Netflix's hit drama "Virgin River" released its latest batch of episodes in December 2024.
The streamer announced in October that a seventh season had been greenlit.
Here's what we know about season seven of the show.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for the season six finale of "Virgin River."
The latest season of Netflix's romantic drama "Virgin River" saw nurse practitioner Melinda Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge) and restaurateur Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson) finally walk down the aisle together.
It was a long time coming for the couple, who have faced no end of ups and downs since their meet-cute in the show's first season.
Elsewhere, Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) and Denny (Kai Bradbury) prepared for the arrival of their baby, while Hope (Annette O'Toole) and Doc (Tim Matheson) faced a new threat.
The new episodes also used flashbacks to introduce viewers to younger versions of Mel's parents, Sarah (Jessica Rothe) and Everett (Callum Kerr), giving a glimpse at how their own love story unfolded. The characters are set to be the focus of an upcoming spinoff series.
As for what's next for Mel, Jack, and the rest of the residents of the fictional Northern Californian town, keep reading for everything we know so far about season seven.
'Virgin River' was renewed for season 7 before season 6 aired
"Good news, Virgin River is confirmed to come back for Season 7! More love, drama, and small-town charm coming your way. You're very welcome," the caption read.
The series is now Netflix's longest-running original scripted series. The comedy dramas "Orange Is the New Black" and "Grace and Frankie," both ran for seven seasons before ending in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
'Virgin River' season 7 will explore Jack and Mel's 'honeymoon phase'
Speaking to Netflix fan site Tudum, showrunner Patrick Sean Smith teased what fans could expect from the coming season.
"I think we've only just begun to see Mel and Jack function as a married couple, which is exciting," he said, adding that season seven would likely "explore the honeymoon phase for them as they're building their lives on the farm, which can come with its own obstacles."
For those wondering whether those obstacles may include splitting the couple up again, Smith said that wasn't on the cards.
"I can't imagine creating a scenario where you think Mel and Jack are going to break up," he said. "It forces you to dig a little bit deeper into, well, what other issues can they have in their relationship? Especially when you want to keep it through the romance lens. I think Alex and Martin play all of those [moments so well], it's just resting on emotional stakes as opposed to will they, won't they."
There is no release date for season 7 just yet
With season six released earlier this month, it's unlikely that fans will see season seven drop on Netflix any time soon.
In fact, season seven hasn't even begun filming yet. The cast and crew are scheduled to return to set in British Columbia in the Spring of 2025, Smith said, per Deadline.
The show may go on
Netflix hasn't officially confirmed an eighth season, but Smith said that there were "no plans" for the show to end anytime soon.
"No plans to wrap up the series anytime soon, and as long as people keep coming back for it, we're proud and happy to keep telling these stories," he told Deadline in December.
Blake Lively's past controversies resurfaced during a recent public backlash.
The actor has been in the spotlight following the release of her movie "It Ends With Us."
Lively has accused her costar and director, Justin Baldoni, of sexual harassment and damaging her reputation.
Blake Lively is no stranger to scandal.
The 37-year-old actor has attracted feud rumors since the start of her career, when she landed her breakout role in 2005's "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants."
Public discourse about Lively's conduct reached a fever pitch during the promotional cycle for her latest box office hit, "It Ends With Us." Now, Lively has filed a lawsuit accusing her costar and director, Justin Baldoni, of sexual harassment and manufacturing outrage on social media to damage her reputation.
Here's a look at some of Lively's biggest controversies over the years.
Lively and her "Gossip Girl" costar Leighton Meester reportedly "avoided each other like the plague" while filming.
While their "Gossip Girl" characters swung wildly from the ultimate BFF duo to toxic frenemies almost every other episode, off-screen, Lively and Meester were said to have had a frosty relationship.
The CW teen drama ran for six seasons between 2007 and 2012. Lively played the effortlessly cool, free-spirited Serena Van der Woodson, the foil to Meester's controlling queen bee Blair Waldorf.
New York Magazine reported in 2008 that the two stars were said to "avoid each other like the plague" while on set shooting the show's early seasons, with tensions running so high that their castmates were forced to "choose sides."
"Blake and Leighton have never been best friends, and never professed to be. Blake goes to work, does her job, and goes home," a publicist for Lively said at the time, per Harper's Bazaar.
However, speaking to Vanity Fair for a retrospective on the series published in 2017, showrunner Joshua Safran said the pair got on fine on set.
"Blake and Leighton were not friends. They were friendly, but they were not friends like Serena and Blair," he said. "Yet the second they'd be on set together, it's as if they were."
In the same article, recurring cast member Michelle Trachtenberg denied rumors of a full-blown feud between the two.
"It's funny," she said. "Because when we were filming, there was, 'Leighton hates Blake, Blake hates Leighton, everyone hates Blake, everyone hates Leighton, everyone hates Chace,' and blah, blah, blah. It really wasn't. We were all chill. It was cool."
Incidentally, as of 2024, Lively and Meester do not follow each other on Instagram. Meester does, however, follow two of her other costars, Chace Crawford and Penn Badgley.
Rumors swirled that Lively was somehow involved in Armie Hammer's exit from "Gossip Girl."
Hammer had a four-episode arc on the series during its second season. He played Gabriel Edwards, a conman who briefly dated Lively's character.
In response to the question, Hammer diplomatically said: "Let me just say that was a tough show to film, and I didn't end up actually filming all of the episodes I was supposed to because it was such a tough film."
"Really? Literally, you said, 'Get me out of this'?" Cohen asked.
"It was also like, 'Get him out of here,'" the actor said.
Cohen followed that up by asking whose love interest he played in the series, prompting Hammer to drop Lively's name.
Chelsea Handler, who also appeared on the talk show, joked, "Sounds like she was the problem."
Cohen added: "It sure does, Chelsea. That's exactly what I was thinking."
"No, no, that's not what I'm saying," Hammer replied, laughing awkwardly.
In 2012, Lively and Ryan Reynolds married at a slave plantation in South Carolina. Reynolds said the couple didn't know about the venue's history until after their ceremony.
Reynolds apologized for the decision in a 2020 interview with Fast Company after the couple was called out for the hypocrisy of a joint statement β accompanied by a $200,000 donation to the NAACP Legal Defense β they shared on Lively's Instagram following the murder of George Floyd by police.
Reynolds said they chose Boone Hall based on Pinterest photos and only realized it was a "place built upon devastating tragedy" after the event.
Reynolds added that after learning of Boone Hall's history, the actors had another wedding at home years later.
Lively has not addressed the backlash over her wedding venue.
Lively's now-defunct lifestyle website ran a fashion editorial that romanticized the Antebellum South in 2014.
Two years after her wedding at Boone Hall, Lively launched a lifestyle website called Preserve.
Titled "Allure of Antebellum," the photo shoot featured a white, blonde-haired model in a floppy hat, high-heeled pumps, and a leopard-print mini-skirt.
In the accompanying article, the unnamed author wrote about the "innate sense of social poise" and "unparalleled warmth and authenticity" of the pre-Civil War era women.
"The term Southern Belle came to fruition during the Antebellum period (before the Civil War), acknowledging women with an inherent social distinction who set the standards for style and appearance," the Preserve article read.
"These women epitomized Southern hospitality with a cultivation of beauty and grace, but even more with a captivating and magnetic sensibility."
The publication of the editorial immediately attracted criticism, with Refinery29 arguing: "The authors use the word antebellum in a misty-eyed, nostalgia-tinged way that completely ignores the brutality endured by Southern women not lucky enough to be born into privilege."
A year later, in October 2015, Lively shuttered the site, explaining to Vogue in an interview that it was because she and her team had "launched the site before it was ready."
Lively is rumored to have had a falling out with her "A Simple Favor" costar, Anna Kendrick, although their costar denied any friction.
Lively and Anna Kendrick starred alongside each other in the 2018 movie "A Simple Favor."
According to reports, the two had a falling out on the set of the film.
Claire Parker, cohost of the popular podcast Celebrity Memoir Book Club, previously said in a TikTok video that by the end of the movie, Lively and Kendrick "were not speaking," citing an unnamed studio source.
While neither Lively nor Kendrick has addressed the rumors, their costar Henry Golding has denied the claims of a feud, saying he thought the two stars got on "reasonably well."
Despite this, fans have continued to speculate about sensing tension between the two stars β who are set to reunite for a sequel next yearβ in jointinterviews.
After a clip from a resurfaced 2016 interview went viral, Lively was criticized for being rude to a journalist.
In the video, Lively offered a snarky response to Flaa after she congratulated the actor on her pregnancy.
"First of all, congrats on your little bump," Flaa said, kicking off the interview.
"Congrats on your little bump," Lively responded, although Flaa was not pregnant.
Later in the interview, Lively challenged Flaa for asking a question about clothes. The actor also seemed to ignore Flaa in parts of the interview and angled her body toward Posey.
"It actually took me a while to get over the experience," Flaa previously told Business Insider, adding, "I have met moody celebrities, but nothing like this interview."
Flaa told MailOnline that Lively's comment was particularly hurtful because she wasn't able to conceive.
"It's true that the comment hurt me because I was never able to have kids myself, but of course Blake did not know that so I can't blame her for the pain that I felt," she later told BI.
Lively sparked outrage among sexual assault survivors for defending Woody Allen.
In the 2014 essay, Farrow called out Hollywood stars like Cate Blanchett, Emma Stone, and Scarlett Johansson for working with Allen in recent years and ignoring the allegation against him.
"Woody Allen is a living testament to the way our society fails the survivors of sexual assault and abuse," she wrote.
Later at the festival, Lively made it clear she disapproved of Lafitte's material.
"I think any jokes about rape, homophobia, or Hitler is not a joke," Lively told Variety. "It was more disappointing for the artists in the room that someone was going up there making jokes about something that wasn't funny."
At the same event, Lively also said she hadn't read Ronan Farrow's new op-ed in the Hollywood Reporter, in which the investigative reporter defended his sister and criticized powerful people for "sweeping aside her allegations."
"I don't want to speak on something I haven't read," Lively told Vulture. "I think that's dangerous. It's definitely something that being at the festival, the media these days, you come to a film festival about film and people talk about all different types of things. You know? That can be definitely tricky to navigate."
"It's amazing what Woody has written for women," she told the Los Angeles Times, adding that she did not consider Allen's personal life while shooting the film.
"It's very dangerous to factor in things you don't know anything about," Lively said. "I could [only] know my experience. And my experience with Woody is he's empowering to women."
In 2018, Lively posted in support of Hollywood's anti-sexual harassment initiative Time's Up, writing, "I'm honored to be a part of this movement. The time is NOW!"
Farrow replied, "You worked with my abuser, @blakelively. Am I a woman who matters too?"
She shared an edited photo on Instagram to promote her beverage line. The photo showed Lively sitting in a chair by a warped pool with a comically enlarged thumb and a lemon floating above her head.
According to People, she captioned the photo: "I'm so excited to share this new photo I just took today to announce our 4 new @bettybuzz & @bettybooze products! Now you know why I've been MIA."
Lively later deleted her post and shared a note on her Instagram Story apologizing to the British royal and her own followers.
"I'm sure no one cares today, but I feel like I have to acknowledge this. I made a silly post around the 'photoshop fails' frenzy, and oh man, that post has me mortified today. I'm sorry. Sending love and well wishes to all, always," she wrote.
Lively faced backlash for the way she promoted "It Ends With Us," a film about a woman experiencing domestic violence.
"It Ends With Us," a film in which Lively plays Lily Bloom, a woman experiencing domestic abuse, opened in theaters on August 9, 2024.
In a promo video shared on the film's official Instagram account, Lively encouraged people to watch the film by saying: "Grab your girls, wear your florals!"
Lively also leaned into method dressing, opting for florals in almost every outfit she wore during the press tour, which some fans criticized as tone-deaf.
In a TikTok video that's been viewed more than 4 million times, a woman who identified herself as a domestic violence survivor accused Lively of promoting the movie like it's "the sequel to Barbie."
Elsewhere, the actor could be seen using interviews and events for the film to cross-promote her brands, including her hair care line, Blake Brown.
A promotional email for Lively's beverage line, Betty Buzz, also shared a recipe for making a cocktail using her husband's gin brand,Β The New York TimesΒ reported.
As fans noted, Lively's approach contrasted starkly with that of her costar and director, Justin Baldoni, who was praised for highlighting the movie's weighty themes during his interviews.
It didn't help that the two were also pitted against each other following rumors of a feud between them.
The charity Women's Aid also criticized the marketing around the movie, sharing a statement with the BBC that read: "Despite domestic abuse being a key theme of the film, much of the marketing has ignored this and viewers have not been warned about the potentially distressing content."
Lively has since accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on set and orchestrating a smear campaign to "bury her."
According to the filing, obtained by Business Insider, Lively's strategy for promoting "It Ends With Us" β which drew backlash for making light of the film's themes β was "in accordance with the marketing plan created and delivered by the film's distributor Sony."
The marketing plan directed the cast to avoid discussing sad or heavy themes, in order to frame the film as "a story of hope."
At the same time, Lively alleged that Baldoni "abruptly pivoted" his talking points in an attempt to explain why he'd been unfollowed by much of the film's cast and crew on social media β apparently prompted by Baldoni's inappropriate behavior on set.
"To that end, he and his team used domestic violence 'survivor content' to protect his public image," the legal filing reads.
As Business Insider previously reported, Baldoni hired a public-relations crisis team, including veteran PR manager Melissa Nathan, as rumors swirled that he was on the outs with Lively and other castmates. According to Lively's lawsuit, Nathan's team helped Baldoni orchestrate an online smear campaign against Lively, partially to distract fans from speculating about his conduct on set.
"He wants to feel like she can be buried," a publicist working with Mr. Baldoni wrote in a message to Nathan, per the legal complaint.
"You know we can bury anyone," Nathan replied.
A rep for Baldoni called the allegations "shameful" and "categorically false" in a statement to Business Insider.
A rep for Lively told The New York Times, "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted."
Over the weekend, Lively filed a legal complaint against Baldoni.
Here's everything we know about the situation.
Baldoni did not interact with other cast members at press events.
Fans suspected that something was amiss when Baldoni and Lively didn't interact during the press tour, despite playing partners in the film.
Lively teamed up with costars Brandon Sklenar and Isabela Ferrer for press events and with Colleen Hoover, the author of the book the film is based on, for interviews and TV spots. Meanwhile, Baldoni did a lot of solo press.
Even when they both attended the New York premiere on August 6, they were not photographed together.
While speaking to Entertainment Tonight on the carpet at the New York premiere, Baldoni explained why he was stepping back from the limelight.
"This isn't my night β this is a night for all the women who we made this movie for," he said." This is a night for Blake, this is a night for Colleen. I'm just so grateful that we're here, five years in the making."
Regardless of his comments, fans theorized about the potential drama between the two on social media.
This speculation intensified after a user on the r/ColleenHoover subreddit posted on August 6 that Lively and Hoover do not follow Baldoni on Instagram. Fans also noticed that the film's other stars, including Sklenar, Ferrer, and Jenny Slate,did not follow Baldoni.
Business Insider could not verify whether they previously followed him.
For his part, Baldoni followed all of them except Hoover.
Fans wondered if the apparent beef was one-sided or if Baldoni was at the center of a wider fracture, especially since, during pre-production, Hoover and Baldoni appeared on each other's Instagram feeds multipletimes.
Adding to this theory was a clip of Slate seemingly sidestepping a question about Baldoni at the movie's New York premiere. Asked about having Baldoni as both a scene partner and a director, she responded by not mentioning Baldoni and instead speaking about how "intense" it must be to do both jobs.
i just found out about the whole 'it ends with us' cast drama and omg they asked her what it was like to work with justin and she completely ignored the question π pic.twitter.com/2DdlmvxS4x
β leah doesn't do cocaine (@camis_unicorn) August 7, 2024
News reports fueled the speculation.
The Hollywood Reporter on August 8, citing unnamed sources, reported that the feud on set originated when two movie cuts emerged during the postproduction process.
Multiple sources told the outlet that Lively commissioned one of the cuts to be done by "Deadpool & Wolverine" editor Shane Reid.He was the same editor Lively previously used when she directed the music video for Taylor Swift's "I Bet You Think About Me."
However, the film's final cut was credited to editors Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan.
It's unclear if Reid's cut was used in the film version that showed in theaters, but according to one source who spoke to THR, the team agreed on the final cut.
A day later, Page Six reported, citing an anonymous source, that the two stars didn't see eye-to-eye while shooting the movie. Page Six reported that one source said Baldoni made Lively feel "uncomfortable" about her postpartum body during filming.Β Another source said Baldoni created an "extremely difficult" environment for the entire cast.
"It's not just Blake. None of the cast enjoyed working with Justin," the source was quoted as stating. "They certainly didn't talk to him at the premiere."
On August 13,Β PeopleΒ reported that a source close to the set said, "All is not what it seems," and that the principal cast and Hoover didn't want anything to do with Baldoni.
Fans turn on Lively.
Many fans blamed Lively for the feud, accusing her of trying to take over the film.
This theory was supported by Baldoni and Lively's interviews in the lead-up to the movie's premiere.
On August 9, Baldoni told Today that Lively and Reynolds, who was not a producer on the film, contributed significantly to it.
"You can't summarize Blake's contribution in a sentence, because her energy and imprint is all over the movie and really, really made the film better, and from beginning to end," Baldoni said.
Baldoni also said he struggled to balance allowing collaboration and having his voice drowned out entirely.
He said: "You don't have to listen to everybody, and that didn't happen all the time, but there were just moments where I would get out of the way too much."
Baldoni said Lively should take over as director to adapt the sequel to the "It Ends With Us" novel, "It Starts with Us."
Meanwhile, Lively told E! News on August 7 that Reynolds helped pen the opening scene of "It Ends With Us."
The film's screenwriter Christy Hal told People a day later that she wasn't aware that Reynolds had written some of the dialogue used in the final version of the script.
"When I saw a cut, I was like, 'Oh, that's cute. That must have been a cute improvised thing,'" Hall said. "So if I'm being told that Ryan wrote that, then great, how wonderful."
Fans' other grievance was about how Lively promoted the movie.
The film is about a florist whose husband becomes abusive, and fans criticized Lively for speaking about the film's romantic elements during the press tour and less about the domestic abuse plot. This was in line with the film's marketing.
Baldoni was the only cast member who consistently spoke about the domestic abuse element.
Baldoni recruited a PR crisis manager who represented Johnny Depp against Amber Heard
The Hollywood Reporter reported on August 13 that the actor hired veteran PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan, who represented Johnny Depp during the Amber Heard trial in 2022.
Nathan launched her agency in 2024, specializing in crisis communications and reputation management.
A clip of Lively acting hostile toward a reporter in a 2016 interview resurfaced amid the 'It Ends With Us' drama
Journalist Kjersti Flaa released a clip of an interview with Blake Lively on August 10, titled "The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job."
"It actually took me a while to get over the experience," Flaa told Business Insider in an email on August 19.
"Every time I entered a room after this I got nervous that something similar might happen again," she wrote.
Lively's costar put out a statement asking people to stop focusing on 'what may or may not have happened.'
Sklenar, who plays Lively's other love interest in "It Ends With Us," spoke out about the backlash toward the film in an Instagram post on August 20.
"Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves. Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about," he said.
"This film is meant to inspire. It's meant to validate and recognize," Sklenar added. "It is not meant to once again, make women the 'bad guy,' let's move beyond that together."
Representatives for Baldoni, Lively, Reynolds, Hoover, and Sklenar did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment.
On December 20, Lively filed a legal complaint against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, inflicting "emotional distress," and conspiring to damage her public reputation.
The complaint also named Wayfarer Studios, Baldoni's production company, and Jamey Heath, the company's CEO, as two of the 11 defendants in a legal complaint.
In the complaint, Lively said an all-hands meeting about Baldoni and Heath's behavior on set was held in January 2023. She accused him of showing her nude videos and images of women, improvising kissing scenes or intimate scenes, and entering her trailer while she was naked.
Lively said she held the meeting for all the female cast members and requested that an intimacy coordinator be hired.
Lively said Heath and Baldoni responded by orchestrating a "multi-tiered" plan to "destroy" her public reputation and stop her or anyone else from speaking out about what happened on set.
Lively said Baldoni hired the crisis PR, Nathan, and a Texas-based contractor named Jed Wallace, both defendants in the complaint, ahead of the film's premiere to carry out this plan. She said it involved feeding theories on social media to shift the narrative against Lively.
She also claims in the complaint that the cast agreed to a marketing plan created by the film's distributor, Sony Pictures Entertainment, to avoid talking about the sad parts of the movie, which Baldoni broke away from.
"What the public did not know was that Mr. Baldoni and his team did so to explain why many of the Film's cast and crew had unfollowed Mr. Baldoni on social media and were not appearing with him in public," the complaint said.
Baldoni's attorney said Lively blamed Baldoni in the hope of improving her reputation.
Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, told BI in a statement: "It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation, which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions."
Freedman said Nathan was hired because Lively made multiple demands and threatened not to show up to set or promote the film if they were not met.
A representative for Lively referred BI to a statement shared with The New York Times on Saturday: "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted."
In the following days, Hoover and other stars react to the lawsuit
Lively's costars from 2005's "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" β America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel β shared a joint statement supporting Lively after she made the complaint.
Hoover and Sklenar, who worked on "It Ends With Us," seemed to both throw their support behind Lively by sharing her links to her allegations on their Instagram stories.
"@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met," Hoover wrote in her story post. "Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt."
The complaint has affected Baldoni's career.
On Saturday, The New York Times reported that Ari Emanuel, chief executive of the parent company that owns Baldoni's talent agency, William Morris Endeavor, said the agency had stopped representing him.
On December 9, before the complaint was released, Vital Voices, a nonprofit organization that supports women leaders, awarded Baldoni the Voices of Solidarity Award to honor his advocacy work for women.
On December 23, Vital Voices said in a statement on their website that they had rescinded the award.
"The communications among Mr. Baldoni and his publicists included in the lawsuit β and the PR effort they indicate β are, alone, contrary to the values of Vital Voices and the spirit of the Award," the statement read.
Netflix's small-town drama "Virgin River" returned with its sixth season on December 19.
The last season ended with a bombshell baby reveal and an unexpected return from the dead.
Here's a reminder of where all the main characters ended up ahead of the new episodes.
"Virgin River" returned Thursday with its sixth season, delivering another dramatic chapter in Mel and Jack's romance.
The last time audiences saw the couple, played by Martin Henderson and Alexandra Breckenridge, they were planning their wedding while also dealing with the devastating loss of a pregnancy.
The fate of several other characters was also hanging in the balance.
Here's a refresher on where everyone ended up.
Mel lost her baby but was determined to still become a mom by any means possible.
Mel was pregnant and newly engaged at the beginning of "Virgin River" season five. However, tragedy struck midseason.
She lost the baby after a camping trip with Jack, right before a large wildfire spread across the fictional Californian town.
She was devastated by the loss but by the end of the season, she had resolved to have a family with Jack by any means and began to consider adoption.
In the additional Christmas episodes, Mel discovered her biological father was a man named Everett Reid (John Allen Nelson).
Jack got into business with some bad eggs.
Jack faced a huge setback with his glamping business after Melissa (Barbara Pollard) was arrested. Unbeknownst to Jack, she had taken over as the head of the Virgin River-area drug operation.
Jack's new business was shut down as part of the investigation into Melissa's illegal activities.
Elsewhere, Jack and Mel took a huge leap forward in their relationship. The couple decided to purchase Lily's (Lynda Boyd) farmland, which just so happened to be the spot of their first kiss.
At the end of the season, the two were planning to build a new home for themselves and their longed-for family.
Charmaine gave birth to her twins and fessed up to Jack that he was not the father.
In season five, Jack's ex, Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley), revealed she lied about him being the father of her unborn twins.
As it turns out, the twins' father is Calvin (David Cubitt) β Virgin River's most notorious villain, who was presumed dead.
It was previously implied that Calvin, the leader of a local drug ring, had died in a boat explosion apparently orchestrated by Melissa.
However, as audiences learned in the season five finale, he was alive.
After returning to Virgin River, he told Charmaine he wanted a relationship with his kids.
Doc agreed to take part in a clinical trial to help with his health.
Vernon 'Doc' Mullins (Tim Matheson), who has the eye disease macular degeneration, lost his vision while treating patients following the wildlife.
Realizing the severity of his condition, he decided to enroll in a clinical trial that could help him restore his eyesight.
Elsewhere, Doc received heartwarming news when Mel asked if he would walk her down the aisle at her wedding.
Hope fought to keep her position as mayor.
Hope (Annette O'Toole) spent much of season five recovering from the traumatic brain injury she had sustained.
She also found herself defending herself from some overly concerned town residents working to remove her as mayor.
By the finale, she had been sworn back in.
In other news, Doc asked Hope to renew their wedding vows.
Lizzy discovered she was pregnant.
Lizzie (Sarah Dugdale) and Denny (Kai Bradbury) got back together in season five after briefly breaking up in season four.
She began working as Hope's health aide β and eventual mayoral assistant β and made the decision to remain in Virgin River instead of moving away.
Her decision was partly influenced by her romance with Denny and their experience of surviving the wildfires together.
At the end of the season, she told Denny that she believed she was pregnant.
Denny wanted to leave Virgin River to go to med school.
Doc's grandson began settling into life in Virgin River in season five.
His romance with Lizzie got back on track after she decided to stay in the town.
But in an unexpected twist, Denny told Lizzie in the season five finale that he had changed his mind about staying.
At the town carnival, he dropped the bombshell news that he wanted to leave Virgin River to go to med school after all.
But Lizzie had some big news of her own: she was pregnant.
Preacher had a new love interest but was worried about his future.
Preacher began dating Kaia (Kandyse McClure), a firefighter, in season five.
It came after his former flame, Paige (Lexa Doig), decided to skip town with her son Christopher (Chase Petriw) after the traumatic experience the two had with Vince (Steve Bacic).
As audiences will remember, Christopher was kidnapped by Vince because he believed that Paige and Preacher had conspired to kill his twin brother Wes (also played by Bacic) and hide his body.
As a reminder, Paige did accidentally kill her abusive ex by pushing him down the stairs back in season two, then fled while Preacher took care of the body.
Preacher was assured by town detective Mike (Marco Grazzini) in the season five premiere that the police weren't taking Vince's claims seriously.
However, the ordeal came back to bite him when Wes's body was discovered in the woods in the Christmas episodes.
Brie and Brady broke up and started dating other people.
Brady (Benjamin Hollingsworth) had managed to break free from the local drug ring and was enjoying a simpler life in season five.
He began seeing a single mother named Lark (Elise Gatien) who has a young daughter.
However, it turned out that Lark had some ulterior motives. As audiences saw, she had been asked to pursue Brady by her ex, Jimmy (Ian Tracey), and the two were planning on using him in some way.
Meanwhile, Brie (Zibby Allen) began seeing Mike.
Cameron and Muriel took their romance public.
The town's newest arrival, a doctor called Cameron (Mark Ghanime), enjoyed a blossoming, if not unexpected, romance with Muriel (Teryl Rothery).
They initially kept things under wraps, concerned they would raise eyebrows, but after speaking to Doc, they took their romance public by kissing in front of the other residents at the Labor Day carnival.
It's a festive tradition for staff from the Royal Collection Trust to decorate the family's residences around the UK.
This year, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh were the first residences to be decked out with Christmas trees and garlands.
Take a look at all the festive touches.
In Windsor Castle, a 20-foot Christmas tree was erected in St George's Hall.
The tree was sourced from the nearby Windsor Great Park and will be replanted after the Christmas display closes.
For the first time, Queen Mary's Dolls' House is decorated.
The Queen Mary's Dolls' House in Windsor Castle was designed between 1921 and 1924 as a "gift to the nation" from Queen Mary following World War I.
The doll house β often called the largest and most famous in the world β replicates an aristocratic Edwardian home and has electricity, working elevators, and running water.
This close-up image shows a mini 1920s Christmas tree.
To commemorate its 100th anniversary, the doll house has been decorated for Christmas for the first time with a miniature 1920s-style Christmas tree and garlands.
Meanwhile, festive garlands were on the castle's grand staircase.
The staircase leads to the State Apartments, which are open for the public to visit.
A 15-foot-high Christmas tree stands in the castle's crimson drawing room.
A Nordmann Fir Christmas tree was erected in the crimson drawing room, which the royal family uses for official entertaining.
Photos of the decorations at Buckingham Palace have not been released.
Buckingham Palace is decorated β but there aren't any pictures available.
A palace spokesperson told Business Insider that imagery of the interior decoration hasn't been released since the palace is closed to the public.
They said there were Christmas trees, garlands, and other festive flowers in the palace, the official London residence of the royals.
The photo above shows an event on December 11 at the palace, without any obvious decoration.
The palace is undergoing a Β£369 million ($466 million) refurbishment, which will see the royal household closed to state visits until 2027.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh was also decorated with trees and garlands.
A 15-foot-high tree was erected in the Great Gallery, the largest room in the palace.
Here's a close-up shot of staff decorating the tree with baubles.
The room is adorned with portraits of legendary kings of Scotland.
Two 12-foot-high Christmas trees stand in the palace's Throne Room.
The Throne Room is used for receptions, state banquets, and other formal events.
Here's a closer look at one of the trees.
The tree was decorated predominantly with red baubles and ribbons.
In the palace's dining room, giant festive garlands are displayed.
Staff members can be seen adding the finishing touches to the display.
The table was set with sugared fruits and foliage.
Clarence House has also been decorated for the holidays.
The London residence, which remains the primary residence of King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, also got a festive makeover in the run up to Christmas.
The property was decorated to resemble a Christmas grotto ahead of an annual festive tradition.
The Queen welcomed children to Clarence House to help decorate the Christmas tree in the household's library.
Highgrove, the King's former family residence, was decorated with towering nutcrackers.
Highgrove is in the English countryside some 85 miles west of London.
The two nutcrackers, which stand at over 10 feet tall, have been placed outside the Orchard Room, the estate's dedicated entertaining space.
Inside, a Christmas tree has been placed on a table.
The tree is in the Ante Room and will be visible to the public who visit Highgrove's gardens during the festive period.
Garlands of dried fruit have been displayed on the windows.
Staff members can be seen decorating the tree beyond the windows.
The table in the garden room was decorated with tall candelabras and seasonal colors.
Staff at Highgrove Gardens can be seen preparing place settings in the garden room.
If we see more royal Christmassy photos, we'll add them.
The series finale of "Yellowstone" has aired, concluding Paramount Network's epic western drama.
From lingering mysteries to lost characters, the show didn't tie up every loose end.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for seasons one to five of "Yellowstone."
The credits have rolled on the last-ever episode of "Yellowstone," concluding Taylor Sheridan's epic neo-western drama, which, at one point, was the most-watched scripted series in America.
Naturally, the long-awaited finale drew in a huge audience. According to VideoAmp data released by Paramount, the episode, which aired on Sunday, December 15, brought in 11.4 million same-day viewers on Paramount Network and CMT, making it the biggest episode in the series' history.
The supersized episode, which ran for 86 minutes, sawΒ Kevin Costner's character, John Dutton, finally laid to rest after he died in theΒ midseason premiere.
While the episode tied up many loose ends, it did leave some dangling plot threads and unanswered questions.
From lingering mysteries to lost characters, keep reading to see the six questions we still have about "Yellowstone."
Why did Rip never find out about the pain that Jamie caused Beth?
Beth's (Kelly Reilly) resentment towards her adopted brother Jamie (Wes Bentley) has been a cornerstones of the series since the very beginning.
As audiences discovered in a season three flashback, she had a good reason. When she became pregnant as a teenager, Jamie knowingly ordered a doctor to give her a hysterectomy rather than an abortion, leaving her infertile.
Beth's been haunted by this experience her entire adult life, not least because the baby's father was Rip's (Cole Hauser).
But, by the series finale, Rip is still in the dark about the pain Jamie caused Beth. He seemingly doesn't even know that he got Beth pregnant all those years ago.
What game was Sarah Atwood playing with the Duttons?
When Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) was introduced in the second episode of season five, she filled the villain-shaped hole left by the death of Jamie's biological father, Garrett Randall (Will Patton).
Working on behalf of Market Equities, she pushed forward with the real estate company's relentless battle to acquire the Dutton land by whatever means necessary.
This included manipulating Jamie into a sexual relationship before convincing him to call for John's impeachment. She took things further by organizing a hit on the Dutton patriarch.
But Sarah got her comeuppance not long after as she was gunned down by the same assassins in an attempt to cover their tracks.
Her demise, while celebrated by audiences, however, leaves lots of questions unanswered, including what her ultimate goal was.
By the end, it was hinted that she had shifted loyalties from Market Equities to Jamie himself. Plus, as Beth found out while digging into Sarah's background, she was using a fake name.
Without a real identity and motivations, Sarah ended up being a poorly drawn antagonist with not much depth who wasn't deserving of such a big storyline.
What happened to Angela Blue Thunder and her attempts to oust Rainwater as chairman of the reservation?
Angela Blue Thunder (Q'orianka Kilcher) was introduced in season three as an adversary to Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), the chairman of the Broken Rock Reservation.
At the beginning of season five, audiences saw her embark on a plan to supplant Rainwater with younger rival Martin (Martin Sensmeier).
However, Angela and this storyline were nowhere to be seen in the second half of season five.
With this storyline left unfinished, it leads to questions of whether Rainwater will stay in charge of looking after the Yellowstone land following his promise to Kayce (Luke Grimes) to treat it with respect and leave it practically unchanged.
Why did Kayce consider inheriting the ranch as such a burden?
In the finale, Kayce said the words "I'm free" when tearfully embracing his wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) after signing over the ranch to the Broken Rock tribe.
It was an emotional moment, but the reasons Kayce considered the Yellowstone ranch such a huge burden were never fully explained or explored.
Audiences will recall that at one point, John disclosed that he never wanted his grandson Tate (Brecken Merrill) to be born and opposed Kayce's marriage to Monica.
But besides this, audiences never really got a grasp on the tensions and resentments at the core of Kayce and his father's relationship.
Given that in the finale, Kayce bought himself a small herd of cattle to tend to, we understand that it was never the lifestyle that the youngest Dutton son was opposed to, but doing it on the farmland that his father owned.
Where did Lloyd go?
Lloyd Pierce (Forrie J. Smith) was the oldest and longest-serving cowboy on the ranch.
The character also had a significant amount of screentime, appearing in every episode of the show but two, according to IMDb.
But in the finale, Lloyd's character wasn't given proper closure. As the cowboys on the ranch disbanded and headed their separate ways, Lloyd was left as the only one without somewhere to go.
While Rip offered him a job on his new ranch, Lloyd declined, stating that he would rather not be a cowboy at all if he couldn't keep working at the Yellowstone ranch.
His decision made sense as so much of Lloyd's life and identity were tied up in the ranch (he was among the men branded for life with the Yellowstone 'Y'). Still, it would've been satisfying to find out what he planned to do next if not cowboying.
What was the purpose of showing so much of the 6666 ranch and Taylor Sheridan's own ranch?
A crucial plot point in season five was that several key "Yellowstone" characters found themselves sent on a secondment to the 6666 ranch β which is a real ranch bought in 2020 by series cocreator Taylor Sheridan.
Elsewhere, Sheridan showed up as the character Travis Wheatley, a horsetrader who essentially saved the Yellowstone ranch from financial ruin by selling off their horses for them.
In fact, almost all of the penultimate episode was dedicated to Beth's trip to Bosque Ranch, which, again, Sheridan owns in real life. In the show, Travis is the proprietor of the ranch.
There seemed to be no concrete reason why these ranches got so much screentime in the last batch of episodes, besides showcasing Sheridan's own ranching empire.
There is a possibility that the scenes and characters introduced in them may show up in a new spinoff series.
The series was first announced in early 2021 and originally set to debut in 2023.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2023, Sheridan spoke about the delays in getting "6666" (pronounced "four-sixes") off the ground and said he had told the studio "to be patient."
What became of the wolves storyline?
It was a blink-or-you'll-miss-it moment in the midseason finale but on top of the news that Jamie had called for an impeachment tribunal, John was given the additional headache of an investigation being launched into whether or not the endangered wolves from the nearby national park were killed on his land.
Like Angela Blue Thunder, this was another storyline that was introduced and then seemingly abandoned when the show returned from it's lengthy midseason hiatus.
Given that John had invited his girlfriend, outspoken animal rights activist Summer Higgins (Piper Perabo), to live with him, it felt at the time that this story arc was going to loom large in the second half of the season.
In the end, it didn't. Audiences didn't hear anything more about the wolves storyline or the coverup operation that John and Rip carried out to hide their bodies again.
Beth and Rip's relationship was a cornerstone of Paramount Network's "Yellowstone."
The couple, played by Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, are rumored to be reuniting for a spinoff show.
Here's a complete timeline of the pair's passionate relationship from the pilot to the finale.
Since the very beginning, Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler's relationship has been considered the beating heart of Paramount Network's "Yellowstone."
The series, co-created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, wrapped up its fifth and final season on Sunday evening with a supersized episode that saw the ranch at the center of the show returned to the Native American community who once owned the land.
In the end, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser) decided to buy a new, smaller ranch for themselves where they could live together peacefully.
However, it's suspected that it's not the last audiences will see of the pair. Speaking in November, Hauser told The Hollywood Reporter that he felt there was more to explore with Beth and Rip.
"You can go on forever about these two. There's no walls when it comes to them, no limits," he said. "And as long as Taylor wants to write something special, I know Kelly and I would be interested to do it."
Days before the finale aired, Deadline broke the news that Reilly and Hauser would reprise their roles to star in a" Yellowstone" spinoff series, according to sources close to production. The as-of-yet unnamed show, will likely star other actors reprising their roles from the main series, Deadline said.
Network representatives did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
As we anticipate more news on the spinoff, BI looks back on Beth and Rip's unforgettable, passionate, tumultuous, and decades-spanning love story as it played out on "Yellowstone."
When audiences first met Beth and Rip, they were a hookup with a long history.
In the show's pilot, which aired in 2018, audiences were introduced to Beth, the only daughter of Montana cattle rancher-turned-governor John Dutton (Kevin Costner), and Rip Wheeler, the ranch's most loyal employee who worked his way up to foreman after first joining as an orphaned teenager.
When the two ran into each other at the ranch's main cabin, it was hinted that they had more than a little history, and it didn't take them long to slide back into old habits.
After a particularly passionate hook-up, it was clear that the two wanted different things: Rip invited Beth to join him at a music festival, to which she responded: "You ruin it every time."
Relive the moment: Season one, episode one.
The pair had a very unconventional "first date."
Beth appeared to have thought some more about Rip's offer to do more than just sleep together, and the next time she saw him, she suggested a date more suited to her personality.
"You wanna go get drunk and watch some wolves kill an elk in a park?" he asked her.
And so that's exactly what they did. While they both acknowledged that it was far from their first date given their history, which audiences learn went back to their teenage years, it marked the beginning of the rekindling of their relationship.
Relive the moment: Season one, episode two.
By the end of season one, their relationship had gone off the rails.
In the season one finale, Beth sabotaged her relationship with Rip by turning a flirtation with ranch newcomer Walker (Ryan Bingham) into a full-blown affair.
While Beth and Rip had never properly defined their relationship, Beth's decision to sleep with Walker left Rip feeling betrayed.
In Beth's eyes, however, she had good reason to stray: Rip had left her ego bruised by assuming that she was sleeping with her male assistant, Jason (David Cleveland Brown). He also refused to pass on some information her father had privately shared with him regarding the future of the ranch.
Beth didn't have feelings for Walker, but was simply using him as a distraction as she dealt with the anger and pain from her argument with Rip.
Relive the moment: Season one, episode nine.
Midway through season two, Beth and Rip reconciled.
Beth and Walker's no-strings-attached fling carried on into season two, and it wasn't until halfway through the season that Beth pulled herself out of her self-destructive pattern and apologized to Rip.
But it was already water under the bridge for Rip, who told her he wasn't angry and she needn't ever say sorry to him for anything.
They shared smiles, acknowledging that they were back on track before Rip returned to his duties on the ranch.
Relive the moment: Season two, episode five.
In a flashback, audiences saw Beth and Rip's first kiss as teenagers.
Teenage Beth (Kylie Rogers) and teenage Rip (Kyle Red Silverstein) were shown initially clashing on the ranch. Beth called Rip, who had recently been welcomed into the ranch by John, her "daddy's new pet," infuriating the orphaned teen.
However, the two couldn't deny their attraction to one another. Beth asked Rip to kiss her. When he replied that he didn't know how, she revealed that she didn't either, and so the two shared their first kiss together.
Relive the moment: Season two, episode five.
Rip saved Beth from a brutal attack and uttered those three important words.
Beth's decision to invite Rip to join her on the rooftop of the Dutton house for a late-night drink together led to a poignant moment between the two.
After Beth joked that Rip has been wearing the same jeans and jacket for years, Rip got vulnerable and revealed that he's spent thousands of dollars on headstones for his mom and brother, who were murdered by his abusive father.
Touched at his gesture, the two stared lovingly into each other's eyes, but before Rip could tell Beth that he loved her, she stopped him.
"Don't say it," Beth requested. "Tell me when it saves me."
That ended up coming sooner than anticipated. Later in the same episode, Beth was brutally attacked by men working on behalf of Malcolm Beck (Neal McDonough). Having managed to call Rip before things turned ugly, Rip managed to save her and kill her assailants.
As he comforted her, Rip uttered those three important words.
Relive the moment: Season two, episode seven.
A season three flashback revealed that Rip got Beth pregnant when they were teenagers.
After learning that she had gotten pregnant with Rip's baby, Beth asked her older brother Jamie (Dalton Baker) to get her help.
Worried that going to a hospital in the city would draw attention given that she has the Dutton name, Jamie drove Beth to a clinic where he agreed to let a doctor give her a hysterectomy, leaving her infertile for the rest of her life.
Afterward, Beth met with Rip, who asked if her pregnancy test had come back positive. Lying to him, she said it had been negative, hiding from him the abortion β and unbeknownst to her, sterilization β that she had just gone through.
Relive the moment: Season three, episode five.
Beth asked Rip to marry her on the porch of their cabin.
Early on in season three, Beth hinted that she would like to one day be Rip's wife.
After speaking to her father, who told her Rip would never propose because he wouldn't be able to bring himself to ask John for his blessing out of respect for the Dutton patriarch, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
She posed the question to Rip on the porch of their cabin with a simple black ring, joking that she knew he wasn't a "diamonds and gold kind of girl."
She's his, Beth said, on one condition: "The only thing I ask is that you outlive me so that I never have to live another day without you."
Rip had a condition of his own, too: They needed to get married on the ranch. A courthouse wedding was out of the question, because there was no record of his existence on file.
Relive the moment: Season three, episode seven.
Beth took in an orphaned teenager who became their de facto son.
While recovering in the hospital from yet another assassination attempt, Beth ran into a kid named Carter (Finn Little) who is all alone in the world. Naturally, the boy reminded Beth of a young Rip, so she decided to invite him to the ranch to find work and give him a roof over his head.
While Rip was initially reluctant to take Carter under his wing, he eventually came around to the idea and the two began treating Carter like the child they never had.
Relive the moment: Season four, episode two.
Beth and Rip married on the ranch in an impromptu ceremony.
In the season four finale, Beth decided to throw together a last-minute wedding outside the Dutton cabin.
It came after she almost bolted, leaving the Yellowstone ranch, her family, and Rip all behind, after feeling immense guilt over the secrets she had kept from Rip over the years.
When Rip convinced her to stay put and keep the promises she had made to him, she decided it was as good a time as ever to make that promise more permanent.
Wearing a white leopard-print coat and a gold dress, Beth and Rip married β with the help of a priest Beth had managed to rope in to officiate. The ceremony took place in front of their nearest and dearest, including Carter.
Relive the moment: Season four, episode 10.
A flashback revealed that Rip's loyalty to the ranch was intertwined with his loyalty to Beth.
Season five filled in some more gaps about Rip's early days at the ranch. One flashback showed how Rip got his chest branded with the Yellowstone Y β the indication that you're committed to the ranch forever β after getting into a fight with an older cowboy who had said some less-than-chivalrous things about Beth.
After Beth and Rip began their romance as teenagers, Beth decided to make Rip jealous by going on a date with an older cowboy named Rowdy (Kai Caster). When Rip and Rowdy were paired up on a job together, conversation turned to the boss's daughter. A fight ensued after Rowdy said some insulting things about her.
After Rowdy pulled a knife on the teen, Rip hit him around the head with a rock, accidentally killing him.
When he admitted what happened to John (played in flashbacks by Josh Lucas), he was introduced to the concept of the Train Station β the "trash can for everyone who's ever attacked us" that lies in a "jurisdictional dead zone," as John puts it β and asked to never speak of it again. Being privy to the Dutton family's secret meant that Rip was asked to swear loyalty to the ranch, something that he had no hesitation in doing.
Relive the moment: Season five, episode seven.
Beth and Rip bought their own ranch together in the series finale.
Beth and Rip left the Yellowstone ranch for new pastures after the Dutton ranch was given back to the Broken Rock Tribe.
When audiences last saw Beth and Rip at the end of the finale, they were settled into their new home and ranch, miles away from the Yellowstone ranch, along with their adopted son Carter (Finn Little).
Warning: Spoilers ahead for the series finale of Paramount Network's "Yellowstone."
The finale of the neo-western drama aired on Sunday.
Here's where the most prominent characters found themselves at the end of the series.
"Yellowstone" aired its finale this week, putting an end to the cowboy drama that has captured audiences' attention for more than half a decade.
There were twists, turns, and in classic "Yellowstone" style, someone was taken to the "Train Station."
Here's where all the major characters wound up in the series finale of "Yellowstone."
John Dutton was killed off-screen at the start of the midseason premiere.
The fate of the Dutton patriarch (Kevin Costner) was revealed minutes into the season five midseason premiere of "Yellowstone."
John's death occurred off-screen in the bathroom of his governor's house in the Montana capital of Helena.
While it initially appeared that he died by suicide, it emerged that his son Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) and Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri), a lawyer who was in a sexual relationship with Jamie, orchestrated a hit.
Beth Dutton avenged her father's death.
Across five seasons, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) earned a reputation as someone who doesn't suffer fools gladly.
She knew as soon as her father died that Jamie was involved in the murder plot, directly or indirectly, and so made it her mission to avenge John's death.
In the series finale, she killed Jamie before Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) dumped him at the "Train Station."
Rip Wheeler moved to a new, smaller ranch with Beth.
Rip was initially facing the prospect of being separated from Beth for a year after being asked to take care of cattle down in Texas. But after John died, he promptly returned to the Dutton ranch to be there for his wife.
He stayed there until he and Beth decided to pack up and leave for new pastures. The couple bought a new, smaller ranch in rural Montana and moved there with their adopted son, Carter (Finn Little).
Kayce gave up the ranch and chose freedom instead.
As the last surviving legitimate son of John Dutton β his older brother Lee (Dave Annable) was killed in season one β Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) had been the frontrunner to inherit the sprawling ranch from his father.
In the finale, he gave up the burden of the ranch and instead chose freedom.
A cowboy at heart, however, he bought some cattle to rear on a small parcel of land he decided to keep for his family.
Monica was touched by her husband returning the land to the Native American community.
Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) is the granddaughter of the Broken Rock tribe elder Felix Long (Rudy Ramos) and has been married to Kayce since the beginning of the show.
Though their marriage had its ups and downs across the seasons, the finale proved that the most important thing to both of them was family.
The last time audiences saw Monica, she, Kayce, and their son Tate (Brecken Merrill) were pitching in to guide their new herd of cattle home.
Jamie was killed for the role he played in John's murder.
Jamie, who was adopted by the Dutton family as an infant but learned who his biological parents were in season three, spent most of the series swinging wildly between trying to earn John's respect and trying to destroy him.
In the end, Jamie turned against John. Though he wasn't directly involved in John's death, Jamie gave Sarah enough encouragement to go ahead with the murder plot.
While Jamie came to regret this, he paid the ultimate price for his mistake.
Colby, one of the ranch hands, was accidentally killed by a horse.
John's wasn't the only death to shake the Dutton ranch. Colby (Denim Richards), a long-serving horse wrangler, was also killed while defending Carter (Finn Little), an inexperienced cowboy, from an out-of-control stallion in the final run of episodes.
Teeter was heartbroken by Colby's death.
Colby and Teeter (Jen Landon) were one of the show's most unlikely romantic pairings. The short-lived romance between the two ranch hands ended in tragedy when Colby was killed while Teeter was in Texas.
Beth took Teeter under her wing following Colby's death, but Teeter ultimately decided there were too many painful memories in Montana.
She requested a job at Travis' (Taylor Sheridan) ranch down in Texas and made the move.
Ryan gave up ranching so he could pursue his romance with Abby.
Ryan (Ian Bohen), a stalwart of the show, decided he'd had enough of putting his life on hold.
After the ranch was sold, instead of getting another cowboy job, he sought out his ex-girlfriend Abby (Lainey Wilson) at one of her country shows.
The two reconciled and Ryan joked that he'd take a job as one of her road crew so he could stay close to her.
Thomas Rainwater, once one of the Dutton family's biggest adversaries, struck a deal with Kayce to buy the land.
The chairman of the Broken Rock Reservation, Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), had been fighting with the Duttons over the land surrounding the ranch since season one.
While Rainwater didn't appear much in season five, he returned in a big way in the series finale.
Kayce decided to sell the ranch to the reservation for the same price β $1.25 an acre β that his ancestors bought it for almost 150 years prior.
Sarah Atwood, who masterminded John's hit, was taken out by assassins.
Sarah Atwood got her comeuppance not long after the hit on John was carried out.
After Beth convinced her brother that their father wouldn't have killed himself, no matter the circumstances, Kayce paid a visit to the coroner's office and convinced them to reexamine his father's body and change his cause of death to "undetermined."
While the circumstances around Sarah's death weren't fully spelled out, it appeared that she was gunned down by the same assassins in an attempt to cover their tracks.
The series β which up until its most recent batch of episodes starred Kevin Costner as a rancher contemplating which of his adult children would be the right fit to inherit his sprawling ranch β has become the most-watched scripted series in America since it hit screens in 2018.
"I think that there's something very human about it where it's looking forward and backward with the same glance," Kelsey Asbille, said. "I think that's maybe the secret sauce."
Her costar Luke Grimes credited the fact that, in his opinion "Yellowstone" had something that has distinguished it from the other Westerns β Taylor Sheridan, whom he called "the best writer for this genre that has ever existed."
The final episode, which aired on Sunday, clocked in at over 90 minutes and gave audiences the closure they'd been waiting for: John's murder was avenged, and the fate of the ranch was finally revealed.
Here's a recap of how "Yellowstone" concluded.
John's body was laid to rest on the ranch.
The final episode saw John's body released from the coroner's office, meaning that the family could finally hold a funeral for him. Viewers may recall that his body ended up having a second post-mortem examination, which revealed there had been foul play in his death.
Rip (Cole Hauser) and the men from the bunkhouse dug a hole for his coffin in the Dutton graveyard, and Beth (Kelly Reilly) gathered the family β minus Jamie β to give John a small, intimate funeral.
Beth was overcome by emotion at seeing the coffin, but when asked by the preacher if she wanted to say her goodbyes, she returned to her steely self and said: "I will avenge you."
Beth made good on her promise to avenge her father's murder.
Bethtook off from the funeral and headed straight to her adopted brother Jamie's (Wes Bentley) house in Helena.
Having just delivered a speech distancing himself from his involvement in his father's death, he returned home to find Beth hiding in his house.
A brutal and bloody fight between them ensued and, had Rip not got there just in time, Jamie might have choked Beth to death. Although Rip was ready to let loose on Jamie, Beth asked him to stop so that she could be the one to kill him. She then fatally stabbed Jamie in the chest and held his gaze, keeping another promise she once made: that she would be the last thing he would ever see.
Afterward, Rip drove Jamie to the 'Train Station' β in other words, he dumped his body off the side of a cliff. Meanwhile, Beth stayed at the house and called the police, pinning everything on Jamie β her father's murder, Sarah Atwood's hit, and her own close call with death.
Kayce struck a deal with the Broken Rock Reservation to keep the ranch from being sold to developers.
Having gotten his sister's approval in the previous episode, Kayce went ahead with his plan to sell the ranch to the Broken Rock Reservation for the same cheap price β $1.25 an acre β that his ancestors bought it for almost 150 years prior.
"Congratulations, you just made the worst land deal since my people sold Manhattan," Chief Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) told him.
However, Rainwater said there was one distinction: the Yellowstone ranch land will never change in a way that will make it unrecognizable in another 150 years. The tribe will live on the land but never sell it to developers.
As Beth had whispered to John's coffin earlier in the episode, this was perhaps the only way for the ranch to be saved.
"You made me promise not to sell an inch, and I hope you understand that this is me keeping it. There may not be cows on it, but there won't be condos, either. We won," she said.
The ranch's cowboys dispersed.
With no ranch, the crew of cowboys living in the bunkhouse decided their futures. Teeter (Jennifer Landon) landed a job at Travis's (Taylor Sheridan) ranch alongside her old friend Jimmy (Jefferson White).
Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith), the oldest ranch hand, decided that if he couldn't be a cowboy at the Yellowstone ranch, he'd rather not be a cowboy at all and so retired.
Ryan (Ian Bohen) left the ranch and immediately sought out Abby (Lainey Wilson), the country singer he was previously dating, hoping she would take him back.
Beth and Rip left the Yellowstone ranch for pastures new.
When audiences saw Beth and Rip at the end of the episode, they were settled into their new home and ranch, miles away from the Yellowstone ranch, along with their adopted son Carter (Finn Little).
As Beth had promised, the place was really out in the sticks, miles away from a town, let alone an airport. The closest bar, she told Rip, even turned away tourists if they happened to pass through.
"Sounds like my kind of place," Rip told his wife.
Elsewhere, Kayce, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), and their son Tate (Brecken Merrill) had kept a small patch of land for themselves and begun farming their own cattle. Although Rip had offered Kayce the Yellowstone Dutton ranch sign to take with him to his new farm, Kayce declined, stating that he was thinking of starting his own brand.
Florence Pugh has said it's "exhausting" to be a young woman in the acting industry.
Pugh told The Times of London that female movie stars face being called divas if they don't follow stereotypes.
"There are fine lines women have to stay within," she said.
Florence Pugh has opened up about what it's like to be a young woman in Hollywood, describing the experience as "exhausting."
In an interview with The Times of London published on Sunday, the 28-year-old British star reflected on her decadelong career as an actor and issues in the industry.
"There are fine lines women have to stay within, otherwise they are called a diva, demanding, problematic. And I don't want to fit into stereotypes made by others," Pugh said. "It is really exhausting for a young woman to just be in this industry, and actually other industries."
Pugh rose to fame after making her movie debut in "The Falling" in 2014. She followed that up with roles in "Midsommar," "Black Widow," "Oppenheimer," "Dune: Part Two," and "Little Women" β the latter of which earned her an Oscar nomination.
Pugh told The Times that throughout her career, she had loved challenging ideas she didn't like, such as how women in the public eye are expected to look.
"I remember watching this industry and feeling that I wasn't represented. I remember godawful headlines about how Keira Knightley isn't thin anymore, or watching women getting torn apart despite being talented and beautiful," she said. "The only thing people want to talk about is some useless crap about how they look. And so I didn't care to abide by those rules."
Pugh has frequently spoken out over comments to do with her body or look.
The "We Live in Time" star also told The Telegraph in 2022 that she was told to lose weight and change her "look" when she was cast in a failed television pilot at the start of her career.
Pugh also spoke out over comments she received after wearing a transparent pink gown to a Valentino Haute Couture show in 2022.
In the interview with The Times, Pugh said: "I wanted to challenge how women were perceived, how we are supposed to look."
"Actually I wasn't trying to challenge. I just wanted to be there, to make space for a version of a person that isn't all the things they used to have to be," Pugh said. "I'm proud I've stuck by myself and look the way I look β I'm really interested in people who are still angry with me for not losing more weight, or who just hate my nose ring."
"I am not going to be able to just change the way that things are β but I can certainly help young women coming into this industry by making conversations happen where they weren't before," she added.
"Saturday Night Live" has tackled the social media reaction to the arrest of Luigi Mangione.
Mangione was charged with killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
The sketch featured a character saying he's gotten "the horniest DMs" due to looking like Mangione.
"Saturday Night Live" kicked off its latest episode with a cold open that took on the internet's reaction to Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, who was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Thompson's death, has emerged as a heartthrob in certain corners of the internet.
In a sketch parodying the show "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace," the "SNL" cast tackled the social media response to Mangione, with Sarah Sherman playing Grace.
Recapping Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania earlier this month, Sherman said: "Of course, everyone online celebrated the hard work of law enforcement in apprehending this dangerous criminal."
"Just kidding! Y'all psychos made him a sex symbol," she added, before describing Mangione as looking like "Dave Franco with Eugene Levy's eyebrows."
"I mean, really, what is going on in this country? Y'all, this man is not a sex icon. This man is β and I cannot say this any clearer β a murderer," she said.
Sherman later interviewed a character played by longtime cast member Kenan Thompson, asking him if he could believe people were attracted to this "sexy slayer."
"I mean, women love bad boys," Thompson replied.
"Back in the day, you could impress your old lady with a little poem, now you got to write a manifesto," he continued, seemingly referencing the handwritten note Mangione had in his possession when he was arrested.
The sketch then introduced a man who had been "affected closely by this story," played by cast member Emil Wakim.
Speaking as a guy who "happens to look like Luigi Mangione," Wakim said: "Yeah, this whole thing's kind of been a roller coaster for me."
"On one hand, I keep getting tackled by bounty hunters, but on the other hand, I've gotten some of the horniest DMs in my life," he added.
Thanks to his digital footprint, much of Mangione's life has been laid out in public since his identification and arrest.
"Saturday Night Live" illustrated their sketch by including a shirtless photo of Mangione that has gone viral since it was uncovered by internet sleuths.
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for season seven, episode 11 of the Starz drama "Outlander."
Actor David Berry spoke to BI about shooting an intimate scene with CaitrΓona Balfe.
The actor said he would always wonder if they could have done it differently.
Season seven, episode 11 of "Outlander" saw the Starz drama take on one of the most-anticipated β and controversial β storylines from the book series written by Diana Gabaldon.
After learning in the previous episode that the ship Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) was traveling on had sunk, Claire Fraser (CaitrΓona Balfe) and Lord John Grey (David Berry) were left grief-stricken.
When audiences saw them next, the pair hastily married to stop the English army from arresting Claire for espionage.
While their marriage was meant to be entirely platonic β given John's sexuality and Claire's unending love for Jamie β the two unexpectedly ended up consummating their marriage while in a haze of despair, drunkenness, and delirium while both imagining that the other is their beloved Jamie.
Speaking to Business Insider, Berry reflected on the experience of shooting his first sex scene for "Outlander" and the challenges that came with it.
"This was a very big moment for me as an actor because it's the first time that I was called upon to do sort of an 'Outlander' intimate scene," Berry said, adding that it "was a moment I was afraid of but also looking forward to."
Berry's trepidation at taking on the scene is understandable. While not the most shocking scene in "Outlander" β the show has long been serving up challenging scenes β it is one particularly unpopular with fans given its implications for Jamie and Claire's romance.
But Berry said that despite his concerns, he went into the storyline with enthusiasm.
"I think as someone who's been on the show for eight years and has sometimes felt like I've been on the bench, this was a great opportunity for me to step up my game," Berry said.
"There was a lot of excitement, on my behalf, to portray something so challenging and weird and just kind of solve that mystery of how and why these characters do what they do," he continued, adding: "It's a dangerous moment for the show because it really tests the credulity of the audience to believe that these characters would do such a thing."
"You still have to ground it in some element of truth," he added.
The actor said it was no easy feat to nail the scene in a way that would communicate his and Balfe's characters' shared trauma, corporeal urges, and the humanity behind their decision.
The pair prepared for the sequence with Vanessa Coffey, who has worked as an intimacy coordinator on the show since season six.
But preparation began long before even getting to set.
"Cait and I spent some time just doing some drama school kind of nerdy stuff, just improvising through the scene to find that stuff that isn't spoken about," Berry recalled.
"Of course, everyone had different ideas about how it should be depicted, and having Vanessa there to arbitrate all that was was really great," he continued. "She had a really tough job because it was not like any other love scene that's been depicted on the show."
Due to its unique, unconventional nature, Berry said he would always look back on the scene and wonder if they could have done it differently.
"It's one of those moments in which I'll always look back and think, 'Could we have done more?' Because there are so many different ways to do it," he said, adding that he thought they "gave it a good crack."
"I was willing to push it as far as needed to go," he continued. "There were ideas about how far we should push it, of course, and questions like 'Do audiences really want to see what John and Claire get on heavy?' and I still don't know the answer."
On April 11, 2023, Jamie Foxx was hospitalized with a medical condition, but didn't reveal what.
The 56-year-old said in his new Netflix special that he had a stroke and blacked out for 20 days.Β
Here's everything we know about Foxx's health and what those close to him have said about it.
Jamie Foxx was hospitalized with a mysterious illness last April. In the actor's Netflix comedy special that airs on December 10, he said he had a stroke and blacked out for 20 days.Β Β
In April 2023, Corinne Foxx, Foxx's daughter, shared a statement from her family that said he had been taken to a hospital in Atlanta due to a "medical complication."
In the following weeks and months, Foxx's family and his celebrity friends didn't reveal what his health issue was, leading to fans sharing theories that he had been cloned or had died.
Foxx joked about the theories in his new Netflix special, "Jamie Foxx: What Happened Wasβ¦," before telling the audience that he had a stroke caused by a brain bleed.
A stroke is a life-threatening condition that occurs when a part of the brain doesn't have enough blood flow.
Foxx told the audience that in the year following the stroke: "I lost everything, but the only thing I could hold onto was my sense of humor.
"If I could stay funny, I could stay alive."
Jamie Foxx "experienced a medical complication" on April 11, 2023, according to a family statement.
"We wanted to share that my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday," Corinne FoxxΒ shared on her Instagram account on behalf of the Foxx family.
"Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers," the statement continued. "The family asks for privacy during this time."
According toΒ CNN, the actor was in Atlanta filming his new Netflix movie, "Back in Action," with Cameron Diaz and Glenn Close when he was taken to hospital.
On April 17, 2023, it was reported that Foxx was still under medical observation a week after being hospitalized.
According to bothΒ CNNΒ andΒ People, the "Day Shift" actor was still receiving medical care at the Georgia medical facility.
"They are running tests and still trying to figure out what exactly happened," a source toldΒ CNNΒ at the time.
On the same date,Β People also reported that Foxx's costar and close friend Diaz made her return to the set of "Back in Action," working with a body double for Foxx.
On April 20, 2023, Tracy Morgan and Martin Lawrence spoke about Foxx's health, with the latter saying Foxx was "doing better."
Morgan wished Foxx well while attending Lawrence's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on April 20, 2023.
"I love Jamie. Jamie's a good friend of mine ... my prayers go up for Jamie," Morgan toldΒ Entertainment Tonight.Β
"He's strong, he's a fighter, he's gonna come out of it and he's good. He's gonna be stronger and better than ever," Morgan said.
Referring to hisΒ 2014 accident which left him with life-threatening injuries, Morgan added, "I've been there. I was on the other side in a coma for 10 days, so I know about [being hospitalized]."
Meanwhile, Lawrence toldΒ Extra, "I hear he's doing betterβ¦ My prayers go out for him every night and just wishing the best for him, one of the best that we got in Hollywood."Β
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On April 23, 2023, Nick Cannon said that Foxx was "awake" and "alert" 12 days after being hospitalized.
Speaking toΒ Entertainment Tonight, Cannon said that he has been saying "words of affirmation for my big brother" and teased the news that he would be standing in for Foxx as guest host on the upcoming season of game show "Beat Shazam."
Cannon said, "I know he's doing so much better because I'm actually about to do something special for him, and doing him a favor. I can't really say what it is, but it'll be out there soon."
Speaking about Foxx's health, he added, "He's awake. They say he's alert, so, we love it. That's family right there."
On May 3, 2023, Foxx spoke out for the first time since his hospitalization in a brief Instagram post.
"Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed," heΒ wrote, followed by a praying hands emoji, red heart emoji, and fox emoji.
Many of his friends extended their well wishes to him in the comments.
Jeremy Renner wrote: "Sending you strength and love," while Kate Beckinsale added: "Love you sir massive hugs king xxxx"
Ansel Elgort, who appeared in "Baby Driver" with Foxx, wrote: "You are the greatest Jamie, please make a speedy recovery. You are a blessing to this world, we need you in it."
Foxx also gave a shout-out to Nick Cannon for filling in on his hosting duties for the upcoming season of "Beat Shazam" in an Instagram Story.
"Appreciate ya my boy @nickcannon. See u all soon," he wrote over the Fox show's statement about the change of lineup for the new season, which returned to screens on May 23.
On May 12, 2023 Foxx's daughter said he was out of the hospital and recuperating after seeing false rumors about his condition.
Just over a month after news of his hospitalization, Foxx's daughter announced that the actor was out of the hospital after unsubstantiated reports that the family was "preparing for the worst" began circulating online.
According to her Instagram Story, her father was discharged several weeks ago.
"Update from family: Sad to see how the media runs wild," she wrote.
"My Dad has been out of the hospital for weeks, recuperating. In fact, he was playing pickleball yesterday! Thanks for everyone's prayers and support! We have an exciting work announcement coming next week too!"Β
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On June 28, 2023, John Boyega, who stars alongside Foxx in the film "They Cloned Tyrone," said that the actor was "doing well."
"He finally picked up the phone. Thank you, bro," Boyega told People at the premiere of the movie. "He's doing well. And then, you know, we just giving him the privacy, and we can't wait for his return."
"I gave him the well wishes directly," Boyega added. "I gave him all the well wishes. So I'm just gonna be waiting until he comes back out here. So take your time, Jamie. We love you, bro."
"They Cloned Tyrone" coproducer Datari Turner shared similar comments about Foxx.
"He's in really, really good shape and spirits.," Turner said. "And he'll be back on the screen. He'll be back to work very soon."
In an undated video that surfaced on July 1, 2024 on X, Foxx gave an update on his health and said that his unknown condition began with a "bad headache."
"First of all, I want to say thank you to everybody that's prayed, man, and sent me messages. I cannot even begin to tell you how far it took me and how it brought me back," Foxx said in a video posted on Instagram. "I went through something that I thought I would never ever go through."
Foxx said that he was aware that people wanted updates, but he didn't want fans to see him during his medical complication.
"I didn't want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was going to make it through," he said. "And to be honest with you, my sister, Deidra Dixon, and my daughter, Corinne Marie, saved my life. So to them, to God, to a lot of great medical people, I'm able to leave you this video."
Foxx said that his family protected him and kept his situation under wraps, which led to speculation and false rumors.Β
"I went to hell and back. And my road to recovery had some potholes as well," he said. "But I'm coming back and I'm able to work. So I want to thank the people who let me work. I just want to say that I love everybody and I love all the love that I got."
On December 4, 2023, Foxx attended the Critics Choice Association's "Celebration" event, honoring Black, Latino, and AAPI achievements.
Foxx was presented with the Vanguard Award for his performance in the 2023 film "The Burial," which was inspired by true events.
The actor began his speech by telling the audience that he couldn't walk six months prior.Β
"I wouldn't wish what I went through on my worst enemy, because it's tough," he said.Β
Since his experience, Foxx said that he has a "new respect" for life and his art.
"I watched so many movies and listened to so many songs trying to have the time go by," Foxx said. "Don't give up on your art, man, don't give up."
On March 3, 2024, Foxx accepted the producers award at the African American Film Critics Association's (AAFCA) Special Achievement Awards luncheon.
Foxx and his producing partner Datari Turner accepted the award on behalf of Foxxhole Productions. The actor's speech was filled with jokes and heartfelt sentiments reflecting on his career. He also referenced his health situation.Β Β
"Everybody wants to know what happened, and I'm going to tell you what happened. But I've gotta do it in my way," Foxx said. "I'm gonna do it in a funny way. We're gonna be on the stage. We're gonna get back to the standup sort of roots."
In a Netflix comedy special that aired on December 10, 2024, Foxx shared that a stroke was the cause of his 20-day blackout.
In the Netflix special, Foxx said he blacked out for 20 days in April 2023 after getting a bad headache.
Foxx said he was later told what happened during those 20 days, though he didn't specify who told him.Β
Foxx said he was initially taken to a doctor who gave him a cortisone shot and sent him home, then his sister, Dixon, drove him to Piedmondt hospital in Atlanta.
The doctor, whom he called doctor Schuette, told Dixon that Foxx had a stroke and needed to be operated on right away.
"My sister knelt down outside the operating room and prayed the whole time," Foxx said.
Foxx said that he felt "peaceful" when he was unconscious.
"I saw the tunnel. I didn't see the light." Foxx said. "It was hot in that tunnel. Shit, am I going to the wrong place in this motherfucker?"
He said the doctor later told Dixon that they couldn't find where he was bleeding in his brain but he may be able to make a full recovery.
"It's going to be the worst year of his life," Foxx said the doctor told his sister.
During the first 15 days of recovery, the doctors thought he was going to die because his vitals were too high and he needed to be kept calm, he said.Β
Foxx said his youngest daughter, Anelise Bishop, snuck into his hospital with her guitar and started playing music, which helped Foxx's vitals go down.
"It was God in that guitar," Foxx said. "That's my spiritual defibrillator."
Later on during the special, Foxx said he woke up on May 4, 2023 in a wheelchair and refused to believe he had a stroke.
"Jamie Foxx don't get strokes," Foxx recalled. "That's old man shit."
While strokes are more common in older people, a study published by the CDC earlier this year found that strokes in people under 65 have increased by 15% in the US from 2011-2013 to 2020 - 2022.
Foxx said it took time for him to come to terms with his condition and work on getting better.
At 15 years old, she was the youngest songwriter to ever sign with Sony. She now has 14 Grammys on her shelf β including four for album of the year, the most of any artist in history β several tours under her belt, 11 studio albums, a long list of chart-topping songs, and a beloved fan base who dub themselves "Swifties."
Swift has been strategic and generous with her money, investing in a sprawling $84 million real-estate portfolio and often donating to causes she supports.
See how Swift earns and spends her fortune below.
Hillary Hoffower,Β Libby Torres, and Taylor Nicole Rogers contributed to a previous version of this article.
Taylor Swift has an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion.
According to Forbes, which published a series of 2024 billionaire reports on Tuesday, Swift is the first musician to reach 10-figure status solely based on songwriting and performing (rather than brand deals or business ventures).
Swift's vast fortune is primarily thanks to her valuable discography and earnings from streaming deals, music sales, concert tickets, and merchandise.
Representatives for Swift did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment regarding the Forbes report.
The pop star's record-breaking Eras Tour, which began in March 2023, propelled the singer to billionaire status.
Swift's 21-month, five-continent Eras Tour was nothing short of a sensation. By the end of its first year, it had become the first tour ever to gross over $1 billion in revenue, on track to become the highest-grossing tour of all time.Β
In October 2023, after Swift toured 56 dates across the US and Mexico, the Eras Tour had already generated $780 million andΒ added $4.3 billion to America's gross domestic product, according to Bloomberg Economics.
Throughout 2024, Swift also made stops in Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Canada, and 11 countries throughout Europe.
By the end of its run, the Eras Tour had grossed over $2 billion.
This figure was confirmed by Taylor Swift Touring, the singer's production company. All 149 stadium shows were sold out, and the company said over 10 billion people attended the Eras Tour.
The movie version of the tour broke box-office records before it was even released. It grossed more than $261 million worldwide.
Worldwide ticket presales had already exceeded $100 million before "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" was released (a day early) on October 12, 2023, AMC Theatres reported.
According to ticketing service Fandango, the film set a record for the highest first-day ticket sales in 2023. It has also become the highest-grossing concert movie of all time, surpassing "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never."
Swift, who bypassed movie studios to personally fund the concert movie, received half of the box office earnings for the film, which grossed $261 million worldwide.
Swift cashed in on her blockbuster Eras Tour movie again by selling the streaming rights to Disney for more than $75 million.
According to Puck News, Disney paid upwards of $75 million for the exclusive rights.
Citing anonymous sources, the outlet reported that Disney's Bob Iger outbid Netflix and Universal Pictures (which handled VOD distribution for the film in December) for the streaming rights by offering a huge sum, which the other two streamers couldn't match.
Swift also released an Eras Tour photo book, which sold over 800,000 copies in its first weekend.
As she did with the Eras Tour film, Swift circumvented traditional routes and opted to self-publish instead, ensuring she would get more of the book's revenue.
She earned even more during her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018.
At the time, the Reputation Stadium Tour broke the record for the highest-grossing US tour ever, according to Billboard. Swift earned an average of $7 million per show, more than double the US per-concert average during the "1989" tour.
But her tours don't just bring in ticket sales. Swift also makes a huge sum of money from merch.
In April 2023, Forbes estimated that Swift's coveted on-site merchandise β which she sells at an average price of $80 βcould add an estimated $87 million in proceeds to her fortune.
Swift's latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department," sold millions of copies in a matter of weeks.
This sum was thanks to huge streaming totals and physical album sales,Β especially vinyl, which Swift sells more successfully than anyone else. According to a Billboard report from November 2023,Β one in every 15 vinyl albums sold in the USΒ is one of Swift's.
On November 30, 2024, "Poets" was certified 6x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, meaning it has sold at least 6 million copies in the US.
Swift amassed an estimated $230 million in record sales following the release of her 2022 album "Midnights."
According to The Guardian, Swift's massive album sales for "Midnights" brought in $230 million for Swift's label Universal.Β
With more than 1.5 million equivalent album units earned in the US in its first week, "Midnights" landed the biggest week for an album in seven years (since Swift's own album "Reputation").
Swift made $52 million in 2021 after rerecording earlier work that was acquired (and then sold) by Scooter Braun.
She released the first installment in the series, "Fearless (Taylor's Version)," in 2021. It debuted atop the Billboard 200 β indicating this would be a lucrative venture for Swift. Later that year, Swift's new version of "Red" became one of the year's top-selling albums.
She has since released "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" and "1989 (Taylor's Version)." The latter sold over 1.6 million equivalent units in its first week, surpassing the original's total.
In Nashville, she owns a 3,240-square-foot condo worth an estimated $3 million and a 5,600-square-foot Greek Revival estate worth an estimated $2.5 million.
Swift needs a way to travel among all these homes. She reportedly owns a Dassault private jet.
The Dassault 7X is registered to Island Jet Inc., a holding company listed under the same address as Taylor Swift Productions, Business Insider previously reported.
There's no word on how much she paid for these vehicles, but a brand new Dassault 900 has a list price of $44 million, according to Business Jet Traveler. Elon Musk owns a similar model that cost about $26 million.
Swift often spends money dining out with her friends and romantic partners, especially when in New York City.
In the past, she's been spotted at The Fat Radish, The Spotted Pig, Sarabeth's, L'Asso, Nobu, and Vita Carota.
But Swift has always been generous with her money, supporting causes and helping those in need.
On her 24th birthday, she donated $100,000 to the Nashville Symphony, according to People.
Swift pledged $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame to fund an education center.
Her commitment to education doesn't stop with music; Swift also donated $50,000 to NYC public schools, People reported.
She has donated millions to support victims of natural disasters.
And then there are the two famous checks she wrote for $1,989 β an ode to her best-selling album β sent to two fans to pay a student loan and to donate to a dance marathon benefit.
The checks were sent out in 2014, according to People.
More recently, she has donated huge amounts to food banks along her Eras Tour route.
She also helps out her fellow pop stars. She gave Kesha $250,000 to help with legal fees during her lawsuit against Dr. Luke.
For several years, Kesha was embroiled in a defamation lawsuit after she accused the music producer Dr. Luke, her former mentor, of "unrelenting abuse" and rape. (Dr. Luke denied the allegations, and they reached a settlement in 2023.)
The "Rainbow" singer revealed Swift's donation during an interview with Rolling Stone in 2017.
Kesha described Swift as "a fucking sweetheart. Very, very sweet, very, very genuine, extremely generous, picks up the phone every time I call her. My mom doesn't even always pick up the phone!"
Swift has proven herself to be incredibly savvy with investments.
In 2022, Swift pulled out of a $100 million sponsorship deal with Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX after she questioned the company if it was selling "unregistered securities."
AsΒ Business Insider reported, many other celebrities such as Tom Brady and Stephen Curry failed to do so and were subsequently sued for endorsing the now-bankrupt crypto exchange.
A pair of ruby slippers has become the most expensive piece of entertainment memorabilia sold at auction.
The shoes, which featured in "The Wizard of Oz," fetched $28 million at auction.
The pair β one of several worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film β were once stolen from a museum.
A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" sold at an auction on Saturday for $28 million β the highest- price ever paid for a piece of entertainment memorabilia.
Heritage Auctions, the auction house that sold the shoes, which are one of four surviving pairs from the 1939 movie, said in a press release that live bidding opened at $1.55 million, with pre-auction estimates for the slippers starting from $3 million.
"They surpassed that within seconds," the auction house said.
Including the Dallas-based auction house's fee, the unknown buyer is set to pay $32.5 million in total.
The iconic slippers, dubbed the "the Holy Grail of Hollywood memorabilia" by the auction house, already had a storied past.
As Rhys Thomas, author of "The Ruby Slippers of Oz," put it, they have seen "more twists and turns than the Yellow Brick Road."
They disappeared for more than a decade after being stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005 while on loan.
The FBI recovered the shoes in 2018 during a sting operation.
An attorney for Martin said that his client had believed that the rubies on the shoes were real, but he got rid of them after being told they were glass.
Martin, who was suffering from poor health, was given no prison time at a hearing in early 2024, the Associated Press reported.
The shoes were returned to their owner, Michael Shaw, earlier this year. He gave them to Heritage Auctions for Saturday's auction.
The movie, which stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, has taken the box office by storm, grossing more than $295 million domestically and over $390 million worldwide.
The "True Grit" star, 28, and the Buffalo Bills quarterback, 28, both shared a photo on social media of the moment Allen got down on one knee to propose.
The image, which showed them framed in an arch of pink roses and surrounded by candles, was captioned with two infinity symbols and the date "11β’22β’24."
While the pair have a way to go to match the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce hype, their engagement led to an outpouring of well-wishes from friends and fans.
Following the announcement, here's a complete timeline of their relationship.
May 2023: Steinfeld and Allen are spotted together for the first time.
Shortly after it was rumored that Allen had broken up with his then-girlfriend, social media influencer Brittany Williams, the quarterback was spotted out with Steinfeld.
In paparazzi photos published by the New York Post, Allen and Steinfeld were seen out together in New York City.
August 2023: Allen addressed speculation about their relationship on a podcast.
Appearing on the "Pardon My Take" podcast, Allen was asked if he'd seen headlines about him "making out with his girlfriend."
Responding to the jibe, Allen said: "The fact that anybody cares about that still blows my mind."
He added that photographers who try to take photos of the pair when they're together give him a "gross feeling," recalling one specific incident where he spotted a photographer hiding "on a boat" in an attempt to capture a private date.
"[I was] like, 'What is wrong with people,'" the athlete said, adding that there was "no privacy" during the trip.
October 2023: Steinfeld is seen supporting Allen at a Bills game in London.
"The Dickinson" star was captured on cameras at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium supporting Allen as the Buffalo Bills took on the Jacksonville Jaguars in October 2023.
The actor was sat beside race car driver Daniel Ricciardo, who is one of Allen's close friends, according to Us Weekly.
January 2024: Steinfeld evades questions about the NFL star while attending the Golden Globes.
While on the red carpet before the award ceremony, Steinfeld avoided going into detail about her relationship with Allen.
According to People, in a since-deleted TikTok video, a reporter asked Steinfeld how she was feeling about the night while holding up a Bills jersey β seemingly in reference to the fact that Allen was playing a game against the Miami Dolphins that weekend.
Steinfeld responded, "real good," and began walking away before turning around and adding that the shirt had the "wrong number."
Elsewhere on the carpet, the Oscar nominee addressed rumors she that was engaged, telling an E! News reporter that she was only wearing a ring because she thought it was "real cute."
Trying to get the actor to open up about her relationship, the reporter asked: "What is it about a sportsy man?"
"Listen, what isn't it about? Come on now," Steinfeld replied.
July 2024: The couple goes Instagram official.
Allen hard launched his relationship with Steinfeld with an Instagram post in July.
In a carousel of photos, captioned "Onward," Allen shared some glimpses into their romance, including a photo of the pair taken on a balcony overlooking the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
October 2024: Steinfeld opens up about her relationship with Allen in a newsletter.
In one installment sent in late October, she opened up about how she and Allen avoided a "bad omen" in their relationship.
She recalled how for Christmas, the couple got each other the same chef's knife in different colors because they loved to cook together.
"After we exchanged our knives lol, he told me there's an old wive's tale that if you gift your significant other a knife you have to pay for it, otherwise it signifies the severing of a relationship. So we exchanged quarters so we didn't have that bad omen," she wrote in the newsletter, per Sports Illustrated.
November 2024: The couple get engaged.
Allen and Steinfeld posted a joint photo of their romantic proposal to their Instagram followers in November.
"I said I couldn't wait any longer. I said I can't wait to start a family with you. I said your full name, and I asked you very nicely. I said please," Allen recalled.
"You were extremely surprised, you said yes, and that was all that mattered to me," he added. "And the sun was out."
"The morale, the support. When I get home, she's my biggest fan, my biggest supporter. She's just the best," said Allen, who is one of the favorites to win the NFL MVP award.
Allen's teammate Dion Dawkins told reporters that he believes Steinfeld has had a big influence on Allen's performance.
"Josh is having fun, we're having fun watching him," he said, per Fox News.
He added: " When you have a strong female behind you and when you're in the right mental space of going home and everything is peaceful and going to your cellphone and seeing a heart in your phone and it just makes you bubble β there's something about it."
Rupert Grint has been ordered to pay Β£1.8 million (around $2.3 million) in taxes by the UK government.
It stems from a tax dispute in the 2011 to 2012 tax year.
An appeal brought forward by the "Harry Potter" star's lawyers was dismissed by a tribunal judge.
"Harry Potter" star Rupert Grint has been hit with a Β£1.8 million (around $2.3 million) tax bill after losing a legal battle related to his earnings in the 2011 to 2012 tax year, according to multipleBritish outlets.
Grint, 36, reportedly received Β£4.5 million (around $5.7 million as of today) from a company that managed his business affairs in the 2011 to 2012 tax year as "consideration for rights, records and goodwill" from his work.
The actor is said to have claimed this a "capital asset," meaning it was subject to a lower tax rate than it would have been if it had been classed as income β which His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, a department of the UK Government responsible for the collection of taxes, said it should have been.
Following an investigation, Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the eight-film "Harry Potter" franchise, was told in 2019 that he needed to pay an extra Β£1.8 million in taxes.
He later appealed the decision, but that appeal has now been dismissed by a tribunal judge, who said the fee "derived substantially the whole of its value from the activities of Mr Grint," which was "otherwise realised" as income, according to the reports.
Grint previously lost another, separate legal case in 2016 that resulted in him being denied a Β£1 million (about $1.3 million as of today) tax refund following an appeal.
During a hearing at the time, the actor reportedly said that his knowledge of his financial affairs was "quite limited," saying he deferred to his father and his accountant on tax returns.
Richard Curtis's idea for a second "Notting Hill" film was apparently shelved because of Julia Roberts.
Roberts is said to have disliked his idea for a follow-up film with a divorce plot.
"Julia thought that was a very poor idea," the "Love Actually" director told IndieWire.
The screenwriter behind the rom-com "Notting Hill" has opened up on why the classic movie has never got a sequel.
In an interview with IndieWire, Richard Curtis said that Julia Roberts was not a fan of his idea for a follow-up in which Roberts' and costar Hugh Grant's characters split up.
Asked if he would like to do any follow-ups to his past films, he said: "I tried doing one with 'Notting Hill' where they were going to get divorced, and Julia thought that was a very poor idea."
"I actually did four Red Nose Days and Comic Relief. We did those mini sequels to 'Love Actually,' and those satisfied me," he added.
A representative for Roberts did not respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.
In the 1999 film, Roberts plays a famous movie actor named Anna Scott.
Scott falls in love with William Thacker (played by Grant), the owner of a bookstore in the picturesque area of London from which the film takes its name.
While the paparazzi's fascination with Anna initially complicates their relationship, the film ends with the pair happily together and expecting a child.
The movie, directed by the late Roger Michell, was nominated for best film in the comedy or musical genre at the Golden Globes, with Grant and Roberts also receiving individual nominations.
Curtis, whose new animated film "That Christmas" premieres on Netflix on December 4, suggested that even if Roberts was on board with a "Notting Hill" sequel, his focus was currently on branching out into new kinds of projects.
"I think oddly enough I'm keen at this stage in my career of doing new things as much as I can," he told IndieWire. "That's why it was great doing an animated film. I've made, I think, 17 films. It's quite hard for the 18th to be as different as this one is."
Ridley Scott compared one of the characters in "Gladiator II" to Donald Trump.
The director said that Denzel Washington's character is "very close to Trump."
Washington plays the scheming Macrinus, who plots to take over Rome.
Ridley Scott said he took inspiration from President-elect Donald Trump for one of his characters in "Gladiator II."
In the filmmaker's sequel to his 2000 epic, Denzel Washington plays an ambitious arms dealer who forces Lucius (Paul Mescal), the long-lost son of Russell Crowe's character Maximus, to be a gladiator β all while scheming his way into power.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Scott said that the character, named Macrinus, was "very close to Trump."
Breaking down the role, the director said that his version of Macrinus "was a prisoner of war β probably at a North African state β and actually was taken to Rome probably as a gladiator. Survived. Got free. Got into the business of maybe making wine and bread. He evolved into a very rich merchant selling shit to the Roman armies β food, oil, wine, cloth, weapons, everything."
"He maybe had a million men spread around Europe. So he was a billionaire at the time," Scott continued. "He's also a gangster β very close to Trump. A clever gangster."
"He creates chaos and from chaos he can evolve," he added.
"Gladiator II," which also stars Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, and Fred Hechinger, arrived in theaters last week, competing with "Wicked" for the top spot at the box office.
It has so far grossed over $140 million domestically and more than $300 million worldwide, per figures from Box Office Mojo.
Washington has also spoken about how he sees his character in the film, previously telling The Hollywood Reporter that Macrinus tries "to use everybody."
"He'd use his mother, he'd use his own children; he's already used up his soul, so he didn't have any left. He's in bed with the devil," the actor said.
Representatives for Trump did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Pamela Anderson has been praised for her performance in "The Last Showgirl."
In the film, she plays a Las Vegas dancer forced to reassess her life after her show closes.
Anderson said she almost "gave up" on the idea of being able to prove herself as a serious actor before the role.
Pamela Anderson said her breakthrough performance in "The Last Showgirl" is "just scratching the surface" of what she's capable of as an actor.
The film, directed by Gia Coppola β the granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola and niece of Sofia Coppola β earned rave reviews following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, with critics calling Anderson's performance a "revelation" and "remarkable."
In the Las Vegas-set drama, Anderson plays Shelly, a dancer who finds herself facing an uncertain future when the show she's been a part of for three decades closes amid dwindling audience numbers.
The role has generated some Oscar buzz for the 57-year-old star ahead of the movie's limited US release on December 13 and its wider US release on January 10, 2025.
Following a screening of the film in London attended by Business Insider, Anderson spoke candidly about the project, drawing parallels between her character's crossroads and her own transition away from her "Baywatch" identity.
"It was very cathartic doing this film," she said at the event. "I feel like I got to pour my heart into this."
"I feel like it's the beginning of my career, that it's the first real-time I've been able to apply myself and focus and do what I know I'm capable of," she continued. "It's just scratching the surface."
But the role almost slipped by the star, as her then-agent declined it without consulting her, she said.
Luckily, however, Coppola's team also sent the script to her son, and when Anderson finally got her hands on it, she said she was "blown away."
"I had never read a script like this before, I'd never been offered anything like this," Anderson said. "I just thought, 'This is life or death, I have to do this.'"
It seems it was a timely opportunity for Anderson, who added that she "kind of gave up" on the idea of being able to prove herself as a serious actor before the role came along.
"I thought my life and my career took a certain turn," she went on, referring to the fame she earned following her role in "Baywatch," adding that she felt "disappointed" in her professional trajectory after the cult TV show ended.
"I thought maybe I just didn't work hard enough, maybe I turned into this caricature of myself where I felt no one could see beyond that," Anderson said.
The Canadian-born actor now has two other movies in the works β the upcoming 2025 reboot of "Naked Gun," in which she stars alongside Liam Neeson, and the drama "Rosebush Pruning," where she's set to appear alongside Riley Keough, Callum Turner, Elle Fanning, and Lukas Gage.
But "The Last Showgirl" will always hold a special place for Anderson as the project that launched her new career arc, she said.
"I feel like she's the catalyst for the rest of my life," she said of her character.
"The Last Showgirl," written by Kate Gersten, also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Billie Lourd, Kiernan Shipka, and Brenda Song.