Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson might be a well-known reality star — but that doesn’t mean she’s been paid like one.
“I never had gotten all the money. I have never, ever received the Here Comes Honey Boo Boo money. I’ve never seen it,” Thompson, 19, claimed in an interview with People published on Saturday, May 24, alleging that she has received zero funds from her time starring on both reality TV shows Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Toddlers & Tiaras.
“Never ever even heard of it, if I’m being completely honest,” she added. “I don’t know what happened to it.”
This isn’t the first time money has been a contentious topic for Thompson, who rose to fame when she starred on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, which aired on TLC from 2012 to 2017. The series followed the child beauty pageant contestant and her family, including mom June “Mama June” Shannon — who stars in the WeTV spinoff series, Mama June: From Not to Hot. The show began airing in 2017, with season 7 set to premiere on May 30.
An April 2025 trailer for the upcoming season revealed Thompson and Shannon are still sparring over cash. The clip begins with June telling the group, “Even though we might be a dysfunctional family, the dysfunctionality works for our family.” In the next clip, Thompson is seen asking Shannon for the money she owes, as June hands her what appears to be a dry-erase board in the shape of a giant check.
“This isn’t a game,” Thompson tells the camera.
Growing up as a reality TV star hasn’t just impacted Thompson’s bank account. The former beauty pageant star said her time in front of the cameras has also impacted her own body image — for better and for worse.
“For the most part, I’m very confident in myself and what I wear. I’m kind of just like, ‘Who gives a damn?’” Thompson, 19, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting Lifetime’s new series I Was Honey Boo Boo. “A lot of people look at bigger girls and they’re like, ‘Oh, they’re not healthy.’ But I feel like healthy bodies come in all different shapes and sizes. I’m completely healthy. I may be a little bit bigger, but I’m completely healthy.”
Thompson — whose mom underwent a full body transformation, including a 2015 gastric sleeve — noted that the show contributed to her own issues surrounding body image and a sense of self..
“That was just mainly because my mom was going from not to hot,” Thompson explained to Us. “She was a bigger girl and I’ve always been a bigger girl myself too. And just to see my mom go from 300 pounds to 100 pounds was a shock to me just because it’s like, ‘Am I going to have to do that one day because I’m a bigger girl? [Are] people not going to love me until I get surgery or I’m this thin pretty little girl?’”
She continued, “So it was very hard on me, but after a while I noticed that either way my mom was still getting shown love, so I was like, I mean she’s still getting shown love.”
British influencer Saffron Barker claimed that her recent vacation in Las Vegas ended with a robbery.
“This holiday was a nightmare,” she captioned a YouTube video posted on Friday, May 22. “Emergency surgery, we got robbed and they stole EVERYTHING.”
Before Barker, 24, shared the footage from her and boyfriend Josh Miln’s ill-fated getaway, she issued a disclaimer.
“Before this vlog starts properly, I just want to let you know that this video is a little bit all over the place,” Barker wrote at the start of her video. “You’ll understand why as soon as it gets started because it, honestly, was just bad luck after [bad] luck. However, I still wanted to post it as you’ll see throughout the video [that] we tried to make the best out of a lot of bad situations, which I think we did a good job of.”
She added, “I’m very grateful to have had Josh with me throughout this whole thing because it made me realize how now matter what life throws at you, you have to find happiness within it.”
Barker and Miln, who turns 24 later this month, traveled from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in a hired car.
“I think [it] is going to be the most incredible thing. I mean, I have done that with my parents before,” she said. “Like the fact that I’m doing it with Josh, I just think it’s going to be the best thing ever. Something we are dying to do is a road trip around America.”
Before Miln joined the YouTube star in California, Barker was briefly hospitalized for an ear infection after undergoing root canal surgery. She was discharged ahead of his arrival. The pair then set off to Sin City, stopping for lunch at the legendary Peggy Sue’s diner.
“Little did we know, whilst we were having food in the diner, someone broke into our car and stole EVERYTHING,” Barker wrote in a caption.
Once Barker and Miln went back out to the Jeep SUV, they discovered that the back window had been smashed and all of their belongings were no longer stored inside.
“We walked outside, and the car was completely smashed in,” she recalled. “Obviously, this is a car that we had rented. And inside was every single thing, I feel, that I own. I mean, our passports, cards [and] the list could go on and on. I mean, I genuinely have nothing, like handbags. The only thing we brought into our restaurant was our phones.”
Barker added, “Although it’s really sad that we’ve lost all that money and all the things that we’ve worked really hard for … it’s also just the inconvenience now of we can’t even get home [and] we don’t even have cards to pay for anything.”
According to Barker, she and Miln don’t even have their IDs on them, which also caused an issue when they arrived at their hotel.
“They didn’t actually even want to let us into the hotel because they were like, ‘But you don’t have a physical ID, even though I have my picture,’” Barker alleged. “That was a hassle, but at the same time, we keep saying how lucky we are that we could have been held at gunpoint [or] these people could have been following us.”
The hotel ultimately allowed Barker and Miln to check into their reserved room as they tried to figure out their next steps — including how to get back home.
“We were very naive because I’d never been there before,” Miln added, reflecting on the burglary. “You don’t really second-guess these things. We’re not really used to that way of life with expecting things to be taken for granted — like the safety of your things in a car. Looking back on it, we didn’t leave the car with things out in the spotlight. It just seems really bizarre.”
This year has already delivered some incredible films — but no season does a blockbuster quite like summer.
From Tom Cruise’s latest — and potentially final — addition to the Mission: Impossible franchise to Celine’s Song’s highly anticipated romantic comedy The Materialists, all genres are ripe for the picking for theatergoers as temperatures continue to rise.
“People call romances chick flicks,” Song told Time in May of her quest to bring respect back to romance films after her Oscar-nominated debut, Past Lives. “Of course it’s tied to misogyny. But when people say it’s not important, I ask, ‘Not as important as what?’ When you watch a movie, we don’t all know what it’s like to save the world. But we know what it’s like to fall in love. It’s the biggest drama in our lives. It’s vital, and we need to talk about it more.”
If staying home is more your speed, streaming services are also doling out A-list content. Consider John Cenaand Idris Elba’sHeads of State: The duo star, respectively, as the president of the United States and prime minister of the United Kingdom in this Prime Video buddy action comedy that follows the world leaders as are they are targeted by assassins.
“Once the movie starts, it doesn’t stop, and it starts with Air Force One getting destroyed,” Cena teased exclusively to Us Weekly in May of what to expect in the high-stakes flick. “We get to run the presidential beast through the paces in what is an epic car chase. I’m hung out of a bank vault from a 30-story building. We jump off a train, and that’s just getting warmed up.”
Keep scrolling for Us’ top summer movie recommendations of 2025:
‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’
Tom CruiseParamount
Release Date: May 23 (Theaters)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hannah Waddingham, Angela Bassett, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Hayley Atwell
Logline: Newton’s Third Law of Motion was wrong. For every action, there is not an equal and opposite reaction — not when it comes to seeing 62-year-old Tom Cruise’s stunt work for what could be the farewell entry in this popcorn mega-franchise. How the [bleep] does he do it? Hang off a biplane, deep-dive into a sunken submarine … as Ethan Hunt, he’s giving his considerable all to thwart the Entity, a rogue AI that’s threatening, you know, the world! The whole gang — Rhames, Pegg and Hayley Atwell — are back together for M: I-8, and we cannot wait!
‘Fountain of Youth’
Release Date: May 23 (Apple TV+)
Starring: John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Domhnall Gleeson, Eiza González
Logline: Two estranged siblings (Krasinski and Portman) join forces to seek the legendary Fountain of Youth, embarking on an epic adventure filled with historical clues and threats at every turn, where success could grant them immortality. Hold on — let Us grab our cups for a drink!
‘The Phoenician Scheme’
Release Date: May 30 (Theaters)
Starring: Benicio del Toro, Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera
Logline: “The story of a family and a family business,” reads the mysterious logline for the film, which stars del Toro as Zsa-zsa Korda, a “maverick in the fields of armaments and aviation” and “one of the richest men in Europe.”
‘From the World of John Wick: Ballerina’
Larry D. Horricks/Lionsgate
Release Date: June 6 (Theaters)
Starring: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus
Logline: We get a little facetime with Reeves as our previous titular hero, but assassin Eve (de Armas) steps in as the lead ass-kicker, who is trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization and sets out to seek revenge after her father’s death.
‘Deep Cover’
Release Date: June 12 (Theaters)
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Nick Mohammed
Logline: When an undercover cop (Bean) offers improv instructor Kat (Howard) the role of a lifetime, she recruits two of her students (Bloom and Mohammed) to infiltrate London’s gangland by impersonating dangerous criminals.
‘The Materialists’
A24
Release Date: June 13 (Theaters)
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans
Logline: A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker (Johnson) finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex. A love triangle with Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans? Lucky gal.
‘The Unholy Trinity’
Release Date: June 13 (Theaters)
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Samuel L. Jackson, Brandon Lessard, Veronica Ferres
Logline: The buried secrets of an 1870s Montana town spark violence when a young man returns to reclaim his legacy and is caught between a sheriff determined to maintain order and a mysterious stranger hell-bent on destroying it.
‘Echo Valley’
Release Date: June 13 (Apple TV+)
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Julianne Moore, Domhnall Gleeson, Kyle MacLachlan
Logline: After her estranged daughter (Sweeney) shows up on her doorstep covered in blood, Kate (Moore) pieces together the shocking truth of what happened and learns just how far a mother will go to try to save her child in this gripping tale of love, sacrifice and survival.
‘28 Years Later’
Release Date: June 20 (Theaters)
Starring: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes
Logline: There doesn’t seem to be a cure for the rage virus — in fact, the freakily fast-moving infected from 2002’s 28 Days Later haven’t even slowed down! Oh, and mutants have joined the ranks. Yikes!
Logline: “Hold on to your vaginas,” warns the overprotective doll-bot (Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) we met in the 2023 hit. Seems a new AI villain, Amelia (Sakhno), is on a rampage.
‘F1’
Release Date: June 27 (Theaters)
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Logline: Racing legend Sonny Hayes (Pitt) is coaxed out of retirement to lead a struggling Formula 1 team — and mentor a young hotshot driver — while chasing one more chance at glory.
‘Jurassic World Rebirth ‘
Release Date: July 2 (Theaters)
Starring: Scarlett Johnasson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali
Logline: Five years post–Jurassic World Dominion, an expedition braves isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough. Plus: Jonathan Bailey in glasses!
‘The Old Guard 2’
Release Date: July 2 (Netflix)
Starring: Charlize Theron, Uma Thurman, Henry Golding, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Logline: A follow up to the 2020 sci-fi adventure, Andy (Theron) leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. They grapple with the resurfacing of a long-lost immortal, complicating their mission to safeguard humanity.
‘Heads of State’
Prime Video
Release Date: July 2 (Prime Video)
Starring: John Cena, Idris Elba, Jack Quaid, Priyanka Chopra
Logline: The U.K. prime minister (Elba) and U.S. president (Cena) have a not-so-friendly and very public rivalry that jeopardizes their countries’ “special relationship.” But when they become the targets of a powerful and ruthless foreign adversary — who proves more than a match for the two leaders’ security forces — they are begrudgingly forced to rely on the only two people they can trust: each other.
‘Superman’
WARNER BROS
Release Date: July 11 (Theaters)
Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced
Logline: It’s a bird, it’s a plane — no, it’s a new Superman! Corenswet’s iteration of the iconic superhero must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice and the human way, he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned.
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’
Sony Pictures
Release Date: July 18 (Theaters)
Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Lola Tung, Tyriq Withers, Nicholas Alexander Chavez
Logline: Years after the Southport Massacre of 1997, the Fisherman is slashing teens again. (Isn’t his hook rusty?) Survivors Ray (Prinze Jr.) and Julie (Hewitt) return to assist new teenage miscreants.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’
Release Date: July 25 (Theaters)
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson
Logline: Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, the Silver Surfer (Garner).
‘Happy Gilmore 2’
Netflix
Release Date: July 25 (Netflix)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Ben Stiller, Margaret Qualley, Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce
Logline: It’s all in the hips! Sandler finally delivers a sequel to his 1996 golf comedy, with Kelce and Bad Bunny among the stars joining the silliness on the green.
‘The Naked Gun’
Paramount Pictures.
Release Date: August 1 (Theaters)
Starring: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Busta Rhymes
Logline: The dim-bulb cop of the 1980s and ’90s films and TV series has a son — who looks a lot like Liam Neeson! For Anderson, Baywatch is no longer her silliest role in this film that follows the one man who has the particular set of skills to lead a police squad and save the world.
‘Together’
Release Date: August 1 (Theaters)
Starring: Dave Franco, Alison Brie
Logline: Years into their relationship, Tim (Franco) and Millie (Brie) find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love and their flesh. Gross, but sign Us up!
‘Freakier Friday’
Disney
Release Date: August 8 (Theaters)
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chad Michael Murray, Mark Harmon, Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Logline: Make good (movie) choices! In this update of the 2003 comedy, Tess Coleman and daughter Anna are swept up into a bigger body swap — with Anna’s daughter and soon-to-be-stepdaughter (Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons). Nice for Us, Chad Michael Murray (even better with age!) and Anna’s garage band, Pink Slip, return.
‘Americana’
Sydney SweeneyUrsula Coyote/ Courtesy of Lionsgate
Release Date: August 22 (Theaters)
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Halsey, Paul Walter Hauser, Eric Dane
Logline: After an artifact falls onto the black market, a shy waitress with big dreams (Sweeney) teams up with a lovelorn military veteran (Walter Hauser) to gain possession of it, putting them in the crosshairs of a ruthless criminal working on behalf of a Western antiquities dealer.
Starring: Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz, Bad Bunny, Regina King, Liev Schreiber, Matt Smith
Logline: A burned-out former baseball player (Butler) unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined. The film is Butler’s best throwback project since The Bikeriders — or The Carrie Diaries, depending on preference.
According to late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, Fox & Friends desperately needs to update their celebrity rolodex.
During the Wednesday, May 21, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host alleged that the popular morning news show Fox & Friends attempted to book the late Kirstie Alley, who died in 2022, to speak about her former Cheers costar George Wendt, who died on Tuesday, May 20.
“This is an exclusive,” Kimmel, 57, said. “This is an e-mail I obtained from a source … This was sent from a talent booker at Fox & Friends yesterday to the people who represented Kirstie Alley. The names have been blurred to protect the stupid.”
The host then started to read the alleged email out loud for fans and viewers.
“We would love to have Kirstie Alley on tomorrow morning’s show, May 21st, to talk about George Wendt,” the alleged correspondence read. “It would be a 2-5 minute interview sometimes between 6-9 am ET. Please let me know if she’s available!”
Kimmel continued, “Sadly, Kirstie Alley is not available because she, too, passed away three years ago. Just like most of the viewers at Fox News.”
Us Weekly has reached out to a representative of Fox News for comment.
News broke in December 2022 that Allie died after a brief battle with cancer.
“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” Alley’s daughters, William “True” Stevenson and Lillie Stevenson, announced in a statement at the time. “She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead.”
“The family concluded: Our mother’s zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did.”
Years later, on Tuesday, Wendt’s family confirmed to Us that the beloved actor – best known for his role as Norm on Cheers – died. He was 76.
“Beloved actor and comedian, George Wendt, best known for starring in the NBC hit comedy Cheers, has passed away,” a rep for his family told Us in a statement. “George’s family confirmed the news of his death early Tuesday morning, announcing he died peacefully in his sleep while at home. George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever.”
Joe Jonas’ post-divorce solo album, Music for People Who Believe in Love, seeminglyhas the approval of his ex-wife, Sophie Turner.
“Go go @joejonas,” Turner, 29, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Saturday, May 24, sharing a Spotify link to the record.
Jonas, 35, released his second solo LP on Friday, May 23, featuring many songs about his new normal since he and Turner separated in 2023.
“It was scary at times, and also freeing,” Jonas told Billboard in August 2024 of his decision to write and sing about his private relationship. “I’m not trying to come for anyone on this album. I’m not trying to put stuff on blast. … I’m a happy person, and the music needed to resemble that — but also, the journey to get here.”
He added, “I was going through a lot of life changes, finding out who I was as a person and father and friend, and living under the microscope of what the music industry can be. And I think, at such a crazy time in my life, I looked to music as an outlet.”
Us Weekly confirmed in September 2023 that the Jonas Brothers singer filed for divorce from Turner after four years of marriage. They subsequently went toe-to-toe over custody arrangements of daughters Willa, 4, and Delphine, 2. (The kids have dual citizenship in the United States and Turner’s native England.)
“After a productive and successful mediation, we have agreed that the children will spend time equally in loving homes in both the U.S. and the U.K.,” the now-exes told Us in a joint statement at the time. “We look forward to being great coparents.”
While Jonas has remained relatively quiet about the breakup and resulting custody battle, Turner called the situation “incredibly sad” in a Harper’s Bazaar profile.
“We had a beautiful relationship, and it was hard,” she recalled last year. “I’m so happy to be back. It felt as if my life was on pause until I returned to England. I just never really feel like myself when I’m not in London, with my friends and family. I was away for so long — six years — and it was when my friends were getting engaged, and when I got pregnant. I went for dinner with someone the other day, and she said, ‘I never got to touch your belly.’ We didn’t have those key experiences with each other.”
Throughout most of their marriage, Turner lived with Jonas in both Los Angeles and Miami.
There’s a simple answer as to why so many pro golfers (and other wealthy celebs) live in the small Florida town of Jupiter: golf courses.
In fact, there are 16 golf courses within a 15-mile radius of the destination, both public and private, per Golf Digest. The variety of playing areas and Florida’s warm weather and no state income tax have drawn the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and more athletes to join Jupiter’s population of over 61,000 residents over the years.
Born in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, McIlroy, 36, has been a Florida native for many years. He purchased a home in Palm Beach Gardens but relocated to Jupiter in 2017. His current home — worth approximately $18 million, per Realtor.com — was previously owned by fellow golfer Ernie Els.
McIlroy’s home is located inside the gated community of Bear’s Club, which features its own eponymous private golf course. The club was founded by former pro golfer Jack Nicklaus in 1999.
“The club possesses a memorable collection of par-5 holes, anchored by the gorgeous home hole, which features an inspiring greensite,” the club’s website reads. “The long pear-shaped green is tucked into the elbow of a lake, leaving a generous bailout area to the right. Just beyond the water that guards the green sits the impressive stone facade of the grand Tuscan-style clubhouse.”
In addition to the nearby golf course, McIlroy’s house features amenities such as a home theater, tennis court, outdoor kitchen, recording studio, spa and pool, per Realtor.com. The residence sits on 2.4 acres and includes nine bedrooms and 10.5 bathrooms.
Earlier this month, McIlroy and his wife, Erica Stoll, finalized plans to move across the pond into their newly built mansion in Surrey, England, with their 4-year-old daughter, Poppy. Per The Telegraph, the couple will still retain their Florida home, which will serve as their “base” during the golf season.
Rory McIlroy’s Florida mansionPhoto via Mega Agency
Not only does fellow golf legend Woods, 49, live nearby McIlroy in Jupiter, but his approximately $60 million mansion is close to his girlfriend Vanessa Trump’s home, per Realtor.com. Woods purchased his grand home for $40 million back in 2006. His primary residence is fitted with his own golf studio and putting green.
McIlroy and Woods’ other Jupiter natives and golf stars include Rickie Fowler, who purchased his $14 waterfront mansion back in 2016. Golf Monthly previously pointed out that his home’s entrance features what looks like a replica of the August National Golf Club’s Magnolia Lane.
Fowler, 36, gave fans a glimpse at the front of his home back in June 2020, sharing an Instagram video of himself successfully shooting a trick shot.
Brooks Koepka also lives close-by in a $7 million home overlooking the Loxahatchee River. He reportedly purchased the house for a little over $3 million in 2018.
Golfers aside, several (possible golf-loving) celebrities have lived in Jupiter over the years, including Burt Reynolds, Alan Jackson, Michael Jordan, Olivia Newton-John and more. Célion Dion reportedly sold her $38.5 million beachfront Florida estate in 2017, while Serena Williams bought her Jupiter home for $8 million with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, in 2020.
Bachelor Nation star Tyler Cameron was born and raised in Jupiter. Earlier this year, he revealed that the house shown during his hometown date with Hannah Brown on The Bachelorette season 15 was not in fact his childhood home. “It was really beat-up and as [my mom] did all that work, the Bachelorette producers told us, ‘It’s too small. It’s not going to work,’” he shared in a March TikTok video.
Former President Joe Biden is spending time with his loved ones amid his recent cancer diagnosis.
Biden, 82, made a low-key appearance at grandson Hunter’s high school graduation on Friday, May 23. (Hunter and his sister, Natalie, are the two children of Joe’s late son, Beau Biden, and wife Hallie Olivere.)
“Proud Nana and Pop,” Joe’s wife, former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Friday, sharing a photo of their family.
In addition to Olivere, Hunter and Natalie, Joe and Jill, 73, were joined by their daughter, Ashley Biden. (Joe shared sons Hunter and Beau, as well as late daughter Naomi with first wife Neilia Hunter, who died in 1972.)
Courtesy of Ashley Biden/Instagram
Ashley, 43, also shared several photos of the Bidens at the ceremony via her Instagram Story, adding a heart sticker to the post.
Hunter’s graduation marks Joe’s first public outing since revealing that he had been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer.
“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” a Sunday, May 18, statement read. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.”
The statement continued, “While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management.”
At the time, Joe’s office revealed that he and his family were currently “reviewing treatment options with his physicians.” The former politician broke his silence on his health scare the following day.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” Joe wrote via Instagram on Monday, May 19. “Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.
Joe’s office confirmed earlier this month that a “small nodule” was found on his prostate during an annual physical exam.
Joe, a longtime senator, served as the Vice President during Barack Obama’s two-term presidency. He was later elected as the Commander in Chief in 2020, defeating incumbent Donald Trump. While Joe initially sought reelection, he ended his campaign and endorsed then-VP Kamala Harris more than 100 days before the election. (She was defeated by Trump last November.)
Throughout his political career, Joe has had his family by his side.
“He’ll pick up our calls no matter where he is,” Hunter’s daughter Naomi, now 31, told PBS in an August 2020 interview. “He’ll be onstage, giving a speech, and we’d call him and he’d be like, ‘What’s wrong?!’ He’s made sure that every single tradition, every holiday, we’re all together. I don’t think there’s been any decision, no matter how big or small, that we haven’t decided as a family.”
Jordon Hudson isn’t happy about that 2023 Bill Belichick video.
On Friday, May 23, Hudson fired off a tweet at the popular vacation rental service Airbnb, in reference to a video of a shirtless Belichick exiting a rental the pair reportedly shared in the summer of 2023.
“Hey @Airbnb – Quick question. How do you feel about Airbnb owners publicly distributing security footage and information about tenants / their stay?” Hudson wrote on X.
The original video showed Belichick as he departed the Airbnb early one morning. The footage made such an impact at the time that retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady brought up the infamous clip during his live Netflix roast in May 2024.
“Everybody asks me which ring is my favorite,” Brady, 47, said. “I used to say, ‘The next one.’ But now that I’m retired, my favorite Ring is the camera that caught Coach Belichick slinking out of that poor girl’s house at 6 a.m. a few months ago.”
Back in 2023, many believed Belichick was leaving Hudson’s home. On the Friday, May 23, episode of the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast, journalist Pablo Torre reportedly uncovered the real story behind the video — and even found a new one.
Torre, 39, managed to discover a separate Ring camera video of a “very shirtless” Belichick leaving the same home around the same time as the first video, which were both discovered to be taken in July 2023 when Belichick was still head coach of the New England Patriots.
Using a team of geo guessers, including social media personality Rainbolt, Torre was able to zero in on the exact location of the house in the video: an Airbnb in Winthrop, Massachusetts, roughly seven miles outside of Boston.
Torre then decided to visit the Airbnb and speak with its owners, who live above the property. “We saw the Ring video in the morning, not knowing who this was,” the female owner claimed. “But this is an older gentleman with a very young woman who checked in the night before.”
The pair initially thought Belichick might be a “relative or drug dealer” and noted Hudson didn’t spend a lot of time at the property. “As the week went on, we were thinking she was an escort or something,” the female owner said.
The owners also believe one of their friends might have leaked the security footage after they shared it. Torre made it clear that he does not believe the couple nor Hudson herself were responsible for giving the video of Belichick to the media. He also found a review Hudson left on Airbnb for the property to confirm it is the same one from the video.
In the winter, everyone says it’s too cold to run, and during the summer, it’s too hot. Spring brings thunderstorms and fall brings wind. Is there ever a good time to run outside?
Aside from the fluctuating temps, outdoor running comes with bugs, potholes, knee-busting concrete and unpredictable crowds. Plus, you can’t control your incline, skip the uphill battles or switch your walk to a scenic hike.
The key to staying fit year-round is to first, find something you enjoy and two, find something that’s sustainable. Outdoor running may not not check these boxes, but this bestselling runner’s treadmill does! Whether you’re a diehard marathoner or a beginner, this treadmill checks boxes you didn’t even know you had, making running fun, immersive and comfortable.
The Commercial 2450 Treadmill is NordicTrack’s fastest treadmill yet, reaching up to 14 miles per hour. It has a crystal-clear, 24-inch touchscreen powered by iFIT*, a program with over 10,000 workouts ranging from running and walking to hiking, yoga, HIIT and strength training. You’ll never get bored with fitness again!
Designed to mimic real road conditions, the treadmill platform can incline up to 12% and even decline, making you feel like you’re actually hiking the Badlands. SmartAdjust technology automatically adapts to the iFIT workout, so all you have to do is cruise! There’s even an ActivePulse feature that adapts the workout to your heart rate.
The cushioned, shock-absorbing deck is soft enough for comfort, yet firm enough for a real-road experience. To make the experience even more ‘luxurious,’ as one reviewer calls it, this treadmill has an automatic fan, Bluetooth connectivity, premium sound and streaming capabilities. Logging miles feels effortless when you’re immersed in The White Lotus!
If you want something similar with a slight twist, you’ll want to check out the other treadmills in the Commercial Treadmill Series. Each treadmill folds to maximize space, has a large touchscreen, is powered by iFIT and inclines and declines by the same amount, but the Commercial 1750 and Commercial 1250 have different screen sizes and maximum speed capabilities.
If you want the fun of outdoor jogging without the insects, or you want to stay in shape for those 5K fun runs, this treadmill has your name on it. According to reviewers, it’s worth every dollar!
“Combining it with iFIT and all of the personal trainers I feel like I have a membership to an expensive gym,” one customer wrote. “I can walk around the world with these trainers.” Dozens agree, calling this treadmill “excellent”, “easy to use” and “the ‘go to’ machine”.
Another titled their review “Highly Recommend for all Skills!” and shared: “From the moment I started using it, I could tell it was built for performance. . . the variety of pre-programmed sessions keeps my routine fresh and exciting. The cushioning is fantastic, making even longer runs feel comfortable on my joints. Plus, the option to connect to iFIT for virtual training and scenic routes is a huge bonus! Overall, this treadmill has exceeded my expectations and has become an essential part of my fitness routine!”
*Free iFIT account required for equipment activation; paid iFIT subscription & WiFi required to access full content & features. ActivePulse available with treadmills only and requires compatible heart rate monitor (sold separately).
Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships. We receive compensation when you click on a link and make a purchase. Learn more!
The penultimate episode of The Handmaid’s Taleoffered fans a glimpse ofTaylor Swift’s long-awaited Reputation (Taylor’s Version), prompting speculation that there were even more hidden Easter eggs onscreen.
Elisabeth Moss’ June led an army of Handmaids into a rebellion to a soundtrack of “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version)” during the Tuesday, May 20, episode. Fans quickly theorized that one of the shadowed figures exiting a truck behind them was Swift, 35, because the actor’s gait presumably mimicked the pop star’s own stage-worthy strut.
Amid fans’ fervent hopes for an unexpected Swift cameo amid her professional hiatus post-Eras Tour, Moss is clearing the air about the onscreen performer’s identity.
“Of course it’s not her,” Moss, 42, told TVLine in an interview published on Friday, May 23, joking that she found the fan theory to be “amazing” despite its inaccuracies.
“Oh my God, that’s hilarious. I love that idea, though,” Moss, who also directed the episode, told the outlet. “But this is one of the reasons we were so excited about this moment, just the fan engagement on Handmaid’s is so intense, and then marrying that with the Swifties is, like, ‘Jesus Christ.’ It’s so fun!”
According to Moss, Swift was likely too “busy” to play an unnamed, mysterious extra on the final season of TheHandmaid’s Tale.
“I’m afraid that’s not Taylor. She’s pretty busy,” Moss quipped. “I feel like if she was going to come do our show, we would’ve made sure we saw her face.”
Disney/Steve Wilkie
Many Swifties played into the speculation because Swift brought her Eras Tour to Toronto last fall, which aligned with the filming dates and locations of The Handmaid’s Tale finale.
“I’ll clear up that incredibly astute observation. A lot of us went to the Eras Tour in November in Toronto, which is partially why Taylor was very top of mind for me,” Moss said. “But also [her original version of] Reputation came out at … I think it was [during] season 4, and we were obsessed with that album on set, as a cast.”
She continued, “It’s been a long mutual love affair between her and a lot of our cast. I mean, Josh Charles was in her [‘Fortnight’] music video [and using her music] was something that I’ve wanted to do, well, from the beginning.I was going to say, ‘Since I’ve been a director,’ but from the beginning!”
Erika Goldring/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Former Bachelor Grant Ellis is weighing in on ex Jenn Tran’s viral TikTok reaction to a user claiming the franchise is in “shambles” because of the two of them.
“I think that everything has a beginning and everything has an end and I’m not saying that this is the end,” Grant, 31, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Wednesday, May 21, Bringing the Beach to Beverly Hills to Rebuild Malibu event. “I just think that especially with leads that are of a different ethnicity, it is a little bit partial judgment, which is fine.”
He continued, “But at the end of the day, Jenn was a success story. She found happiness. I’m a success story. I found my fiancé. So in my book, we’re winning.”
After Jenn, 27, sent Grant packing on season 21 of The Bachelorette in 2024, she accepted a proposal from Devin Strader. After production wrapped, Jenn revealed at the live After the Final Rose ceremony that he ended their engagement over the phone. Devin, 29, went on to release a 13-minute video filled with their text messages, which he has since issued an apology for.
Jenn TranDisney/John Fleenor
Grant, for his part, starred as the lead of The Bachelor season 29, where he got engaged to Juliana Pasquarosa in the finale. As his season aired, news broke that The Bachelorette would be skipping a season. Us understood that it was unlikely The Bachelorettewould return in 2025, with the reason for the show’s hiatus not revealed at the time.
As ABC rolled out several renewals and cancellations earlier this month, the network has yet to reveal the status of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette — while spinoff show Bachelor in Paradise will return for season 10. Golden Bachelor season 2 is also set to premiere later this year, starring former NFL playerMel Owens.
While reacting to a user claiming she and Grant were the reason behind the franchise’s uncertainty, Jenn said in a TikTok earlier this month, “No, no, no, you guys are looking at this all wrong.”
“I was actually such an amazing Bachelorette and my relationship ended in such success that they can simply never find anyone to replace me because my season will be forever ingrained in your little brains and you’re never going to get out of your heads,” she quipped. “Thank you.”
She captioned her post, “Say it with me, long live Jenn Tran the last Bachelorette to ever cry tears on ur TV.”
Grant, for his part, is enjoying spending time with Juliana, 29, post-show — even when the online conversation about their relationship can be “tough.”
Disney/Anne Marie Fox
“Whatever people have to say, they’re always going to talk. So just lead with love,” Grant told Us on Wednesday. “That’s what me and Jules do really well. So whatever people say, they don’t really know like that.”
As Grant and Juliana begin planning for their upcoming wedding, he showed his support for the Los Angeles community and pal JD Slajchert at the Bringing the Beach to Beverly Hills to Rebuild Malibu event.
“I think showing support for LA and showing support for the community is big, and to have somebody spearhead an event like this and kind of show me what LA is about,” he noted. “I’m from Houston. So it has been really important to do that and to give back. And that’s what this is all about and that’s what JD is all about. So it’s a really big thing for me.”
William, 42, and Kate, 43, along with their three children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 6 — reportedly welcomed a litter of puppies, according to The Sun.
The British outlet reported that the family’s cocker spaniel, Orla, gave birth to a handful of puppies and that the children were “very excited” about the family’s newest canine companions. Neither William, Kate nor the palace have publicly addressed the arrival of the new pets.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were initially gifted Orla by Kate’s brother, James Middleton, in 2021 after the death of their beloved pooch, Lupo.
“Very sadly last weekend our dear dog, Lupo, passed away,” William and Kate wrote via Instagram in November 2020. “He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much.”
Lupo was also a present from James, 38, who has multiple dogs of his own. Many of James’ pets, including late dog Ella, have helped him manage his mental health struggles.
“Nothing can ever prepare you for the loss of a dog. For those who have never had a dog, it might be hard to understand the loss,” James noted in his own Instagram tribute after Lupo’s death. “However, for those who have loved a dog know the truth: a dog is not just a pet; it is a member of the family, a best friend, a loyal companion, a teacher and a therapist.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton with their dog, Orla, at the Royal Charity Polo Cup in 2022.Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
He added, “There isn’t much of a rule book on how to grieve for a dog, but I’ve said a prayer, lit a candle and taken Ella (Mum) for a long walk to spend time remembering Lupo. Rest in peace, Lupo. Tilly and Mini will be waiting for you. You will always be remembered and your legacy will live on forever. Good Boy.”
Orla has since been able to provide William and Kate solace since Lupo’s passing. In October 2024, the couple even teased that she often sleeps in their bed.
“[William] said that his little dog sleeps on the bed with them at night, with him and Kate,” a royal fan told Hits Radio Cornwall in October 2024 after meeting the prince on a local walkabout.
Orla has also joined William and Kate, who is currently in remission after an undisclosed form of cancer, at numerous public events through the years like charity polo matches.
Gutierrez-Reed, 27, was released on Friday, May 23, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Corrections Department confirmed to NBC News. She was released in Arizona to a region near the Nevada and California borders with dual supervision under probation and parole authorities.
According to the police rep, Gutierrez-Reed will be on parole for one year.
Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in April 2024 after the accidental shooting death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
“My heart aches for the Hutchins family and friends. … Helena has been and always will be an inspiration to me. I understand she was taken too soon and I pray that you all find peace,” she said during her sentencing. “My heart goes out to the film industry for the devastating pain that this tragedy caused. …When I took on Rust, I was young and I was naive, but I took my job as seriously as I knew how to do. Despite not having proper time, resources and staffing, when things got tough, I just did my best to handle it.”
As a film armorer, Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for the firearms on the set of Rust. During production in October 2021, a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin was discharged and killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
Gutierrez-Reed was charged in January 2023 with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of tampering with evidence for allegedly handing off a bag of cocaine following her police interview after the shooting. She pleaded not guilty to both charges.
In the trial, Gutierrez-Reed was found not guilty of evidence tampering but guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Afterward, her attorney said that she planned to appeal her conviction.
A legal team representing Hutchins’ family — she is survived by her husband and young son — reacted in a statement to Us Weekly.
“Halyna’s parents and her sister have always wanted everyone who is responsible for Halyna’s death to be held accountable,” attorneys Gloria Allred and John Carpenter said in a statement to Us at the time. “Today was the first trial and conviction in the criminal justice process. We are satisfied that the jury, based on the evidence, found Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty beyond a reasonable doubt for her part in the taking of Halyna’s life.”
The statement concluded: “We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna’s death is required to face the legal consequences for their actions.”
“The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never,” Baldwin previously said in an ABC interview in December 2021. “I have no idea [how a bullet got in there]. Someone put a live bullet in a gun. A bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”
With notorious kidnap hoaxer Sherri Papini telling a different story in the upcoming Investigation Discovery documentary Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie, have those close to her come to a new understanding of what happened in 2016?
Papini, now 42, was out jogging near her Redding, California, home November 2 of that year when she seemingly vanished. The story caught media attention across the country, and the question “Where is Sherri?” gripped the nation. The answer didn’t arrive until 22 days later: Roughly 150 miles from Papini’s home, a motorist came across the mother of two walking in a parking lot. With a chain still around her waist, she was emaciated and marked by burns, bruises and even a brand on her right shoulder.
In the account she gave to authorities, two Hispanic women had kidnapped her at gunpoint. But not everything added up: Detectives found male DNA on her clothing that did not match her husband, Keith Papini. It was traced back to an ex-boyfriend, James Reyes. In an interview with investigators, he admitted she had been at his Costa Mesa, California, apartment for those three weeks, explaining that he thought he was helping her “run away” from an abusive marriage. Every bit of harm, he said, was inflicted at her request. “I didn’t kidnap her.”
Papini ultimately walked back her initial story of what happened, and in April 2022 she pled guilty to one count each of making false statements to a federal officer and mail fraud. She ultimately spent just under 11 months of an 18-month sentence in prison, getting out in 2023. She was also ordered to pay more than $300,000 for losses that were incurred during the extensive search for her.
In the ID show, Papini again changes her narrative, and in an explosive accusation, points to Reyes as her captor. While acknowledging they’d been having an emotional affair and that she had plans to meet him November 2, she says she didn’t leave with him of her own free will: “There was no consent. And he still did it. The injuries that occurred. The bites on my inner and outer thigh. The footprint on my back. The brand. The melting of my skin. I can’t do that myself, and I am telling you, there was no consent.”
Papini’s therapist, Dr. Stephen Diggs, who specializes in the treatment of personality disorder, says he believes her, and a new polygraph adds partial support to her allegations, but what about her inner circle? Keep scrolling for reactions from her mother, father and others close to her.
Parents Richard and Loretta Graeff
Sherri PappiniYouTube/Investigation Discovery
Papini has been living with her parents, and their once-distant relationship has become a close one. Yet asked point-blank, “Do you feel like you know today what happened with Sherri?” her father, Richard Graeff, simply says, “You’d have to ask Sherri.”
Her mother is more definitive, pointing to the Papinis’ troubled relationship: “When James showed up and Sherri went with him, it wasn’t a kidnapping,” Loretta Graeff says. “It was more, ‘I want to have a little bit of happiness in my life because it’s been very, very hard.’ And again, I understand this completely because I had two marriages before Richard — I know all too well about that. She needed to get away from [Keith]. And she didn’t abandon her children. She would never do that. But no, it wasn’t a kidnapping.”
Loretta doesn’t absolve Reyes of all guilt, noting, “If they’re saying she did this on her own accord, I don’t think anybody could ever believe that she could orchestrate this by herself. I mean, this is totally unimaginable. How do you take a branding iron and brand your own back?”
Interjected her father, “I don’t think it turned out the way she planned.”
Back when signing her plea agreement admitting to the hoax, a “deeply ashamed” Papini wrote that she was “sorry for the pain I’ve caused my family, my friends, all the good people who needlessly suffered.”
Keith’s sister, Suzanne Papini, is candid that she and her brother are not close — “I don’t know Keith very well as an adult” — and Sherri “felt like a sibling in a way that I hadn’t had before.” In fact, Suzanne took Sherri in at one point, and she’s visibly emotional when talking about her onetime sister-in-law. (Sherri and Keith divorced in May 2023.) “I don’t need to believe anyone to believe in them,” Suzanne says.
Regarding November 2, 2016, Suzanne staunchly supports the idea that Sherri was unaware what would happen that day. “I think that she thought that [she and James] were going to go on a daytime date. And he knew that she was going to be in that location because they were in communication,” Suzanne says. “But I saw her body. I saw her brokenness. She doesn’t have any sort of historical context of being into physically abusive sexual practices. And it’s also very problematic to me that if it were to be true that she orchestrated all of this, that even if she were to go to someone and say, “Hit me in the face” and “Drug me, starve me, burn me,” he’s never had to have a consequence?”
Reyes — who passed a polygraph during the investigation — was never charged with anything. In the new doc, an investigator briefly speaks with him in Nogales, Arizona, where Reyes says he’s been tending to his grandfather. Of the latest allegations, Reyes says he’s aware and “I’ll have to contact my lawyer in California.”
Papini’s older sister, Sheila Koester, supported her even after she recanted her initial story about being kidnapped. While Koester was not interviewed for Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie, she did speak out about the case in Hulu’s Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini, from 2024.
“I wish she would have made different choices. I think she wasn’t getting the attention that she wanted with being at home. I think she just really wanted to feel important — she always has,” Koester explained. “I would say because of the trauma that she and I experienced as children, Sherri sought out that positive love and attention. She would exaggerate a lot and wasn’t honest a lot.”
Sheila was asked whether she “still had love” for Sherri, to which she replied, “I don’t think that will ever go away. When you have a sibling, you always love them. I still don’t know why she chose to do what she did. I don’t think I will ever know why.”
The four-hour Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie airs on Investigation Discovery Monday, May 26, and Tuesday, May 27, at 9 pm ET. Episodes will also be available to stream on Max.
Memorial Day weekend is the perfect opportunity to refresh your fitness routine without breaking the bank. Why? There are deals galore on everything, including high-quality workout equipment, activewear and beyond from some of the biggest names in the industry. If you’re overwhelmed with just how much is out there, don’t worry. We narrowed things down with a list that features some of the best health and fitness discounts available — up to 60% off right now.
In addition to scoring cute exercise essentials and customizable gear, you can also save on supplements and nutritious meal plans, allowing you to invest in your health one bite at a time. Ready to take your fitness journey up a notch? Browse these Memorial Day sales happening now, starting as low as $8.
15 Memorial Day Health and Fitness Sales — Up to 60% Off
Katherine Legge is too busy breaking barriers to worry about what her haters have to say.
Legge, 44, will be behind the wheel of the e.l.f. Cosmetics No. 32 Chevy at the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 24. In March, Legge became the first woman driver in a NASCAR Cup series race since Danica Patrick retired in 2018.
In a sport that continues to be dominated by men, the British driver exclusively told Us Weekly that she’s not interested in fitting into any boxes.
“If you’re a certain way to somebody, that says more about them than it does about you,” she said. “As you get older, you just kind of accept it and you don’t care anymore. It’s not really my problem if if you think I’m wearing too much mascara.”
During her transition from IndyCar to NASCAR, Legge said not all of the other drivers on the circuit have been overly hospitable.
“Most of them don’t know me,” she explained. “It’s been a very mixed bag of who’s reached out, who’s been kind, who’s not been so kind. I don’t know, I think, maybe, it’s just the insecure ones that are not really nice.”
When it comes to the lack of women in motorsports, Legge explained that it’s simply because “it hasn’t happened successfully before.”
Katherine LeggeDaylon Barr Photography
“I think people are reluctant to see change,” she acknowledged. “But if I was out there winning all the time, then maybe people would be like, ‘OK, the girls can do it.’ I think you have to see it to believe it to a certain extent. Hopefully the more people that can break through that outer shell to be part of it and are tough enough to stick with it to learn and progress, then I think you’ll see times changing.”
While Legge admits to being at the forefront of that change, she said the burden of it is “not on my mind” as much as you might think.
“I just want to be the best race car driver I can be,” Legge explained. “I don’t care what the race car driver looks like. The car doesn’t know the difference.”
She continued, “I’m not immune to the responsibility because you do have a lot of young girls who come up to you at the racetrack who look up to you. So, you have that in the background. I want to honor that and I don’t want to play into the fact that I’m female. I want to do it the professional, proper way and be seen as a legit race car driver.”
“Kat’s Magic Helmet” CoverRed Racer Books
To further benefit her young fans, Legge recently published a children’s book called “Kat’s Magic Helmet.”
“I want it to inspire the next generation and it be the story of the things that I went through,” Legge said of the book. “I was really shy as a kid. I got bullied some of the time in racing and there was a whole underlying story I wanted to share to help the young people of tomorrow.”
“Kat’s Magic Helmet” is available now. The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ BetMGM 300 airs live Saturday, May 24 at 4:30 p.m. ET on The CW.
Each and every day, millions of shoppers turn on QVC hoping to find everything from skincare and jewelry to food and electronics — but what does it really take for the shopping network to pull off “the Olympics of live television?”
While the hosts in front of the camera make everything look easy, guests like fashion designer Stacy London know that there’s a whole group of people who make it all seamless.
“I would like to give credit to every producer on every set that I have ever been on, but QVC is the Olympics of live television,” London exclusively shared with Us Weekly as QVC celebrated the launch of its Q50 “Age Of Possibility” platform in Los Angeles on May 14. “There is nothing I have ever experienced like it, with people talking in your ear while you’re trying to be personable and sell things. It is a ton of work.”
Whether they are a program host, fashion designer or vendor, each QVC star Us chatted with couldn’t help but gush about the place they get to work at.
“The moment I wake up, I turn on QVC,” fashion designer Lawrence Zarian told Us. “Not only am I part of the family, I’m a huge fan. I watch. I listen. I take copious notes. I learn. I shop and buy a lot. I love it.”
Us decided to go straight to QVC’s biggest stars and ask some burning questions about the network.
Keep reading to get plenty of behind-the-scenes scoop about the shopping network that is nothing short of a big deal:
How Does One Prepare for a Jewelry Show?
Jennifer Miller.Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
Before presenting her lab-grown diamond and gemstone jewelry to viewers at home, Jennifer Miller makes sure her hands and fingers are camera-ready.
“I’ve discovered Westmore Beauty, which is a cover-up for any little spots on my hands,” she told Us. “Gel manicures help so my nails are always in tip-top shape without a chip. All these tricks and hacks are really important. You’ve got to be ready at any moment.”
According to Melissa Rivers, the team behind the Joan Rivers Classics Collection is always thinking of new looks and designs to keep the brand growing and succeeding after Joan’s death in 2014.
“I think we keep it updated and fresh,” Melissa said. “Same thing with age: You never want to get stale.”
What Is It Like Doing a Show Virtually?
Alina VillasanteMichael Tullberg/Getty Images
During the coronavirus pandemic, many vendors were forced to Zoom into the QVC studios and present their products. While many now come to the studios in Studio Park, Pennsylvania, many see the perks of filming from home.
“I change every time something new is presented,” Peace Love World fashion designer Alina Villasante shared with Us. “I go to the side — away from a camera — switch my clothes and I come back. What I love about [shooting remotely] is that I can show the customer how to wear my clothes or how I wear it and things she can do to make it better for herself or her body.”
For Kim Gravel, she treats remote programs as a one-woman show as she handles tech, lighting and everything else that comes up all by herself.
“I turn on my 5,000 diva ring lights and we stream on an iMac computer,” she said. “I never can find my earbuds, because my kids take everything. It’s so mom and pop in the most professional way. I think that’s the charm of it.”
What Is It Like Having Your Item as Today’s Special Value?
Jennie GarthMichael Tullberg/Getty Images
Every day starting at midnight, QVC introduces its best value of the day known as the Today’s Special Value. The person behind the item works around the clock to deliver multiple presentations throughout the day.
“There’s a La-Z-Boy in the green room and you can turn off all the lights and it’s complete darkness,” ME by Jennie Garth fashion designer Jennie Garth shared with Us about breaks in between shows. “You just train yourself. I’ve trained my whole life on sets to rest and go. When it’s showtime, it’s showtime.”
After the TSV wraps, Gravel said she needs a couple of days to rest and recharge before it’s back to business.
“It takes me about two days — and I’m 53, and I got some energy,” she said. “But it takes me about two days to recover.”
How Early Do Fashion Designers Prepare Their Collections?
Stacy LondonMichael Tullberg/Getty Images
The clothes and fashion accessories viewers see on TV for sale are usually planned months in advance.
“We usually have our collections done a year in advance, and part of that for me is making sure that I am not doing what’s on trend,” London explained about her B Stacy London line. “Because, frankly, I don’t believe in trends. I think that when women are 50 and over, they are quite capable of experimenting with trends or non trends, or what works for them in any way that they want. It doesn’t mean you’re not going to get trendy colors out of me or some silhouettes out of me, but I wanted to do something from QVC that felt specifically for how to dress casually in a more sophisticated way as a middle-aged person who is not a golden girl.”
Villasante confirmed the timeline, adding, “We go into planning and inspiration mode one year before. Three months after that, everything is pretty much designed and goes into the sourcing process.”
Are the QVC Testimonial Phone Calls Live and Unscripted?
Kim GravelCourtesy of Kim Gravel
From all accounts, nobody knows what will happen when a QVC shopper calls in on live TV. According to Gravel, the host and guest only know the person’s name and the state they are calling from.
“It is truly, authentically the customer calling in,” the Belle by Kim Gravel founder said. “And you never know what they’re gonna say. They never tell you in your ear, ‘She’s gonna ask you about this.’”
For Carla Rockmore — who recently launched her fashion brand, Carla Rockmore Collection — she looks forward to a viewer calling in.
“I love when somebody calls in because I get this interaction outside the studio,” she told Us. “I can hear what they may be interested in or what they want to see or a question I haven’t answered.”
What Is It Really Like to Work With the QVC Hosts?
Lawrence Zarian and Shawn KillingerCourtesy of Lawrence Zarian
Time and time again, QVC stars say they are asked on the street to share what it’s like working with their favorite hosts. Spoiler alert: They always have good things to say.
“[David Vebanable] is reliable. He is dependable. He is honest. He is true,”Sandra Lee told Us. “He is all the things you think he is and more.”
Zarian, who creates pieces for BEAUTIFUL by Lawrence Zarian, said every single host has taken time to “help me, guide me, direct me and pass on their tips/tricks/talents to get me up to speed.”
“The hosts work so hard and are so committed to their craft,” he added. “The extra time they spend with me is truly a gift. Before every one of my shows, I carve out time with the host so that we’re on the same page for the day.”
What Is It Like in the Kitchen?
Tara Tesher and Barbara CostelloCourtesy of Tara Tesher / Instagram
If there’s a cooking show, chances are Temp-tations founder Tara Tesher has a product available. “A three-hour show [of just Temp-tations] can be anything from 21 to 24 items and it has no breaks,” Tesher told Us. “I spend a lot of time before the show making sure I know what I’m doing, where I’m going, what kind of demos I’m doing. The rest just flows. You can’t script it. You roll with it.”
As for what happens to all of the food prepared for the shows, it’s always enjoyed by the QVC staff.
“There’s no limit on how much you can eat,” program host Monifa Days said. “I actually eat before the show because what happens is at the top of that four-hour show, if you’re hungry, you go in on that steak and you have three and half hours of eating food? It is very difficult.”
Fellow program host Terri Conn added, “Sometimes we have a table full of the leftovers that we either bring home to our family or we share with the crew.”
What Makes the QVC Models Special?
Jamie Finkenthal, Brenda Scott and Katia BiassouCourtesy of Jamie Finkenthal / Instagram
Behind every great fashion show are a group of women showcasing the shoes, pants, handbags and outfits available for sale.
“It’s about the attitude. It’s about the walk. It’s how they feel in the clothes, and that’s really what sets it apart,” Villasante shared with Us. “It’s not just the clothes. It’s the feeling and it’s something to make you feel beautiful.”
Zarian added, “Our QVC models are always loved, respected and celebrated. They are truly a big part of the history/tapestry of the company, each collection. When it comes to our one-hour live show, I personally work with our stylists and we bring my BEAUTIFUL pieces to life.”
Who Loves Working Together?
Shawn Killinger, Alberti Popaj, Dennis BassoCourtesy of Shawn Killinger / Instagram
When QVC program hosts look at their schedule of shows for the week, there are some guests they absolutely know will make a fantastic hour.
Days loves working with Denim & Company’s Gary Goben while host Leah Williams savors a beauty hour with Doris Dalton.
While Conn enjoys time with designer Isaac Mizrahi, host Mary DeAngelis promises every show with Gravel is going to be “fun and off the rails.”
Shawn Killinger said she loves working with Brandis Bradley, Harry Slatkin and Dennis Basso. “The things that man has told me in a 30-second commercial break before we come back live,” she teased. “He’s literally the best.”
Do QVC Hosts Really Shop at the Network?
Terri Conn, Leah Williams, Monifa Days and Mary DeAngelis.Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
Absolutely yes! While Williams swears by Supersmile teeth whitening and Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple cleanser, Days loves her Dyson vacuum and Vitamix blender.
Conn said the DynaTrap has saved her family from mosquito bites while DeAngelis can’t get enough of Dr. Denese’s hydroshield for her skin.
Killinger went so far as to list her most recent purchases, including Charles David shoes, Scrub Daddy sponges and Wen by Chaz Dean bronzing mist.
“Skeptics say, ‘Oh, you don’t own everything in your show,’” DeAngelis told Us. “I’ve been here for 17 years. You’d be surprised.”
Chantel Everett is “grateful” to be part of the 90 Day Fiancé universe, but she wishes people would stop asking about her boobs.
“Everybody seems to think that my boobs are fake,” Chantel, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her latest TLC venture, 90 Day: Hunt for Love. “That’s not probably the craziest [thing a fan has said], but that’s one that I want to address.”
Chantel declared, “The boobs are not fake. I would not get fake boobs this big. They’re real. God gave me these.”
She joked, “They’re a real pain in my back right now,” noting that she “didn’t choose” the size. Chantel explained that her literal back pain is one of the reasons she’s looking to make them smaller.
Courtesy of TLC
“It’s been on my mind a little bit lately, possibly getting a breast reduction,” Chantel shared. “Especially since I did get my birthmark removed, and I’m not so scared of plastic surgery anymore. [It’s] something I am considering.”
While Chantel is not 100 percent happy with her cup size, she is confident in her romantic life after getting divorced from Pedro Jimeno in 2022. “I’m so glad that my marriage is far behind me, honestly, and it’s taken me a long time to be able to get to the point where I’m actually grateful for this stage of life that I’m in,” Chantel told Us.
She added that this new sense of empowerment helped her be open to 90 Day: Hunt for Love, which premieres on Monday, May 26. On the new TLC series, eight 90 Day Fiancé favorites will be thrown together with new faces in Mexico for a shot at true love.
“I’m a completely different person now,” Chantel said of her headspace going into the dating show. “I feel like this is the better part of my dating life and of my love life.”
Courtesy of TLC
Fans were introduced to Chantel on season 4 of 90 Day Fiancé, where she met and fell in love with Pedro, 33, during her stay in the Dominican Republic. The couple got married in 2016 after Pedro moved to Chantel’s home state of Georgia.
Chantel and Pedro’s journey continued on 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? from 2017 to 2019. They later got their own spinoff, The Family Chantel, before separating in May 2022 after six years of marriage.
Now, Chantel is trying her hand at love again on 90 Day: Hunt for Love and she couldn’t be more excited for fans to see what transpired in Tulum.
“I wanted to join the show to challenge myself to get outside of my comfort zone and see if there really is someone who maybe I don’t expect is my type that I could fall in love with,” Chantel told Us. “In this era of my life, I’m trying to keep an open mind and not judge books by their cover anymore.”
With the new approach to dating, Chantel said she threw her typical type “out the window” in hopes of making a “genuine love connection.”
Chantel, however, played coy about the end result, saying, “I can’t tell you” what happened. “I have to keep it really close to the chest,” she teased.
90 Day: Hunt for Love premieres on TLC Monday, May 26, at 8 p.m. ET.
S.W.A.T., Found and FBI are among the shows that fans are mourning in 2025.
CBS put viewers through the wringer with S.W.A.T., which premiered in 2017 and aired six seasons before it was declared season 7 would be its last. The network ultimately reversed that decision and S.W.A.T.returned for season 8 but the celebration didn’t last long. CBS canceled the show for a second time in March.
Despite S.W.A.T. receiving a spinoff at Sony Pictures Television, things only got more complicated when Shemar Moore was the only cast member who returned. The spinoff made headlines for not including Jay Harrington, David Lim, Patrick St. Esprit, Anna Enger Ritch, Annie Ilonzeh and Niko Pepaj, who have remained tight-lipped about their future with the franchise.
Over at NBC, the shock came in May when the network pulled the plug on Lopez vs. Lopez, Night Court, Found, The Irrational and Suits LA. NBC has since renewed The Hunting Party and Brilliant Minds, but those are the only freshman shows that survived — in addition to Grosse Pointe Garden Society, which is still on the bubble.
NBC’s harsh cuts come after the network signed an 11-year deal with the NBA. This agreement, which is worth nearly $2.5 billion per year, means NBC will air up to 100 regular-season games, which affected the amount of original programming headed our way in the fall.
Keep scrolling for the most disappointing TV cancellations — so far — of 2025:
‘S.W.A.T.’
Bill Inoshita/Sony Pictures
While S.W.A.T. was canceled multiple times before its series finale in May, Sony Pictures Television developing a spinoff sounded promising. That reaction has been mixed with everyone — with the exception of Moore – not returning.
Moore defended being the only OG star on S.W.A.T. Exiles, explaining in a May Instagram video, “I’m not saying I’m Tom Brady, but I’m the Tom Brady of S.W.A.T. That’s not arrogant. That’s not ego. It’s a fact. I’m the quarterback. I’m Shemar Moore a.k.a Hondo. But I had a squad. A strong squad. A family. A team. And I would be remiss If I didn’t say out loud to the world and to them — because I know they’re watching this — I love you. I respect you. I appreciate you.”
‘The Equalizer’
CBS
Based on the original series of the same name, The Equalizer, which premiered in 2021, centered on Queen Latifah‘s character who used her mysterious background and extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn. Days before the show wrapped up its fifth season, CBS confirmed that The Equalizer was canceled.
The decision not to bring The Equalizer back came after fans questioned online why every Sunday shows on CBS — including Tracker and Watson — were pushed back. The answer is sports, since CBS is home to football broadcasts, but that has affected Tracker, Watson and The Equalizer’s airtime.
Viewers had questions about CBS canceling FBI: International after four seasons and FBI: Most Wanted after six season. But luckily there is still the OG FBI to look forward to— plus, the FBI spinoff CIA, which is coming in the fall.
‘The Conners’
Disney/Christopher Willard
The final season of the Roseanne spinoff just reminded Us how much we would miss the iconic fictional family.
‘9-1-1: Lone Star’
Kevin Estrada/FOX
While there is 9-1-1: Nashville to look forward to, viewers had to say goodbye to the first spinoff and it stung.
‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’
Pauline Chalamet, Alyah Chanelle Scott and Amrit KaurTina Thorpe/Max
HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls suffered a setback when Reneé Rapp left the series. The show was only able to release one scene without Rapp’s character, Leighton, before it was canceled in March.
‘Found’
Matt Miller/NBC
NBC canceling a show that let Shanola Hampton shine as a kidnapping survivor (while Mark-Paul Gosselaarplayed her unhinged captor) was already quite disappointing. It didn’t help that the news came days before the finale, which ended on some major cliffhangers.
After breaking records with its first two seasons, Netflix didn’t rush to renew Heartstopper after season 3 premiered in 2024. Instead, Netflix found a way to still properly conclude Nick and Charlie’s love story with a movie.
‘Hysteria!’
PEACOCK
Peacock found a spooky coming of age show in Hysteria!, which combined horror with humor. Unfortunately, Hysteria! was one of the many shows that would have benefited from a weekly release instead of dropping all episodes at once hoping the audience would be able to find it immediately. It became a one and done at Peacock alongside Teacup.
‘Based on a True Story’
Chris Messina as Nathan and Kaley Cuoco as Ava.Colleen Hayes/Peacock
Another Peacock series that didn’t find its audience was Based on a True Story. Despite being canceled after two seasons, there was something very entertaining about the show throwing things at the wall to see what sticks when it comes to Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina‘s characters solving murders thanks to a fictional serial killer played by Tom Bateman.
Britney Spearshas addressed the recent reports that she smoked a cigarette and drank alcohol while on an airplane.
“It’s actually incredibly funny. Some planes I’ve been on you can’t smoke mostly, but this one was different because the drinkholders were on [the] outside of the seat,” Spears, 43, wrote via Instagram on Friday, May 23, sharing footage of herself on a private jet that was taken the day before. “Confession: It was my first time drinking VODKA!!! I swear I felt so SMART!!! I was like, ‘Wow what the heck is in there.’ I felt so clear and smart, and said, ‘I want a cigarette so bad!!!’”
According to Spears, her friend subsequently put a cigarette in the singer’s mouth and “lit it up for [her].”
“I was like, ‘Oh, so this is a plane where you can smoke,’” the pop star explained in her social media post. “I do so apologize to anyone I offended, but the flight attendants always make sure I’m way at the back of plane anyways !!!”
News broke on Thursday, May 22, that Spears was allegedly seen drinking alcohol and smoking a cigarette while traveling on a private plane to Los Angeles from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. TMZ reported that flight attendants allegedly ordered the “Toxic” singer to put out the cigarette, which she did. When the plane landed, TMZ claimed Spears was met by authorities, who issued her a warning about her conduct.
“I thought officials greeted me as support and I was like, ‘WOW, I feel special!!!’ I’ve never been to an international airport,” Spears quipped via Instagram. “Am I famous or something??? The flight attendant called officials because I smoked a cigarette!!!”
She added, “And embarrass me, which, jeez, I thought was kinda much, but she didn’t like me the moment I got on the plane!! Nobody was on the plane for the first 20 minutes, and she wouldn’t let me get out of my seat. I wanted to stand up!!! She acted so weird about making sure I sat down, and it was weird!!!”
Spears also claimed that she “didn’t like the way” the currently unidentified flight attendant put the seatbelt on her and reportedly “invaded [her] space.”
“Oh well, you guys like my flower choker???” Spears concluded her social media upload, referring to her necklace and changing the subject. “B tiny is coming soon and that’s something we have added. It’s honestly adorable!!!”
Us Weekly reached out to LAX police for comment, while public charter operator JSX had no comment when reached by Us.
