written before AI,” she said. “One that’s very funny is people saying that I’m three men, and I think that’s hilarious.”

However, she admitted the ruse made it difficult to connect with her readers, saying, “I see all these authors doing these huge book tours, which I never do, and I feel so bad that I never do it.”

How will it affect her books—or even the Housemaid movies?

It shouldn’t affect them at all, as Cohen plans to continue to use her pen name. And her fans should still call her Freida.

“Even though I haven’t told my real name until now, I feel like I have shared the real me all along, and everything I’ve told them has been the truth,” Cohen said. “Even though the name will be a surprise, nothing else will. I’ve always been genuine with my readers.”

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Four years after Freida McFadden’s popular thriller

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The company, which owns Credit Karma, TurboTax, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, launched the SMB MediaLabs business in 2023 as a way for advertisers to target QuickBooks customers across the web. In the process, Intuit aimed to build out a new revenue stream for its own business.

Small business owners use QuickBooks to manage accounting, payroll, and other administrative tasks. SMB MediaLabs aimed to be a reliable pool of data focused on small businesses, something that’s not easy to find, Dave Raggio, vice president of U.S.

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The company, which owns Credit Karma, TurboTax,

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The cast of Fox‘s Baywatch reboot will remain on Venice Beach.

After reports suggested the series had encountered issues filming in Venice Beach, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass confirmed on X on Friday that production will continue as planned.

“I’m pleased that Baywatch will continue to film right here on Venice Beach. When I heard there were issues with Baywatch filming in Los Angeles, my Office took immediate action with Councilmember Park to clear any City-related barriers, including making parking easier and more affordable for the production,” she wrote.

Bass added: “This was a team effort, among my Office, Councilmember Park’s Office, the County, Coastal Commission, Fremantle and FOX, and I’m thankful for this continued partnership.” 

The series will continue filming across Los Angeles’ iconic beaches, including Venice Beach outside of the Lifeguard Headquarters, Marina del Rey and Redondo Beach, as well as at the Fox lot in Century City.

Fox declined to comment.

The production has been awarded $21 million in tax credits to film in L.A. “The City of Los Angeles will always clear bureaucratic barriers, making it easier and more affordable to film in the entertainment capital of the world,” Bass wrote in her tweet.

The new Baywatch is a reimagining of the classic lifeguard drama that debuted in 1989 and starred David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson. The reboot is slated for the 2026-27 season and stars Stephen Amell as the lead, with Shay Mitchell, Noah Beck, Livvy Dunne, Brooks Nader, Thaddeus LaGrone and more also appearing. Click here to see everyone who is starring in Baywatch — including one original cast member set to return.

Matt Nix serves as showrunner and executive producer. Executive producers also include McG, Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, Doug Schwartz, Dante Di Loreto and Mike Horowitz, with McG directing the first episode. 

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The cast of Fox‘s Baywatch reboot will

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The crew of Artemis II has safely splashed down after their historic 10-day trip around the moon.

Shortly after 5pm PT, the Orion spacecraft, dubbed Integrity by its four-person crew, made re-entry and splashdown off the coast of San Diego.

Following what was described as a “textbook entry,” crewmembers Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen and Reid Wiseman were all in “excellent shape,” according to NASA‘s livestream.

During re-entry, the capsule shed its service module and dived toward Earth at 24,000 miles per hour. Starting at 12,000 feet, a series of 11 parachutes unfurled to slow the capsule from several hundred miles-per-hour to a gradual 17–20 mph for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Launching on April 1, the Artemis II mission broke Apollo 13’s record for human distance from Earth, traveling 252,756 miles.

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The crew of Artemis II has safely

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Sabrina Carpenter brought Hollywood, Broadway and a good old fashioned house party to the desert in a rollicking, raunchy and hit-filled headlining Coachella set.

There were costume changes, elaborate set pieces and celebrity cameos — but no duets. (She didn’t “arrest” anyone, either, despite rumors that Madonna might be put in her signature cuffs.)

Carpenter opened the set with a black-and-white intro video — pre-taped scenes have become commonplace in Coachella’s pop star era — in which she’s driving a car down a dark desert road, staring at a younger version of herself in a nearby vehicle. A cop, played by Sam Elliott, pulls over for some reason he can’t articulate and warns her not to go to California (“You know it’s not right out there. It’s wrong,” he says).

The sketch went on a bit long, coupled with Carpenter’s extended catwalk entrance, but when the lights flooded the stage and the orchestral suite segued into “House Tour,” the show got off to a start as red-hot as the headliner’s dress.

The first half of the set exuded a vintage showbiz flare. Retro cars overlooked the first backdrop — a replica of the Hollywood Hills — before big letters spelling “SABRINAWOOD” appeared from behind the miniature mountains. Plus, there was more than one direct reference to Marilyn Monroe. (Carpenter not only sometimes resembles the Blonde Bombshell, but she similarly knows how to straddle the line between sex appeal and self-deprecating silliness.)

Carpenter’s vocals sounded mostly pristine throughout the 90-minute performance, an impressive feat for someone moving around so much (“My Man on Willpower” even had her walking forward and backward on a treadmill in heeled boots). A highlight was the live debut of “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night,” which saw Carpenter belting about a relationship that’s on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again (and so on).

During the exuberant “Manchild,” Carpenter navigated a horde of men costumed as poodles and Dalmatians, prancing around the stage as they lifted one leg to mock-tinkle. (“Squirrel!” she yelled in between chorus and verse — perhaps a reference to the dog from Pixar’s “Up.”) During “Taste,” she kicked her legs high in the hair and let the crowd show off their singing chops. And during “Please Please Please,” Anya Taylor-Joy and fellow Coachella performer Sombr were spotted on the livestream bopping their heads and singing along.

“I can’t believe I’m headlining Coachella!” Carpenter shouted early on. “I mean, I can a little bit, but it’s nicer to say that, right?”

Clearly, the set was front-loaded with hits (three of her four biggest songs arrived within the first 20 minutes or so), which provided a jolt of excitement up top but a somewhat brutal lull in the middle. One bizarre, nearly 7-minute interlude featured Susan Sarandon playing an older version of Carpenter, delivering a wistful monologue about what a future niece might think of her. Carpenter’s “Girl Meets World” co-star Corey Fogelmanis made a cameo, too, as a waiter at a drive-in theater. (And if audiences didn’t recognize him, the festival made sure to plaster his name on the bottom of the livestream.) The scene, a bungled reflection on wish fulfillment, brought the pop show to a screeching halt. A message I received from someone on the ground read: “People are sitting down. This is a momentum killer. Lots of people leaving.”

The drawn-out cameo did allow for a costume change — Carpenter finally reappeared in a blue turtleneck sweater — and the Los Angeles mountainscape was replaced by a 1980s-inspired audition room. But it took a little while for the show to pick back up. The decision to follow a spoken-word performance with three slow songs (“Go Go Juice,” “Such a Funny Way” and “Sugar Talking”) didn’t help move things along.

But then “Feather” rolled around, with a flock of lingerie-laden ladies following Carpenter across the stage with luscious, black bird wings. And a “Copacabana” sample brought back that hint of cheeky glamour.

And then there were a couple more celebrity cameos. Will Ferrell played an electrician, dragging a power cord across the stage in a bit that didn’t quite connect, and Carpenter’s usual sex position gag in “Juno” was replaced by the banging of a gong and a voiceover from Samuel L. Jackson: “Hello, Coachella. This is your spiritual guide. I am here to take you motherfuckers on this journey to relaxation.”

Carpenter finished strong at the center of a Broadway-inspired set piece, with flashing marquees reading “Icon in Motion” and “She’ll Dream Come True It for Ya!” Before launching into her biggest hit, she reflected on the last time she played Coachella, in 2024. She had released “Espresso” a night before her performance and virtually no one in the crowd knew the words. She promised the audience then: “See you back here when I headline!”

Well, it didn’t take long for that dream to come true. “Two years ago, I wanted to put out a little song before Coachella,” Carpenter said, sipping from an espresso martini glass. “And now I think you might know the fucking words.”

The stage erupted into a confetti-covered costume party, with nuns dancing next to showgirls and Chippendales, before Carpenter returned to those vintage cars for her final song, “Tears.” The hilariously raunchy ode to male competence saw the pop star elevated at the center of a sprinkler-head chair, spritzing herself and her backup dancers. And then she got back in the car, turned up the radio and drove the hell out of there.

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Sabrina Carpenter brought Hollywood, Broadway and a

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[This article may or may not contain spoilers for the third season of Daredevil: Born Again, depending on if these guys were just, like, stopping by for lunch.]

The reabsorption of Netflix’s short-lived set of Marvel TV shows into the larger body of Marvel on-screen canon has been a long and delicate process, beginning when the MCU movies and shows acknowledged that they probably weren’t going to find a better Matt Murdock or Wilson Fisk than Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, respectively, before growing out (after some expensive and radical reshoots) into the addition of most of the cast of Marvel‘s Daredevil to Disney+ revival show Daredevil: Born Again. Things took a turn toward the even-more-inclusive last year, when Krysten Ritter broke her two-year veil of secrecy and confirmed she’d be back for the show’s currently airing second season, reprising her role as hard-drinking superpowered P.I. Jessica Jones.

But whither the rest of the Defenders, that deliberately low-rent team of lightly-powered individuals keeping New York’s less flashy neighborhoods safe from their surprising surfeit of ornery ninjas? Well, we may now have our answer, as Variety reports that photographers caught Ritter on the set of the show’s currently shooting third season this week… with Mike Colter and Finn Jones in tow.

Given that this probably isn’t the Evil/Daredevil/Dickinson crossover we’ve been pitching in our fanfiction, the pictures certainly suggest that Luke Cage and Danny “Iron Fist” Rand may also soon be popping into the MCU for an appearance in Born Again. (Neither man has reprised these parts since the late 2010s: Jones last played Rand in the 2018 finale of the second season of Iron Fist, while Colter reappeared as Cage in the series finale of Jessica Jones, the final installment of the whole Netflix mini-universe.) Of course, Matt Murdock will have to get through season 2 of Born Again, which is set to run through May 5, if he wants to get to any further Defenders reunions; season 3 of the series is currently set for a March 2027 premiere.

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Melania Trump has nothing to do with the Epstein files, she wants us to know. Wait, what?

On Thursday the first lady called a surprise press conference with no context as to what she wanted to speak about. Striding up to the podium solo in a pantsuit and heels, Trump immediately launched into it.

“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said.

No, Trump said, she wasn’t friends with Epstein or his co-conspirator Ghislane Maxwell. It wasn’t true that Epstein, as some had claimed, introduced her to her husband. Sure, she ran in the same circles as Maxwell and Epstein and had engaged in some “casual correspondence” with the former, but that’s it. She certainly, she said, had nothing to do with the duo’s crimes of sexual assault and trafficking, and no connection to his victims.

And anyone who suggested she is, she said, is not being truthful.

“The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather, I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation,” she said.

After a few minutes of categorically denying any connection to Epstein, Trump closed by saying she encouraged more investigation by Congress into the people who were co-conspirators of the billionaire, asking them to have a “public hearing specifically centered around the survivors.”

“Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony,” she said. “Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional Record.”

Then, without taking questions, she turned around and strode away, stiletto heels clicking on the floor.

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Trump’s entire press conference was only about six minutes, but it left the reporters in the room, and everyone else at home, too stunned to speak. Because, what? Why?

While the Trumps’ connection with Epstein and Maxwell has been well documented, many White House correspondents noted there has been no news as of the past few weeks that explicitly tied the first lady to Epstein in a new or different way. As Shawn McCreesh, the White House correspondent for the New York Times, wrote in his coverage of the presser: “It was not clear why [Trump] chose to speak out now, or to what reports she was referring.”

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Everyone talks about AI agents. At ADWEEK’s Social Media Week, you’ll learn how to build your first one. Because there’s no better way to start understanding something than by doing it yourself.

On Wednesday, April 15 starting at 1 p.m., three experts from Stagwell agency Code and Theory will give attendees hands-on training on how to build your first AI agent. Expect to leave the course, titled Build Your First Agent, with three autonomous helpers designed to improve your social media workflow.

Because this is hands-on keyboard training, capacity is very limited. You’ll want to reserve your seat on the SMW App. 

I’m personally really excited about offering this course, and Code and Theory’s teachers are as well.

“I love explaining how this technology works to people that are not technical, because there’s so much value in understanding what’s under the hood,” said Peter Steiner, who leads Code and Theory’s Creative Labs and is responsible for R&D and AI implementation. 

Besides Steiner, the classes will also be led by Josh Currie, head of operations strategy and business intelligence, and Benaëlle Benoit, junior strategist. 

Code and Theory built three social media workflow agents for the course, and they’ll walk students through how they too can build them.

By the time you’re done with the class, you will have built three agents: Trend Pulse Report (produces a report on what’s trending on social media), Partnership Evaluator (finds and evaluates potential partnerships), and Analytics Interpreter (produces a report telling you what worked, what didn’t, and why).

You’ll also have the foundational knowledge to go home and build more yourself. The agents built for work productivity can also be used at home.

“I don’t have social media, funnily enough,” Benoit said. “And I’ve been using the trends agent I made for this class for my personal life, because it lets me update myself on things that are happening, like a new show that’s coming out or a season that’s renewing.”

This will be a very valuable class for those who know little about agentic workflows but want to take the first step, with hands-on guidance on how to master them.

“The industry has done a great job of hyping it up and making it seem like it’s this completely wild, magical thing, but it really is something that regular people can understand, and that’s important to being able to use it well, and integrate it into your work and life,” said Steiner.

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Everyone talks about AI agents. At ADWEEK’s

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Sabrina Carpenter had a premonition the last time she played Coachella in 2024, singing to a buzzing crowd during her set at the time that she would “see you back here when I headline.”

It was a less distant reality than even she may have anticipated. Almost exactly two years later, Carpenter served as the first night’s headliner for Coachella 2026 on Friday, delivering an intricate, vintage Hollywood-style set — complete with acting cameos from the likes of Sam Elliott, Susan Sarandon and Will Ferrell — that only further reflected her status as one of pop’s biggest performers.

“If I said that and I didn’t headline, it’d be pretty fucking awkward,” Carpenter joked at one point during the night, referencing that 2024 callout.

Starting at just past 9 p.m. Friday night, Carpenter opened her set with a long video intro featuring Elliott playing a menacing cop who pulled her over in a sort of classic film noir scenario. After emerging from her car in real life just off the stage, she took to a catwalk that looked like her very own walk of fame, and she kicked off the show with her latest Man’s Best Friend single “House Tour.” From there, she went through “Taste,” “Busy Woman,” and “Manchild,” where in the latter, she was surrounded by background dancers dressed as poodles and Dalmatians.

In an interview with Marc Jacobs in Perfect magazine published earlier this week, Carpenter had teased that Coachella would mark “the most ambitious show I’ve ever done.” That was on full display Friday from the production and set design, which had Carpenter performing in front of a makeshift Hollywood Hills, complete with her own “Sabrinawood” sign that emerged as she started “When Did You Get Hot.”

“Welcome to Sabrinawood,” Carpenter told the crowd early in the night. “I can’t believe I’m headlining Coachella. I mean, I can a little bit, but it’s nicer to say that, right?”

Throughout the night, the set also transported Carpenter to a recording studio, a dive bar, and after a very extended monologue from Sarandon, the whole stage changed to a gigantic dance studio for her next act. By the end of the night, she was at a Broadway-esque cityscape. Her dancers’ outfits were similarly intricate, from dogs to burlesque dancers to members of the circus.

Hollywood was the through line for the whole night, as beyond those celebrity cameos, Carpenter seemed to reference films including Chicago and Dirty Dancing among others as well.

Carpenter kept mainly to her Man’s Best Friend and Short n’ Sweet songs for the night, and her set included the live debut of Man’s Best Friend track “We Almost Broke Up Last Night.”

Carpenter finished the last night strong, going from “Juno” to “Espresso” to “Goodbye.” She wrapped with “Tears,” sitting on a throne that ascended from a car as a water fountain had gone off below her. It’s the sort of blush-inducing cheekiness we’ve come to expect from her.

She officially wrapped by driving off in style an old school car, with weekend two still ahead of her.

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As Dewey was re-cast for the Malcolm in the Middle revival, Erik Per Sullivan‘s successor had some big ears to fill.

While discussing Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, all episodes of which are now available to stream on Hulu, Caleb Ellsworth-Clark said he “didn’t want to fuck that up” for the original 2000-’06 sitcom’s devoted fans.

“I grew up watching the show. I know that Dewey was a fan favorite, but he was also a personal favorite,” he told People. “And I think I was aware that maybe people might be disappointed Erik wasn’t gonna come back and do the show. I guess I didn’t want to f*ck that up.”

Last March, Ellsworth-Clark joined the cast of the revival along returning stars Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Jane Kaczmarek, Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield as his onscreen family, with Anthony Timpano, Vaughan Murrae and Keeley Karsten also joining the ensemble.

“They were so warm and welcoming,” Ellsworth-Clark said of his co-stars. “I was really scared to show up but they all took such great care of me and made me feel like I belong. So I am really grateful to all of them.”

Justin Berfield, Erik Per Sullivan, Christopher Masterson and Frankie Muniz in ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ (20th Century Fox Film Corp.)

Although Per Sullivan was offered “buckets of money” to reprise his role, Cranston recently explained that the former child actor is now “studying Dickens and is an incredible student … and he just said, ‘No thank you.’”

In Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, Muniz reprises his once-angsty teenage character, who is now a father of his own. When his parents Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Kaczmarek) demand his presence at their anniversary party, Malcolm is forced to stop avoiding his dysfunctional family while attempting to protect his daughter Leah (Karsten) from their chaotic dynamic.

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One of the final performances scheduled for the first night of Coachella has been scrapped due to severe weather conditions.

Anyma, the Italian American DJ who makes up one-half of the EDM duo Tale of Us, was set to perform on the main stage at midnight, approximately 90 minutes after Sabrina Carpenter’s headlining set.

But at 12:17 a.m., the festival notified attendees of a “schedule update.”

“Due to strong wind conditions affecting Anyma’s stage build, he is unable to perform,” reads the statement, which was posted online and sent as a push notification via the Coachella app. “Coachella & Anyma have made this decision together with your safety as the priority. Further updates to come.”

Those watching the livestream at home may have found out the set had been canceled when a note reading “Stage Wrapped” appeared under the “Main Stage.”

It is unclear whether Anyma’s performance will be rescheduled for another time at the festival, which runs through Sunday night (and repeats next weekend).

Variety has reached out to Anyma’s representative for comment.

This year’s Coachella music festival kicked off on Friday, with performances from artists like Dijon, Disclosure and Turnstile, as well as headliner Carpenter, who brought out celebrity guests Susan Sarandon and Will Ferrell and heated up the desert with hits such as “Espresso” and “Manchild.”

The fun continues throughout the weekend, with additional headliners Justin Bieber and Karol G. Coachella will also take place next weekend, from April 17 to 19, with the same lineup of performers.

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This week’s Saturday Night Live, the second Jack Black-hosted episode in as many seasons and his fifth official episode overall, featured a sketch that more or less encapsulates Black’s whole SNL deal, especially in these 2020s appearances. In his younger/hungrier days, Black rampaged through the studio with something to prove, evidently gleeful about getting to host the show and bring his brand of music-comedy bravado to a mainstream audience. (Obviously he wasn’t an obscurity during his 2002 and 2003 episodes, but the second one was literally the day after School of Rock opened, meaning all of his biggest hits were still ahead of him.) These last two years, his vibe on the show is more of a veteran cutting loose for grown-ups during several weeks of kid-movie promo. After all, it’s been nearly a decade since the man has made a movie you couldn’t comfortably show to a 10-year-old.

I wouldn’t say that career shift has dulled his comic edge, because he still seems up for whatever, up to and including slathering young people with Jergens in an attempt to seducing them into some fumbling form of partying. (Meta-commentary on his cheerful attempts to stay relevant with the youngs? Probably not, but you could read it that way!) Moreover, his trademark zeal has also long had a childlike side to it. This makes him the perfect host to appear in a sketch cutting back and forth between a group of female friends in a kitchen and the husbands who are somewhat improbably hanging out together for the first time the adjoining living room. It seems like a little awkward-masculinity riff that doesn’t necessarily require Black’s personal sensibility, until the boys absentmindedly break into a rendition of the Kansas song “Carry On My Wayward Son.” Soon enough they’ve made the transition from abnegating their own small-talk to a full-on air-guitar, ribbon-wand, costume-change performance.

There’s only the slightest glimmer of satire or commentary in this sketch, and barely any individual character work. It doesn’t have much of an ending or even much of a button, either. (“Someone from the other, confused party abruptly joins in the unusual behavior” is about as basic as it gets.) For that matter, the sketch doesn’t feel all that left-field in its silliness: Thematically and comedically, it’s not far off from from the concept of “Boy Dance Party” and “Carry On My Wayward Son” is exactly the kind of song that was proudly dragged back into the spotlight during Black’s 2000s-era Frat Pack heyday. (It’s in both the trailer and the final moments of Anchorman.) But through the purity of commitment Black and the especially similar-minded James Austin Johnson and Andrew Dismukes, the sketch became a tribute to the full-throated silliness that the Super Mario Galaxy star brings to the room. Like Johnson’s character in the self-defense-class sketch, it’s all skill and very little technique. It’s something that Black in particular is good at getting away with, and SNL has the resources to build a series of venues for him. 

There was a messier version of this energy in Black’s obligatory five-timer monologue, which went back to the Five-Timers’ Club, with unofficial SNL spokeswoman emeritus (and part-time SNL UK shill) Tina Fey given the task of acknowledging more directly than ever that this bit is kind of tired but expected. That this was sandwiched between very “whoever’s around” cameos from Jonah Hill, Candice Bergen, and Melissa McCarthy somewhat diminished the self-satire, but it was admittedly fun to bring out Jack White for a recreation/spoof of the sporting-event version of “Seven Nation Army,” further highlighting the sense (whether accurate or not) that the Black & White thing wasn’t just a happy booking accident. White may not be as naturally gregarious as Black, but he’s got an inimitable personality steeped in rock-and-roll tradition while creatively tweaking that familiarity. Bringing him a little further into the episode with the monologue and a music video only felt right.

What this episode in particular was missing (as was last year’s to some degree, though not quite so obviously) were sketches that felt like significantly more than spirited run-throughs of familiar ideas. Black racked up some real classics in some of his 2000s episodes; this time, I’m not sure if he got anything as good as last year’s Indiana Jones guy on the game show or “Bass Lake.” But if you put him in that room, he’ll raise the energy levels to the point where just about anything seems to count as a pretty good time.

What was on

Along with the singing-husbands sketch, the best segment of the night was the “Words to Live By” music video, a parody of folksy-recollection country songs with the unfortunate snag of guys getting too distracted (or in one case, too shitty) to actually recall the secret-of-life wisdom they’ve supposedly received. Dismukes and Johnson don’t sing together more than a couple of times per season, if that, but they have a near-100% hit rate when they do; this one might have been slightly more predictable than “Lake Beach” but it was still rock solid, especially with Dismukes providing the crucial variation of a guy who can’t absorb life lessons from his son because he thinks kids are dumb as hell.

Also, I rarely include the musical guest in this category, but I got a particular kick out of White’s new song “G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs.” I’ve been a White Stripes fan since college, but I’ll always feel particularly warm toward White as an SNL presence after he last-minute subbed in for a too-briefly disgraced Morgan Wallen in 2020 and absolutely tore it up.

What was off

Honestly, most of the sketches defied my meager on/off binary, instead falling into a middle ground of not quite as good as they should have been (self-defense) or not nearly as bad as the premise would indicate. For example: Some halfway interesting blocking, nice underplaying from Ashley Padilla, and full commitment to shout-whispering from Black meant that the standard “weird person bothers everyone” sketch that led off the night was much better than it should have been, while still taking up a lot more time than I would have preferred. The sketch with Black as an overzealous Airbnb superhost who literally won’t leave his guests alone had a similar problem, but more obviously and showily saved in the clutch by the appearance of Melissa McCarthy.

Most valuable player

Doesn’t it feel like there’s an extra spring in James Austin Johnson’s step when he doesn’t have to play Trump? Though I can’t say the NCAA sorta-political cold open was a whole lot better than a Trump bit, it earned some goodwill just for trying another approach, and Johnson was in his element for the first chunk of the show, where he killed in in multiple sketches in a row. Maybe the next time Black hosts should be an oops-all-music episode, with Johnson on hand.

Next time

Anthony Crispino voice: “You hear about this? They’re doing an all-Domingo episode… with Antifa?!” No, it’s Colman Domingo and Anitta for what will presumably be the last installment before a trio of May episodes.

Stray observations

  • • I’ve found Jonah Hill hilarious in so many movies, including but not limited to Superbad, and enjoyed his SNL appearances, too, which provided a Black-like energy during a time when Black wasn’t hosting at all. So it’s really not with malice that I ask why his face seemed frozen in a rictus grin for his entire appearance here.
  • • The self-defense sketch was the rare big-broad-super-accented-characters sketch where the supposed straight-man parts—the people taking the class, in other words, rather than the people teaching it—were much, much funnier (Chloe Fineman casually dropping that she’d like to use her gun less, for example, or Johnson’s example of the aforementioned “skill but not technique”).
  • • I may be writing more about this shortly, but after a couple of SNL UK episodes, where Weekend Update is still getting its sea legs but also doesn’t have such an outsized place on a nascent comedy-variety series, the U.S. edition feels especially bloated, in jokes and in guests. What if instead of a weird compromise where Kam Patterson appears to be performing “Black Snape” material that probably makes him cringe and then doesn’t do it particularly well for anyone who would love this material, they just… didn’t? What if instead of doing yet another non-joke about women’s basketball, Che just… didn’t? What if instead of using a non-news item to set up a pedophilia joke, Jost just… well, you get the idea.
  • • Sarah Sherman, however, can stay.
  • • As a huge loser, I have spent some of my always-diminished free time this week watching a selection of SNL cast members do various promotional videos confusingly affiliated with media brands. It’s a great way to really maintain those parasocial relationships in the show’s off weeks! For example, in a Vanity Fair video where the group quizzes each other on personal details, I was heartened to see that Chloe Fineman has consistently good recall for what I assume the others have mentioned to her in casual conversation. I was also impressed to find out that apparently Jane Wickline can make a pretty strong omelet under pressure.

Jesse Hassenger is a contributor to The A.V. Club.


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The return of ‘90s pants to the trend cycle proves we’re in the middle of a ’90s revival. It comes at a perfect time. Love Story, which follows John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette and their complicated relationship before their untimely death in 1999, has been a streaming hit. One of the decade’s biggest brands, Calvin Klein, returned to Fashion Week after a long break from the catwalk. And street style stars are increasingly being seen in the big fashion hits of the time—including floral dresses with spaghetti straps, midiskirts in beige and gray, and minimalist strappy sandals.

As for ‘90s pants, there are five styles that are making a comeback—each with their own modern reinterpretation. Keep reading to see what ’90s pants are back and how we’re styling them now.

Cropped pants

The motto for pants, both in terms of volume and length, was “More is more” for a long time. This spring, however, we’re rediscovering the fashionable radiance of a bare ankle. That’s right, cropped pants are making a comeback. And you’re spoiled for choice.

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If you want an elegant French-chic look, go for cropped and narrow suit pants like those worn by Carolyn Bessette in the ’90s. Many of these are made with a stretch fabric, so not only are they super elegant, but they’re comfortable all day long. Perfect for the office.

90s Trend Hosen Fruehling 2026

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For a more modern look, cropped wide-leg jeans are also totally on trend this year. The volume of the trousers is perfectly balanced out by the shorter length, and the overall look is great for low-key settings and weekend hangs.

Whether you’re dressing up or looking to be more casual, cropped pants are best styled with a minimalist shoe such as black loafers or ballet flats with a small heel. A Mary Jane style looks particularly beautiful with this combo too—the shoe really comes into its own with the cropped length.

Caslon Pull-On Stretch Ponte Kick-Flare Pants

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Mobile adtech giant AppLovin is shaking up its upper ranks with a new chair of the board and the impending departures of both its chief technologist and its chief legal officer.

Adam Foroughi, AppLovin’s CEO and cofounder, stepped down as chairman of the board last week, according to an SEC filing made Tuesday. He was replaced by Wynn Resorts CEO Craig Billings, who has sat on the board since 2020. Foroughi will remain CEO and retain a seat as board member.

In a press release, Foroughi called Billings “thoughtful and engaged,” and added that the switch will allow him to “fully focus on strategic execution.”

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The gates are open and Bieberchella, er Coachella, is officially underway.

The 2026 edition of the Coachella Valley’s iconic music festival kicked off in the desert Friday with as many as 125,000 people expected to attend each day of the event, headlined by Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G. In all, more than 100 acts are set to perform across eight stages. That means lots of news is expected out of Coachella this weekend but even before the first beats hit the speakers, social media algorithms were in overdrive with festival chatter, gossip and controversies.

One of the narratives that emerged in recent days came from content creators who claim their Airbnb reservations were abruptly canceled, presumably so owners could rebook the properties for thousands of dollars more due to increased demand amid the popularity of acts like Bieber. Based on the number of posts, it seemed like it was becoming something of a greedy trend. The comments sections under each video quickly filled with others claiming to have experienced the same shock days before the festival.

Sophie Rain, a well-known creator with 15 million followers on TikTok who is best known for her OnlyFans career, took to the platform to share her experience having her Airbnb cancelled three days before the event. She said she paid $29,000 for the original listing only to have to re-book for $83,375. One TikTok user, Haylee Dahlgren, shared her experience with a detailed clip as one user replied, “Literally happened to us too!!! 7 days before Coachella with a group of 7!!! Wtf!?!!”

Another commenter shared their story, and said the owner of their rental blamed the city of Palm Springs for sending a letter that demanded they cancel the reservation due to city ordinances. “It is supply and demand,” wrote another. “We all learned this in economics class in high school.” So many people came forward with cancellation claims that a Reddit thread emerged titled “AirBnB canceled on you? Post them here.”

The Hollywood Reporter reached out to the City of Palm Springs and a representative shot down the story. “I can confirm, the City of Palm Springs has not sent letters to home owners or Airbnb property managers demanding that they cancel rentals for this weekend, per the rep. THR also connected with a spokesperson for Airbnb on Friday, and he said the company has not seen “any notable uptick” in cancellations over this weekend or next.

“We’ve reached out to a small number of guests who raised concerns on social media to provide support. We know host cancellations can disrupt plans, which is why we have deterrents — including cancellation fees, calendar blocks to prevent rebooking, and a ban on re-listing for a higher price — as well as 24/7 guest support,” says the rep. “We require that all listings and hosts meet our high standards, and we support affordability with pricing tools for hosts as well as price filters and upfront total price transparency for guests, so travelers can easily find options that fit their budget and book with confidence.”

It is not uncommon for rentals to appear on Airbnb as well as other short-term rental sites like Vrbo, Booking.com, and others, making it possible for owners to cancel reservations and rebook on other sites to sidestep Airbnb’s policies. It is understood that some who were crying foul online lost their reservations due to not providing payment in full or for other reasons.

According to various reports, in-demand properties were going for thousands and in some cases tens of thousands of dollars. For comparison, THR checked last minute lodging availability and found that even budget properties like Motel 6 and Best Western were renting rooms for close to $600 or $700 per night, respectively. A room at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa was available for Friday night for $2,487 per night on Hotels.com. That’s nothing compared to ticket prices. According to Stub Hub on Friday afternoon, a general admission ticket for Coachella costs $5,263, while a VIP ticket for Friday night was going for $10,330 including fees.

Meanwhile, another narrative that has gained traction in recent days is the number of influencers who had their RSVPs erased by brand partners right before the main event.

Creator Kelsey Kotzur came forward less than two weeks ago to claim that she had been invited by an unnamed brand to attend Coachella, only to be told shortly thereafter that the brand had reached capacity and had to rescind the invitation. “I’m actually taking myself on vacation instead,” she said. Others who said they experienced similar reverse invites include Glocortez and Yazmin Marziali.

Not everyone is buying it. According to an insider, cries of last minute cancellations are a stunt mounted by desperate creators who never had offers in the first place. The veteran attendee tells THR that some of those claiming to have been nixed from attending last-minute never had agreements in place and by posting sob stories, they hope to get rescued by other brands or hotels. “It’s typical behavior,” hissed the insider. But it seems to be working, regardless of the sincerity of the allegations. In the comments section of one of the videos, THR spotted the Hilton hotel group offering to provide lodging.

“I smell a stunt,” says creator Corey Jacob in a video posted this week, adding that he believes it’s all copycat creators who are hopping on a trend to score free digs and Coachella tickets. Stunts aside, Coachella is live and can be viewed here; brand invites and reservations not required.

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Disney‘s shuffling of its communications team under new CEO Josh D’Amaro and his communications chief Paul Roeder continues.

On Friday, the company said that Nastasya Morauw, VP, Communications & Awards at Disney’s Searchlight Pictures, is moving to become VP, Communications at Walt Disney Studios. In the new role, she will be the primary comms lead for Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios.

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The move comes after Roeder, who is Senior EVP and Chief Communications Officer at the Walt Disney Company, set his team earlier in the week. They include his direct reports David Jefferson, EVP, Communications; April Carretta, EVP, Communications; Carrie Brown, SVP, Internal Communications; and Mariana Vaca, Director, Communications.

With Vaca’s new role, Disney also said today that Shelby Cotten, most recently on the Direct-to-Consumer comms team, takes her spot as director, reporting to Morauw.

No replacement for Morauw’s role at Searchlight has been named.

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“Thrash,” like just about every shark thriller, has a grade-Z son-of-“Jaws” quality. (The one exception: the ingenious “Open Water.”) Everything in the movie, from the chomping shark attacks that splash up the waves with Hawaiian Punch foam to the way a humongous great white meets her fate at the end, takes an obvious page from Steven Spielberg’s gambits and techniques. But shark movies, because of that derivative quality (and because the directors are not Spielberg), often tend to be dreary and claustrophobic affairs. Whereas “Thrash” has a lively competence about it, a touch of fluid originality in the staging.

It’s set in the small town of Annieville, S.C., which in the first half hour gets subjected to a hurricane so intense it’s like a tsunami, bolstered by vintage stupido lines like, “If they ever considered creating a Category 6, this would be it. It’s a monster!” It’s all part of the film’s environmental message (the storm starts off as a Category 2 until it hits record-temperature warm waters off the coast). But once Hurricane Henry floods the town, the film’s writer-director, Tommy Wirkola, turns a submerged neighborhood block into a kind of water-world stage set, like a giant pond with the top halves of houses poking out the top. They’re places of refuge, only they keep shifting and collapsing.

The storm has brought with it a school of bull sharks, who are smaller and faster than great whites, but just as ravenous. The movie wastes no time delivering the gory goods, which are served up for our delectation like the killings in a slasher movie. If fear was once the pulse of a shark thriller, now it’s voyeurism — our chance to feast on what it looks like when a shark feasts. In this case, though, only the unappealing characters get eaten. That’s part of the lip-smacking quality of it all — the idea that certain movie characters deserve to have their limbs bitten off. 

Of the ones in “Thrash” who don’t, the most original character is Lisa (played by Phoebe Dynevor, from “Fair Play”), not because there’s anything complex in how she’s drawn, but because she’s pregnant — as in not just about to have a baby, but she’s going to have it during the movie, as she struggles to wriggle away from the sharks. That sounds precarious, and is, but once her infant son has popped out, talk about providing someone with motivation to take on nature’s predators. She’s assisted by Dakota (Whitney Peak), the film’s other, younger heroine, who at one point makes her way over a floating rooftop and rickety branches, improvising the acrobatics of survival. Dakota, whose mother recently died, is being raised by her marine-biologist uncle, played by Djimon Hounsou as the film’s token scientist-philosopher of disaster.

Wirkola, who’s Norwegian, has written a bare-bones script, but he knows how to play with space. He stages an encounter in which Ron (Stacy Clausen), a teenage okie foster child, is swimming around in a basement, with that great white on his tail, and the sequence has a delectably flowing sense of danger.

Mostly, though, we’re watching the kills come right on cue. This is a Netflix and Chomp movie, just 80 minutes long (if you don’t count the closing credits), and the compact run time does more than keep “Thrash” from wearing out its welcome. It’s part of the film’s lean-and-mean structural unity — the way it treats an entire underwater street and its houses like the shark boat in the last act of “Jaws,” as a safety zone that’s rapidly disintegrating. Ron and his two siblings have been living with foster parents who are government-sponging creeps (they eat steak in the basement while tossing their meal-ticket kids packages of Wonder Bread), and when Bob (Josh McConville), the loathsome father, gets what’s coming to him, it’s not scary — it’s closer to mutilation porn. He’s the steak, there to sate our hunger.

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Welcome to What’s On, our weekly roundup of notable shows. Here is what’s happening on TV from Sunday, April 5 to Saturday, April 11. All times are Eastern. 

We return to Gilead in this follow-up to The Handmaid’s Tale, which boasts some familiar faces—Emmy winner Ann Down is back as the devout and deeply scary Aunt Lydia—but mostly new ones, including teens played by One Battle After Another‘s Chase Infiniti and Blue Jean‘s Lucy Halliday. Read The A.V. Club’s review.

This sci-fi dramedy stars Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen as a married couple whose dysfunctional relationship gets even more complicated when he, the creator of a “bio-agritech” miniaturization device, accidentally shrinks her to just six inches tall. O-T Fagbenle, Zoe Lister-Jones, Sian Clifford, and Sofia Rosinsky also appear. Look for The A.V. Club’s review on Wednesday. 

Schitt’s Creek‘s Dan Levy partnered with I Love LA creator-star Rachel Senott to concoct this family crime comedy, which finds the former playing a queer pastor who gets blackmailed into working for gangsters with his directionless sister (portrayed by Taylor Ortega). Along the way, the bickering siblings have to contend with their chaotic family, with Laurie Metcalf tackling their mother. The A.V. Club’s review publishes Thursday.

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord (Disney+, Monday, 3 a.m., series premiere)

 

Disney+’s new animated series finds Maul (voiced once again by Sam Witwer) very much with revenge on the brain. The former Sith Lord is determined to rebuild his fractured criminal empire on the remote planet of Janix and takes on a new apprentice (played by Gideon Adlon) to do so. Richard Ayoade and recent Oscar nominee Wagner Moura round out the cast. Check out The A.V. Club’s review on Monday. 

Malcolm In The Middle: Life’s Still Unfair (Hulu, Friday, 12 a.m., miniseries premiere)

 

Frankie Muniz’s Malcolm is back and, much to his chagrin, so is his family. The four-part Hulu revival finds our now-grown narrator living happy with his daughter Leah (Keeley Karsten) and girlfriend Tristan (Kiana Madeira). But the upcoming 40th-wedding anniversary of his parents (played by Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston) threatens to disrupt his peace of mind.   

Can’t miss recaps

Dark Winds (AMC, Sunday, 9 p.m., season four finale) 

Rooster (HBO, Sunday, 10 p.m.)

The Comeback (HBO, Sunday, 10:32 p.m.)

The Fall And Rise Of Reggie Dinkins (NBC, Monday, 8:30 p.m.)

Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+, Tuesday, 9 p.m.)

Shrinking (Apple TV, Wednesday, 12 a.m., season three finale)

Invincible (Prime Video, Wednesday, 3 a.m.)

The Boys (Prime Video, Wednesday, 3 a.m., season five premiere)

Hacks (HBO Max, Thursday, 3 a.m., season five premiere)

The Pitt (HBO Max, Thursday, 9 p.m.)

Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:30 p.m.)

Also arriving

The Real Housewives Of Atlanta (Bravo, Sunday, 8 p.m., season seventeen premiere)

Temptation Island (Netflix, Friday, 3 a.m., season two premiere)

The Reunion: Laguna Beach (The Roku Channel, Friday, 3 a.m., special)

Ending soon

Memory Of A Killer (Fox, Monday, 9 p.m., season one finale)

High Potential (ABC, Tuesday, 9 p.m., season two finale)

The Lady (BritBox, Wednesday, 12 a.m., series finale)

The Last Thing He Told Me (Apple TV, Friday, 12 a.m., season two finale)    

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Although I adore the look of heels, I’m officially switching gears to figure out what flats to wear with dresses this summer. Trust, this decision didn’t come lightly, but I’ve had more than my fair share of blisters strutting the streets of New York City. These days I’m a firm believer that comfort should always take priority—and I realized that flat shoes exist for that reason.

Flats aren’t outdated, secondary alternatives to heels. If anything, the best options are comfortable and come in a slew of stylish silhouettes, from slingbacks and mules to Mary Janes and ballet flats. Plus, on top of being practical (often even lifesavers in desperate times), they’re sleek enough to elevate just about any outfit—especially dresses. Whether you’re headed to the office or you’re out with friends, the formula works every time. Give your feet a break and bookmark these six reliable outfit ideas that demonstrate exactly how to wear flats with dresses.

How to style flats with dresses, at a glance

1. Minidress + slip-on ballet flats

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to wear heels with minidresses. I’ve found that the silhouette looks just as flirty and stylish with a pair of simple ballets. Plus, you can take this look from a day with the girls all the way to a nice dinner. To keep this outfit formula from feeling dated, liven it up with your go-to accessories—a straw handbag and big boho shades always come in clutch.

Wear to: A daytime party, an early dinner, or a museum date

Madewell Eyelet Flutter-Sleeve Minidress

Cole Haan Jaya Travel Ballet Flats

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There’s plenty of creative energy on show this week, from Zendaya’s playful dreamscape for her collaboration with sportswear brand On, to the WNBA’s throwback ahead of its 30th season.

Brands are also highlighting the importance of human connection, whether that’s Amstel drinkers gathering with friends, a grandfather coaching his grandson on his golf swing for AT&T, or Coca-Cola bringing the nation together ahead of the big 250th anniversary. 

Our Most Effective Ad of the Week, in partnership with EDO, offers the right fit for athletes and everyday people alike.

Keep scrolling for the week’s most notable ads.

On | “Shape of Dreams” (in-house)

Zendaya stars in this Spike Jonze-directed film showcasing the actress and singer’s latest collab with the Swiss sportswear brand, a collection of co-created apparel and footwear including Parachute Pants and the Cloudnova Moon sneaker. Set inside Zendaya’s “Dream Lab,” the spot is a quirky, artful celebration of the creative process. “Working with Spike Jonze brought that vision to life in a really special way – the world he created gave it a whole new dimension,” said the Euphoria star. 

WNBA | “Season 30” by Lucky Generals

The WNBA readies itself to celebrate three decades of hoops action (the 2026 season tips off on May 8) with this integrated campaign that encompasses three documentary films, origin nights, and Season 30 branding and merch, all paying tribute to the league’s roots and legacy. This hero short stars three-time WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes, who advises: “Not all kids become GOATS. Because those aren’t just born. They’re raised.”

Wise | “Be Smart. Get Wise” by Ace of Hearts

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San Francisco police arrested an individual on Friday after they allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI’s Sam Altman and made threats outside his company’s headquarters.

No injuries were reported, per OpenAI, which confirmed the incident in a statement, adding, “We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe. The individual is in custody, and we’re assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”

Hours later, Altman himself confirmed the incident by way of a personal blog post seemingly sparked by both the shock of the Molotov incident and his headline-making week in the wake of a damning investigation by Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz in The New Yorker.

“Images have power, I hope. Normally we try to be pretty private, but in this case I am sharing a photo in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me,” Altman wrote in opening the blog post, which featured a photo of husband Oliver Mulherin and their child. “The first person did it last night, at 3:45 am in the morning. Thankfully it bounced off the house and no one got hurt.”

“Words have power too,” Altman continued. “There was an incendiary article about me a few days ago. Someone said to me yesterday they thought it was coming at a time of great anxiety about AI and that it made things more dangerous for me. I brushed it aside. Now I am awake in the middle of the night and pissed, and thinking that I have underestimated the power of words and narratives. This seems like as good of a time as any to address a few things.”

Altman and husband Oliver Mulherin at the Vanity Fair Oscar party at LACMA on March 15, 2026.

(Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Altman then turned his attention to “what I believe,” some personal reflections and more thoughts about the AI industry at large, including artificial general intelligence.

He covered a lot of ground in the post, writing up top that not all will “go well” as the AI industry continues to roll out it’s world-shifting tools. As such, “the fear and anxiety about AI is justified; we are in the process of witnessing the largest change to society in a long time, and perhaps ever. We have to get safety right, which is not just about aligning a model — we urgently need a society-wide response to be resilient to new threats. This includes things like new policy to help navigate through a difficult economic transition in order to get to a much better future.”

To get there, he writes that “AI has to be democratized; power cannot be concentrated,” and that it isn’t right for only a few AI labs to make “the most consequential decisions about the shape of our future.” Altman also acknowledges his issues with the OpenAI board — the founder was fired only to be re-hired following an investigation — and apologizes for his past behavior.

“I am not proud of handling myself badly in a conflict with our previous board that led to a huge mess for the company. I have made many other mistakes throughout the insane trajectory of OpenAI; I am a flawed person in the center of an exceptionally complex situation, trying to get a little better each year, always working for the mission. We knew going into this how huge the stakes of AI were, and that the personal disagreements between well-meaning people I cared about would be amplified greatly. But it’s another thing to live through these bitter conflicts and often to have to arbitrate them, and the costs have been serious. I am sorry to people I’ve hurt and wish I had learned more faster,” he writes.

That said, he is “extremely proud” of being able to now deliver on the company’s mission. “Against all odds, we figured out how to build very powerful AI, figured out how to amass enough capital to build the infrastructure to deliver it, figured out how to build a product company and business, figured out how to deliver reasonably safe and robust services at a massive scale, and much more. A lot of companies say they are going to change the world; we actually did.”

His full blog post can be found here.

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With the second season of Apple TV and Hello Sunshine’s The Last Thing He Told Me drama series drawing to a close today, it only made sense that Deadline got to chat via phone with Lauren Neustadter, President of Film & TV at Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine, about more upcoming shows — book adaptations and not — as well as films in the works, from production on The Nightingale set in Budapest earlier this week.

The Tristar feature adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s best-selling novel is another project that took time to pull together with a deal first put in place for a theatrical release Christmas 2020 that fell apart due to COVID and then the dual labor strikes in Hollywood in 2023. Hannah’s World War II novel became a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection in March of 2023, and Deadline broke the news of the reignited project moving forward, still with both Elle and Dakota Fanning attached as they had been since 2019, but with a few new names in the mix behind the movie.

The Last Thing He Told Me was served a Season 2 renewal by Apple TV nearly a year after the show’s first season premiered, in conjunction with author Laura Dave’s commitment to pen a sequel novel revisiting the world she wrote of on and off for ten years — The First Time I Saw Him, which was Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club’s first sequel selection for January 2026.

“It was a privilege to encourage Laura to go back into the world of Hannah and Bailey and Owen. I think the fans really wanted it,” Neustadter told Deadline on the first day of April. “It was a really unique process the whole team at Hello Sunshine found to be really gratifying. Laura was writing her novel as we were writing the show. Of course, we had the tremendous advantage of having Josh Singer, who happens to be her husband, but also an Oscar winning screenwriter, breaking the season and writing it.”

With the way Season 2’s finale ended, there may even be momentum for a third season, and Neustadter is on board, along with stars Jennifer Garner and Judy Greer, who both expressed interest in what could come next for their characters — who are now very at odds. Whether Dave would fit another book into that puzzle is not yet clear.

“[Josh] and [Laura] were very in sync about everything that was going on and the big moves with Hannah, with Owen, with Bailey, as the [second] season unfolded and as the novel unfolded, but they were really very complimentary pieces of material,” Neustadter added. “We were always checking in with Laura. She was giving us glimpses of things as we went along, and we always understood what her hopes and goals and vision and intention were. But she also really trusted Josh and our writers to take the story and run with it and make it really rich and cinematic. We really put our foot on the gas in season two. There’s so many plot twists and turns, you’re just breathless, and you watch in a way that is really thrilling for an audience.”

The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 is by far not the first and, recently, not the only show to come with a companion sequel novel, though the trend, as it applies to Hello Sunshine projects, is interesting to trace, from Season 3 of Big Little Lies accompanying Lianne Moriarty’s long-awaited sequel book, Big Little Truths, and Marissa Stapley’s Lucky, which is getting a small-screen adaptation on Apple TV come July, recently receiving sequel news with Stapley’s Not So Lucky in the works.

In the below interview, Neustadter teases upcoming shows like Elle, out July 1 on Prime Video, and Lucky coming to Apple TV July 10 from Reese Witherspoon’s production company. She also gives status updates on films in development based on Reese’s Book Club picks like Curtis Sittenfield’s Romantic Comedy, Cesca Major’s Maybe Next Time and Claire Leslie Hall’s Broken Country as well as the Jennifer Garner Mrs. Claus film at Netflix.

DEADLINE: Elle, your Legally Blonde prequel series with Prime Video already has a season two renewal.

LAUREN NEUSTADTER: Season two’s in production. We’re shooting. Cameras are rolling right now in Vancouver.

DEADLINE: How did it feel to get that early renewal after making season one, which hasn’t even been seen yet?

NEUSTADTER: We were really proud, and we were really grateful. Amazon has been so supportive. Reese really was the one that had the idea to go back to the 90s and meet up with Elle when she was in high school. I think she was observing the messaging that was coming at this young generation of women right now and seeing what was happening on social media, and feeling like young women need more great role models. This is a moment to bring Elle back for them. This started with Reese saying, I think the world needs Elle Woods, and we should see her in high school.

We found our creator, Laura Kittrell, and then she has a co-showrunner Caroline Dries, who has been her partner ever since post-Upfronts.

We had developed something with Laura in the first year of Hello Sunshine in 2017 — a script that was relatively autobiographical — that unfortunately didn’t get made. But we loved her voice, and we loved who she was as a person. We had been really trying to find that next thing. When we had this idea, we went to Laura, And we got in there together and started brainstorming, and she came up with the idea for this show. She wrote the pilot really remarkably fast, and Amazon flipped for it, and they decided that they were ready to go and make the show. We were off to the races. Caroline came in to co-showrun.

RELATED: Everything We Know About Prime Video’s ‘Legally Blonde’ Prequel Series ‘Elle’

We had a great first season. We were very gratified to know that Amazon was as enamored of it as we were. The first season of the show is [Elle’s] first semester of junior year, so the second season is the second semester of junior year. There was a weather factor, we were eager to get the weather piece right, so Amazon was excited to keep going. And everybody really just wrote unbelievably well and unbelievably fast, and here we are making season two.

There’s a beautiful mother-daughter story for all of the women that are closer to my age who bought tickets, and saw Legally Blonde almost 25 years ago, we’re coming up on the 25th anniversary. They now have daughters, and I have a daughter, and I will be so excited to watch the show with my daughter, and also with my son. It’s a multi-generational event. It’s so real and authentic and funny and meaningful. My greatest hope and dream and wish is that parents will watch it with their kids. I think the world needs Elle Woods.

DEADLINE: And junior year is a stressful time! Will be exciting to see how that shines through. You have Lucky coming out in July, and I saw that Marissa Stapley is writing a sequel to her book. I’m wondering if you factored into that, like with The Last Thing He Told Me, or if that’s a completely separate thing?

NEUSTADTER: I mean, we’re all fans of books and film and television shows at Hello Sunshine, so when we fall in love with these characters, of course, we are always going to go back to the author and saying, “Is there more story here?”

I read the book in one sitting. I absolutely loved it. I was actually with Laura Dave as I was reading the book. I had a long plane ride, and I was sitting next to Laura Dave, and she was watching me read Lucky, and she’s really good friends with Jonathan Tropper, who wound up creating the show. I recommended the book to her, just as a pleasure read. And she read it. She knew that I was sending it to Jonathan Tropper, and she actually said to Jonathan Tropper how much she loved it. So it’s all very interconnected.

It was such a pleasure to get to work with Jonathan Tropper and also with Cassie Pappas, who came in to co-showrun with him, and working with Marissa Stapley, who is the author, was also really a joy, because there was a different kind of trust fall there. With Laura Dave and season two [of The Last Thing He Told Me], there was a total trust fall in terms of, you guys go off and write the show at the same time as I’m going to write the novel. Marissa was unbelievably supportive of us taking the heart and soul of the character [Lucky] and putting her into an unapologetically propulsive, thrilling environment. It’s the most masculine energy of anything that Hello Sunshine, has ever done. It’s a very full throttle show, as you could see from the teaser, and there’s a wonderful trailer that will follow.

RELATED: Apple Shows Off 2026 Film & TV Slate At Flashy, Tightly Curated Los Angeles Press Day

Marissa gave us permission to take this character and really push her to her limit. I admire so many things about Jonathan Tropper’s writing, but his action is so magnificent. You’ve got this incredibly strong female character, where all of the odds are against her, and she’s got to go. The stakes are unbelievably high. She’s in danger everywhere she turns in ways that she and we, the audience, would never expect, and we get to really see what she’s made of.

As Marissa was reading the scripts and seeing the show come to life — it was even before we shot the show — she called me and she said, “How would you feel if I started thinking about a second book?” And I said “We would be so excited.” [Lucky the TV show] always conceived as a limited series, so that is absolutely the way that it was made. But when an author says, “I feel inspired to keep going,” there’s truly no greater compliment and nothing more exciting for us, because we love these characters and we just want to spend more time with them.

 DEADLINE: I have to ask about The Morning Show Season 5, you’ve assembled quite a cast like you do every season, but where are you in that process?

NEUSTADTER: Every single season, I’m blown away by the amazing new cast members: Jeff Daniels, Renee Rapp, Jessie Williams, Sean Hayes. It’s this unbelievable problem that we have. You think, “How could possibly get better?” And then all of these unbelievable actors join.

Reese and Jen have really fantastic scenes together this season, and Charlotte Stoudt and I’m always very impressed by how thoughtful Charlotte Stoudt and our writers are and just how smart this show is.]

RELATED: Sean Hayes Joins ‘The Morning Show’ For Season 5

We’re shooting right now. We’re actually having a table read in about an hour and a half. Those are always some of my most favorite moments when you get to hop on a Soom and see all of these incredible actors reading the scripts and bringing them to life in that first moment when you hear the words out loud.

DEADLINE: I’m assuming there’ll be a time jump. Are there any events or historical happenings you’re excited for season five to tackle?

NEUSTADTER: I don’t think I’m allowed to spoil anything. I think that one of the things that the show does in a really exceptional way is it taps into the world that we are living in, and the moments that feel like they’re really delicate and important and real. This season is absolutely no exception. I think everything is being approached really thoughtfully.

DEADLINE: I have to ask too about Big Little Lies season three. There’s another book coming out for that. Can you say how that is going?

NEUSTADTER: We are excited. We absolutely love Lianne’s latest book. She did an incredible job. I think fans are going to devour that book when it publishes later this year, and we’re working away. It’s an exciting time.

RELATED: ‘Big Little Lies’ Author Teases Sequel Book, ‘Big Little Truths,’ And Season 3 Plot: “A Time Jump Always Made Sense To Me”

DEADLINE: Okay so we’ve talked TV. I did have a couple film questions, too. Is the Mrs. Claus movie with Jennifer Garner still happening?

NEUSTADTER: It’s still in the works. I was talking with her about it today. That is definitely something that we are actively working on with wonderful folks at Netflix and hoping that we get to go to the North Pole with Jennifer Garner soon. We are working on that with Jen and her wonderful team and hoping that that one comes together very quickly.

DEADLINE: Is there any development with the Romantic Comedy movie based on Curtis Sittenfeld’s book with Jordan Weiss writing?

NEUSTADTER: And Dan Brier. There’s nothing official yet. It’s coming together.

DEADLINE: I wanted to check on Broken Country too. I know that book is very popular, and there’s a movie deal in place with Sony 3000 Pictures.

NEUSTADTER: There is a movie deal in place. We are working on that as well. There’s nothing really to say about it yet.

It is coming together. It’s such a special book, and I’m very excited to turn into a into a movie. I think it has the potential to be a book so much like Where The Crawdads Sing, where you get so swept up in the beautiful world, and the really compelling characters. And Beth, who’s the woman at the center of that story is such a powerful and impressive female protagonist. And there’s a mystery, there’s a love story, there’s all of the perfect ingredients. We are working on that with Elizabeth Gabler and her team at 3000 pictures.

DEADLINE: How about Maybe Next Time? I met Cesca [Major, the author of the book] at the very first Shine Away. How is that one going?

NEUSTADTER: This is me being your book club friend. Romantic Comedy is a delicious delight, Maybe Next Time is very beautiful and emotional, but it will make you cry. It’s epic romance, and so that is with our friends at Apple. We’re working on turning that one into a movie for you to watch.

DEADLINE: Oh and now last question, I have to bring it back to The Nightingale! What can you say about that film, both Fanning sisters starring…?

NEUSTADTER: We love this book, and we feel so privileged to be a part of a team that is turning it into a magnificent movie. And every single day, the scenes are taking my breath away. It’s such a gorgeous book, and it’s such an important story to bring to life on screen. [We’re] really grateful to Kristen Hanna for writing this amazing book, and to Tristar for for being so committed to making the film.”

RELATED: Everything We Know About ‘The Nightingale’ Movie So Far: Release Date, Stars & More

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Coachella attendees who turned out to watch Katseye perform got a “Golden” treat when the singers behind Huntr/x — Ejae (Rumi), Audrey Nuna (Mira), and Rei Ami (Zoey) — made a surprise appearance.

Fresh off winning the Oscar for best original song, the “KPop Demon Hunters” stars joined Katseye (Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung) on the Sahara stage to perform “Golden.”

Katseye kicked off the festival’s opening night and are set to perform both weekends. Among the songs they performed were “Internet Girl,” “Pinky Up” and “Mean Girls.” The group climbed the ranks as K-pop trainees on the 2023 reality competition series “Dream Academy.” They became breakout performers following the Netflix docuseries “Popstar Academy: Katseye” along with their aptly-titled first single “Debut.” Earilier this year, they landed a Grammy nomination for best new artist. Their song “Gabriela” was nominated for best pop duo/group performance.

The group has released two EPs, 2024’s “SIS (Soft Is Strong)” and last year’s “Beautiful Chaos,” as well as a handful of singles. “Gnarly,” which was co-written by Alice Longyu Gao, became their first song to hit the Billboard Hot 100 last year. They followed with “Gabriela,” “Gameboy” and “Internet Girl,” the latter of which debuted at No. 29 on the charts.

Aside from the Oscar, “Golden” scooped up a string of awards including the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for best original song. It also won the Grammy Award for best song written for visual media.

“Golden” was written by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, IDO, 24 and Teddy Park, and became a massive hit since debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2025. It scored five non-consecutive weeks atop that chart, becoming the longest-leading hit on the tally by an animated act.

Speaking with Variety about the song’s success, Ami described the feeling as “vindicating,” adding that there’s finally “validation. It’s long overdue,” she said. “We worked our asses off. We’ve had the door shut in our faces. We were told we were too little, too much.”

Sabrina Carpenter is Friday night’s headliner. Justin Bieber will take to the stage on Saturday night. He’s set to perform at 11:25 p.m. on the festival’s hump night. It’s expected that he will likely play the two “Swag” albums in their 25-song entirety, based on the warmup shows he has done at the Roxy and Troubadour.

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One of the many wonderful things about AMC’s Dark Winds is how it defies the traditional habit of procedurals that work harder to satisfy their audience than they do to stay true to their characters. So many productions would have made this season about reuniting Joe and Emma Leaphorn. Not only does Dark Winds leave them hundreds of miles apart at the end of this moving episode, but they also conclude on a series of emotional and practical cliff-hangers. Joe vacillates about retiring, especially with Emma making it clear that she doesn’t really want him to, and Jim considers taking a job in Los Angeles as Agent Cheeseburger. Both decisions are put on hold with a tragic phone call that will carry us into a fifth season that can’t come soon enough.

Another distinguishing characteristic of Dark Winds is how respectfully it portrays Navajo culture. One of the season’s best moments comes when so many of the characters we love show up for Jim Chee, who thinks no one will be there for his ceremony. When the cars come over the horizon, there’s a smile on Bern’s face and a catch in Jim’s throat that are just two of the nuanced details that elevate this show. The people who have come to support Jim prepare for what will come after the ceremony as he goes into the structure in which it will take place, and, importantly, we don’t follow. We stay outside, which is such a beautiful choice. We have seen what matters: what this means to Jim and the people who support him, even an old teacher who saw something in him at a young age and the G-man who gave him that fast-food nickname.

Of course, all of this comes after the true climax of the season, during the first half-hour of this long episode. It’s here where Zahn McClarnon gets to do some of the best work of his career, the kind of performance that would net him an Emmy nod in a just world. He’s forced to play a range of emotions from anger to courage to vulnerability to, ultimately, triumph. And the show’s themes surface through this section and McClarnon’s work, including how we can’t force family and we can’t appropriate culture. It’s a battle between two people who would do anything to have a traditional family again, but it’s a contrast between a villain who tries to force into reality a life that she hasn’t earned and a hero who desperately wants to regain something he’s lost.

The showdown reveals the increasing depth of Irene Vaggan’s mental illness. She has kidnapped Joe and Billie with the demented belief that she can force them to be a family. Using her longtime obsession with Indigenous culture, she forces Joe and Billie to behave like her husband and daughter. She gases them to move them from sleep to a family dinner she imagines will somehow be a happy one. 

Of course, Joe makes multiple escape attempts, including by using a charcoal filter to alleviate the effect of the gas, but that backfires, leading to a brutal offscreen beating of Billie. We don’t see it, but we hear it and catch the aftermath at the next “family dinner.” As Joe becomes more convinced that Irene is going to kill them both, McClarnon is allowed to push into his own rich emotional back story for this character. He had so many mornings with Emma and their son around a similar table, but “I blinked, and the table was empty.” He wants something that he once had back. She wants something that never was.

Convincing Irene that he’s willing to make an offering, Joe pops outside and gets a lighter in his hands. It’s another great scene for McClarnon, allowed to show both vulnerability and Joe’s strategic acumen. In Navajo, he tells Billie to run, and he lights the bunker on fire, horribly scarring half of Irene’s face. A battle ensues, and Joe gets the upper hand, but he doesn’t give Irene what she wants: to be killed by Joe. “You’re under arrest for murder,” Joe says. And the action of the season is over.

An epilogue to that action comes with a badass scene between McClarnon and Titus Welliver as the man who orchestrated all of this. He brags about busting his plan and sending Irene to prison for life. McClarnon has been delicately emotional this season, but there’s also just great joy to be found in seeing him go into full tough-guy mode. He’s not afraid of this defeated kingpin. “You know my name,” he says. “You know where to find me. Come knock at my door.”

From here, the season finale rolls to the aforementioned ceremony and the big question of whether or not Joe will retire. After Jim’s event, Emma goes to Joe and insists that any retirement has to be only for him, not to bring them back together. He needs to go sweat and pray on it. “You will always be my family,” she says. It’s a scene filled with loss and sadness, but it’s also creatively impressive. 

Next, Joe gets a great scene with Gordo, who loves his life but admits he wishes he hadn’t retired. And then he gets another excellent one with Jim, reminding him how he’ll be undervalued in Los Angeles. They go into the sweat together to figure out their next steps.

And then life gets in the way. As “These Are Difficult Times” by Willie Nelson plays, Bern goes to the police station while Joe considers one of the biggest decisions of his life. “Don’t waste a moment unhappy,” advises Willie. “Don’t spend too much time on the bad times, their staggering number will be heavy as lead on your mind.” We hear that line twice, and it’s presumably a reference to the past. But it could be a nod to the future as Joe gets a call that will weigh like a ton of bricks for the rest of his days. With a shattered look on his face he says to Bern, “Gordo Sena was murdered last night.” Oh no.

Stray observations

  • • Remember last week when I recommended Fancy Dance with Isabel DeRoy-Olson (Billie) and Lily Gladstone? This episode was helmed by that film’s director, Erica Tremblay.
  • • It’s kind of funny to think that this season was about a girl who ran away and came home with a mother she thought was dead. It’s a season about family reflected through a teenager who had to leave home to find hers.
  • • It ultimately means little, but it does broaden a show’s reach, so I’ll say that Dark Winds has landed too few award nominations. It notched a cool one for McClarnon from the Gotham Awards for the first season and a Scripter nod last season. This should be the season that changes that at the Emmys and not just because the competition thinned notably with a lesser outing for Slow Horses and the mediocrity that was the final outing(s) of Stranger Things. They truly should find space for at least Zahn McClarnon for Best Actor, and I would strongly consider Drama Series and noms for Kiowa Gordon and Jessica Matten.
  • • This still feels like a show that works better at six or seven episodes per season rather than eight. (They could have tightened up some of the Los Angeles material here.) I’m also not 100-percent convinced by some of Franka Potente’s choices, although I think that’s the writing of a truly sporadic character more than an inconsistent performance. It’s a tough part to go from icy villain to the almost heartfelt mania that she has to play in this finale.
  • • Thanks for reading this season’s recaps. See you next year! (I’m already sad about Gordo.)

Brian Tallerico is a contributor to The A.V. Club.  


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It’s been nearly a year since Travis Kelce proposed to Taylor Swift with a round brilliant-cut diamond on a yellow gold band, and she seems extremely ready to call him her husband.

During the 2026 iHeart Music Awards on March 26, Swift turned right to Kelce during the titular chorus of Raye’s “Where Is My Husband?” as if to say, “He’s right here.” She followed up that sweet moment with a shout-out to Kelce while accepting the pop album of the year award for The Life of a Showgirl.

“This album also probably feels very happy, confident, and free, because that’s the way I get to feel every single day of my life because of my fiancé, who is here tonight,” Swift said before mouthing “I love you” to her partner.

All this to say, the power couple seems well on their way to the altar, though they’ve kept most of their wedding plans under wraps. Here’s everything we do know about Swift and Kelce’s wedding.

When and where are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting married?

Obviously it won’t be a fall wedding now that Travis Kelce has signed a new contract with the Chiefs. But we already kind of knew that. “All the weddings I’ve been to—all my friends always do it in the summer,” Travis said during a January episode of the New Heights podcast. “I’ve seen weddings everywhere but the fall. So I’m not sure if the fall is a good wedding season.”

Back in December 2025 multiple sources told Page Six the pair had secured Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, for their wedding on Saturday, June 13, 2026. However, it seems the pair decided to go in another direction.

On April 10, Page Six reported reported that save-the-dates have gone out, and Swift and Kelce are planning a New York wedding on July 3. Honestly, a Fourth of July–adjacent bash sounds right up the Miss Americana star’s alley.

Who is going to be in Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding?

Nothing has been confirmed, but it seems likely Jason Kelce would serve as Travis’s best man, while Page Six reported that Selena Gomez and Gigi Hadid were asked to be bridesmaids in November 2025.

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Stagwell has appointed Nicole Souza, former chief marketing officer for Publicis Groupe’s creative division, as its new chief growth officer for North America in a push to expand its work with large-scale clients. 

Souza joins after a year in which Stagwell grew new business by 25%, adding major brands including Starbucks, PepsiCo, and Target to its roster. In its Q4 2025 results, CEO Mark Penn said he expected a major year in 2026, predicting 10% revenue growth and the strongest net new business in the company’s history in Q1. 

With this confident outlook, Stagwell said that Souza is just the first of several senior hires planned to strengthen the agency’s growth leadership team in 2026. 

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James Cameron, one of the industry’s leading champions of the theatrical experience, leads CinemaCon’s roster of honorees for the Big Screen Achievement Awards.

The ceremony — a starry gathering that closes the four day gathering of exhibition insiders presented by Cinema United — is set to take place inside the Dolby Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 16. It will see trophies going to James Cameron (Cinema United Spirit of the Industry), Queen Latifah (Cultural Impact in Film), LaKeith Stanfield (Star of the Year), Zoey Deutch (Vanguard Award) Adam Scott (Award of Excellence in Acting), Noah Centineo (Star of Tomorrow) and Catherine Lagaʻaia (Rising Star of 2026). Hosted by co-presenting sponsor Coca-Cola, the event will be hosted by Entertainment Tonight star Nischelle Turner, who replaces her ET colleague Kevin Frazier who has fronted it in years past.

“Our industry is at its best when those in it come together to celebrate the power of seeing a movie on the big screen,” said Cinema United president and CEO Michael O’Leary. “This includes the incredibly talented people both in front of and behind the camera, whose work is at the heart of what makes the moviegoing experience so powerful and enduring. The films from this year’s honorees will undoubtedly capture the imaginations of audiences around the world and we are proud to honor their achievements.”

Cameron attends the European premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash in France on Dec. 5, 2025.

(Photo by Lyvans Boolaky/Getty Images for Disney)

Cameron’s honor comes on the heels of a mammoth release for his franchise blockbuster Avatar: Fire and Ash from 20th Century Studios, and ahead of the Oscar winner’s newest project, a concert film co-directed with a Grammy-winning superstar in Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D). That film, which opens in theaters from Paramount Pictures on May 8, 2026, was captured using Cameron’s proprietary 3-D camera systems.

Latifah’s trophy comes ahead of her return as the voice of Ellie in Ice Age: Boiling Point, due in theaters Feb. 5, 2027. The multi-hyphenate will receive her honor after a varied career that has seen her tackle stage, screen and the music charts while also being an active producer and entrepreneur. Her credits include Jungle Fever, Chicago (for which she was nominated for an Oscar), Set It Off, Living Out Loud, Bringing Down the House, The Secret Life of Bees, Hairspray, Mad Money, Just Right, Joyful Noise, The Last Holiday, Beauty Shop, Girls Trip, Miracles from Heaven and Hustle, The Little Mermaid, Bessie and most recently, The Equalizer.

Stanfield next stars in Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters from Neon. That film, out May 22, finds him starring opposite Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, and Demi Moore in a film about a crew of professional shoplifters who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. The Oscar nominee has been seen in Judas and the Black Messiah, Get Out, Sorry to Bother You, Knives Out, Uncut Gems, The Harder They Fall, Selma, Snowden and Atlanta.

Deutch, who recently played Jean Seberg in Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, comes to the trophy as she is readying for the release of Sony Pictures Classics’ Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, which premiered at Sundance. The film hits theaters July 10. Deutch can soon be seen in Voicemails for Isabelle and has starred in Set it Up, Juror #2, Not Okay and Something from Tiffany’s.

Scott, who is coming off a critically acclaimed turn in Severance for Apple TV, returns to the big screen in Neon’s supernatural horror film Hokum on May 1. He plays novelist Ohm Bauman who retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes only to become consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. His other film credits include Step Brothers, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Black Mass, The Vicious Kind, Sleeping With Other People, Bachelorette, The Disaster Artist, Our Idiot Brother, Monster-In-Lay, Knocked Up and The Aviator.

Centineo comes to CinemaCon ahead of the anticipated release of Street Fighter from Paramount Pictures and Legendary Pictures in association with Capcom. The action pic will hit theaters Oct. 16. Centineo recently wrapped John Rambo and will star in and produce the live-action Gundam. Centineo broke out in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy and has a list of credits that includes Union County, Warfare, Black Adam and The Recruit.

Newbie Lagaʻaia will make her big screen debut in Moana, Disney’s live-action reimagining of the beloved animated adventure. The film opens exclusively in theaters July 10, and finds her playing the title character opposite Dwayne Johnson as the infamous demigod Maui. Prior to landing the coveted role, Lagaʻaia appeared in the limited series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

Hosted by Cinema United, CinemaCon takes place April 13-16, and is presented by sponsors the Coca-Cola Company and Barco.

Catherine Laga’aia in the live-action Moana.

Courtesy of Disney

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Accusations of rape and other misconduct against Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has thrown California’s already chaotic California gubernatorial race into unknown territory with influential politicians calling on Swalwell to drop out ASAP.

Four women, including an ex-staffer for the Bay Area representative who says Swalwell raped her tow years ago, alleged attacks and unwelcomed explicit communications, according to reports today by CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle. The former staffer has said she previously had  nonconsensual sex with Swalwell in 2019 after a night of drinking. That first encounter was when the woman was on his Congressman’s team. The alleged 2024 rape was when the woman, who stopped working for the Congressman in 2021, was no longer in Swalwell’s office.

Occurring over a number of years and up to quite recently, the 2024 rape claim has seen some other contenders to replace Gavin Newson, the Golden State’s Senators and Swalwell’s political mentor call on cable news regular Congressman to drop out. “To the survivor who risked everything to come forward – I believe you,” San Joes Mayor and fellow Democratic candidate Matt Mahan said Friday as the claims “To the Democratic Party – you’d better hold him accountable. If we don’t, we have no credibility asking anyone else to do the same.”

“As we continue to learn more, these allegations from multiple sources are deeply troubling and must be taken seriously,” said Gov. Newsom of Swalwell and the revelations.

Swalwell put out a statement denying the claims: “These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor. For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman – – and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”

Perhaps more importantly personally and poltically to Swalwell, ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff have all called on the long time Congressman to end his campaign.

“I have read the San Francisco Chronicle’s account and I am deeply distressed by its allegations,” Sen. Schiff declared today. of the rape claimed by the former Swalwell staff. “This woman was brave to come forward, and we should take her story seriously. I am withdrawing my endorsement immediately, and believe that he should withdraw from the race.” In his own remarks on the matter, Padilla said Friday: “These allegations are deeply serious and warrant a full investigation. Survivors deserve to be heard and treated with dignity and respect. Given the gravity of these claims, Rep. Eric Swalwell should step aside to ensure a full, transparent investigation free from undue influence.”

Losing the still powerful and influential Pelosi, as well as the Senators will certainly hit Swalwell hard with his base as well as donors. “Maybe he could survive this, but I don’t see how,” a prominent Hollywood producer who has written big checks to Dems over the years told Deadline today as the allegations came out. “There were a lot of stories around Eric before, this kills his campaign. He’s toast.”

Already, Swalwell’s own campaign chair has resigned and said the candidate must drop out.

“Today I learned shocking information about Eric Swalwell containing the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez said today. “My involvement in any campaign begins and ends with trust. I cannot in good conscience remain in any role with this campaign, and I am stepping down from it effective immediately. The congressman should leave the race now so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay.”

in another big blow to the candidate’s bottom line and get out the vote efforts, the California Teachers Association have withdrawn their support of Swalwell.

A constant foil to Donald Trump, Swalwell, who has been hit hard by rivals over his noticeable absences from House votes over the years since he first arrived on Capital Hill in 2013, got into the California governor’s race back in November.

Following in the tradition of Arnold  Schwarzenegger Swalwell went late night to make his bid official and announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Some polls have had him in the lead with the support of around 15% of likely voters going into the June 2 primary. Due in no small part to the swath of Dems like Mahan, ex-Rep Katie Porter, ex-LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and  billionaire and onetime POTUS candidate Tom Steyer, other polls have had Republicans ex-UK Prime Minister aide and Fox News talking head Steve Hilton, who Trump has endorsed, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco in the top spots.

The accusations against Swalwell would usually be covered wall-to-wall on cable news, but the successful splashdown of NASA’s Artemis II dominated CNN, MS Now, Fox News and the BBC this evening.

Still, while Swalwell’s fate wasn’t making the headlines today, the head of California’s Democrats weighed in on the situation. Rusty Hicks didn’t directly call on Swalwell to drop out of the race to rule over the world’s 4th largest economy from Sacramento, but he also didn’t encourage Swalwell tin anyway to stay.

Maybe, as we wait and see if the ex-VP is going to run for POTUS in 2028, some top Democrat should give Kamala Harris a call and get her to reconsider her 2025 decision to not run for California’s top job.

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Coachella 2026 is underway, and for home viewers, so is Couch-ella. Most of the performances from weekend 1 will be streamed live on YouTube, across seven channels for seven stages — check out the full schedule of streams, below.

Although most sets will be seen live, some will be shown on a delayed basis, like Jack White’s 3 p.m. Saturday show, which won’t be viewable until the afternoon streams get underway at 4 p.m So for those tuning in at home, it pays to make sure you are checking the streaming schedule and not just the on-site lineup.

Once each day’s performances conclude, the seven channels will spend the overnight and early morning hours serving night owls by rebroadcasting the full lineup from top to bottom, starting at around midnight in most cases and going through breakfast time.

The three main stage headliners will, of course, be going out live from Indio: Sabrina Carpenter on Friday from 9:05-10:35 PT; Justin Bieber, getting a really late start Saturday at 11:25 p.m., with no announced end time; and Karol G on Sunday beginning at 9:55 p.m. On Friday, the main stage has what amounts to an additional post-headliner headliner, as electronic music artist Anyma goes on as the clock strikes midnight, an hour and a half after Carpenter has wrapped up.

Here is a full list of the streams scheduled for weekend 1, all in Pacific time, with embedded video links to take you right to the corresponding YouTube channels. While these lineups are separated by stage and channel, if you want to see how the sets overlap as you map out what to prioritize, scroll down for a grid that lists the steams side by side.

Main Stage Channel Schedule

Friday, April 10

5:30 – Teddy Swims
7:00 – The xx
9:05 – Sabrina Carpenter
12 a.m. – Anyma Presents ÆDEN

Saturday, April 11

5:30 – Addison Rae
7:00 – Giveon
9:00 – The Strokes
11:25 – Justin Bieber

Sunday, April 12

4:00 – Tijuana Panthers
4:45 – Wet Leg
6:10 – Major Lazer
7:50 – Young Thug
9:55 – Karol G

Outdoor Theatre Channel Schedule

Friday, April 10

4:00 – Dabeull
5:20 – Lykke Li
6:40 – Dijon
8:05 – Turnstile
10:35 – Disclosure
11:55 – Bonus Set from Do LaB

Saturday, April 11

4:00 – Los Hermanos Flores
5:10 – Alex G
6:10 – Blondshell
7:05 – Sombr
8:30 – Labrinth
10:20 – David Byrne

Sunday, April 12, 2026

4:00 – Gigi Perez
5:15 – Clipse
6:45 – Foster the People
8:40 – Laufey
10:30 – Bigbang

Sahara Channel Schedule

Friday, April 10

4:00 – Youna
4:50 – Hugel
6:15 – Marlon Hoffstadt
8:00 – Katseye
9:15 – Levity
10:50 – Swae Lee
12:05 a.m. – Sexyy Red

Saturday, April 11

4:00 – Zulan
5:00 – Hamdi
6:15 – ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U
7:15 – TEED
8:00 – Nine Inch Noize
9:10 – Rezz
10:30 – Adriatique
11:55 – Worship

Sunday, April 12

4:00 – Girl Math (Vnssa x Nala)
5:05 – Bunt.
6:10 – Duke Dumont
7:25 – Mochakk
9:05 – Subtronics
10:45 – Kaskade

Mojave Channel Schedule

Friday, April 10

4:15 – Bini
5:30 – Central Cee
6:45 – Devo
8:10 – Moby
9:20 – Slayyyter
10:35 – Ethel Cain
11:55 – Blood Orange

Saturday, April 11

4:00 – Jack White
4:50 – Fujii Kaze
5:50 – Royel Otis
7:30 – Taemin
8:55 – PinkPantheress
10:15 – Interpol

Sunday, April 12

4:25 – Little Simz
5:35 – Suicidal Tendencies
6:30 – Samia
7:10 – Iggy Pop
8:45 – FKA Twigs

Gobi Channel Schedule

Friday, April 10

4:00 – Bob Baker Marionettes
4:45 – NewDad
5:30 – Joyce Manor
6:15 – CMAT
7:20 – Fakemink
8:25 – Holly Humberstone
9:50 – Joost
11:05 – Creepy Nuts

Saturday, April 11

4:05 – Whatmore
5:10 – Luísa Sonza
6:15 – Geese
7:05 – Noga Erez
7:50 – Davido
9:00 – BIA
10:10 – Morat

Sunday, April 12

4:05 – Cobrah
5:15 – Oklou
6:30 – Black Flag
7:10 – Flowerovlove
7:45 – Tomora
9:05 – The Rapture
10:00 – The Chats

Sonora Channel Schedule

Friday, April 10

4:00 – Wednesday
4:50 – Fleshwater
6:00 – The Two Lips
7:10 – Ninajirachi
8:25 – Cachirula & Loojan
9:15 – Febuary
10:00 – Hot Mulligan
10:55 – Carolina Durante
11:50 – Not for Radio

Saturday, April 11

4:20 – Ecca Vandal
5:30 – Ceremony
6:40 – Rusowsky
7:50 – 54 Ultra
8:45 – Die Spitz
9:45 – Mind Enterprises
10:45 – Freak Slug

Sunday, April 12

4:00 – Model/Actriz
4:45 – Jane Remover
5:30 – Los Retros
6:40 – RØZ
8:00 – Drain
9:10 – French Police
10:15 – Glitterer

Quasar Channel Schedule

Friday., April 10

5:00 – Tiga

7:00 – Deep Dish

9:00 – PAWSA 1

11:00 – Disco Lines

Saturday, April 11

5:00 – Joezi

7:00 – Afrojack x Shimza

Sunday, April 12

4:00 – Jazzy

6:00 – JOY (Anonymous)

8:00 – Fatboy Slim

And here are the livestreaming schedules on a day-by-day grid, for help in making those tough viewing choices:

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Greg Russo’s ex-wife hasn’t been shrouded in mystery, but the only facts about her come from his point of view. Considering her infidelity led to their split five years ago, he (understandably) paints her in a not-so-great light. To be clear: He told Dylan in the series premiere that he often felt lonely in his marriage to Elizabeth Stoddard, an accomplished Ludlow alum whose focus on her career contributed to their marriage collapsing. However, “Mr. Razzles” provides necessary insight into Elizabeth and the relationship she now shares with Greg and Katie. In the process, Rooster explores the Russo family dynamic and makes each of them feel more like multidimensional people. It’s a necessary step forward for the comedy halfway through season one.

As a bonus, Connie Britton—who worked with co-creator Bill Lawrence in Spin City—drops in as Beth and crushes it in her one-episode arc. I hope she finds her way back to Ludlow in the future because Walt thinks Beth’s gunning for his college-president job now that she’s donated a student center and kick-started the campus’ green initiative. But there’s a lot more to glean about Beth and her goals in “Mr. Razzles.” To prepare for her arrival, Greg and Katie decide to host a family fun night. It’s his attempt to befriend his ex for Katie’s sake as much as his own, especially since Beth apparently tried to be civil to him post-divorce before he fled to Florida. It helps that he’s got actual swag now that he’s partied with frat bros and hooked up with Cristle. (He even brings her a cup of his favorite hot chocolate in this episode. Talk about a romantic gesture.) 

This newfound confidence fuels Greg’s personality, allowing Carell to continue fleshing out the guy in the same way Jason Segel did in Shrinking‘s initial run. Of the actors leading Lawrence’s various ongoing shows (including Ted Lasso, Bad Monkey, and the Scrubs revival), Carell and Segel share a similar performance style that’s equal parts kooky and heartfelt. Plus, there’s the thematic through-line of the whole father-daughter and found-family thing. And the ensemble around them keeps getting better and better, too. So in Rooster, it’s a delight to see Danielle Deadwyler sharpen her comedic skills. John C. McGinley also settles into this world (although I don’t need to see him in a sauna in every damn episode), and Charly Clive and Robby Hoffman emerge as breakouts. With Britton as a guest star, the HBO show only levels up further. 

Britton and Carell believably sell Beth and Greg’s history. These are clearly two people who know how to push each other’s buttons. Greg is energetic at first, hoping his high spirits will keep any fights at bay, while Beth’s approach is not to discuss their problems at all. It works well initially, with the Russos reminiscing and joking around, before it doesn’t. When they’re hanging out with Dylan, he can’t help but bring up old wounds, like the fact that Beth slept with one of his closest friends. This reveal explains why he feels so unmoored and why he wants to desperately stay close to Katie. He’s got no one else. I feel really bad for the guy, especially upon learning that the painting he can’t let go of is from when he and Beth vacationed in Italy during the early days of their marriage. It’s a way of tightly clutching on to the past. 

While Beth is in the wrong here, I also appreciate that Rooster doesn’t turn her into a snobby villain. Instead, episode writer Lawrence gives her a well-rounded arc. Yes, Beth is flawed, but she owns her ambition and independence. As seen in her interactions with Walt and Dylan, she relishes her wealth and influence, but she’s also friendly and down-to-earth. She got to where she is by sacrificing her relationship with Greg, but at least Beth knew exactly what to prioritize for her happiness. (“I had a big life and career, and I didn’t want to give that up.”) What I appreciated most about this is that Katie doesn’t blame her for the choices she made. She knows her mother well enough and accepts her for who she is. The two of them have a frank conversation later about how Beth is like Archie when it comes to, you know, the cheating of it all. Beth knows she’s not the right parent to give Katie marital advice on coping with Archie’s betrayal. They both understand Greg is better at this anyway, but it’s a refreshing change of pace to see everyone act like adults for once. 

Well, Katie still gives in to some poor tendencies because she’s sleeping with Archie. At least, unlike him, she feels bad about it, especially when Sunny confronts her and apologizes for sleeping with her husband. Then again, I’m repeatedly wondering why Sunny is even with this British doofus. She’s back from her trip to the Big Apple, where she was interviewing for a prestigious internship. Archie, who went to pick her up from the airport, doesn’t even ask her how it went, not until her roommate Mo brings it up. At least it looks like Sunny will dump his ass soon because she can see what a selfish prick he is, but the man doesn’t get enough blame for the mess he’s caused. (And trust that I will be annoyed if Katie ends up pregnant.) 

In other news, I’m glad Rooster found a way to take advantage of Carell’s hockey skills in the same way that The Office did. Greg decides to help Dylan out by talking to the new coach, Jake (Scott MacArthur), who is a recovering alcoholic. (Everyone on this campus gets off a bit too easily when they mess up their jobs.) The two bond in the ice rink at the end of “Mr. Razzles,” with Beth and Katie cheering him on. Perhaps this is the start of a new friendship and, I hope, another push for Greg to find a way to move on. 

Stray observations

  • • Bonus points to Walt and his wife, who are currently binging Pachinko because she just got back from a trip to Japan. Don’t sleep on this incredible TV show. 
  • • Beth’s green initiative means all the lights on campus turn off at 7 p.m. Who thought that was a good idea? It lands Archie in some more trouble when he invites a student into his office, assuming she’s the one doing the “Free Katie” graffiti. But no, she thinks it’s an invitation to sleep with him, and just as she’s stripping, the room plunges into darkness. Welp. At least they clear up the confusion, and interim dean Dylan halts the program. 
  • • Who else caught that Dylan was pretty bothered after learning that Greg, who rejected her advances twice, is now sleeping with someone else? 
  • • Cristle (after realizing Greg got her that hot chocolate): “Why not just get a neon sign that says Cristle put a finger up my butt?”
    Greg: “That was your finger?”
  • • The episode opens with one of Greg’s students reading her paper (written to emulate Sylvia Plath’s style) out loud, and it’s all about suicidal horses. Someone in the writers’ room must be a BoJack Horseman fan, huh?

Saloni Gajjar is The A.V. Club‘s TV critic.  


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January 11, 2026: Noah praises his wife while accepting the Golden Globe for best performance by a male actor in a drama series. “I’m indebted to so many people,” he said in his speech. “I’ve been supported by an incredible wife and three great children all along the way.”

He referenced Sara directly at the end of the speech, saying: “Lastly, to my beautiful wife, Sara, happy birthday. I hope you’re enjoying your party.”

August 5, 2025: Noah says his wife sent him to the beach to recover from his intense experience on The Pitt. Let’s just say Dr. Robby was going through it and his moods were affecting Noah’s actual moods at home.

“I was really asking a lot of my family during those later episodes, to be very patient with whatever mood I was going to come home in, because it was easier for me to stay in it than try to come out of it and be normal and then go back to work and get back in it,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I just didn’t leave it until we finished, and then as soon as we finished, my wife sent me off for three days to go sit on a beach.”

June 4, 2020: Sara celebrates her husband joining Instagram by sharing a gushing birthday post. She writes: “❤️Courageous and kind❤️Funny, charming, wicked smart and crazy hot. There is no one I would rather stand beside on this wild journey. Thank you for being the strength and love that our family thrives under❤️we love you dearly and I love you the most. Xxx”

June 22, 2015: The couple welcome their daughter Frances.

On her daughter’s first birthday in 2016, Sara writes, “One year ago today, I met someone who would change my life forever. This little being has taught me new ways to love and grow as a human, that I didn’t know were possible. Thank you Frances for bringing me on this strange and wonderful journey called motherhood. Happy Birthday, my little love❤️”

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January 11, 2026: Noah praises his wife

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This is TVNewser’s basic cable network ranker and cable news report for the week of March 30, 2026.

A week that featured two major news events on the same day, live coverage of the launch of the Artemis II mission to the moon, and President Donald Trump’s primetime address to the nation, was enough to give the cable news networks a positive return in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo during primetime and total day.

Fox News was the most-watched cable network during Wednesday’s Artemis coverage in both measured categories and was also the most-watched network in total viewers during Trump’s address. 

Artemis II coverage (6-7 p.m. ET)
Fox News: 4 million total viewers/493,000 Adults 25-54
MS NOW: 1.406 million total viewers/172,000 Adults 25-54
CNN: 2.229 million total viewers/485,000 Adults 25-54

President Trump’s Address (9-9:30 p.m. ET)
Fox News: 6.654 million total viewers/1.002 million Adults 25-54
MS NOW: 1.910 million total viewers/265,000 Adults 25-54
CNN: 1.676 million total viewers/339,000 Adults 25-54

 NETWORKS:

According to Nielsen big data + panel for the week of March 30, Fox News averaged 2.763 million total viewers and 300,000 A25-54 viewers during primetime. The network was up +4% in total viewers and +16% in the demo compared to the week prior (the week beginning March 23). 

During total day viewing, Fox News averaged 1.726 million total viewers and 179,000 A25-54 viewers. Based on its average from the previous week’s measurements, the network was up by +1% in total viewers and +6% in the demo.

Fox News ranked first in total primetime viewership and dropped from third to fourth in demo viewership among all basic cable networks. In total day, it finished in first place in total viewers and remained in the No. 3 position in the total day demo.

MS NOW averaged 1.26 million primetime total viewers and 132,000 viewers in the primetime A25-54 demo for the week that just concluded. It was 3,000 demo viewers short of tying with CNN for second place. The network was up +8% in total viewers and +31% in the demo compared to its primetime average the week prior.

During total day, MS NOW averaged 752,000 total viewers and 82,000 demo viewers. It grew by +6% in total viewers and +17% in the demo compared to the network’s average the week prior—it was the only network with double-digit growth during the daypart.

Among all basic cable networks, MS NOW slid from third to fourth in total primetime viewers and jumped from 17th to eighth in the demo. It remained in second place in total viewers and moved from No. 9 to No. 7 in the total day demo. 

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This is TVNewser’s basic cable network ranker

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Sarah Pidgeon is opening up about how playing Carolyn Bessette Kennedy wasn’t always as glamorous as it looked.

During a recent Beauty Secrets video for Vogue, Pidgeon revealed she developed a skin condition while filming the record-breaking Disney+ and Hulu show Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette last summer. Filming in Hyannis, Massachusetts — where the Kennedy Compound is located — Pidgeon said she wore heavy clothing despite it being hot weather.

“When we were shooting Love Story, we were out in Hyannis and I was wearing a cashmere turtleneck and jeans,” Pidgeon said. “I got a heat rash because it was like 90 degrees outside, and then that turned into psoriasis all over my body.”

She then showed a patch on her arm. “I get it on my chest, get it on my tummy. It’s really everywhere,” Pidgeon said. “It comes in waves, it’ll go away, and you can always cover it up.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, Psoriasis is a long-term disease that causes itchy, scaly patches on the skin. It has no cure.

In the series, created by Connor Hines and executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Pidgeon stars opposite Paul Anthony Kelly, who plays JFK Jr. Following last month’s heartbreaking finale, The Hollywood Reporter’s executive awards editor Scott Feinberg has predicted Pidgeon as a frontrunner for the 2026 Emmy Awards for best actress in a limited or anthology series or movie category.

Ahead of the series premiere, Pidgeon spoke with THR about recreating her favorite looks of the former Calvin Klein publicist.

“I’m a huge fan of all her Yohji Yamamoto outfits. There’s one in particular, which is a cream pencil skirt, and it has these buttons. There’s boning, so it’s very structured, and these long sleeves with beige Manolo heels. That image of Carolyn wearing that, I think of her immediately. She’s holding John’s hand and she’s smiling,” she said. “It was just, in particular, wearing these clothes that are so iconic of her later in life, because that was when she was really heavily photographed, you understand just how much they change how you hold yourself.”

The show’s costumes were later refined after initial backlash to early images shared by Murphy. Executive producer, Brad Simpson said the response ultimately helped improve the final look. “What it showed us was how deeply people cared about Carolyn Bessette and how much she meant to generations,” Simpson said. “But it was a good flex point for us to adjust. We made some more dramatic changes. We brought in Rudy Mance, the brilliant costume designer who sourced a lot of original pieces that CBK wore. We went to the actual collectors, to people who’d written books about her fashion and style and we formed a brain trust. We went from using a wig to using Sarah’s real hair and figuring out how to create the different buttery versions.”

He added: “But we took all that feedback in, and I think we got it right. I really am proud of how it looks. I think she looks beautiful.”

All episodes of Love Story are now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Check out all of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Love Story coverage here.

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Sarah Pidgeon is opening up about how

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UPDATE, Friday PM: No major wide entries to shake the Earth before CinemaCon, but a very rich weekend that will keep exhibitors and studios in harmony next week. This is all thanks to the second frame of Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie which is posting $18.7 million Friday on its way to a $71M three-day total at 4,284 theaters, off 46% week over week. That will get the animated sequel voiced by Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Charlie Day and Anya Taylor-Joy and more to $310.1M by EOD Sunday.

As we told you, 2023’s Super Mario Bros had the second-best second weekend for an animated movie at $92.3M (a -37% hold). Currently, Super Mario Galaxy Movie has the seventh-best second weekend for an animated movie behind Inside Out 2 ($101.2M), Super Mario Bros, Frozen 2 ($85.9M), Incredibles II ($80.3M), Finding Dory ($72.9M) and Shrek 2 ($72.1M).

Second place remains the fourth weekend of Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Mary with a $6.3M Friday, $25.5M 3-day at 3,817, off 20%, and running cume by Sunday of $257.5M. That cume, should it hold, will be 3% behind Oppenheimer at the same point in time on Sunday. That multi-Oscar-winning Christopher Nolan movie ended its domestic run at $330M, boosted further by myriad Imax and awards season rereleases.

Universal’s You, Me & Tuscany is seeing $3.2M Friday (includes $75,000K previews) for an opening of $8.3M at 3,151 theaters. Currently, Rotten Tomatoes audiences are more amore with the Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page movie than critics, 94% to 68%.

A24’s The Drama starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson is looking at an estimated $2.5M today with around $7.6M–$8M for its second weekend in fourth at 3,151 sites. At the high end, that’s a -44% hold. Zendaya’s previous non-IP pic, Challengers, had a second weekend of $7.6M, -49%.

Fifth goes to Disney/Pixar’s sixth weekend of Hoppers with an estimated $4M, after a $1.1M Friday at 2,850 theaters. Running total is $157M. Elemental ended its domestic run at $154.4M.

FRIDAY AM: Universal’s Halle Bailey and Rege-Jean Page romance You, Me & Tuscany did $750,000 in previews at 2,550 theaters from showtimes that began at 2 p.m. Thursday. The $18M production is only expected to file in the high-single digits this weekend.

The Will Packer-produced movie comps to the previews of Sony/TriStar’s One of Them Days ($1.3M, $11.8M opening) and Angel Studios’ Solo Mio ($744K, $7M opening).

The real news remains Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which is eyeing a second weekend between $60M-$70M. The sequel keeps all the Imax and PLFs screens.

The Chris Meledandri-produced animated feature made $8M yesterday at 4,252 theaters, off 9% from Wednesday, ending its week at $180M and putting its nine-day running total at $239.1M. At the low end of its second weekend, $300M is within range.

The rest of the week went as follows:

2. Project Hail Mary (AMZ) 3,907 theaters, Wk $45.4M (-41%), Total $232M/Wk 3

3. The Drama (A24) 3,087 theaters, Wk $21.6M/Wk 1

4. Hoppers (Dis) 3,290 theaters, Wk $9.2M (-24%), Total $153M/Wk 5

5. A Great Awakening (RSA) 1,289 theaters, Wk $3.6M/Wk 1

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UPDATE, Friday PM: No major wide entries

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SPOILER ALERT: This post contains major spoilers from “Home,” the third episode “For All Mankind” Season 5, now streaming on Apple TV.

There’s a poignant irony that on the same day the Artemis II is set to return to Earth after being the first crewed mission to orbit the moon in half a century, Apple TV’s “For All Mankind,” the series that has spent five seasons dreaming up what could have happened if we never stopped exploring the cosmos, finally said goodbye to its original space cowboy.

Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman), the pioneering astronaut who fought like hell to get America to the moon after it was beaten by the Soviets only to help colonize Mars 30 years later, met his end in the third episode of Season 5, appropriately titled “Home.” Apple couldn’t have paid for more perfect timing and goodwill space marketing off the Artemis II mission, as the overlapping narratives have inspired fans to champion the fictional, hopeful story at the center of “For All Mankind.”

“I think it’s beautiful,” Kinnaman tells Variety. “There’s something with this show that I absolutely revere, and I think others do too, in that it had the courage to have optimism, and to aspire to our better angels.”

That’s how Kinnaman looks at Artemis’ real-life leap for exploration and the associated hope for further space missions as well. But at the same time, he can’t help reflecting on his eight years living among the stars — as created by Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi and Ronald D. Moore’s revisionist history — where the 1960s space race never ended. At the forefront of their mission has always been Ed, the cocky, boisterous and resolute leading man who risked his life at every turn to earn Americans past, present and future the bragging rights that they led the charge into the final frontier.

Courtesy of Apple TV

In the end, it wasn’t being trapped on the moon, or later on Mars, or even the bureaucratic red tape that sent him into a frenzy at least once a season that felled the great Ed Baldwin. It was time, age and his body that planted the white flag. Across the first two episodes of the season, his doctor pleaded with him to take it easy after being diagnosed with an aggressive illness. But did that stop Ed from rallying the Sons and Daughters of Mars to help jail break their friend Lee Jung-Gil (C.S. Lee) after he was charged with the planet’s first murder? No, it didn’t —but the rescue mission took a toll on Ed, and his body never fully recovered. After sharing a few moments with his daughter Kelly (Cynthy Wu) and his grandson Alex (Sean Kaufman), including a lovely scene where they threw back shots while listening to Ed’s wedding song “Love Me Tender,” he dies quietly in his bed at the end of Episode 3.

Kinnaman was among the first cast in the series, and its creators admit he was a big part of why it got greenlit as one of Apple TV’s inaugural lineup when the platform launched in 2019. So killing off their leading actor, even if the character had aged into his 80s by Season 5, was a crucial bit to get right.

“Ed, I have to say — as indestructible as he’s been on the show and as a character, and how central he’s been to everything — was the hardest ending to craft,” Nedivi says. “The more we thought about this season and the new generation coming in with his grandson, it felt like the motivation was there to do this handoff while also helping to inform Alex’s story and really everything that comes next. We always approach it from a place of asking if there is more story to tell with the character and what is best for the overall show. This was the first time where that answer felt like it was the perfect time to say goodbye to Ed, as painful as that was for us.”

His final day of filming had an added intensity for Kinnaman, whose last scene was the deathbed memory of his younger years, in the infancy of the space program, where he is reunited with his best friend Gordo (Michael Dorman) and his wife Karen (Shantel VanSanten), both of whom died seasons ago but returned for the scene. By the nature of the show, Kinnaman has said goodbye to most of his original co-stars already, many of whom perished in various space missions and terrorist bombings over its decades-long span. But his final walk as Ed, side by side with Gordo, was emotional.

“I was a total mess,” Kinnaman says. “It was such a chaotic last day of the show. I was shooting with Michael, and I was so moved by seeing him because he’s become such a dear friend of mine. The memories all came back, and then I was saying goodbye and giving a little speech to the crew, and just crying my eyes out. We finished around 1 in the morning, and then I was driving home completely filled up with this emotion. But at my house, I had six friends from Sweden champing at the bit, together with my wife, because they’re waiting for me to show up. We all got into three large vehicles to charge up the coast to go to Burning Man, where my wife and I got married.”

Courtesy of Apple TV

Season 5 of “For All Mankind” was filmed in 2024, but Kinnaman says he’s still unpacking the emotional milestones crammed into that weekend — and he’s proud of the story beats they managed to pay off with Ed’s final episode. The first was the episode’s flashbacks to his much-discussed-but-never-seen time as a soldier behind enemy lines in Korea. Kinnaman, Nedivi and Wolpert had talked for years about exploring that part of Ed’s service, which resulted in him nearly being captured and killed. But it was now or never to show those terrifying moments fleeing on foot while wounded, and they stand in stark contrast to the quieter final moments of 81-year-old Ed finding peace in his final hours.

“I remember in the writers’ room saying that if there ever was a right time, now is it because it is fitting,” Nedivi says. “What happens a lot to our family members and people as they get closer to the end, it’s those past memories that come flooding in, so it felt natural. The way you see these flashbacks happen, it’s not just random flashbacks. These are memories that he’s reliving in the moment as he’s going through this and they inform him in the present.”

Breaking the dam of his past trauma also allows in the memories of Gordo, Karen and their son Shane, all of whom welcome him into that proverbial light in the episode’s final sequence. Of them all, Wolpert says Shane is the most affecting, because Ed is picturing him around the same age he died tragically, so he’s reuniting with these perfect versions of those closest to him.

“The amount of loss that Ed has been through in his life is staggering, so to bring that back into the fold — and not say that this was heaven or that they’re waiting or anything — but to give him that memory of them and that first space flight was important,” Wolpert says. “It was like his first Gemini space flight that he went on. It was the beginning of everything for him. Having them there to witness that, and on a metaphorical level, set him off from here just felt like the right way to bring it all back to the beginning.”

While Ed is often held up as a hero among fans and within the series’ alternative history, he was never an easy character. He rebuked authority at every turn, risked multiple missions on a hunch that he knew better and dodged death on multiple planets. He was a complicated, sometimes ornery guy, and Kinnaman thinks they captured those multitudes in his death. 

“I think they kind of imbue all of those heroic qualities in him there at the end, but he’s also a selfish bastard with a massive ego,” he says. “Some of his most heroic moments have definitely been just about his own ego. But he was always ready for a moment of self-sacrifice. He’s always gonna help a friend. I love that, in his final act, they really were able to capture the whole essence of Ed.”

Before Season 5 premiered, Apple ordered a sixth and final season of the series, which is about to start production. In that final stretch, which will bring the storyline to the present day, could the death of the mighty Ed foreshadow similar fates for the last two surviving original characters –– currently incarcerated Margo (Wrenn Schmidt) and Earth-bound retiree Danielle (Krys Marshall)?

“There’s no avoiding death,” Wolpert says. “But I think it was also important to us early on that we established that not everybody has to die to leave the show. So it doesn’t necessarily mean that by the end of our run, we will have killed off all the OGs.”

“We’re bloodthirsty, but we’re not that bloodthirsty,” Nedivi jumps in to add.

For whatever comes next, Kinnaman doesn’t want to know about it. “I asked to not get sent any scripts past my death. I don’t want to see it. I don’t want any links to the show. I just want to watch it with everyone else, because now I get a season and a half of just being a fan.”

It was in the scripts of “For All Mankind” that Kinnaman always found the real heart of the show. Although admittedly biased, he credits the writing as some of the most underrated on TV. He says he rarely came to the creators with comments about Ed’s choices, and he didn’t even have any final requests for his character — but he did plead for one thing that has yet to make its way on the show.

“I was always like, ‘Where are the fucking aliens?’” Kinnaman says. “I kept showing them videos. I was like, ‘This is happening!’ They were always like, ‘Oh, we’re too grounded for that.’ But I want some aliens!”

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SPOILER ALERT: This post contains major spoilers

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If there’s one bit of Hollywood wisdom that The Comeback‘s third season seeks to counter, it’s this: Don’t get stuck in the structure (or don’t allow yourself to become a faceless cog in the machine). The nugget comes from Valerie’s ever-tardy agent and co-executive producer, Billy, who expresses a worldview common on the show. He’s too good for the show he’s on, so the studio might as well reward him for slumming it with a decent parking space. This attitude is all over “Valerie Faces Reality,” from the costume designers to the writers, each arguing that their genius should be upheld and protected regardless of whether it’s right for the show. Even Jane and Mark are out of place professionally, with the former, an Oscar-winner, checking out her onetime stars at Trader Joe’s, while the latter is hanging on the bleeding edge of a reality show called Finance Dudes. The only ones who don’t mind getting stuck in the structure—that is, the machinery of the industry—are the actors, and, surprisingly, Valerie, who finally shows what 30 years in it can get you: experience, wisdom, and patience. 

In the season-premiere recap, I wrote that the show was using its tagline, “It’s time to face reality,” as a thesis statement. We’re no longer only seeing a defensive Valerie hoping to protect her image from the army of cameras filming her. We’re seeing her when the cameras are off, and with that, we’re finally seeing some growth. Two glorious seasons of Epix’s Mrs. Hatt notwithstanding, Valerie hasn’t had a diverse career. For all we know, she’s only played landlords or actors who play landlords since the show started. True to its AI origins, How’s That? reads like a reformulated Room And Bored, with Valerie corralling another pack of impossibly hot twentysomethings around her property. But unlike her attempts to steer the ship two decades ago, Valerie arrives on How’s That? with a real sense of how to make a sitcom, and she’s happy to share that experience with whoever will listen. More importantly, she has the confidence to assert her know-how when challenged. It turns out, when she’s not trying to look like a diva, she has a great bedside manner for constructive criticism. 

Tonight’s Comeback doesn’t rise to the comedic heights of last week‘s machine-gun joke delivery, but it does find truth in how it depicts the sitcom’s death by a thousand cuts. The spirit of collaboration, which Valerie finds off the bat as she records “Cherish The Time” with Tommy, is in short supply among all competing self-interests of the show. Writers who are too ashamed of the genre to write an “aww-ick” moment, and wardrobe designers too in love with their taste to serve the show’s interests, are examples of a larger problem. Everyone is in it for themselves in a genre that not only depends on a whole team of people to create it but also on a community of people to laugh at it. (Big shout-out to “The Spoonman” Mike Mitchell for providing laughs during rehearsal.) Moreover, sitcom writers have been so ashamed to write “aww-ick” moments, the emotional beats that connect the audience to the characters, that networks have thrown up their hands and are allowing AI to write them instead. Both Room And Bored and Seeing Red aimed for the no hugging, no learning of Seinfeld, but Friends, as the show points out, had plenty of “aww-ick” and just as much success.

Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King aren’t simply using The Comeback to make light of self-absorbed Angelenos still hoping for their big break; it’s about paying tribute to the institutional knowledge that helps these shows get made. Valerie has that knowledge, and The Comeback wants its audience to recognize that. When Valerie says her character is not a joke, that she’s a real person who moves the story, the show is talking about Valerie. Her scene with her costume designer (played by Benito Skinner) was the inverse of the one from 20 years ago, when she was saddled with the tracksuit. Rather than simply taking a humiliating outfit for the sake of her job, she’s arguing for a more human one for the sake of the show. She doesn’t become abusive or difficult; she’s working in the show’s best interests and, in the end, allows that frustrating costume designer some grace and a second chance. Compared to how Josh takes the news that his “Mianus U” shirt got nixed, Valerie has the patience of a saint.

There’s a sincere respect that Valerie offers her fellow actors and crew members this time around. She doesn’t need to give an artificial, canned opening-day speech, punctuated by prayer hands, head nods, and filler “yeah”s. She can just listen to her castmates talk about their lives because these are show-business survivors. Frank (Tim Bagley), from Tom Tom’s kids show, Nicky Nicky Nack Nack, is still out there getting work after he assaulted Tom. PDP’s (Matt Cook) brother shot Valerie’s proof-of-concept pilot for Andy Cohen in season two. Sure, he’s now dead, and Valerie didn’t remember him, but she was able to pull that awkward situation out of a tailspin. It’s indicative of the whole episode: The Comeback has evolved from its cringe-comedy roots and found a more mature and capable Valerie Cherish in the process. If only How’s That?‘s writers, which are stand-ins for scripted television writ large, were more open to their characters’ vulnerability, maybe network comedy wouldn’t be in the shape it’s in. 

To that end, there was one thing still holding Valerie back: her grief over Mickey. When she gives Tommy a taste of the old Valerie over her missing wigs, he stands up for himself and gently encourages her to move on from her mourning. Valerie searches for his ashes in storage, where Kudrow delivers a beautiful and heartbreaking few lines about not being able to see Mickey as he died of COVID. She returns to the set with the good wigs, when Tommy finds Mickey’s ornate and oh-so-Mickey ash box in there with them. Valerie and the show’s growth are all over this final scene, with Valerie scattering Mickey’s ashes on the Warner Bros. lot, on the very stage where his favorite film, Now, Voyager, was shot. It’s easy to imagine the earlier, cringier Comeback ending the episode with Valerie covered in Mickey’s ashes. We don’t get that here. Instead, it’s simply a meaningful and poignant farewell to a friend she was never allowed to say goodbye to. She can’t have everything, but she knows what she needs and how to get it. 

Stray observations 

  • • A lot of “structure” talk up top today, but Dan Bucatinsky’s line reading of the button, “I was never supposed to be in the structure,” was spectacular. He’s always great, but he’s been a real standout this season.
  • • “Casting, it’s what makes or breaks a show. Vulnerable actors putting themselves on the line. [Looks at vulnerable actor onscreen] Oh, no, not this one. I want the good one.”
  • • Barry Shabaka Henley as How’s That?‘s prestige steady hand is a great get.
  • • The Friends callout was cute, but maybe a touch too long. We don’t need to linger on whether or not Lisa Kudrow exists within The Comeback universe.
  • • It was nice to see Valerie’s $20,000 Buddha statue from season one getting some use.
  • • “Are you sure I have it? Because I have a record of everything, and I do not have human remains.”
  • • We are going to need to see some clips of Finance Dudes and Mrs. Hatt by the end of this season. Additionally, we’re going to need to hear the joke that got Mark fired.

Matt Schimkowitz is a staff writer at The A.V. Club.  


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For the past few years, minimalist manis have been leading the way. But a new playful trend—polka-dot French tip nails—is set to shake the classic manicure up this spring.

From the barely there soap-nail trend to softly blurred finishes and sheer pale pink ballet-slipper shades, the overall vibe has been polished, put-together and expensive-looking. But now a playful update has started to take over our feeds, and it’s giving the old school French manicure a whole new personality.

While full-coverage polka-dot manicures have already been spotted on everyone from Hailey Bieber to Dua Lipa and Kylie Jenner, dotted tips are gaining traction as a more subtle way to wear the trend. The design keeps the clean structure of a traditional French tip but adds delicate dot detailing that feels modern and playful.

The result sits somewhere between minimal nail art and a statement manicure—making it ideal if you want something interesting without committing to a design that can take hours to create.

What are polka-dot French tip nails?

At their simplest, the polka-dot French tip manicure follows a similar structure as a traditional Frenchie: a neutral or sheer base paired with a contrasting tip. The difference is in the detail. Instead of a single clean line across the edge of the nail, tiny dots are layered along—or just beneath—the tip.

While some versions keep things super minimalist (think micro dots placed along a classic white tip), others experiment with various color combos, and you can go as bold or as subtle as you like. Whether it’s soft pastels, cherry reds paired with bright pinks, or even tonal variations that sit within the same shade family, there’s no denying that this trend has range.

In short, pretty much anything goes, but the key thing to remember is to ensure that the base remains sheer and natural-looking so that the whole thing feels refined rather than busy. That balance is the key to making the trend feel wearable.

Why are polka-dot French tips trending now?

There’s been a recent, noticeable move toward nail designs that balance simplicity with personality. Of course, the classic French tip will never go anywhere, but instead they evolve through subtle variations. In the past we’ve seen various iterations, including colored tips, double French tips, halo Frenchies, and now dotted finishes.

And polka-dot French tips fit nicely into that progression; they keep the clean, healthy-looking base that has defined the quiet-luxury era but have enough detail and interest to feel fresh for the new season. Plus, they’re highly adaptable—the dot placement can be adjusted depending on nail length, shape, and color, making it a design that’s easy to personalize or replicate, depending on your own preferences.

Polka-dot French tip nails inspiration:

Monochrome polka-dot French tips

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For the past few years, minimalist manis

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This week has been another revolving door of hires and promotions at brands, from chief marketing officer (CMO) exits to marketing reshuffles.

We’ve rounded up the U.S. and global marketing leadership moves you need to know about for the week ending April 10.

– Kate Rouch is stepping down as CMO of OpenAI to focus on her recovery following breast cancer treatment. In a LinkedIn post, the exec said: “It was a hard decision to make. But through my illness, I learned that courage isn’t always pushing harder. Sometimes it’s choosing to prioritize different things: your health, your family, your ability to be here for the long run.”

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This week has been another revolving door

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Paramount has set a date to head back to 1966. The studio has acquired U.S. rights for the historical crime thriller By Any Means and set a Labor Day weekend release date of Sept. 4, 2026 for the project, which stars Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Elegance Bratton directs the feature from a script by Sascha Penn.

“Set against the backdrop of 1966 Mississippi, and loosely based on true events, By Any Means follows a volatile partnership between a hardened mafia hitman and a young Black FBI agent as they are forced into an uneasy alliance to track down those responsible for the killing of civil rights leaders—uncovering a conspiracy that tests the limits of justice, loyalty, and survival,” reads the logline.

Bratton, known for marine drama The Inspection, said of the film: “This is a story about unlikely alliances forged under impossible circumstances—where justice is not clean, and the truth comes at a cost. I wanted to explore what it means to confront violence not just as an act, but as a system—and what it demands of those caught inside it.” 

Nicole Beharie, David Strathairn, Giancarlo Esposito, Josh Lucas and Ethan Embry round out the cast.

Bratton produces with Chester Algernal Gordon for their banner Freedom Principle, along with Alex Lebovici for Hammerstone Studios; Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee for Thunder Road Films; and Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson for Municipal.

WME Independent handled the sale, with north.five.six is handling international sales.

The David Leitch-directed Amazon MGM Studios crime drama How to Rob a Bank also opens on Sept. 4.

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Paramount has set a date to head

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Ahead of CinemaCon, Paramount Pictures has picked up all U.S. rights to the Elegance Bratton directed crime thriller By Any Means starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Wahlberg. The pic will open on Sept. 4, Labor Day weekend. WME Independent handled the sale of the film, while north.five.six is handling international sales of the film.

Set against the backdrop of 1966 Mississippi, and loosely based on true events, the manhunt thriller follows a volatile partnership between a hardened mafia hitman and a young Black FBI agent as they are forced into an uneasy alliance to track down those responsible for the killing of civil rights leaders—uncovering a conspiracy that tests the limits of justice, loyalty, and survival.

Pic was written by Sascha Penn with producers being Alex Lebovici (Hammerstone Studios); Chester Algernal Gordon and Bratton (Freedom Principle); Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee (Thunder Road), Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson (Municipal). 

By Any Means also stars Nicole Beharie, David Strathairn, Giancarlo Esposito, Josh Lucas and Ethan Embry.

Said Bratton in a statment, “This is a story about unlikely alliances forged under impossible circumstances—where justice is not clean, and the truth comes at a cost. I wanted to explore what it means to confront violence not just as an act, but as a system—and what it demands of those caught inside it.”

By Any Means will open against Amazon MGM Studios’ How to Rob a Bank. Paramount already had the release date on hold.

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Ahead of CinemaCon, Paramount Pictures has picked

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Turns out, there’s more story to tell!

Ice Cube and Kevin Hart may dust off their bickering buddy act now that “Ride Along 3” is once again in early development at Universal. Tim Story, the director of the two previous installments in the cop comedy franchise, and Will Packer, the producer, are also likely back for more. Before you reserve your ticket, it’s worth noting that all of these players have been trying to get another “Ride Along” off the ground for nearly a decade without success.

That could change. The big news, which Variety has confirmed, is that Daniel Gold, the writer of the Netflix/CBC comedy series “Workin’ Moms,” has been hired to write the screenplay.

It makes sense that Universal, the studio behind the “Ride Along” films, would want to revive the series. “Ride Along” grossed $155 million when it debuted in 2014, while “Ride Along 2” earned $125 million when it hit theaters in 2016. So what’s behind the delay? The answer may be that big screen comedies have fallen out of favor in recent years. Major studios have largely ceded that ground to streamers like Netflix and Prime Video, which have invested more heavily in the genre.

For those who may be hazy on the plot of the “Ride Along” films, they follow a security guard who is desperate to prove himself to his girlfriend’s police officer big brother.

Story and Hart are about to reunite on the upcoming Netflix comedy “72 Hours.” Packer produced “You, Me & Tuscany,” a rom-com with  Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page that Universal premiered this weekend. And Cube recently starred in “War of the Worlds” and played himself in last winter’s “Anaconda” reboot.

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Turns out, there’s more story to tell! Ice

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When The Phantom Menace came out in 1999 to widespread disappointment, it added a new Cool Star Wars Guy With No Personality to the canon. Much like Boba Fett and the rest of The Empire Strikes Back’s mercenaries before him, Darth Maul didn’t have much in his favor besides cutting a mean profile, his Zabrakian horns and double-bladed lightsaber earning a spot in many pre-teens’ hearts even though he barely got a chance to say a word before getting sliced in half and tossed into a pitch-black hole.

It was a bit of a surprise then when Star Wars: The Clone Wars took this disgraced Sith, who seemed both extremely boring and extremely dead, and transformed him into a relatively compelling villain. (Sam Witwer’s theatrical vocal performance deserves a large share of the credit for this.) The response to that revival paved the way for the series’ latest spin-off, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, which takes place in the increasingly crowded years between the prequels and the original trilogy.

It’s a bit of a gambit. Maul is certainly well-known, but he’s still mostly remembered for his lackluster characterization in an infamous film rather than his much-improved presence in The Clone Wars cartoons. Thankfully, the first eight episodes (out of 10) of Dave Filoni’s latest series make a reasonable case for this Sith Lord’s return. This latest retread doesn’t meaningfully expand on the Star Wars mythos or take it to new places, but it is a largely well-executed genre romp that’s elevated by Lucasfilm Animation’s honed aesthetic chops.

The story centers on Brander Lawson (voiced by Wagner Moura), a police detective eager to keep the Empire off his homeworld of Janix; Devon Izara (Gideon Adlon), a Twi’lek Jedi on the run from Inquisitors after Order 66; and Maul (Witwer), who is hell-bent on putting back together his shattered criminal enterprise from The Clone Wars. You don’t need to have seen all of Maul’s interim adventures to watch this show. There are enough explanations from similarly confused in-universe characters so that even those without an encyclopedic knowledge of the Night Sisters and Savage Opress can get by. This isn’t an Ahsoka situation where the entire emotional buy-in is locked behind having caught up on several multi-season animated series. At the same time, it does take multiple episodes for Shadow Lord to dig its hooks in. The problem upfront is that the cartoonish crime wars don’t offer much to chew on. Chris Diamantopoulos’ killer Billy Crystal impression endears us to at least one player—Looti Vari, a pint-sized kingpin in a mech suit—but shootouts and heists take up so much initial screen time that there isn’t enough space for its central characters.

Eventually, though, head writer Matt Michnovetz & co. get to the central point, which is less about Maul’s deeds than the devil’s bargain he provides. In a dismal period where the space fascists have won and are pressing down their boot heels, what good is the Jedi’s morally simplistic creed? Devon, who lives as a refugee alongside her mentor, Master Eeko-Dio-Daki, is forced to suppress her powers and live on the run at the behest of her anti-confrontational teacher. When Maul offers to team up so they can strike down their common enemy, Darth Sidious, this proposal takes on a different tinge than the series’ usual dark-side temptations, mostly because Maul sort of has a point: Sometimes you need to call a truce with a lesser evil to fight a greater one. Instead of the classical posturing of good versus evil, where the bad guy offers a Faustian bargain with a barely concealed sparkle of madness in their eye, here the choice is more similar to the compelling compromises Cassian Andor dealt with.  

 

It isn’t just Devon who faces tough choices. Detective Lawson (a reminder that Star Wars names are not subtle) has to navigate similarly thorny decisions as he attempts to keep the Empire in the dark about Maul’s rampage. He knows that if the Imperials are notified, they’ll use the chaos to justify putting Star Destroyers in orbit around Janex. Even without these ships hanging over the planet, you can feel the Empire’s shadow in every decision, a tension that leaks into personal lives as Lawson navigates an uncomfortable political divide with his ex and his relationship with his robocop partner. Similarly, Maul has more going on than many of his red-saber-wielding counterparts. 

Maul also delivers a great deal of what’s become the main event for a certain type of Star Wars fan: acrobatic lightsaber duels. Sharp animation and punchy choreography highlight this warrior’s spasms of violence, as he slices through criminal rivals like he’s reaping wheat. Do these scenes entirely lack restraint and reflect the series’ overwillingness to cram a bazillion Jedi and Sith into an era where the miracles of the Force are supposed to be dead due to fascism? Yes. However, if a show is going to fixate on laser swords, it should at least do it right. Not only are these fights stylish, but they sell Devon’s pull toward the dark side, as her bouts with this Sith Lord grow increasingly violent and complicated.

Over the years, Lucasfilm’s animators have continued to hone an eye-catching approach that smoothly combines 2D backdrops and 3D foregrounds, something they use here to craft moody street corners and derelict buildings-turned-lairs. The direction convincingly whisks us through these noir-tinged cityscapes as wipes and orchestral interludes evoke a classic Star Wars feel. 

But even though Lucasfilm Animation has the series’ trademark aesthetic down pat, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord doesn’t break the feeling that this fictional universe is rapidly shrinking. With Dave Filoni as the new president of Lucasfilm, it seems fair to assume we’ll be getting more tie-ins to his past work going forward, which would mean many more projects based on existing characters instead of new ones. Andor managed to deliver nuanced material despite being set in a well-established period, but it also had something that Shadow Lord lacks: a new vision for Star Wars. This show doesn’t have that same insight, and while it delivers what some hardcore fans want (more light saber fights, say), it abandons a galaxy of possibilities in the process. 

Elijah Gonzalez is The A.V. Club’s associate editor. Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord premieres April 6 on Disney+.    


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What we love: The Soma Vanishing Back Bra is constructed with back and side panels that have varying levels of stretch and hold to smooth without squeezing. Those panels feel silky and soft, and I found that the seamless edges and front-adjustable straps helped minimize lumps and lines under my clothes. It does run small in the band—my usual 32D and sister size 34C both felt quite tight—so I’d recommend sizing up. Overall, it’s a strong option, especially with lower-cut or more open necklines.

  • Worth noting: Runs quite small and tight; contains rigid underwire
  • Sizing: 32B–42G
  • Materials: 78% nylon, 22% spandex
  • Closure: Hook-and-eye back
  • Colors: 10 options

Best for Lounging Around: Jockey Seamfree Back Smoothing Cami Strap Bralette

Jockey Seamfree Back Smoothing Cami Strap Bralette

What we love: Here’s what I’d wear if I didn’t really want to wear a bra at all. It’s a wireless, lightly padded bralette that’s super stretchy and sits smoothly under clothes. The fabric is thin and sleek, and the front-adjustable straps are a nice touch. It’s not especially shaping or supportive—especially for larger busts, since the thinner straps can stretch over time—but it still gives a bit of smoothing through the back without feeling restrictive. Overall, it’s just an easy, everyday option that runs you around $30.

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What we love: The Soma Vanishing Back

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New roles: More than two years after her return to CNN, Alex MacCallum is taking on additional duties as she was named the news network’s chief operating officer. In a memo to staffers obtained by TVNewser, CNN CEO Mark Thompson said MacCallum’s promotion comes as she has “already achieved an impressive set of critical accomplishments in record time.”

MacCallum was previously CNN’s executive vice president of digital products and services, tasked with spearheading CNN’s suite of digital products, which includes the launch of its All Access subscription product, the CNN Express FAST channel, and the network’s upcoming weather service.

In her new role, MacCallum, who fills the role vacated by David Leavy, will continue to oversee the network’s product and digital revenue/operations group, as well as non-editorial departments including group strategy, operations, mission-driven project work, and strategic partnerships and business development. 

CNN also announced this week that Patrick Svitek is joining the network as a Washington, D.C.-based reporter. Joining from The Washington Post, Svitek will be part of CNN’s political team with his coverage focusing on the 2026 midterm races, major political trends, and the 2028 presidential contest.

Also joining CNN is Carolina Peguero as CNN en Español news correspondent based in Miami. Peguero will cover South Florida, where economic and immigration policies under the Trump administration continue to shape the region. She was previously a news anchor at TelevisaUnivision, contributing to both linear and streaming programming of Noticias Univision 24/7 on the digital news platform, VIX.

New appointments: ABC News announced that Leslie Lopez will be the news outlet’s New York-based meteorologist, beginning Friday, April 10. Lopez, who joins from KABC-TV, ABC’s O&O affiliate in Los Angeles, will work closely with ABC News’ team of meteorologists, including Ginger Zee, Sam Champion, Lee Goldberg, Somara Theodore, and the ABC News Weather, Climate & Science Unit across the ABC News Group for all programs and platforms.

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New roles: More than two years after

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Reactions are rolling in to President Donald Trump’s lengthy Truth Social post on Thursday, in which he eviscerated several members of the online MAGA-sphere — again roasting Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, while going after Candace Owens in an even-for-him personal manner and mocking Alex Jones — all of who have recently emerged as voices of opposition to the war in Iran.

Trump’s latest missive follows an Iran-focused war of words with Carlson, the former CNN and Fox News host who now commands a large audience on his namesake daily video podcast. Clocking in at 482 words, the president’s post scorches four of the biggest names in the MAGA-aligned online commentary space.

Carlson, after taking repeated hits from the president in the past week, was dubbed a “hand flairrlring Fool”; Kelly was again chastised for a decade-old debate question about Trump’s criticism of women. Rising star Owens was mocked for her conspiracy theory that French first lady Brigitte Macron was born a man — with Trump adding that Owens is less attractive — while Jones was torpedoed over losing his fortune in a major legal case brought by the parents of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting over Jones’ claim that the tragedy was a hoax. Trump’s individual attacks followed a blanket statement deriding all four podcast hosts.

“They’re losers, just trying to latch on to MAGA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social before launching into a series of personal insults.

Reactions came quickly from Owens and Carlson, both of whom questioned the president’s mental state. Owens reposted the message, adding: “It may be time to put Grandpa up in a home.”

Owens, along with Jones, has recently called for Trump to be removed from office. Jones, meanwhile, reacted to an Easter morning post in which Trump called for the obliteration of Iran if the Strait of Hormuz were not reopened, describing it as sounding “like an unhinged supervillain from a Marvel comic.”

In Thursday’s post, Trump wrote that Jones “says some of the dumbest things,” and reiterated his view that the hosts — all of whom supported his reelection bid and helped amplify his return to the White House — are “losers.”

“These so-called ‘pundits’ are LOSERS, and they always will be!” he wrote.

In response, Jones said in a video that he misses “the old Trump that got so many good things done … But at the end of the day, I just feel sorry for him,” adding that the Iran war is a “total disaster.”

The Trump administration’s military action in Iran — and the four pundits’ criticism of his decision-making as the situation reached a stalemate this week — served as the catalyst for Thursday’s sharply worded post. The president has faced mounting criticism not only from these figures but also from segments of his base, many of whom view foreign intervention as counter to the MAGA agenda and a betrayal of his campaign promise to keep the U.S. out of overseas conflicts.

“As President, I could get them on my side anytime I want to,” Trump asserted. “But when they call, I don’t return their calls because I’m too busy with World and Country Affairs.”

Former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also drew Trump’s ire. The onetime MAGA stalwart broke with the president after defending victims of Jeffrey Epstein amid the administration’s decision to withhold a tranche of documents. Trump referred to her as “nasty,” and as “Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Brown.”

Greene fired back shortly after the post went live: “I fought alongside Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones to help get Trump elected,” she wrote. “And now he goes off on a rambling rant, attacking all of us in one post. We NEVER changed — Trump did.”

Beyond those directly targeted, reaction to Trump’s post was broadly negative. White supremacist Nick Fuentes, in a video, praised the post while using a racist epithet in his commentary.

Others argue the outburst may ultimately benefit the MAGA media ecosystem by driving traffic and attention to its biggest personalities. Whether that attention is welcome is secondary to what appears to be a deep — and potentially irreparable — rift on the political right.

“MAGA is about WINNING and STRENGTH in not allowing Iran to have Nuclear Weapons,” Trump wrote. “MAGA is about MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and these people have no idea how to do that.”

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Reactions are rolling in to President Donald

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EXCLUSIVE: Fox is now in the third-party business. The broadcast network’s production arm Fox Entertainment Studios has sold The Dogwood, a multi-camera comedy from Mom co-creator Gemma Baker, to ABC.

It marks another step in the evolution of Fox, which in March 2019 found itself as an independent network with no production capabilities following Disney’s acquisition of Fox assets, including TV studio 20th Century Fox Television. The network has since built such capabilities, organically and through acquisitions of MarVista Entertainment and animation house Bento Box.

Fox currently has fully owned series across drama (Best Medicine), live-action comedy (Animal Control) and animation (Krapopolis). It is now starting to sell shows elsewhere, too.

While a return to multi-camera comedy has been on Fox’s list of programming goals (the network’s last entry in the genre was Call Me Kat, which ended in 2023), its current comedy slate is largely male-driven, including live-action series Animal Control and Going Dutch. That makes The Dogwood a better fit for the female-skewing ABC, which also remains in the multi-cam comedy business; it has the Tim Allen sitcom Shifting Gears.

Written by Baker, The Dogwood centers on a workaholic mom who leaves her marriage and quickly discovers she’s the most sterotypical divorced dad anyone has ever met.

Baker co-created CBS’ Mom with Chuck Lorre and Eddie Gorodetsky. She rose to executive producer on the multi-camera comedy and served as co-showrunner with Nick Bakay on the last three seasons (6-8). Baker’s series credits also include CBS’ Two and a Half Men and, most recently, NBC’s Happy’s Place. She is repped by UTA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

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EXCLUSIVE: Fox is now in the third-party

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On March 25, filmmaker Nina Lee was about to give a speech to a room full of high school students, advising them how to navigate the Hollywood film business.

But the Atlanta native was in a tough spot. She was frustrated because her recent rom-com project, “That’s Her,” starring Coco Jones and Kountry Wayne, was stuck in post-production limbo — neither picked up nor flat-out rejected by the various studios she’d approached. Before starting her speech, she reposted her tweet warning audiences that studios were watching to see how the upcoming rom-com “You, Me & Tuscany,” now playing in theaters, performed at the box office.

“Met with a studio about my already shot romcom and they won’t buy it until they see how ‘You, Me & Tuscany’ does. Met with an exec about a romance script I have, they won’t buy it until they see how ‘You, Me & Tuscany’ does. Go see this film!” Lee wrote in a post on X that now has over half a million views.

A few hours later, when Lee finished her talk and checked her phone, she had numerous texts and notifications from friends and new followers. Her tweets had been picked up by popular X accounts like PopCrave and DiscussingFilm, with people sharing their incredulity over the situation.

“It’s bringing light to an issue that affects not just Black female directors or Black directors, [but] all minorities,” Lee tells Variety.

Lee’s film, “That’s Her,” follows the story of a corporate-climbing playboy falling for an office temp. The movie wrapped production last September and Lee spent the fall meeting with studios at sales screenings, but did not receive any offers.

“I had a lot of execs reach out to my manager, and they were like, ‘Oh, they want to meet you, because you did such an incredible job and they want to give you some words of encouragement,’” Lee recalls. She received praise for pulling off a large-scale production on a modest budget, but no other solid critiques. At the various meetings she had, five of them told her roughly the same thing: “We’re not at a place where we can purchase rom-coms, but there are some Black rom-coms coming out in 2026 we want to monitor and see how those do before moving forward.”

While the executives did not specifically name which projects they were eyeing, it was easy enough for Lee to infer they were referring to Universal’s “You, Me & Tuscany,” one of the few Black-led rom-coms from a major studio to hit theaters in recent years.

Produced by Will Packer, “You, Me & Tuscany” follows a young, free-spirited cook (Grammy-nominated singer-turned-actress Halle Bailey) who impulsively squats in an empty Tuscan villa and gets caught up in a world of adventure when she meets and falls in love with the homeowner’s cousin (“Bridgerton” alum Regé-Jean Page). It’s a sweet, sun-drenched story featuring all the well-worn rom-com tropes of mix-ups and misunderstandings. But the movie also carries the weight of pressure to perform at the box office.

It’s a pressure Packer — whose resume boasts smash hits like “Girls Trip” and 10 movies that have opened at No. 1 domestically, including the “Think Like a Man” and “Ride Along” franchise films — is used to navigating. He knows there’s “a lot of eyes” on his film, and that’s been the name of the game for Black filmmakers for decades.

“People from Oscar Micheaux to Spike Lee to the Hudlin and Hughes brothers, they’d all like a word, because they’ve been dealing with this way before Will Packer — and that is just the reality,” Packer quips.

When it comes to “You, Me & Tuscany” predicating the future of films like it, he adds: “If the dollars make sense, then you’ll see more of it and Hollywood will change and adjust. So, I am trying to do my part to be successful in a language that Hollywood understands — which is not really the language of social justice, it’s really the language of economics.”

Dr. Ana-Christina Ramón, who co-authors the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report, says Hollywood is ignoring its own data. “It’s never really an issue of if Black movie goers will support a Black-led movie, because you can see that they do,” she says.

In the 2025 report, Ramón and her team elaborated that within the top 20 theatrical films of the previous year, “BIPOC men unambiguously made up the largest audience share for ten of these films, whereas BIPOC women accounted for the largest audience share for another six films. White women and white men each made up the largest audience share for just one of these top 20 films.”

Ramón adds that if audiences are aware that a Black-led movie exists, they will go see it, which presents the first hurdle for Black-led films to overcome.

A few factors determine how well a movie does at the box office, according to Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative: “It has to have a great story. Secondly, it has to be supported by production and marketing dollars. And lastly, it has to be released in a lot of theaters. Those determinations — production costs, marketing costs, distribution, density — are all in the hands of executives, and it’s clear that these executives are completely out of touch with Gen Z, and that over 40% of the U.S. population identifies as non-white.”

Without the promotional backing of studios, it feels near-impossible for films to achieve their full potential. And if studios don’t think the audience will return their investment, it is unlikely for them to push projects they don’t believe in.

Packer thinks “You, Me & Tuscany” wouldn’t have gotten made without the backing of Universal — not because it wasn’t a strong story, but studios view releasing rom-coms theatrically as a dicey proposition since the growth of streaming.

“It actually does matter what it does at the box office,” he says. [“You Me & Tuscany” is projected to more than $10 million, a solid start for a movie carrying an $18 million budget.]

“It matters for the Nina Lee’s of the world and for audiences that want to see films like this get made,” Packer explains. “It matters for the next white romantic comedy that somebody is thinking about green lighting as a theatrical proposition.” But there’s power in that, he adds: “Hollywood watches and then they react. Hollywood will react to the audiences more so than audiences realize; they have the power to dictate what’s made in Hollywood. You vote with your dollars.”

Bailey shared her take on Lee’s situation in an interview with Complex, saying, “I feel like it almost isn’t fair for us to have to [hear], ‘Oh, well, we’re gonna watch how this one does. And then we’ll green light you.’ We are known for breaking barriers and not letting anything stop us as a community, and I think that even when the goalposts may be moved every single time, we still will persevere, no matter what.”

As Black actors in Hollywood, Bailey and Page have both faced immense pressure and racism in their careers. Their castings as Ariel in Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” and Duke Simon Basset in the Netflix series “Bridgerton,” respectively, spurned similar hate campaigns, with the hashtags #NotMyAriel and #NotMyDuke trending on social media. Despite the backlash, both projects went on to be major successes, paving the way for them to be seen as viable stars of a major studio movie.

Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page on the set of “You, Me & Tuscany,” directed by Kat Coiro.

Photo Credit: Giulia Parmigiani/

That’s no small feat, especially for Bailey, Smith points out. “Women of color typically are given the least amount of access and opportunity, and yet, our recent economic data has shown that they do just as well at the box office [as] their white male counterparts,” Smith explains, adding that while women of color represent about 20% of the American population, in 2025, only 15% of leading roles in films were portrayed by women of color.

In recent years, romantic comedies have been positioned as risky theatrical bets, with most rom-coms heading straight to streaming. The greenlighting of POC-led rom-coms, specifically, speaks to the interests of women, who, according to Smith, are responsible for “50% of ticket sales,” with slight genre variations.

“It’s really interesting that Hollywood has backed off from the idea of romantic comedies, because it’s more of an issue of underestimating the power of women at the box office,” says Ramón. “It’s a combination of the fact that people of color are really driving the theatrical industry success, and then you see that films are doing well due to women. It’s underestimating the fact that you could be making a ton of profit with [POC-led] romantic comedies.”

The topic of missed opportunity weighs heavily on Lee’s mind as well. Among the outpouring of support she received after her posts was a story from an Asian filmmaker who told her his original script received similar feedback from studios, telling him they were waiting to see how 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians” performed. When it was a smash hit, he was reportedly told it was “an anomaly,” and studios were unsure if the success would “continue to translate.”

“How do you win when the goal is moving?” says Lee. “You think you see the goal, and you think you know how to shoot to score, but as soon as you think you’ve got it, they just move it. How do we as filmmakers survive when that keeps happening?”

The success of films created by and for certain demographics doesn’t necessarily pave the way for future opportunities. Take the billion-dollar success of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” in 2023 or the Academy Award-winning achievements of last year’s “Sinners,” for example. Will Hollywood take the right lessons away from those smash hits? That remains to be seen. But the hope is that the industry will recognize the financial incentive of introducing diverse perspectives.

As for Lee, her film “That’s Her” was selected for the American Black Film Festival, where it will make its world premiere next month. ABFF is a big showcase for the movie, which will screen in a lineup that includes buzzy projects like “Girl Dad,” starring Marsai Martin and Courtney B. Vance and produced by Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, plus Malcolm D. Lee’s Peacock thriller “Strung,” led by Chloe Bailey. Lee hopes that after making a splash in Miami Beach, “That’s Her” will capture the attention of distributors.

“We have stories to tell as well. Our stories matter,” says Lee. “Yeah, I win as a director, but then an audience wins because they get to see themselves.”

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Much of the cast of the latest Lord Of The Flies adaptation is unknown child actors, as Netflix confirmed on Tudum. But Jack Merridew might look a little familiar; the character is played by Lox Pratt, who will also star in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series as Draco Malfoy. The 14-year-old is quickly cornering the market on evil roles for little blond boys. Pratt as Jack is front and center in Netflix’s first trailer for Jack Thorne’s adaptation of Lord Of The Flies, ginning up panic in the other boys about a purported beast on the island. 


Of course, man certainly has the potential to be beastly, as anyone who’s read Lord Of The Flies or who has watched the news at any point ever is likely aware. Thorne, who recently won a whole bunch of awards for co-creating Adolescence, hopes to keep the conversations from that show going with this new adaptation. “We’re losing a generation of boys, and we’re losing it because of the hate they are ingesting — because it is an answer to their loneliness and isolation,” he says in remarks published on Tudum. 

Aside from Pratt, the other major roles from the novel—Ralph and Piggy—will be portrayed by Winston Sawyers and David McKenna, respectively. Lord Of The Flies lands on Netflix on May 4. 

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Much of the cast of the latest

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Knowing how to style a silk scarf—beyond just tying it around your neck, of course—is a fashion skill that’ll be quite handy this spring and summer. Delicate silk scarves are one of the biggest accessory trends for the year, taking center stage on the catwalks and in street style looks. The outfit ideas from these have been inspiring, to say the least.

What’s most striking about this trend, though, is that it’s gone beyond a simple neck scarf. We’re seeing so many creative silk scarf styling ideas that, as a result, have made the piece is more versatile than it ever was before. So it’s high time to get your own satin scarves out of the back of the closet or invest in a new one. Whether you want to wear something eye-catching, elegant, or casual, there are countless ways to personalize your look via a silk scarf this season. The sky’s the limit.

How to style a silk scarf for spring 2026

#1: With a baseball cap

Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images

Worn around the neck, a printed silk scarf can quickly look quite conservative. But there is another way: On the Gucci runway, a model wore a pink baseball cap with a matching silk scarf wrapped around it and loosely knotted under her chin. It gave the classic accessory a casual touch without losing any of its elegance. Ever since, we’ve seen the styling hack popping up more and more in street style looks and on celebrities like Hailey Bieber. So break with tradition and go for a look that perfectly combines elegance and casualness with a playful print and your favorite baseball hat.

Free People Bandana Scarf

New York Yankees ’47 Hitch Cap

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On Friday, the YouTube creator Jesse “Jesser” Riedel announced the formation of JesserCo., a new parent company that will unite his growing portfolio of businesses under a single structure. 

The 27-year-old Jesser will remain founder, while Zach Miller, who previously served as president of Bucketsquad, Jesser’s apparel brand, has been elevated to president of JesserCo.

The reorganization brings together two main operating businesses: Jesser Media, the newly named home for his content operation, and Bucketsquad, the basketball lifestyle and apparel brand. But it also creates the corporate architecture for the launch of new sub-brands within the JesserCo. portfolio.

Jesser Media reaches more than 45 million subscribers and followers, primarily through his YouTube channel, and has generated more than 10 billion views across platforms, according to the company. 

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On Friday, the YouTube creator Jesse “Jesser”