The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City fans are eager for new episodes after the dramatic conclusion to season 4. During the January 2024 season finale, Heather Gay revealed the jaw-dropping secret that costar Monica Garcia was behind the anonymous troll account Reality Von Tease, which has been antagonizing the women of RHOSLC since March […]
Whitney, looking utterly bewildered, then listened as Meredith took her back to three months earlier when she launched a bath collection of her own.
“You did jewelry last year, you launched bath this year after I said I was doing it,” she explained. “What is your problem with me?”
“I have no problem with you, I think that you’re reading way too much into this,” Whitney replied.
Then, the teaser cuts to a confessional where Whitney delivers a zinger of her own.
Whitney Rose, Meredith Mark.Fred Hayes/Bravo
“I am genuinely concerned that Meredith is spending too much time in the bathtub because I think everything is starting to shrivel up and prune — including her brain.”
Meredith did not back down.
“The message I’m getting from you is ‘I don’t want to be your friend,’” she said, as Whitney protested. “Based on your reactions and your history.”
Meredith was candid with Us, not bashing Whitney but making it clear that the two of them just don’t see things the same way.
“Whitney and I, I feel like butt heads every year,” she explained. “We just don’t see life from the same standpoint, is really what it boils down to.”
She also spoke about the full season 5 trailer, which Bravo released in August. In it, Meredith can be seen speaking to Lisa Barlow, then turning to the door and saying, “And I’m sure she can hear me now,” seemingly talking about Whitney. The camera then cut to Whitney with her ear firmly pressed against the door.
Scandoval may have dominated pop culture in 2023, but no one on Vanderpump Rules was capable of delivering one-liners like the Real Housewives (except for maybe James Kennedy, who deserves an Emmy for “worm with a mustache”). The women of Bravo worked overtime this year to bring fans quotes that will look great on novelty […]
Meredith admitted she had to ask production if that was really happening or if the footage was edited together to appear that way.
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“I was like, ‘That is hysterical,’” she said. “I called to ask because it is just a teaser. I’m like, ‘Well, maybe they just put that together.’ Really, that really happened.”
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 5 premieres on Bravo Wednesday, September 18, at 9 p.m. ET.
Andew, Matthew and Joey LawrenceThat’s4Entertainment/Kristin Locurto
It’s been nearly 30 years since Joey, Matthew and Andy Lawrence costarred in Brotherly Love — and they still enjoy sharing the screen.
“We’ve talked about [a spinoff], but believe it or not, we came up with this [new] iteration that we feel was really exciting,” Joey, 48, exclusively told Us Weekly at ‘90s Con on Friday, September 13. “It’s called The Lawrence of Brothers Show, and our crew’s here today.”
He continued, “We’re doing it and we have an amazing team, and it’ll be out next year and we’re really excited about it.”
According to Joey, The Lawrence of Brothers Show “won’t be expected.”
The three Lawrence brothers — Joey, Matthew and Andrew — are no strangers to showcasing their sibling connection in real life or on the big screen. The trio played onscreen siblings in NBC’s short-lived sitcom Brotherly Love from 1995 to 1997. (The second and final season aired via The WB.) The comedy followed eldest brother Joe Roman (Joey […]
“It’s fun, funny and very irreverent. We’re excited about that,” Joey told Us.
Joey, who got his big break on Mayim Bialik’s Blossom, went on to act with his younger siblings on 1995’s short-lived Brotherly Love sitcom. On the show, Joey played Joe Roman, who returns home to Philadelphia after his father’s death. He quickly learns that his younger half-brothers Matt and Andy need help running the family’s garage.
“It was just such a dream. It was really cool,” Joey gushed.
While the three brothers struggled to choose — and, to quote Joey, “remember” — favorite story lines, they, moreso, cited behind-the-scenes adventures as the most memorable.
“I took Andy out one night [dressed as] Batman and Robin,” Joey recalled. “They let us have the Bat Car!”
Andy, 36, noted that production let Joey borrow the famous vehicle for “a week or two.”
“It was incredible. I would actually, like, go out and sit in the Bat Car and I’m a huge Batman fan,” Joey gushed, also pointing out a special moment on set with Matthew, 44. “So there was a series of episodes where I had to train Matt’s character how to work out, and he wouldn’t work out [with] me in real life yet. It was really fun too [and] I actually got to put him through the workouts.”
The Lawrence brothers — Joey, Matthew and Andrew, respectively — have been entertainment staples since their days headlining the likes of Blossom and Brotherly Love. As the siblings grew up in the spotlight, their respective love lives also made numerous headlines through the years. “Look, it’s all about just trying to be happy,” Joey exclusively […]
Joey continued, “Then, he ended up, because of those [episodes], he actually started to work out.”
Of course, the Lawrences didn’t stop working together between Brotherly Love and their new production. They also costarred in the Disney Channel Original MoviesHorse Sense and Jumping Ship, as well as several Lifetime movies. Matthew and Andy also made brief cameos on Joey’s Melissa and Joey comedy with Melissa Joan Hart.
“I saw Mel this morning [at ‘90s Con],” Joey quipped. “I mean, people have asked us to do [a spinoff]. I know stranger things have happened.”
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The brothers, who also cohost a joint “Brotherly Love” rewatch podcast, further thanked fans for their continued support through the years.
“That’s the best part [of being here] — to see the passion out there and you feel how much the time, the moment [and] the projects meant to them growing up,” Joey said. “It’s really such a blessing and I’m so grateful to have that relationship and the communication with a fanbase out there.”
With over 57 Billboard Hot 100 hit songs, one might think DJ Khaled has a complicated rider, or list of must-haves in his dressing room before a show — but he says he actually keeps it simple.
“Diptyque candles. Cigars. It changes up once in a while. Then you’ve got your gum, some chips, stuff like that,” Khaled, 48, reveals exclusively in the latest edition of Us Weekly, on newsstands now. “Nothing too crazy. Nothing to scare the promoter.”
Another must-have for Khaled? “Another Bun” milk.
“The honey bun’s gonna be in there,” he says, referencing his new collaboration with Nestlé Nesquik, Ready-to-Drink Cinnamon Bun “Another Bun” milk. “[You gotta] start the day off with great energy and Nesquik.”
The MTV Video Music Awards are back — meaning Hollywood’s favorite artists delivered a fierce and fun red carpet. For the 2024 awards ceremony, which took place at the UBS Arena in New York City on Wednesday, September 11, stars including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat and more were nominated for a […]
Keep scrolling for more fun stories from Khaled as Us joins him behind the scenes with a virtual backstage pass:
Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Pre-Show Ritual
Part of my ritual is for me to pray and let my family know how much I love them. And start off the day with good energy.
When I’m with my team and my friends, before we do anything, I like to motivate them by being on my A-game. I’m out here trying to be great, and I think that rubs off ’cause it rubs off on me when I see other people be great. So we have to inspire each other.
If I’m on a music tour, I like to listen to certain music backstage before I go on. I love listening to conscious reggae music. I have a playlist and I listen to just real, powerful, beautiful words. It can be raining outside, but it’s sunshine over here. Being super relaxed before I hit the stage with energy is always good for me.
It’s different rituals, but most importantly, it’s about praying and giving thanks to my family and giving thanks for the opportunity.
DJ Khaled, Asahd Khaled, Nicole Tuck, and Aalam KhaledLester Cohen/Getty Images
Dressing Room and Rider Requests
Of course, the honey bun’s gonna be in there. The Nesquik Another Bun. But I also have almonds and fruit. I’ve got a Beats Pill. Fresh white tees ’cause I always spill stuff on my T-shirts. An iPhone charger.
Sometimes I like to take my speaker outside the trailer and play music loud for whoever is around, they feel this energy. I could be on set of a TV show I’m doing and I’ll be outside my trailer and I’m playing this classic BlueprintJay-Z, you know what I’m saying? Just a vibe.
What else I got on my rider? Diptyque candles. Cigars. It changes up once in a while. Then you’ve got your gum, some chips, stuff like that. Nothing too crazy. Nothing to scare the promoter.
Several celebrities have turned the Grammy Awards into a family affair over the years. Beyoncé and Jay-Z attended the 2018 Grammys with their eldest daughter, Blue Ivy. She sat alongside her famous parents in the front row and made headlines for encouraging the couple to stop clapping during the ceremony. (Beyoncé and Jay-Z are also […]
Favorite Song to Perform Live
“All I Do Is Win.” If I’m doing a show, I perform that song several times throughout the show. It’s a winning anthem, but it’s also the anthem for all of us that’s gonna be played forever. So that’s always a great feeling to know that when that record comes on, you get that same reaction all over the world.
Ideal Afterparty
I’m excited to be with my family and kids. After a show, I just like getting back to the next city or going home. I just wanna be with my wife and kids or sometimes, I go straight back to the studio. It’s inspiring to make music. I can’t stop working. When I say working, I mean being productive and doing something great.
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Looking Ahead
Every time I take the stage, I feel that energy. That’s what it’s about. Producing hits taught me how to produce other types of hits.
I’m working on some new merch, I’m working on a new clothing line, I’m working on a new sneaker, there’s so much stuff that I’m working on. And I’m working on a new album. But I only walk into the studio if I’m inspired. That’s what I want to create.
Usher is breaking down how he balances being a performer and maintaining his stellar physique.
“The consistency that comes with being a performer who has to dance and sing and still have a six pack at 45 years old? Yeah, there’s a little bit of mindfulness there,” Usher, 45, exclusively shared in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “But thank God that I have fans that I go work hard for every night.”
The R&B legend noted that his Past, Present, Future tour is keeping him “in shape.” (Usher kicked off the concert series in August and is set to conclude the performances in May 2025.)
“I’m mindful of it, but I don’t let it get me to the point where I’m comparing,” Usher said. “I’m just thinking of it as, maybe there’s somebody out there who is inspired by what I’m going through. Maybe there’s somebody who needs to hear this song and feel this emotion right now and let them know that they’re not alone.”
Despite winning several Grammys, American Music Awards and VMAs, Usher revealed that he still has more career goals for himself.
“I could win an Oscar,” he shared, while noting that he could nab the accolade from a musical perspective. “There’s many ways. There’s documentaries that have won Oscars. There’s live performances that have won Oscars. Who knows? Musical scoring. So many different things in musical categories that may potentially play. Yes, I would love to find a script. … I’d love to be able to someday say that I won an Oscar.”
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
For now, Usher is celebrating the release of his new concert film, Usher: Rendezvous in Paris, which chronicles several of his performances last year in the French city.
“One beautiful part about going to the movies is you have to put your phone down,” he said. “We put so much energy and effort into making this film something that the entire world would be able to experience, because many people didn’t get the chance to make it to Las Vegas [for my residency]. They didn’t get a chance to make it to Paris. But this film captures so much of the live performance and then some.”
When it comes to fashion, Usher just gets it. The Grammy winner’s sense of style is just as impressive as his stellar vocals. Take Paris Fashion Week in 2023, for example. The hitmaker attended multiple shows in looks that deserved a standing ovation. At the Chanel presentation, Usher dazzled in a tweed blazer paired with […]
Usher’s new concert film, Usher: Rendezvous in Paris, is in theaters until Sunday, September 15.
For more from Usher, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
Usher has won countless Grammys, American Music Awards and VMAs, but he’s got an eye on another honor outside the music world.
“I could win an Oscar,” the musician, 45, exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly, explaining what boxes are left to check off in his career.
While Usher has acted in the past, he notes that being in front of the camera isn’t the only path to winning an Academy Award.
“There’s many ways. There’s documentaries that have won Oscars,” he tells Us. “There’s live performances that have won Oscars. Who knows? Musical scoring. So many different things in musical categories that may potentially play. Yes, I would love to find a script. … I’d love to be able to someday say that I won an Oscar.”
UsherGotham/GC Images/Getty Images
Usher may not have any scripts in the works right now, but he does have a documentary coming out soon. His new concert film, Rendezvous in Paris, hits theaters on Thursday, September 12, and captures several performances he gave in the French capital city last year.
“One beautiful part about going to the movies is you have to put your phone down,” he says of the film, which will be in theaters through Sunday, September 15. “We put so much energy and effort into making this film something that the entire world would be able to experience, because many people didn’t get the chance to make it to Las Vegas [for my residency]. They didn’t get a chance to make it to Paris. But this film captures so much of the live performance and then some.”
When it comes to fashion, Usher just gets it. The Grammy winner’s sense of style is just as impressive as his stellar vocals. Take Paris Fashion Week in 2023, for example. The hitmaker attended multiple shows in looks that deserved a standing ovation. At the Chanel presentation, Usher dazzled in a tweed blazer paired with […]
While fans will no doubt love the movie, Usher’s kids aren’t quite as ready to shout their dad’s praises from the rooftops.
“They may really enjoy something and may not tell me because sometimes I’m just dad to them,” he jokes. “They tend to be a little bit more critical at times, and they’ll give me their notes as opposed to just enjoying the show.”
Usher shares sons Usher “Cinco” V, 16, and Naviyd, 15, with his ex-wife, Tameka Foster, as well as daughter Sovereign Bo, 3, and son Sire Castrello, 2, with his wife, Jenn Goicoechea.
Usher has been singing about romance for years, and he finally found love with longtime partner Jenn Goicoechea. While it’s unclear how the “Yeah!” singer and Goicoechea initially met, the twosome were first photographed together in December 2016. In the snap, Usher leaned down while Goicoechea covered her mouth as she whispered into his ear. […]
“There hasn’t been a lot of downtime,” he says. “But we Netflix and chill if we need to. There’s been a lot of editing around this Rendezvous, so I think we spent more time [on that] than anything. The movie room turned into a screening room.”
For more with Usher, watch the video above and pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.
According to Lisa Barlow, wearing fur — the real thing, not faux — will never go out of style.
“I’m always a fur girl,” Barlow, 49, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Daily Front Row’s 11th Annual Fashion Media Awards on Friday, September 6. “I know it’s so controversial, but I love wearing fur.”
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star frequently steps out in Utah and on red carpets alike in a stylish fur jacket. The trend, however, has been condemned by many animal rights activists, claiming that raising animals for the sole purpose of making fashion out of pelts is inhumane.
Barlow, however, points out that wearing fur is coming “back [into]” fashion.
“I think if you really do your homework, you’ll see if they’re made sustainably,” she told Us at the New York City event. “It’s, like, major for you to wear that as opposed to faux fur.”
Lisa BarlowMike Coppola/Getty Images for The Daily Front Row
As for what she pairs with her fur, Barlow stressed to Us that she loves a “low-waisted skinny jean” and “a great blazer.”
“I still like going back to the ‘90s for inspiration, especially to Chanel and Versace to see what they were doing and, like, re-replicate that now,” Barlow gushed.
The jeans, however, must be fitted, as opposed to a wider cut.
“I’m just over [wide-leg jeans]. I know they came back in, but I’m so over them already,” Barlow said. “[Also,] I love that black and white [colors] came back in. When I first started college, I wore a pair of black-and-white striped dress pants to BYU, and everybody was like, ‘What is she wearing?’ I didn’t have Wranglers or Ropers.”
Fan-favorite stars never miss a moment to step out in style. Whether they’re doing press or grabbing a bite to eat, the biggest names in Hollywood know how to make a statement — even if a red carpet isn’t involved. Take Taylor Swift for example, who commanded attention in New York City in a number […]
Skinny jeans still hold Barlow’s top spot among trends.
“I mean, if you have a good set of hips and a flat stomach, they’re your best friend,” Barlow added.
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The Fashion Media Awards, which were held at NYC’s famed Rainbow Room, kickstarted New York Fashion Week.
“I love Fashion Week. I get to come home, which is so nice for me,” Barlow gushed to Us. “I [was] born and raised in New York, so it’s always exciting to be home. I’m looking forward to the LaQuan Smith show, [but] there’s so many great shows happening this season I’m so excited about.”
When it comes to being a mom in her real life, Edie Falco feels much more salt of the earth than mob wife.
“I think [my Sopranos character] Carmela’s parenting, you know, is contingent upon [certain things],” Falco, 61, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing her upcoming family comedy, I’ll Be Right There. “She always knew that her husband, [Tony], would provide the backbone, the security, the money and all that. Wanda feels more like me, where if you’re a single mom — she’s not a single mom, but [her ex has] his own family now — it’s different.”
Falco noted that there’s added pressure to a parent raising their kids solo, as “decisions that have to be made” and the “finances” fall on them alone. “It’s a much larger responsibility,” she said. “So it feels very different.”
Directed by Brendon Walsh with a script by Jim Beggarly, I’ll Be Right There tells the hilarious and heartwarming story of Wanda, a woman finding her place now that her kids are grown, the divorce papers are signed and a new chapter of life is beginning. While Wanda still has her hands full with her sick mother (Jeannie Berlin), 8-months-pregnant daughter, Sarah (Kayli Carter), and wayward son, Mark (Charlie Tahan), she’s also trying to figure out what life is like when she’s putting herself first.
20th Century Studios (2) ; Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures The summer of 2024 was filled with incredible blockbuster films that had audiences rushing to the theaters, but which one reigned supreme? Judging by just financial success, Deadpool & Wolverine — the third installment in the Deadpool franchise — easily takes the cake. In addition […]
“The writing felt like real dialogue,” Falco told Us of taking on the role. “That’s something I always respond to. ‘Does this sound like people? The way people talk?’ And it was about people and the stuff they go through, which is kind of what life is.”
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While much of the film focuses on Wanda learning to fill space away from her loved ones, Falco told Us that some of her favorite moments shooting the film were with Carter and Berlin.
“Those are two extraordinary actresses where I don’t feel like they were trying to prove themselves. That helps you be better when you’ve got a little bit of confidence in your back pocket knowing that you’re good at this. And I felt that with both of these women,” she said. “So it was really just the best of all possible scenarios where you’re just having fun. It was easy and fun, always.”
Some of the most poignant moments in the film come when the three women are together, opting to take a breather from reality by enjoying a late night ice cream run. Falco said that while there was no improv happening in the scenes, the trio were able to pick up on each other’s “cues” and deliver something fresh every take.
“Each time we would run it, it would be a little bit different, but holding the main thing intact,” she explained, noting that landing the moment can’t be “hard” on small projects because there isn’t a lot of “time” to get it right.
“You do the best you can given what you have,” she added.
As for bringing Wanda to life, Falco said that there were aspects she pulled from her own life — she’s mom to teenagers Anderson and Maci — even without actually realizing that’s what she was doing.
“I never know how that works, but I’ll hear myself do a line and I’m like, ‘I said that to my son like yesterday,’” she quipped. “You don’t do it on purpose, but it becomes a part of your parenting.”
Falco thinks there also may be elements she draws from her own past, as she played mom of two and mob wife Carmela of The Sopranos for years before welcoming her own kids. “You do wonder if a lot of this stuff is things you’ve heard from your own parents or other parents,” she added.
HBO
While Falco is widely known for her time on the HBO hit, it’s far from her only notable role. She starred as Jackie Peyton on the beloved drama Nurse Jackie from 2009 to 2015 — a series with an upcoming reboot in the works with Falco set to return — as well as countless other network TV appearances, all of which earned her a combined four Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes and five Screen Actors Guild Awards.
In 2011, she earned her first Tony Award nomination for her role in The House of Blue Leaves.
When asked if at this point in her career she’d like to try out different aspects of the industry — directing or writing, perhaps — Falco told Us that performing continues to be her first and only love, whether it be on screen or stage.
“A lot of people are like, ‘I’d like to direct.’ I got none of that,” she said. “I just want to do more of the same. Different, but more of the same. I don’t have anything in particular, but I feel like, all of a sudden, a script feels almost magical. Like, a script will come to me, I’ll be like, ‘Oh, my God, I never would’ve thought of that. What a great idea.’ That’s what I wanna do next. It’s out there and I’ve been lucky enough that it has flown past my eyes always just at the right time.”
During its six-season run, The Sopranos transformed television as we know it, earning its title as one of the greatest shows of all time. The HBO crime drama began in January 1999 with Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) reluctantly walking into the office of his new psychiatrist, Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), after having a panic attack. […]
While Falco is excited to get back in front of the camera for Nurse Jackie — “I’m just excited to see family again,” she told Us of the upcoming return — she’s also still basking in the post-curtain call glow of Pre-Existing Condition, an Off-Broadway play she recently wrapped in the East Village, a true return to her roots.
“I feel like I’m floating. It’s how it first started, you know, doing little teeny theater performances in little spaces,” she recalled, noting that she initially “wasn’t sure” how she’d feeling getting back on stage. “That’s where the love [of acting] started. And as it turns out, it’s where the love still is.”
“The fact that I get to jump around and do all different things,” she continued, “I seem to need all of them at different times. So I’ve been truly blessed with the shape of things.”
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While Falco may relate to I’ll Be Right There when it comes to motherhood, she definitely possesses a perspective Wanda is sorely lacking. When asked to give advice to those trying to overcome personal hardships in life, Falco — intentionally or not — shared wise words her character could use in spades.
“Everything changes. What you’re in right now may seem difficult, but you just got to know that it will pass. ‘Cause it all passes, including the good stuff,” Falco told Us. “Do your best to just accept what’s in front of you and say, ‘All right, show me what I gotta do. Put me in the right direction and tell me where I gotta go and what I have to say to whom.’ Fighting it never goes anywhere good.”
I’ll Be Right There is now playing in select theaters and on demand.
Ahead of the season 33 premiere of DWTS, Amendola, 38, spoke to Us Weekly exclusively about the opportunity to compete — and the advice he got from one of his most outspoken ex New England Patriots teammates Rob Gronkowski.
“Gronk hit me with a message this morning and he was so amped up, so juiced, I know he’ll be excited,” Amendola told Us. “He said, ‘Just bring the energy man.’ I’ll be channeling my inner Gronk.”
On the field, Gronkowski, 35, was a Hall of Fame caliber tight end. Off it, he’s become known for his larger-than-life personality that has transcended sports to the point that even non-sports fans know him simply as Gronk.
It’s nearly time to return to the ballroom for season 33 of Dancing With the Stars. The ABC reality competition series was officially renewed in May, and the first season 33 contestant, Olympic gymnast and viral sensation Stephen Nedoroscik, was announced in August. “From Paris to #DWTS!🥉 We’re thrilled to welcome pommel horse legend @stephen_nedoroscik […]
In and out of game action, it’s not uncommon to see Gronk dancing, making him the perfect candidate to share encouraging words with a future DWTS contestant.
Danny AmendolaDisney/Andrew Eccles
Amendola, for his part, is excited for the opportunity to hit the ballroom floor. He’s spent his career in football, going from a player to an assistant coach with the Las Vegas Raiders. His one foray into competitive reality TV came in 2023 when he appeared on Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, where he made it to the season 1 finale. This will be his first attempt at dancing, and he’ll do it with pro Witney Carson as a partner.
“Pressure’s a privilege,” Amendola said. “Honestly, I’m excited to step out of my comfort zone. I get to work with the best. I’ve been watching [Carson] dance for years and to see her do her thing is — I’m in awe every time.”
Rob GronkowskiJose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
This will be Carson’s 14th season of Dancing With the Stars and her second time working with a football player. She competed with linebacker Von Miller in season 22, when the pair placed seventh. Her one win came alongside Alfonso Ribeiro in season 19.
Ever since its debut, Dancing With the Stars has made headlines — sometimes for its eyebrow-raising casting. One of the most controversial decisions by ABC came ahead of season 28 in summer 2019 when Sean Spicer was announced as part of the cast. At the time, many celebrities reacted to the news about the former […]
“I was stoked,” Carson said of her first impression of Amendola. “I have not had an NFL player for a really long time, so I was really excited to get Danny. My husband, my brothers, they’re super stoked about it. I just know the history with wide receivers on the show, two of them have won, so I was extremely excited.”
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Danny Amendola and Witney CarsonABC/Jose Alvarado, Jr
Amendola will look to join Donald Driver (season 14) and Hines Ward (season 12) as former wide receivers to win their seasons.
Dancing With the Stars season 33 premieres on ABC Tuesday September 17 at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes will air live simultaneously on ABC and Disney+ and are available the next day on Hulu.
If you do a Google search of the most romantic movies of all time, there are a few results most of us can agree swept us off our feet on first viewing: The Notebook, When Harry Met Sally, and Beauty and the Beast.
In reality? Noah from The Notebook was a stalker who threatened to hurt himself if Allie didn’t go out with him. When Harry Met Sally “invented high-maintenance women,” The Atlanticargues, and this reductive trope continues to this day. As for Beauty and the Beast, where do we begin? Gaston refuses to accept Belle’s many “no’s” and when it comes to the Beast, the lesson is that if you keep a woman prisoner in your castle, eventually she’ll fall in love with you. All major red flags, obviously.
Meaghan Oppenheimer, showrunner of Hulu‘s Tell Me Lies, is acutely aware of the problematic narratives Hollywood has sold us over the years. “So many love stories have been told from a male point of view, and maybe some men think it’s romantic to completely force their will on these women,” she tells StyleCaster. “I think pushing against that is really important.”
As the showrunner of Tell Me Lies, Oppenheimer didn’t want the show to be “preachy” but at the same time, it was important to her to show the complexities of being a young adult. “It’s about showing the honest truth of it.”
Tell Me Lies is inspired by—but significantly diverges from—Carola Lovering’s novel
of the same name. “I changed a lot,” Oppenheimer says of the plot. It’s because the book “is very internal” and the story largely lives within the minds of characters Lucy and Stephen, portrayed by Grace van Patten and Jackson White (who are a couple in real life, too).
Oppenheimer says van Patten was perfect for the role of Lucy because she “has that vulnerability, but she also has a lot of strength. And it was really important to us that Lucy not just be entirely a victim.” Oppenheimer continues: “There is a sort of myth that if you end up in a relationship like this, it only happens to women who are weak or desperate or pathetic.” The show follows Lucy and Stephen’s tumultuous relationship over eight years after meeting in college. “Although their relationship begins like any typical campus romance, they quickly fall into an addictive entanglement that will permanently alter not only their lives but the lives of everyone around them,” per the Hulu synopsis.
As young adults living on a college campus, the characters in Tell Me Lies navigate newfound independence, party culture, and relationships in a way that we rarely see on-screen but almost all audiences will be able to identify with. “We meet Lucy at such a formative age that I think everyone can relate to. I definitely went through a phase in my life where I had a wall up and was afraid to be vulnerable because my emotions scared me, I knew I was sensitive and I tried to protect myself,” van Patten tells us via email. “I slowly discovered through experience and relationships that vulnerability and honesty with yourself are the most powerful, beautiful things. I really root for Lucy and hope that she gets to know herself by learning what she needs and being honest with herself and the people around her.”
Grace, you said in a previous interview that “you can be the strongest person in the world and be fooled” and I think it comes back to our fundamental desire to be loved and wanted, but we often don’t know what that really looks like because of the movies we watch. Yes, I do think that even the strongest can be fooled. Especially at that age when you don’t even know yourself yet. I think everyone wants to be loved and validated and listened to, and Lucy really latched on to Stephen because of that. She felt seen by him whether it was manipulation or not. Tell Me Lies is not a love story. These two people are not meant to be together and there are many signs that point to that, but this show takes these young people’s feelings so seriously and shows the journey that we have to go through to realize what we need in a relationship. I believe you can only learn those things by experiencing what is wrong, and even then, it’s still hard not to justify when you’re infatuated with someone. Love can make you feel absolutely crazy but it also forces you to learn a lot about yourself.
The show does a great job at making Stephen the asshole but also someone you can empathize with, particularly in the episode where we meet his family. How did you achieve that? Oppenheimer: It was a very fine line with Stephen. It was probably the biggest challenge in the writer’s room, getting his character right. Because you want to care about him enough to keep watching, but you also don’t want to condone his behavior.
What was really important to me was that, in order to understand Stephen, or care about him, I needed him to have an antagonist that was worse than him. And I knew I wanted him when he went home to not be the antagonist because he is the antagonist at school. Even though he’s also our leading man, he’s the antagonist. We did a lot of drafts of that episode.
van Patten: Jackson did such a beautiful job by humanizing Stephen in a way that makes the audience just as confused as Lucy may be. Being comfortable and safe with each other and the whole cast was super important to us.
Grace, this show is set circa 2007 when things felt a little simpler pre the explosion of social media. What did you do to get into that mindset? Oh gosh, I can’t imagine if you sprinkled social media issues into the drama of this show. Plenty of issues without it! I loved being thrown into 2007. The music, the Blackberrys, the low-rise jeans, the Juicy Couture. What a time.
Gyaarah Gyaarah star Gautami Kapoor talks about her long break, secret to a happy marriage and more [Exclusive]
In a recent exclusive interview with Bollywood Life, renowned reality television star and model Gautami Kapoor discussed her acting journey and her role in the OTT series Gyaarah Gyaarah. Gautami Kapoor is best known for her iconic roles in Kehta Hai Dil and Ghar Ek Mandir. She has also appeared in various popular reality TV shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Khelti Hai Zindagi Aankh Micholi, Qubool Hai, and Parvarrish – Season 2, as well as in OTT series such as Special OPS and Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story. Additionally, she has made her mark in films like Student of the Year, Shaadi Ke Side Effects, Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, and Satyameva Jayate 2 and also acted in various Marathi movies. The recently released web series Gyaarah Gyaarah premiered on Zee 5 on August 9th. Directed by Umesh Bist, this action-thriller series features popular celebrities like Kritika Kamra, Raghav Juyal, Dhairya Karwa, and Aakash Dixit in lead roles. The audience has responded positively, showing great appreciation for the series. It’s worth noting that ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’ is an adaptation of the Korean drama Signal. To get insights from her recent interview and for more updates, watch the full video and stay tuned to Bollywood Life!
Anyone can have an eye for fashion, but it’s extremely special to have a heart for it, too. HONGJOONG has both—one in the literal sense. Adorned in crystals that form an eye motif across his chest (courtesy of Balmain) that shimmers throughout the studio, he confidently struts in front of the camera. He was supposed to wear the piece at Balmain’s men’s fashion show earlier in the year, but it was rescheduled to September. HONGJOONG, nonetheless, is elated to finally wear the outfit.
It’s the day before ATEEZ’s monumental and rainy show at Citi Field in Queens, NY—one of the stops on their “[TOWARDS THE LIGHT : WILL TO POWER]” world tour. And despite a busy schedule, HONGJOONG arrives at StyleCaster’s midtown Manhattan studio with a wide grin and boundless energy. He meticulously curates every decision of the shoot. He even brought his own accessories—a wide-brimmed hat to emulate his idols—and he executes each pose with precision. He’s genuinely mindful of his surroundings, thanking the staff any chance he gets and making sure they get their proverbial flowers for their hard work.
“It gives me so much inspiration to wear clothes and outfits I’m not familiar with. My opinion on fashion is changing. My favorite things are changing too.”
HONGJOONG is a creative force. His songwriting credits stretch throughout the K-pop group’s whole discography, and he develops touching ways to unite his members (like designing a ring for each band member to commemorate their Coachella debut). His positive attitude speaks to how mindful and present he is in every aspect of ATEEZ’s success—from the nitty-gritty of music production to the out-of-this-world pirate and cowboy concepts they bring to life in videos and onstage.
Photo: George Chinsee. Design: Sasha Purdy. Suit: Balmain.
How would you describe your fashion evolution? When I was a trainee, I liked too many things. Because in those days, I thought I had to show everything to everyone. I always wore so many accessories and only colorful clothes. After we debuted, I recognized what things fit me and what things looked good for me onstage and backstage. I’m learning all of it because I can see so many photos of what I’m wearing from my fans.
My thoughts about fashion naturally evolved over the years. These days, I figure out what I wear in real time. When I wear Balmain’s clothes, I also try to figure out how the outfit fits with my own vibe.
You’ve made your own custom clothes, and I think that’s the coolest fact ever. Thank you! I’m a little shy to talk about my DIY clothes because I’m not a professional designer. But I have the confidence to always make my own things.
Photo: George Chinsee. Design: Sasha Purdy. Suit: Balmain.
Do you have a favorite piece you made? In Phoenix, I dyed one of my clothes after I saw a David Bowie mural. I was inspired and wanted to draw on my Jacquemus colored jacket. It’s one of my favorite pieces. I’ve posted it on Instagram, but I’ve never worn it in front of people. Someday I’d like to, because it’s very colorful. It’s good for the summer and matches the Olympic ring colors.
How has touring changed the way you style yourself? Touring has helped me in a very good way. There are many opportunities to see new outfits and clothes, because when we are in Korea, we have really busy schedules. One of my hobbies is to go to some stores and see something new. I’m curious about what materials they use, what colors they use, and what’s trending. When we’re touring, we have time to look around.
Many brands sell their clothes only in America or only in Korea, so it’s very good to see different outfits across the globe. It gives me so much inspiration to wear clothes and outfits I’m not familiar with. My opinion on fashion is changing. My favorite things are changing too. For this tour specifically, I’ve worn different kinds of hats, like hunting caps and fedoras.
Photo: George Chinsee. Design: Sasha Purdy. Suit: Balmain.
Do you have a favorite city that inspired you? In Arlington, Texas, they’re really famous for cowboy hats. When we went to Fort Worth, I got one and I wore it onstage. Everyone loved to see that. That’s one of my favorite cities because it’s always changing my mind about fashion.
We’ve tried a few cowboy things before in our songs and music videos, but when I saw people wearing it in the original place where it’s from, it was so cool. When I go to those cities in the USA, they all have different cultures.
You took some Instagram photos with the cowboy hat and referenced a meme that ATINY made viral during sendoff. So many people like to see our interactions with fans. I enjoyed it so much because when I’m onstage, I just sing and dance. But when I’m off the stage, I love to interact with our fans—ATINY—because we’re all just people. It’s so important that we do that when we release new songs and we show really good fashion. It’s more important that we get good communication with our fans, because when we release new songs, I want them to understand it better.
Photo: George Chinsee. Design: Sasha Purdy. Suit: Balmain.
This is your first time playing big arenas and stadiums for multiple dates. What’s the experience like compared to other tours? Every ATEEZ concert that we did this year is bigger than the previous years. Every year is different, and every city is different too. We started in very small halls when we first came to the U.S. This time, we’re in stadiums and are making hit songs in the U.S. It’s something different that we have to release better songs and we have to show better stages to our fans.
But at the same time, I want ATINY to feel like we’re not far away. If we become more famous, our original fans will think that because we’re playing stadiums, we’re so far away from them. I don’t want any of our fans to feel like that.
I just want them to feel like they’re always near us and that our songs relate to their life. After our concerts, we get to meet our fans, and I want to make that communication and interaction important for them.
What’s it like to collaborate with the production team when producing songs? We have a producing team, EDENARY, and the leader of the group is Eden. He’s one of my closest friends, because I met him 10 years ago in our company and we grew up together. When I participate in making songs, it’s very natural. We use the same studio. If I have a keyword and genre in mind, they develop and give the songs and demos back to me. They ask about the direction, and there’s back and forth about feedback.
When I’m in the U.S. or another country, we do a lot of Zoom meetings to discuss and make the songs. We get to business and we think about our next albums and concepts. So that’s what makes our music very ongoing.
“I’m thankful for our members and ATINY because they’re always with me. When ATINY are telling us their stories, that gives me so much motivation to make music.”
Photo: George Chinsee. Design: Sasha Purdy. Suit: Balmain.
What creatively drives you as a songwriter? Michael Jackson first inspired me to make music when I was in middle school. When I first listened to “Billie Jean,” I was really curious about the instrumentals. It’s not just simple synthesizer and piano sounds. I was like “How did he make this?” I was searching on YouTube how to make “Billie Jean” instrumentals. I’m studying English now, but back then I didn’t know that much. All of the comments on the video were in English. I translated it all and started to make music because of that.
Michael and David Bowie still give me a lot of inspiration. But at the same time, I’m thankful for our members and ATINY because they’re always with me. When I make music or write lyrics, there’s always inspiration from them too. When the ATEEZ members talk privately or when they tell their own stories, I think about all of that in the songwriting process. Even when ATINY are telling us their stories, that gives me so much motivation to make music.
What was your favorite fashion show? My first fashion show was Balmain last year, and this year I went to Comme des Garçons. When I first arrived at the hotel room for Balmain’s fashion show, I opened the invitation to see that it was all about flowers. I love flowers and I felt so lucky to see that it was the theme of my first fashion show. I was like, “Olivier [Rousteing] knew something!”
When I saw all the outfits on the runway, there was a dress that had flowers all over it. I was so impressed by it that I missed the two or three outfits that were walking after that. I loved the outfit that I wore to that fashion show as well—the one with a French-style beret.
Photo: George Chinsee. Design: Sasha Purdy. Suit: Balmain.
ATEEZ members just opened up their personal Instagram pages. Have you enjoyed making your own profile? I’m not someone that usually uses social media that much. When I was a trainee, I just didn’t use it. Now that we’ve made our own individual accounts, when I want to post something, I just do it. I don’t use Instagram that much because I just follow the members. I really enjoy uploading, and I’m so happy when I do it.
When I post on my feed, it’s all cool aesthetics. However, my Instagram stories are so crazy. If I get an idea, I just want to do it. I use so many filters.
What’s your favorite filter? The one where it multiplies a photo or video. Honestly, that one is my favorite. But my vibe is always changing.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Photographer: George Chinsee Creative Direction: Sasha Purdy (@sashapurdydesign) Production Assistant: Lea Veloso Hair: Nari Ju at Cheongdam Contigo (@cheongdam_contigo) Makeup: Mi Yeon Song at Cheongdam Contigo (@cheongdam_contigo) Styling: Chaewon Kim
Aisha Tyler as Tara Lewis, Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez, A.J. Cook as Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, and Joe Mantegna as David RossiMichael Yarish/Paramount+
After nearly two decades on the air, Criminal Minds has explored just about every true crime scenario — but there are still certain topics the show tries to avoid.
“There are boundaries [in the writers’ room]. And for most of us, it regards children,” executive producer and showrunner Erica Messer exclusively told Us Weekly. “We’ve said it before that there’s three victim types: men, women and children. Statistically women and children are victimized most, so we try not to dive into that world very often.”
Each writer has different types of stories they might dislike. “That’s probably the biggest boundary in the room. And then for me, it’s any stories that involve attacks on the home or family in that way,” Messer noted. “We should all have this understanding that we’re safe in our homes. So when you’re not, it just hits hard.”
Since 2005, viewers have tuned in to watch a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit. The crime drama explores different fictional cases and shows how behavioral analysis helps the team locate their unknown subjects.
Criminal Minds is back with a revival on Paramount+ titled Criminal Minds: Evolution — but fans have watched the cast change on and off screen since the procedural first debuted. In 2005, viewers were introduced to a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit. The crime […]
“We’re always looking [at] how to modernize the show and the crimes,” Messer shared with Us about the show’s vision from season to season. “Even if the why of it is sort of timeless.”
Aisha Tyler as Tara Lewis, A.J. Cook as Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, Joe Mantegna as David Rossi, and Adam Rodriguez as Luke AlvezMichael Yarish/Paramount+
Criminal Minds: Evolution brought back most of the cast with Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster reprising their characters. While not everyone returned, Messer doesn’t want fans to give up hope for surprise appearances from OG cast members such as Matthew Gray Gubler.
“We love [Matthew] and he’s always going to be a part of the family. We would love for an opportunity to arise to get him back. And we have tried — and he has tried,” she revealed. “It just hasn’t worked out timing wise. I can’t speak to [season 3 of Criminal Minds: Evolution] because we’re not there yet. But it’s not for lack of trying.”
Saying goodbye is tough — staying away is even tougher. That’s the case for many stars in TV shows. Episodic TV, although it’s changing constantly in the midst of the streaming wars, isn’t a small commitment. Many dramas include 24 hour-long episodes per season, leaving little room for other projects. That said, many actors who […]
Messer continued: “We can’t not acknowledge who’s not here because they’re huge parts of why we’re all still here. But the trick is we have a much shorter window 1722806710. Back in the olden days, we had 10 months out of the year to shoot. Now we have four [months]. So it just actually can be a scheduling nightmare to try to get anyone.”
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Despite Gubler’s absence, the Paramount+ series continues to thrive because of its big storytelling swings and newcomers such as Zach Gilford. His character, serial killer Elias Voit, shouldn’t have lasted this long, which keeps the writers on their toes.
“To put him in jail and have [the agents] go consult with him felt like something new that we had never done before,” Messer noted. “So, we have a challenge for next season to keep him around. But that’s the plan — to keep challenging ourselves.”
Criminal Minds: Evolution has been renewed and episodes are currently streaming on Paramount+.
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She lives her life in HD, and by that, we mean “high drama.” Heather Dubrow has found herself at the center of the drama again on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 after her cast mate and new Housewife, Katie Ginella, claimed to have evidence that Dubrow called the paparazzi on herself and her husband, Terry Dubrow, to take photos of them at Disneyland in 2022.
The story first surfaced on The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 17 when Heather’s cast mates — which also include Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, Emily Simpson, Gina Kirschenheiter, and Jennifer Pedranti — brought up the paparazzi photos as a way to accuse Heather of using the paparazzi to deflect rumors that she and Terry were divorcing at the time.
Heather denied the claims and the story died down… until Katie claimed at a girls night out in Season 18 that she had proof that Heather, in fact, called the paparazzi on herself. Heather, for her part, isn’t sold on Katie’s so-called evidence.
“Her proof is some rando text message from someone named ‘Mark,’” Heather told StyleCaster at her annual Champs Event in New York City on July 31. “I swore on the lives of my children that I’ve never called the paparazzi. I would like to be emphatic about that. Just so there’s no misunderstanding. There are no semantics involved in that statement. I didn’t tell anyone to call the paparazzi. I didn’t wink at someone. I didn’t have knowledge of someone. I had nothing to do with it.”
She continued, “If I had, I would’ve said it. People do that kind of thing all the time. I just did not. This is a character assassination that I will not stand idly by. For someone to come into our group, have this weird vendetta against me. I met this girl two or three times, and there’s this laundry list of things. It’s weird.”
Heather cited her feud with Katie as an example of why Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Sutton Stracke told Katie earlier in Season 18 that she “wouldn’t want to go against Heather Dubrow.”
“Sutton texted me that night and she was like, ‘Why do people think that’s weird I said that to her? I wouldn’t go against you, and they shouldn’t come against me either,’” Heather recalled. “I think the bigger question about the whole thing is why does [Katie] care so much?”
Despite her drama with Katie, Heather explained what hurt her even more was watching her co-star’s Tamra and Emily’s conversation about the paparazzi rumors later in the episode and Tamra’s “glee”-ful reaction to Katie’s claims on the cast’s night out.
“My first reaction was obviously not good,” Heather said of how she felt when she watched the scene. “To be honest with you, I understood at the bar why the girls reacted that way. They were at a bar, they were drinking, and they were presented with some salacious-sounding information, so I understood that. I mean, do I think it’s weird that no one asked to see the proof? Yes”
Heather went on to reveal that, while Tamra texted her to explain her reaction to Katie’s claims, she’s still not over her hurt feelings.
“The thing that hurt me the most was the scene between Emily and Tamra. That was very hard to watch. I don’t even know if I’ve really processed it yet,” she said. “Tamra texted me today. A very appropriate, very nice text, but it doesn’t mean I’m over it. That was tough to watch. It’s tough when your friend’s knee-jerk reaction to something negative about you is glee.”
As Team USA gets ready to head to Paris for the 2024 Olympics, food is essential to fueling their performance.
The athletes take breakfast — the meal of champions — pretty seriously, always starting their days off strong with a mix of carbs and protein.
Archer Casey Kaufhold and fencer Eli Dershwitz turn to scrambled eggs for protein, pairing the morning classic with a side like toast, oatmeal or fruit. Soccer players Emily Sonnett and Rose Lavelle opt for carbs instead, filling up on bagels and pancakes before hitting the field.
Athletes pack on the protein midday, even when on the go. Field hockey player Abigail Tamer named honey stinger waffles as one of her go-to snacks, while Dershwitz mentioned granola bars and protein smoothies. CJ Nickolas, who competes in taekwondo, told Us about his recent routine to simplify his meals.
Dimitri Iundt/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images The Olympics features the best of the best going for the gold — and that can spark some heated rivalries. Arguably the most infamous Olympic rivalry occurred between professional figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. Their feud went so far that Harding’s ex-husband and bodyguard hired a man to […]
“Recently I’ve been really into meal prepping,” said Nickolas. “Taco meat, and then add corn and beans, and I’ll just keep it in [the refrigerator] and make quesadillas.”
When he doesn’t wanna “make something,” Nickolas’ go-to takeout spot is Chick-Fil-A. A spicy chicken sandwich will “hold [him] over for the next training.”
Team USA’s lunch and dinner is all about balance, with most meals including a protein, carb and vegetable. Kaufhold’s personal favorite is salmon over pasta, while Tamer prefers chicken fried rice.
After competing, Team USA has fun with their food choices, indulging themselves after a long day’s work.
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“Postgame it’s kind of up to whatever I’m feeling, because at that point I’m going to be able to eat anything,” said Crystal Dunn, a Team USA soccer player.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Olympian Dominique Moceanu praised the gymnasts representing Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. “As someone who was directly coached by Bela & Marta Karolyi, who began their coaching careers in the U.S. in 1981, I experienced the intensity & demands of their decades-long influence firsthand,” Moceanu, 42, wrote via X on […]
Figure skater Alex Shibutani takes a less traditional approach to his meal plan during training.
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“It’s important to keep your energy up, so I eat a lot of meals over the course of the day as opposed to three primary traditional meals,” he told Us Weekly. Shibutani has smaller meals throughout the day including protein bars, yogurt and fruit.
No matter their preferences, Team USA had one common priority: hydrate. Athletes across sports emphasized the importance of staying hydrated, with some adding electrolytes to their water throughout the day.
The Just Feed Me cookbook author, 36, exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly that she opted to cook jambalaya for Eric, 37, instead of going out for dinner on their first date.
“I knew my Minnesota boy had never tasted anything so flavorful,” she says, referring to the former NFL player. “I knew I would have him hooked!”
The meal clearly did the trick, as the couple got engaged in 2012 after one year of dating. Jessie and Eric wed in Colorado in 2013 and soon began expanding their family. Their daughter, Vivianne, was born in 2014, and sons Eric Jr. and Forrest followed in 2015 and 2018, respectively.
Jessie announced in August 2023 that she was pregnant with baby No. 4, after being vocal about Eric’s fear of getting a vasectomy. The pair welcomed their third son, Denver, in February.
“The kids are so in love with their new baby brother,” Jessie exclusively told Us in March. “I knew the kids were going to be great with him, but I didn’t know they would be this amazing.”
At the time, Jessie noted that life as a family of six had inspired a few new recipes for her household using Waterloo sparking water.
Jessie James Decker and Eric Decker are loving life with their kids. The couple wed in June 2013 in Colorado, becoming parents the following year when their daughter, Vivianne, arrived. Jessie gave birth to sons Eric and Forrest in 2015 and 2018, respectively. In January 2020, Jessie exclusively told Us Weekly why she and Eric […]
“So many of my favorite memories are around a dinner table with fried chicken,” she shared. “In Waterloo fashion, this fried chicken recipe focuses on big flavor — with a Waterloo Raspberry Nectarine glaze. The tartness of raspberry and the sweet, juicy notes of nectarine truly enhance the savory and crispy profile of fried chicken.”
Jessie added: “As a busy mom of now four, I wanted to create recipes that are easy and quick to make at home and that my entire family finds delicious.”
“I didn’t order anything,” she reveals. “I made homemade jambalaya!”
The comfort food I eat when no one is watching …
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“When I make olive oil cake, I can’t stop myself,” the singer says. “I’ll just keep cutting slivers and slivers until it’s pretty much almost gone.”
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The food I didn’t like as a kid, but like now …
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“I hated sushi for the majority of my life until my best friend Jessica [Payne] said, ‘We’re going to tippy-toe into this because I need a sushi date partner,’” Jessie recalls. “So I give Jessica all the credit. I love sushi 1722194772!”
Read more in this week’s new issue of Us Weekly, which includes 12 additional pages, a redesigned look and new franchises readers will love — on newsstands now.
Carl Crawford and Evelyn LozadaCourtesy of Carl Crawford/Instagram
Evelyn Lozada has found herself on a winning coparenting team with ex Carl Crawford.
“I think sometimes people don’t understand my relationship with him,” Lozada, 48, exclusively shared with Us Weekly while promoting season 11 ofBasketball Wives. “They may think something’s going on, but we are just generally good friends. … It’s really about just having a healthy coparenting relationship.”
The couple, who share 10-year-old son Leo, were together for four years before breaking up in 2017. To this day, Lozada said she still enjoys spending time with the former MLB player, 42, at special gatherings and events.
“We just make it work,” she explained to Us. “We don’t have any drama. It’s damn near perfect to be honest. I value that because I think for Leo, to see me and his dad have a great relationship and I can go to dinner with him and Leo, it’s just us sharing time and space with him. I think it’s beneficial for him.”
When it comes to dating today, the SG by Evelyn Lozada bodysuits designer said she is “single by choice.” While sparks flew with LaVon Lewis on Peacock’s reality show Queen’s Court, the pair called off their engagement in October 2023.
“I really enjoy being by myself, maybe a little bit too much,” Lozada said with a laugh. “It’s not like I’m closed off. I’m open to it. I just don’t chase it. I feel like whoever comes into my life, it just really has to make sense and fit in perfectly.”
In her defense, Lozada has a full schedule as a businesswoman and parent of two. (She’s also mom to daughter Shaniece Hairston, 31, from a previous relationship.)
When she’s not filming Basketball Wives or expanding her BX Glow jewelry line, Lozada is driving her son around town for various sporting events as he tries to follow in dad’s footsteps.
“I’m always doing travel baseball and tournaments because he’s passionate about this,” Lozada explained. “Leo’s very athletic. If he could play 10 sports, he would.”
She’s also preparing to be a grandmother when her daughter welcomes a baby later this year.
Love lost doesn’t mean friendship lost for these friendly exes! Take a look at ex-lovers such as Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie, and Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon, who have maintained close relationships even after splitting up.
In June, Hairston surprised fans when the yoga instructor announced her pregnancy via Instagram. While Lozada is counting down the days and months until the baby’s arrival, she is respecting her daughter’s privacy and not discussing the news on Basketball Wives.
“The whole time we’re filming the show, we’re filming about Brooke [Bailey] potentially being a grandma and me looking into that for her,” Lozada shared. “The whole time, my daughter is pregnant and I couldn’t say anything because it’s not my place. It’s not my place to talk about it unless she wants to.Then I follow her lead because I know how she is. She’s just very private and I respect that.”
Basketball Wives airs Mondays on VH1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
“Never work with children or animals,” is a phrase famously attributed to Hollywood actor and comedian W.C. Fields. For actor Tanya Reynolds, that maxim might also apply to robotic animals. In the first episode of The Decameron, Netflix‘s new dark comedy set in Italy during the bubonic plague, she plucks a wriggling fish from a fountain. At least, it was supposed to be wriggling…
“It just malfunctioned,” she tells StyleCaster, laughing. “I just said, ‘Oh, it’s a robot fish malfunction,’” to her friend, Alana, who was working on the show as a Steadicam operator, “and we were like, ‘Oh my god, that’s our band.’ We actually made up a song on the spot called ‘Robot Fish Malfunction,’ which she’s got recorded somewhere.”
The fish—who dies rather unceremoniously as it’s whacked against the concrete—wasn’t the scene’s only casualty. “I smacked my hand when I smacked the fish, and I think you can see in the final product that I’m bleeding, but I didn’t realize because the water and my hands were so cold,” says Reynolds. Minutes later, Licisca is discovered covered in “fish carnage” and moments like this are when Reynolds’ comedic chops really shine. “Oh,” she remarks, eyes widening. “How absolutely queer of me.”
Reynolds—who you’d recognize from Sex Education—plays Licisca, the servant of a noble family whose master dies, leaving her to care for her master’s similarly-aged, entitled daughter, Filomena. They’re invited to escape “the pestilence” in the Roman countryside, which claimed almost half of Europe’s 14th-century population. TLDR; Licisca grows tired of Filomena’s shit, pushes her off a bridge, and assumes her master’s identity at the villa where other nobles are quarantining.
What drew you to this character? The first scene that I read was where Licisca, in the very first episode, is putting flowers up her nose to try and ward off the pestilence. Just the fact that she thought that could work—she was so earnest and naive, but as the story goes on, she reveals herself to be quite rock solid. She’s a great multi-dimensional character and the world is so unique. That’s what was so exciting to me.
I’ve read that this show is being described as Love Island, but back in the day. I’m curious, do you watch reality TV? I love it. I’ve just finished watching Married at First Sight Australia. When I’m watching TV, I just want to switch off sometimes and reality TV helps me do that. I don’t know if it has something to do with being an actor as well—where sometimes watching TV can feel like work because you’re watching and analyzing it.
But I think in the beginning, you think this is a costume drama about people in this villa hooking up. Then actually, as the show goes on, it gets so much deeper. It’s very much an exploration of class and what happens to the class structure when everyone thinks they’re going to die.
There are some amazing comedic actors in this show, yourself included, but you’ve also got Tony Hale (Buster in Arrested Development), Zosia Mamet from Girls, and Saoirse-Monica Jackson from Derry Girls.Was there a lot of room for improvisation? Kathleen [Jordan] and the directors were super open to improvisation. People like Tony Hale, Zosia, and Saoirse are really skilled improvisers, watching them was amazing. But I personally get a little scared.
When I’m watching TV, I just want to switch off sometimes and reality TV helps me do that. I don’t know if it has something to do with being an actor as well—where sometimes watching TV can feel like work because you’re watching and analyzing it.
Tanya Reynolds
I want to talk about your dialogue with Douggie McMeekin who plays Tindaro. There must’ve been so many scenes that were difficult to get through because of how funny your lines are. Any scene with him was difficult to get through without laughing. There is one scene where he, Arma [Chadha-Patel], and I are in a tent and Douggie’s feeding me grapes. At one point, he’s hyperventilating and he turns to me and says, “Are you in love with me?” As soon as he said it, we both locked eyes and exploded into laughter. It was impossible to get through that scene.
How many takes do you think you did? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe upwards of seven. It was actually on Valentine’s Day, shooting that scene. Being in this tent with these very funny people… It was great.
One of the biggest bombshells of the show is that Filomena and Licisca are actually sisters. How does that change their relationship? She’s been thrown that massive bomb of information just before she thinks she’s going to die, so she can’t process much in that moment. Once they’re free and back in the villa, she’s furious. She’s spent her entire life being this woman’s servant, having been brought up believing that she’s less of a person.
Filomena has treated her terribly and she really can’t forgive that. To think that Eduardo as well, this man she loved, but as her master—he knew all this time she was his daughter and yet he kept her as a servant. When Eduardo dies, Licisca feels like she’s got nothing to live for. When she finds out that everything she thought she was living for never really existed, she goes into full chaos mode.
The scene right at the ending where the class structure of this group has dissolved. Can you speak to the significance of that moment? Even the setting of it is so peaceful. These people have been through so much and have found peace within themselves and with each other in a place where there is no class structure. Licisca has learned forgiveness and Filomena has redeemed herself. She also realizes that, “Oh, actually, I do have friends here.”
Where would you like to see Licisca’s story go from here? I’ve always seen the show as a limited series because it ends and it’s not open in its ending. But I would love to do a second season because we all had so much fun. I would love to see Licisca in some position of power.
“Abbott Elementary” stars Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa.Disney/Pamela Littky
Lisa Ann Walter doesn’t actually know what is in store for Melissa on season 4 of Abbott Elementary — but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have some guesses.
“I wish I knew! If I said I knew what they were talking about in the writers’ room right now as we sit here I’d be lying,” Walter, 60, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her partnership with Centrum Menopause Support.
Walter noted that creator — and star — Quinta Brunson loves to keep her costars in the dark until the scripts are ready, adding, “Quinta plays it so close to the chest. Every once in a while she’ll come up like when we’re at a For Your Consideration event [to say], ‘You are gonna be so excited about this story line for your character. Oh wait, I’m not gonna tell.’”
The greatest gift for Us in 2024 would be getting to see fan-favorite couples like The Bear’s Sydney and Carmy and Sweet Magnolias’ Ty and Annie finally get together on screen. Since The Bear debuted in 2022, viewers and fans alike have been divided on whether the show should explore the potential romantic feelings between […]
Melissa and Gary called it quits during season 3 after he proposed with help from Philadelphia Eagles player Jalen Hurts. (Hurts’ fellow football players Jason Kelce and Brandon Graham also made a cameo in the February episode.)
Walter previously opened up about how honored she felt by Kelce’s onscreen appearance, telling Us in June, “Jason, I will say, out of everybody, was so vocal about being honored to participate in our show because he wanted to be a part of something that helped shine a light on what the public school system was like in Philadelphia. It was so meaningful to him and he was thrilled to be there. And it’s for the kids, so of course [he was] gonna be there. He was lovely.”
During her more recent chat with Us, Walter speculated on where Melissa goes from here now that she’s single.
“For Melissa, I know that what Quinta said ‘You know, we all love Bruno. He was so sweet and he was like the perfect guy for Melissa. He was accepting of her being big and ballsy and outrageous. He loved her anyway,’” Walter explained. “And that was too safe and too calm for Quinta.”
Abbott Elementary has been having fun surprising its audience with many star-studded cameos. The ABC sitcom, which debuted in 2021, quickly became a critically acclaimed series for its focus on teachers in a Philadelphia public school. Multiple celebrities have since made appearances as Abbott Elementary continued to please fans and critics alike. Series star and […]
When Walter isn’t focused on bringing Melissa’s story to life for other women who may see themselves in her character, she’s teaming up with Centrum to teach a lesson on menopause.
“[Centrum Menopause Support] is an avenue for women or for men — really for all people — to go to when they have confusion about menopause, symptoms and to destigmatize it. It is basically a place to go and discuss it so that we’re not acting like it’s some kind of hidden, shady and dark secretive thing that we’re not allowed to talk about,” Walter explained. “It takes the guessing out of it.”
Walter is excited to launch Hot Conversations with Centrum starting Wednesday, July 17. This new venture is a first-of-its-kind menopause training video for the workplace that will provide women and their colleagues with information about menopause to foster understanding, encourage support and shift the menopause narrative.
“They set up a resource hub to have women learn information and not feel alone and not feel like they can’t get any answers for what they’re going through.” Walter continued. “I’m just so proud to be in partnership with them.”
The fall season is almost upon Us and the TV schedule is looking better than ever. Fans of NBC’s One Chicago franchise can expect every show to return in late September. The trio of shows — Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. — made headlines as several cast members across the franchise announced their […]
Walter is pulling from her own experience with menopause to help bring awareness — and start more meaningful conversations around the topic.
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“One of the best ways that we can combat something that is natural and is going to happen is normalizing the conversation around it,” she detailed. “Conversation is a big part of destigmatizing it. Then the second part of it is these products that Centrum offers that actually address hot flashes.”
Walter concluded: “Everybody’s circumstances and symptoms are different. Places like Hot Conversations allow you to go and talk about it. I think women are more aware because it’s being talked about a little bit more.”
Louis Eisner and Ashley Olsen.Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Ashley Olsen is husband Louis Eisner’s No. 1 cheerleader, recently stepping out at his gallery show in Martha’s Vineyard to show her support.
Olsen, 38, attended Eisner’s “Persona Non Grata” exhibition at Winter Street Gallery on Tuesday, July 9, an eyewitness exclusively tells Us Weekly.
“They looked really happy,” the insider exclusively tells Us. “[Ashley] was walking around the art show admiring his work. She appeared to be in a great mood, saying ‘Hello’ to people in the gallery and even had a smile.”
Eisner’s solo art show officially opens on Friday, July 12, and will be on display through Sunday, August 11. The show features an array of new paintings and sculptures that embrace contrarian and oppositional elements.
Ashley Olsen and Louis Eisner’s romance has flown under the radar since its 2017 start — and that’s the way Olsen likes it. “We were raised to be discreet people,” Ashley’s twin sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, told iD magazine in June 2021 of the siblings’ choice to stay out of the limelight after their very public […]
“Persona non grata may be viewed as the sum of two highly distinct parts: the artworks’ visual elements and the cultural commentary implicitly conveyed,” a website description reads. “From these vantage points, Eisner presents opposing forces that deny any literal or narrative meaning, instead embracing an idiosyncratic approach that challenges and enlivens conventions within art.”
Olsen and Eisner, 35, have been together since October 2017, making their red carpet debut four years later at the Young Eisner Scholars 20th Anniversary Celebration. The YES gala is hosted annually by his family’s nonprofit organization.
One year later in December 2022, Olsen and Eisner privately wed. They welcomed their first baby in 2023.
“Ashley and Louis welcomed their son months ago and are thrilled to be parents,” a second source previously told Us.
All grown up! Years after making it big as a child star, Ashley Olsen has had her fair share of romantic ups and downs. The actress-turned-fashion mogul tends to keep her love life on the down low, but has been involved with a number of high-profile men throughout the years. In 2001, Olsen sparked up […]
“We were raised to be discreet people,” Ashley’s twin sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, told i-D magazine in a June 2021 profile as Ashley noted that they “have each other” for support.
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Ashley continued at the time: “We definitely go by intuition and instinct and it can either confirm that feeling, or if we’re both not feeling right about something, for some reason, we just don’t do it. Our instincts are kind of the same. But I think what’s great is that we have each other to lean on.”
Ashley and Mary-Kate, 38, rose to fame by sharing the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House before going on to headline a series of movies and TV shows together. The sisters have since taken a step back from acting, primarily focusing on running their fashion lines The Row and Elizabeth and James.
Warning: Huge spoilers for The Boys season 4, episode 6.
Valorie Curry grew up in California, but not the progressive California people so often think of. “I grew up in Orange County, in the suburbs south of LA,” she tells StyleCaster. “So these days, it’s very purple, but when I was growing up, it was very conservative, very religious. We took school field trips to the Nixon Library.”
Playing a far-right ideologue and conspiracy theorist, Curry’s character in Prime Video‘s hit series The Boys draws from many larger-than-life nut jobs—some of Firecracker’s dialogue comes from the actual mouths of politicians—but this actor has a lot of personal experience to be inspired by, too. “There is something cathartic in getting to do this clowning act,” she says. “It’s that stuff that you forget from your childhood, and then there’s this muscle memory that kicks in.”
When she signed onto the show, Curry didn’t know much about her character, other than “her history with Starlight, her podcast, and her politics,” but it wasn’t until the making of Firecracker’s supersuit, an arduous, time-consuming process, that it really all started to come together. Curry was flying in and out of LA every 10 days for months because every detail of Firecracker’s suit is intentional, right down to the zip pull at the back. “It’s a cock ring,” she laughs. Of course it is! “It has to hold, but it also has to be soft enough if you’re getting thrown around,” she explains.
Curry has never played such a hyper-feminine, sexualized role before, and in episode 6, Firecracker’s true powers are explored in great detail. “This character essentially embodies the male gaze,” she observes. “A weaponization of femininity and self-objectification.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. We did warn you, spoilers ahead.
There’s a lot to unpack in this episode. We learn that Firecracker has been taking hormones to make herself lactate to prove she’s loyal to the cause and to Homelander (Antony Starr). Did you know the breastfeeding scene was on the agenda at the start? I did not know. The idea was floated to me a couple of months before, and then I saw the script about a month before. It seems inevitable, like, “Of course, this is happening.” I’ve watched the show and it’s been building to somebody doing this with Homelander. I don’t think of it so much as a being about loyalty though, Firecracker does have this really preternatural intuition about what people need and a shameless willingness to give that to them, whatever it is.
In shooting this scene and going back and forth on the dialogue, there’s a real danger about it. There is a vulnerability in saying to Homelander, “I see your humanity, I see what you’ve been trying to hide—this thing that’s viewed as a very freakish fetish,” and she’s naming it to him. At that moment, she also gets to show him she’s not afraid of him. Because he could, at any point, laser her face off.
How many takes of the milk squirt did you do? The good thing about having the time built in to really fine-tune that scene was that we got to work with this incredible intimacy coordinator, Casey Hudecki. She was invaluable to me in the process. So when we got to set, we knew exactly what every single shot was going to be. It was very clearly storyboarded.
Is there a bottle or something just off-camera? No! This is all sightline gags, so two things have to happen—and credit to the crew to make this work. One of them was that the wardrobe department had a weekend to build some kind of undergarment structure that would allow me to unzip the front and still have the cleavage still be perky. I’m literally wearing two cutlets per breast [laughs], there is so much padding.
They went through three or four different phases of corsets, and then I think it was Casey’s idea—because she’s a fencer—to use a fencing breastplate. Then, if you can picture a microphone stand with a tube running from the other side of Homelander’s apartment, there’s this little nozzle that they kept having to adjust so it was at the right height for me to get the right trajectory and the right amount of milk. Anthony did take almond milk straight in the eye in one shot.
You would think that this very sexualized character is going to be the one who’s doing very sexually explicit things. Even though the scene is extreme in its content, it’s not sexual by nature.
Valorie Curry
I was going to ask if it was real milk or just milky water. Yeah, I think it was almond. And I think I was at least two and a half feet away from him.
His reaction is just so good, too. Yeah, the timing and the edit of it, it’s just beautiful.
It’s an interesting contrast, too, because we’ve seen Homelander grapple with aging this season—he’s literally plucking his gray pubes out and keeping them in a jar. Then you see him with you and he becomes an infant again. Yeah. The other thing I want to speak to about this scene in particular is that it could have been very sexual and it could have been a joke. I love that where we got—and Antony and I were still on the same page about it—that it is so vulnerable and not sexual.
You would think that this very sexualized character is going to be the one who’s doing very sexually explicit things. Even though the scene is extreme in its content, it’s not sexual by nature. In contrast, you’ve got characters like Sister Sage and Ashley…
This episode is INSANE. Ashely’s stuff in the dungeon! Everyone is finding a new limit that we did not know existed [laughs].
Can you talk about how this moment changesFirecracker’s trajectory? So much of this episode is about Firecracker and her trauma of being dismissed or being marginalized or being treated like she’s trash. This is finally the moment where she thinks she’s in, and even then, she’s not really in. I think she’s also pushed to this moment with this choice because she’s finally showing that she should not be underestimated.
There’s even this joke about being in The Seven and what powers she really has, but it’s a real turn in that jostle for power. I don’t think Sage saw Firecracker coming, which serves her because sometimes it’s really cool to be underestimated.
I want to touch on something you said in a previous interview about being a queer person yourself playing this character who is aggressively anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQIA, etc. You said that it should be one of our own that gets to make an ass out of Firecracker.I loved that. Thank you. Yeah, I have a pet peeve with actors who are on shows that clearly have political themes or have something to say, and then when they’re asked to speak to it, they equivocate. I understand the desire to not alienate anyone, but with a character like Firecracker, she has to be dealt with delicately because there’s a real danger there.
She’s representing real dangers with real people who are committing real violence against marginalized communities, and if you play the role in a way that minimizes that violence, and that danger, that is a problem. I’m not saying that an actor who isn’t queer wouldn’t do that, but I am excited to get to play her and get to have conversations like these where I get to make the politics explicit.
The show is unapologetic, I love working for a showrunner like Kripke where his politics are explicit. I felt like I was on a show where I could trust that this character could be handled responsibly. I do find it cathartic, and it’s what I hope for queer audiences, for any audience, that in watching the show, it’s sort of a reverse gaslighting. Another interviewer called it “spotlighting.”
There might be a catharsis in saying, “This is real, this is happening, and we’re going to show it and we’re going to show it as ugly and villainous, and absurd and stupid,” but also not undermining the real danger of it.
The Boys is available to stream on Prime Video with new episodes dropping each Thursday.
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