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R.L. Stine, the man behind the infamous “Goosebumps” books, is still adding to his young adult horror series more than 70 years after he began.
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Tag: books
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Must-Read Follow-Ups to Your Favorite True-Crime Documentaries
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For some, sitting down with a good book means cozying up by the fireplace, ready for characters to whisk them away to an imaginary world. For others, the escape comes from the thrill of traveling back in time, eager to learn from the stories of generations past. However, another group of bookworms is motivated by an alternative curiosity. Authors such as Truman Capote and David Grann command their attention with narratives of police investigations, cold cases and wrongful convictions.
Although true crime has captured audiences’ attention for decades, the genre has recently experienced an obsessional revival, surfacing an overwhelming collection of documentaries, docuseries and podcasts. But what pulls a particular story out from the noise? What distinguishes a gripping documentary from sensationalized nonfiction?
The best true crime stories pack a punch deeper than engaging, binge-worthy mysteries. If told right, these investigations offer a complex look into the nightmarish moments that altered the course of someone’s life, holding perpetrators accountable, advocating for justice or offering a fresh angle on the cases we thought we knew. For all the true crime lovers and aspiring investigative podcasters alike, these books are the perfect read if you’re not ready to let go of that one case just yet.
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Laura Baker
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Book excerpt:
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“The Eleventh Hour: A Quintet of Stories” (to be published Tuesday by Random House) is acclaimed novelist Salman Rushie’s elegiac new collection of stories – his first fiction since a 2022 attack that nearly killed him – in which he writes of intimate encounters with death, ghosts, magic, and the immutable passage of time.
Read an excerpt below, and don’t miss Martha Teichner’s conversation with Salman Rushdie on “CBS Sunday Morning” November 2!
“The Eleventh Hour” by Salman Rushdie
Prefer to listen? Audible has a 30-day free trial available right now.
From “In the South”
The day Junior fell down began like any other day: the explosion of heat rippling the air, the trumpeting sunlight, the traffic’s tidal surges, the prayer chants in the distance, the cheap film music rising up from the floor below, the pelvic thrusts of an “item number” dancing across a neighbor’s TV; a child’s cry, a mother’s rebuke, unexplained laughter, scarlet expectorations, bicycles, the newly plaited hair of schoolgirls, the smell of strong coffee, a green wing flashing in a tree. Senior and Junior, two very old men, opened their eyes in their bedrooms on the fourth floor of a sea-green building on a leafy lane, just out of sight of Elliot’s Beach, where, that evening, the young would congregate, as they always did, to perform the rites of youth, not far from the village of the fisherfolk, who had no time for such frivolity. The poor were puritans by night and day. As for the old, they had rites of their own and did not need to wait for evening. With the sun stabbing at them through their window blinds, the two old men struggled to their feet and lurched out onto their adjacent verandas, emerging at the same moment, like characters in an ancient tale, trapped in fateful coincidences, unable to escape the consequences of chance.
Almost at once they began to speak. Their words were not new. These were ritual speeches, obeisances to the new day, offered in call-and-response format, like the rhythmic dialogues or “duels” of the virtuosi of Carnatic music during the annual December festival.
“Be thankful we are men of the south,” said Junior, stretching and yawning. “Southerners are we, in the south of our city in the south of our country in the south of our continent. God be praised. We are warm, slow, and sensual guys, not like the cold fishes of the north.”
Senior, scratching first his belly and then the back of his neck, contradicted him at once. “In the first place,” he said, “the south is a fiction, existing only because men have agreed to call it that. Suppose men had imagined the earth the other way up! We would be the northerners then. The universe does not understand up and down; neither does a dog. To a dog there is no north and south. And in the second place, you’re not that warm a character, and a woman would laugh to hear you call yourself sensual—but you are slow, that is beyond a doubt.”
This was how they were: they fought, going at each other like ancient wrestlers whose left feet were tied together at the ankles. The rope that bound them so tightly was their name. By a curious chance—which they had come to think of as “destiny,” or, as they more often called it, a “curse”—they shared a name, a long name like so many names of the south, a name neither of them cared to speak. By banishing the name, by reducing it to its initial letter, V., they made the rope invisible, which did not mean it did not exist. They echoed each other in other ways—their voices were high, they were of similarly wiry build and medium height, they were both nearsighted, and, after lifetimes of priding themselves on the quality of their teeth, they had both surrendered to the humiliating inevitability of dentures—but it was the unused name, that symmetrical V., the Name That Could Not Be Spoken, that had joined them together for decades.
The two old men did not share a birthday, however. One was seventeen days older than the other. That must have been how “Senior” and “Junior” got started, even though the nicknames had been in use for so long that nobody could now remember who originally thought them up. V. Senior and Junior they had become, Junior V. and Senior V. forevermore, quarreling to the death. They were eighty-one years old. If old age was thought of as an evening, ending in midnight oblivion, they were well into the eleventh hour.
“You look terrible,” Junior told Senior, as he did every morning. “You look like a man who is only waiting to die.”
Senior—nodding gravely, and also speaking in accordance with their private tradition—responded, “That is better than looking, as you do, like a man who is still waiting to live.”
Excerpted from “The Eleventh Hour” by Salman Rushdie. Copyright © 2025 by Salman Rushdie. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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“The Eleventh Hour” by Salman Rushdie
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62 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books Arriving in November
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io9’s monthly list of new sci-fi, fantasy, and horror releases returns, and while it may not be as long as our round-ups from September and October, there are still 62 fantastical, terrifying, thought-provoking, tear-jerking, heartwarming, unsettling, and otherwise page-turning books to behold.
November 3-4
© Quirk Books, Berkley The House of Illusionists: And Other Stories by Vanessa Fogg
“Fantastical tales set in worlds both close and distant from our own, exploring relationships, love, passion, and connection across space and time.” (November 3)
The Blackfire Blade by James Logan
The sequel to The Silverblood Promise begins as “winter has come early to Korslakov, City of Spires, and Lukan Gardova has arrived with it. Most visitors to this famous city of artifice seek technological marvels or alchemical ingenuity. Lukan only desires the unknown legacy his father has left for him in the vaults of the Blackfire Bank. But when Lukan’s key to the vault is stolen by a mysterious thief known as the Rook, he and his friends race to win it back.” (November 4)
Blackthorn by J.T. Geissinger
“A scorching new enemies-to-lovers romance filled with explosive secrets, nail-biting, gothic suspense, and the dangerous lure of dark magic.” (November 4)
The Burning Queen by Aparna Verma
“In the thrilling sequel to The Phoenix King, deadly secrets are uncovered, new alliances are forged, and an exiled princess will rise from the ashes of the old world as the burning queen.” (November 4)
Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite
“A young woman must shake off a family curse and the widely held belief that she is the reincarnation of her dead cousin in this wickedly funny, brilliantly perceptive novel about love, female rivalry, and superstition.” (November 4)
The Eleventh Hour: A Quintet of Stories by Salman Rushdie
“A spellbinding exploration of life, death, and what comes into focus at the proverbial eleventh hour of life.” (November 4)
Empire of the Dawn by Jay Kristoff
The Empire of the Vampire trilogy ends as “Gabriel de León has lost his family, his faith, and his last hope of ending the endless night―the Holy Grail, Dior. With no desire left but vengeance, he and a band of loyal brothers journey into the war-torn heart of the Augustin Empire to claim the life of the Forever King.” (November 4)
Fallen City by Adrienne Young
“In the great walled city of Isara, political turmoil ignites a rebellion one hundred years in the making. But when a legionnaire falls in love with a Magistrate’s daughter, their love will threaten the fate of the city and the will of the gods.” (November 4)
A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman
A new fantasy duology begins as two magicians—one with a summer wand, one with a winter wand—must join forces against a brutal storm and, after they discover they’re fated to be rivals, resist the urge to fall in love. (November 4)
The Great Work by Sheldon Costa
“An alchemist and his teenage nephew hunt down a legend in this profound and unsettling speculative Western.” (November 4)
A Heart of Crimson Flames by A.K. Mulford
“Wolf pack politics, heart-pounding action, dark magic, newfound family dynamics, and shifter romance come to an explosive climax in the incredible conclusion of the Golden Court Trilogy.” (November 4)
Helm by Sarah Hall
“The story of a singular life force, and of the relationship between nature and people, neither of whom can weather life without the other.” (November 4)
The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer
“The tale of Bluebeard as it’s never been told before … a thrilling romantasy and murder mystery.” (November 4)
A Judgement of Powers by Benedict Jacka
The Inheritance of Magic series continues as Stephen Oakwood faces a new challenge: “the Winged, a mysterious group involved with his father, have noticed Stephen, and they want him to join them or else … The cults, Houses, and corporations of the magical world are locked in an endless battle for dominance, and Stephen is beginning to realize that he’s going to have to pick a side.” (November 4)
The King Must Die by Kemi Ashing-Giwa
“A pulse-pounding science fiction adventure following the daughter of rebel instigators and the heir of a power-drunk ruler who team up to save their empire…or destroy it in the process.” (November 4)
Lies Weeping by Glen Cook
“From Glen Cook, the godfather of Grimdark himself, Lies Weeping is the first book in a brand new arc of his groundbreaking Chronicles of the Black Company—an epic fantasy series.” (November 4)
The Nameless Land by Kate Elliott
“Surprising betrayals, surprising alliances, and surprising discoveries of heritage abound in this energetic sequel to The Witch Roads.” (November 4)
The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry
“A woman must confront the evil that has been terrorizing her street since she was a child in this gripping haunted house novel.” (November 4)
Pluto by Ben Bova and Les Johnson
The Outer Planets trilogy concludes as “against a backdrop of unknown alien technology and potential interplanetary war, Mikelson’s inhuman ego and obsession will risk humanity by calling something unknown to our solar system.” (November 4)
The Sacred Space Between by Kalie Reid
“An enchanting enemies-to-lovers fantasy about an exiled saint and the devout iconographer sent to paint him.” (November 4)
Ship of Spells by H. Leighton Dickson
“When Ensign Bluemage Honor Renn is rescued from the wreckage of her first naval post, she expects death or disgrace. Instead, she wakes aboard the Touchstone, a mythic vessel whispered of in dockside ballads and royal war rooms alike … But the tragedy that sank her last ship didn’t just take lives―it left something behind. Now Renn carries a secret everyone wants.” (November 4)
Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi
“A steamy paranormal romance set in the Black South—a bold new foray that takes us on a journey of magic and fantasy, from the whispering creeks outside the city of Salvation to the very depths of Hell itself.” (November 4)
Stars Like Us by Stephen K. Stanford
The sequel to Jubilee picks back up with Col, “security chief for the artificial mini-world of Jubilee—a kind of Vegas-in-space. But his peaceful life is shattered by a surprise attack, and desperate to save his young family, he flees … but the League base he reaches is riven by politics and infiltrated by the enemy. Col must escape again, this time to his birth planet, where he faces long-dormant personal demons.” (November 4)
Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop
“A young detective investigating crimes of the uncanny will learn that bargains can change your fate—for good or ill—in this darkly enthralling fantasy.” (November 4)
The War Beyond by Andrea Stewart
In this sequel to The Gods Below, “loyalties will be tested, long-lost secrets will be revealed, and two sisters will face each other on the battlefield as the war between the gods ignites.” (November 4)
November 11
© Tachyon Publications, Mariner Books Bones of Our Stars, Blood of Our World by Cullen Bunn
“A high-stakes hunt for a masked killer whose brutal murders may be a portent of an evil as ancient and cold as the stars themselves.” (November 11)
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
“Return to the fantasy world of the bestselling Legends & Lattes series with a new adventure featuring fan-favorite, foul-mouthed bookseller Fern.” (November 11)
Daughters of Nicnevin by Shona Kinsella
“Mairead and Constance, two powerful witches, meet in the early days of the 1745 Jacobite uprising. While the men of the village are away fighting, the villagers face threats from both the Black Watch and raiders, and the women are confronted with their vulnerability. They enlist the help of Nicnevin, fae queen of witches, to bring men made of earth to life to help protect their village. But just who do they need protection from? And what will happen when the village men return?” (November 11)
God’s Junk Drawer by Peter Clines
“A mind-bending tale of mystery and adventure set at the dawn of time.” (November 11)
The Last Wish of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson
In this sequel to The Courting of Bristol Keats, “Bristol and Tyghan work to understand and reconcile their differences, moving forward with their common goal of saving Elphame. But when a daring rescue attempt turns into a disaster, and a beloved knight dies, Bristol is forced to confront the fact that her mother is more powerful than she could have ever imagined―and more dangerous.” (November 11)
Letters From an Imaginary Country by Theodora Goss
“Deeply influenced by the author’s Hungarian childhood during the regime of the Soviet Union, each of these intricate stories engages with storytelling and identity, including Goss’s own.” (November 11)
The Merge by Grace Walker
“A thrilling and ominously prophetic debut set in a world when Earth and its resources have been pushed to breaking point, giving rise to a revolutionary—and highly controversial—procedure in which two people’s consciousness can be combined to exist in one body.” (November 11)
Not You Again by Erin La Rosa
In this time-loop romance, a screenwriter reliving the day of her dad’s funeral forges a connection with a funeral director reliving a day that starts with the same fight with his ex-wife. (November 11)
Opposite World by Elizabeth Anne Martins
“Memories are malleable, dreams are a battlefield, and reality is a shifting landscape. Think Inception meets Dark Matter, with echoes of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the unsettling corporate dystopia of Severance.” (November 11)
Project Hanuman by Stewart Hotston
This sci-fi tale offers a blend of “Indian mythology and classic space opera.” (November 11)
The Reluctant Reaper by MaryJanice Davidson
“A lot of twentysomethings might look forward to inheriting the family business. Amara Morrigan’s got zero interest in hers. The mantle she stands to assume is currently worn by her father, Death.” (November 11)
The Seventh Champion by Sylvia Mercedes
“A dragon princess joins forces with a scarred prince to escape a competition for her hand in marriage, unaware he is hiding dark secrets of his own in the first of a new romantasy duology.” (November 11)
Shadowplay by L.R. Lam
“In the second installment of the Micah Grey trilogy, Micah must learn two types of magic—one for the stage and one with deadlier consequences—while navigating a tender new love.” (November 11)
Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher
“An enthralling contemporary fantasy steeped in horror about a woman trying to escape her past by moving to the remote U.S. desert―only to find herself beholden to the wrath of a vengeful god.” (November 11)
The Strength of the Few by James Islington
“This highly anticipated follow-up to The Will of the Many follows Vis as he grapples with a dangerous secret that could unravel history across alternate dimensions.” (November 11)
The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex
“A taut, electrifying thriller about a woman determined to avenge her sister’s murder—and the killer who must confront his own ghosts.” (November 11)
There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
“Humanity is under assault by malevolent ‘antimemes’—ideas that attack memory, identity, and the fabric of reality itself—in this whip-smart tale of science-fiction horror, an entirely reimagined and expanded version of the beloved online novel.” (November 11)
This Brutal Moon by Bethany Jacobs
The epic space opera Kindom Trilogy concludes as “violence has erupted across the Treble. The colony that Jun Ironway and Masar Hawks have fought to protect is now woefully compromised, and its people, unwilling to submit to tyranny once more, face a brutal fight for their lives and freedom.” (November 11)
This Gilded Abyss by Rebecca Thorne
“A thrilling lesbian fantasy where Arcane meets Titanic.” (November 11)
Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop
“A young detective investigating crimes of the uncanny will learn that bargains can change your fate—for good or ill—in this darkly enthralling fantasy.” (November 11)
Wild Cards: Aces Full edited by George R.R. Martin
This collection gathers Wild Cards stories previously published on Reactor (formerly Tor.com), including tales by Cherie Priest, Carrie Vaughn, Caroline Spector, Bradley Denton, and more. (November 11)
November 18
© Orbit And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens
“A classic rom-com with a speculative twist, And Then There Was You follows Chloe, who, anxious to attend her 10-year college reunion alone and single, signs up for a mysterious matchmaking service that pairs her with the perfect date, Rob. Pro—he’s handsome, attentive, and clever. Con—he’s an AI robot.” (November 18)
The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers
“Below the streets of London, a secret network of magical bookshops has existed for millennia. But they’re slowly disappearing, and no one knows why. Only one dishonored bookseller can uncover the truth and rewrite her story—in this spellbinding standalone fantasy novel.” (November 18)
59 Minutes by Holly Seddon
“Across South England, these three women must navigate survival amidst chaos when the country receives a nuclear bomb alert. With only 59 minutes before mass destruction, will they make it to their loved ones in time?” (November 18)
How a Game Lives by Jacob Geller
“The first of two volumes: How a Game Lives, Vol. 1 is an artfully packaged must-have book for the devoted and casual fans alike, inviting readers to look at gaming and video games from an intellectual, psychological, and emotional perspective as a major part of our cultural fabric.” (November 18)
I, Medusa by Ayana Gray
“A new kind of villain origin story, reimagining one of the most iconic monsters in Greek mythology as a provocative and powerful young heroine.” (November 18)
I’ll Make a Spectacle of You by Beatrice Winifred Iker
“This heart-pounding Southern gothic horror debut takes readers to Bricksbury University, the oldest and most storied HBCU in the nation. But as one student is about to find out, a long history comes with a legacy of secrets.” (November 18)
Outlaw Planet by M.R. Carey
“A space opera adventure like no other. Sometimes the fate of entire worlds can be decided by a woman with nothing to lose and the smartest gun in the multiverse in her hand.” (November 18)
Shadows Upon Time by Christopher Ruocchio
“The seventh and final novel of the galaxy-spanning series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe at last lights the greatest fire humanity has ever seen.” (November 18)
The Sky of Sacrifice by Rosalia Aguilar Solace
“From the ingenious creators of the Tomorrowland festival comes The Sky of Sacrifice, a highly anticipated follow-up to The Great Library of Tomorrow, the epic first volume in the Book of Wisdom Trilogy.” (November 18)
Slow Gods by Claire North
A “galaxy-spanning tale of one man’s impossible life charted against the fate of humanity amongst the stars—a powerfully imaginative space opera.” (November 18)
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz
“A powerful plant witch and a grumpy alchemist must work together to save their quiet town from a magical plague in this debut cozy fantasy romance about starting over, redemption, and what it really means to be a good person.” (November 18)
November 25
© Adams Media, William Morrow As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegle
“An inventive and romantic speculative novel about two women—a witch and an immortal demon—who make a Faustian bargain and are drawn into a cat-and-mouse chase across multiple lifetimes.” (November 25)
Ember Eternal by Chloe Neill
“A new romantasy following a thief whose dramatic encounter with an assassin and a crown bodyguard (who has dangerous secrets to keep) launches her into a world of swirling palace intrigue.” (November 25)
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father of Modern Fantasy by Don Marshall
“Explore the extraordinary life of J.R.R. Tolkien, the legendary creator of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, in this captivating literary biography that celebrates the father of modern fantasy and his profound influence on fantasy literature and mythological storytelling.” (November 25)
Queen of the Dead by Sarah Broadway
“A fun and fast-paced paranormal urban fantasy with a touch of romance and supernatural hijinks galore.” (November 25)
Smoke and Mirrors edited by Mercedes Lackey
“This 19th anthology of short stories set in the beloved Valdemar high fantasy universe features tales by debut and established authors and a brand-new short story from Mercedes Lackey herself.” (November 25)
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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Cheryl Eddy
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Ford Foundation Visionary Darren Walker Still Believes in America
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Darren Walker was not supposed to run the Ford Foundation. Born to a single mother in Louisiana in 1959, Walker grew up Black and poor in rural Texas. “I think I was always a strange little gay boy,” he says with a laugh. “I was fortunate. My mother gave me unconditional love, and so I never felt out of place or unwelcome.”
Who knew Beula Spencer’s strange little boy would one day become the 10th president of the Ford Foundation, a private philanthropic organization with the goal of advancing human welfare and social change. Founded in 1936 by Edsel and Henry Ford, the Ford Foundation is one of the wealthiest private foundations in the world, with a reported endowment of over $16.8 billion. Since 2013, Walker has overseen the entire operation.
Today, after almost 13 years, is leaving his post. On a Zoom from his home on the east side of Manhattan, Walker chats with Vanity Fair while sitting in his kitchen, intricately decorated with art and photos of Black luminaries like Muhammad Ali and James Baldwin. “I have all sorts of things pinned on it—an inspiration wall,” he says.
Marty Baron, José Carlos Zamora, Amal Clooney, George Clooney, Melinda French Gates, Walker, and Fatou Baldeh attend the Clooney Foundation For Justice’s The Albies.Taylor Hill/Getty Images.
Inspiration is a core tenet of Walker’s new book, The Idea of America. Published on September 3 and featuring a foreword by Bill Clinton, the book is a 500-plus page compilation of Walker’s speeches, essays, and musings about the promise and pitfalls of our nation—and how to remain optimistic even in our current political landscape. “I believe in this country because it made my journey possible,” says Walker.
A graduate of the University of Texas’s undergraduate program and law school, Walker says that federally funded social programs like the Pell Grant are responsible for getting him to where he is today. “There were so few barriers to my getting on that mobility escalator,” he says. “I was in the first Head Start program. I went to great public schools. I proudly assert that I have never had a day of private education in my life. That is because my country believed in my potential, and that manifests in the kinds of policies and programs and private philanthropy.”
Walker decided to write his book, which he calls “a love letter to America,” after reflecting on the multitude of essays he’d written and speeches he’d given at both universities and Fortune 500 companies. He quickly realized “how prescient and timely many of them remain,” he says. “I wrote about the growing skepticism of capitalism by younger people. I wrote several about extremism and polarization and how we had been growing intolerant on both sides. On the right and the left, there was less willingness to tolerate, to engage, to even think about building consensus with people who we disagreed with—and how harmful that is for our democracy.”
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Chris Murphy
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“I Sweated So Much I Never Needed to Pee”: Life in China’s Relentless Gig Economy
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“Often, sweat was dripping down my back within the first two hours of a shift and would not stop dripping until the next morning,” writes Hu Anyan in the new English translation of his bestselling book I Deliver Parcels in Beijing. “I sweated so much I never once needed to pee.” This passage was on my mind as I read his book in Tianjin during one hot, Labubu brainrot summer, during which yet another unprecedented annual heat wave had forced almost everyone inside—except for the tireless couriers and delivery workers, whose services are in higher demand when temperatures soar.
Courtesy of Astra House
Hu’s writing first went viral in China five years ago, and he’s now a prolific, established author in the country. While his other books, like Living in Low Places, are more about his internal life, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is a focused, refreshing, on-the-ground account of nearly a decade of work, set against the slow simmering background of China’s economic rise. In addition to his stint as a courier in Beijing, Hu also recounts his adventures opening a small snack shop, his time working as a bicycle store clerk, and his brief stint as a Taobao seller. Hu’s minimal, hypnotic prose reveals the perverse beauty of tireless endurance in an increasingly precarious economy.
When people outside China read about it, it can be easy to imbue the place with a foreign otherness, as if only Chinese people are capable of working around the clock in mind-numbing conditions. Some of Hu’s earlier jobs, such as running an ecommerce shop during the “golden age of Taobao,” or the frantic energy of parcel sorting do speak to the particularly Chinese context of a rapidly developing economy. Yet other elements, like the punishing precarity, the ways profit pressures twist work relationships, or the mundane angst of labor, will all be quite familiar to an American reader these days. Hu’s direct writing style lays bare how toiling in a logistics warehouse, whether in Luoheng or Emeryville, are similar: the night shifts, a drink after work, petty arguments and factions, stuffing items into polypropylene bags.
Hu recently spoke to WIRED about his journey to becoming an internationally acclaimed writer, Gen-Z and tangping (lying flat) culture, and his vision of work and freedom.
Did working as a courier offer you flexibility to earn money while being a writer?
Hu Anyan: My writing and logistics work didn’t happen simultaneously. For example, when I was delivering packages in Beijing or doing the night shift sorting parcels in Guangdong, I wasn’t writing. I wasn’t even reading, and after work I had to decompress. In my book, when I talked about the period when I read James Joyce’s Ulysses and Robert Musil’s The Man Without Qualities, that was actually a special circumstance. At that time, our company was already in the final preparations for ceasing operations, so every day, by one or two in the afternoon, we’d already finished delivering all the goods.
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Xiaowei R. Wang
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What Really Happened Between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford on the Set of ‘Baby Jane’?
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“Called Back . . . left name . . . Davis did not return call.”
As for the relationship between the two stars, which has occasioned flamboyant fan fiction masquerading as film history and at least one TV series, Aldrich would say, “I think it’s proper to say that they really detested each other, but they behaved absolutely perfectly: no upstaging, not an abrasive word in public. They both behaved in a wonderfully professional manner.”
Davis’s take was grudging: “Joan was a pro. She was always punctual, always knew her lines. She had a deep and gnawing need to be liked, loved, admired, appreciated. She could be touchingly generous. She brought gifts for me to the set and presented them in front of the crew.”
But there was a competition, and according to Davis it had begun years earlier, when she had a mad crush on Franchot Tone when they made Dangerous together at Warner Bros. in 1935. She couldn’t get to first base because it was obvious that he was involved with Crawford back at MGM.
A publicist working on Baby Jane planted an item in Time magazine about the picture. The editors interpolated a bitchy line about both stars “professing to be 55.”
On the soundstage the next day, Davis called out to Linn Unkefer, the publicist: “Linn, come in here!”
“Good morning, Bette.”
“Did you have anything to do with this item?”
“Yes.”
“She’s five years older than I am if she’s a day!” Davis snapped.
The publicist proceeded to Crawford’s dressing room. She also called him in and also had a copy of Time. “Well, we’re getting off to a good start, aren’t we?”
“Bette was very . . . well-educated,” said the screenwriter Lenore Coffee, who wrote for both actresses. “Joan was not. Bette came from a good family and was a trained theater actress. Joan had taught herself to speak and she spoke very well. I had great admiration for her.”
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Scott Eyman
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Nicholas Thompson shares how running helped him heal and get faster with age
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In his new book, “The Running Ground,” Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson opens up about surviving cancer, understanding his father, and achieving a personal best marathon time of 2:29 at age 44.
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Book excerpt:
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William Morrow
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Over the past three decades, Kenny Chesney has been one of the most celebrated singers in music. In his first book, “Heart Life Music” (written with journalist Holly Gleason, to be published Tuesday by William Morrow), Chesney recounts his life’s journey, from East Tennessee, to No Shoes Nation and beyond.
Read an excerpt below, in which he writes about a soulful collaboration with singer-songwriter Grace Potter – and don’t miss Lee Cowan’s interview with Kenny Chesney on “CBS Sunday Morning” October 26!
“Heart Life Music” by Kenny Chesney with Holly Gleason
Prefer to listen? Audible has a 30-day free trial available right now.
Grace
There was a show on tv called “Let’s Make A Deal.” People would be contestants, hoping host Monty Hall would pick them to compete for prizes. New cars, new kitchens with all the appliances, expensive watches. You had to pick.
One of two things: color tvs and washer/dryer sets, or what was behind Door No. 3, knowing it could be a wheelbarrow with some grass seed, or a new car.
I’ve always been attracted to what’s behind Door No. 3. That idea of the big unknown you can’t see always appealed to me. The seeker inside has chased the unknown all my life.
When you’re a dreamer, you can’t not take Door No. 3. That mentality fuels you. Seeking inspiration, wanting to find out has risk involved. Some Door No. 3s don’t work out. But Grace Potter? She’s the epitome of why Door No. 3 is always better than playing it safe.
“You & Tequila” showed up in my email in the middle of the night.
I remember listening, thinking, “Damn…,”
That idea of a person you can’t quit, because they’re so addictive is real. You can’t resist, only overdo it to the point of poisoning yourself hit me. I called Matraca Berg, asked if there was a demo with a man singing it; she had one. Hearing Tim Krekel sing it hit me even harder.
We cut it really simple. That pull between what you want and knowing you shouldn’t made “You & Tequila” burn into people.
We were about done with Hemingway’s Whiskey. I wanted something to make it shine. Buddy Cannon and I were talking about who might sound good; Clint Higham, my co-manager, even reached out to Irving Azoff about the Eagles, since this sounded like a classic Laurel Canyon song.
Then the woman who sent me the demo asked, “Why don’t you get Grace Potter? She captures that haunted and haunting feeling.”
What makes Grace Potter, the ultimate Door No. 3, was the mystery. The hippie songwriter/rock girl.
Once she was suggested, as much as it made no sense on paper, I knew she was the person we needed.
I listen to a lot of music at night in the Virgin Islands. No light pollution, you can drift in the sounds. I’d been given Grace’s live CD. “Apologies” poured out of the speakers.
Motionless on a chaise lounge, when I heard Grace’s voice – so soulful, but beautiful and real – I was floored. Nobody in my life had heard this voice except my friend. I felt blessed.
She wrote her own songs. She had a band, wasn’t overproduced. Really listening, it was how she played that B-3 organ, but especially how she sang those songs.
I looked up at the sky and exhaled. She sounded like coming home.
When we put her on “You & Tequila,” all she knew about me was “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” because the Eagle in Burlington, Vermont had played it to death.
Was it even possible? Grace had finished a European tour, traveled 24 hours with no sleep and was landing in America. We laugh now, but she listened to the demo on the rental car shuttle having cleared customs.
She was tired. She missed her family. And we needed her in Nashville within 48 hours to make the deadline for mastering – or we’d have to move the record. Her manager wasn’t optimistic. My friend insisted, “Give her the song.”
Thirty minutes later, we had a yes. Thirty hours later, Grace Potter landed in Nashville in a flowy leopard print dress, walked into Blackbird Recording Studios and changed both of our lives. Brash, smart and funny, she oozed music. She told wild stories, made some people blush and asked us what we were thinking.
Buddy suggested, “Get in the booth and put your headphones on. See how it feels to you.”
Probably warming up, she was humming. Then that “ooooohOOOOOHohhhh” she does on the record rolled out.
“Do some more of that.”
Two or three takes later, we were done. We’d talked longer than she was in the vocal booth. Even before it was mixed, we knew it was something. That’s the thing: you know.
It was my birthday. I asked her and her boyfriend if they’d like to have dinner. We went to Sunset Grille, sat outside on the patio and laughed. We came from musically different places; her country music was Willie, Townes Van Zandt and Lucinda Williams. But we were of the same heart, same small town, family-oriented life.
She was tired, so we didn’t hang long. When I got up to leave, she followed me, jumped in the passenger seat of my car, and announced, “I don’t know what the future holds, but we’re going to be friends for life.”
Grace Potter knew things. I’ve always believed there are things in our lives that were pre-determined; set into motion by some larger power. Grace was absolutely one.
From “Heart Life Music” by Kenny Chesney with Holly Gleason. Copyright © 2025 by Kenny Chesney. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.To hear Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter perform “You and Tequila,” click on the video player below:
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“Heart Life Music” by Kenny Chesney with Holly Gleason
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- “Heart Life Music” by Kenny Chesney with Holly Gleason (William Morrow), in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available Nov. 4
- kennychesney.com
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Director Cameron Crowe opens up about new memoir
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Cameron Crowe is looking back on the memories and music that shaped his life in his new memoir, “The Uncool.” The book traces his path from a teen journalist to a hit director.
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Virginia Giuffre’s memoir recounts rape by former prime minister; Epstein’s ties to Bill Clinton, Trump
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In her posthumous memoir, Virginia Giuffre recounts being groomed as a teenager and sexually exploited by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell — writing that the abuse included rape by an unnamed prime minister and encounters with powerful men such as former President Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump.
The book, “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice,” was released Tuesday and garnered global attention. While it made no explicit allegations against Clinton or Trump, Giuffre did chronicle meetings with both in contexts not related to Epstein’s alleged crimes.
The story Giuffre recounts of how she was sucked into Epstein and Maxwell’s high-powered orbit begins when her father helped get her a job at Mar-a-Lago, where he worked as a maintenance worker. Giuffrie’s discussions of Trump in the book largely place him as a background figure during her early days at Mar-a-Lago, where she eventually met Maxwell in the summer of 2000.
Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, had her memoir released posthumously. (Cassie Basford)
“It couldn’t have been more than a few days before my dad said he wanted to introduce me to Mr. Trump himself. They weren’t friends, exactly. But Dad worked hard, and Trump liked that—I’d seen photos of them posing together, shaking hands,” Giuffre writes. “Trump couldn’t have been friendlier, telling me it was fantastic that I was there. ‘Do you like kids?’ he asked. ‘Do you babysit at all?’ He explained that he owned several houses next to the resort that he lent to friends, many of whom had children that needed tending.”
Giuffre also recounts how Epstein and Trump’s relationship eventually broke down, an explanation for which differs from the one Trump has publicly provided. Giuffre said Trump withdrew Epstein’s membership at Mar-a-Lago after hitting the teenage daughter of another guest, but Trump has publicly said that a spat about Epstein coaxing his Mar-a-Lago spa employees was what led to the end of their relationship.
Giuffre, working an entry-level position at the resort’s spa, recounted how Maxwell sought to hire her as a masseuse despite her lack of experience. Before she knew it, Giuffre was traveling alongside Epstein and Maxwell around the world performing sexual favors. According to Giuffre, it was difficult to reconcile the fact that her abusers commanded so much respect from such powerful figures.
“This was a man who displayed framed photographs of himself with the Dalai Lama, with the pope, and with members of the British royal family. A photo in his Palm Beach house showed Epstein posing behind the podium of the White House briefing room,” Giuffre writes. “This was a man who’d had former president Bill Clinton over for dinner (I was at the table that night) and who’d hosted Al and Tipper Gore as well (again, I was there).”
PRINCE ANDREW VIEWED SEX WITH TEENAGE VIRGINIA GIUFFRE AS HIS ‘BIRTHRIGHT’, NEW MEMOIR CLAIMS
“Maxwell was proud of her friendships with famous people, especially men,” Giuffre added in the memoir. “[Maxwell] loved to talk about how easily she could get former president Bill Clinton on the phone.” According to Giuffre, Epstein and Maxwell visited the White House together during Clinton’s tenure in the Oval Office. In the book, Giuffre also recalled how Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane in 2002, but she was not present for that trip.
Bill Clinton was among the high-powered people in disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit, according to a new memoir released by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre. (Photos by: Alex Kent and Rick Friedman/Getty Images)
“On September 21, Epstein and Maxwell were leaving New York on an extended trip to Africa. Marcinkova was flying with them on Epstein’s Boeing 727, as were several high-profile guests: the actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey and former president Clinton, not to mention six U.S. Secret Service agents. (Clinton has said the trip was a humanitarian mission that included stops related to the work of his foundation.)” Giuffre wrote.
However, despite naming Clinton in the book about her experience being sex trafficked by Epstein, Giuffre lamented the media’s propensity to connect the former president to Epstein’s crimes. “Right away, the article noted that I had never been ‘lent out’ to the former president. But I guess the Mail found it newsworthy simply that I’d witnessed Epstein and Clinton together,” she writes.
Among the various trafficking incidents Giuffre talked about in her book, which do directly involve powerful people from Epstein and Maxwell’s orbit, was a brutal rape by an unnamed former prime minister on Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2002. According to Giuffre’s account of the incident, she was ordered by Epstein to have sex with the prime minister, who choked her nearly to unconsciousness and mocked her fear of the situation. Giuffre said that upon returning to Epstein after the incident, she begged not to be sent back to the prime minister, but Epstein told her the brutality was just part of the job.
According to Giuffre, this horrific incident was a turning point for her.
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Virginia Giuffre holds a photo of herself as a teen, when she says she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“Before the Prime Minister’s attack, Epstein had me fooled. I thought that Epstein’s predilection for childlike girls was a sickness, but that, in his twisted way, he meant well. After the attack, I couldn’t stay a fool. Having been treated so brutally and then seeing Epstein’s callous reaction to how terrorized I felt, I had to accept that Epstein meted out praise merely as a manipulation to keep me subservient. Epstein cared only about Epstein,” Giuffre writes in her memoir. “At that point, I hit bottom. I now knew I wouldn’t survive. I saw only two possible options: either someone Epstein trafficked me to would kill me or I would take my own life.”
Giuffre would eventually die by suicide in April, roughly six months before the release of her memoir.
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Book excerpt:
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In his new book, “The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports” (to be published Oct. 28 by Random House), tech journalist and CEO of The Atlantic Nicholas Thompson explores his passion for running, the simplicity of the sport, and how it has changed his sense of self.
Read an excerpt below, and don’t miss Tony Dokoupil’s interview with Nicholas Thompson on “CBS Sunday Morning” October 26!
“The Running Ground” by Nicholas Thompson
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Running is the simplest of sports: right foot, left foot, right foot. There’s no ball to focus on, no mat to land on, no one charging toward you with their shoulder down. But the simplicity opens up complexity. As you run, your attention shifts inward. You’re just you — right foot, left foot, and whatever goes on in your mind.
Running strips you down. The less clothing you wear, the faster you go. The lighter your shoes, the faster you go. As you go faster, your head empties too. At a certain point, all you can register is the sensation of each foot striking the pavement. Mind and matter briefly become one.
You may have to worry about wind and rain and heat, but you rarely have to worry about anyone else. You do it by yourself, which gives you control. You don’t need to travel to a gym or a field; you just need to open your front door. The sport’s simplicity means your successes are your own, and also that there’s no one else to blame when you fail. And no sport shows the relentless decline of the aging body more clearly than running. If you can’t do what you did a year or a month ago, the evidence is right there on your watch.
Sometimes, I use running as a form of meditation. I put on my shoes and go out. I connect my watch to satellites and then try to disconnect my mind from the swirl inside. Eventually, I’m alone in my head. Sometimes, I’ll focus on a musical mantra: “one-two-three, one-two-three,” tracking my steps and making sure I keep my left and right feet alternating symmetrically on the downbeat. Other times, I focus on my breath or on the sounds and motion around me, whether the blue jays in the Catskills or the trucks rumbling by on Broadway. Sometimes, as with all meditation, my attention wanders, like a stream flowing haphazardly through my mind, collecting sticks and carrying them until they wash to the side.
When I run a workout, though, everything changes. I’m not trying to open my mind; I’m trying to close it. I shut out the blue jays and the trucks. I have to focus. If I’m with a training partner, I lock my attention on their shoulder if I’m behind or on their breath if I’m ahead. Usually, though, I’m on my own. I look for runners up the road and set imaginary races against them: Can I catch the lady in the purple sweatshirt before the second oak tree? Can I stay an even twenty meters behind the cyclist playing John Coltrane on a boom box? I check my watch and try not to let my pace deviate from the goal. I try to identify the parts of my body that hurt and then I push the pain away from them. I remind myself that I have run this fast before. Self-doubt is a smoldering fire. In a workout, the embers often flash. I don’t want to give them any air. Every action we take helps to build our habits. Quit once and it’ll be easier to quit the second time too.
I don’t listen to music while I run. Every workout is a physical challenge — I’m trying to strengthen the muscles in my legs and my heart — but it’s also a mental challenge. I’m trying to teach my body how to move quickly and with good coordination through space. Running is a process of learning about your body and developing habits deep inside it. Music can confuse the signals. I want to deepen my understanding of the relationship between my stride, my pace, my breath. I don’t want a bassline, or the adrenaline that can flow with it, to get in the way.
When I race in a marathon, my goal early on is to spend as little energy as possible thinking about anything extraneous. I think about posture and form and balance. I try not to think about the people cheering. I try not to think about past failures or successes. I try to glance as infrequently as possible at my watch. It takes energy, after all, to turn your head, and it takes energy to think. When people in my pack ask questions, or offer commentary, I respond in grunts. On easy runs with friends in the park, I’m a chatterbox. When I race, I’m a vault.
Over the years, the sport has shifted my imagination and my sense of self. When I travel by train, I find myself looking out the window and noting spots to run by the creeks and forests nearby. When I arrive in a new city, I like to circle it with a run. I’ve seen more of the world while running than I have while walking. I have recurring dreams of mountains I’ve run up. But I spend much of the day at a desk, mind-wired to my to-do list. Running is my one connection to nature and to a younger, adventurous self who only and always wanted to be outside.
Excerpted from “The Running Ground” by Nicholas Thompson. Copyright © 2025 by Nicholas Thompson. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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“The Running Ground” by Nicholas Thompson
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Can Colleen Hoover’s ‘Regretting You’ Help Save Movie Theaters?
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This weekend, Regretting You, the second Colleen Hoover book-to-movie adaptation following last year’s tumultuous release of It Ends With Us, heads to theaters. Written by Susan McMartin and directed by The Fault in Our Stars’ Josh Boone, the film centers on two star-crossed couples—Morgan (Allison Williams) and Jonah (Dave Franco), as well as Morgan’s teen daughter Clara (Mckenna Grace) and her classmate Miller (Mason Thames), who works at his local AMC Theater. His job isn’t integral to the movie’s soapy romance plot—yet the theater chain’s logo is splashed across multiple scenes.
There are plenty of other sponcon moments in Regretting You: lingering shots of Starry soda, a storyline lifted from the book involving Jolly Ranchers, and repeated scenes where Williams’s character watches Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. (RHOSLC star Heather Gay recently hosted a screening for the movie in her Utah hometown.) But AMC’s integration into the movie feels far more brazen. Some of the most pivotal points in Clara and Miller’s relationship take place within the theater’s walls—most memorably, a scene where Clara halts their makeout session (again, at Miller’s place of work), to declare that she’s a virgin as Clueless plays onscreen. (The obvious virgin-who-can’t-drive joke goes unsaid in the movie.)
AMC has also announced a Regretting You sweepstakes, hosted specially themed screenings, and promoted the movie on social media. Reddit users picked up on the AMC promotion from the trailer alone—and so have multiple film critics since watching the movie. “A truly deranged amount of AMC product placement,” wrote Indie Wire, with The Hollywood Reporter calling the integration “agonizingly unsubtle” in nature. That review also notes the multiple “Paramount plugs,” particularly in relation to Miller’s love of movies. His teenage bedroom is practically a shrine to Paramount Pictures releases of yesteryear—some more realistic for an adolescent boy to idolize (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Patriot Games) than others (who showed this kid Terms of Endearment?).
Vanity Fair has reached out to representatives for both Paramount Pictures and AMC Theatres, but has yet to hear back about the terms of a potential partnership. But it’s not hard to draw the connection, given that AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron said that he expects Paramount to increase its theatrical release slate under the leadership of chairman and CEO David Ellison following the company’s sale to Ellison’s Skydance Media in August. Ellison told CNBC at the time that “we’re going to invest into our studios business” with Paramount releasing 6 to 8 movies next year, and increasing to 15 in 2027.
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Savannah Walsh
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Eric Wareheim’s New Book ‘Steak House’ Serves Stories & Recipes
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The bestselling author explores his favorite chophouses
Sumptous leather banquettes, tuxedoed captains and the extremely flattering light of restaurants like Clearman’s Steak ‘N Stein and Musso & Frank Grill captivate Eric Wareheim as much as the meat on the menu. The Emmy-nominated television producer, comedian, director and actor (Master of None; Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!) had an idea to visit and photograph 11 of his favorite comfort food restaurants for a book of stories, photographs and recipes.
That idea grew into Steak House: The People, the Places, the Recipes, out Oct. 14 from Ten Speed Press, as Wareheim hit the road, visiting more than 60 new and classic fine dining spots, barbecue joints and churrascos across the U.S. and Mexico that capture the special feeling of comfort and community the comedian holds dear.
At the beginning of the 21st century, best friends Wareheim and Tim Heidecker were fresh out of college and sending goofy videos to funny people they admired. Actor Bob Odenkirk invited the duo to Los Angeles and helped them launch a comedy empire that changed the art form. The pair recently invited Odenkirk and another friend and mentor, John C. Reilly, to dinner at Taylor’s the 1950s-era landmark in Koreatown, for a summit about Wareheim’s new book.
“They make me smile, but there’s a darkness to them, too,” Odenkirk says in the book. “My father spent a lot of time in country club bars and steakhouses with other salesmen, trying to emulate the Rat Pack.” Wareheim loves the literal darkness at Taylor’s. “I go right after work,” he says. “You walk in and you can’t see anything because your eyes are accustomed to the bright L.A. sun. The vibe is perfect.”
Taylor’s in Koreatown Credit: Marcus NilssonWareheim is as invested in food and drink as he is in comedy. His first cookbook, Foodheim: A Culinary Adventure, was a New York Times bestseller. He also co-founded the Las Jaras line of natural wines, hosts the annual Beefsteak benefit dinner downtown with chef Neal Fraser and has a dream to open his own steakhouse.
Wareheim is always on his best behavior at the institutions he loves. “Respect the place. Don’t ask for crazy substitutions,” he says. “Tip really well, remember the name of your servers and say good-night. It’s about communication and being nice instead of stumbling out drunk. Be classy about it.”
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When friends ask if he’s been to their favorite spot, Wareheim reminds them of the realities of eating and photographing a lunch and two rich dinners (often with creamed corn, biscuits and a slice of cheesecake) every day while working on the book. “I had to stop for my health,” he says. “We sampled everything. It was intense, but I think it was worth it.”
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Chris Nichols
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Kevin Federline Tells VF He’s “Just Trying to Help” Britney Spears With His New Memoir
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It’s not, by any means, the hottest take in the literary world to say, “Gee, a lot of Kevin Federline’s memoir was about Britney Spears, huh?” Federline and Spears married in September 2004 after a whirlwind courtship of just a few months. Two years and two kids later, Spears filed for divorce.
Federline is now 47 years old, but damn if that brief marriage nearly two decades back doesn’t take up the majority of ink in You Thought You Knew, his new memoir, which hit shelves Tuesday. Not only does the 228-page tome provide plenty of insight into what Federline thinks of his ex-wife’s past and current mental state, it’s a remarkable case study of he-said, she-said hypocrisy. Federline and ghostwriter Alex Holstein, editor-in-chief of boutique publisher Listenin, deliver a tale of a man who feels he’s been wronged by a woman, while engaging in some of the same behaviors he demonizes her for.
Federline told Vanity Fair that the book in which he accuses his ex-wife of doing hard drugs while breastfeeding their children, shares details of their intimate encounters, and openly questions whether her 13-year legal conservatorship should have been lifted, is in pursuit of a better life for Spears.
“I’m just trying to help,” he says. “This isn’t about hurting or bringing anybody down. It’s about trying to get to a place where it’s like, come on, there is still a path forward that involves you and the kids and people around you that love you, that want to bridge that gap.”
It’s OK when Kevin does it—for varying definitions of “it”—but not Britney. Spears published her own New York Times bestselling memoir, The Woman In Me, almost exactly two years ago. Federline makes appearances, though less prominently than the role she plays in his book. Federline says he has read her memoir, but he hesitated when asked if he felt it accurately depicted their time together.
“Look, I feel like she has the right to tell her story, and I don’t know how accurate all of it was, but I think a lot of people will stay silent on it because they just want to see her get better,” he tells VF. “Like I said, everybody has a right to tell their story.”
Spears has already publicly pushed back on Federline’s allegations. (He says he hasn’t heard from her directly: “I haven’t spoken to her in years. We haven’t been able to communicate like that for a long time.”) Before the book’s publication date, Spears wrote on X, “The constant gaslighting from ex-husband is extremely hurtful and exhausting. I have always pleaded and screamed to have a life with my boys.” She continued, “Relationships with teenage boys is complex. I have felt demoralized by this situation and have always asked and almost begged for them to be a part of my life.”
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Kase Wickman
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Kevin Federline Calls Out Rosie O’Donnell, Jimmy Kimmel Ridicule
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Kevin Federline is naming names.
In his new memoir, You Thought You Knew, the former backup dancer calls out Rosie O’Donnell, Jimmy Kimmel and other celebrities who publicly mocked him during his divorce from Britney Spears.
“The gossip, the rumors and the public ridicule, it’s all like a high school drama on a massive scale. And while I was lucky to have a strong sense of self by the time fame hit, there were still moments that got to me,” he writes in the book, which was released on Tuesday, October 21.
Federline, 47, acknowledges that he “expected” Spears’ “most loyal supporters” to “lash out” at him, but he was taken aback when other stars followed suit.
“What stung was when people in the industry, the so-called Hollywood elites, jumped on the bandwagon without knowing me at all,” he continues. “When someone like Ben Stiller or Rosie O’Donnell makes a jab, it feels personal. It’d be one thing if they were strangers, but these were people in the same world, people who should understand how damaging words can be. They had no clue who I really was, yet still felt entitled to publicly judge me.”
Kevin Federline ListeninFederline admits he was an “easy target” as someone who was “attached to one of the biggest stars on the planet,” but he insists he was more than “just some random guy riding [Spears’] coattails.”
“Hearing Jimmy Kimmel or whoever else make a joke at my expense did bother me,” he writes. “It wasn’t devastating, but it was frustrating. It made me feel like I was stuck in this caricature, like my life was some kind of Jerry Springer episode for people to laugh at.”
The day after Spears, 43, filed for divorce from Federline in 2006, O’Donnell, 63, famously popped confetti on The View and shouted, “Let me just say on behalf of a happy America: Welcome back, Britney! We love you!”
Kevin Federline decided to write his debut memoir, You Thought You Knew, to tell his story on his terms. “I’ve sat back and watched people tell my story through a different lens for 20 years,” Federline, 47, told Us Weekly exclusively ahead of the book’s Tuesday, October 21, release date. “I focused on my family, […]
Later that month, Kimmel, 57, poked fun at Federline’s brief rap career while hosting the American Music Awards and then performed a skit in which he sealed a K-Fed look-alike in a wooden crate and threw it in the ocean.
“That moment summed up how the industry treated me, like I was something to be laughed at, thrown away and forgotten,” Federline writes in his memoir of Kimmel’s bit. “That hurt. It’s one thing to deal with the tabloids, but it’s another when the ridicule comes from people you once respected or people who should know better.”
Us Weekly has reached out to reps for O’Donnell and Kimmel for comment.
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline Vince Bucci/Getty ImagesMuch of You Thought You Knew chronicles Spears and Federline’s whirlwind two-year marriage, high-profile divorce and struggles coparenting their two sons, Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19.
When you’re as iconic in the entertainment industry as Britney Spears, it’s hard to keep your love life under wraps. And the pop princess has definitely had her fair share of famous boyfriends — do the names Justin Timberlake, Fred Durst, K-Fed and Criss Angel ring a bell?
Spears, who stopped paying Federline $40,000 a month in child support only last year, has slammed the tell-all as a money grab.
“Trust me, those white lies in that book, they are going straight to the bank and I am the only one who genuinely gets hurt here,” she wrote in an X post on October 15.
That same day, Federline denied Spears’ assertion, exclusively telling Us, “Money’s not the root of this thing. I feel like, if she has the right to tell her story [in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me], why don’t I?”
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Nicholas Hautman
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