The duo met on the set of Jane the Virgin, which premiered on The CW in 2014. Based on a Venezuelan telenovela, Jane the Virgin starred Rodriguez as devout virgin Jane who became pregnant after an accidental artificial insemination by her gynecologist while Baldoni played Rafael a.k.a the father of her baby.
Before Jane the Virgin came to an end five seasons later, Baldoni reflected on the impact the show had on his life.
“What a magical experience @cwjanethevirgin was. Even from the audition there was something so special / magical about it,” he wrote via Instagram in 2019. “Its a longer story for another time but we set our intention from the beginning (actually before the official beginning) to be of service with our work. Love @hereisgina — so proud of all the bad ass magic she is creating right now.”
Baldoni went on to praise Rodriguez as a scene partner, adding in a separate post, “So proud of my soul sister @hereisgina. I’ve been watching her create magic for the last five years, I’ve seen how hard she works both on screen and off to create change and make a difference.”
He continued: “The business deals in between scenes, the love and respect for the crew and family, the 14 hour days and press on the weekends, the fight for representation and care to always look to cast and hire the marginalized and under-represented. She is so full of love and talent and I am so damn proud to call her a friend.”
Rodriguez was just as proud of Baldoni amid his success as a director and producer. “Justin is also one of my closest friends and we talk all the time,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in August 2024.
Keep scrolling to relive Rodriguez and Baldoni friendship:
Rodriguez and Baldoni originally crossed paths after being cast on Jane the Virgin. When the series premiered, Jane (Rodriguez) was dating boyfriend Michael (Brett Dier) but soon her feelings for the baby's father, Rafael (Baldoni), made her question what she really wanted for her future.
Over the years, Rodriguez shared sweet selfies of her and Baldoni, writing via Instagram, "Me and TV baby daddy. Days with @justinbaldoni are awesome 👪."
Baldoni, meanwhile, gushed over Rodriguez as Jane the Virgin received critical acclaim.
"Over the last year, I've watched as my friend went from being an unknown actress with all the talent and potential in the world, to winning a Golden Globe and being nominated for every other possible award ... all while becoming a household name and a role model to millions and millions of people," he captioned a post. "This woman inspires everyone she meets, and is doing so much good with her celebrity and is giving a voice to a massive group of people who've been waiting for someone like her for decades. ... If you met Gina and spend a few minutes with her — you would understand not only how deserving she is, but how needed she is in this business."
Baldoni continued: "@hereisgina You, my dear, are loved. You are beautiful. And you are extraordinary. You set an example for us all to strive to be a better version of ourselves."
"This is a special gratitude post for @hereisgina, my bad-ass acting partner and friend, who I've witnessed time and time again over the last 3 years put everything she has into our show. Who is in almost every scene, and usually ends up working 14 hour days every day," Baldoni wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of him and Rodriguez. "She is a warrior and never shows how tired her body probably really is. Who even on minimal sleep, somehow always knows her lines and always delivers insane, emotional and brilliant performances that make America laugh & weep every week. But perhaps most importantly, is someone who treats everyone she meets with love and respect no matter how overworked, tired, or stressed she might be."
Baldoni referred to his costar as "nothing short of a superhero."
"I can write this because I've seen it firsthand, over and over again," he gushed. "Grateful for you today G. Thanks for inspiring all of us. And since you dedicate one day a week to lifting up and recognizing others in this business who are doing great things… I think it's only fair that you let us do the same thing for you. #icaniwill #janethevirgin #loveyouTVbabymamma #warrior."
After having "a rough week," Baldoni issued a public thank you to Rodriguez.
"If it weren’t for the beautiful support and direction by my friend/ TV baby Mamma @hereisgina — I’m not sure I would have been able to get through my work in this episode," he wrote via Instagram. "Thank you Gina for holding the space, and the beautiful and thoughtful direction. Her talent is real people."
Rodriguez and Baldoni prepared for the Jane the Virgin finale by sharing photos together.
"Janes journey will never end with these beautiful friendships this show has given us," Rodriguez captioned her post while Baldoni noted in a separate one, "If you have to work late on a Friday away from family ... it helps when it’s with your friends. Love my TV baby Mamma."
While filming her hit CW series, Rodriguez started dating guest star Joe LoCicero. They got engaged and tied the knot in 2019 after several years of dating. Rodriguez revealed that her "soul brother" Baldoni officiated the wedding in footage from the ceremony.
During an exclusive interview with Us, Rodriguez revealed which of her Jane the Virgin costars she would want to reunite with on her ABC game show, Lucky 13.
"I would love Justin to come," she shared. "Justin would definitely come. Justin is super busy. But Justin is also one of my closest friends and we talk all the time. I could get him to come on the show."
Rodriguez called Baldoni her "my brother forever" when she told People in August 2024 he was "hands down the person" she stayed in touch with "the most" from Jane the Virgin.
Baldoni reacted in a separate interview with the outlet. "You know what? That came at a very special time for me and that meant a lot," he noted in October 2024. "She really showed up for me. That was really sweet. That was really sweet. She's a sweetheart. She's family forever."
He continued: "I'd love to work with her. She's so talented. I hope it's a movie that she directs. She's a fantastic director, so I would love to act in something that she directs. People don't realize how gifted she really is also behind the scenes. She's a real filmmaker."
Two months later, Baldoni's costar Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him. Lively claimed Baldoni created a “hostile work environment” on set that caused her “severe emotional distress.” The lawsuit also alleged that Baldoni “ignored well-established industry protocols in filming intimate scenes, and exploited the lack of controls on set to behave inappropriately.”
Baldoni denied the allegations against him in a statement to Us from his lawyer Bryan Freedman. The attorney referred to Lively’s claims as “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious,” while alleging she filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the film’s production.
Shay, 39, shared a Christmas-themed photo from Hawaii on Wednesday, December 25, writing, “Mele Kalikimaka from the Davies family! .” That same day, the reality star took to her Instagram Story to confirm she was actually in Oahu with husband Brock Davies and their 3-year-old daughter, Summer.
“Haters will say it’s photoshopped … proof we were here,” Shay captioned a video of her, Davies, 34, and Summer preparing to take the photo. “Merry Christmas!”
Shay, who rose to stardom after appearing on Vanderpump Rules for a decade, has often used social media to address rumors — and call out Bravo viewers who have criticized her.
The most recent joke among fans has been asking how everything affects Shay amid claims she’s being self-absorbed. “Feels like something’s finally about me. I’m laughing when I’m seeing these,” Shay said on her “Scheananigans” podcast in April. “I’ve even retweeted and responded to people because I’m just like, ‘You know what? I like to be in on the joke.”
Shay became the butt of the joke after her comments in season 11 about how deeply affected she was by Tom Sandoval‘s affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss — which caused his split from Ariana Madix.
“I just am hurting still. Why can I never have one moment where it can be about me? I am hurt,” she told Lala Kent during a March episode. “I lost a very, very dear friend. I am struggling with that. But I am not allowed to feel anything because it is only about Ariana. I am tired.”
Later in the season, Shay surprised people when she said she wanted to be a contestant on Dancing With the Stars years before Madix, 39, got the opportunity. The social media response caused Shay to clarify what she actually meant.
“That was my genuine emotion in the moment, and as cringe as I might be sometimes, I don’t ever regret sharing. That is literally my job here,” she explained on her podcast in March. “This season, I was priding myself on trying to be the most open and honest version of myself — even if at times the audience may not agree with me.”
Shay added: “I went way out of my comfort zone this season and I’m hoping that y’all can show me some grace and just understand that a lot of the things that we’re navigating are relatable. I’m putting it all out there because I hope that it helps people who have gone through similar things.”
Despite the current distance between them, Madix came to Shay’s defense. Madix got involved in the drama in August when the official Instagram account for Broadway’s Chicago musical shared a video of her with a caption that read, “One of the hardest working women we know! @arianamadix is only with us until Sept 1!”
In the social media clip, Madix was listing her packed schedule for the summer, which included her cohosting gig on Love Island USA, performing over 100 shows of Chicago on Broadway and an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
Bravo viewers took the chance to poke fun at Madix’s then-costars, with a fan writing, “I know @scheana punching the air rn cause you booked and busy lol .” Madix responded by defending Shay, adding, “Let’s stop with this .”
Fans have gotten plenty of hints about what to expect from Bridgerton season 4 now that Benedict has been announced as the lead.
The Netflix series, which is based on the book series written by Julia Quinn, centers around members of the wealthy Bridgerton family as they search for love in 19th century London. Season 1 focused on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), who were the central couple in the first book, The Duke and I.
Season 2, meanwhile, took inspiration from The Viscount Who Loved Me, which followed Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) finding love with Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Despite Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) being the subject of the third novel — An Offer From a Gentleman — his love story with newcomer Sophie has not been explored yet.
Instead, the third season focused on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) as seen in Quinn’s book Romancing Mister Bridgerton. The shakeup has since kept readers on their toes as they question who will be the subject of season 4 before Benedict was officially announced as the next lead.
Before Benedict was confirmed as season 4’s leading man, showrunner Jess Brownell hinted that the new season would follow the second eldest Bridgerton brother. “I won’t give you anything, but I do think that there are some clues at the end of Season 3 of where we’re headed,” she told TV Insider in April 2024. “So yeah, I leave that to fans to pick apart, but I think we’re tipping our hand just a little bit.”
Keep scrolling for everything to know about Bridgerton season 4:
Was ‘Bridgerton’ Renewed for a 4th Season?
Netflix previously renewed Bridgerton for seasons 3 and 4. The streamer didn’t offer more details about the focus of each season but Brownwell confirmed the season wouldn’t air until 2026.
Has the Season 4 Lead Already Been Chosen?
Before season 3 premiered in May 2024, Brownell confirmed that the writers’ room was already breaking ground on the next arc.
“I can tell you that I know who it’s gonna be. We are in the middle of writing it right now.” Brownell told Refinery29 one month prior in response to a question about which Bridgerton sibling is at the center of season 4.
Netflix announced in July 2024 that Benedict’s love story with Sophie would be the inspiration for the fourth season. Yerin Ha was subsequently cast in the lead role as Sophie’s last name Beckett was changed to Baek.
“What drew me to Sophie was that she immediately has obstacles — something that she constantly has to overcome,” Ha said during an interview with Tudum in September 2024. “Whether it’s this battle around social status or trying to hide her feelings from Benedict.”
According to Brownell, season 4 was already in production in April 2024. “We actually don’t know when it’s gonna drop,” Brownell told Refinery29 at the time. “We’re still making sure that we write the best possible script that we can before we start production. But we’re really thrilled with what we’ve been working on. So hold out hope!”
What Is Benedict and Sophie’s Love Story About?
“Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down — until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother’s masquerade ball,” read the synopsis posted by Netflix in July 2024.
Brownell said she was “very excited” to follow Benedict’s upcoming love story, telling Tulum, “It felt important for him to explore the fullness of himself before he settles down. He is someone who has big appetites, and we wanted to see him living a big life before he goes into settle-down mode. I’m excited for where we’re going with him in Season 4. There are a lot of things I want to say about it, but I should probably wait.”
In September 2024, Ha and Thompson opened up about how Benedict and Sophie’s love story looks on screen.
“It’s a fairy tale love story but it’s also got the Bridgerton element of trying to sort of tether it to some sort of reality as well and see how that pans out,” Thompson said before Ha noted, “[Fans will see] this kind of emotional tug-of-war, or like this kind of push and pull between I guess what their heart desires, and I guess what society kind of desires for them.”
Who Were the Potential Contenders to Lead Season 4?
Season 4 had three — or more — potential Bridgerton siblings who could be chosen to lead the series next. After Benedict’s love story with Sophie was already delayed, it made sense to circle back to him.
However, Eloise (Claudia Jessie) was also a frontrunner after being a main character for several seasons. To Sir Phillip, With Love, which is the fifth book in the franchise, would reintroduce Phillip (Chris Fulton) as he built a connection with Eloise.
Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and her book, When He Was Wicked, was also one to look out for after the character was recast. With Dodd taking on the role after Ruby Stokes‘ exit, Francesca was featured more in season 3, which would prepare her to be the next lead.
Will Season 4 Face Shakeups From the Book?
“I am really not trying to shake things up too much,” Brownell told Refinery29 in April 2024. “I really believe in the vision of the show.”
The showrunner didn’t rule out departures from the books though, adding, “I really want to serve the stories and the books the best way possible. It just naturally felt like, for Penelope and Colin, it made sense to lean into a romantic comedy tropes. So this season does have a bit more humor in it and it has the awkward banter. So that’s something that will feel slightly elevated in terms of being different from last season.”
Brownell, however, is determined to change that moving forward.
“This is a show about love in its many forms, and I think that it’s only right for us to foreground queer love and to tell queer stories,” Brownell told Pride in April 2024. “I want to see more queer joy on my screens, and that was definitely a priority for me when I stepped into the showrunner role.”
Brownell remained tight-lipped on which characters might learn more about their sexualities, adding, “How exactly that plays out over this season and the next couple seasons, I can’t say specifically, but I will say I’m excited for fans to see that.”
Season 3 subsequently confirmed that both Benedict and Francesca were part of the LGBTQIA+ community. “To welcome positive, happy queer love storylines [that aren’t] all about angst or tragedy or things going wrong, it’s a really lovely thing,” Thompson told Bustle in June 2024.
How Will Francesca’s Love Life Change the ‘Bridgerton’ World?
The season 3 finale confirmed a shakeup when Francesca met John’s cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza), whose gender was swapped from the original character named Michael.
“When we started talking about queer representation on the show, we started with a discussion that this is a show about happily-ever-afters, and that we’re not interested in queer trauma — that we really want to see queer joy,” Brownell told Variety in June 2024. “And if we’re going to tell a queer story, we would like to find a way for there to be a happily ever after.”
Brownell acknowledged the potential obstacles for a same-sex couple considering the Regency era setting on the show, adding, “So we have done a lot of research to figure out how we can achieve that within the confines of our world. And after people see the next couple of seasons, I’ll be able to talk about that more.”
Which Cast Members Will Return for Season 4?
Pics from a season 4 table read released via Instagram in December 2024 confirmed the return of characters including Francesca, Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), Hyacinth (Florence Hunt), Portia Featherington (Polly Walker), John, Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe) and Brimsley.
It is likely characters such as Penelope, Colin, Eloise and Gregory (Will Tilston) will also appear in season 4, along with Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown.
Will Couples From Past Seasons Make Onscreen Appearances?
After his season 1 exit, Page hasn’t hinted at any plans to return to the rule of Simon. Meanwhile, Dynevor appeared in the second season but later revealed she wasn’t in the next selection of episodes. Bailey and Ashley, who were the stars of season 2, returned one season later and haven’t ruled out more appearances in the future.
Newton confirmed in April 2024 that he planned to remain on the show. “It’s changed my life so I know that I’ll be sticking around,” he told High Life Magazine. One month later, Coughlan confirmed that they received an invitation to return, telling The Wrap, “They’ve told us we’re back for Season 4, which is super lovely … It’ll be exciting. [We’ll] pop back and have some fun for sure.”
Later that year, Bailey confirmed he will return as Anthony in season 4. “Gonna reunite with the family next week,” he shared during a November 2024 appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, adding, “I’ll always pop back and say hello.”
How Many Books Are Left From Here?
Benedict’s An Offer From a Gentleman, Eloise’s To Sir Phillip, With Love and Francesca’s When He Was Wicked are the immediate next choices. Hyacinth’s It’s in His Kiss and Gregory’s On the Way to the Wedding are still on the docket, as well.
Patrick Mahomes is keeping friend and teammate Travis Kelce humble as the Kansas City Chiefs tight end attempts to break into the acting world.
During an interview with the NFL that aired on Netflix Wednesday, December 25, Mahomes, 29, was asked what he would give Kelce, 35, for Christmas. “The guy has got everything,” Mahomes noted before quipping, “Maybe some acting lessons.”
Mahomes made the joke on the same day as the Happy Gilmore 2 teaser was released, in which Kelce makes a cameo. Kelce’s star has been on the rise since he joined the Kansas City Chiefs.
After his high-profile romance with Taylor Swift made headlines in September 2023, however, Kelce’s success has skyrocketed even more and with that has come new opportunities. Kelce made his acting debut earlier this year in Ryan Murphy‘s FX series Grotesquerie and later hosted Prime Video’s game show Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?
Kelce’s Grotesqueriecostars had nothing but praise after working with him. Micaela Diamond recalled the athlete coming in and being “so game” to work on the show, exclusively telling Us Weekly in September, “We all were just like, ‘Let’s make a TV show.’ That’s something Niecy [Nash-Betts] said all the time. There’s part of this that’s just play. We’re just playing and [Travis] can do that.”
Travis Kelce and Courtney B. Vance in ‘Grotesquerie’.
Diamond, 25, called Kelce a committed “team player” on set. “This was my first big TV show and also his,” she added. “So we were in it together trying to soak up as much as we could and be inspired by the veteran actors around us and listen and respond.”
“I just wanted to make sure I was very, very present for him in this new space. [He was] coming into the acting world and was just getting baptized in [the acting world] real quick,” she told Us in October. “[Grotesquerie] is going to come with some things that maybe other shows don’t present so I just wanted to make sure he felt covered. I wanted to make sure we had time to rehearse.”
Travis Kelce in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’.
She continued: “The blessing about this particular show for an actor is that most of the characters play a duality. Travis went from being a charming person who worked at the hospital to being down and out on his luck guy who has a mullet.”
Kelce, for his part, previously admitted there was pressure that came with the gig.
Patrick Mahomes #15 and Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs speaks with a NETFLIX reporter after the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on December 25, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“Right now, I’m just taking it scene by scene and trying to make sure that I remember my lines. Like I said, I’m very amaetur at this,” the Kansas City Chiefs tight end said on his and brother Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast in May. “Hopefully I don’t bomb this for [Ryan]. It sounds like everything is going as planned, and I can’t thank him enough for just this opportunity because I’m sure there’s actors out there who have been in the acting world that would die for an opportunity to work with Ryan, and I’m getting it in, really, my first gig ever. So it’s pretty unique and pretty cool.”
He concluded: “The biggest difference from being outside of the acting world and starting to get into it, is you’re very much in tune with scenes. You don’t want to get so caught up with the lines, you want to be in the scene with whoever you’re acting with, right? I started off thinking, ‘Man, just memorize your lines. Memorize your lines.’ But in reality, you want to be able to take that scene from one point to the next and portray exactly what the scene’s meaning is.”
Katie Maloney celebrated Christmas with her new boyfriend, Nick Martin, less than a month after making their relationship official.
The reality star, 37, reshared several Instagram posts from her mom, Teri Maloney, on Wednesday, December 25, that showed Katie and Nick, 42, spending time together. The trio enjoyed an outing where they saw Christmas lights and fake snow. Katie and Nick held hands in some photos during their first holiday as a couple.
The Sleeping With Sirens guitarist was also spotted in photos uploaded by Katie’s family of them at home on Christmas Eve. Katie and Nick were all smiles after taking their romance public.
Katie surprised fans in October when she confirmed she was seeing someone new. “I have a boyfriend,” she told her cohost Dayna Kathan during an episode of their “Disrespectfully” podcast. “Yeah, I’m in love, everybody. I’m really happy.”
“This weekend, I went to go see my boyfriend. He has to travel for work, so I went to go meet up with him and hang out with him and spend some time,” she continued. “It was really amazing ’cause I hadn’t seen him in a few weeks and just being able to, like, spend some quality time and just be around him was really necessary and really nice.”
“There’s been some things online recently. I’ve seen little bits and pieces. But let me tell you, he could not have been nicer,” Scheana, 39, shared on her own podcast that same month. “He’s from San Diego and we just talked about that. Then I ran into them again later back at the hotel at the end of the night, and [he] was just such a sweet guy. I caught the end of their set.”
Katie’s romance with Nick comes two years after her split from Tom Schwartz. The former couple were married for six years before their 2022 divorce. Schwartz, 42, for his part, moved on with Sophia Skoro.
After ending her marriage, Katie was linked to actor Satchel Clendenin and Love Island USA‘s Connor Newsum before finding love with Nick. She previously explained what she was looking for in her next relationship.
“I never felt prioritized. [Tom] didn’t really have my back or defend me or make me feel supported or heard. I just wanted that validation from him. So I made myself smaller in ways. I lost myself. I was a shell of a woman,” Katie said during the September 2023 episode of the “Almost Adulting” podcast. “It took me working on myself in general — not really because of all of that — but I wasn’t feeling great in my body and in general. I wanted to boost my own confidence and just started working on myself.”
Katie made it clear at the time that she had no regrets about her decision.
“I was not asking for the world. I was asking for somebody to show up for me and they couldn’t. Over and over and over again. It just became a voice that became louder and louder and I couldn’t deny it anymore,” she added. “It was over months — a period of months — and I just got to a point where I was like I need to get real with myself and real with him. I kind of just knew it. I became emotionally withdrawn. I still loved him but the love between us — that connection — that romance was not there anymore.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stars Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen sparked split speculation after posting equally sad — but separate — Christmas celebrations.
Taylor, 30, took to TikTok on Wednesday, December 25, with a video of her crying. “Chaos to pure silence. Wouldn’t wish this pain upon anyone,” she wrote alongside the post. “If you’re there, take a drive, scream, cry, feel the pain, because I promise avoiding it will make it much worse.”
The reality star elaborated in the caption, adding, “I was told you got through this once, you’ll get through it again. #coparenting #loss #relationships.”
In the comments section, a follower noted that “Dakota’s TikTok brought” them to Taylor’s account. “Just happy he can have his day with him,” she replied in reference to her and Daktoa’s 8-month-old son, Ever.
“Wrapping presents alone. But I am sober and can be there for my son’s first Christmas,” he captioned the video before adding in a separate post, “He is the only gift I’ll ever need in my life. I love being a dad.”
Fans of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wiveshave become familiar with Taylor and Dakota’s public ups and downs. When the first season premiered in September, the couple found out onscreen that they were expecting their first baby together before Taylor subsequently suffered an ectopic pregnancy.
The season premiere ended with footage from Taylor’s February 2023 arrest for domestic violence. Taylor was ultimately charged with aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury and criminal mischief after the incident. She pleaded guilty in August 2023 to aggravated assault, while the other four charges were dismissed with prejudice, reaching a plea deal the following month.
“The first few days [when the show came out], I was actually really busy that I couldn’t just binge it. I had my kids and for some reason I do feel uncomfortable with my kids watching it,” Taylor, who also shares daughter Indy, 7, and son Ocean, 4, with ex-husband Tate Paul, exclusively told Us Weekly one month later. “It makes me feel uncomfortable. And then it gives me anxiety.”
“It’s really hard for me to watch [the ups and downs with me and Dakota] because it’s all such true feelings. None of it is fabricated or acting or nothing. It’s all real,” she noted. “So it’s really hard for me to watch that back to that. That’s probably one of the hardest moments.”
Hulu renewed the show for a second season as Taylor and Dakota attempted to figure out their future together. At the time, Taylor said she wished viewers saw more of Dakota’s “good soft side.”
“I feel like for him, that wasn’t shown on the show. It did show just defense,” she continued. “So he’s like, ‘I look like this asshole to you while you’re pregnant — when that’s just not the case of how I treated you the whole time. Yes, I did defend myself in cases, but that’s not how I am to you.'”
Taylor added: “I would say we’re working on things, and I actually have no idea where it goes with us from here. We are not fully together but not fully done. I don’t know where the future holds with him and I. It’s just a lot. So I’m coping and trying to cope. But I don’t want to watch the show.”
The pair have since offered glimpses at them spending time together — but also shared posts that have hinted they were no longer an item. Season 2 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is expected to premiere next year.
After the show was renewed for its final season, KJ Apa said he wasn’t sure how he would approach Riverdale‘s last chapter. “I try not to think about it, because the more I think about it, the more real it becomes,” he told TV Line in May 2022, shortly after the show was picked up for season 7. “I think a lot of us saw it coming, season 7 most probably being the final season. So it didn’t come as too much of a surprise to me.”
Apa joked that there was one aspect of playing Archie Andrews that he wouldn’t mind leaving behind, adding, “I can’t say I’d miss dying my hair every week. I’m looking forward to being myself again, but I promise you guys, this last season, we are going to end it with a bang, and we can’t wait to share it with you.”
“A–holes saying ‘can’t wait for this show to end,’ like, babe, why does the show have such an impact on your life that you feel the need to make a public comment about it?” she wrote via Instagram Stories in March 2023. “Run along now.”
Scroll down to see then and now photos of the Riverdale cast members:
Before taking on the role of Archie Andrews, Apa kicked off his acting career playing Kane Jenkins in New Zealand's soap opera Shortland Street. The musician branched out after moving overseas with projects on the big screen including A Dog's Purpose, The Hate U Give, I Still Believe, Dead Reckoning and Songbird.
In 2021, Apa released his debut album, Clocks. After going public with model Clara Berry in 2020, the couple welcomed their first child, a son, in September 2021. Berry announced their split in March 2024 after previously sparking speculation.
The Ohio native rose to stardom playing Betty Cooper in Riverdale. Reinhart has also appeared in Hustlers, Charlie's Angeles, Chemical Hearts and Look Both Ways. In 2020, the actress released a book of poetry titled Swimming Lessons: Poems.
Reinhart, who came out as bisexual in 2020, dated Riverdale costar Sprouse on and off for three years. They called it quits for good in May 2020. She is currently dating Jack Martin.
After bringing Veronica Lodge to life, Mendes appeared in several movies such as The New Romantic, The Perfect Date, Palm Springs and Do Revenge.
The singer dated photographer Ian Wallace from 2013 to 2017. She was later linked to her onscreen Riverdale love interest, who was played by Charles Melton. The pair dated for one year before calling it quits in 2019. Mendes moved on with Rudy Mancuso after collaborating on his coming-of-age feature, Música.
The child star, who took a break from acting to attend New York University, returned to TV with his role as Jughead Jones. On the big screen, Sprouse appeared in Five Feet Apart, Moonshot and is set to star in the upcoming horror comedy Lisa Frankenstein.
In his personal life, Sprouse made headlines for his romance with Reinhart until their 2020 split. Since then, the California native has been linked to Kaia Gerber and Reina Silva. Sprouse is currently dating Ari Fournier after they made their relationship official in July 2021.
In 2017, the YouTube star booked her first major TV job as Cheryl Blossom alongside Trevor Stines as her onscreen twin brother, Jason Blossom. Petsch has appeared in Polaroid, Sightless, Jane, About Fate and Hotel for the Holidays in addition to her time on The CW.
Petsch previously dated Travis Mills for three years before calling it quits in February 2020. She confirmed her romance with Halsey's manager, Anthony Li, in November 2022.
The Missouri native originated the role of Josie McCoy from season 1 to season 3. Murray ultimately left the series as her character scored her own spinoff series alongside Lucy Hale in The CW's Katy Keene. After the short-lived show came to an end in 2020, the singer starred in the Nancy Drew spinoff Tom Swift two years later.
Murray, who has remained tight-lipped about her dating life, has appeared in films such as Valley Girl, Christmas in Harmony and The Way Out.
The actor, who has played Kevin Keller since season 1, has also booked TV roles in Instinct and a guest spot on Katy Keene. On the big screen, Cott has starred in All the Little Things We Kill and Asking For It. He also played a love interest in Sabrina Carpenter's music video for "Why" in 2017.
The Ohio native announced his engagement to Nichola Basara in December 2020 and they tied the knot one year later. The “Why” music video star announced in April 2023 that he and Basara are expecting their first child.
The Alaska native took over the role of Reggie Mantle in season 2 when Ross Butler left the series for Netflix's 13 Reasons Why. Melton, who previously modeled for Dolce & Gabbana, Kenneth Cole and MAC, has appeared in music videos for JoJo's "Save My Soul" and Ariana Grande's "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" since transitioning to acting. He has booked movie projects such as The Sun Is Also a Star, Heart of Champions, Secret Headquarters and the upcoming May December as well.
Melton dated Mendes on and off from 2018 to 2021 before moving on with Chase Sui Wonders. He is currently single.
Before playing Toni Topaz in Riverdale, Morgan scored roles in My Babysitter's a Vampire, Finding Carter and The Shannara Chronicles. The Canada native also starred in Kygo's music video for "Higher Love" in 2019.
Morgan announced her engagement to professional baseball player Michael Kopech in 2019. The couple exchanged vows in January 2020 but ultimately called it quits six months later. In July 2020, the Geek Charming star confirmed she was expecting her first child with Kopech. She welcomed their son, River, in 2021. The athlete expanded his family with girlfriend Morgan Eudy with the birth of their son, Vander, in 2022.
Morgan and James Karnik welcomed their first baby together — daughter Kaia — in July 2024. They got engaged later that year.
The Canada native, who has played Fangs Fogarty since season 2, appeared in You Me Her, The Order and Legends of Tomorrow as well. He previously made a name for himself with projects such as The Haunting Hour: The Series, Arrow, iZombie, Supernatural, Supergirl and Somewhere Between. On the big screen, Tanner scored roles in Secret Millionaire and Work It.
He was linked to Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Jasmine Vega from 2018 to 2019.
Kaitlyn Bristowe and Zac Clark offered a subtle glimpse into how they celebrated the holidays — seemingly together.
The rumored couple took to their Instagram Stories on Wednesday, December 25, to highlight their Christmas festivities, with Bristowe, 39, uploading a photo of her holding a candle at church.
“Many different beliefs when attending church,” she wrote alongside a snap that featured her and someone else who was also holding a candle. “But one I share with the community is shining your light.”
Clark, 40, meanwhile, shared a very similar photo of him holding a candle, which looked to be the exact same setting as Bristowe’s but from another angle.
Bristowe and Clark have not publicly addressed their relationship status after sparking romance rumors earlier this year. When they were spotted spending time together over New Year’s Eve, Bristowe swiftly shut down speculation that she was unfaithful to ex-fiancé Jason Tartick before their split in August 2023.
Bristowe didn’t, however, deny that there was anything romantic between her and Clark.
“You would think by now I’d be used to the hate. I’m not. Your words hurt. Your shaming hurts. Part of me feels a little sad and honestly embarrassed for you guys because this shouldn’t be how you spend day 1 of a new year,” Bristowe wrote via her Instagram Story in January. “You should not be this invested in someone you don’t even know or respect. It’s actually scary, and I know looking inward might be even scarier for you. But the bullying is next level. You are allowed to have opinions and feelings.”
She continued, “But you don’t even know the truth, and your HATE should actually come with consequences. I truly worry about some of your mental health. It’s not OK. It’s. Not. Please. Please feel ashamed of yourselves for treating someone this way who you don’t know. I did not kill someone. I had a party with some of my favorite people. Shame. On. YOU. Not me.”
In response to a separate post, Bristowe called out the rumors directly, writing, “Here to say that there was never an ounce of cheating happening and I will not stand for this rumor. Y’all are NASTY in here. Anywho. Swear on my dogs lives. No cheating went on. So we can just put that to rest. Thank you!! Happy new year everyone. Go donate some blood or somethin!”
Clark has remained more tight-lipped following his breakup with Tayshia Adams, who cohosted seasons 17 and 18 of The Bachelorette with Bristowe. Clark and Adams, 34, got engaged on season 16 of the ABC dating show in 2020, but Us Weekly confirmed their split in December 2021.
“In the moment, it felt real, it felt right — it was all those things. I wouldn’t change anything,” Clark shared on “The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast” in September 2023. “I don’t live in regret. It’s a very special moment in time and in my life regardless of what happened.”
“I’ve lost fights. I’ve won fights. I’ve been married. I’ve gotten divorced. I’ve been addicted to heroin and I’ve recovered. I’ve gotten a brain tumor cut out in the back of my head. I’ve made friendships and I’ve lost friendships. I’ve made money and I’ve lost money,” he wrote via Instagram at the time. “At the end of the day, I throw it all in the middle of the table and that’s life. I believe we’re all dealt a hand to play and for me, I’m a pretty happy guy right now.”
The I Still Believe star shared his excitement about the next chapter of his life, telling Entertainment Tonight in April 2022, “When you have a child, it pulls everything closer in your life in terms of the people that you love, your friends. It really reveals the people who really matter in your life, and it all revolves around this one special thing that you’ve created. It’s the most incredible thing that’s ever happened to me.”
He added: “I find myself looking at him and getting goosebumps ’cause I feel like I’m looking at a version of myself — which I guess I am. I see a lot of Clara in him too, which is something you can’t really describe. You can’t really describe the feeling, it’s amazing.”
Westbrook, who was largely absent from season 7 of Riverdale, revealed in September 2023 that she welcomed her first child. “No greater love. 🩵🥲 Welcome to the world, Teddy - born August 23, 2023. You are the light of our lives & we love you endlessly. 💫,” she wrote via Instagram.
"One year of YOU. Loving YOU. Growing with YOU♥️ Happy 1st birthday my lil Buddha. Your Birth day was also my rebirth. My greatest purpose. Crazy how fast this year flew by. Grateful everyday I get to call myself your Mommy. I love you," the My Babysitter's a Vampire alum wrote via Instagram in January 2022.
Morgan and now-fiancé James Karnik welcomed Kaia in July 2024. She first introduced Kaia to the world in a brief TikTok video one month later before giving fans a full Instagram carousel of their new family of four several weeks later.
“Been enjoying all the baby snuggles these past 3 weeks with our angel. Beyond Grateful,” she wrote.
Britney Spears got the best Christmas gift this year — a reunion with her youngest son.
Spears, 43, took to Instagram on Wednesday, December 25, to share a video of her and son Jayden, 18, where she referred to him as “my baby” before kissing him on the cheek.
“Best Christmas of my life !!! I haven’t seen my boys in 2 years!!!” she captioned the post. “Tears of joy and literally in shock everyday koo koo crazy so in love and blessed!!!”
Spears noted she was left “speechless” by the reunion before the clip showed her and Jayden in front of a Christmas tree. The singer shares sons Preston, 19, and Jayden with ex-husband Kevin Federline.
After her divorce from Federline, 46, in 2007, Britney was under a conservatorship overseen by her father, Jamie Spears, for much of her children’s lives. The conservatorship was terminated in late 2021 after 13 years, and Britney has since had a rocky relationship with her sons.
“I think Mom has struggled giving us both attention and showing us equal love and I don’t think she showed enough to Preston and I feel really bad for that,” Jayden told the Daily Mail in 2022. “We’ve both been through so much pressure in the past that this is our safe place now, to process all the emotional trauma we’ve been through to heal, heal our mental state. If I complained, she went after [my brother]. I feel guilty, so I am there for him. Mom has treated me better.”
Britney responded to Jayden’s comments at the time, writing via Instagram, “I say to my son Jayden that I send all the love in the world to you every day for the rest of my life.”
She continued: “My love for my children has no boundaries and it deeply saddens me to know his outcry of saying I wasn’t up to his expectations of a mother …. and maybe one day we can meet face to face and talk about this openly!”
Jayden and Preston subsequently moved to Hawaii with their father and his wife, Victoria Prince, along with their half-siblings, in 2023. Jayden’s reunion with Britney happened after he returned to California in November.
“Jayden is spending time back in California but does not live with Britney,” a source told Us Weekly. “All of his friends are still in California and he wanted to come back after graduating high school. Jayden reached out to Britney and initiated conversation.”
“It’s going to take time and will not be an immediate reconciliation. They have seen each other twice and [it] was very brief,” the source continued. “Britney was very excited to hear from him. She hopes they can continue to spend time together and hopes Preston also comes around. She has had a hole in her heart from not seeing her boys. Jayden reaching out means everything to her.”
The Valley‘s Nia Sanchez and Daniel Booko are expanding their family again.
“It was a complete surprise,” Sanchez, 34, who already shares son Asher, 3, and twins Isabelle and Zariah, 18 months, with Booko, 41, exclusively revealed in the newest issue of Us Weekly. “I was shocked but I knew that Daniel would have a full mix of emotions. So I told him on his birthday — exactly a week after I found out.”
“We had a plan. This was a little bit earlier than our plan. But we figured this baby needed to come at a certain time. Just a little earlier than planned,” Sanchez noted while Booko joked they wouldn’t stop there, adding, “I think we’re just gonna go for a football team.”
During season 1 of Bravo’s The Valley, viewers saw Sanchez and Booko adjust to life with three kids under 3. Now that has turned to four under 4 — and the couple are in on the joke.
“That will be our tagline for season 3,” Sanchez quipped to Us. “If I’m gonna go through it, we might as well get all these kids out. And then I can get back to being myself. It is that thing, obviously, you’re always gonna be a mom and just having your body back to yourself as a woman. So let’s do it all close together.”
Booko, meanwhile, said they are up for the challenge, adding, “I grew up in a family of six. I have three siblings, so I’m one of four. So it’s gonna be the thing. I am best friends with my three other siblings and we talk every day. It was just such a fun, exciting and wild upbringing. I just feel so blessed.”
As the pair prepare for “a full house” full of “love [and] laughter,” there are still some things they don’t mean keeping a surprise. For example, Booko and Sanchez aren’t in a rush to have a gender reveal for their fourth baby.
“We technically have an email in the inbox. Daniel wants to know and I’m telling him we have to wait and do it in some special way,” Sanchez shared. “Even if it’s intimately between us first. Then we’ll probably do a gender reveal at some point in the new year with some friends and family. It will definitely be very cute.”
This time around, Sanchez also has costar Kristen Doute to lean on. Doute, who is engaged to Luke Broderick,is currently expecting a baby as well.
“We did tell Luke and Kristen because they’re pregnant. So we’ve actually been trying to tell them specifically for weeks,” Sanchez, who just finished her first trimester, explained. “It was the funniest thing because for Kristen, it didn’t click right away. She thought we were talking about her pregnancy.”
Sanchez recalled: “We were taking a video and we say, ‘We’re pregnant.’ She goes, ‘Yeah, we are pregnant.’ She was thinking that we were saying that we’re all a family and we are celebrating her pregnancy. Then finally she goes, ‘Hold on, you’re pregnant?'”
“We’ve bonded so much over the last few years in general. It took us a year and a half to get pregnant at first — and I know Kristen has been very public about her journey. Before Asher, it took us a year and a half,” Sanchez told Us. “Now that we’re both pregnant, we are definitely extra close. It’s been nice to be there for her during the early stages of her pregnancy.”
After sharing the news with Doute and Broderick, Sanchez and Booko also have to tell the rest of The Valley cast.
“We haven’t decided how we’re gonna tell them. We do like to try to capture memories on video, so we might pretend to take a group photo and say it and get everybody’s reaction,” Sanchez said before Booko added, “We have been loving getting people’s reactions. These faces and reactions are all just so priceless.”
For more on Sanchez and Booko’s exciting baby news, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.
Below Deck‘s Sunny Marquis proved she’s not dwelling in the past by posing topless following her split from Ben Willoughby.
Sunny shared a photo of her on a beach without a bikini on Saturday, December 21. “Chapter closed,” she wrote. “Happy holidays and a happy new year to all of you in my life and those who have supported me through their phone screens .”
The former reality star noted it was “time to look forward,” adding, “See you in 2025 #whatsnext.” Sunny’s cheeky social media upload came shortly after Ben confirmed that they had called it quits after previously sparking split rumors.
“I need to kindly ask that people respect my space at this time and stop the negative commenting and messages,” the bosun wrote via Instagram Story. “It’s been a very difficult couple of weeks and some things are private between two people. I understand that a relationship was publicly and followed by many. Thank you for understanding.”
Ben and Sunny met while filming season 11 of Below Deck. After first forming a casual relationship, their situation got more complicated when Ben was promoted. Ben was also still hung up on his former costar Camille Lamb, whom he reached out to while still hooking up with Sunny.
“Being back on board St. David, it is like taking a stroll down memory lane. With Camille, it was this instant spark. We were very much like kids in love. I’ve just been really thinking about her recently,” Ben told cameras during an April episode of the hit Bravo show. “Maybe there’s a part of me believing there could be something because we were great together. See what girls have done to me?”
“It’s a bit of a roller coaster between Sunny and I. Sunny said she didn’t want a relationship. She was very much just there just to enjoy the experience and what was happening,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in March. “And then as things turned out, we both sort of got a bit more involved and it was quite hard for me to just tell her that I need to focus on my job because I’m stepping up into this leadership role.”
He continued: “I think she did take a lot of things personally when it should have just been for work and I very much want to see her after the show. So that’s where my head is at just at the moment. We just want to get work done first and then we can see what can blossom after that.”
“Yes you guessed it we are still together! Finally we can let go of the secrecy that has been held for the past 15 months,” he captioned an Instagram post in May of him and Sunny. “We want to thank you all for the support throughout season 11 @belowdeckbravo it’s been a rollercoaster to relive the season and the beginning of a relationship.”
The former reality star, 43, took to Instagram on Tuesday, December 24, to offer a glimpse at how she was spending the holidays solo in pal Kyle Richards‘ home.
“In my Bridget Jones era. If I didn’t laugh at myself, I would cry,” Mellencamp wrote alongside several videos of her in her pajamas singing “All By Myself,” channeling a scene from Renée Zellweger’s movie Bridget Jones’s Diary.
Mellencamp, who shares kids Slate, 12, Cruz, 10 and Dove, 4, with Arroyave, 47, opened up about adjusting to her new normal, adding, “First Christmas without my kids, and I know they’re in great hands with an amazing dad, but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel some type of way.”
She concluded: “Ordered $74 of Thai food, eating cookie dough (who has time to bake) and watched 9 episodes of Lioness. To all my parents out there going through this, I love you. What are all the tips for powering through?”
Mellencamp received messages of support from fellow Housewives. Richards, 55, who is in Aspen with Mauricio Umanskyamid their own separation, wrote, “Watching you do this in my bedroom is making me LOL Love you xx.”
Caroline Stansbury, who got divorced in 2019 from Cem Habib, replied, “It gets easier and now i am sitting with my kids and my ex husband having an amazing christmas again.”
Jana Kramer, who has been outspoken about her ups and downs with exMike Caussin, shared some advice as well.
“Sending love. The first one was brutal and I wish I could say it gets easier,” she wrote. “But even a new husband and a baby and it’s still not normal to not have all your babies under one roof on Christmas. Sending love. You got this momma.”
Mellencamp announced her split from Arroyave in November after 13 years of marriage.
“After a great deal of care and consideration, I have made the difficult decision to file for divorce,” Mellencamp wrote via Instagram at the time. “My priority is my children and ensuring that every care is taken with their privacy and wellbeing throughout this new chapter.”
Mellencamp admitted she didn’t want to publicly address the breakup, adding, “Making a public statement is not something I wanted to do, but in an effort to protect my family from undue speculation and rumors, I felt being open, honest and vulnerable was the best path forward.”
After the statement, Mellencamp filed for divorce, listing October 20 as their separation date and citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. Us Weekly subsequently confirmed that Mellencamp was involved in a romance with horse trainer Simon Schroedermonths before she separated from Arroyave.
A source subsequently claimed to Us that Mellencamp and Arroyave tried to make their marriage work before ultimately calling it quits.
“Simon and Teddi had a thing several months ago but it’s not still happening,” a source exclusively told Us before alleging that Arroyave was also unfaithful during his marriage. “Teddi and Edwin had been working on the problems of their marriage, despite his past indiscretions.”
The insider added: “Teddi isn’t excusing her behavior but this was the first and only time she strayed outside of the marriage and says there’s two sides to the story. They are both to blame.”
Getting into the Christmas spirit, Barstool’s Dave Portnoysaved a pizza shop from closing by donating $60,000.
Portnoy, 47, shared an Instagram video on Monday, December 23, which showed him visiting TinyBrickOven in Baltimore. Before trying a slice of pizza, Portnoy learned from the owner Will Fagg that the food establishment was planning to close in a few days because they weren’t able to get a liquor license.
“We can’t get our liquor license here,” Fagg said. “We’re just not making any money, man. It’s been crazy. The market opened and everyone inside was allowed to sell alcohol and we were never allowed to sell alcohol.”
Portnoy turned to the camera and said,, “We’re gonna have to keep this place open.” He asked Fagg how much money he would need to stay open for a year and subsequently gifted the business owner $60,000 to make it happen.
The President of Barstool Sports also gave his signature pizza rating — giving TinyBrickOven a 7.9 — after trying the “very good, thin, New York-kinda style” pizza. Portnoy promised that Fagg, who planned to close the shop on Christmas Day, would get the money by then.
“People say it’s a Christmas miracle,” Fagg later told CBS News on Wednesday, December 25. “It kind of feels like a Christmas miracle!”
Fagg revealed that since Portnoy’s video went viral, TinyBrickOven has had a line out the door. People have also shown their support by contributing to the shop’s fundraiser, which surpassed its goal of $50,000 by Tuesday, December 24.
“We’ve never had a crowd like this,” Fagg continued. “It’s an incredible feeling, I mean I’ve always had a lot of community support — it’s overwhelming and I thank everybody so much.”
Earlier this month, Portnoy visited several Maryland restaurants including Frank’s Pizza & Pasta and Pizza John’s, according to The Baltimore Banner. Portnoy started filming pizza reviews in 2013 and has expanded the reviews to his One Bite app and website.
Portnoy hasn’t just made headlines recently for his philanthropic endeavors over the years. In recent weeks, he has garnered public attention after getting involved in the drama following his podcast cohost Brianna “Chickenfry” Lapaglia‘s split from Zach Bryan.
After speaking out about the former couple — and taking digs at Bryan — Portnoy officially announced his exit from the “BFFs” podcast.
“The subjects don’t interest me at all,” Portnoy said on “The Unnamed Show” podcast in November one month after news broke about Bryan, 28, and Lapaglia’s split. “They show me the topics when I go in there. I haven’t done any research, and I’m just ripping apart 18-year-olds, who I don’t even know. I don’t love necessarily doing that. It’s a little different.”
Lapaglia, 25, and Josh Richards will keep the podcast going, which Portnoy originally launched in 2020.
“It certainly accomplished what I wanted to accomplish when we started it,” Portnoy continued. “Josh and Bri will continue it. It’s super successful. But, yeah, it’s time for me to try the next thing. I had run my course with it.”
The new TV season is just around the corner — and in honor of the holiday season, Us Weekly prepared a wishlist for our favorite shows including The Summer I Turned Pretty, The Rookie, Bridgerton and more.
Over on Prime Video, The Summer I Turned Prettymust be feeling the pressure as fans — including the Us — wait for Belly (Lola Tung) to finally choose Conrad (Christopher Briney) once and for all.
Meanwhile, at Netflix, Nobody Wants This has raised the bar when it comes to fictional couples — and good looking religious figures such as Adam Brody’s Hot Rabbit. But will season 2 be able to pull Us in even more without hitting a sophomore slump?
And what about The Bear? After riding an awards show high, season 3 proved that even the best shows can hit roadblocks.
Keep scrolling for a wide variety of TV requests from the Us Weekly staff — from onscreen romances to surprising cast returns:
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Uses the Right Taylor Swift Songs
There’s nothing we love more than The Summer I Turned Pretty having access to Swift’s discography. However, after season 2 used “Snow on the Beach” during a summer sequence instead of during Belly (Tung) and Conrad’s (Briney) romantic Christmas visit to Cousins, we have some notes about when to use which needledrop.
If you ask Us, the show should stick to just Conrad and Belly’s scenes getting those romantic tracks since we know they are endgame. — Yana Grebenyuk and Aileen Bergin
‘Nobody Wants This’ Raises the Bar
Creator Erin Foster has been honest about efforts to keep Hot Rabbi Noah (Brody) the internet’s favorite boyfriend, so we’re thinking there might not be THAT much conflict between Noah and Joanne (Kristen Bell) on season 2 of the Netflix hit. With that in mind, Sasha (Timothy Simons) and Morgan (Justine Lupe) provide the opportunity to bring real chaos if they cross the line and have an affair, despite actress Jackie Tohn (Ester) telling Us that she thinks her onscreen husband will stay faithful. — Sarah Hearon
‘Bridgerton’ Fans Learn How to Separate the Books From the Show
Julia Quinn created a world that can’t be replicated, which is why the Netflix adaptation has found ways to make the story its own. And while it has been interesting to see how the words from the books evolve on the screen, it’s also sparked online meltdowns at the slightest changes.
So before we get to Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd) season, it would be nice to see way less negativity surrounding Michaela (Masali Baduza) and the gender-swap of it all. — Y.G.
‘NCIS: Origins’ Gives Gibbs the Love He Deserves
Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) needs a little love in his life and there’s something undeniable about his connection with coworker Lala (Mariel Molino) that has Us craving a situationship. Side note: when can viewers get more details on Lala’s untold story — as teased by Gibbs at the start of the series? — Johnni Macke
‘The Bear’ Stops Taking Itself So Seriously
Here at Us, we miss the days when The Bear was Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) fighting over a blowup hotdog that wouldn’t fit in the car — or even the Berzatto family gathering for the most traumatic Christmas celebration of all time. The Bear deserves all the critical acclaim it has received but somewhere along the way, the show lost what made it so good. — Y.G.
Jenny Walser’s performance as Charlie’s (Joe Locke) older sister, and now her surprising connection with Michael (Darragh Hand), just makes Us want more. Since Heartstopper is likely ending after a potential fourth season, here’s a way for Netflix to grow the universe. (It also helps that Alice Oseman already has a graphic novella for Tori, right?) — A.B. and Y.G.
‘Law & Order: SVU’ Reunites Stabler and Benson On Screen Again
If SVU insists on taking its time when it comes to making Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) an actual couple, then at least give Us more scenes between them next season. Stabler can find time off on Law & Order: Organized Crime — or Benson can visit him — to hold Us over.
Or better yet, just get them together already. — Shelby Stivale and Y.G.
‘Abbott Elementary’ Needs to Give Us More Ava and O’Shon
Fans were introduced to the hunky IT guy (played by Matthew Law) in season 4. While setting up the school’s new computers — which were secretly donated by the new golf course — O’Shon figured out the devices weren’t from the district and decided to help Ava (Janelle James) keep it a secret. The agreement led O’Shon to give Ava his private number in case she needed “tech support.” And while Ava didn’t give him the time of day at first, sparks flew between the pair once he took off his glasses — giving Us the perfect She’s All That moment. We need to see more of their chemistry! — Kaitlin Simpson
‘Blue Bloods’ Is Resurrected
Bring it back for season 15! While fans were warned well in advance that season 14 would be the last for the Reagan family on CBS, the series finale, which aired in December, left Us wanting more. Since a spinoff was previously teased by the network, we’ll also settle for official confirmation of the new show, ideally focusing on Eddie Janko (Vanessa Ray) and husband Jamie Reagan (Will Estes). Their series final conclusion did end with a pregnancy reveal, so we need to see them as parents. — J.M.
‘Fire Country’ Returns to the Basics
When did CBS’ gritty show about firefights turn into a soapy drama? Here at Us, we will support anything Max Thieriot does, but we wouldn’t mind going back to a time where Fire Country felt more life and death stakes and less constant indecision about when Bode (Thieriot) and Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) finally get together. — Y.G.
January marks a full year since we watched Georgia (Brianne Howey) get arrested for murder at her wedding to Mayor Paul (Scott Porter), so all we’re begging for in 2025 is new footage of our favorite problematic mother-daughter duo! — S.H.
‘My Lady Jane’ Gets Revived Somehow
Stranger things have happened than a streaming service walking back its wrong decision. If you ask Us, My Lady Jane became a victim of questionable promotion that didn’t allow the show the chance to shine like it was meant to. Plus, more people deserved the chance to see Emily Bader and Edward Bluemel’s masterclass in onscreen chemistry. — Y.G.
A ‘St. Denis Medical’ and ‘Superstore’ Crossover
Creator and writer Justin Spitzer came back this year with the hilarious St. Denis Medical, but you may not know he also created Superstore. St. Denis already features Kaliko Kauahi andJosh Lawson. How great would it be to see another familiar face? While St. Denis takes place in Oregon and Superstore was set in St. Louis, a cameo from Spitzer’s fictional big box store isn’t totally out of the question. Cloud 9 has been used in other NBC shows including Good Girls, Kenan and I Feel Bad — so there could be a chance! — K.S.
‘Stranger Things’ Doesn’t Turn Into a Bloodbath
A final battle for Hawkins doesn’t mean everyone has to die. Stranger Things has proved in the past that it can do better than that. All we ask is that they stick to that going into the show’s fifth and final season.
At the very least, keep Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) alive. — Y.G.
‘Miss Scarlet’ Pulls Double Duty With Both Inspectors
Fans who have the PBS App and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel have already met the newest character, Inspector Alexander Blake (Tom Durant-Pritchard) as part of the early premiere of season 5. While Blake has his own charm and has grown on Us, we’d be lying if we didn’t say we want to see The Duke a.k.a. Inspector William Wellington (Stuart Martin) back for season 6. Either way, Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips) deserves love, because really, why can’t a female private detective also be married? (For those watching on an actual TV, Masterpiece Mystery! on PBS will premiere season 5 Sunday, January 12.) — J.M.
‘Outer Banks’ Makes Amends
Most fans would argue JJ’s (Rudy Pankow) death didn’t land the way the showrunners thought it would. Or maybe it did — but that would be even worse. Could there be a way to make things right?! It wouldn’t be the first time the show leaned into unrealistic circumstances. — Y.G.
‘Only Murders in the Building’ Goes Even More Musical
Something just hits different when OMITB lets Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin lean into the outrageous with various dance numbers and dream sequences. More, please! — A.B. and Y.G.
‘Tracker’ Makes a Decision About Colter’s Love Life
Not everyone will agree — in fact, the Us team has differing opinions on whether Colter (Justin Hartley) should be with Reenie (Fiona Rene) or Billie (Sofia Pernas). But Colter and Reenie getting together is something we need to see this season. For starters, their chemistry is off the charts. Secondly, when they solved the winery kidnapping and murder case — and Reenie had a date with her for the weekend — it was clear Colter was jealous. They are so good as collaborators that it needs to be explored further, even if Colter’s brother, Russell (Jensen Ackles), gets a wee bit jealous after shooting his shot and seemingly failing. — J.M.
The ‘Supernatural’ Men Get Their Well Deserved Spinoffs
Speaking of Tracker, when is Russell getting his own show? Ackles is already so booked and busy but we would be remiss not to pitch a spinoff focused on Russell’s adventures in between his onscreen reunions with Colter.
Elsewhere on CBS, Ackles’ costar Jared Padalecki was introduced on Fire Country as Camden Casey. There was a promise of a potential three-episode arc evolving into a new show in the Fire Country franchise. Now we wait. — Y.G.
The trailer for Grant’s season promises a Bachelor torn between his final two — so much so that host Jesse Palmer doesn’t know which girl to send out to talk to the lead first on proposal day. While we’re the first to give props to the editing team for producing an epic trailer, here’s hoping that this could actually be the most dramatic finale yet? — S.H.
The ‘Dance Moms’ Reboot Brings Back Abby Lee Miller
Abby Lee Miller on ‘Dance Moms’
It probably isn’t possible to have Miller on Dance Moms: A New Era full-time after she told Us Weekly how “greatly disappointed” she was in the show. But what about a cameo? Think of the drama. — A.B. and Y.G
‘Love Is Blind’ Gets Back to Basics
Season 7 of the Netflix series kind of lost the plot with nearly every couple breaking up … off camera. When season 8 debuts in February, there better be no signs of lost footage. — S.H.
James and Ruby Wreck Us When ‘Maxton Hall’ Returns
Season 2 of Maxton Hall is expected to deliver some shocking blows to James (Damian Hardung) and Ruby’s (Harriet Herbig-Matten) relationship. Luckily fans are prepared to enjoy the journey on the way to their destination, which means they will be settling in for grade A angst and Prime Video better deliver! — Y.G.
‘The Buccaneers’ Finds a Way to Get Nan and Guy Back Together
Season 1 broke everyone’s heart when Nan (Kristine Frøseth) chose to marry Theo (Guy Remmers) instead of running away with Guy (Matthew Broome) as a way to protect her sister. Now that Apple TV+ renewed the show for a second season, there’s time to fix that mistake once and for all.
Plus, please let Leighton Meester be as Blair Waldorf as possible when she joins for season 2. — A.B. and Y.G.
‘Suits LA’ Gets a Taste of Oliver Queen
We can’t help but be stoked to see Stephen Amell trade in his Green Arrow suit for a briefcase. While Amell’s character is trading rooftops for courtrooms, can you imagine him yelling, “You’ve failed this city” to Harvey Specter or another attorney? — K.S.
‘The Last of Us’ Commits to the Bit
Spoiler alert, it seems pretty obvious that Pedro Pascal’s character Joel is dying during the second season of The Last of Us. Since there’s no chance that will change in the name of “accuracy,” then at least make it hurt. HBO should have Us sobbing on the floor as the audience is forced to say goodbye to Pascal on the post-apocalyptic series. — S.S. and Y.G.
Before Wednesdaywas even renewed for a second season, Jenna Ortega already vocalized her dislike for certain elements on the show. Hopefully not everything was scrapped because we enjoyed Wednesday’s (Ortega) short-lived romance with Tyler (Hunter Doohan) and how it could become something more sinister — in true Addams Family fashion — in season 2. There’s also the lighter moments that make Wednesday entertaining that hopefully stay the same. — Y.G.
‘The Rookie’ Makes All Our Ship Dreams Come True
Melissa O’Neil and Eric Winter
The last time fans saw Officer John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and wife Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), they learned she couldn’t get pregnant. They subsequently both seemed to come around to the idea of adoption or expanding their family in some way. Us is hoping to see Nolan as a dad (he has an adult son) when season 7 begins in January. While the writers work on fulfilling that request (fingers crossed!) Usis also sending it into the universe that the new season brings a rekindled romance for Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil). — J.M.
‘1923’ Gives Us More Answers
Brandon Sklenar to make it home! While a major highlight of season 1 of the Yellowstone prequel was watching Sklenar’s Spencer and Julia Schlaepfer’s Alexandra navigating safaris, shipwrecks and islands, we’re ready to see the pair interact with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirrin on the Yellowstone Ranch and (maybe?) get answers about how all of the characters relate directly to Kevin Cosnter’s John Dutton (RIP). — S.H.
A New Love Interest for Liam on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’
It would be an understatement to say Hope (Annika Noelle) had a busy year, so it’s time for justice for her ex-husband Liam (Scott Clifton). We’d also love to see a crossover with B&B and new CBS soap, Beyond the Gates — could Liam’s next great love be in Washington D.C.?! — S.H.
‘Chicago Med’ Keeps Us on the Edge of Our Seats
The first half of season 10 gave viewers a glimpse into Dr. Hannah Asher (Jessy Schram) and Dr. Mitch Ripley’s (Luke Mitchell) budding romance. Yes, their Barbie and Ken Halloween costumes were adorable, but it left Us wanting to see more of the couple — off the clock — when the show returns.
PS: Us is also rooting for Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) to survive her vicious fall finale attack. The hospital just wouldn’t be the same without her running it. — J.M.
‘The Way Home’ Allows Andie MacDowell to Time Travel
MacDowell’s Del Landry is the only one of the Landry women who didn’t jump into the magical pond during seasons 1 and 2, which is a travesty. Fans need to see her in a different era like her daughter, Kat (Chyler Leigh), and granddaughter Alice (Sadie Laflamme-Snow), have done. Del also needs to know the truth, the full truth and nothing but the truth moving forward. Because, let’s be real, the secrets are getting too hard to keep track of for viewers and the characters. — J.M.
‘Selling the OC’ Finds a Way to Bring Tyler Stanaland Back
Every real estate show needs their messy lead that keeps Us tuning in and for Selling the O.C., it is definitely Stanaland. From love triangles to costar feuds, the man just makes good reality TV. — S.S. and Y.G.
More — Or Any — of Those Romance and Fantasy Adaptations to Hit the Small Screen
A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing, From Blood and Ash are just some of the books to TV adaptations promised to Us. At this rate, we will take any as long as something gets released so non-readers can see what is so good about those stories. — Nicole Massabrook
Kevin Costner Makes a Cameo in the Taylor Sheridan Universe
If it wasn’t possible to get Kevin Costner back as John Dutton on Yellowstone then what about another Taylor Sheridan show? Landman is right there and there’s nothing we would buy more than Costner as a complicated oil tycoon. Or maybe he returns as the Dutton patriarch — despite John being killed off on Yellowstone — and we just pretend it makes sense.
We know it’s unlikely with that reported tension between the two men, but we’re calling this a wishlist for a reason, OK?! — S.S. and Y.G.
‘FBI’ and ‘FBI: Most Wanted’ Deliver the Ultimate Crossover
Viewers have seen multiple crossovers between FBI and FBI: Most Wanted because of Stuart Scola (John Boyd) and Nina Chase’s (Shantel VanSanten) romance, but isn’t it time they get engaged? They have a baby, fans have met Nina’s parents (as of this season) and they can’t live without each other, so what is Dick Wolf and his team waiting for? Sure, the shows are driven by crimes and catching bad guys, but an engagement would be refreshing. — J.M.
‘FBI: International’ Helps Wes Find Love
Fans were worried that FBI: International wouldn’t be the same after Supervisory Special Agent Scott Forrester (Luke Kleintank) left the team after season 3. However, new Fly Team lead Wes Mitchell (Jesse Lee Soffer) has risen to the occasion and filled the void seamlessly. Now that he’s settled in, Us is ready to see Wes have a real love interest — and no, a fling won’t do. Plus, more banter and cases involving Wes and his former pal-turned-Fly-Team-newbie Tyler Booth (Jay Hayden) is a must moving forward. — J.M.
‘Basketball Wives’ Brings Back More Former Cast Members
After Laura Govan returned to the group for a cast trip last season, it’s time to see if other former cast members would be down to participate. Fans would love to check in with some unforgettable faces including Malaysia Pargo or even OGs like Royce Reed and Suzie Ketcham. — Mike Vulpo
‘Southern Charm’ Recruits Olivia Flowers for a Cameo
While Olivia is happily engaged to Alex Williams, season 10 of Southern Charm just isn’t the same without her. Us is pleading for a cameo from Olivia, even if it is just to stir the pot a little bit. Plus, she told Us in December that she’s not opposed to circling back to a friendship with former bestie Taylor Ann Green, so there’s no real reason she can’t return. — J.M.
CBS Brings Back ‘Celebrity Big Brother’
Although Julie Chen Moonves warned fans that we may have to wait until the 2026 Winter Olympics, at the risk of quoting Paula Cole — I don’t want to wait! There has to be stars from Real Housewives, Love Island USA and other shows ready to compete for Head of Household. — M.V.
The Summer House season 10 trailer hinted there’s trouble in paradise for Paige DeSorbo and her boyfriend, Craig Conover. However, Craig shut down split rumors in December. Since the relationship is still a go, Us would like to see the couple get engaged on either Summer House or Southern Charm. But, since Paige has made it clear she’s in no rush to walk down the aisle, perhaps they can get their own spinoff or web series in the meantime? — J.M.
Keep ‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’ Cast the Same
While Alexis Bellino’s return — and now exit — as a “friend” can be up for debate, season 18 was a huge success because Emily Simpson, Shannon Beador, Katie Ginella, Jennifer Pedrani, Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge and Gina Kirschenheiter brought it week after week. In a franchise that seems to switch up casts more often than may be necessary, all of the Orange County ladies deserve to hold onto their Oranges for season 19 …. and maybe Gretchen Rossi can pop in too. — M.V.
‘Chicago Fire’ Finds a Way to Bring a Firehouse 51 Baby Into Our Lives
While it would derail Stella Kidd’s (Miranda Rae Mayo) career as a lieutenant to get pregnant, Us would be lying if we said we didn’t want to see her and husband Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) as parents. Plus, a pregnancy story line would secure more Kinney time on screen, which is always a good idea. — J.M.
Make Rupert a Jealous Mess — With a Side of Single Declan on ‘Rivals’
The first season of Rivals ended with Rupert (Alex Hassell) and Taggie (Bella MacLean) finally sharing a kiss. But for those who didn’t read Jilly Cooper’s books, we hate to tell you it likely won’t be smooth sailing from there. That is why the second season should lean into Rupert being jealous now that he knows how Taggie feels.
As for Declan (Aidan Turner), all we ask for is more shirtless scenes. Please and thank you. — Y.G.
‘Rescue HI-Surf’ Brings the Chaos
Us is going to give it to you straight here, when Rescue HI-Surf returns, Will (Adam Demos) needs to break off his engagement. It’s controversial for sure, but Will and Em (Arielle Kebbel) need to give their romance a second shot without it being so taboo. Could Will’s choice wreck havoc? Absolutely. But the engagement must end. Speaking of romances, Us is also all for the rookies, Hina (Zoe Cipres) and Kainalu (Alex Aiono) becoming more than a one-night stand. And no, Us doesn’t want Sonny (Robbie Magasiva) to resign even if that hurts Em’s career. — J.M.
‘Doctor Odyssey’ Doesn’t Solve the Paternity Question
What if Avery (Phillipa Soo) didn’t find out if Max (Joshua Jackson) or Tristan (Sean Teale) is the father of her baby? Just a thought … — Y.G.
Bravo Finds a Slot for ‘Ladies of London’
Hear Us out, isn’t it time to revive this franchise? It’s been seven years since this series ended and Bravo still hasn’t filled the void of a London-based show. While the OG stars returning would be wonderful, a whole new slew of lavish ladies stationed in the U.K. would also suffice. — J.M.
During the ad breaks for Survivor, fans of the reality competition series got to experience commentary from the Ghosts‘ characters themselves. The bits were inspired by real-life Survivor fan Rebecca Wisocky, who plays Hetty on the comedy series. While the spirits gave their hot takes on Survivor 47 during promo videos, let’s make the ghosts’ love of Survivor canon in the show too. Us would absolutely die to see a former player or Jeff Probst himself make a cameo at the Woodstone B&B. — K.S.
‘Hysteria!’ Gets a Well Deserved Renewal
Let Julie Bowen rise to her scream queen destiny. Peacock’s Hysteria! gave her the chance to explore a darker role — with some comedy on the side. Our only complaint? Hysteria! didn’t premiere weekly on USA Network until after all episodes dropped on Peacock. The next time around, Hysteria! deserves to be a week to week watch from the start. — Y.G.
During the Wednesday, December 25, episode of their “Amy and T.J.” podcast, Holmes, 47, and Robach, 51, answered fan questions about proposing on Christmas Day, with Robach making it clear she doesn’t want to get engaged on a holiday.
“I learned that no one should ever congratulate the bride after a proposal or a wedding,” she noted. “You should congratulate the groom because he’s lucky to have her. But that is maybe old fashioned.”
Holmes poked fun at the comment, adding, “Lucky me, I say it every day.” He followed that up by shutting down any speculation about whether he had plans to pop the question over the holidays.
“Random days that had zero significance,” she recalled. (Robach was married to Tim McIntosh from 1996 to 2008 and Andrew Shue from 2010 until their divorce was finalized in 2023.)
Holmes, who was married to Amy Ferson from 2004 to 2007 and Marilee Fiebig from 2010 to 2023, appeared to make a dig while recalling his own proposals, stating, “Random and insignificant [which] I think is a way to describe a lot.”
The couple have often used their podcast, which they launched in December 2023, to offer glimpses into their relationship dynamic. The joint venture came one year after the former GMA3 costars made headlines for getting cozy outside of the office.
Robach was married to Shue, 57, and Holmes was married to Fiebig, 47, at the time. Robach and Holmes both filed for divorce after their relationship was exposed in November 2022 and have since claimed their respective marriages were over before they started dating. Shue and Fiebig, for their part, have since moved on by dating each other.
“It’s not an if, it’s a when. I like that. I actually appreciate that,” Robach said before revealing how Holmes turned her down when she asked about proposing to him. “T.J., you told me that I should never propose to you.”
Holmes seemed surprised by Robach’s statement, to which she added, “Remember, we were talking about women proposing to men? But I’m just saying that if I answer this, I feel like that’d be kind of in part me saying when I would like to get married.”
Robach continued: “We don’t have a date, obviously, and we haven’t even decided what we’re going to do. [But] I said I want to and I’d like to in the fall [and] that would be akin to me proposing to you.”
“I say that based on my exclusive conversations with the bride,” he joked. “I say that because we are not trying to figure things out. We are not trying to see if we want to be together. We’re not trying to do a trial run to see if this thing can work. That’s not where we are.”
Holmes confirmed the “decision has been made” about his and Robach’s future, noting, “When we are getting married, that’s going to be a byproduct of what’s happening. And it’s coming.”
Meanwhile, Robach hinted that the pair have “talked about marriage” but haven’t discussed a wedding.
Being a Christmas grinch isn’t just reserved for movies — and some of your favorite TV shows have even had characters notorious for their dislike of all things Santa.
The Big Bang Theory introduced that through Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), who had an experience that made him distrust the holiday season.
“You asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I told you, ‘My Pop-Pop,’ because that was the year my grandfather died,” Cooper revealed on the hit CBS show while playing a Dungeon & Dragons game with a Santa character. “I missed him, and I wanted him back. Instead, I got Lincoln Logs.”
Viewers got more glimpses at Cooper’s origin story in the Young Sheldon prequel. The franchise has since expanded into Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage and the yet-to-be-released spinoff in the works at Max.
On Seinfeld, George (Jason Alexander) went out of his way to keep Festivus a secret from Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Kramer (Michael Richards). The idea actually came from one of the show’s writers and went on to become a fan-favorite episode.
“That’s the thing with Seinfeld stories, the real ones are always the best ones. There’s a nuance to reality sometimes that is just perfect,” executive producer Jeff Schaffer told Uproxx in 2017. “We could have sat in a room for a billion years and we never would have made up Festivus. It’s crazy and hilarious and just so funny and so disturbing. It’s awesome.”
Keep scrolling for more TV characters who dislike Christmas:
Sheldon Cooper (‘The Big Bang Theory’)
According to Sheldon, his main issue wasn’t with Christmas but with Santa Claus. He met Santa as a child at the mall and when his wish wasn’t granted, Sheldon swore off the entire holiday.
Britta Perry (‘Community’)
In case anyone somehow forgot, Britta was incredibly outspoken about her dislike for Christmas — largely for religious reasons or a lack thereof on her part.
Adrian Monk (‘Monk’)
Tony Shalhoub‘s iconic character turned his back on Christmas after one holiday season he was gifted a singular walkie-talkie from his dad.
Frank Reynolds (‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’)
Dee and Dennis often didn’t get to enjoy Christmas because Frank would buy great gifts but would keep them for himself. If that isn’t a Scrooge then we don’t know what is.
Donna Noble (‘Doctor Who’)
After vanishing from her wedding day on Christmas Eve, Donna told the Tenth Doctor her dislike for the holiday. Donna even said that she would rather go to her honeymoon in Morocco than get into the cozy holiday season.
Perry Cox (‘Scrubs’)
J.D. (Zach Braff) found out that Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) isn’t a fan of Christmas but no tangible reason was ever given.
Frank Costanza (‘Seinfeld’)
Not only did George’s dad Frank (Jerry Stiller) not support Christmas, he created Festivus instead so other like-minded people had a special day to celebrate their own beliefs.
Once again viewers didn’t get a proper explanation for Sue’s Christmas aversion. Instead, several scenes throughout the years showed her going out of her way to make the holidays suck for everyone.
Hallmark star John Reardon revealed that he was diagnosed with tonsil cancer.
Reardon, 49, took to Instagram on Tuesday, December 24, to share a photo of him sitting in a hospital bed, writing, “Last night was my first night out after my recovery from tonsil cancer. Has been a long road between these two pictures and the difference is from the love and support I received from my people in my life.”
The actor issued a thank you to those who supported him amid the health scare. “My amazing partner @officialmeghanory for taking on our whole world to help me get better,” Reardon wrote about tagging his wife, fellow Hallmark star Meghan Ory, who starred in Hallmark’s Believe in Christmas with him last month. “My brave kids who inspired me.”
Reardon — who is also known for his role in Canadian police procedural drama Hudson & Rex — also expressed gratitude to his family and friends.
“My Dad who took me for a walk everyday even when it was hard for me to get out of bed – and I’m sure hard for him to see his son in pain. My Mom @ocean__cottage who made me soups and ginger honey tea and green juices so I could get calories into my body,” he continued. “My sister and brother @dr_laura_reardon @marcreardon81 who helped with the kids and the challenges of life when I couldn’t. All my in-laws, who are not just in-laws they are family, who brought food and cookies and talked through challenges with us.”
He continued: “Our nanny, our neighbors and everyone who sent food or love and support or messages and kind words and also all the amazing doctors, nurses, technicians, hospital workers, psychologists you are all my heroes and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
After his cancer battle, Reardon shared some words of wisdom with those celebrating the holidays, concluding, “Kindness is an under appreciated quality in people. We should never under value it. Celebrate it and distribute it as much as possible. It is free and life changing. Happy Holidays .”
“This man inspires me every day with his strength, his kindness and love that didn’t falter once even when he was in insane pain. You are my hero,” she wrote. “So proud of you @johnny_reardon_. And #cancerfree I love you love you love you.”
In the comments section of his post, Reardon received an outpouring of support from fellow actors.
Luisa d’Oliveira wished Reardon an easy recovery, writing, “Oh wow I’m so sorry to hear this! So glad you’re on the other side of it. Love and strength to you and and your family .”
Meanwhile, Rebecca Mader sent well wishes following Reardon’s recovery. “So happy to hear you’re on the other side. Congratulations! Lots of love to you and yours!,” she replied.
Actress Leah Gibson added a message of love as well, writing, “It’s so hard to hear this John but I’m so glad you have the love and support around your family that you need and deserve. Sending huge hugs .”
Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Mark Harmon as NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
NCIS: Origins has introduced younger versions of key characters from the Mark Harmon series — but are there plans for more surprise appearances?
“I don’t want to give anything away with that,” showrunner David J. North told TV Insider on Tuesday, December 24, before specifically referencing Lucas Dixon’s cameo as Fornell earlier in the season. “We really wanted to keep it secret about young Fornell appearing. I think it was better that we did that.”
“People were really, really surprised. But I definitely saw on the internet there was a lot of talk after episode 6,” North recalled. “So we want to hold those, keep those close to the vest.”
North went on to explain why Fornell crossed paths with Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and Franks (Kyle Schmid) so early in their journey, adding, “My coshowrunner Gina [Lucita Monreal] and I both really think it’s poetic that Fornell appeared in the pilot of what was then Navy NCIS and to bring him in early I think was a really a no-brainer.”
He continued: “We would love to see Young Fornell come back. And stay tuned. That might be happening sooner rather than later.”
NCIS: Origins, which premiered in October, follows a young Gibbs — a role originated by Mark Harmon — years prior to the events of NCIS. The new series picks up less than a year after Gibbs’ wife and daughter were killed. During season 1, Gibbs starts a new job as a special agent at the NIS Camp Pendleton office while still dealing with the aftermath of losing his family.
Harmon made his NCIS debut as Gibbs in 2003 and played the lead role for 18 years. His final appearance aired in late 2021, and Harmon hasn’t returned to the flagship show since. He did, however, sign on to be the narrator for the prequel series and has served as an executive producer on the project alongside his eldest son, Sean Harmon.
“It’s a daunting task to recreate Gibbs and to go back and try to tell this story while being respectful to the fans and to the story line of the original show,” Stowell exclusively told Us Weekly in November. “We want to do our best job as actors, as artists, as writers and storytellers. While there could be a lot of pressure, Mark Harmon makes us feel so comfortable and he makes us feel justified in our decisions.”
The actor revealed that it didn’t take long for Harmon to share his opinion about Stowell’s performance.
“He gave it to me right away in the room,” Stowell quipped. “He was vocal about — maybe not what to do — but certainly [he was] guiding me more in terms of posture and mindset, things that I’ve learned to inhabit all the more over time.”
Harmon, however, has “never given” Stowell any notes on his acting. “He leads by example. He’s a guy who I’ve learned a lot more about being a human being than being Gibbs,” Stowell continued. “He’s been so welcoming — not just to me and not just to the rest of the cast, but the whole crew. He’s really such a wonderful leader for us because he makes everybody feel so comfortable.”
“Mark Harmon created this character that the world fell in love with. He did that for 20 years. I would be a fool not to try to take some of what he did and bring it to this version of Gibbs. But it would’ve been a mistake just to try to do an imitation of who he is as an actor and as a man that it just didn’t appeal to me to do that,” he explained. “I had to pluck out what mannerisms were going to be innate because there are certain body movements and just the way that Mark speaks. There’s a certain pacing and volume to his speaking that is so unique to who he is. I certainly tried to inhabit some of those.”
Stowell continued: “But it was more interesting to me what characteristics and what behaviors were going to be learned by Gibbs over the years. So that will be so much fun to allow those behaviors to blossom and allow the fans to see them come to life.”
NCIS: Origins airs on CBS Mondays at 10 p.m. ET and is currently streaming on Paramount+.
Actor Rahul Kohli is stressing the importance of intimacy coordinators after Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment.
“I’ve had this happen a couple of times recently in the past, and now seems like a relevant time to bring this up. Stop asking actors or the director if we would like an intimacy coordinator present for the scene,” Kohli, 39, wrote via Instagram Story on Sunday, December 22, which has resurfaced on X. “It should just be mandatory at this point.”
Kohli, who was not a part of the production of It Ends With Us, reflected on his own experience on sets, adding, “We don’t get asked if we would like a stunt coordinators, they are always present for our safety and advice. This should be no different. And it is almost always put on the actresses like ‘I’m good without one, are you?’ Leaving them to have to either pass or speak up. F— that.”
He concluded that not wanting to work with an intimacy coordinator is a major sign that something is wrong. “You want intimate scenes in your film/show? You hire an intimacy coordinator. If anyone has a problem working with one, they’re a walking red flag,” he wrote.
Intimacy coordinators have been a hot topic in Hollywood recently amid attempts to make filming sex scenes feel safer on set. It was also mentioned in Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni, 40, which she filed on Friday, December 20, after they worked together on It Ends With Us.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are seen on the set of “It Ends with Us” on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey.
In the paperwork, Lively, 37, claimed Baldoni created a “hostile work environment” on set that caused her “severe emotional distress.” The lawsuit also alleged that Baldoni “ignored well-established industry protocols in filming intimate scenes, and exploited the lack of controls on set to behave inappropriately.”
“Without these protections in place, Mr. Baldoni improvised physical intimacy that had not been rehearsed, choreographed, or discussed with Ms. Lively, with no intimacy coordinator involved,” the lawsuit read. “For instance, Mr. Baldoni discreetly bit and sucked on Ms. Lively’s lower lip during a scene in which he improvised numerous kisses on each take. Mr. Baldoni insisted on shooting the full scene over and over again, well beyond what would have been required on an ordinary set, and without advance notice or consent.”
Lively specifically referenced a meeting held in January while they were still filming the movie to address her requests ahead of returning to set that included “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous “pornography addiction,” no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
After the meeting, all parties agreed to the “Protections for Return to Production” plan, which included intimacy coordinators on set. While promoting the movie, both Lively and Baldoni spoke about the need for intimacy coordinators, with Baldoni claiming to Harper’s Bazaar India that “having them on set and always in my eye line was invaluable because at any point I could look to one of them for a thumbs up, or we’d work on another approach together.”
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively
In a statement to The New York Times on Saturday, December 21, Lively stated, “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.”
Baldoni denied the allegations against him in a statement to Us Weekly from his lawyer Bryan Freedman. The attorney referred to Lively’s claims as “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious,” while alleging she filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the film’s production.
Freedman claimed Lively made “multiple demands and threats,” which included “threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.”
Baldoni has been dropped by his agency WME, who also represent Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds. His “Man Enough” podcast host, Liz Plank, announced her exit on Monday along with women’s non-profit Vital Voices rescinding their Solitary Award, which Baldoni was presented with just last week.
“As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,” Slate, 42, shared in a statement to Today.com on Monday, December 23. “Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her.”
She added: “What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”
