Long before her marriage to Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker counted Robert Downey Jr. as her great love — but, unsurprisingly, their relationship was not an easy one. Two child stars moving in together at 18 after a few weeks of dating — what could possibly go wrong? Let’s find out …

How it Began

Both just 18 — they’re now 59, with birthdays 10 days apart — Parker and Downey Jr. met on the set of teen movie Firstborn way back in 1984.  Acting since childhood and well-known faces on the Brat Pack scene of the era, things got serious fast: they moved in together in Los Angeles after just a few weeks of dating.

How Long it Lasted

Parker was basically a saint: she stayed with Downey Jr., through his well-documented substance abuse issues, for seven whole years. While the romance included iconic 1980s outfits, great film roles and glamorous parties, it was also seven years of heartache, addiction, fear and stress, with the clean-living Sex and the City star telling the New Yorker in 2023 that the relationship made her “feel like a parent at the age off 22.”

How it Ended

The pair split in 1991, with Parker realizing she couldn’t help her charming and charismatic but deeply troubled love anymore. She moved back to New York, where she went on to date the late John F. Kennedy Jr. before settling down with Broderick a few years later, in 1997. This was around the time Downey Jr., who said he had been addicted to drugs since being given them by his father at the age of eight, hit rock bottom. He eventually served 12 months in prison after repeatedly missing court-ordered drug tests, but has now been sober since 2003 and has been married to Susan Downey since 2005.

Robert Downey Jr. Recreates Intimate Wedding Photo With Wife 18 Years Later

What They Said About Each Other

Both parties are probably grateful that their relationship pre-dated social media and the explosion of the internet in general, since we can only imagine the amount of discussion it would generate now, but when they were together, they regularly stepped out at red carpet events. Many years on from their split — and with Downey Jr. now maintaining a life of sobriety and enjoying major critical and commercial success in movies like Iron Man and Oppenheimer — she has spoken about their relationship in a number of interviews, and it’s clear it was a hugely challenging time for them both.

What They Say Now

As recently as 2023, Parker opened up to the New Yorker about the couple’s era-defining but doomed relationship. “People around him would be dismissive of me, but I had given him stability and tried to create a steady heartbeat that allowed him to show up on time,” she said. “That made me angry and embarrassed me.”

Why Sarah Jessica Parker Felt 'Angry' During Robert Downey Jr. Romance

In 2020, she told People that she thought the relationship had actually influenced her own parenting (she and Broderick share twin daughters Tabitha and Loretta and son James).  “Maybe it taught me a little bit about being a parent too, because the things that I ended up caring about, and the way I cared for Downey, were things that might be more suitable for a parent at a certain point,” she said.

Further back, in a podcast interview in 2016, Parker revealed that she had been constantly scared that Downey Jr. would die if she left him. Speaking on “WTF with Marc Maron,” she said: “You love this person, and you’re afraid they’re going to die if you aren’t there to shore up their base every single solitary day. … I just didn’t want him to die. The biggest, hardest choices about those kinds of relationships are feeling brave enough to leave, even if you think they’re going to die.”

Meanwhile, Downey Jr. told Parade magazine in 2008 that he had happy memories of their time together, despite everything they went through. “I liked to drink, and I had a drug problem, and that didn’t jibe with Sarah Jessica, because it is the furthest thing from what she is,” he said. “She provided me a home and understanding. She tried to help me. She was so miffed when I didn’t get my act together. Private stuff aside, we were able to spend some time together and it was really cool. I was in love with Sarah Jessica, and love clearly was not enough.”

Key Relationship Takeaways

The former couple actually met up in 2015 to get closure on their tumultuous relationship — and, by all accounts, it went well.

Speaking during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show in 2016, Downey Jr said: “You know, the funny thing too is you always have a perception of somebody that you spent a big chunk of your life with and I think it’s typical… that the further you get away from that in your new relationship, you sub-intentionally taint your perception of the person. Seeing her I was like, ‘She’s so great and so cool and so funny and so in command’. I got to meet her kids and I saw the way she and Matthew live and I respect both of them so much.”

Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick’s Son Shares Pics from Family Trip

Parker, too, also spoke to Stern about their reunion in 2016. “It was really nice. It was surprisingly not weird. Fundamentally, we’re sort of the same,” she said. “The difference is he has a family and a wife and obviously his career is a massive thing. But I think his true nature was completely familiar. I always felt very affectionate toward him, I thought it ended well in a way. I never didn’t care about his well-being and I never felt resentment or bitterness.”

Yup, despite everything they went through together, these two are now about as mature and measured as it gets, with incredible careers to be proud of too. What a journey.

Never mind Ross Geller; for a few episodes of Friends, it seemed like “Josh-ooh-ah!” might actually be the one for Rachel. In real life, though, Jennifer Aniston and Tate Donovan, who played her adorably oblivious curly-haired love interest during season four of the sitcom, were already breaking up. Let’s look back at Aniston’s relationship with the actor, now 61, who really seemed like he could be the one, just a few years before Brad Pitt was on the scene.

How it Began

In 1995, Friends was rapidly becoming the biggest TV show on the planet — but when Donovan was introduced to Aniston, now 55, via mutual friends, he had no idea who she was. “I’d never seen Friends!” he admitted in an interview with People.

Once Donovan — then a working actor before becoming a known name himself when The OC started in 2003 — had clocked that he was dealing with Jennifer Actual Aniston, he was reluctant to get into another high-profile romance following his four year relationship with Sandra Bullock. “Literally, our second date, there were video cameras everywhere, and I was like, ‘I’m out of here,'” he said.

A few weeks later, he changed his mind — well, she was Jennifer Actual Aniston, after all — and the pair started dating properly.

“On our first date, all we did was talk about our relationships,” Donovan told TV Guide in 1997, with Aniston adding: “We were like a mirror of each other.” There was one big difference, as Aniston said in the same interview: “I’m a New York City girl, and he’s a suburban Jersey boy.”

How Long it Lasted

The couple were an item for more than two years, and even moved in together, and even gave each other Irish commitment rings on their first anniversary in 1996.

8 Times Jennifer Aniston Has Rocked a Wedding Dress On-Screen: Photos!

Their biggest commitment? A dog! On their first Valentine’s Day together, Aniston went back to her Friends dressing room, expecting to find her boyfriend — but instead was met with an even cuter sight. “I opened the door, and this little puppy with a ribbon on poked his head out!” Aniston told People. The 9-week-old shepherd mix was named Enzo, and lifelong dog lover Aniston was obviously delighted.

Contrary to rumors, however, the couple were never engaged.

How it Ended

This is where things get awkward. In 1998, Donovan landed the role of Joshua in Friends — just as his real life relationship with Aniston was hitting the rocks.

“I’d been dating Jen for years, and I knew the cast,” he told The Independent in September 2024. “Every Friday night it was just like a ritual – I’d go over there and watch the taping, and it was always such a blast. Then Jen and I broke up, but we didn’t really tell anyone.”

Unfortunately for Donovan, that included the producers, who had come up with a great storyline for the pair. “I had mentioned to the producers that it’s always hilarious when Jen, who’s this gorgeous woman, is madly in love with somebody and the guy just doesn’t see it,” he said. “It cracked me up. I’d seen it when we first started dating – she did an episode where Rachel was on a date with a guy and the guy was just not into her, and she was falling all over herself. It works because that’s not really how she is in life, but she can act it so well. And so, the producers came to me and said, ‘Hey, we want you to do a five-episode arc where you guys are dating and you’re not really that into her.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, so you’re gonna do that thing.’ We were just breaking up and I, for some weird reason, thought that maybe working together would ease the breakup. Maybe we’d become friends quicker. I just wanted to go gently into the good night – we both did.”

Unsurprisingly, working together when they had literally just broken up was painful for all concerned. “It was very tough,” he said. “Everyone was so supportive, but it was hard. It’s like going to class when you’re in high school and you’ve broken up with the girl who you sat next to and… argh, it’s tough. But it makes you a pro – it’s like, OK, we got over it. Nobody knows; the audience isn’t gonna know; the audience is gonna think just the opposite. When I look back on it, I’m like, ‘Wow, good for you, man. That was pretty good’.”

Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry's Touching Quotes About Each Other

Donovan said that one cast member in particular was a great source of emotional support at the time — the late Matthew Perry. “He was such a champion of mine,” Donovan recalled. “He was so sweet. He was the only one who called me when me and Jen broke up. And we ran into each other throughout the years, and he was always so incredibly supportive. It meant so much to me because I was really heartbroken, and you don’t know how well you’re doing, and you’re just trying to survive at that point.”

Donovan also spoke about the experience in an interview with Us Weekly in 2018. “It was just six episodes,” he said. “I mean, only because we were breaking up. We were like, ‘Hey, can we not keep doing this? ‘Cause this is really painful and tough. The people that know that we dated think that we met on Friends. But in fact we had dated for two years before then, and it was over by the time we were on Friends together.”

Ultimately, though, the painful experience gave Donovan a lot of confidence in his career. “If you can go through a tough breakup, and still do your job, then you’re a pro,” he said. “It was good. It was really ultimately a great experience of how people can treat you really well, and you still do your job even though you’re sort of dying inside.”

In a 1999 interview with Rolling Stone, Aniston shot down rumors that her huge success had been a factor in their split – possibly sparked by their 1997 TV Guide chat in which Donovan remarked that she was “a lot wealthier” than him. “That wasn’t actually why we broke up,” she said. “Tate’s and my breakup had nothing to do with ego battles, wanting babies, not wanting marriage — all that stuff. None of it was accurate.”

What They Said About Each Other

In more recent years, Aniston has been pretty private about her relationships — but back in her twenties, she was much more open about her feelings. “He’s so real, so honest, so funny, so kind and considerate,” she told People in 1997, around the time the pair were house hunting together. “He’s all these things meshed into one perfect guy.”

In the same interview, the pair even hinted that they had marriage plans. “I definitely want to get married; she definitely wants to get married,” said Donovan. “There are no proposals or anything, not yet, but we definitely think about it.” Aniston was a little more coy, saying “You have to take your time to get to know someone.”

In TV Guide the same year, the pair were equally cute together. “She’s the most unbelievably great…actress!” said Donovan. “I was going to say, ‘thing that ever happened to me,’ but I was just trying to make it topical.” And when Aniston said she didn’t want to discuss their relationship, he quipped: “I’m more unabashedly in love with her, I guess!”

Jennifer Aniston ‘Believes She’ll Eventually Meet the Right Person’ While Thriving Solo

Aniston did, however, confirm that she was very happy with Donovan. “I like good guys,” she said. “Tate’s a good guy. I’ve been lucky that way. In high school I did go out with a guy who was mysterious and weird but would be nice when he was with me. I thought I’d be able to change him. And if you can be the one woman who can do that, how awesome are you? But it never happened.”

She added: “I’m definitely happy, I must say. Yeah, I’m the happiest now.”

What They Say Now

In his 2024 interview with The Independent, Donovan said he’s now — finally — able to watch those previously torturous episodes of Friends. “I was flipping through the channels at a hotel recently and I saw it, like, “Oh God, there’s Joshua.”,” he said. “I watched a bit of it and thought it was really good, and funny – for many years it was too painful for me to watch those scenes.”

And in an hilarious 2020 piece in Interview magazine, in which Aniston was grilled by Sandra Bullock, the pair talked about how they actually became friends via their mutual ex. “Introduced by our former boyfriend!” said Bullock. “I say ‘our’ because you and I both partook of this one human being.” Aniston confirmed: “Yes, we did. That’s a beautiful way of saying it. We both partook of Tate.” Bullock noted that the actor seemed to have a type: “Talented. Funny. Kind. Introspective. Generous.” Aniston added that the two superstar actresses were also both lovers of architecture and interior design.

'Friends' Cast's Dating Histories Through the Years

So, Aniston found a great friend via Donovan — but his main memory of the relationship is how insane Aniston’s fame was at the time, particularly when they traveled together. “English people in general are just obsessed with Friends,” he told The Independent in 2024. “It blows my mind. Jen and I dated for two years – when we went to England together, it was like being with a Beatle. We had to say we were having reservations at one restaurant and then go to another.”

Key Relationship Takeaways

More than five years her senior (he was 35 when they split; she was 29) and open about his dreams of getting married, it’s possible that Donovan was more ready to settle down than Aniston. So was he the one who got away, or the one before the one? Because the same year they broke up — 1998 — Aniston started dating Pitt, and we all know how that one ended.

Donovan, meanwhile, took a while longer to find love again, and this time followed his instinct to avoid another A-list relationship. He married writer Corinne Kingsbury in 2005, but they divorced three years later. He then wed Corry Scheuerman in 2015, and the pair are still together a decade on and have a family.

Over on Friends, Rachel and Joshua weren’t meant to be either — but in his 2018 Us interview, Donovan said he’s confident his alter-ego is enjoying life. “Joshua is happily married and has an 18 year-old-kid who is about to go to college,” he said. “He’s doing well. He’s doing good.”

After the Barbie vs Oppenheimer mania of 2023, 2024 had a lot to live up to in the movie stakes. And it hasn’t disappointed — but while big hitters like Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2 might have taken the box office by storm, they weren’t actually the most talked-about movies of the year.

Instead, Wicked and It Ends With Us have grabbed all the headlines — but, sometimes not for cinematic reasons. There is no denying that they were both big box office successes too — Wicked, in particular, which raked in a staggering $164.2 million worldwide in its opening weekend alone — but the behind the scenes drama also got Us talking.

But let’s not pretend we’re mad about it! Some of the funniest and most-shared memes of the year have come out of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s now-infamous press tour, along with a ton of fascinating speculation about what’s actually been going on between these two talented, kooky and very emotional actresses.

When journalist Tracy E. Gilchrist asked the pair a pretty innocuous question about people “holding space” to the lyrics of “Defying Gravity,” she had no idea that she was about to go wildly viral and, for a few days there, become the most famous junket reporter on the planet. And that incredible, baffling clip, along with some of the other gushing and tearful moments from the press tour, has brought Us so much joy that, well, we could cry. In fact, we kind of wish Ariana Grande was here to comfortingly tap our arms right now with her pointy nails.

@siennahubertross

Everyone deserves a chance to fly #arianagrande #wicked #comedy @caroline

♬ original sound – Sienna Hubert-Ross

The drama around It Ends With Us on the other (not so pointy) hand didn’t spark quite so much joy and delight. Instead, it focused on the rumored tension between the movie’s two big stars, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. What at first seemed like it might just be standard catty gossip rapidly gathered steam when Baldoni himself admitted in an interview with Elle that there had been “friction” on set — although he has also always been eager to emphasize that he respected Lively as an actress and creative force.

Inside Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's Intense ‘Creative Struggle’

One of the sticking points seemed to be that It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, was a serious movie about serious issues — in this case, domestic violence — but the publicity trail, fronted by Lively, was a little too many flowers and rainbows. (Lively later shared several resources for domestic violence via her social media accounts.) A few months on from the drama, which swirled all summer, it doesn’t seem like Lively and Baldoni have plans to sign up for the sequel anytime soon.

The last movie to generate this much whispering was Don’t Worry Darling, back in 2022 — remember when the world went crazy over Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde allegedly clashing, with it all very dramatically climaxing when it looked like Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine at Venice Film Festival? In the age of social media, when tiny moments can rapidly get dissected into huge, meme-worthy, viral events, actors have to be eternally on their guard in case they accidentally put a foot (or saliva globule) wrong.

Ariana Grande Jokes She and Cynthia Erivo Are 'Insufferable' on Press Tour

In some cases, it’s not always the stars of the movies themselves who grab the headlines; sometimes it’s who they’re associated with too. You’ve got to feel for 12-year-old Blue Ivy Carter, whose big moment on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King was totally overshadowed by the presence of her parents, Jay-Z and Beyoncé (and her grandmother Tina Knowles), just hours after the rapper had furiously denied rape allegations. In this case, Blue Ivy couldn’t win — if her dad hadn’t showed for her big night, he would arguably have stolen even more attention from his little girl.

While movies like Wicked and It Ends With Us would undoubtedly have been box office success stories even without all the extra juice flowing around them, their marketing departments must be secretly overjoyed by all this extra attention that they didn’t even have to pay for, whether it was calculated or not. Sure, it must’ve been pretty tiring to be manning the inbox and answering the phones in the It Ends With Us publicity department for a few weeks back there, but there’s a huge pay-off: getting talked-about is seriously lucrative!

Ariana Grande, Ethan Slater Share Sweet Moment on 'Wicked' Red Carpet

Since so far, 2025 looks like it’s going to be big on blockbuster reboots and sequels too, with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Jurassic World Rebirth both scheduled for release, along with live action remakes of Snow White and How To Train Your Dragon — two tales as old as time! — we have a feeling it could be another bumper year for endless press tours and behind-the-scenes intrigue too. But the beauty of pop culture is that you never know what’s coming: after all, a few months ago there’s no way we could have anticipated that Ariana Grande’s pointy nails and the words “holding space” would make for some of the most talked-about moments of the year.

A documentary about Luigi Mangione, the man suspected of shooting and killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, is already in the works, just days after the 26-year-old was charged with murder over Brian Thompson’s death.

Filmmaker Stephen Robert Morse, known for his work on another high-profile crime documentary, Netflix’s Amanda Knox, is developing the feature, which will examine the fatal shooting of Thompson in New York on December 4 and its aftermath.

“This case is complex and raises important questions about vigilantism, the devastating cost of a privatized healthcare system, and the inevitability of violence when peaceful change is seen as impossible,” Morse told Deadline on Monday, December 16. “My goal is to present a balanced exploration of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassination, showing all sides of the story while respecting the profound loss of life and its impact on everyone involved.”

The two-time Emmy-nominated British-American filmmaker added, “This documentary will be memed,” and said he was hoping to “foster a deeper understanding” of the case through the perspectives of everyone affected, including Mangione himself.

True Crime Cases Covered Multiple Times Within Months: Menendez Bros, More

The production team has already put out a call via Instagram for tips relating to the story from anyone familiar with the victim or suspect — or anyone with insight into privatized health insurance in the U.S..

Morse has signed up an impressive crew for the project, including cinematographer Matt Cianfrani, investigative journalist Hannah Ghorashi and filmmaker Eli Eisenstein, per Deadline. A rival project on the murder from Jigsaw Productions has also been announced.

Following a five-day search, Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania and charged with murder on December 9, after being found with a ghost gun similar to the one believed to be used by Thompson’s killer, along with a handwritten manifesto about the healthcare industry. He had undergone back surgery in recent years.

The suspect has hired attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo to represent him. In an unexpected coincidence, Friedman Agnifilo is married to another lawyer in the news: Marc Agnifilo, who is involved in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ case.

Every Celeb Who's Reacted to Suspected CEO Assassin Luigi Mangione

A spokesperson for Friedman Agnifilo’s firm, Agnifilo Intrater LLP, confirmed to Us Weekly that she was retained to represent Mangione in New York. Friedman Agnifilo will “not be making any statements at this time,” the spokesperson told Us.

Along with the murder charge, Mangione faces four additional charges, including one count of forging a document and criminally possessing a firearm. Mangione is currently being held at the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon in Pennsylvania.

Mangione’s story took a strange turn when photos of the suspected killer went viral, with a number of celebrities remarking on his looks, and social media personality Caroline Calloway even claiming that she had slept with him.

Lily Allen has revealed that she is struggling with her mental health and often forgets to eat.

The British singer and actress, 39, was speaking on the Monday, December 16, episode of the “Miss Me?” podcast she cohosts with her close friend, TV presenter Miquita Oliver, when she opened up about her ongoing mental health issues.

“I don’t think that I lie in therapy, but I do often not talk about things that I should be talking about,” said Allen. “It’s not intentional. So, like, for instance, you know I’ve been going through a tough time over the last few months and my eating has become a real issue.”

The mom of two, who is married to actor David Harbour, 49, said that her therapist questioned why it had taken so long to mention her issues with food. “It’s not because I have been lying about it,” said Allen, noting that she has been struggling with eating for around three years. “It’s just because it hasn’t seemed at the top of the list of the important things that I need to talk about.”

Lucy Hale and More Stars Who Have Battled Eating Disorders

Allen said that she wonders if her ADHD, which she talked about being diagnosed with in 2023, is a contributing factor. “I don’t link a lot of things,” she said. “My body and my brain are two very separate things to me, but I know a lot of people feel those two things are very connected to each other. With me, it’s very different, I spend a lot of time in my head and not a lot of time thinking about my body.”

She added: “I’m really not in a great place mentally at the moment. I’m not eating but I’m not hungry — I obviously am hungry but my body and my brain are so disconnected from each other that the messages of hunger are not going from my body to my brain. I’m not, like, avoiding food, I’m just not thinking about it … my body is, like, you know, a few steps behind me.”

Lily Allen and David Harbour Go on Christmas Safari

It’s not the first time Allen has spoken about her eating issues. Back in 2011, she revealed that she had suffered from bulimia. “A lot of people came up to me telling me how great I looked and I’d be on the cover of every magazine,” she said. “I thought I looked good and it was great to be able to try on clothes and feel a million dollars, but I wasn’t happy, I really wasn’t. I would love to be the skinniest, minniest person in the world but I can’t do that without being unhappy. I like food.”

If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Eating Disorders (NEDA) website or call their hotline at (800) 931-2237 to get help.

Selena Gomez’s engagement to Benny Blanco is the adorable gift that keeps on giving — and the producer has shared another glimpse of the romantic moment.

Blanco, 36, shared a brief video via Instagram and TikTok of his new fiancée clinking glasses with him to celebrate their happy milestone. The clip was soundtracked by a clip from her song “Good for You,” which features the lyric “I’m a marquise diamond” — the very jewel her ring finger is now adorned with.

The singer, 32, first announced the couple’s engagement via Instagram on Wednesday, December 11, when she shared a shot of her ring, captioned with the words, “Forever begins now.” The couple got together in June 2023, initially meeting years prior when Gomez first pivoted to making music as well as acting.

Blanco’s latest social posts also confirmed that the proposal took place on a soundstage styled as a park, complete with a Taco Bell picnic. The moment was seemingly professionally filmed, causing some fans to speculate that the whole event was sponsored by Gomez’s favorite fast food outlet — which the company denied.

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A post shared by benny blanco (@itsbennyblanco)

 

“We can hear the wedding bells now!” Taco Bell told Mashed in a statement. “We’re honored to play even the smallest of roles in their love story, and especially during such a memorable moment. Nothing says ‘I Do’ like a Mexican Pizza, here’s to a forever love!”

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco's Relationship Timeline

Taco Bell has had a strong presence in Gomez and Blanco’s relationship since the start, with Blanco previously showing a similar romantic gesture to his future wife before his proposal. “She also likes something so simple,” he told People earlier this year. “For Valentine’s Day, I got her Taco Bell, I made her movie theater nachos, I found her favorite pickles from Texas, and I deep-fried them for her.”

Last month, Gomez shared an image of Blanco via Instagram with the words, “Not only do you love me unconditionally… You always get me my Taco Bell Mexican pizza.”

Selena Gomez's Grandmother Adorably Reacts to Benny Blanco Engagement

Along with receiving well-wishes from their favorite chain, stars including Taylor Swift, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lily Collins, Gordon Ramsay, Paris Hilton, Cardi B and Gomez’s Only Murders in the Building costars Steve Martin and Martin Short have all shared in their excitement for the couple’s engagement. The twosome also celebrated the special moment with friends and loved ones, from Gomez’s BFF Raquelle Stevens to her grandparents.

If you’re a dedicated Swiftie, catching a glimpse of Travis Kelce is the next best thing to an encounter with Taylor Swift herself — so two fans were beside themselves with excitement when they shared a special moment with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end over the weekend.The Chiefs beat the Cleveland Browns away in Ohio on Sunday, December 15, so Kelce was in good spirits after the game. Rocking a festive green beanie and colorful Nike top, the star, 35, grinned and high-fived two fans clad in Eras Tour merch.

The girls were visibly overwhelmed and couldn’t believe their luck with one of them, Alyssa, sharing via X that they didn’t expect Kelce to acknowledge them at all.

“We asked nicely for a pic but he declined and he still came over to us which he obviously didn’t have to do, especially since we are browns fans but secretly rooting for travis hah,” she wrote.

Travis Kelce Jokes About 'Taylor Swift Effect' in Sweet Fan Interaction

 

Swift, who turned 35 on Friday, December 13, did not attend the game.

It was a busy weekend for Kelce. Before the game on Sunday, he attended the Chiefs Christmas party on Friday, hosted by owner Clark Hunt and his family. Hunt, 59, honored Kelce at the event, explaining his nomination for the 2024 Walter Peyton Man of the Year award, which will be presented at the NFL Honors Ceremony before the Super Bowl in February 2025.

Travis Kelce Looked Jolly at Chiefs Christmas Party in His Santa Hat

“He consistently uses his platform for good, so it is my honor to recognize Travis Kelce,” Hunt said in his speech, which his daughter Gracie shared via social media. “Since Travis came to Kansas City 12 years ago, he has established himself as one of the greatest to ever wear a Chiefs jersey — and one of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game.”

He added: “Travis has been equally impressive off the field. His 87 and Running Foundation has made a difference in so many lives of young people as it prepares them for success inside and outside the classroom. His partnership with Operation Breakthrough has provided thousands of meals to area families.”

Kelce joined his boss on stage, showing off another item from his extensive collection of headgear: a red Santa hat.

Despite her absence from the game, Swift hasn’t been lying particularly low after finally wrapping up the Eras Tour on December 8. On Thursday, December 12 — the day before her birthday — she made a surprise appearance at the Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, where she chatted with pediatric patients, posed for selfies, filmed videos and gifted Eras merch.

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Christina Applegate was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2021 — but the actress has revealed that she first noticed mysterious symptoms more than two years earlier, while shooting the pilot episode of Dead To Me.

The actress, 55, spoke about her experience on her podcast, Messy, which she cohosts with fellow actress and MS sufferer Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Applegate was in conversation with her close friend, Dead To Me creator Liz Feldman when she revealed that her symptoms first started appearing back in 2019 — but she dismissed them for quite some time before seeing medical help.

Applegate said that she unexpectedly fell while running across a field during a scene of Netflix’s award-nominated dark comedy-drama series — and now realizes it was an early sign of the autoimmune condition. “I remember falling that day,” she said. “Hi, first sign of MS!”

Feldman recalled the moment too. “I remember you losing your balance a couple of times but it was very hard to figure out,” she said. “I remember one time it was like really late at night, we’d been shooting probably 14 or 15 hours, it seemed completely reasonable that anybody would be collapsing.”

Christina Applegate: I Likely Won't ‘Work On-Camera Again’ Amid MS Battle

It wasn’t until 2021, while shooting the third and final season of Dead To Me, that Applegate was diagnosed after experiencing back problems, tingling and other symptoms. Feldman quickly assured the actress that her health took priority over the show. “There’s no handbook for this,” said Feldman. “I could just sense that A, she was scared and B, that something was wrong, something in her body was not working the way that she wanted it to. I told her so many times that it’s just a TV show; we’re making a TV show and it’s so silly, you know, at the end of the day!” She added: “I knew Christina well enough to know that something major had to be going on because she’s an extreme professional.”

The support Applegate received from Feldman and the rest of the Dead To Me cast and crew continued right up until the end of the show, with the producers adapting her scenes to make her more comfortable as her mobility deteriorated. “That would not happen anywhere else,” said Applegate. “So my gratitude towards you guys being humans — because you should be humans and love other humans! — is, like, I can’t even tell you, that’s not the normal reaction!”

Christina Applegate Says Her ‘Sick Sense of Humor’ Keeps Her Going

Since her diagnosis, Applegate has retired from acting, but hasn’t ruled over voiceover work. In an earlier episode of the Messy podcast, she shared with Sigler that she is in pain “every single day”.  “I lay in bed screaming,” she said. “Like, the sharp pains, the ache, the squeezing.”

Oh no, not again — where’s Kevin?! In scenes that will make all nostalgic ‘90s kids feel both seriously warm inside and seriously old, the McAllister family from Home Alone met up over the weekend for a reunion at a toy store — and it was their first time getting together in 30 years!

While Macaulay Culkin, who played abandoned Kevin in the classic 1990 Christmas movie, was conspicuous by his absence from the cute reunion, his onscreen siblings and cousins all met up at Pandora’s Box Toys & Collectibles in Lafayette, New Jersey, on Sunday, December 8, to pose for photos and meet and greet fans of the beloved festive franchise.

In images shared via Instagram, Devin Ratray, who played Kevin’s bullying older brother Buzz, Kristen Minter, who played cousin Heather, Michael Maronna, who appeared as brother Jeff, Angela Goethels, who was sister Linnie, and Jed Cohen, who played cousin Rod, are seen posing alongside a cardboard cutout of their eternally absent relative.

So, was Kevin partying up a storm at home and laying traps for criminals, or living his best life at the Plaza, a la Home Alone 2: Lost In New York? We’ll probably never know.

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Ratray, now 47, spoke in 2021 about how grateful he is to have appeared in such a well-loved movie (which actually had five sequels, though Culkin only appeared in the first two installments). “The film has become a legacy and has affected families now for more than one generation,” he told People. “Parents are showing children, children are showing grandchildren something that I was a part of. I don’t know what life has been like without Home Alone, since I just turned 13. I’ve come to realize that this movie, it’s bigger than me. It’s bigger than any actor’s ego. It has become part of indelible imprints in family — in their consciousness.”

‘Home Alone’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

Ratray also revealed that he and the rest of the McAllister clan had been planning a reunion for quite some time via a group chat. We’re glad to see it finally came off — even if we do now feel seriously ancient!

Last year, the two biggest stars from the movies, Culkin, 44, and his onscreen mother, Catherine O’Hara, also reunited on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to celebrate the unveiling of the former child actor’s new star, and both were emotional. “Home Alone was, is, and always will be a beloved global sensation,” said O’Hara, 70. “The reason families all over the world can’t let a year go without watching and loving Home Alone together is because of Macaulay Culkin.”

Getting to know your coworkers can be one of the most anxiety-inducing parts of starting a new job — but when Lisa Kudrow first joined Friends, her castmates made it surprisingly easy.

The actress, 61, landed the role of kooky Phoebe Buffay in the era-defining sitcom back in 1994, and was nervous about being accepted by both the cast and crew. However, in a Monday, December 9, interview with Dax Shepard on his “Armchair Expert” podcast, she said her costars worked hard at bonding and soon became as close as the iconic characters they were portraying.

“It was great, we really did get along,” she said. “We also worked really hard at being friends. That six-way relationship took some work and we did it.”

Kudrow said it helped that some of her costars were already expert communicators, citing Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc as the glue that held the tight-knit gang together by always talking things through to clear any tension.

Lisa Kudrow Reveals She’s Rewatching ‘Friends’ for Matthew Perry

“If someone said something or did something, it didn’t get too big, because it was, ‘Can I talk to you?’ — usually not me, because I had to learn to be, ‘Can I talk to you about something?’ because I never knew that was allowed!” she said. “But I saw it modeled really well by Courteney and Jennifer and Matt. Respectful communication.”

Kudrow also revealed on the podcast that when she first shot the pilot of the multiple award-winning sitcom, she was paranoid that director James Burrows didn’t actually want her character to work out. “One of the issues with the character was, how do we let the audience know why they’re friends with her, because she’s so different!” she recalled.

Ultimately, Phoebe was, of course, a huge hit, both on set with the cast and crew and with the show’s many millions of viewers — in fact, the show was a much bigger success than Kudrow could ever have imagined. “Here’s what a bad judge of whether a show’s going to be successful or not,” she laughed. “I was like, ‘It’s cute?’ I was just glad it was on NBC!”

How 'Friends' Cast Will Mark Finale’s Anniversary Without Matthew Perry

Kudrow added that she doesn’t mind talking about Friends as much as people inevitably want her to because she’s so “grateful” for the experience of being a pivotal part of one of the biggest shows in history.

In the interview, Kudrow also spoke briefly about the death of her beloved costar Matthew Perry in 2023. “This will sound odd. I’m more comforted that he was happy the day he died,” she admitted. “He got to die happy. And to me, that was a gift.”

Princess Kate Middleton has now been nominated as one of the contenders for Time magazine’s prestigious Person of the Year title.

Since 1927, Time has selected the person, group or concept to make the biggest impact — whether positive or negative — over the past 12 months. Despite last year’s winner Taylor Swift enjoying a stand-out year, as she took the Eras tour global, the singer is surprisingly absent from the 2024 shortlist. Instead, Princess Kate is nominated for the honor alongside nine global figures from the worlds of politics and business like billionaire businessman Elon Musk, podcaster Joe Rogan, Meta magnate Mark Zuckerberg and incoming president Donald Trump.

The shortlist was revealed on NBC’s Today show this morning — Monday, December 9 — with the winner due to be announced on Thursday.

Ironically, 2024 was a year in which Kate was supposed to be out of the spotlight. She began the year behind closed doors, fuelling speculation that she was unwell. Later in January, Kensington Palace announced that she had undergone “planned abdominal surgery” and would be away from the public eye until Easter. However, the princess addressed the world earlier than planned, in March, to shut down ongoing speculation about her health, announcing on camera that she had been diagnosed with cancer.

Reexamining Kate Middleton’s Whirlwind 2024

Since then, she, husband Prince William and their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, have appeared in public a number of times, most memorably in a moving video released in September to acknowledge the completion of the princess’s chemotherapy treatment. The family of five were filmed being affectionate and playful in nature on a beach in Norfolk, England.

The royal couple also appeared on video during the 2024 Olympics over the summer, wishing Team GB athletes well as they competed in Paris.

Kate Middleton Acknowledges Her Cancer Battle: An 'Unplanned' Year 

Since then, the princess has returned to many of her usual public duties, most recently stepping out on Friday, December 6, at the annual Christmas carol service at London’s Westminster Abbey, dressed in a festive red peacoat.

“I didn’t know this year was going to be the year that I’ve just had,” she told singer Paloma Faith at the event. “The unplanned. But, I think lots of people this year have had such challenging times.”

Kate has been widely praised for how she has handled her shocking diagnosis and raised awareness of how cancer can affect anyone.

She previously appeared on the Time100 list of Most Influential People in 2013, as well as being a runner-up for Person of the Year in 2011, the year that she married Prince William.

Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs faced ups and downs while building their successful hip-hop empires.

Running in similar industry circles since the ‘90s — when Diddy and Jay-Z launched Bad Boy Records and Roc-A-Fella Records, respectively, in New York City — the pair formed a friendly rivalry as their individual music careers took off.

Over the years, the music moguls joined forces, collaborating on several projects together and supporting one another away from the mic by praising one another publicly. Their connection came under scrutiny in late 2024, however, when Jay-Z was accused of rape in a civil lawsuit alongside Diddy. Per NBC News, the accuser — who remained anonymous and was referred to as “Jane Doe” — was 13 years old when the alleged incident occurred in 2000. (Jay-Z called out the “heinous” accusations in a December 2024 statement.)

Keep reading for a look back at Diddy and Jay-Z’s history through the years:

Jay-Z Accused of Raping a 13-Year-Old Girl With Diddy in 2000: Civil Lawsuit

1996

While Diddy was already a well-known music mogul, Jay-Z was finding success with his first album, Reasonable Doubt, which featured the late Biggie Smalls. The Notorious B.I.G was signed to Diddy’s label.

1997

Following the murder of their mutual friend Smalls, Diddy agreed to collaborate with Jay-Z on his second album, In My Lifetime, Vol 1. They also worked together on the track “Do You Like It, Do You Want It” from Diddy’s No Way Out album.

Years later, Diddy said that he saw Jay-Z filling the space that Smalls and the late Tupac Shakur had left behind.

1999

Jay-Z faced jail time for his role in the stabbing of Lance “Un” Rivera at the Kit Kat Club in New York. He received a three-year probation, and Rivera confirmed two decades later, “Jay-Z was not the guy who actually stabbed me that night.”

Diddy, meanwhile, received a three-year probation for fleeing the scene of a nightclub shooting near Times Square with Jennifer Lopez.

Both relieved to escape prison time, the two rappers bonded over their experience.

Early 2000s

Beyoncé Knowles, then 19, and Jay-Z, 33 at the time, began dating after forming a friendship. The couple and Diddy were often seen attending each other’s professional events and enthusing about their mutual success.

2003

Beyoncé, now a huge solo artist after Destiny’s Child disband, collaborated with Diddy on the song “Summertime.”

September 2005

Diddy and Jay-Z jointly donate $1 million to the Hurricane Katrina relief fund, presenting a huge check during a live telethon.

August 2007

Diddy and Jay-Z performed together at Screamfest, a touring hip-hop festival, and Diddy was filmed slapping Jay-Z twice on the butt.

June 2009

Photos of Diddy partying with Jay-Z and other friends from the music industry were featured at The Rock N Roll Of Hip Hop exhibition in Hollywood. Diddy spoke on camera about a picture showing the two men talking at one of his birthday parties. “I was telling him how much I appreciate him coming…” he said. “And how much I value our friendship. People see us as competitors and different icons in the hip hop game but that was just a moment of two black brothers telling each other how much they appreciate each other.”

Diddy’s ex Kim Porter, who died in 2018, added with a smile: “We call that picture a secret society, all we ask is trust!”

2010

Jay-Z and Diddy both topped Forbes’ list of wealthiest hip-hop artists, asserting their dominance in music and business. They publicly celebrated each other’s achievements and were featured high on the list for several years.

Diddy’s Celebrity Connections Over the Years: From Friends to Collaborators

August 2016

The pair partied with stars including Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Cassie at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in New York.

January 2020

Diddy and Jay-Z toasted their careers at a Black Billionaire brunch hosted by Roc Nation. “It’s 2020, y’all, and it is different than when it was 2016,” Diddy said at the event, with Jay-Z nodding along. “The game has been elevated. As you know, there has no expense been spared. We had a Black billionaire lunch year, understand, right? And, we’re here together in keeping staying together. We’re getting tighter, and united we stand.”

April 2022

The duo hung out together and posed for photos as they celebrated DJ Khaled being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

June 2022

Diddy received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 BET Awards, and Jay-Z appeared in the video montage paying tribute to his work in music. “Here’s this guy from a neighborhood similar to where I grown up that made it to these unreachable heights,” he said. “Puff was the first one that came through and made us feel like it was us.”

Diddy’s Ups and Downs Over the Years: Indictment, Home Raid and More

March 2024

As accusations mount up against Diddy, fellow hip-hop star 50 Cent shared a controversial Instagram image, joking that Jay-Z must be “missing” or “in hiding” because he hasn’t spoken out about Diddy. (Multiple men and women alleged they were sexually assaulted by Diddy, who was eventually arrested in September 2024 following a grand jury indictment. He has denied all claims.)

Diddy and 50 Cent’s History Explained: A Timeline of the Rappers' Feud

December 2024

Jay-Z was accused, alongside Diddy, of raping a 13-year-old after the 2000 MTV Music Video Awards. Jay-Z fiercely denied the claims, issuing a statement alleging he was being blackmailed. The accuser’s attorney, however, claimed she never “demanded a penny” from the rapper.

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the chest infection Queen Camilla has been battling for the past month was actually a form of pneumonia — but she’s now recovering well.

Due to post-viral symptoms, such as fatigue, Camilla, 77, has been forced to pull out of the outdoor elements of a two-day state visit to the UK from the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tanim bin Hamad Al-Thani and his wife Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani.

However, she was happily able to join King Charles and guests for lunch on Tuesday, December 3 at the Palace with the VIPs after the outdoor procession. She arrived at the event smiling and looking elegant but cosy in a navy blue coat.

Camilla told guests at the lunch event that she contracted the illness, previously described as a chest infection, after a long haul trip to Australia and Samoa, but thankfully avoided needing to be hospitalized.

Queen Camilla Cancels Public Appearances as She Battles Chest Infection

 

The royal household originally announced that Camilla needed to cancel several engagements on November 5, but said at the time that they were hoping she would be back in action within a few days. But her illness lingered on, and she was unable to attend events marking Remembrance Sunday the following weekend, along with the London premiere of Gladiator II that she had been scheduled to attend. She tentatively returned to some of her official duties on November 12, but has been avoiding spending unnecessary time outside in the damp and chilly British weather.

In happier royal health news, Princess Kate Middleton has been present at the Qatari state visit today (Tuesday, December 3), joining husband Prince William and father in law King Charles for the ceremonial welcome on Horse Guards Parade.

After the welcome event, the trio, along with the emir and his wife, traveled in a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace for the private lunch with Camilla and a special exhibition of the Royal Collection Trust. During the two-day visit, the VIPs will also enjoy a state banquet with the royals in the Buckingham Palace ballroom, a trip to the Houses of Parliament and a meeting at 10 Downing Street with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Kate Middleton Attends Remembrance Sunday Service With Prince William

When it comes to their health, it has been a very tough year for the Royal Family: as well as Kate’s cancer diagnosis and Camilla suffering from pneumonia, King Charles has also been receiving treatment for cancer.

Later this week, on Friday December 6, Kate is due to host one of her favorite events of the year: the annual Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey.

Adam Brody’s big, hot comeback has been one of the unexpected joys of 2024, with the actor appearing as the “cute rabbi” opposite Kristen Bell in Netflix hit Nobody Wants This — but, sadly for anyone who suddenly realized they never quite got over Seth Cohen, Brody is blissfully happy with wife Leighton Meester.

In an interview with British magazine Stylist published Tuesday, December 3, the O.C. alum, 44, spoke about how great his life is right now — complete with a beyond adorable festive photo shoot in which his wedding ring is extremely conspicuous.

“Despite the state of the world, I feel like I’m living my best life,” he said. “I have a beautiful, dreamy family life. I have a good work-life balance and get to spend a lot of time with my kids. I’m in that really great period of middle age where I’m old enough to have seniority and work security but also still have enough of my body to be active and do all the things I want to. I’m a lucky guy.”

The star also said that he and Gossip Girl veteran Meester, 38, love partying with friends over the holiday season. “I don’t do it a lot, but I’m a good host if I may say so myself,” he said. “It’s usually a blur because I’m running around and making sure everyone is having a good time. But if we’re going to someone else’s, I like to think I make for good conversation. My wife and I have a dynamic: I will be the one that gets us there on time, but she will be the last to leave, long after I’ve started to get antsy to head home. So between us, we’re committed. We’re not just stopping by for an hour: if you have us, you have us.”

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And just when a million thirsty millennials thought he couldn’t get any more swoonworthy, the actor also said that he loves catching sight of Meester across a crowded room. “When you’re out somewhere in public, there’s something very nice about seeing the person you’re with from across the room talking to someone else,” he said. “It’s a totally different perspective and, ideally, it’s a very lovely and flattering one. In my case, it definitely is.”

Leighton Meester and Adam Brody Enjoy Rare Red Carpet Date Night

The couple have been married for a decade and share two children: a daughter, 9, and son, 4.

Brody added that the success of Nobody Wants This, which has been renewed for a second season, has been “a great joy” — and we definitely agree. “It’s a thrill,” he said. “It’s this very positive, loving, life-affirming and in many ways escapist story taking place in the middle of a very tense geopolitical time. Most people, including me, are finding ways to enjoy the minute-to-minute even when things are looming pretty large.”

Why Adam Brody, Kristen Bell’s 'Nobody Wants This' Kiss Is Best of Decade

Brody also said that, although he’s known for playing seriously good guys, he also wouldn’t rule out playing a baddie some day. “It’s not like it’s my mandate to only play good characters,” he said. “I’m just as happy to play toxic people as long as we know they’re toxic. What I don’t want to do is the insidious thing of playing a ‘hero’ who is actually a piece of s— and reinforces negative ideals.”

To top it all off, the actor also revealed that he makes an amazing breakfast. “I’ll do an omelette or a matzah brei where I break up some matzah crackers into scrambled eggs or whip up French toast with challah bread,” he said. Meester is a lucky, lucky woman.

Julia Fox was never going to show up to the British Fashion Awards in jeans and a nice top — and, right on brand, the famously outrageous actress wore a striking, see-through dress.

Fox, 34, wore a sheer white lace gown by designer Dilara Findikoglu, featuring a risqué corseted bodice, to the Monday, December 2, event. Her ghostly white makeup and bleached brows added to the general vibe of creepy Victorian doll that stares at you while you’re sleeping — but with added sex appeal.

Fox’s edgy look is in keeping with the current red carpet trend for see-through outfits, which stars like Lindsay Lohan, Irina Shayk and Blake Lively have all been experimenting with recently — to varying degrees of near-nakedness.

London in December isn’t known for its balmy weather, but Fox braved the cold for the ceremony at the city’s Royal Albert Hall in the distinctive outfit. After the show — which was dominated by ASAP Rocky winning the Cultural Innovator award, supported by his partner, Rihanna, in an iconic blue fur outfit — Fox headed to an afterparty at hip restaurant Chiltern Firehouse with stars including Rita Ora and Maya Jama.

Julia Fox’s Most Over the Top Fashion Moments

Meanwhile, in a new interview with The New York Times, Fox talked about how she feels like she doesn’t fit in with the other moms at her 3-year-old son Valentino’s school, due to her quirky sense of style.

“There will be times when I immediately go back to being that insecure 14-year-old girl,” she said on Tuesday, December 3. “On the first day of my kid’s new school, I pulled up in my freak attire — these distressed leather Knwls mules, a huge Vetements blazer and oversize Margiela basketball shorts — and I saw the other moms dressed normally. They were all looking and talking about me, and I reverted to being a young girl: ‘Oh, my God, they know. They’ve clocked that I’m different.’ I don’t feel that insecurity often as an adult, but I felt it very quickly there. I was like, ‘I’m going to have to blend in.’”

Stars Who Left Little to the Imagination in Sheer Dresses: Emma Corrin, More

She added: “It’s not easier [to try] to be normal … eventually freaks are like, ‘I’m going to be myself and live my truth because I can’t pretend anymore.’ Pretending is draining; it’s exhausting; it’s depression. Being a freak’s not an easy thing, but it can be a very beautiful thing. That’s why I don’t get salty when people take inspiration from me. I want to guide more women, more queer people, to feel like, ‘Well, if she does it, I can too.’”

The actress also revealed that she scrolls Instagram for fashion inspiration. “On social media I always find designers that have, like, a thousand followers and are just getting their stuff out, and I feel like I’ve struck gold,” she said. “I’ll send them straight to my stylist. It’s an everyday occurrence. I hate that social media eats so much of my time, but sometimes you want to numb out.”

Rihanna has always known how to wow a red carpet — and at the British Fashion Awards in London on Monday, December 2, she happily upstaged one of the show’s big winners: her very own partner, ASAP Rocky!

The rapper picked up the honor for Cultural Innovator and said that the award “means so much” to him, but while he looked extremely stylish in his oversized navy blue suit by Bottega Veneta, it was his reliably flamboyant love who stole the show.

Rihanna and Rocky, both 36, arrived fashionably late to the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall in the British capital, with the singer wearing an ice blue Christian Lacroix fur wrap dress and black bustier along with sheer tights, heels, leather opera gloves — and that instantly iconic headpiece, which Vogue likened to Monsters, Inc! (She looked amazing, naturally — we just feel a little sorry for whoever was sitting behind her!)

It’s not the first time the couple, who share two sons, RZA, 2, and Riot, 15 months, has attended the British Fashion Awards but at the same ceremony back in 2019, they arrived separately as rumors first swirled that they were dating.

Being the last stars to arrive at glamorous events has also become the stylish couple’s trademark attention-grabbing move. At the Met Gala in 2021, they showed up so late that Vogue’s livestream from the red carpet had already finished. Maybe they just need to get a more reliable babysitter?

See Rihanna and ASAP Rocky’s Swaggy Couple Style: Photos

The Cultural Innovator award was given to Rocky to celebrate a style leader who has created “viral fashion moments which have had a profound impact on the fashion industry and wider culture,” and comes after the rapper wowed Paris Fashion Week in June, where he debuted his AWGE runway collection, American Sabotage. His supportive partner Rihanna whooped as he accepted his award, with British Fashion Council chief executive Caroline Rush explaining why he was a worthy winner.

Rihanna Feels ‘Bummy as S–t’ Next to ASAP Rocky Because of His Style

“From his Paris Fashion Week debut to designing the retro-futuristic neighborhood in the Moncler’s The City of Genius in Shanghai, Rocky has had a resounding impact on the creative industries and popular culture this year,” she said. “Through these collections and the promotion of his upcoming album Don’t Be Dumb, he has firmly positioned himself at the intersection of culture and innovation.”

It’s one of the most iconic dance moves in the world — but it turns out Beyoncé might’ve gotten an assist on her infamous “booty shake” from an obscure 1990s British boy band.

Back in 1997, pop trio 911 — essentially the UK’s answer to The Backstreet Boys — performed their song “Bodyshakin’” on the same music show that Destiny’s Child were appearing on. And, according to one of the band members, Spike Dawbarn, Beyoncé absolutely loved their sexy dance moves and asked them to teach her.

“There’s something about that move,” said Dawbarn on new BBC documentary Boybands Forever. “We did a TV show with Destiny’s Child. We performed and we did Bodyshakin’ and Beyoncé was like, ‘show us that move! Keep doing it!’”

Even though, back then, Beyoncé wasn’t as huge a star as she is now, the boy band were more than happy to obey her orders. “Me and Jimmy were just stood there, doing the move because if Beyoncé asked you, you did it!” he recalled. “So when you watch Beyoncé videos doing the booty shake I’m like “ah, she robbed it!” We did it first!” (Well, there are only so many ways you can shake that booty, right?)

Like Beyoncé, the boy band were known for their ambitious dance moves. “Spike and Jimmy were fantastic dancers,” said “Bodyshakin” songwriter John McLaughlin on the same documentary. “It wasn’t even dancing, it was acrobatics. So I was like OK, let’s give them a song that’s a themed song. We wanted it to sound like a dance. A word that just sticks in your brain. When Bodyshakin’ came, I thought, ah that’s it!’

 

The catchy song reached No. 3 in the UK singles charts and also charted in Australia and New Zealand, but the band never launched in the US. The trio — Dawbarn, plus fellow dancer Jimmy Constable and heartthrob singer Lee Brennan — split in 1999 before reuniting several times in the 2010s, when they found huge success in southeast Asia, selling out venues in Malaysia in 2019 and collaborating with a Vietnamese pop act in 2023. They appear on Boybands Forever alongside stars from fellow 1990s British pop acts like Take That, Blue and 5ive, as well as Simon Cowell.

'90s Pop Stars: Then and Now

Meanwhile, Beyoncé has just been named Billboard’s Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, having won 32 Grammys, 30 MTV Video Music Awards and 28 Billboard Music Awards since the 1990s.

It’s hard to imagine Modern Family’s Claire Dunphy as anyone other than Julie Bowen — but actress Judy Greer has revealed that she was once in the running for the huge role.

In conversation with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who played Mitchell Pritchett, for his “Dinner’s on Me” podcast, Greer said that she could have ended up playing his sister on the much-loved 11-season family sitcom, but in the end, she decided not to audition because she didn’t want to be typecast as a mother.

In her thirties at the time, Greer, now 49, said she had come to terms with sometimes playing a mom in movies, but taking on the role of a mother of three felt like too much of a risk.

“In a movie, people kind of see it and then they forget,” she said. “In a TV show, it’s just like, you’re a mom. That’s it. I was like, ‘I think I’m not going to audition for it.’ I was really torn about it, but I ended up obviously not. Who knows if I would have even gotten it anyway? I was just like, ‘I don’t know if I want to be America’s mom yet.’”

Sarah! Ariel! 'Modern Family' Cast Then and Now

Greer said that, at the time, she “didn’t even want kids” but has since become a stepmom to the two grown-up children her husband, producer Dean E. Johnsen, has from a previous relationship.

There was another factor too: Greer was enjoying all the travel that came with being a movie actress, so being tied to one set didn’t really appeal to her either. “It felt so limiting compared to what I was doing already,” she said. “And in addition to just the perception of who you are as an actor, it’s lifestyle too. I was like, ‘Well, I like traveling a lot, and I like doing all these movies, and I like going to all these places, and I like meeting all these people.’”

Julie Bowen Would've 'Happily Died' on 'Modern Family' Set

While Bowen went on to win two Primetime Emmys for playing matriarch Claire on the ABC sitcom, Greer’s career has thankfully gone from strength to strength too. It might be a long-running joke that she always plays a supporting best friend (or frenemy!) role in movies like 13 Going on 30 and 27 Dresses, but she has a huge résumé of TV and movie credits — including a starring role in the new festive movie The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

It’s funny how things work out — Greer actually did end up landing a role in Modern Family too. On the show’s first season, she guest-starred as Denise, the ex-girlfriend of Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell).

Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour Book is shaping up to be the must-have gift of the holiday season — and now a few lucky chosen ones have received their copies with a handwritten note from the singer.

Kansas City Chiefs heiress and college cheerleader Ava Hunt — whose dad, Clark Hunt, is owner, chairman and CEO of the team — excitedly unboxed her VIP gift via her Instagram Stories on Sunday, December 1, and her sister, Gracie Hunt, also shared that she’d received a copy from Swift, writing via Instagram, “The most beautiful woman and most amazing tour.”

The handwritten note from Swift, which Ava, 19, and Gracie, 25, both shared reads: “Oh hi! As we conclude the wildest, most extraordinary adventure of my life, The Eras Tour, I wanted to share with a few friends my memories from it. The friendship bracelets, the traditions, the backstage secrets, the costumes, the world travels, the rain shows and sunsets. But what truly made this tour what it became was the passion, joy, unbridled emotion and love the fans showed us every night. I hope you’ll enjoy this journey through the memories of my proudest moments: The Eras Tour. Love, Taylor.”

The whole Hunt family — Clark, his wife, Tavia, plus Ava, Gracie and their brother, Knobel, 22 — have been getting to know Swift, 34, ever since she started dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, 35. Ava attended an Eras show at Arrowhead Stadium last year and has previously shared a picture with Swift at a game, writing, “Enchanted to meet you, Taylor Swift.”

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In the photo, from Swift’s birthday weekend last December, the singer was clutching a lavishly gift-wrapped present from the family, and it seems she’s now returned the favor meaning that, unlike most Swifties, the sisters didn’t need to line up at Target to get a copy of the coveted Eras souvenir.

Taylor Swift Officially ‘Part of The Chiefs Kingdom’ Says Kansas City CEO

The Eras Tour Book documents Swift’s epic 20-month odyssey and was published just days before the tour finally wraps up next week: Swift’s last show is set to be in Vancouver on December 8.

“At the start of this, I never could have imagined that you would cheer so loudly it registered as an earthquake on seismic charts (this happened multiple times) or that you would lift economies of whatever city we went to,” she writes in the book. “More importantly, you lifted the spirits of those around you with your intricate and clever costumes and outfits. You made people feel included by making friendship bracelets and friends. Teaching each other our little tour traditions and looking out for each other.”

Taylor Swift ‘Eras Tour’ Book Revelations: BTS Secrets and More

She adds: “Your excitement was truly contagious. The Eras Tour had no typical demographic of stereotypical attendee. It was for everyone, because you made everyone feel included. For that, I will never be able to thank you enough. My hope is that you won’t let that behavior end with the end of the Eras tour. It doesn’t have to be the end of an era of joy and acceptance. My hope is that you find ways to create these spaces around you in your daily life, your school, your job. That would be a real legacy to leave.”

Billboard is issuing an apology to Taylor Swift after using footage of her naked waxwork from Kanye West’s music video.

“We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her,” the outlet shared via Instagram on Thursday, November 28. “We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.”

The clip from West’s 2016 song “Famous” is regarded as “revenge porn” by some fans since it was part of the long feud between the two stars. Billboard included the nude figure in a montage of Swift’s musical highlights as they awarded her her title of second greatest pop star of the 21st century.earlier this week.

When “Famous” was first released, Swift issued a lengthy statement denying that she’d been aware of the specific content of the song after West’s then-wife Kim Kardashian leaked an edited recording of a phone call between Swift and West in which she supposedly approved its release.

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“Being falsely painted as a liar when I was never given the full story or played any part in the song is character assassination,” she wrote via Twitter at the time. “I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative, one that I have never asked to be a part of, since 2009.”

While Swift didn’t directly react to her image being used for the “Famous” video, she “liked” a series of social media posts denouncing it at the time of its release. Meanwhile, Swift’s close friend Lena Dunham branded the video “sickening” and “disturbing” in a Facebook post and accused the rapper of objectifying women’s bodies.

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In Billboard’s announcement about Swift nabbing the No.2 spot in their countdown, they honored “all the traits that made her different”: “Her sharp pen, her relatable girl-next-door awkwardness, her hopeless romanticism – and rejecting culture’s previous expectations for female artists to be overtly sexy, pliable and cool, she was able to forcefully, gravitationally bend culture to her will and become one of the world’s biggest undisputed pop stars, despite her eight-year late start in country music,” they wrote.

“She is the only person to ever win album of the year at the Grammys four times. She has the second-most Billboard Hot 100 entries of all time (only Drake has more) and ties with Jay-Z for second-most No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 (bested only by The Beatles),” they continued. “She is one of the most impressive touring artists of the past quarter-century, a status that has culminated with her global Eras Tour becoming the highest-grossing trek of all time in 2023, just halfway through its run, as it repeatedly set stadium attendance records and boosted local economies in its confetti-and-friendship-bracelet-strewn wake. She’s a billionaire, the only female artist to become one predominantly through music alone. She is the most famous woman in the world.”

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Billboard also anticipated receiving pushback from fans of Swift for not granting her the No. 1 spot, which will be officially announced on Tuesday, December 3.

“For all these reasons and so many more, she is Billboard’s No. 2 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st century, blowing past countless other accomplished hitmakers and icons,” they wrote. “The fact that controversy will likely tear through the internet over her being just one small space below No. 1 is just another testament to her power, but regardless, her placement shouldn’t leave Swifties upset for too long — especially considering how much later in the millennium she got her start, both in the genre and music in general.”