“And through it all, GOD remains faithful,” Wendy, 41, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, October 19. “Thank you for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers for myself and most importantly my family during this time. We are forever grateful🙏🏾.Tune into @bravotv tonight for a new episode of #RHOP.”
Alongside the message, Wendy shared a series of photos of her wearing a black floor-length gown with white collared straps and a matching hat.
Wendy’s RHOP costar Stacey Rusch wrote in the comments section, “Love you❤️.”
Wendy and Eddie made headlines earlier this month when they were indicted on insurance fraud, conspiracy insurance fraud and making false statements to police officers, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly.
The pair were booked in Westminster, Maryland, and were released the following day after posting $50,000 bond each, a rep for the Carroll County Detention Center confirmed to Us.
“Dr. Wendy Osefo and her husband, Edward Osefo, are back home safely with their family and in good spirits,” a rep for the pair told Us in a statement. “They are grateful for the outpouring of concern and support from friends, fans, and colleagues. The Osefos, alongside their legal team, look forward to their day in court. At this time, they respectfully ask for privacy as they focus on their family and the legal process ahead.”
One year earlier, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported burglary at Wendy and Eddie’s home. After returning from a trip to Jamaica in 2024, the duo claimed several designer bags and pieces of jewelry had been stolen.
“There was a screen with damage laying on the roof, and the window was not locked. To go in or out of that window, one has to step on the toilet. The toilet lid was down and had no debris on it. When Sheriff’s office personnel stepped onto the roof and back into the home, they tracked roof ‘grit’ back inside,” the docs read.
The docs continued, “The Osefos had an ADT system and a ring camera. The Osefos activated the ADT alarm system upon leaving for vacation. During the time they were away, there was no motion detected inside the residence. There was activity, such as package deliveries, on the ring camera that was monitored remotely by the Osefos.”
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Eddie shared statements with two insurance companies regarding the stolen items at the time. He and Wendy signed their statements, claiming $2,500 in damages to their home and $450,000 in property.
After the alleged burglary, Eddie included Wendy’s gold diamond anniversary band in the insurance claim. They received a $25,380 settlement from Travelers Insurance. In a second claim with Jewelers Mutual Insurance, Wendy’s gold diamond anniversary band was not mentioned nor was the Travelers Insurance settlement.
Authorities reportedly saw photographs of Wendy wearing the stolen band after the reported burglary A search and seizure warrant on their home found that at least 15 items Wendy and Eddie claimed were stolen were in the house. In docs obtained by Us, the investigation found that the pair were allegedly “burdened by substantial debt.”
Peacock’s Devil in Disguise was an eerie glimpse into John Wayne Gacy‘s crimes — and execution — but how did the true crime series wrap up?
The scripted series, which premiered on Thursday, October 16, started with the 10-day investigation into the disappearance of teenager Robert Piest, which led to Gacy’s arrest in 1978. From there, Devil in Disguise followed the events that led to his conviction and subsequent execution.
In the final scenes, the families of Gacy’s victims found out that he had died but they weren’t allowed to be in an adjoining room to watch it happen. Other key players from the investigation and trial listened to the radio announce Gacy’s death before Gabriel Luna‘s Detective Rafael Tovar visited the serial killer’s home where dozens of bodies were dug up.
“In the years that followed the horrors of 1978, the Chicago Police Department computerized data associated with missing persons so that patterns among cases could be found between districts,” read a message at the end of the series. “The Intergovernmental Missing Child Recovery Act of 1984 eliminated the 72-hour waiting period before law enforcement searched for a missing child and established the Illinois State Enforcement Agencies to Recover Children or I-SEARCH.”
Getty Images (3); MEGA From the murder of JonBenét Ramsey to convicted killer Ed Gein, there’s several scripted true crime shows coming our way soon. Paramount+ recently announced a limited series that will cover the Ramsey family before and after JonBenet’s murder in 1996. The unnamed JonBenét Ramsey series specifically centers around parents John and […]
The statement highlighted how I-SEARCH “was dedicated to locating missing youth in their respective geographical areas,” adding, “The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has reported that due to technological advances and awareness that fast action saves lives “more than 99 percent of children reported missing in America in recent years have come home alive.”
The message continued: “While this series is fictionalized, these stories reflect the hopes and vulnerabilities of generations of young people. Today’s youth face both similar and unprecedented challenges including economic instability, educational inequality, gun violence and social media pressures. We all have a role to play in fostering safe and supportive environments for everyone.”
“Six extinguished lives remain unidentified and buried in various Chicago area cemeteries. Each gravestone is inscribed with the words: We Remembered,” read a statement alongside actual clips from the burial of the unclaimed bodies. “If you believe a loved one may have been a victim of John Wayne Gacy, visit the Cook County Sheriff’s Police website at www.cookcountysheriffil.gov.”
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Marin Ireland, who played Robert’s mother, Elizabeth Piest, broke down the shot of her character looking at James Badge Dale‘s Joe Kozenczak after he saw Gacy’s execution and she didn’t.
“I think something very telling is that Yana Grebenyuk Patrick [Macmanus] did not write that as a scene with dialogue. In many ways, they’ve said all they could say to each other over all of the years. In some ways, what’s being communicated is too big for words,” Ireland explained. “It’s very telling that Elizabeth doesn’t want to waste any more words on a person that she feels like doesn’t have the capacity.”
She continued: “It’s a long relationship and it’s like any other deep disappointment with somebody that you shared a long relationship with. It’s not entirely his fault but also what else can you do but associate that person forever with these feelings?”
Gacy was a serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured and murdered dozens of young men and boys. After he was convicted of 32 murders, he was sentenced to death and died by lethal injection in 1994.
Bureau of Prisons/Getty Images Peacock’s Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy is the latest scripted series centered around a prolific serial killer. According to the show’s synopsis, the limited TV series “peels back the twisted layers of John Wayne Gacy‘s life while weaving in the heartrending stories of his mostly gay victims.” Devil in Disguise […]
The limited series made an effort to focus on Gacy’s victims — something other shows centered around notorious murderers have been chastised for allegedly ignoring. Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacyaddressed the trauma inflicted on the victims’ families, named each episode after a victim of Gacy’s and questioned investigative missteps and systemic failures that led to Gacy evading the law for so long.
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“We knew that we wanted to focus it on the victims but we didn’t exactly know what that meant until we figured out the short stories and the idea that we were talking about these victims’ lives, their hopes and their dreams and their struggles. All of the tragedies that were in their lives that had no connection to their murder at the hands of John Wayne Gacy,” Macmanus told Us. “We were showing stories that showed people struggling with their identity, people struggling with their socioeconomic conditions, people struggling with parent issues. There are millions and millions and millions of people who have all of that in their lives and they don’t kill 33 people. This allows us to talk about John Wayne Gacy without actually making it feel like we are focusing on him or that we’re excusing him. Because the last thing that we do in that show is excuse him.”
Macmanus continued: “The decision on when to show [violence] or when not to show was very simple. We were not showing it and so we knew that there were going to be moments that we would tiptoe up to the line. We weren’t going to disgrace the memory of the victims by doing a reimagining of their violent final moments in this world. So I hope that at the end of the day — as disturbing as it may be — that people also recognize that we’re ultimately honoring the victims by not showing their final moments.”
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy is now streaming on Peacock.
Real Housewives of New York alum Eboni K. Williams is weighing in on Real Housewives of Potomac’sWendyOsefo and Eddie Osefo’s possible future after they were arrested for alleged fraud.
“If they are convicted, they will serve time,” Eboni, 42, predicted while appearing on the Thursday, October 16, episode of Carlos King’s “Reality With the King” podcast.
“Because they’re]wealthy, famous, Black people,” she continued.
Eboni said comments made by the arresting sheriff’s office on October 10 gives her reason to believe that the Osefos’ status and race could potentially play a part in the outcome of their respective cases.
Manny Carabel/Getty Images; Prince Williams/Wireimage Wendy Williams isn’t one to hold back her thoughts on Sean “Diddy” Combs. The former Wendy Williams Show host offered up her prediction on Diddy’s fate in a Thursday, January 16, interview with Charlamagne tha God on “The Breakfast Club.” “Diddy will go to prison for life, people,” she said. […]
“When the state attorney came out, and one of the first things he said out of his mouth was, ‘Don’t think of insurance fraud as a victimless crime,’” she explained. “He didn’t have to say that. That was making sure the first foundational premise of his remarks was that this impacts you and me. This impacts every American that holds an insurance policy in any capacity, and all of us are impacted negatively when people go about the business of committing insurance fraud.”
The Osefos were arrested on charges of insurance fraud, conspiracy fraud and false statements to a police officer on October 9, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly. Wendy, 41, currently faces 16 total charges, including seven felonies, while Eddie, 41, faces 18 charges in total, including nine felonies. Both posted $50,000 bonds separately and were released from custody on October 10.
“Dr. Wendy Osefo and her husband, Edward Osefo, are back home safely with their family and in good spirits,” a rep for the couple told Us in a statement at the time, confirming their arrest and subsequent release. “They are grateful for the outpouring of concern and support from friends, fans, and colleagues. The Osefos, alongside their legal team, look forward to their day in court. At this time, they respectfully ask for privacy as they focus on their family and the legal process ahead.”
Court documents allege that the couple previously reported a burglary at their home in April 2024. The pair told authorities that after traveling to Jamaica, they returned home to discover several designer handbags and pieces of jewelry were missing.
“There was a screen with damage laying on the roof, and the window was not locked. To go in or out of that window, one has to step on the toilet. The toilet lid was down and had no debris on it. When Sheriff’s office personnel stepped onto the roof and back into the home, they tracked roof ‘grit’ back inside,” the docs read. “The Osefos had an ADT system and a ring camera. The Osefos activated the ADT alarm system upon leaving for vacation. During the time they were away, there was no motion detected inside the residence. There was activity, such as package deliveries, on the ring camera that was monitored remotely by the Osefos.”
Wendy and Eddie OsefoSantiago Felipe/Getty Images
According to the paperwork, Eddie gave a statement to police at the time.
“He was asked whether any of the items on the list had been returned, which he denied. He was asked if he had other insurance but failed to disclose to Homesite and Jewelers that he was also making a claim with Travelers Insurance.”
Authorities began to question the couple’s story after they found some of the allegedly stolen items were bought and returned for full refunds before the alleged robbery. They compiled evidence from store records, social media posts and email history to reportedly confirm that a $1,450 Dior shirt that was reported missing was returned to a store on January 14, 2023, for a refund, while a Gucci leather wallet bought in 2018 was returned two weeks later for a refund of of $948.70.
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The investigation also revealed Wendy was photographed wearing her distinctive diamond anniversary band after the alleged burglary.
Wendy Williams and Sean “Diddy” Combs haven’t been on the best terms over the years. The drama between the pair began in the ‘90s when Williams spoke out against Diddy on her radio show Hot 97 on multiple occasions. In 1998, Williams was fired from the radio show and has maintained a “belief” that Diddy […]
Eddie also reportedly sent Wendy an email in which he asked if there were “additional high-value items we can add to this inventory listing (i.e., Chanel shoes, etc.)?” before he allegedly explained, “I’m trying to get the total to exceed $423,000 which is our policy maximum.”
After emails emerged this week showing that Prince Andrew remained in contact with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein longer than he previously admitted, the House of Windsor finally moved to insulate the monarchy from years of tawdry headlines about Andrew’s dodgy friends and suspicious business deals.
Buckingham Palace on Friday released a statement from Andrew saying that he had agreed to give up use of his last remaining royal titles so that continued allegations about him “don’t distract from the work of His Majesty.”
This week’s revelations demonstrated that Andrew had committed the unforgivable sin of misleading the British public, said Craig Prescott, an expert on the monarchy and constitutional law at Royal Holloway University of London.
“To say something which is proven not to be true, I think, is the straw that broke the camel’s back,’’ he said.
The move comes as Charles, who is 76 and undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, works to ensure the long-term stability of the monarchy under his son and heir Prince William.
William recently gave an interview in which he set out his vision for the monarchy, saying that the institution needed to change to make sure that it is a force for good.
“In some ways, Prince Andrew has been the exact opposite of that,” Prescott said. “And there is no space for that in the modern monarchy.”
Andrew, 65, is the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II. He spent more than 20 years as an officer in the Royal Navy before leaving to take up his royal duties in 2001.
Following Friday’s announcement, Andrew will no longer use his remaining royal titles, including the Duke of York, though he technically retains them. Formally stripping him of those titles would be a time-consuming process requiring an act of Parliament.
That was triggered by a disastrous interview Andrew gave to the BBC as he sought to counter media reports about his friendship with Epstein and deny allegations that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein in 2001. The prince was widely criticized for failing to show empathy for Epstein’s victims and for offering unbelievable explanations for his friendship with the disgraced financier.
The interview also sowed the seeds of this week’s upheaval, when Andrew told the BBC that he had cut off contact with Epstein in December 2010.
British newspapers on Sunday revealed that Andrew wrote an email to Epstein on Feb. 28, 2011. Andrew wrote the note after renewed reporting on the Epstein scandal, telling him they were “in this together” and would “have to rise above it.”
Andrew has recently faced another round of grimy stories as newspapers release excerpts of Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, which will be published on Tuesday. Giuffre died by suicide in April at the age of 41.
Andrew in 2022 reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre after she filed a civil suit against him in New York. While he didn’t admit wrongdoing, Andrew did acknowledge Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.
Front-page fodder for wrong reasons
The prince has been the subject of tabloid stories stretching back to at least 2007, when he sold his house near Windsor Castle for 20% over the 15 million pound asking price. The buyer was reported to be Timur Kulibayev, son-in-law of Nursultan Nazarbayev, then-president of Kazakhstan, raising concerns that the deal was an attempt to buy influence in Britain.
Last year, a court case revealed Andrew’s relationship with a businessman and suspected Chinese spy who was barred from the United Kingdom as a threat to national security. Authorities were concerned that the man could have misused his influence over Andrew, according to court documents.
While the palace said Andrew had decided to give up his royal titles, royal commentator Jennie Bond said the king and Prince William exerted “enormous pressure” on him.
“We could say he has fallen on his sword, but I think he’s been pushed onto it,” Bond told the BBC. “I don’t think this is a decision that Andrew, quite an arrogant man — very, very fond of his status — would have willingly made without a lot of pressure.”
Insulating the monarchy at a delicate time
While the cumulative weight of Andrew’s scandals demanded a response from the royal family, this week’s revelations came at a particularly sensitive moment for the king as he prepares for a state visit to the Vatican, where he is expected to pray beside Pope Leo XIV.
The visit is very important to Charles, who has made the bridging of faiths an important part of his “mantra,” said George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King’s College, London.
“I think this was the speediest, really the quickest way of lowering his status even more without having to go to Parliament,” Gross said. “Even if Parliament would have approved, it takes time.’’
Charles may also have been motivated by a desire to protect the work of Queen Camilla, who has made combating domestic violence one of her signature issues, and the Duchess of Edinburgh, who has sought to combat sexual violence in war zones such as Congo.
The king will hope that this move finally draws a line between Andrew and the rest of the royal family, Prescott said.
“If there are allegations, or further stuff comes out, it will all be on Prince Andrew,” he said. “They’ve severed the connection between Prince Andrew and the monarchy as an institution.”
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Britain’s Prince Andrew was forced to relinquish use of his remaining royal titles after the latest revelations about his relationship with the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein proved one scandal too many for his brother, King Charles III.
Andrew’s antics have tried the patience of the royal family for more than 40 years, triggering embarrassing headlines, lawsuits and suspicions that the prince, now 65, was using his position for personal gain.
Here are some of the episodes that tarnished the reputation of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s second son and finally forced his older brother to banish him from public life.
1984 — Andrew sprays reporters and photographers with paint while touring a construction project in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. “I enjoyed that,” Andrew said, while wiping his hands on a piece of newspaper.
2007 — The prince sells his house at Sunninghill Park, near Windsor Castle, with news reports suggesting the buyer paid 20% more than the asking price of 15 million pounds. The buyer was reported to be Timur Kulibayev, son-in-law of Nursultan Nazarbayev, then president of Kazakhstan, raising concerns that the deal was an attempt to buy influence in Britain.
2010 — An undercover reporter posing as a wealthy Arab films Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, apparently offering to sell access to the prince for 500,000 pounds ($670,000 at the current exchange rate).
2011 — Andrew is forced to resign as Britain’s special trade envoy following the first reports of his links to Epstein. The prince was also facing questions about his friendship with Said Gadhafi, son of the late Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, as well as his links to a convicted Libyan gun smuggler.
July 2019 — Epstein is arrested for a second time on charges of sex trafficking and later commits suicide in a New York jail cell. The news focuses public attention on allegations that Andrew had sex with at least one underage teenager trafficked by Epstein. Andrew denies the allegations.
Nov. 16, 2019 — Andrew attempts to staunch the flood of criticism by agreeing to an on-camera grilling by BBC reporter Emily Maitlis. The interview backfires when Andrew defends his relationship with Epstein, fails to show empathy for his victims and offers explanations of his behavior that many people find hard to believe. Andrew says he broke off contact with Epstein in December 2010, a date that will come back to haunt him.
Nov. 20, 2020 — Buckingham Palace announces that Andrew will suspend all royal duties “for the foreseeable future.” Four days later, the prince is stripped of his role as patron of 230 charities.
2022 — Andrew agrees to settle a New York civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17. While Andrew didn’t admit to any of Giuffre’s allegations, he acknowledged that she had suffered as a victim of sexual abuse. Legal experts estimate that the undisclosed settlement cost Andrew as much as $10 million.
2024 — Andrew’s ties to a suspected Chinese spy are revealed in court documents. The businessman and suspected spy was barred from the U.K. because of concerns he posed a threat to national security. Security officials were concerned that the man could have misused his influence over Andrew.
April 25, 2025 — Virginia Giuffre dies of suicide in Australia, where she had lived since about 2002.
Oct. 12, 2025 — British newspapers reveal that Andrew sent an email to Epstein on Feb. 28, 2011, more than two months after the prince had told Maitlis he cut off all contact with his one-time friend. Andrew wrote the email after continued media reporting about the Epstein scandal, telling him they were “in this together” and would “have to rise above it.”
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Sean “Diddy” Combs should be sentenced to at least 11 years and three months in prison following his July conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, prosecutors said Monday, September 29.
Federal prosecutors in the criminal case against Diddy, 55, filed a 164-page memorandum with a New York court ahead of the disgraced music mogul’s sentencing on Friday, October 3.
“Punishment for his crimes of conviction must take into account the manner in which he committed them,” the documents obtained by Rolling Stone state. “His crimes of conviction are serious and have warranted sentences over ten years in multiple cases for defendants who, like Sean Combs, engaged in violence and put others in fear.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs faces a possible prison sentence of up to 20 years after he was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Each count carries a sentence of a maximum of 10 years in prison. After Diddy, 55, was found guilty of both counts on Wednesday, July 2, the prosecution […]
Monday’s filing by the prosecutors in the case was accompanied by a three-page victim impact statement written by Diddy’s ex, Cassie, who urged Judge Arun Subramanian to take into consideration her harrowing testimony at Diddy’s trial when he makes his ruling on Friday.
“For four days in May, while nine months pregnant with my son, I testified in front of a packed courtroom about the most traumatic and horrifying chapter in my life,” Cassie wrote in a letter obtained by Rolling Stone. “I testified that from age nineteen, Sean Combs used violence, threats, substances, and control over my career to trap me in over a decade of abuse. He groomed me into performing repeated sex acts with hired male sex workers during multi-day ‘freak offs,’ which occurred nearly weekly.”
Cassie — who dated the rapper on and off from 2007 to 2018 — accused Diddy of physical and sexual abuse and alleged he coerced her into participating in sexual activities with escorts under the threat of having her reputation destroyed by leaked sex tapes. She claimed Diddy “controlled every part of my livelihood,” labeling him “the manipulator, the aggressor, the abuser, the trafficker” in her alleged abuse.
Last week, Diddy’s lawyers filed a sentencing memorandum of their own, urging Subramanian to consider a 14-month prison sentence followed by a supervised release with mandatory drug treatment, individual therapy and group therapy.
Since the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs kicked off at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in New York City on May 5, numerous witnesses have taken the stand to testify about their alleged interactions with the rapper. Diddy was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage […]
The rap mogul’s lawyers argued “the proposed sentence is the only just and fair sentence for Mr. Combs,” because guidelines for “Mr. Combs’s crimes of conviction” are usually six to 12 months.
Diddy’s lawyers said he “has been adequately punished by serving 13 months in the terrible conditions” at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he has been locked up since his September 2024 arrest.
The star’s lawyers also cited his apparent repentance during his prison stint, noting that he “became sober for the first time in 25 years” and has an “incident-free record,” and “has already seen how being arrested and convicted can destroy his reputation and lead to terrible collateral consequences for his businesses, and he recognizes the consequences his actions have had for himself and his family.” They also said argued Diddy “has seven children and an elderly mother who rely on him for support and care.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs had been under investigation for at least a year after being accused of sexual assault by multiple people.
The rapper and music mogul made headlines in November 2023 after his ex-girlfriend Cassieaccused him of sexual abuse in a bombshell lawsuit. She accused Diddy of beating her, forcing her to take drugs and have sex with male prostitutes on camera. She alleged that the incidents took place at Diddy’s homes across the U.S.
In the lawsuit, Cassie also claimed that Diddy threatened to blow upKid Cudi’s car after she had moved on with him following their 2018 split. (Cassie has been married to Alex Fine since 2019.)
Diddy’s lawyer Ben Brafman denied the accusations on his behalf at the time, stating that Cassie’s lawsuit was “riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’ reputation and [is] seeking a payday.”
Paras Griffin/Getty Images While Sean “Diddy” Combs has fervently denied ex-girlfriend Cassie’s rape and assault allegations, multiple women have come forward with similar claims of alleged misconduct by the music mogul. Us Weekly confirmed in November 2023 that Cassie (real name Casandra Ventura) filed a lawsuit against Diddy, accusing him of rape and repeated physical […]
The case was settled just one day after Cassie’s filing. “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” she told Us Weekly in a statement through her attorney Douglas Wigdor. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
In a statement of his own, Diddy said: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
Scroll down for a timeline of Diddy’s sexual assault legal troubles:
November 2023
Following Cassie’s case settlement, a 2004 New York Magazine interview with Kimora Lee Simmons resurfaced, in which she claimed that Diddy “threatened to hit her” while she was pregnant. The interview noted that Diddy “eventually got down on his knees in public to apologize.” (Kimora is a mother to five kids, whom she shares with multiple partners. Diddy did not address her comments at the time.))
Diddy was soon hit with another lawsuit from a woman named Joi Dickerson-Neal. In court docs obtained by Us filed on November 23, Dickerson-Neal claimed that the musician “drugged, sexually assaulted and abused” her when she was a college student in 1991 and was a victim of “revenge porn” Diddy created and released. Diddy’s spokesperson called the lawsuit a “money grab” in a statement to CNN.
Hahn-Marechal-Nebinger/ABAC/Startraks
December 2023
An anonymous woman, dubbed Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit against the music mogul claiming she was sex-trafficked and gang-raped by Diddy and other men when she was 17 years old in 2008. She allegedly flew out to meet him in New York City and was given “copious amounts of drugs and alcohol” before the men forced themselves on her, according to court docs obtained by Us.
Diddy declared that “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” in a statement to Us at the time, adding, “For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
February 2024
Diddy once again denied any wrongdoing after being accused of sexual assault in another lawsuit, this one filed by music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones. Jones alleged that during his time living and traveling with Diddy from September 2022 to November 2023, he witnessed and recorded Diddy and his staff “engaging in serious illegal activity.” Jones claimed he was sexually assaulted by Diddy in more than one of the rapper’s homes, as well as on a yacht rented by Diddy.
Diddy called Jones — who was seeking $30 million in damages — “a liar” in a statement through his attorney Shawn Holley. “We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies. We will address these outlandish allegations in court and take all appropriate action against those who make them,” Holley added.
Fernando Lucena/Startraks
March 2024
Diddy’s Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided in connection with a federal sex trafficking investigation by Homeland Security. Diddy was not present at his homes at the time of the raids but was later found boarding a private jet at a Miami airport. Two of his sons were reportedly detained in the raid on his L.A. property but were released without charges.
“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,” Diddy’s attorney Aaron Dyer said in a statement to Us, denying that any of his family members had been arrested. “There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”
Following the raids, it was revealed that Diddy’s eldest son, Justin Combs, was named in an amended complaint filed by Jones. In the court docs, obtained by Us, the phrase “sex trafficking” was mentioned 50 times. Reps for Justin said in a statement that he “categorically denies these absurd allegations,” per NBC News.
Years before two of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ homes were raided in connection to a federal sex trafficking investigation, there was conversation about what went on at the rapper’s residences. After the March 2024 raid made headlines, a clip resurfaced of Usher recalling his experience living with Diddy as a teenager. “I got a chance to […]
April 2024
Diddy’s youngest son, Christian “King” Combs, was accused of sexually assaulting a woman who worked on a yacht Diddy chartered for a 2022 trip in a Los Angeles County Superior Court lawsuit. The woman, Grace O’Marcaigh, also accused King of sexual harassment and emotional distress and Diddy for aiding and abetting.
Diddy’s attorney Dyer slammed the lawsuit in a statement to Us. “We have not seen this woman’s claim but I’m sure we can expect the same kind of manufactured lies … just as we saw in Rodney Jones’ lawsuit — which has yet to be served.”
Later that month, news broke that Diddy’s alleged drug mule, Brendan Paul, was arrested for cocaine and marijuana possession. Paul was later charged with one felony count of drug possession. (Paul avoided jail time but was ordered to enter a six-month drug diversion program the following month.)
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Cassie.ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
May 2024
Less than a week after Diddy filed a motion to dismiss Jane Doe’s December 2023 lawsuit against him, CNN released security footage from 2016 allegedly showing Diddy physically assaulting Cassie in a now-closed Los Angeles hotel. In the clip, Diddy was shown allegedly hitting and kicking Cassie, as well as throwing an object at her.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office explained in a statement that Diddy could not be charged for the security footage “as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted.”
Diddy addressed the footage in an Instagram video, telling fans, “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted.” Though he didn’t mention Cassie by name, he captioned the post, “I’m sorry.”
A member of Cassie’s legal team, Meredith Firetog, criticized Diddy’s apology video in a statement to Us. “When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday,” she said. “That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”
Cassie addressed the security video in a lengthy social media statement, writing, “Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask is that EVERYONE open you hear to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in.”
Some companies appear to be distancing themselves from Sean “Diddy” Combs as the rapper continues to face sexual assault allegations. In recent months, multiple women have come forward to share allegations of misconduct by the music mogul. One individual who filed a lawsuit was his ex-girlfriend Cassie. (The exes dated on and off from 2007 […]
May 2024
Diddy continued to face more allegations after a woman named April Lampros accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her several times in a new lawsuit. The alleged abuse took place after she met Diddy in NYC in 1995 during her time as a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Lampros’ lawsuit alleged that she was once forced by Diddy to have sex with his late ex-girlfriend, Kim Porter, as he watched and that the music mogul recorded one of their sexual encounters without her knowledge.
Diddy moved to dismiss Lampros’ case in August 2024, arguing that some of her claims were time barred and did not apply to New York allowing previous sex offenses to be prosecuted. Lampros filed a cross-motion one month later, asking for permission to add additional details to her case regarding the alleged time barred claims.
Diddy was also accused of sexual assault by model Crystal McKinney for an alleged incident that took place in 2003. In her lawsuit, McKinney claimed that Diddy forced her to perform oral sex despite denying his advancement and that she was subsequently blackballed from the modeling industry. (Diddy’s team did not respond to Us’ request for comment for either lawsuit at the time.)
McKinney, Dickerson-Neal and Jane Doe came forward about their experiences in a Rolling Stone report. “It isn’t about money,” Dickerson-Neal told the outlet of their respective lawsuits against Diddy. “It’s about making sure the world sees that this man who rose to the level of an ‘icon’ is actually sick and has left so many victims in [the wake of his] unpunished disgusting behavior for years.”
PA Images/INSTARimages
August 2024
Adria Englishfiled a criminal complaint against Diddy after accusing him of sex trafficking her from 2004 to 2009 in a July 2024 lawsuit.
“Ms. English is very excited and cautiously optimistic about her journey to justice starting with the filing of her civil lawsuit on July 3, 2024, and now with the filing of a criminal complaint with the Miami Beach Police Department,” Ariel E. Mitchell told Us in a statement. “Ms. English hopes to file an additional criminal complaint in New York but has been precluded to this point as New York requires an individual to be in person in order to file a criminal complaint.”
Diddy’s attorney Jonathan Davis called English’s accusations “baseless” in a statement to Entertainment Weekly one month prior, adding, “No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won’t change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone. We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason and without any proof. Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to find the truth and Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail against these and other baseless claims in court.”
In addition to being a rapper and entrepreneur, Diddy is the proud dad to seven children. The rapper started his family in 1993 when he and fashion designer Misa Hylton welcomed a baby boy. Diddy later moved on with model Kim Porter. The twosome had an on-again, off-again relationship from 1994 to 2007, during which […]
September 2024
Former Danity Kane member Dawn Richardfiled a lawsuit against Diddy accusing him of sexual abuse, manipulation and terrorizing her. She also alleged that she witnessed Diddy abuse Cassie and Porter in front of her, and claimed Diddy promised to advance her singing career if she gave into his sexual demands following her time on MTV’s Making The Band.
Another of Diddy’s attorneys Erica Wolff noted that he was “shocked and disappointed” by the lawsuit in a statement at the time. “It’s unfortunate that Ms. Richard has cast their 20-year friendship aside to try and get money from him, but Mr. Combs is confidently standing on truth and looks forward to proving that in court,” she added.
Later that month, Diddy was ordered to pay a $100 million default judgment for a civil lawsuit filed by a Michigan inmate who accused him of sexual assault. The default judgment was ordered after Diddy failed to appear in a virtual hearing. Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith accused the rapper of drugging and sexually assaulting him at a 1997 party in Detroit. Diddy proceeded to challenge the ruling by filing an emergency motion to vacate the default judgment. He also filed to dissolve a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order.
With authorities apparently armed with necessary evidence to move forward, Diddy was arrested in NYC on September 16 after a grand jury indicted him on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. The indictment accuses Diddy of abusing and threatening women to “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” with some incidents dating back to 2009, according to new documents.
Sean “Diddy” Combs was indicted on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering on Tuesday, September 17, following his arrest one day prior. The indictment, unsealed on Tuesday, accuses the music mogul, 54, of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct.” Some of the […]
“To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources and influence of the multifaceted business empire that he led and controlled — creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice,” the indictment stated.
Diddy plead not guilty to the sex trafficking and racketeering charges at the time.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” his attorney Marc Agnifilo told Us in a statement.
He added: “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal. … Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Diddy pleaded not guilty to charges before he was denied bail and remanded to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn until his trial. Multiple reports surfaced that Diddy was subsequently placed on suicide watch.
Diddy’s lawyer, however, denied the reports in a statement to Us. According to Agnifilo, it is standard protocol for “new, high-profile inmates,” but Diddy is “not at all suicidal” and is “strong, healthy, confident and focused on his defense.”
Later that month, The New York Times obtained a new court letter that laid out Diddy’s alleged plan to blow up a car. While the letter did not identify the targeted person, the details aligned with claims laid out by Cassiein her November 2023 lawsuit against Diddy. She alleged that Diddy had been “angry” when she started dating Kid Cudi after one of their splits and threatened to firebomb the rapper’s vehicle in retaliation. (Diddy did not specifically address the firebomb allegations at the time but issued a broad statement denying all of Cassie’s claims.)
“In the early morning hours of December 22, 2011, the defendant [Diddy] and a co-conspirator kidnapped an individual at gunpoint to facilitate breaking into and entering the residence of another,” the court documents read. “Multiple witnesses would testify at trial to the events surrounding the kidnapping and break-in, the latter of which is corroborated by police reports and other records.”
According to the letter, Diddy’s “co-conspirators” allegedly “set fire” to the car “by slicing open the car’s convertible top and dropping a Molotov cocktail inside the interior.”
“Police and fire department records extensively document the arson and conclude that the fire was intentionally set,” the letter continues.
December 2024
Diddy and Jay-Z were accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000, as detailed in a civil lawsuit that was originally filed against Diddy alone in October and refiled to add Jay-Z’s name on December 8.
The accuser, who remained anonymous and was only identified as “Jane Doe,” claimed the assault occurred at an after party for the MTV Music Video Awards.
Jay-Z said in a statement to Us on December 8 that he denied the allegations lodged against him. “My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee. What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” Jay-Z wrote at the time. “No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”
January 2025
Defense attorneys for Diddy claimed in a January 14 court filing that videos of sexual activity between Diddy, Cassie and male prostitutes “confirm Mr. Combs’s innocence,” per ABC News. The attorneys alleged in court papers that the clips show sexual activity among “consenting adults.”
There are nine videos of Combs’ “freak offs” that are available for defense attorneys to view. They are allegedly asking judges for electric copies.
“Contrary to what the government has led this Court and the public to believe, the so-called ‘Freak Offs’ were private sexual activity between fully consenting adults in a long-term relationship,” defense attorneys Marc Agnifilo and TenyGeragos said.
The defense said that the videos between Diddy and Cassie “unambiguously show that the person alleged in the indictment to be ‘Victim-1’ not only consented but thoroughly enjoyed herself.”
“At bottom, this case is about whether Victim-I was or was not a willing participant in her private sex life with Mr. Combs. The videos confirm that she plainly was,” the defense said.
On January 22, Diddy filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against one of his accusers, Courtney Burgess, and Burgess’ attorney, Ariel Mitchell, along with NewsNation. The suit came after Burgess previously claimed to have footage of Diddy’s “freak offs.” He also appeared on NewsNation’s Banfield alongside Mitchell in November 2024 to discuss the allegations against Diddy.
Two additional suits were filed against Diddy on February 4. Two women accused the music mogul of forcing them into “group sex” and alleged that he directed a club promoter to rape one of them in the late ’80s and ’90s. That same day, Diddy was sued by another John Doe who claimed the rapper drugged and assaulted him in 2015.
Diddy subsequently sued Peacock for $100 million over alleged “defamatory statements” made in the Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy documentary.
On February 28, Rolling Stone obtained court documents in which a former I Want to Work for Diddy reality show contestant accused Diddy of sexual misconduct.
March 2025
A superseding indictment filed on March 6 included new claims regarding forced labor through “physical force, psychological harm, financial harm, and reputational harm, and/or threats of the same” and an allegation that Diddy made one employee “engage in sex acts.”
On March 26, another John Doe filed a suit alleging that Diddy sexually assaulted him in either 2022 or 2023 while on the set of a commercial. USA Today obtained the complaint, alleging that the anonymous man “struck up a conversation” with Diddy. The musician allegedly invited the man, who was a “photographer/production assistant,” into his trailer and demanded oral sex.
Allegedly, after Combs invited Doe into his trailer, he demanded Doe perform oral sex on him and promised to “make your career take off.” Doe called the alleged incident “blatant sexual quid-pro-quo.” Diddy’s team denied the allegation in a statement to the newspaper.
April 2025
TMZ reported that another accuser — a man, Joseph Manzaro — filed a sex trafficking lawsuit against Diddy, alleging he was sexually assaulted by the rapper.
Manzaro reportedly claimed in the filing that he was drugged and brought to one of Diddy’s parties in Florida, where multiple A-Listers were in attendance, including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Lebron James, Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan and more. At the alleged event, Manzaro claimed the music mogul allegedly strapped a penis mask to his face and paraded him around.
Gloria, Emilio and Jay-Z have denied being at the event. Beyoncé and James have yet to address the lawsuit claims. Us reached out to both at the time. (Monzaro filed an amendment on April 11 which removed Beyoncé and Jay-Z as witnesses from the legal complaint.)
Diddy’s legal team also denied the allegations.
“This complaint demonstrates the depraved lengths plaintiffs will travel to garner headlines in pursuit of a payday,” read a statement to TMZ. “No sane person reading this complaint could credit this story. Mr. Combs looks forward to having his day in court where these lies — and the perverse motives of those who told them — will be revealed.”
On April 4, federal prosecutors added two additional charges to the indictment against Diddy. He was charged with one additional count of sex trafficking and one additional count of transportation to engage in prostitution relating to a person identified as Victim-2. The conduct in the new charges allegedly occurred between 2021 and 2024.
He now faces a total of five federal charges after he was previously charged with racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution related to three victims and one count of sex trafficking related to a person known as Victim-1.
“These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships,” Diddy’s legal team told Us Weekly in a statement. “This was their private sex life, defined by consent, not coercion.”
On April 18, Diddy’s request to push back the start date of his trial by two months was denied by judge Arun Subramanian. The trial will go ahead as planned on May 5, the same day as the Met Gala. It was reported days later that Cassie would testify against him under her own name, as opposed to Victim-1.
In a motion filed in April, the prosecution stated that “Victim-1” would not be testifying anonymously. “She is prepared to testify under her own name,” the filing stated. “Victim-2, Victim-3 and Victim-4 have asked that their identities not be revealed to the press or the public.” Us reached out to Cassie and Diddy’s legal teams for comment at the time.
With the trial set to start in May, prosecutors filed a motion on April 27 to prevent Diddy’s lawyers from including testimony from a psychiatrist that suggests Diddy was not mentally capable of committing these crimes due to drugs and alcohol.
Prosecutors wrote in their objection, “If a defendant intends to introduce expert evidence relating to ‘a mental disease or defect or any other mental condition of the defendant bearing on . . . the issue of guilt,’ he must provide notice to the Government.”
July 2025
A New York jury found Diddy guilty of two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution after a two-month trial. He was acquitted of three subsequent charges, including two counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering conspiracy. A judge denied Diddy bail, remanding him to jail until his sentencing.
September 2025
Deonte Nash, a former stylist for Diddy who testified against him during his sex trafficking trial, filed a lawsuit accusing the disgraced mogul of sexual battery, human trafficking and false imprisonment while he was in his employ.
“Nash personally experienced sexual, physical, mental and emotional abuse at the hands of Defendants during his 10-year employment,” read the lawsuit, per CBS News. The stylist allegedly experienced “forced tests of loyalty and manipulation, sexual harassment and sexual assaults, physical violence and manhandling, labor trafficking, threats of harm and threats of death.”
Nash, who began working for Diddy in 2008 when he was 21, said the alleged abuse caused him to resign in 2018 but claimed his former boss’ team “continued to threaten” him.
“After enduring years of abuse, I finally found the courage during the criminal trial, and I am now ready to take action,” Nash said in a statement. “Sean Combs has never taken accountability for the years of harm he inflicted on me and so many others.”
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During the trial, Nash testified that he witnessed Diddy threatening Cassie and being physically violent toward her.
Diddy denied the allegations in Nash’s lawsuit in a statement to Us via his legal team. “Mr. Nash is another opportunist looking to profit off his proximity to celebrity. This complaint is riddled with falsehoods and stands in stark contrast to the record that has already been established in court,” the statement read. “Mr. Combs has dedicated his life and career to uplifting artists, creating opportunities and building one of the most influential cultural enterprises in the world. Mr. Nash’s tabloid-style accusations are insulting not only to Mr. Combs, but also to the countless individuals who worked honorably and professionally within his companies. In court, the truth will prevail, as it did in his criminal trial: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone — adult or minor, man or woman. Mr. Combs looks forward to clearing his name again in a court of law where truth matters.”
In a sentencing memorandum submitted on Monday, September 22, and obtained by Us Weekly, Diddy’s legal team urged Judge Arun Subramanian to consider a 14-month sentence followed by a supervised release with mandatory drug treatment, individual therapy and group therapy.
Diddy’s lawyers said that “the proposed sentence is the only just and fair sentence for Mr. Combs,” because guidelines for “Mr. Combs’s crimes of conviction” are usually six to 12 months.
The musician’s lawyers also said that he “has been adequately punished by serving 13 months in the terrible conditions” at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has been detained since his initial arrest in September 2024. These conditions, they argued, include “constant suicide watch,” where he is checked upon by security guards every two hours, even while sleeping, “limited access to clean water,” and “lack of access to healthy, or edible, food.”
Since the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs kicked off at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in New York City on May 5, numerous witnesses have taken the stand to testify about their alleged interactions with the rapper. Diddy was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage […]
The lawyers further cited that Diddy “became sober for the first time in 25 years” and has an “incident-free record” in prison, has no prior criminal history, and “has already seen how being arrested and convicted can destroy his reputation and lead to terrible collateral consequences for his businesses, and he recognizes the consequences his actions have had for himself and his family.” The lawyers also said that Diddy “has seven children and an elderly mother who rely on him for support and care.”
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Monday’s memorandum was accompanied by dozens of letters of support written by Diddy’s loved ones, including his mom, Janice Combs, asking Judge Subramanian “to have mercy on my son.” Janice, 84, wrote that the past year “has been excruciatingly difficult and painful for me and his children” amid Diddy’s incarceration. She also said that her health had deteriorated in the last “couple of years.” As such, “I don’t know how much longer I will be around, but I would love to see [Diddy] and his children together again.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs and his mom, Janice Smalls Combs, have had a tight-knit bond throughout his life. “My mother was always working for a job, so I guess I was always trained that I should have multiple jobs, multiple aspirations,” Diddy said in a 2010 interview with Nightline. “And I remember she had multiple aspirations, […]
Diddy is due to be sentenced on October 3 following his July conviction on two prostitution-related charges. He was acquitted of three further charges: two counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering conspiracy. (Diddy pleaded not guilty to all charges against him and has maintained his innocence since his September 2024 arrest.)
On Thursday, September 25, Subramanian will also preside over a hearing to consider Diddy’s motion for acquittal or a new trial, which his lawyers filed in late July.
Jodi Hildebrant’s controversial organization, ConneXions, played a role in former YouTube star Ruby Franke’s child abuse case.
Hildebrant and Ruby met in 2019, when the “8 Passengers” vlogger was looking for help parenting her and husband Kevin Franke’s eldest son, Chad. (Ruby and Kevin welcomed six children before he filed for divorce in 2023.)
Ruby, in turn, was also looking for support — which she found in Hildebrant’s ConneXions. “[The organization] has truly turned my life around,” Ruby said in a video, which was shown in ID’s 2025 series Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence. Hildebrant went on to move into the Franke family home.
In 2023, Ruby and Hildebrant were arrested and charged with six counts of felony child abuse. The arrest occurred after one of Ruby’s sons escaped out of a window of Hildebrant’s Utah home and asked a neighbor for help. Ruby pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse and agreed to serve a prison term and that her sentences would run consecutively. She also agreed to testify against Hildebrant, who pleaded guilty. Hildebrandt voluntarily surrendered her license after her 2023 arrest. The first parole hearings are scheduled for 2026.
Moms of Truth/Instagram After YouTuber Ruby Franke formed a friendship with Jodi Hildebrandt, the duo were arrested for child abuse — but where do they stand now? Hildebrandt, who was the focus of a February 2025 episode of Investigation Discovery’s The Curious Case series, got her start as a Utah-based therapist. She later founded ConneXions, […]
What Is Jodi Hildebrant’s ConneXions?
Hildebrant — who graduated from The University of Utah and later received a therapist license — began developing manuals, marital counseling and support groups under ConneXions. She also launched a men’s group, which Kevin participated in.
What Was Ruby Franke’s Role in Jodi Hildebrant’s ConneXions?
After crossing paths with Hildebrant, Ruby dove head first into ConneXions and joined the team as a “certified mental fitness trainer.” Ruby stopped uploading on her “8 Passengers” YouTube channel, and instead started appearing on Hildebrant’s ConneXions class, calling herself the “sidekick.”
Who Else Was Involved in Jodi Hildebrant’s ConneXions?
Pam Bodtcher taught ConneXions classes and was allegedly listed as the president of the organization. When Ruby was arrested, two of her children were found at Bodtcher’s home.
Jodi Hildebrandt, Pam Bodtcher and Ruby FrankeCourtesy of Moms of Truth/Instagram
What Have Former Clients Said About Jodi Hildebrant’s ConneXions?
Janae Thompson — the wife of vlogger Grant Thompson, who died in a 2019 paragliding accident — opened up about her experience with ConneXions in ID’s Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence. Janae claimed that the group was tasked with making goals, including not yelling at her kids.
“That was called my addiction,” Janae alleged. “I was addicted to yelling at my kids. And one of the requirements is to make three calls a day. You call somebody in your group and talk about your triggers, that’s what we would call them. So if I yelled at my kids, it’s like, ‘OK, take a couple steps back, what triggered you to lose emotional control that you indulged in your addiction that you yelled at your kids?’”
Janae claimed that they would report their phone calls, but she began feeling “shame and guilt” that she wasn’t meeting Hildebrant’s standards. Janae ultimately left ConneXions in 2022.
What Is the Lawsuit Related to ConneXions?
Michael, a former client of Hildebrant’s, filed a lawsuit in 2025 accusing Hildebrant and Ruby of fraud and racketeering in connection to ConneXions. Michael mentioned Bodtcher in his lawsuit, explaining in ID’s Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence that she was “extremely involved” in the organization. He also mentioned his ex-wife, who has since sought to have the lawsuit dismissed. Ruby and Hildebrant have also sought to dismiss the lawsuit.
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Is ConneXions Still Operational Despite Jodi Hildebrant’s Arrest?
It’s unclear whether the organization is still holding meetings. “I don’t know, I don’t have proof that ConneXions classroom is still operating, nor do I know the scope of Jodi’s influence or power from behind bars at this point,” journalist Shelby Lofton said in ID’s Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence.
She continued, “It’s hard to fathom. But unfortunately, we know that even when leaders are punished or put behind bars, they can still have followers. They can still have a lot of influence and their teachings can still be implemented. And it’s a scary thought to ponder.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
Footage taken at the US Open allegedly showed millionaire CEO Piotr Szczerek snatching a souvenir hat away from a child.
The video, posted via Instagram on Sunday, August 31, captured a young boy positioned in the stands as Polish tennis pro Kamil Majchrzak signed autographs and took his hat off to offer it to the boy after his second round match on Friday, August 29.
Before the boy was able to retrieve the keepsake, a man, who the New York Post reported to be the CEO of Polish-based landscaping company Drogbruk, was seen snatching the hat out of Majchrzak’s hands.
Us Weekly has reached out to a representative for Szczerek for comment.
Tennis player Yulia Putintseva issued an apology after her attitude toward a ball girl at the US Open sparked controversy this weekend. “I want to apologize to the ball girl for the way I was when she was giving me balls,” the Kazakhstani athlete, 29, wrote via Instagram Story on Saturday, August 31. “Honestly speaking […]
Visibly disappointed to lose his intended gift to the man standing beside him, the youngster was seen protesting towards the man, holding an arm out in an effort to retrieve the hat for himself.
The man was, however, committed to keeping the momento, and turned away from the child as he inspected the inside of the accessory before placing it inside a friend’s bag. As the child continued to protest, the man continued to ignore the child. The man’s friend was also seen grinning as she gazed down at Majchrzak, 29, with the hat stored safely in her bag.
The New York Post reported on the mystery man’s identity on Friday, August 30, noting that Majchrzak, who defeated Russian pro Karen Khachanov during the match, told the outlet that Szczerek had taken his hat.
The 2024 Summer Olympics might be taking place in the City of Light, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t come with their fair share of darkness. Following a flashy opening ceremony on Friday, July 26 that continues to draw outrage from some celebrities and religious figures, the Games have been plagued by allegations of sexism […]
The outlet quoted Majchrzak, who told them the incident was “obviously … some kind of confusion.” Majchrzak also provided a recount of what went down but admitted that he was not across the snatch itself.
“I was pointing, giving the hat, but I had a lot going on after my match, after being super tired and super excited for the win. I just missed it,” the tennis player reportedly said. “I had, like, a dead look, if you know what I mean. I’m sure the guy was also acting in the moment of heat, in the moment of emotions.”
Majchrzak also told the outlet that Szczerek “sponsors his tennis federation in Poland.”
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In the wake of the video circulating online, a statement linked to Szczerek went viral on Sunday. While the validity of the statement has not been confirmed, it explained the incident as causing “a disproportionate uproar.”
Shared via the same Instagram post that featured footage of the incident itself, the statement continued, “It’s all about the famous hat, of course. Yes, I took it. Yes, I did it quickly. But as I’ve always said, life is first come, first served.”
It also noted, “Let’s not make a global scandal out of the hat. It’s just a hat. If you were faster, you would have it.”
Mark Geragos, an attorney representing Erik and Lyle Menendez, is speaking out after their respective parole applications were denied.
“It was obviously rigged,” Geragos, 67, claimed during a Saturday, August 23, appearance on TMZ’s “2 Angry Men” podcast. “It was unbelievable what a s***show this was.”
Erik, 54, and Lyle, 57, were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 after they confessed to killing their parents nearly 10 years prior. While the siblings both claimed their actions were out of self-defense following years of abuse, they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
After a Netflix documentary and scripted series about Erik and Lyle sparked renewed interest in the case, the Los Angeles District Attorney recommended in 2024 that the brothers be resentenced. A judge reduced their sentences in May to 50 years to life with the possibility of parole.
Erik Menendez’s wife, Tammi Menendez, called his parole denial a “complete setup” and an “injustice.” “Parole Commissioner Robert Barton had his mind made up to deny Erik parole from the start! This was a complete setup, and Erik never stood a chance! 😡 #Injustice,” Tammi shared in an X post on Thursday, August 21, shortly […]
News broke on Thursday, August 21, that Erik was denied parole, one day before Lyle’s hearing. Lyle stood before a different panel of parole commissioners on Friday, August 22, who also recommended that he should not be released on parole. The panel specifically claimed that Lyle had multiple phone violations from his time behind bars.
“[It was a reporter who pointed out] that one of the commissioners during Lyle’s actually likened cell phone activity to gang activity, which has got to be the height of hypocrisy and talking about how it threatens correctional officers,” Geragos said, claiming officers often smuggle the devices into the prisons. “First of all, they have tablets [and] they got phones. They pay per minute. The only person who doesn’t profit or get impacted financially by cell phone usage in the prisons is the for-profit suppliers.”
He added, “The idea that a cell phone is going to be the reason that you’re not going — in this society [and] in this day and age of AI, where you’re trying to talk about people coming out and having some kind of a transition. The record is replete, with Lyle especially, that he would not fight back when he was attacked in prison.”
As Lyle and Erik Menéndez‘s new hearing approaches, do the brothers have any set plans amid the possibility of their release from prison? Their attorney Mark Geragos spoke with Us Weekly and other reporters at a press conference held by the Menéndez family on Wednesday, October 16, saying, “I won’t speak to whether [Erik and […]
Geragos stressed that he had no proof that the hearings were actually rigged but argued that Erik and Lyle should have been good candidates for parole.
“It was Kabuki theatre,” he alleged, referencing the traditional Japanese art form. “[If] you remember during the resentencing hearing [that] there was all kinds of shenanigans by the board of parole to the point where the judge … actually stood up on the bench and on the record and said, ‘This is stupid.’”
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According to Geragos, the parole commissioners’ alleged attempt to change the post-release risk assessment was “beyond the pale.”
“Parole Commissioner Robert Barton had his mind made up to deny Erik parole from the start,” she claimed in an X post. “This was a complete setup, and Erik never stood a chance! #injustice.”
The Eric Adams era in New York City began with questions about whether the avowedly vegan mayor was ordering the branzino at a midtown Italian restaurant run by a couple of felonious old friends, and the food-related questions really never stopped. The “night-life mayor,” an ex-cop, insisted that everything he did was kosher, yet he and his associates were repeatedly caught in outrageous, petty, and asinine acts of snack-adjacent graft. He had a police commissioner resign after his twin brother was accused of shaking down bars and restaurants. A senior aide and old cop buddy of Adams’s, put in charge of migrant-shelter contracts, was, according to a lawsuit, known as Crumbs by subordinates, because he’d once said, “I have to get mine.” Another top aide, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, has faced a ream of corruption charges, including accepting money from a businessman who helped her son start a Chick-fil-A franchise. Adams himself was indicted last fall for accepting meals and other freebies arranged by a representative of the Turkish government, in exchange for fast-tracking building permits. (Each has denied wrongdoing, comestible or otherwise.) On Wednesday, the trail of treats, upgrades, and little favors appeared to reach its flavor-dusted peak, when a close adviser to the Mayor apparently attempted to pay off a reporter with cash stuffed into an open pouch of Herr’s sour-cream-and-onion potato chips.
The incident took place in Harlem. Katie Honan, a hard-nosed City Hall reporter for the nonprofit newsroom The City, was there to cover the opening of a new campaign office for Adams’s independent, desperate, long-shot bid to win reëlection. For the past four years, Honan has been a worm in Adams’s apple, scoring scoop after scoop about the dramas, inanities, and intrigues of his administration. Her handheld videos of Adams entering and leaving City Hall, while refusing to answer her questions, will be one of the enduring artifacts of this era of city politics. “Have you made attempts to try to remember it?” Honan asked Adams at a press conference in 2024, after the Mayor had his phone seized by the F.B.I. and claimed to have forgotten the passcode. “Is it someone’s birthday?”
During the office opening, Honan spotted Winnie Greco, a longtime Adams fund-raiser who has served as a paid liaison to the city’s Chinese American communities, and who briefly disappeared from Adams’s side last year after she came under scrutiny by federal investigators. (Among other questionable arrangements, Greco reportedly lived for nearly a year in a suite in a Queens hotel that had a city contract to house formerly incarcerated individuals.) According to Honan, Greco texted her after the event and asked to meet across the street from the new campaign office. The pair walked into the Whole Foods on 125th Street. Greco handed Honan an open bag of chips with the top crumpled. “Honan, thinking it was an offer of a light snack, told Greco more than once she could not accept the chips, but Greco insisted that she keep them,” Honan’s colleagues at The City wrote in an article published on Wednesday evening.
Greco left, and, when Honan looked inside the bag, she found a red envelope filled with money. “I can’t take this, when can I give it back to you?” Honan texted Greco. Greco initially said they could meet, but then stopped responding. Honan went to her office, where she handed the bag over to her editors. They contacted the city’s Department of Investigation. “Anticipating possible law enforcement investigations, THE CITY did not open the envelope or count the money inside,” Honan’s colleagues reported, though they spotted “at least one $100 bill and several $20 bills.” An investigator from the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office soon came by to seize the bag, but not before The City’s editors immortalized it in a mug shot. Honan’s colleagues called Greco, who begged them to “forget about this” and call her lawyer. “I make a mistake,” she said. “I’m so sorry. It’s a culture thing. I don’t know. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. I feel so bad right now. I’m so sorry, honey.” Greco’s lawyer took a similar tack. “I can see how this looks strange,” he told The City. “But I assure you that Winnie’s intent was purely innocent. In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude.”
Earlier this year, Adams cut a deal with the Trump Administration to get out from under federal corruption charges. He insisted there was nothing wrong with his actions, either as alleged in the indictment (the favors from the Turkish government) or in his new kinship with the President (he made an implicit promise to coöperate with ICE’s mass-deportation campaign). But Adams has barely attempted to account for the actions of his many aides who have faced their own investigations. Just this morning, Lewis-Martin was handed four new bribery charges, including one related to thousands of dollars in catering for events at Gracie Mansion, the Mayor’s residence. (She has pleaded not guilty.) The investigations into Greco and others, including former senior officials at the N.Y.P.D., are still presumably somewhere in the bowels of the federal bureaucracy. Time and again, when presented with the misdeeds of his friends, allies, subordinates, and appointees, Adams has feigned, at most, mild surprise. “We are shocked by these reports,” a spokesman for the Mayor’s reëlection campaign told The City on Wednesday, in response to the tale of the cash in the chip bag. “He has always demanded the highest ethical and legal standards, and his sole focus remains on serving the people of New York City with integrity.”
This kind of boilerplate has been intolerable all along, and is only more absurd now as Adams puts the city through the farce of seeking a second term, claiming that Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, is somehow unqualified to hold the office that he has repeatedly turned into a national joke. From the start, Adams has insisted that the media is out to get him—at his weekly press conferences, which he’s lately suspended, he often reserved a special contemptuous smile for Honan—but, if anything, he’s been given leeway. He has surrounded himself with clowns, grifters, and obvious bad news, and asked the public to swallow it. He’s tried to live down the sketchy airline upgrades, the straw donors, the late nights at clubs and restaurants run by his buddies, the self-dealing of his associates, his alliance with Trump. In the end, the bag of chips might sum him up. He’s kettle-cooked. ♦
Wynonna Judd.Paul Morigi/WireImage for The Recording Academy
Wynonna Judd’s daughter, Grace Pauline Kelley, has had her fair share of ups and downs over the years.
Judd welcomed Grace with ex-husband Arch Kelley III in June 1996. The country singer revealed to the Tampa Bay Times in 1997 that she “almost died” while giving birth to Grace. As Judd recovered, she and Grace formed a special connection that would carry on for years.
However, Grace began her run-ins with the law in December 2015. She was arrested and charged with promotion of meth manufacture, according to Radar Online. Grace ultimately pled guilty to a lesser charge of possession of meth. While Grace was out on probation, she was arrested again in November 2016 for being a “fugitive from justice” and her probation was revoked.
Since that initial arrest, Grace has been arrested and released on probation multiple times. While Grace continued her cycle of legal troubles, her mom opened up about her daughter’s struggles.
Cherishing the memories. After Naomi Judd’s April 2022 death, the country singer’s loving family will hold their special moments with her in their hearts. Wynonna Judd and Ashley Judd revealed their mother’s death in a statement on April 30. “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy,” they said in a joint message, shared via Twitter. “We […]
“I will tell you this. My daughter is the strongest Judd woman in our ‘herstory,’” Judd said during a February 2020 appearance on The Pursuit! with John Rich. “She’s healthier than I was at 23. How she got there — I would not go that way, but I was also sequestered. I was on a bus with my mother. Kind of hard to get in trouble. So that could have been me, John, if I didn’t have music.”
Keep scrolling to see Grace’s ups and downs over the years:
December 2015
According to Radar Online, Grace was pulled over while she was parked at a Walgreens since her license plate was “improperly secured” with only “one screw.” Per the outlet, an eyewitness found a plastic bag discarded from the passenger side of Grace’s vehicle and handed it over to detectives. The bag contained a box of pseudoephedrine and a receipt showing a purchase of Coleman fuel, which are ingredients to make meth.
After the authorities reviewed the pharmacy’s security footage, they identified Grace as the purchaser. She was arrested and charged with promotion of meth manufacture, which is a felony.
May 2016
Five months after her arrest, Grace pled guilty to the lesser charge of possession of meth, which is a misdemeanor.
November 2016
Grace was arrested in Alabama for being a “fugitive from justice” and her probation was revoked.
Morgan Country Sheriff’s Office
May 2017
One year after pleading guilty to possession of meth, Grace ultimately pled guilty to meth manufacture, delivery, sale and possession with intent. She was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in jail. She was also ordered by a Tennessee judge to pay $3,092.50 in fines.
However, Grace was released from jail one month later so she could finish her sentence while she received treatment for substance abuse from a court-ordered program.
June 2018
Us Weekly confirmed that Grace was sentenced to eight years in prison for violating her probation after she left the rehab facility before finishing the program.
November 2019
One year into her eight-year sentence, Grace was released from prison and granted parole.
MEGA
April 2020
Grace was arrested again for a probation violation linked to her 2016 meth case.
April 2021
After getting granted parole, Grace was ordered to report to the Murfreesboro Probation and Parole Office. She had a list of post-release conditions, including substance abuse treatment, substance abuse aftercare referral and random drug screens, per The Sun.
Four months later, Grace was arrested for a parole violation and was sentenced to prison again. Her expected release date was scheduled for March 16, 2024.
April 2022
Grace welcomed daughter Kaliyah. The Sun reported Grace was pregnant while in jail, and a judge granted her a temporary leave of absence due to her pregnancy.
Wynonna announced she had become a grandmother the same month she lost her mom Naomi Judd.
“I DO know, that in order to be a healthier grandparent to my firstborn grandchild Kaliyah, {born 4/13, 2 weeks & 2 days before Mom left}, to break the cycle of addiction & family dysfunction, that I must continue to show up for myself {first} and do the personal healing work,” the singer wrote via Instagram. “I know that it is a simple steps program, and those steps are not easy to take at times. Therefore, I’ve made a commitment to keep doing the ‘next right thing,’ and schedule weekly appointments so that I continue with the ongoing work, even when I have good days.”
Elmore County Jail/MEGA
May 2023
The Sun reported that Grace was arrested for violating an order of protection and restraining order and violation of parole. She was released in October 2023.
April 2024
According to documents obtained by Us, Grace was arrested in Alabama after she allegedly flashed drivers off the highway. She was charged with soliciting prostitution, indecent exposure and obstructing governmental operations.
According to The Daily News, Kelley’s charge of soliciting prostitution was dropped and the indecent exposure charge was reduced to public lewdness. WSFA reported that Grace pleaded guilty to public lewdness and obstructing government operations. Kelley paid $200 and her 90-day jail sentence was suspended for the former charge, while she was placed in jail for 60 days for the latter charge and was released in May 2024.
August 2024
Grace was arrested in Georgia and booked in Carroll County Jail on three counts. She was released on $2,750 bond the next day, according to an arrest record obtained by People.
Grace was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, driving with a suspended/revoked license and not using motorcycle equipment properly, per the record.
October 2024
Grace was arrested in Albemarle County, Virginia, after allegedly stealing a Charlottesville church’s van, The Daily Progress reported. Ground Zero Church of the Nazarene confirmed the stolen vehicle on a GoFundMe page.
Grace faced seven charges, including three counts of felony grand larceny. Grace was also charged with driving without a license, destruction of property with intent, failure to use headlights and setting in motion a vehicle with intent to commit a crime, People confirmed via the Albemarle County Police Department.
In December 2024, Grace accepted a plea deal that lessened her charges to possession of drug paraphernalia, drugged driving and petty larceny, according to The Daily Progress. She spent six weeks in jail for the crimes.
July 2025
In an interview with The Daily Progress, Grace claimed that her ex-stepfather, D.R. Roach, who was married to Wynonna from 2003 to 2007, molested her when she was 10 years old. She also alleged that Wynonna knew about the abuse and initially chose not to expose Roach.
“When they found out in counseling what he had done to me, they’re like, ‘Wait a minute. We’re going to report this to law enforcement,’” she claimed. “When he was arrested and it came out in the news, that’s when she divorced him.”
Grace alleged that once Roach was arrested and charged with sexual battery against a minor in March 2007, Wynonna tried to bring the family back together via counseling.
“So is my mom rich? Yeah, she’s so rich that she was able to sweep me under the rug and abuse me and then cover it all up,” Grace continued. “I don’t want to talk bad about my mom, but we’ll just say she’s a good performer. She was never a mother.”
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Us Weekly reached out to Wynonna’s rep for comment and to Roach’s last known contact for comment.
Elsewhere in her interview, Grace said that she has been sober since her December 2024 jail stint. Part of her plea deal had required her to stay away from the church where she stole the van, but the church’s pastor, Kent Hart, and his wife instead decided to invite Grace into the community. She was baptized and is now an active member of the church.
“If it wasn’t for Pastor Kent and Megan Hart, I would still be out there using,” she said. “I’d still be out there doing the same thing I was.”
On Thursday, the firm’s CEO Kentaro Okuda, alongside a handful of other executives, announced they’d be cutting their own pay, following the news that a Nomura employee had manipulated Japan’s bond market.
Okuda has agreed to return 20% of his pay for two months, alongside the executive vice president of global markets, the deputy president, and many other executives—though some are only returning 10%.
What’s more, within an hour of the announcement, news broke that a former employee of Nomura had been arrested on suspicion of robbery, arson and attempted murder.
Kyodo News, a leading Japanese outlet, reported that the 29-year-old man was working at Nomura when he allegedly carried out the crimes. The man reportedly drugged a Nomura customer and his partner before stealing the equivalent of $170,000 from their house and setting it aflame. (The couple, in their eighties, reportedly escaped.)
A Nomura representative declined Fortune’s request for comment, but a spokesperson told Bloomberg that it’s “extremely regrettable that a former employee of ours has been arrested.”
The scene of the (market manipulation) crime
Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) uncovered the bond market manipulation in September. It reported that, over the course of one day in March 2021, an employee at Nomura placed “misleading orders” in the government bond futures market—and then went on to turn a profit without any plans to buy or sell the orders they placed.
The move, Japan’s FSA said, is called “layering.”
Per Nomura’s recap of the event, “an employee involved in proprietary trading placed multiple sell orders on the Osaka Exchange for Japanese government bond (JGBs) futures at the best offer or inferior prices to layer the ask order book while buying the same JGB futures at a lower price, and placing multiple buy orders at the best bid or inferior prices to layer the bid order book, while selling the same JGB futures at a higher price.”
The employee’s “series of derivative transactions and orders misled the market into believing that futures trading was thriving, potentially causing fluctuations in futures prices on the Osaka Exchange,” the company said.
Sources told Bloomberg that the employee who placed the orders has since left Nomura. Many Nomura customers and institutional investors have left, too, the sources added.
Bosses paying up
In a Thursday statement, Nomura took ownership of the situation. “We apologize to our clients and all other concerned parties for the trouble this has caused,” the firm wrote.
“We take this matter very seriously. We will continue to further enhance our compliance framework and internal controls to prevent similar incidents occurring in the future and to regain trust.”
In an accompanying statement also released Thursday, the firm outlined a list of new rules geared at ensuring similar problems don’t happen again. “By fully implementing these measures, we will further enhance our compliance framework and internal controls to prevent similar incidents and to regain trust,” it wrote.
Meanwhile, the bosses are paying up. Okuda earned an estimated $3.2 million this year, per Bloomberg, which means with his 20% return, he’s paying back roughly $640,000.
Still, earnings remained strong
The one-two punch of terrible press comes at a time when Nomura was otherwise doing quite well. Per its second-quarter earnings released Friday, profit more than doubled. In fact, it reported its highest profits in four years and its sixth consecutive quarter of growth.
Okuda is likely relieved by the growth. Not only has his own pay been docked, but Nomura has just been forced to pay a $144,000 fine as a result of the manipulation, and according to Reuters it has “temporarily lost its status as a primary dealer of government bonds.”
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Pink cocaine, a drug cocktail ingested in either pill or powder form that consists of ecstasy, ketamine, caffeine and a psychedelic used to treat sexual dysfunction known as 2-CB or Tusi, was found in Payne’s system following his tragic death last week.
According to a lawsuit filed back in February producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, Diddy’s chief of staff Kristina Khorram demanded “all employees from the butler, the chef to the housekeepers, to walk around” with that substance, as well as cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana gummies and the date rape drug GHB.
“I was in a cult for 10 years,” Lenz said during a July 2023 episode of her “Drama Queens” podcast, which she cohosts with fellow OTH stars Hilarie Burton Morgan and Sophia Bush. “That would be a really valuable experience to write about, and the recovery — 10 years of recovery after that. So, there’s a lot to tell.”
Lenz ultimately detailed her experience as a part of The Big House Family cult in her Dinner for Vampires memoir, released in October 2024.
“I feel proud of it. People often ask me, are you excited? And I’m thinking excited is not the right adjective because it’s not a story that I was ever really dying to tell,” Lenz said of the book on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in October 2024, noting that after many conversations with women she decided that writing a book was “the right thing to do.”
For the cast of One Tree Hill, the line between fact and fiction was often blurred. The show’s stars claim that events from their real lives — from their personal interests to their traumas — would find their way into their characters’ storylines. “[The producers] made practice of taking advantage of people’s personal lives,” Sophia […]
Keep scrolling to find out what else Lenz has said about her cult experience — and how she left:
July 2023
“I think the ADHD has made it really difficult over the years to — I have lots of essays and lots of chapters and things,” Lenz said on “Drama Queens” of her desire to write about her past. “But to really commit to putting it all together, I would love to write about my experience.”
Lenz, who fronts the band Everly, noted that she also channeled her emotions on the subject into song.
Bethany Joy LenzJamie McCarthy/WireImage
August 2023
Lenz first got involved with the organization one or two years after she landed the role of Haley James Scott on OTH, which premiered in September 2003. Her experience in the Big House Family was common knowledge to her costars.
“For a while, they were all trying to save me and rescue me, which is lovely and so amazing to be cared about in that way. But I was very stubborn,” she recalled to Variety. “I was really committed to what I believed were the best choices I could make. … The nature of a group like that is isolation; they have to make you distrust everyone around you so that the only people you trust are, first and foremost, the leadership and then, people within the group if the leadership approves of them, and isn’t in the middle of pitting you against each other, which happens all the time also.”
She further told Variety that filming OTH in North Carolina helped her gain a “spatial separation” from the “bible-based cult” that helped her ultimately decide to leave.
Sometimes all you need is one … podcast. From the moment that Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz and Sophia Bush launched the “Drama Queens” podcast, they started spilling One Tree Hill secrets. The actresses, who starred in the hit CW series as Peyton, Haley and Brooke, respectively, launched the podcast in June 2021 to recap […]
“There’s a lot of highs and lots of lows and at some point, you just are like, ‘Can I get off this ride, please? What’s wrong with me? Why am I so up and down all the time?’” she told E! News. “And sometimes it just takes a few people at the right moment saying, ‘It might not be anything wrong with you.’ And that can be a relief.”
Lenz continued, “I had lost a lot of [my faith] along the way. And one of my prayers was just sort of like, ‘You have to just meet me where I am because I don’t even know if I know who you are anymore,’ and that’s how God just kept showing up for me in spite of the fact that I was thrusting a middle finger up in the air and being like, ‘Screw you!’”
October 2023
Lenz revealed on The Tamron Hall Show that she was first drawn to the group for a bible study-type atmosphere.
“That just felt natural and normal to me,” she said. “I grew up stomping around the city. I lived in Jersey and I was an only child and my parents, wonderful people, had their own things going on and … I felt like I didn’t have a huge connection to family or community.”
Bethany Joy LenzJason Kempin/Getty Images for PEOPLE x IHG Hotels and Resorts
Lenz, as a result, sought a “place that felt safe” after moving to Los Angeles from New York.
“It seemed really lovely at the top,” she said, before noting that she eventually felt isolated from her OTH costars and her parents. “[But,] I felt like I was being loved. They start to convince you that you’re amazing, you’re wonderful and then they tear you down and start picking at all the little things … until you feel like nothing, and then they start to build you back up again. It’s like, ‘These people love me in spite of the fact that I’m just such a mess.’”
February 2024
She announced her memoir via Instagram, calling the cult “an abusive, high-demand group.”
“Being a writer has been a great, private joy in my life since I was about 12. This isn’t the first book I thought I’d write, publicly, but as difficult as this subject matter is to untangle, I’m grateful I get to share my story my way,” she added. “It’s a story of forgiveness and a roadmap to how manipulation works, with heartache and humor along the way. We all make mistakes and I hope Dinner for Vampires reminds you that, no matter what weird roads you’ve gone down, you’re not alone.”
October 2024
Lenz was married to the cult leader’s son during her time as a member of The Big House Family. While she often questioned the marriage, she never questioned the situation she was in — and even tried to justify being in a cult.
“I was very young, I didn’t question the group, [but] I questioned my marriage,” she told People. “For me, being involved in something like that where there’s — I don’t know that I like the term ‘brainwashing’ — I think it’s more just such high control that we convince ourselves of things all the time.”
Sometimes all you need is one … podcast. From the moment that Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz and Sophia Bush launched the “Drama Queens” podcast, they started spilling One Tree Hill secrets. The actresses, who starred in the hit CW series as Peyton, Haley and Brooke, respectively, launched the podcast in June 2021 to recap […]
In the book, Lenz leaves her ex unnamed, calling him “QB.” She further detailed their relationship on “Call Her Daddy,” revealing that they were put on a sex schedule by the cult leaders after a lack of connection in their relationship.
October 2024
The actress also detailed her “terrifying” decision to leave the cult during her “Call Her Daddy” episode. Lenz recalled her friends in the group turning on her.
“To have your best friends who you’ve shared your most vulnerable, intimate secrets with suddenly turn around and overnight just, that’s it — if you’re not with us, you’re against us. If you’re not part of us, you’re the enemy,” she said. “To be treated like an enemy from someone who you’ve been very, very close with all of a sudden, no conversation. … There just was no willingness to see, because the stakes are so high for them too.”
Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez are looking forward to a new hearing in their murder case — but what do their lives currently look like in prison?
The brothers were arrested in 1990 on two counts of first-degree murder after their parents — José and Kitty — were found shot to death in their home. Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 at the time of the murders and after two trials, they were sentenced to life without parole. Lyle and Erik have maintained that their mother and father were physically, emotionally and sexually abusive ahead of their deaths.
While initially remaining in the same prison, Erik and Lyle were transferred after their sentencing. They reunited in 2018 when they were moved into the same housing unit at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.
Their case received renewed support in September 2024 after becoming the focus of Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters series. Despite Erik publicly slamming the scripted show, he met with Cooper Koch, who played him on screen.
“They’ve done so much amazing work in prison. Erik teaches meditation. He teaches speech classes. They’re both incredible people,” Koch told The Hollywood Reporter in September 2024. “I think back then, people just didn’t believe that sexual abuse between males was something that you could believe and the easier pill to swallow was that they killed their parents for money. But now, after so much time, I think people are more open to understanding that something like that did happen.”
Koch added: “In fact, the warden told me himself that he feels like he’d be happy to have them as his neighbors and that he would be comfortable letting them watch his children. I think that says a lot!”
With support from Koch — and reality-star-turned-prison-reform-activistKim Kardashian — Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced in October 2024 that a hearing has been set due to new evidence.
Keep scrolling for insight into Erik and Lyle’s day-to-day lives in prison:
Past Issues
Kypros/Getty Images
Erik reflected on his adjustment to life behind bars, telling People in 2005, “The cell I live in is tiny … about 6′ by 4′. Two people live in the cell. The cell is so small that only one person can be up off the bunks at a time. There is a commode and a sink.”
“It is very difficult to live with. It always affects you. And you have to keep to your own business,” he noted. “There might be 300 to 400 people in the yard at a time and at any moment a fight could break out. In the past month, two inmates have been murdered. You have to stay away from the yard bullies.”
Erik revealed he was bullied when he was initially sentenced. “You have to stand up to them, but at the same time you have to be extremely respectful. You have to know how to apologize. After 15 years, I’ve learned the lingo on how to be a prisoner,” he continued. “I have gotten into fights … many fights. But I never fight first. You have to learn to be smart. There is a perpetual state of fear that exists as background noise. You always have to be aware of who is around you. You have to continually hone your survival instincts.”
He concluded: “The two things that make prison so awful are the level of violence and the lack of hope and love. What the prison can do to us terrifies me.”
Netflix’s Monsters series is facing backlash for how it depicted Lyle Menéndez and Erik Menéndez — specifically inaccurate details about the events leading up to their murder case. The limited series, which was released on September 19, centered around Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch), who were convicted for the 1989 murder of […]
Current Examples of Improvement
Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images
In a statement to Biography.com in September 2024, the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation offered an update on Erik and Lyle’s behavior, writing, “During his incarceration, Erik Menendez has incurred two serious rules violations. Joseph [Lyle] Menendez has incurred no rules violations.”
Erik and Lyle’s good behavior paved the way for them to live in a “non-designated programming facility” at Donovan. The unit is known as Echo Yard, which allows inmates more freedom, rehabilitative and educational programming. Those opportunities include yoga, art classes and more.
In a rare interview, Erik gave an example of his day-to-day schedule, telling People in 2005 again, “I get up at 6 a.m. At 6:20 I have breakfast. I meditate at 6:50. Starting at 7:30 I read and write in my journal. We’ll either have a morning yard time starting at 9:30 or an afternoon yard time starting at 2:00 p.m. At two o’clock I start my job. I will try and call [wife] Tammi [Menéndez] in the afternoon. I’ll then work until 8:00 p.m. At 9:00 p.m. we’re locked down. I generally go to sleep around 10:30 p.m.”
Rules for Contacting Loved Ones
The brothers are categorized as Group A prisoners, which allows them most privileges that come with receiving visits and to make calls. Laws have been passed in recent years that made telephone calls free for inmates and their families.
In 2021, California started to provide prisoners with tablets. It took two years for Donovan inmates to take advantage of the opportunity and it is important to note that the devices don’t have access to social media or internet browsers. The tablets are largely used to read news materials and stay in contact with loved ones through email, video calls and text messages.
Potential Extracurriculars
CDCR/MEGA
Echo Yard is considered an experimental part of the prison that is less restrictive. The unit operates outside of “normal prison rules,” according to reporting from the San Diego Union-Tribune. Echo Yard allows inmates to take part in creative programs, education and support groups for people with anger management or substance abuse issues.
The prisoners can take courses such as victim awareness, money management and job hunting strategies. There is a yoga program, which allows prisons to earn a 10-day reduction in their sentence for every 52 hours of program participation. Rehabilitative Achievement Credits could offer inmates as much as 40 days taken off their sentences annually.
Donovan has a prisoner-published monthly newspaper and art classes as well. Lyle and Erik have notably taken advantage of Project Paint when they helped paint a 1,000-foot long mural at Echo Yard in 2020.
Elsewhere at Echo Yard, inmates can help raise service dogs and future guide dogs. Donovan also held a graduation ceremony for the first time in 2024 after nearly two dozen inmates received degrees through Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees.
Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez both found partners while serving out their individual life sentences following a high-profile murder case. The Menéndez brothers were arrested in 1990 on two counts of first-degree murder after their parents — José and Kitty — were found shot to death in their home. Two […]
Restrictions on Conjugal Visits
Erik and Lyle MenendezVINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images
Erik has been married to wife Tammi since 1999 after they met via letter correspondences. Lyle, meanwhile, exchanged vows with Anna Eriksson in 1996 but they divorced five years later. He later found love with Rebecca Sneed and they got married in 2003.
Prisons in California permit conjugal visits but prisons serving life sentences without parole are banned from such privileges. The law was changed in 2016 but since Erik and Lyle committed a violent offense against a family member, they still aren’t eligible for the family visits.
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“Not having sex in my life is difficult, but it’s not a problem for me. I have to be emotionally attached, and I’m emotionally attached to Erik,” Tammi told People in 2005. “My family does not understand. When it started to get serious, some of them just threw up their hands.”
Lyle also offered a glimpse into this marriage to Rebecca, telling the outlet in 2017, “Our interaction tends to be very free of distractions and we probably have more intimate conversations than most married spouses do, who are distracted by life’s events.”
He concluded: “We try and talk on the phone every day, sometimes several times a day. I have a very steady, involved marriage and that helps sustain me and brings a lot of peace and joy. It’s a counter to the unpredictable, very stressful environment here.”
Garth Brooks has broken his silence after being accused of sexual assault and battery.
“For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars. It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face,” Brooks, 62, said Thursday, October 3, in a statement to Us Weekly.
“Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money. In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of — ugly acts no human should ever do to another,” he continued. “We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides.”
“I want to play music tonight,” he added. “I want to continue our good deeds going forward. It breaks my heart these wonderful things are in question now. I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”
Brooks was named in a Thursday, October 3, complaint obtained by CNN, in which an anonymous woman claimed that the country singer raped her in 2019 while she was working as a hairstylist for him.
In the lawsuit, the hairstylist (referred to as Jane Roe) alleged that she started working for Brooks in 2017 after frequently handling the glam for his wife, Trisha Yearwood. Roe also claimed that Brooks sent her sexually explicit text messages, repeatedly exposed his genitals in her presence and made “repeated remarks” about “having a threesome” with Yearwood, 60. (Brooks and Yearwood have been married since 2005 following respective divorces.)
Ahead of Roe’s lawsuit, Brooks anonymously filed a complaint to try to bar her from repeating the allegations and he vehemently denied her account.
“Defendant’s allegations are not true,” Brooks’ filing read, per CNN. “Defendant is well aware, however, of the substantial, irreparable damage such false allegations would do to Plaintiff’s well-earned reputation as a decent and caring person, along with the unavoidable damage to his family and the irreparable damage to his career and livelihood that would result if she made good on her threat to ‘publicly file’ her fabricated lawsuit.”
Chris Kleponis – CNP / MEGA
Roe’s attorneys, meanwhile, told CNN that Brooks was trying to “silence” Roe in an “act of desperation.”
“We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions,” attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen and Hayley Baker said in their statement to the outlet. “We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint against Garth Brooks. The complaint filed today demonstrates that sexual predators exist not only in corporate America, Hollywood and in the rap and rock and roll industries, but also in the world of country music.”
Sometimes America’s sweethearts go sour. From Morgan Wallen to The Chicks, the biggest names in country music have been at the center of some major controversies. Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer found themselves in hot water in the early 2000s after sharing their personal politics on a public stage. While performing across the […]
Yearwood, for her part, has not addressed Brooks’ scandal. Several days before Roe’s lawsuit made headlines, Yearwood posted an Instagram photo of the married couple performing in Las Vegas late last month.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.Roy Rochlin/WireImage
Last year, Brooks told Us Weekly that he was often “dependent” on Yearwood.
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“I feel so helpless because there’s nothing I can’t do without her,” Brooks exclusively told Usin August 2023, months before they opened their joint Nashville bar. “There’s nothing I can’t do with her and there’s nothing I can do without her. It’s a blessing and a curse that you feel so free and independent when she’s there and you’re so dependent when she’s not there … I don’t think she feels this way at all, but I know I do.”
Before marrying Yearwood, the Grammy winner was married to first wife Sandy Mahl between 1986 and 2001. Three years after their wedding, Brooks admittedly cheated on Mahl, with whom he shares three daughters. They ultimately reconciled before splitting for good in 2000.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
Country singer Garth Brookshas faced ups and downs throughout his career.
Brooks rose to fame in 1989 with the release of his self-titled debut album. He has since gone on to earn two Grammy Awards, 23 Academy of Country Music Awards, two CMT Awards, 10 CMA Awards and many more.
“It’s always fun [to hear my music on the radio] because immediately what happens is you flash back to those faces in the crowd that are singing it, and you see the joy,” Brooks exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2023.
Amid his musical acclaim, Brooks also weathered a number of scandals. He admitted to cheating on his first wife, Sandy Mahl, in 1989 nearly 35 years before an anonymous hairstylist accused him of sexual assault and battery. (Brooks denied the claims.)
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are one of the country music’s most famous couples, but they’ve definitely had their ups and downs. “People thought, ‘Well, two celebrities who are in the same business, they won’t last,’” Yearwood exclusively told Us Weekly in 2018. “I’m invested in this family, this is what I want for myself […]
Keep scrolling to revisit Brooks’ ups and downs:
1986
Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images
Brooks married Mahl, and they later welcomed daughters Taylor, August and Allie.
1989
Three years later, Brooks dropped his debut album. Around the same time, he was accused of cheating on Mahl. He admitted to infidelity in a 1993 interview with Barbara Walters.
“After I wore out a pair of jeans while I was down on my knees begging her to take me back,” Brooks said, confirming he and Mahl reconciled.
1993
Brooks performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the Super Bowl, but he nearly canceled at the last minute. According to former NFL executive Don Weiss’ book The Making of the Super Bowl: The Inside Story of the World’s Greatest Sporting Event, Brooks had wanted to debut his “We Shall Be Free” video during the broadcast. The music video featured footage of riots and cross burnings, leading the TV network to bar the controversial clip from the programming schedule. Weiss reported that Brooks left the stadium less than an hour before kickoff as a result.
Brooks and the TV executives ultimately came to a compromise and the country singer agreed to perform after they aired the video after all.
Sometimes America’s sweethearts go sour. From Morgan Wallen to The Chicks, the biggest names in country music have been at the center of some major controversies. Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer found themselves in hot water in the early 2000s after sharing their personal politics on a public stage. While performing across the […]
1999
Brooks created a fictional persona named Chris Gaines and released a rock album titled Garth Brooks in … the Life of Chris Gaines. The project was initially supposed to serve as the soundtrack for a film titled The Lamb where Brooks would play a rock star, but the movie was never made. In November, Brooks hosted Saturday Night Live as himself but performed as Gaines for his musical number without acknowledging that Gaines was really him.
2000
Brooks and Mahl split, issuing a statement to Billboard at the time.
“Sandy and I both agree that we need to get divorced,” Brooks said in a statement. “Right now, we’re focusing on the impact it will have on the children and how to handle that best, to remain parents even if we don’t remain husband and wife.”
Later that year, Brooks started dating Trisha Yearwood. They initially met in 1987 while Yearwood was married to first husband Christopher Latham. Brooks and Yearwood got married in December 2005.
2013
Brooks was sued for fraud by former business associate Lisa Sanderson, who claimed that he failed to pay her a salary for 20 years. Sanderson also accused Brooks of tax fraud. He denied the allegations. During the trial, Brooks argued that a $226,000 loan was not a gift as Sanderson had alleged. A jury ruled in Brooks’ favor.
2023
Taylor Hill/WireImage
Brooks and Yearwood opened their own Nashville bar, named Friends in Low Places after his popular song, in November. Before the bar opened, Brooks made headlines for confirming the establishment planned to serve Bud Light after the brand faced backlash for partnering with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
“Everybody’s got their opinions, but inclusiveness is always gonna be me. I think diversity is the answer to the problems that are here and the problems that are coming,” he said in a Facebook Live video in June. “If you want to come to Friends in Low Places, come in, but come in with love. Come in with tolerance, patience. Come in with an open mind, and it’s cool. If you’re one of those people that just can’t do that, I get it. If you ever are one of those people that want to try it, come.”
That same year, Brooks told Us that he was “dependent” on his wife.
“I was telling somebody the other day, I feel so helpless because there’s nothing I can’t do without her,” he exclusively said in August. “There’s nothing I can’t do with her and there’s nothing I can do without her. It’s a blessing and a curse that you feel so free and independent when she’s there and you’re so dependent when she’s not there. I don’t think she feels this way at all, but I know I do.”
2024
Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
An anonymous woman sued Brooks for sexual assault and battery, claiming in October court documents obtained by CNN that the singer raped her in 2019 when she was hired as a hairstylist.
Ahead of the filing, Brooks filed his own complaint in an attempt to block the hairstylist from repeating her claims. In the motion, he denied the account.
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“Defendant’s allegations are not true,” the filing read. “Defendant is well aware, however, of the substantial, irreparable damage such false allegations would do to Plaintiff’s well-earned reputation as a decent and caring person, along with the unavoidable damage to his family and the irreparable damage to his career and livelihood that would result if she made good on her threat to ‘publicly file’ her fabricated lawsuit.”
Brooks did not immediately address the lawsuit. Us reached out for comment.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
TOKYO — The International Olympic Committee’s three major Japanese sponsors — Toyota, Panasonic and Bridgestone — are terminating their contracts.
This leaves the IOC without a Japanese sponsor with the focus now expected to shift to the Middle East and India for new sponsorship income.
Japanese sponsors have turned away from the Olympics, likely related to the one-year delay in holding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The delay reduced sponsors’ visibility with fans not allowed to attend competition venues, increased costs, and unearthed a myriad of corruption scandals around the Games.
The three are among 15 of the so-called TOP Olympic sponsors. The 15 paid a total of more than $2 billion to the IOC in the last four-year Olympic cycle.
Toyota Motor Corp. confirmed it would not not renew its sponsorship after the Paris Games, which closed in August.
Chairman Akio Toyoda told a meeting of U.S. dealerships last month that the IOC’s goals didn’t match the automaker’s vision.
“Honestly, I’m not sure they (IOC) are truly focused on putting people first. For me, the Olympics should simply be about watching athletes from all walks of life with all types of challenges achieve their impossible,” Toyoda said in English.
Toyoda promised to continue to financially support individual Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as the Paralympics Games.
Toyota had a contract reported to be valued at $835 million, the IOC’s largest when it was announced in 2015. It included four Olympics beginning with the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Games in South Korea and ran through to the just-completed Paris Olympics and Paralympics.
The IOC TOP sponsors are: ABInBev, Airbnb, Alibaba, Allianz, Atos, Bridgestone, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Intel, Omega, Panasonic, P&G, Samsung, Toyota, and Visa.
Tiremaker Bridgestone Corp., an Olympic sponsor since 2014, said this week it was not renewing its deal with the IOC after it ends this year.
“The decision comes after an evaluation of the company’s evolving corporate brand strategy and its recommitment to more endemic global motorsports platforms,” the Tokyo-based company said in a statement.
Electronics giant Panasonic Corp., an IOC sponsor from 1987, said last month it was terminating its sponsorship and did not give a reason. The decision came after “reviews how sponsorship should evolve.”
The Tokyo Games were mired in corruption scandals linked to local sponsorships and the awarding of contracts. Dentsu Inc, the huge Japanese marketing and public relations company, was the marketing arm of the Tokyo Olympics and raised a record-$3.3 billion in local sponsorship money.
This is separate from TOP sponsors.
French prosecutors also looked into alleged vote-buying in the IOC’s decision in 2013 to pick Tokyo as the host for the 2020 Summer Games.
The IOC had income of $7.6 billion in the last four-year cycle ending with the Tokyo Games. Figures have not been released yet for the cycle ending with the Paris Olympics.
The IOC’s TOP sponsors paid over $2 billion in that period. The figure may reach $3 billion in the next cycle.
Japan officially spent $13 billion on the Tokyo Olympics, at least half of which was public money. A government audit suggested the real cost was twice that. The IOC contribution was about $1.8 billion.
