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Tag: TikTok

  • Exclusive Interview: Em Beihold Talks All Things ‘Hot Goblin,’  ‘Brutus,’ And More!

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    Em Beihold has been a mainstay on our playlists ever since her song ‘Numb Little Bug’ came out, so it is no surprise that her artistry is displayed in her newest song ‘Hot Goblin.’ We were lucky enough to chat with Em about ‘Hot Goblin,’ the thematic through lines of her recent music, ‘Numb Little Bug,’ and so much more!

    Stream ‘Hot Goblin’ here!

    Hi Em! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! To start us off, how would you describe your music to someone who is tuning in for the first time? 
    Hello hello! Thanks for having me! I like to describe my music as quirky piano pop that talks about difficult things with a certain degree of levity. I’ve also been described as a popified Regina Spektor, and I really like that description. 

    ‘Hot Goblin’ is your latest track! The lyric video felt like stepping into a fairy tale book. When crafting this track, was the inspiration immediately tied to that aesthetic?
    Not really! When I was writing the song, I was initially thinking more along the lines of the experience of being a woman and how fickle our relationship with confidence can be. The fairytale stuff came after and felt obvious once the concept was solidified. 

    Something that immediately drew us to ‘Hot Goblin’ was the vulnerability hidden within this musically upbeat pop track, the understanding of insecurities, but the ability to still find confidence in that. What do writing sessions look like for a song that presents vulnerability in this way?
    I think my co-writers Nick Lopez, Jason Suwito, and I had a lot of fun figuring out what the term “hot goblin” means. As a girl who definitely feels the pressure to constantly present as put-together, fashionable, hot, etc. (especially from social media), it felt freeing to put a name to the feeling of embracing your insecurities and messy parts while still loving yourself completely and not feeling less than. 
    I also wanted the song to be about that feeling on top of the world one day and at the bottom the next, so ‘Hot Goblin’ became a way to give language to that cycle. Nick has been a close friend since we wrote ‘Numb Little Bug’ together, and Jason came into my life during a rough patch in my career, so there was already a lot of trust in the room. After we laughed about the phrase “hot goblin,” which I brought into the session (kind of as a joke), they both got it and locked in immediately. That balance of humor and honesty made the writing process really special. I write my favorite songs when I’m laughing.

    ‘Brutus’ is another recent release of yours! This track features some of our favorite visuals from you yet! Where did the creative vision for this video come from? And what was that on-set experience like?
     I was really inspired by the movie Amadeus, which my mom showed me when I was going through an intense, unforgiving period of depression, where I couldn’t stop comparing myself to other female artists who were creatively unblocked and more successful than me. I related to the character of Salieri and thought it would be fun to bring that rivalry with Mozart as a vignette alongside a few others to tell the story of what I was feeling. The on-set experience is one I will never forget because it was a day full of fun and laughter with friends, which felt SO full circle after a year of essentially crying every day and hating being in my skin. I was so happy to be me and felt so proud of the art that came out of such a hard time. I also checked off two big goals of mine, which were: one, working with my co-director, Ethan Frank, whom I’ve been a huge fan of for years, and two, fencing in a music video since I was a competitive fencer for many years.

    With both ‘Hot Goblin’ and ‘Brutus,’ the themes around the visuals are locked into days of old, with fairy tales and gladiator times. Is there an intentional through line there? 
    You know what; accidentally yes. It wasn’t intentional, but I think the whole album has puzzle-pieced itself together more than I planned for. It’s whimsical, it has hints of classical music, and instruments like the harpsichord! There’s definitely some fun “historical” stuff in there. 

    Egg in the Backseat came out three years ago! Is there a song on that record that, for you, has just gotten better with time?
    I would say ‘Goo,’ because my fans have really taken to that one at my live shows. It’s kind of a sleeper, dare I say!

    We, of course, have to briefly touch on ‘Numb Little Bug!’ Now that you are three years separated from the release of the track, how has your relationship to this song changed as time has gone on? 
    Oh my gosh! I wrote that song about my unfortunate experience with antidepressants, and now (after lots of trial and error), I’ve found one that has absolutely changed my life. It’s a cool marker of where I was then, and how much I’ve grown. I will always appreciate the response to that song and how much it changed my life.

    Once again, thank you so much for chatting with us! Before we let you go, what can fans look forward to as we close out 2025?
    My debut album is coming out very soon in 2026! It’s the proudest I’ve ever been of anything I’ve made. It’s about my journey through depression, experiencing complete loss of self, and how I have come out on the other side to be the happiest and most me I have ever been. It’s fun and pop and silly, and I’m ready for 2025 to be done so I can finally share this new music with my fans!

    Check out more of our exclusive interviews here!

    We would love to hear from you! What do you think of our interview with Em Beihold? Let us know by commenting below or by tweeting @TheHoneyPOP! We are also on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram!

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EM BEIHOLD:
    INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER

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    Hailey Hastings

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  • Exclusive Interview: Benjamin Steer Talks All Things Figuring It Out, And More!

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    If you’re looking for which artist is going to be the talk of the town before too long, look no further than Benjamin Steer! Benjamin Steer has just released his EP Figuring It Out, which showed us, clear as day, that we were looking at an artist who is going to have a long and prosperous career! We were lucky enough to chat with Benjamin all about the EP and so much more!

    Stream Figuring It Out here!

    Hello Benjamin! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! To start us off, how would you describe your music to someone who is tuning in for the first time?
    It’s a pleasure, thank you! I would say my music is sort of a soundtrack to confusion in your 20s, a soundtrack to love, to heartbreak, and to figuring things out. I’d like to think it’s pretty cinematic but has some energy in it too!

    Figuring It Out is your debut EP! What feelings accumulate as you get ready to put your first collection of songs out?
    It is weird. I always feel a bit of anxiety before release days, but then as soon as the project is out, the anxiety disappears. I don’t hold emotional attachment to the songs once they are out. It then becomes a case of how many people can get their ears on it. But certainly, I am really proud of these songs. I feel like it sort of marks the end of my first chapter in the music world. I feel like each song serves a different purpose; the whole thing feels pretty dynamic.

    You described this record as “a hopeless romantic’s dream and downfall.” What is one lyric throughout the project that best represents the dream aspect, and on the other hand, what lyric would you say best represents the downfall?
    I think the dreamer line is definitely the chorus of ‘No One Wants To Die Alone,’ “Live Big Love Fast and not Die Alone.” It is sort of the payoff line in a song that lyrically is frustrated in many senses, and encapsulates the sort of desire of the EP. There are many downfall lines in the EP, so I’ll give you three: ‘Oh Darling,’ “Many nights I try to find you in other eyes… Am I blind to all that makes you you?” ’5%,’ “It’s the 5% that is in the spotlight and the 95 that hides behind my eyes – So I’ll keep it out of mind and out of sight.” ‘Sweat Off Our History,’ “I’ll thread the needle between who I am and what you want from me.” I think all of these lines sort of summarize the pressure that you have to appear complete and confident and put together… But in reality, you are still figuring things out – trying to find a purpose. And you often hide these insecurities and fears in actions and facades that are not favorable to yourself – just to appease others or numb yourself to vulnerability.

    As we are writing this, the EP is officially out! What has the reaction to the record been like over the last few days? How are you feeling post-release? 
    Honestly, I think it went as well as I had hoped. I think these things take a journey themselves when they are out. I think hopefully it has legs to continue to connect with people and make an impact. People have been so supportive and kind, and I feel very unworthy. I always say this, and it is very cliche, but I am just a dude who writes about life and love in his bedroom, so it’s surreal that it is connecting so well!

    When you released ‘No One Wants To Die Alone’ last year, did you already know this track was going to be everyone’s first taste of this EP? Or was it added in as the creation of the EP went forward?
    No Idea. ‘NOWTDA’ always felt special. It was the first song that I wrote, and I was like, if this doesn’t become the biggest song, then I am not sure what will. It felt so right and felt so me. The EP was certainly not a manufactured Idea. It was sort of the collection of the best things I had written in the last 8 months, and it all felt rather cohesive. I think if I were to sit down with the intention of writing an ep, and with a certain goal and message, it would have almost felt like I wasn’t being authentic. That being said, ‘No One Wants To Die Alone’ was probably the first song I wrote out of the ones that made it on to the EP, so maybe in some way it did guide the sonic and messaging of the rest!

    Hailing six songs, half of the record was previously released, and half of the songs were saved for release day. How do you go about deciding which songs you want to hold onto and let fans discover all at once?
    I think there is a feeling that you get when you have a single, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the non-single tracks are missing something. I feel like putting out a bigger body of work allows you to release songs that may never come out as a single, but you still want people to hear them. I think ‘Sweat off our History’ is a good example; this would never be a single, but that does not mean that it isn’t good. So I am glad I had the opportunity to release it.

    We want to go back a bit and talk about ‘Muted Colors,’ This track changed a lot for you! When you look back, what does your relationship with that song look like now vs two years ago when it was released?
    I think ‘Muted Colors’ was the unexpectedly perfect first song to put out. It served its purpose in the time that it was written for me personally, but also to show an audience the type of music and messaging I wanted to pursue. I look back positively on it now for sure. It was the first stepping stone in a long journey to cross the river, and I’m so grateful that I could have even had the chance to start or embark on that journey. I think it worked because I was just honest, it was one of the first songs I had ever written and I did not really have a reference point as to what was ok and what was not. I think I do naturally cringe a little bit looking back to it now because I think my style and tone have changed a bit, but it certainly was a fantastic first step!

    Once again, thank you so much for chatting with us! Before we let you go, is there anything coming up that fans can look forward to? Any live shows?
    Hopefully got a lot of exciting stuff coming up! Going to hopefully do another London headline before the end of the year, and then a bit more of a fuller tour in early 2026! I’m also really excited to open for Arthur Hill on his UK tour in September!

    Check out more of our exclusive interviews here!

    We would love to hear from you! What is your favorite song from Benjamin Steer’s EP, Figuring It Out? Let us know by commenting below or by tweeting @TheHoneyPOP! We are also on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok!

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BENJAMIN STEER:
    INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK

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    Hailey Hastings

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  • ‘This was the color of my bathing suit‘: Woman stays at Hilton Garden Inn. Then she realizes she’s been soaking in bleach for 45 minutes

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    Hot tubs are meant to be relaxing and luxurious, but after her experience, Grita Sudziute (@gritasudziute) couldn’t feel any further from relaxed.

    In a video clip that has amassed 4,424 views, she asks, “Does anyone know what, like, side effects could happen in the long term after being sat in bleach for 45 minutes?”

    She then directed the camera to her bathing suit. The vast majority of it was bleached white, along with patches revealing its original color: baby blue with white flowers.

    “It’s white, yellow… I don’t know what you would call it,” she said.

    She then went on to explain exactly what happened.

    “We were at Hilton Garden, and we’re in the hot tub for about 45 minutes,” she said. And we’re like, ‘This hot tub has a really strong bleach smell,’ but we’re like, ‘Great, it was clean.””

    “We all get out of the hot tub, and my friend goes, ‘Why is your bathing suit white? Wasn’t it blue?’

    She continued, “Let me remind you of one thing, there were no signs that the hot tub should not be used. And when we came back and told the receptionist, the guys ran to the jacuzzi and put up the sign. They also immediately took a sample of the water, and the other guys started pumping clean water in the jacuzzi, clearly trying to dilute whatever the chemical concentration was there.”

    “Thanks, Hilton Garden Inn,” Grita added in the video description. “Our bright blue swimsuits are now white. Jacuzzi or giant bleach bath?”

    Grita didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment.

    In the comments section, she told users that, at the time of writing, the jacuzzi is still closed. She also noted that she emailed management, but never heard back from them. “They haven’t even asked us if we’re okay,” she added.

    However, commenters were divided over whether the hotel actually did anything wrong.

    “Oh, taking a sample and closing it down directly after?” one asked. “Yeah lawsuit for negligence.”

    @gritasudziute “Thanks @HiltonGardenInn ? Our bright blue swimsuits are now white. Jacuzzi or giant bleach bath??” @hilton #hilton #fyp #hotel #hottub #POV ♬ original sound – Grita

    “CALL POISON CONTROL,” a second advised. “Go to the ER. Call a lawyer.”

    However, a third commenter suggested that the color-changing swimsuit debacle wasn’t uncommon.

    “Last time I was at a hotel, the sign above the hot tub said that your wardrobe can change color due to the chemicals in the tub,” one pointed out. “Sorry this actually happened to you!”

    “The recommended limit is 30 minutes in a hot tub,” a second advised. “And it’s not bleach the chlorine levels were extremely high. It damaged your swimsuit, but other than some irritation there’s no long term effects.”

    Do hot tubs bleach swimsuits?

    According to The Hot Tub Store, it is possible for hot tubs to bleach swimsuits.

    However, the site notes that this only happens when the chlorine and bromine levels in the tub are kept “much too high.”

    “Your hot tub should never have this high level of chemicals,” the site added. “If the hot tub at your gym or at the hotel has levels of chlorine this high, you might not want to get in.”

    On its website, Hot Tub Village also notes that the level of chlorine or bromine in your hot tub should be between 1 and 3 parts per million (ppm).

    Hilton didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Charlotte Colombo

    Charlotte is an internet culture writer with bylines in Insider, VICE, Glamour, The Independent, and more. She holds a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from City St George’s, University of London.

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    Charlotte Colombo

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  • Hailey Bieber in Silk Diaper Shorts Was Something I Didn’t Know I Needed

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    While each product featured is independently selected by our editors, we may include paid promotion. If you buy something through our links, we may earn commission. Read more about our Product Review Guidelines here.

    Of all the street style trends to dominate our FYP and social media feeds in recent years, bloomer shorts seem to be the most bizarre (and ironically one of our favorites) yet. And who do we have to thank for it? TikTok, of course. In a single scroll on the popular app, you might come across the piece multiple times, from those viral Miu Miu briefs to Aritzia’s more affordable offerings. Slightly more flirty and risqué than the stomach pudge dress or the fisherman aesthetic, bloomer shorts (aka diaper shorts) have officially made it to the top of the sartorial food chain.

    What Are Bloomer Shorts?

    While the idea of bloomer shorts may seem new or daunting at first, they’re far from groundbreaking. Similarly to most trends, the good ol’ “everything is new again” concept applies here, as the fad dates back to 1850 when the silhouette was invented as a practical solution for women’s health and comfort — eventually grabbing the attention of famed suffragette Amelia Bloomer. It wasn’t long before she published her approval of them in her newspaper “The Lily,” advocating for women to have the freedom to wear what they want. They became controversial since they exposed women’s ankles, though they were cut midi-length, directly challenging the gender norms of that time.

    Fast forward to present day, and bloomers are still a hot topic of conversation. Aritzia recently released a pair of gray micro shorts that dominated TikTok because of the gathered hem that resembles a diaper. Some users are completely obsessed, while others have expressed their disapproval with comments such as, “That’s grandma’s undergarments” and “It’s recession time.” Although the trouser is polarizing, it shows how much bloomer shorts have evolved. Hailey Bieber recently made the piece a part of her uniform, sporting butter yellow silk diaper shorts as part of a set during Paris Fashion Week.

    Other celebrities like Dua Lipa, Lizzo, and Sydney Sweeney have also embraced the trend, from sporty versions to classic denim styles, showcasing the trend’s versatility.

    Whether you’re looking to add something different to your wardrobe or you’re curious about the unique trend, keep scrolling to shop our bloomer shorts guide.

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    Naomi Parris

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  • Indonesia suspends TikTok’s operating licence for allegedly withholding data

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    Indonesia has suspended TikTok’s operational registration status in the country, alleging that the social media platform did not fully co-operate with a request to share its data during nationwide protests in August. In a , Alexander Sabar, an official from Indonesia’s digital and communications ministry, said TikTok had violated national laws by only providing partial data while the protests were ongoing between August 23 and 30.

    Sabar said TikTok was given until September 23 to hand over its data related to traffic, streaming and monetization, after it emerged that some accounts with links to online gambling may have profited from TikTok livestreams during the protests. All forms of gambling are illegal under Indonesian law. TikTok reportedly that it couldn’t provide all of the requested data due to internal policy. The app has now been temporarily suspended, although claims that TikTok remains accessible in the country for now.

    Anger about the state of Indonesia’s economy, widespread police brutality and a number of government policies sparked August’s violent protests. TikTok its live feature for a number of days during the unrest in an attempt to keep the platform a “safe and civil space.” The app has over 100 million users in the country.

    Sabar gave no indication as to how long the ban will last. As reported by , a spokesperson for TikTok said the company respects the laws of the countries it operates in, and added that it’s working with the digital ministry to find a resolution.

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    Matt Tate

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  • ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team

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    United States immigration authorities are moving to dramatically expand their social media surveillance, with plans to hire nearly 30 contractors to sift through posts, photos, and messages—raw material to be transformed into intelligence for deportation raids and arrests.

    Federal contracting records reviewed by WIRED show that the agency is seeking private vendors to run a multiyear surveillance program out of two of its little-known targeting centers. The program envisions stationing nearly 30 private analysts at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Vermont and Southern California. Their job: Scour Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms, converting posts and profiles into fresh leads for enforcement raids.

    The initiative is still at the request-for-information stage, a step agencies use to gauge interest from contractors before an official bidding process. But draft planning documents show the scheme is ambitious: ICE wants a contractor capable of staffing the centers around the clock, constantly processing cases on tight deadlines, and supplying the agency with the latest and greatest subscription-based surveillance software.

    The facilities at the heart of this plan are two of ICE’s three targeting centers, responsible for producing leads that feed directly into the agency’s enforcement operations. The National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center sits in Williston, Vermont. It handles cases across much of the eastern US. The Pacific Enforcement Response Center, based in Santa Ana, California, oversees the western region and is designed to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

    Internal planning documents show that each site would be staffed with a mix of senior analysts, shift leads, and rank-and-file researchers. Vermont would see a team of a dozen contractors, including a program manager and 10 analysts. California would host a larger, nonstop watch floor with 16 staff. At all times, at least one senior analyst and three researchers would be on duty at the Santa Ana site.

    Together, these teams would operate as intelligence arms of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division. They will receive tips and incoming cases, research individuals online, and package the results into dossiers that could be used by field offices to plan arrests.

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    Dell Cameron

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  • ‘I would’ve went home with an espresso machine’: Starbucks barista says they were asked to clean out entire store. They were all laid off an hour later

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    A recently fired Starbucks employee posted a video detailing her last day. The only problem? She didn’t know when she went to her local store that she wouldn’t have a job within hours of arriving.

    In a video with over 2.4 million views, @astoldby_honey expressed her frustration at her recent predicament. She arrived at her store in New York City only to get told to clean it out at 3 p.m., with a layoff email in her inbox by 4:06 p.m. that day. In her video, she peruses the store while showing off various pieces of equipment they packed up in a rush to close.

    A group of baristas was there, organizing equipment for their “final” day before receiving an email that cut them off entirely.

    “They made y’all clean the store and then FIRED YOU?!” One commenter incredulously wrote, expressing gall at the fact that Starbucks really did fire hundreds of people in a short amount of time.

    What’s going on with Starbucks?

    It isn’t surprising that @astoldby_honey’s store closed, especially considering the financial woes Starbucks has faced recently. The company announced a $1 billion restructuring plan on Thursday, Sept. 25, that would lay off 900 non-retail employees and shut down stores across the country. The company plans to grow again in 2026 after some restructuring.

    Any stores that couldn’t meet the restructuring plans outlined by executives and were “unable to create the physical environment [Starbucks]’ customers and partners expect” are set to close.

    Starbucks CEO backlash

    Many people think Starbucks changed too much too soon. A year ago, the company announced Brian Niccol as its new CEO. He introduced a variety of changes to the chain coffee shop, such as coffee cup personalization and some “cozy” touches. These iterations were meant to draw a more loyal customer base toward each establishment, but they came at a price. Many baristas complained about the difficulty of keeping up with the new workflow, and customers didn’t necessarily ask for them.

    A CNBC article published earlier in September noted this, interviewing one barista who said, “If we’re in a rush, and we only have two people working, we are still expected to write on every single cup… and if my manager notices a single cup that doesn’t have writing on it, that will immediately become a ‘coaching moment.’”

    Niccol said in a statement regarding the restructuring plan: “These steps are to reinforce what we see is working and prioritize our resources against them… I believe these steps are necessary to build a better, stronger, and more resilient Starbucks that deepens its impact on the world and creates more opportunities for our partners, suppliers, and the communities we serve.”

    It’s difficult to transform an already established mega-brand into a cozy, more independent-feeling coffee house similar to its early days. The company had been struggling even before it faced sweeping iterations, but only recently had such sweeping developments occurred.

    @astoldby_honey #fired #starbucks #nyc ♬ Jet2 Advert – ✈️A7-BBH | MAN ??

    The Mary Sue has reached out to Starbucks’ press team via email for more information. We’ve also contacted @astoldby_honey via TikTok direct message.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

    Image of Rachel Thomas

    Rachel Thomas

    Rachel Joy Thomas is a music journalist, freelance writer, and hopeful author who resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can email her at [email protected].

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    Rachel Thomas

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  • Taylor Swift Is Your New “Father Figure” on The Life of a Showgirl

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    Though the original song’s lyrics seem to address a person vowing to take care of and protect a romantic partner, in the Faith: Legacy Edition album booklet, Michael discussed the production of the song and the transformative power of adding and subtracting different musical elements.

    “It started off with a rhythm track with a snare, and when you play it like that it sounds a bit like Prince. I must have been listening to it without the snare and gone, ‘Oh my God, that totally changes the record!’ It suddenly becomes a gospel record,” he said of early versions of the song.

    “A couple of things in my career have been a complete accident, where I stumbled upon the sound. I know when something resonates, and one of my saving graces is that I can hear something when I stumble upon it. I have the ability to stop and say: ‘No. Actually, that’s much better.’ It’s tiny little things like that that make a record, I think.”

    To say that Swift has been heavily involved in the production and marketing of her own music is the understatement of the century. By nodding to Michael’s classic No. 1 hit, is she making a statement about power and musicality? Could the song be something of a spiritual sequel to “The Man,” in which she imagined how her actions would be viewed if she wasn’t a woman? Or, perhaps, the allusion is more to do with Babygirl director Halina Reijn’s interpretation of the song, as she explained to Indiewire. For her, the track is about the freedom that comes with an assurance of safety.

    “We all, men, women, any human being, any person, has a young child inside of them that needs to be taken care of,” she said. “Whether we are 80 years old or 6 years old, it’s still there. And that is what it taps into for me.”

    Whether Swift is positioning herself as the father or the fathered, her entry into the George Michael Extended Universe is sure to be a seismic one. Welcome to your Showgirl Era, Daddy.

    Representatives for Swift did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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    Kase Wickman

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  • ‘I’m scared’: Florida woman asks her boyfriend to get Chex mix from the gas station. Then she goes inside after him

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    It’s the oldest trick in the book: a man wanders into a gas station hunting for Chex Mix, swears it isn’t there, and leaves empty-handed. His girlfriend walks in minutes later—and magically plucks the bag from the shelf. Sounds familiar? Maybe it rings a bell when your son can’t find his slides, or your husband can’t find the car keys, but the woman of the house easily discovers it within minutes.

    The textbook definition is weaponized incompetence. TikTok, however, is calling it proof of what women have known forever: if something’s lost, a man will need a woman to find it.

    Was There No Chex Mix?

    In the approximately two-minute clip, Lily (@lilykthom) has garnered over four million views and plenty of social commentary. The video is taken from her boyfriend’s perspective in their car, showing Lily walking around in the gas station. 

    He starts off confident, stating: “Lily thinking she’s a smarta–, finding something I tell her there isn’t.” 

    His only task was to find Chex Mix in a gas station in Florida…where Chex Mix is (according to many viewers) always abundant. Yet, he still remains steadfast that there wasn’t any. 

    “Ladies and gentlemen, only time’s gonna tell how disappointed her face is gonna look when she knows I’m right and that there’s no Chex Mix,” he says. 

    We can all tell where this is going, right? Lo and behold, once Lily starts approaching the counter to pay, her boyfriend starts shaking in his boots: 

    “Oh [expletive],” he says. “I’m scared.” 

    Once she reenters the car, victorious with not only one, but two bags of ChexMix, she answers her boyfriend’s question of “Where did you find it?” with “Do you need glasses?” 

    Why Can’t Men Ever Find Anything?

    It seems this viral TikTok has ignited an age-old headache. Women have come together to share the pain of having a man do this exact same thing to them in all aspects of life.

    One viewer stated, “I think all the women here knew she was going to find it,” while another wrote, “Not a single woman doubted there was Chex Mix in that gas station.”  

    If you want to argue that maybe the men don’t do it on purpose, then let this comment seal the truth: “THEY. NEVER. LOOK. GOOD. ENOUGH.” 

    What’s Weaponized Incompetence?

    As previously stated, this phenomenon is all too common. While women all over the world are well aware of how it feels, this label has started floating around more often in the 2020s. Business Insider explores how it can even ruin marriages. 

    Weaponized incompetence is a tactic where “one person avoids or refuses to do a task and uses their ‘incompetence’ as an excuse in order to sidestep responsibilities,” according to the Cleveland Clinic. 

    That ‘someone else’ almost always ends up being a woman. In a more interesting turn, this now means women are preferring other women to do their tasks instead of men. Case in point: Instacart shopping.

    It starts with a seemingly innocent comment: “Is he an Instacart shopper by any chance?” and that’s all it takes for others under Lily’s video to join in. 

    One viewer shared, “This is why I’m upset when I get a male Instacart shopper. Everything is suddenly out of stock.” While another stated, “This is why we prefer women Instacart shoppers.” 

    These viewers aren’t wrong; male Instacart shoppers have recently come under fire for not doing their jobs properly when it comes to picking out groceries. In a story the Mary Sue covered, one TikToker shared the top three signs that your Instacart shopper was male.

    The main argument is that they seem to think not looking hard enough for an item just means that it doesn’t exist, and therefore, they need to substitute it with something else. The bigger problem is the male Instacart shopper substituting things that make absolutely no sense. 

    @lilykthom I don’t play about my Chexmix #foryoupage #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – lilykthom

    The Mary Sue reached out to Lily via TikTok direct message for comment. 

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

    Image of Gisselle Hernandez

    Gisselle Hernandez

    Gisselle Hernandez-Gomez is a contributing reporter to the Mary Sue. Her work has appeared in the Daily Dot, Business Insider, Fodor’s Travel and more. You can follow her on X at @GisselleHern. You can email her at [email protected].

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    Gisselle Hernandez

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  • TikTok Creator Flies To Europe To Yell And Harass GTA 6 Devs

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    A TikTok content creator allegedly flew all the way from the United States to Edinburgh, Scotland to stand outside the offices of Grand Theft Auto 6 developers Rockstar North and yell at people entering and exiting the studio. According to the creator, he is “sick and tired” of waiting for a new trailer or information on any further delays.

    On September 30, as spotted by TheGamer, TikTok user Backonboulevard shared a video on the social media service that appeared to show him staking out the Rockstar North office in Scotland and then yelling at two different people that he seemingly assumed were developers working on GTA 6 after spotting them entering and exiting the building. The video has over 140,000 views and is currently pinned on the TikTok user’s channel.

    In the first incident, a person can be seen walking toward the office when Backonboulevard yells at them: “When’s the delay? When’s the next trailer? I wanna know!” The person shrugs, starts walking away quickly, and replies, “I don’t know.”

    In another incident shown in the video, Backonboulevard seemingly follows a person after they have presumably left the office and shouts at them, asking: “When’s the delay happening? Is there another delay? What about the trailer? Another trailer? You can’t tell me? You can’t tell me? You can’t tell me nothing?” That person looks visibly scared and understandably nervous about a random dude aggressively confronting them in the dark, and quickly flees the scene as the TikTok creator follows before the video cuts.

    Kotaku has contacted the TikTok user about the video and reached out to Rockstar Games.

    “I’m sick and tired of waiting for the answers,” explained Backonboulevard in the video. At another point, he showed the outside of Rockstar North’s offices to prove he was there. “Right now we are here, right here, live from Rockstar North. I told you guys I wasn’t playing around.”

    On Tuesday, the video was flagged by GTA content creator GameRoll on Twitter. “If you’re waiting outside of somebody’s workplace to harass employees over a video game, give your head a wobble,” said GameRoll.

    While many in the comments below GameRoll’s post shared disbelief and anger over what Backonboulevard seemingly did, there are many, many comments below the original video on TikTok that take the creator’s side and blame Rockstar’s lack of information and new trailers for the harassment. And to be clear: That’s fucking stupid and you should never, ever, ever sit outside a video game studio and harass the people inside and demand answers from them. That will never work out, it might get you in trouble legally, and it’s just a dick move.

    Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch in May 2026 after being delayed earlier this year. It will launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Don’t yell at the devs about it, okay?

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    Zack Zwiezen

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  • ‘If you drink it and it’s sweet…’: Florida woman says there’s a trick to find out whether Liquid I.V. is for you. Then she tests it out

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    Over the past few years, hydration has gained significant popularity on social media. Because plain water isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, some have opted for flavor alternatives, such as WaterTok recipes, sports drinks, or Liquid I.V. for their hydration needs. One woman claims that the taste of Liquid I.V. can determine your hydration levels. Is this true?

    In a clip with 5.6 million views, Florida TikToker Savona (@iamsavona) shares her recent discovery.

    “I just found out something about Liquid I.V. If you drink it and it’s sweet, it means you’re dehydrated. If you drink it and it’s salty, it means you’re hydrated,” she says.

    Then, she pulls out her pink tumbler. “I have some in here. I’m gonna try it out. Let’s see,” she says. After the content creator pulls open the cap and takes a few gulps, she delivers the verdict. “I’m definitely dehydrated,” she states.

    Savona describes the flavor in the caption, “Mmm [tastes] like sugar water.”

    What did viewers say?

    Many shared the flavors they experienced when drinking Liquid I.V.

    “What if it’s a sweet AND salty taste?” one viewer with over 16,000 likes asked.

    “I’m never hydrated and it’s super salty for me,” another remarked.

    “It was the most disgustingly sweet thing I ever tasted,” a third stated.

    An avid fan of the company didn’t care about the taste. “I love liquid iv I don’t care how it taste imma drink it,” a fourth commented.

    Liquid I.V. enters the chat

    However, the company debunked Savona’s claim in the comments section. “Hi! some of the known signs of dehydration include headaches, fatigue, and thirst, however taste does not play a role in a person’s hydration status,” they refuted.

    How dehydration affects the body

    There is a common phenomenon where 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration. However, the NIH states there is not enough data to support this. Since Savona mentioned taste, dehydration can make things saltier, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Because saliva contains salt, it can become diluted if you don’t drink enough water.

    On the other hand, this also applies to all tastes if you have a dry mouth. This condition alters your taste buds, preventing your salivary glands from producing enough saliva. Nevertheless, dehydration affects everyone’s taste buds differently. For instance, one person may taste salt, while the other tastes sour. But the effects of dehydration don’t stop there. But dehydration isn’t limited to your mouth. Humans consist of approximately 60% water, making hydration essential for flushing out toxins and delivering nutrients to our cells in the body, per Dispatch Health. When this happens, some of the consequences include:

    • Hallucinations
    • Heat-related injuries
    • Unconsciousness
    • Hypovolemic shock
    • Seizures
    • Reduction of kidney and urinary function 
    • Organ failure
    • Death

    Keep in mind that overhydration is also detrimental; so, it’s essential to find the right balance.

    @iamsavona

    mmm taste like sugar water

    ♬ original sound – savona ???

    The Mary Sue reached out to Savona via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment as well as Liquid I.V. via press email.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

    Image of Melody Heald

    Melody Heald

    Melody Heald is a culture writer. Her work can be found in Glitter Magazine, BUST Magazine, The Daily Dot, and more. You can email her at: [email protected]

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    Melody Heald

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  • Meghan Markle and Drew Barrymore mocked on TikTok

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    Meghan Markle’s past interview on The Drew Barrymore Show has been repeatedly spoofed by a TikTok influencer who has gained millions of views across multiple posts.

    Michael Pavano has made a series of light-hearted videos sending up an interview Barrymore did with Meghan back in March. Six months on, he is still going viral with new takes on the Duchess of Sussex’s appearance on the popular chat show.

    Why It Matters

    Meghan is no stranger to social media criticism nine years after a Kensington Palace spokesman called out online trolls just days after her relationship with Prince Harry first became public knowledge in 2016.

    Much of that hostile content has involved gossip, conspiracy theories or simply negative opinions about the duchess.

    However, in 2025 she has attracted a new type of online mockery by TikTokers who impersonate celebrities on video.

    What To Know

    One of Pavano’s TikTok posts was liked more than 66,000 times and viewed 1.1 million times after sending up the effort Meghan goes to when hosting guests in her Netflix show With Love, Meghan.

    In the clip, Pavano impersonated Meghan presenting Barrymore with a jar of Montecito rainwater only to later show Meghan pouring it from a tap.

    Loading tiktok content…

    Another video was liked roughly 41,000 times and viewed over 740,000 times and showed Pavano impersonating Barrymore giving Meghan a gift of some flowers, before he enacted Meghan trying to eat them. This appears to be a riff on Meghan’s love of edible flower sprinkles, which she sells on her lifestyle website As Ever.

    And it is not only Meghan’s appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. An older post from September 15 has over 134,000 likes and was viewed 2.4 million times. It showed her struggling to open a sea urchin before taking some shop bought sushi and labelling it as “Hand Rolled Garden Sushi.”

    Loading tiktok content…

    In the past, Meghan and her supporters have called out dedicated hate accounts that posted almost exclusively about her and often with quite extreme takes, such as that she had faked her pregnancy.

    If light hearted parodies like Pavano’s become a regular feature for the duchess they may prove harder for her to deal with, however, as they do not rest on facts that are true or false, but rather riff on perceptions of inauthenticity. He also sends up a whole range of celebrities, not just Meghan.

    It is not all bad news for the duchess though as she does have a recent endorsement from Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos.

    He told the Aspire with Emma Grede podcast this month: “One thing we learned early with Meghan, she has remarkable influence—remarkable.

    “So when we did the [2022] documentary on her and Harry, the trailer, when we ran the trailer announcing it, people, hundreds of people, broke down every frame of the trailer.”

    “The $20 shoes that she got from a village that was making these shoes sold out all over the world,” he continued. “And the $1,500 blanket that was on the chair sold out all over the world. She has incredible power and influence. So that for me, it’s like, okay, well how can we enable this to be a more holistic thing. So that’s what that relationship is about.”

    What People Are Saying

    One reply to one of Pavano’s videos read “literally thought i was watching The Drew Barrymore Show 😂😂” while another read: “You are a better drew and Meghan than they are.”

    What Happens Next

    With Love, Meghan will return for a holiday special in December and in the meantime fans can find the duchess’ produce on her lifestyle website, As Ever.

    Do you have a question about King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.

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  • “Coach employees be like ‘if I can’t have it no one can’”: Texas dumpster diver hits ‘jackpot’ behind Coach store. Then she sees what the workers did to the handbags

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    Back in the early 2000s, the nickname “dumpster diver” would be taken with great offense. Now, however, what used to be an insult has become a flex. In 2025, TikTok dumpster divers are racking up views by showing off high-end goods rescued from the trash—and followers can’t get enough. 

    Well-known dumpster diver Ella, who goes by @glamourddive on TikTok, has a whopping 2.3 million followers. Her recent video is already at 193,000 views as of Monday. However, her clip is a bit different from what her followers are used to. After hitting the “jackpot” behind a Michael Kors store, Ella tries to continue her winning streak, only to find out that some people don’t like seeing others get lucky. 

    What happened behind this Coach store?

    Ella’s clip begins by showing a plastic bag filled to the brim with scarves, hats, slides, and mini-wallets from Michael Kors–all seemingly mint condition. As she shows off her grandiose haul, Ella says, “This bag is loaded, it’s insane.” And she’s right– this haul certainly calls for the jackpot title. Nonetheless, as the dumpster diver expert goes on to try her luck behind the Coach store, she discovers a sight that angers viewers. 

    “I thought I’d show you guys this is what Coach’s dumpster looks like… they slashed everything up,” she says. 

    It honestly looks like someone went a little too trigger-happy with a boxcutter. Ella shows purses, shoes, and even mini-wallets slashed through beyond the first few layers of fabric. It seems Coach employees wanted to get the message across: “If I can’t have it, then no one can,” according to one commenter.  

    Does Coach really destroy unwanted goods? 

    Back in 2021, Coach went viral for admitting that it destroys its own bags when TikToker Anna Socks (@thetrashwalker) called them out for slashing unused purses. Instead of directly referencing her clip where she says it is done for tax purposes, Coach put out a statement stating “we have now ceased destroying in-store returns of damaged and unsaleable goods…” citing their commitment to sustainability. However, it’s now 4 years later, and we’re still seeing the slashing, so did they really stop it? TikTok viewers weigh in. 

    “What a waste. If it doesn’t get sold it should go to employees and homeless,” one viewer wrote.

    Another commented, “I don’t get it, why throw it away??? Just donate it!” 

    Some call out Coach’s agenda: “But yet Coach claiming they recycle damaged bags,” while another said, “They charge so much but then cut them up and throw them out??? Ridiculous.”

    Dumpster diving woes

    In reality, Ella has actually scored lots of times–and handsomely too. Within her 194 videos of her dumpster diving playlist on TikTok, she shows her hauls from T.J. Maxx, Nike, and Ulta, to name a few. Each time is a surprise with goodies you wouldn’t ever think would be thrown away. That doesn’t mean the hobby always goes smoothly, however. In one story the Mary Sue covered, one dumpster diver had the cops called on her.

    The Mary Sue reached out to Ella via email and Coach via website contact form.

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

    Image of Gisselle Hernandez

    Gisselle Hernandez

    Gisselle Hernandez-Gomez is a contributing reporter to the Mary Sue. Her work has appeared in the Daily Dot, Business Insider, Fodor’s Travel and more. You can follow her on X at @GisselleHern. You can email her at [email protected].

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    Gisselle Hernandez

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  • OpenAI will reportedly release a TikTok-like social app alongside Sora 2

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    In a development that should surprise no one, OpenAI is preparing to release a standalone social app powered by its upcoming Sora 2 video model, Wired reports. The app reportedly “closely resembles” TikTok, with a vertical video feed and swipe-to-scroll navigation. The catch? It will only feature AI-generated content; there’s apparently no option for the user to upload photos or videos from their phone’s camera roll.

    Wired adds OpenAI will limit Sora 2 to generating clips that are 10 seconds long or shorter for use inside of the app. It’s unclear what the model’s limit will be outside of the app. TikTok, following an original limit of 15 seconds, allows people to upload clips that are up to . The new app is also said to include an identity verification tool. Should a user take advantage of the feature, Sora 2 will be able to use their likeness in videos it generates. In turn, that means other people will be able to tag those users and use their likeness when they go to remix one of their videos. As a safety precaution, OpenAI will push a notification to users whenever their likeness is used by someone else, even in situations where someone makes a video but never posts it to the app’s feed.

    According to Wired, the software will refuse to generate some videos due to copyright restrictions. However, it’s not clear just how robust these protections will be, with OpenAI will require rights holders to opt out of their content appearing in videos Sora 2 generates.

    As for why OpenAI would release a social media app, Wired suggests the company saw an opportunity after President Trump repeatedly extended the deadline for ByteDance to bring . By adding a social component to Sora, OpenAI may also be hoping to dissuade people from trying other models since leaving its new app would mean abandoning whatever community forms around it.

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    Igor Bonifacic

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  • OpenAI Is Preparing to Launch a Social App for AI-Generated Videos

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    OpenAI is preparing to launch a stand-alone app for its video generation AI model Sora 2, WIRED has learned. The app, which features a vertical video feed with swipe-to-scroll navigation, appears to closely resemble TikTok—except all of the content is AI-generated. There’s a For You–style page powered by a recommendation algorithm. On the right side of the feed, a menu bar gives users the option to like, comment, or remix a video.

    Users can create videoclips up to 10 seconds long using OpenAI’s next-generation video model, according to documents viewed by WIRED. There is no option to upload photos or videos from a user’s camera roll or other apps.

    The Sora 2 App has an identity verification feature that allows users to confirm their likeness. If a user has verified their identity, they can use their likeness in videos. Other users can also tag them and use their likeness in clips. For example, someone could generate a video of themselves riding a roller coaster at a theme park with a friend. Users will get a notification whenever their likeness is used—even if the clip remains in draft form and is never posted, sources say.

    OpenAI launched the app internally last week. So far, it’s received overwhelmingly positive feedback from employees, according to documents viewed by WIRED. Employees have been using the tool so frequently that some managers have joked it could become a drain on productivity.

    OpenAI declined to comment.

    OpenAI appears to be betting that the Sora 2 app will let people interact with AI-generated video in a way that fundamentally changes their experience of the technology—similar to how ChatGPT helped users realize the potential of AI-generated text. Internally, sources say, there’s also a feeling that President Trump’s on-again, off-again deal to sell TikTok’s US operations has given OpenAI a unique opportunity to launch a short-form video app—particularly one without close ties to China.

    OpenAI officially launched Sora in December of last year. Initially, people could only access it via a web page, but it was soon incorporated directly into the ChatGPT app. At the time, the model was among the most state-of-the-art AI video generators, though OpenAI noted it had some limitations. For example, it didn’t seem to fully understand physics and struggled to produce realistic action scenes, especially in longer clips.

    OpenAI’s Sora 2 app will compete with new AI video offerings from tech giants like Meta and Google. Last week, Meta introduced a new feed in its Meta AI app called Vibes, which is dedicated exclusively to creating and sharing short AI-generated videos. Earlier this month, Google announced that it was integrating a custom version of its latest video generation model, Veo 3, into YouTube.

    TikTok, on the other hand, has taken a more cautious approach to AI-generated content. The video app recently redefined its rules around what kind of AI-generated videos it allows on the platform. It now explicitly bans AI-generated content that’s “misleading about matters of public importance or harmful to individuals.”

    Oftentimes, the Sora 2 app refuses to generate videos due to copyright safeguards and other filters, sources say. OpenAI is currently fighting a series of lawsuits over alleged copyright infringements, including a high-profile case brought by The New York Times. The Times case centers on allegations that OpenAI trained its models on the paper’s copyrighted material.

    OpenAI is also facing mounting criticism over child safety issues. On Monday, the company released new parental controls, including the option for parents and teenagers to link their accounts. The company also said that it is working on an age-prediction tool that could automatically route users believed to be under the age of 18 to a more restricted version of ChatGPT that doesn’t allow for romantic interactions, among other things. It is not known what age restrictions might be incorporated into the Sora 2 app.

    This is an edition of the Model Behavior newsletter. Read previous newsletters here.

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    Zoë Schiffer, Louise Matsakis

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  • The conspiracy theorists who claim Kamala Harris really won in 2024

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    Election denial has lately come to be viewed as a feature of the political right, reflected by the lawsuits, conspiratorial documentaries, and “Stop the Steal” protests that followed Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election. But in the months since 2024, a similar—albeit much quieter—form of election denial has emerged in parts of the progressive left.

    These theories range from claims that Elon Musk used Starlink satellites to hack the election to a the quasi-mystical TikTok subculture known as the “4 A.M. Club,” whose members believe the timeline glitched and Kamala Harris won in a parallel reality. But the most prominent claims have been rooted in data-heavy spreadsheets and statistical jargon.

    One of the most popular of these theories suggests that a 2024 National Security Agency audit confirmed that Kamala Harris won the election, a claim which gained notoriety after it appeared in This Will Hold, an anonymously published Substack. The post alleges that one of the audit’s supposed participants, an ex-CIA officer named Adam Zarnowski, possessed insider information about a global cabal of corrupt actors, international criminals, foreign operatives, billionaires, and political insiders who conspired together to manipulate the election’s outcome.

    As The Atlantic recently reported, there is no independent verification of Zarnowski’s background beyond his own claims. A LinkedIn profile describes him as a “former CIA paramilitary operations officer” but provides no evidence that he is an expert in election security or statistics. Snopes has been unable to “independently verify Zarnowski’s employment with the CIA or his alleged involvement in [the] NSA audit.”

    The Election Truth Alliance (ETA), a self-described nonpartisan watchdog group, has used statistical models to push claims that Harris won the election. In Rockland County, New York, for example, Harris received fewer votes for president than incumbent Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) did for Senate. The ETA suggests that possible election tampering can be inferred from this discrepancy.

    But Charles Stewart, a political scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, points out that this apparent discrepancy isn’t unusual and can easily be explained. Stewart attributes Harris’ weaker performance to her unpopularity among the county’s Orthodox Jewish voters relative to Gillibrand, as well as the broader trend of voters skipping races or voting split-ticket.

    The organization’s claims go further. In a recent interview with the progressive commentator David Pakman, the ETA’s Nathan Taylor claimed that vote patterns in Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania illustrate a series of unusual relationships between candidate support and voter turnout. Using color-coded heat maps, Taylor asserts that his group has discovered statistical distortions similar to those seen in countries with a reputation for fraudulent election practices, such as Russia and Uganda. Using these maps, Taylor alleges that up to 190,000 votes cast in Pennsylvania may have been algorithmically shifted, which would be more than enough to flip the state.

    To lend credibility to these claims, the ETA circulated a working paper by the University of Michigan political scientist Walter Mebane that used statistical techniques to examine Pennsylvania’s 2024 election results. Mebane told The Atlantic that while he was aware the group had used his public methodology and data models, he had not reviewed their findings and did not endorse their conclusions. 

    To this day, no court case or credible audit has validated any of these claims. Independent experts have repeatedly affirmed that the 2024 election, like the 2020 election before it, was secure and legitimate. Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told reporters in November 2024 that her office detected no threat that could “materially impact” the outcome, assuring everyone that “our election infrastructure has never been more secure” and that election officials were better prepared than ever to deliver a “safe, secure, free, and fair” process.

    Although this is hardly the first time that members of the left have questioned an election’s outcome, political scientist Justin Grimmer told The Atlantic that this behavior is also “strikingly similar” to that of those on the right who rejected the 2020 election results. “The most remarkable thing,” he added, “is the similarity in the analysis that we’re seeing from the bad claims made after 2020 and these similarly bad, really poorly set up claims from 2024.”

    David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research put it more bluntly, telling the magazine that these claims “ring as hollow and grifting as nearly identical claims made by those who profited off the Big Lie that Trump didn’t lose the 2020 election.”

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    Jacob R. Swartz

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  • Donald Trump’s TikTok Deal Looks Like Crony Capitalism

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    Donald Trump is a compulsive issuer of executive orders: since January, there have been more than two hundred of them. Some are glorified press releases; others are more significant. “Saving TikTok While Protecting National Security” falls decidedly into the second category. Signed last week, on the same day that the Department of Justice indicted James Comey, it is designed to facilitate the transfer of a social-media platform with a hundred and seventy million American users to a consortium that features several of the President’s political and financial benefactors. According to news reports, the potential investors in the TikTok deal include two conservative billionaires—Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle, and Rupert Murdoch, the proprietor of Fox News—and two investment firms with ties to the Administration: Susquehanna, which already owns a stake in TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance; and Andreessen Horowitz. Also said to be involved is MGX, an investment fund backed by the government of the United Arab Emirates that recently deposited two billion dollars into crypto assets created by World Liberty Financial, a company that the Trump family controls.

    Perhaps the timing of these developments was coincidental, but it didn’t appear that way. Indicting Comey and bringing the U.S. arm of TikTok into the MAGA fold seem like part of the same grand project to concentrate media power in Trump’s hands, or the hands of his allies, and to rout his perceived enemies. To be sure, the executive order was signed days after Disney pushed back against the White House’s pressure campaign and restored Jimmy Kimmel to the air after a brief suspension. But, in today’s media ecosystem, late-night comics on network television don’t have anything comparable to the reach of a social-media behemoth such as TikTok.

    The campaign to force TikTok to divest its U.S. operations started out as a bipartisan initiative driven by ill-defined concerns that the app represented a threat to national security. Trump, toward the end of his first term, issued an executive order to ban the social-media platform on these grounds, but the courts struck it down. When Joe Biden was in the White House, he formally rescinded Trump’s ban but demanded a divestment. In 2024, Congress passed a bill, with support from both parties, that mandated a sale or closure of the app by January of this year. While campaigning for reëlection, Trump used TikTok to reach out to younger voters and had a change of heart about banning it. Since coming to office, he has disregarded the language of 2024 legislation and postponed the deadline for a sale four times. The deal he has finally come up with to resolve the impasse warrants inspection from every angle.

    When a major company decides or is legally obliged to dispose of one of its big subsidiaries, it would normally engage an investment bank to find a buyer or buyers. This intermediary would then obtain financial and operational information about the business and pass it on to potential bidders, with the goal of starting an auction and commanding as high a price as possible. Organizing an initial public offering of stock in the subsidiary would be another option. In this case, the law requiring a divestment and the involvement of the Chinese government complicated things. But we know precious little about how the potential sale was arranged, whether any financial intermediaries were involved, or how the Ellison consortium was selected.

    We do know, partly because Trump said so earlier this year, that at least four groups expressed interest in bidding. They included a cadre led by the billionaire Frank McCourt, who formerly owned the Los Angeles Dodgers. In June, McCourt told the “CBS Mornings” show that he and his associates had informed Vice-President J. D. Vance’s office that they were “ready, willing, and able to buy the platform.” Other potential buyers reportedly included Amazon, the A.I. firm Perplexity, and a coalition led by Tim Stokely, the founder of OnlyFans. The executive order that Trump signed doesn’t say what happened with the other suitors, or how the winning consortium was put together. It merely notes that Vance led an interagency process that determined that the proposed deal amounted to a “qualified divestiture” under the 2024 legislation. This interagency process involved not only Vance’s office but the National Security Council, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Department of the Treasury, the Justice Department, the Department of Commerce, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

    Last week, Trump said the owners of the U.S. operations of TikTok would be “American investors, American companies, great ones, great investors.” He didn’t mention the investment firm MGX, which is backed by the Emirati government and run by Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed al-Nahyan, an Emirati royal who is also the monarchy’s national-security adviser. When MGX bought two billion dollars’ worth of stablecoins issued by World Liberty Financial earlier this year, the purchase established the Trump company as a major player in the crypto world. And, as the Times reported earlier this month, the move came as the U.A.E. was trying to buy thousands of advanced microchips designed by the U.S. firm Nvidia. The Trump Administration subsequently approved the purchase of the chips.

    How did MGX pop up in the TikTok transaction? That’s another open question, as is the issue of whether the potential buyers are getting a sweetheart deal. Last week, Vance said the deal would value TikTok’s U.S. operations at fourteen billion dollars. That is a lot lower than previous estimates of its worth, which ranged as high as fifty billion dollars. It “could be the most undervalued tech acquisition of the decade,” Ashwin Binwani, the founder of an eponymous investment firm, told Bloomberg last week. However, another report from Bloomberg provided a possible explanation for the low valuation: even after the divestiture deal goes through, ByteDance will continue to receive about half of the profits that TikTok generates in the United States even though its ownership stake will be reduced to twenty per cent.

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    John Cassidy

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  • Owners get lonely cat a kitten, plan hilariously backfires

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    Worried that their cat felt lonely, a couple decided to get a kitten to keep her company, but it didn’t exactly go as they planned. 

    In a viral TikTok video shared in August by @toothlessandfeather, the tabby tuxedo observes the new black kitten from a short distance away, with nothing but disdain in her eyes. “Thinking our cat was lonely and deciding to get a kitten. She hates him,” reads layover text in the clip.  

    The poster reassures their followers in the caption: “Jokes jokes. They get along great now. But yeah, Feather misses the days of being the baby of the family.” 

    While some cats love being only pets and aren’t very open to sharing their space, others thrive in the company of another feline. 

    But how do you know which one applies to your fur-baby? If your cat needs a companion, they will show signs, according to Pet MD experts. 

    These signs include excessive clinginess, changes in their eating and sleeping habits, unusually destructive behavior, litter-box issues, and a shift in overall energy. 

    If you do decide to ultimately get your cat a kitten, ensure that you introduce them the right way. Their introduction needs to be slow and gradual, starting with scent exposure before going on to supervised meetings. 

    Keep interactions short and positive, letting the older cat set the pace. Provide duplicate resources (litter boxes, beds, food bowls) throughout the home to reduce competition and territorial tension.  

    It is very important that you don’t force contact and you do allow the cats to approach or retreat as they wish. You can read more about introducing kittens to cats here.  

    Loading tiktok content…

    The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received over 707,000 views and more than 149,000 likes on the platform. 

    One user, Jes, commented: “We thought our cat was lonely, so we got another. she barely tolerated her, at best. the second cat was desperate for affection from the first cat and was definitely lonely. so, of course, we had to get a third cat for the second and now they’re best friends.” 

    Zenna said: “Even hate is enrichment. I swear some of these cats enjoy having beef, but it will probably get better!” 

    Allison wrote: “She might come around! It took my girl cat a minute but now they lovingly tolerate each other all these years later.” 

    Newsweek reached out to @toothlessandfeather for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.   

    Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup. 

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  • Minnesota father-daughter duo popular on TikTok optimistic about app’s future following latest deal

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    In the world of TikTok, there’s laughter and a sense of community for a Minnesota father-daughter duo with close to 3 million followers combined.

    “I’ve seen a lot of the discourse and everyone’s like ‘They’re just going to keep pushing it back forever.’ So, it is kind of cool we’re moving somewhere,” said Olive Mannella, of Anoka.

    Last winter, WCCO spoke with Olive and Frankie Mannella before the potential Jan. 19 ban. Back then, the two, who share unfiltered family content, were curious what this could mean.

    Now, after several extensions, President Trump took pen to paper on Thursday, signing an order titled, “Saving TikTok While Protecting National Security”.

    “I think most creators at this point, because it’s the third or fourth round of this, are just like ‘Eh, they’ll figure it out. It’s gonna happen.’ Moreso, what’s going to happen after the fact is the main discussion,” said Frankie Mannella, Olive’s father, with over half a million followers, and known for his acts as “Dadosaur”.

    The Mannellas say their algorithm is what makes the app special — hoping that doesn’t change.

    Under the new deal, the content recommendation algorithm that powers TikTok will now be retrained to run only on U.S. user data. American cloud computing firm Oracle will take over cybersecurity, addressing concerns about Chinese control of that data.

    “Something new often presents new opportunities,” Frankie Mannella said.

    Something the Mannellas say leaves them optimistic about an “unfiltered”, family-friendly future.

    “We’re really hoping we can continue building upon that community and connecting with people the way TikTok allows us to,” Olive Mannella said.

    A consortium of American investors, including Oracle, will have a stake in the new TikTok, according to the White House. (Oracle was cofounded by Larry Ellison, whose son David Ellison is the chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance, which is the parent company of CBS. The Ellison family owns a controlling interest in Paramount Skydance.)

    Frankie McLister

    Frankie McLister, originally from Middletown, Maryland, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

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  • ‘What I do when I’m at Texas Roadhouse’: Woman is ‘sick of arguing’ with her boyfriend about the right way to eat a baked potato. So she posts a video to settle the debate

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    It’s natural for a couple in a relationship to have different ways of doing things. It can be low-stakes stuff, like the right way to load a dishwasher. Or more significant, like the best parenting style to raise children. One couple’s seemingly harmless debate, however, had TikTokers divided after they revealed the boyfriend’s, er, unique way of eating a baked potato. 

    What happened at this Texas Roadhouse?

    After being “sick of arguing” with her boyfriend, TikToker @ohmothertucker took the debate to the platform. She wanted to let viewers decide whether her man’s way of eating potatoes was unhinged. The clip, which garnered over 2.7 million views, shows @ohmothertucker and her boyfriend at Texas Roadhouse. The clip starts with her eating her baked potato with a fork, scooping up the inside bits. You know, like a normal person. The second clip shows her boyfriend picking up the potato with his bare hand and taking a huge bite out of it like a taco. Potato bits fall out of his mouth as he looks at her.

    Needless to say, many were on @ohmothertucker’s side. 

    Viewers are horrified 

    Several of @ohmothertucker’s viewers were appalled at the boyfriend’s method. The consensus was that his way was definitely the wrong way to eat the starchy vegetable.

    “There’s not a wrong way but his is the wrong way,” the top comment with 48,000 likes read. Another wrote, “My initial reaction when I saw him eat that potato was ‘well not like that!’” 

    More viewers roasted the boyfriend, with one writing, “In 33 years of life, I have NEVER seen anyone eat a baked potato like this….”

    “I dunno if there’s necessarily a right way to eat a baked potato, but he just showed there’s at least one wrong way. It’s a potato, dude, not a taco!” yet a second user said. 

    Despite the TikToker liking all of the comments roasting her beau, she did concede in a comment, “He’s breaking the status quo and I respect him for it.” 

    To ensure folks knew she loved her man–weird potato eating skills and all–she posted a follow-up video addressing her viewers’ “cyberbullying.”

    “We love each other, I promise,” she captioned the clip. 

    @ohmothertucker I wish this were rage bait but unfortunately he’s serious #fyp #couple #texasroadhouse #relationship #poll ♬ This Is The Life Demo Hannah Montana – out of context hannah montana

    The Mary Sue reached out to the creator via TikTok direct message. 

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

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    Gisselle Hernandez

    Gisselle Hernandez-Gomez is a contributing reporter to the Mary Sue. Her work has appeared in the Daily Dot, Business Insider, Fodor’s Travel and more. You can follow her on X at @GisselleHern. You can email her at [email protected].

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