The actors met when they were both on Broadway, with Harris in Cabaret and Burtka in Gypsy. Burtka was in another relationship at the time, and often commuted to Los Angeles to see his then-boyfriend.
“I didn’t want to be that guy who was creating some sort of romantic interference,” Harris explained to Out in 2012. “So, I was always around when he was around, hoping the stars would align. When we all hung out for the first time — I was invited by [mutual friend] Kate to an American Idol viewing party — I just stammered around him. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.”
The twosome began dating in 2004 and Harris publicly came out as gay two years later. The pair expanded their family in October 2010, welcoming fraternal twins Gideon Scott and Harper Grace via surrogate. Harris and Burtka secretly tied the knot in 2014 with only 45 guests in attendance.
Scroll down to see Harris and Burtka’s relationship timeline:
The pair went on their first date a week after Burtka went through a breakup. Harris admitted that he said those three little words before his better half was ready to say them back.
"I initially fell for David harder than he fell for me," the Doctor Who guest star told Out in 2012. "I was in love with him before he was comfortable saying it, and I think that speaks to our past experiences. I remember saying, 'I think I love you,' and he was like, 'That’s really nice,' which is not necessarily what you want to hear. But I appreciated his honesty in not jumping the gun and saying something because he felt obliged to."
The It's a Sin actor publicly came out as gay.
In 2021, Harris reflected on the process of announcing one's sexuality. "The coming out process, I just feel strongly, that it is so individual, there are so many variables and shades of grey within it, that it's no one's right to dictate any of it," he told Glamour UK. "There's a lot of metaphoric thought processes that come with making decisions. I think it's a long process."
Harris announced his engagement after the state of New York legalized same sex marriage. However, he said the proposals happened years prior.
"David and I did propose to each other, but over five years ago!" he wrote via Twitter. "We've been wearing engagement rings for ages, waiting for an available date."
Burtka popped the question in 2007 on the street corner where they first met. Harris made his own proposal to Burtka in 2008 during their Valentine's Day celebration in Santa Monica.
As the family settled into their Harlem townhouse, Harris hosted the Tonys for the third time in 2016. "I assumed [How I Met Your Mother] would be a short chapter,” the star told Architechural Digest in December 2016. “But the plan was always to come back to New York when the show ended and raise our family.”
The pair share a love for Halloween, typically going all out every year. In 2018, they attended Heidi Klum's annual party as Wesley and Inigo Montoya from the movie The Princess Bride.
“My first date with David was 15 years ago today, and we’ve been nearly inseparable ever since,” the A Series of Unfortunate Events actor shared via Instagram alongside a snapshot of the couple on vacation. “I’m so, so grateful to this gorgeous man for giving me his heart, his shoulder, his strength, his lust, his laughter, his joy.”
The two attended the City Harvest Gala in New York City shortly after their 18th anniversary.
"Our first date was 18 years ago today. And David Burtka, I am not about to let you go. Happy anniversary," Harris wrote via Instagram at the time. "Thank you for showing me the capacity of my heart. I love you so much."
Harris and Burtka celebrated their 20th anniversary.
“Our first date was 20 years ago today. Man, how time has flown by … and yet … we’ve shared so many adventures, created so many remarkable memories. If the next 7,300 days are like the previous ones, I’ll be absolutely thrilled,” Harris wrote via Instagram to commemorate the occasion. “Happy anniversary, David. I love you unconditionally, most of the time. XO.”
Burtka also shared a sweet post of his own.
“My dreams have come true since we decided to take this incredible journey together. Today marks 20 years since our first date and I can’t imagine a better life,” he wrote alongside a photo of the pair holding hands. “@Nph I love you with all my soul. I deserve a fking medal … and so do you.”
Karla Sofía Gascón is seen during the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California.Kevin Winter/Getty Images
The Emilia Pérez cast reunited at the 2025 Oscars after much controversy.
Karla Sofia Gascón did not pose on the red carpet, but she was called out in host Conan O’Brien‘s opening monologue. “Karla, if you are going to tweet about the Oscars, remember my name is Jimmy Kimmel,” the host quipped as he kicked off the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2, at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre.
While Gascón wasn’t seen until the ceremony started, her costars and director Jacques Audiard walked the red carpet beforehand. Best supporting actress nominee Zoe Saldaña wore a strapless burgundy Saint Laurent dress with full length sheer gloves while Selena Gomez wore a crystal-embellished blush gown from Ralph Lauren.
Emilia Pérez was at one point a frontrunner for awards season, leading the pack with 13 Academy Award nominations, a record for a non-English film and one nomination away from the all-time record for most nods. It was considered a frontrunner for Best Picture and made history when star Gascón became the first openly trans woman to receive a best actress nod.
The Spanish-language musical drama follows Gascón as a Mexican mob boss who hires a lawyer (Saldaña) to help her fake her death and undergoes gender-affirming surgery. Gomez plays the gangster’s wife, who believes her husband is dead.
Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez.Getty Images (2)
There were some controversies about the film’s use of A.I., Mexican stereotypes and the depiction of trans people, but it was ultimately Gascón’s old posts via X (formerly Twitter) that derailed the awards season campaign.
Gascón’s offensive tweets from 2020 and 2021 — in which she allegedly made derogatory comments about Islam, George Floyd, increased diversity at the Oscars and allegedly called Gomez a “rich rat” (she later denied writing that) — were unearthed in early January. She apologized and deleted her X account before going on a series of interviews that were not in connection with Netflix, which owns the distribution rights to the film.
“I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime nor have I harmed anyone,” Gascón told CNN last month. “I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am.”
She also offered her “most sincere apologies to all the people who may have felt offended.”
Selena Gomez and Karla Sofía Gascón are seen during the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California.Kevin Winter/Getty Images
In the wake of the controversy, her costars have remained steadfast in their support of the movie they made, while also making it clear they don’t support Gascón’s statements. “I’m allowing myself to still experience that joy because we did come together as a team,” Saldaña told the Los Angeles Times. “But we are also individuals who are responsible for everything that we say and everything that we do. … I do not support any negative rhetoric of racism and bigotry towards any group of people. That is what I want to stand for.”
Director Jacques Audiard revealed he hadn’t reached out to Gascón amid her flurry of interviews. “I’m not getting in touch with her because right now she needs space to reflect and take accountability for her actions,” he told Deadline in early February. “She’s talking about herself as a victim, which is surprising. It’s as if she thought that words don’t hurt.”
After the director’s interview, Gascón shared via Instagram that she was stepping away from the awards season campaign: “Following Jacques interview that I understand, I decided, for the film, for Jacques, for the cast, for the incredible crew who deserves it, for the beautiful adventure we all had together, to let the work talk for itself, hoping my silence will allow the film to be appreciated for what it is, a beautiful ode to love and difference. I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been hurt along the way.”
Gascón was absent from the Critics Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and BAFTAs following the controversy.
She made her red carpet return at the Cesar Awards in France on Friday, February 28.
Zendaya is undergoing quite a makeover in Shrek 5 as she plays the iconic ogre’s daughter.
The first teaser trailer for the animated flick debuted on Thursday, February 27, with the official casting announcement. The 27-second clip starts with Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) asking the Magic Mirror the age-old question, “Who’s the fairest of them all?”
The Mirror then goes through a variety of snippets showing Shrek posing with sunglasses, dancing in a leather catsuit and then with six-pack abs. It’s all very similar to the goofy videos circulating on TikTok.
Donkey and Shrek are horrified before a teenage girl (Zendaya) comes into the frame. “Ew, Dad!” the girl says.
Fiona (Cameron Diaz) has a different take, saying, “Oh, mama like-y!”
“Who’s making this stuff?” Shrek asks. Pinnochio pops up to say it wasn’t him, but his nose starts growing.
ZendayaStephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images;YouTube/Universal Pictures
After the title card, the official Shrek 5 cast list is shown. “Starring Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and … Zendaya? Oh damn!” the announcer says.
Zendaya, who was 4 when the first film debuted in 2001, has been public about her love for the franchise. “I watch Shrek too often in my adulthood,” she tweeted in August 2017.
The two-time Emmy winner revealed that movies from her childhood helped her unwind after filming dark scenes for her HBO drama Euphoria.
“I used to watch [the Harry Potter films] to get through the first season of Euphoria,” Zendaya told InStyle in November 2022. “Some days I just want to go home, cuddle up with my dog, and watch a little Harry Potter. I also love Shrek. That’s another staple in my household when I have heavy days at work.”
Shrek 5 is the first installment in the main franchise since Shrek Forever After debuted in 2010. The film comes after Diaz stepped out of retirement. The actress largely stayed out of the spotlight following 2014’s Annie but returned for Netflix’s Back in Action, which debuted in January.
Diaz explained during a January appearance on The Graham Norton Show that she wasn’t sure how many films she wanted to make and was taking her career one project at a time.
Shrek 5YouTube/Universal Pictures
“If I just let this go away, all of this goodwill that I got to build over so much time, the passion I have for entertaining people and making movies that people smile and laugh [at] and have a good time… if I don’t engage that again, and give that a chance and participate in it and be grateful for it, then I would be a fool,” Diaz shared.
She added: “This is maybe the beginning, maybe I’ll tiptoe in. Maybe I’ll go gung ho. I don’t know, but it’s here and I’m really grateful for it.”
Shrek 5 is expected to hit theaters December 23, 2026.
“’Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you,'” Gellar, 47, wrote of her former Buffy the Vampire Slayer costar via Instagram on Thursday, February 27. She said, quoting a scene between her and Trachtenberg’s characters. She then quoted Dawn’s memorable line from the iconic musical episode: “‘The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you.’ .'”
She also shared a carousel of images of the two actress onto her Instagram Story set to Sarah McLachlan‘s “I Will Always Remember You.”
Police sources confirmed to Us Weekly on Wednesday, February 26, that Trachtenberg was found dead in her New York City apartment. A cause of death has not been announced, but the incident is not believed to be suspicious.
Trachtenberg joined Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Dawn, Buffy’s little sister (and a magical key), in 2000 as the show entered season 5. She remained on the supernatural drama through the seventh and final season, but she and Gellar met long before they entered Sunnydale.
The women first crossed paths in 1993 when they were both on All My Children. Gellar played Kendall Hart on the soap opera from 1993 to 1995, while Trachtenberg portrayed Lily Montgomery from 1993 to 1996.
One month prior to her death, Trachtenberg — who is also known for roles in Gossip Girl, Ice Princess and 17 Again — shared a throwback photo of herself and Gellar wearing matching denim jackets in 2014.
“Slay all day! Always loved this twinning photo of us! #buffy #dawn #sister #womancrushwednesday,” she captioned the snap via Instagram on January 22.
She also paid tribute to Gellar in 2022 amid the 25th anniversary of Buffy.
Courtesy Everett Collection
“Happy 25th anniversary, big sister, of the premiere of your show #buffythevampireslayer,” Trachtenberg captioned an image of the duo on the red carpet at the 2001 Teen Choice Awards. “We have known each other for almost 30 years. You gave me this shirt to wear to present an award to you. For being a badass. You still are. but I’m also still taller. @sarahmgellar.”
In 2015, Gellar celebrated Trachtenberg’s 30th birthday by declaring that she’d always look at the younger actress as her sibling.
“How is it possible that you are #30 @michelletrachtenberg I met you as a little girl on #allmychildren and have continued to watch you grow,” Gellar shared. “You may be taller than me now, but you will always be my little sister. You have the #key to my heart.”
Unfortunately, Trachtenberg is not the only friend Gellar has mourned recently. In July 2024, her longtime friend Shannen Doherty died at age 53 after a long cancer battle.
Demi Moore has been a member of the SAG-AFTRA union for more than four decades. Now, she’s officially a SAG Award winner, taking home the 2025 statue for best actress on Sunday, February 23.
“When I got my membership to this incredible organization, it was in 1978. I was 15, almost 16, and it changed by life because it gave me meaning, it gave me purpose and it gave me direction,” Moore, 62, said from the stage of the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles while wearing a custom black Bottega Veneta gown with Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany jewelry and Christian Louboutin shoes.
“Because I was a kid on my own who had no blueprint for life. And I certainly knew nothing about acting, but I watched and listened and I learned from all of you,” she continued. “You have all been my greatest teachers, and I am so, so grateful that I have continued over these so many years to be able to try, and sometimes succeed and sometimes fail, but to be able to keep going. And I could not do that without the support of my incredible team, the people who stood behind me.”
Moore won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her work in The Substance as Elizabeth Sparkle, an older actress who injects herself with a mysterious de-aging serum in the body horror movie. She was nominated againstThe Last Showgirl‘s Pamela Anderson, Wicked‘s Cynthia Erivo, Emilia Pérez’s Karla Sofía Gascón and Anora’s Mikey Madison.
It was Moore’s first time being nominated at the SAG Awards in the Best Actress category. She was previously nominated in 2007 with the stars of Bobby in a different category, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
This has been a big awards season for Moore. In January, she won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Demi Moore accepts the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role award for “The Substance” onstage during the 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on February 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
“I’ve been doing this a long time, like, over 45 years, and this is the first time I’ve ever won anything as an actor,” the actress told the Golden Globes audience. “And I’m just so humbled and so grateful. Thirty years ago I had a producer tell me that I was a ‘popcorn actress,’ and at that time I made that mean that this wasn’t something that I was allowed to have. … I bought in and I believed that. And that corroded me over time to the point where, a few years ago, I thought that maybe that was it. That I’d done what I was supposed to do.”
She added, “I was at kind of a low point, [and] I had this magical, bold, courageous, out-of-the-box absolutely bonkers script come across my desk called The Substance. And the universe told me, ‘You’re not done.’”
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! one month after her Golden Globes win, Moore explained how she was able to move past the unnamed man’s “popcorn actress” dig.
Emma McIntyre/WireImage
“What somebody else does or doesn’t do is irrelevant. How you hold it is everything,” she shared. “And while I may have taken [the insult] as he intended it, it’s what I made it mean about me. It’s that I made it mean that somehow I wasn’t ever going to be somebody that could be acknowledged in that kind of arena or platform, that I couldn’t win awards … But he didn’t do that. He just said the words. So that’s the difference.”
Moore added: “In our current times, and in reframing how I look at being a ‘popcorn actress,’ how fortunate do I feel that I am in a movie that not only is a popcorn movie, that’s got people into the theaters to have a communal experience, but it’s also getting critical acclaim? So, two things are possible at the same time!”
Moore is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the upcoming 97th annual Oscars, set to take place on Sunday, March 2.
Actors Monica Barbaro, Andrew Garfield, Eddie Redmayne and journalist Lynn Hirschberg are pictured in L.A. on January 4, 2025.Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for W Magazine
The actor, 41, is dating Oscar-nominated actressMonica Barbaro, People reports. “They’ve been really lowkey and have been spending time together quietly,” a source told the outlet.
Us Weekly reached out to Garfield and Barbaro’s reps for comment.
Barbaro, 35, starred as Joan Baez in the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, and she is nominated at next month’s 97th annual Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She’s up against Ariana Grande (Wicked), Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) and Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez). Prior to starring in the awards season darling, Barbaro played Phoenix in 2022’s blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.
The new couple were photographed together in Los Angeles at W Magazine‘s Annual Best Performances Party on January 4 alongside Garfield’s longtime pal Eddie Redmayne. In mid-February, the pair were spotted by fans in London watching Jonathan Bailey perform Richard III on the West End. Garfield wore a naive hoodie and red baseball cap, and Barbaro also opted to keep a low profile in a blue baseball cap.
Garfield — who was previously nominated at the Oscars for Best Actor in both 2017 for Hacksaw Ridge and 2022 for Tick, Tick… Boom! — dated Dr. Kate Tomas for several months last year. The self-described “professional witch” confirmed the breakup news in October after a fan inquired about their relationship status via Instagram. “We broke up months ago but I’m sure he will be happy to know that he is loved ,” she wrote.
Later that month, the We Live in Time star went viral when he spoke about love on Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date interview series. Dimoldenberg, 30, pointed out that plenty of people start dating by “meeting someone at work,” especially in the entertainment industry.
“Yeah, exactly. And how many of those relationships work out?” Garfield asked.
He continued, “I mean, it’s, like, flash in the pan stuff, usually.”
One of Garfield’s most public relationships, however, was with his The Amazing Spider-Man costar Emma Stone. Us Weekly confirmed the costars were officially dating in 2011. They called it quits for good in October 2015, but the two still speak highly of each other.
“We care about each other so much, and that’s a given, that’s kind of this unconditional thing,” Garfield told Vanity Fair in January 2017. “There’s so much love between us and so much respect [. . .] I’m her biggest fan as an artist. So for me, it’s been bliss to be able to watch her success and watch her bloom into the actress that she is.”
Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie, Dakota FanningKC Bailey/Netflix;Peacock;YouTube
Much like there are plenty of fish in the sea, there are also plenty of rom-coms to stream — and these forgotten gems are worth revisiting whether on Valentine’s Day or any of the other 364 days of the year.
Throughout these underrated romantic comedies, you’ll spot several familiar faces. Long before he was appearing in Taylor Swift videos or acclaimed indie flicks, Dylan O’Brien starred opposite Britt Robertson in the 2012 film, The First Time, following two high schoolers who want to lose their virginity.
Anthony Mackie is the new Captain America, but between Marvel outings, he made the cutest sci-fi rom-com called If You Were the Last about two astronauts who believe they’re stuck in space.
And then, of course, there’s Glen Powell. No, you haven’t forgotten Twisters or Anyone But You — but some may have missed Set It Up. The 2018 movie was the first time Powell made Us swoon, and also features Zoey Deutch, Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu in the workplace comedy that left Us wanting more.
While no one’s blaming you for watching Miss Congeniality or When Harry Met Sally over and over again, scroll down for a list of criminally underrated rom-coms worth watching:
‘If You Were the Last’
Adam (Anthony Mackie) and Jane (Zoë Chao) are astronauts who are three years into a mission gone wrong. They’re stuck in space with no way of knowing if they’ll ever get home to their respective spouses, and they’re getting desperate. Jane even made a vibrator out of a power drill. “I’m sure being adrift in space gets you a hall pass,” Adam quips.
These two are more than a star-crossed hookup, though. They’ve come to be best friends and rely on each other for everything. It’s when they discover they can get home that things get really interesting.
This movie is set in dire circumstances, but it’s more of a screwball comedy with lots of laughs. Plus, Mackie and Chao have infinite amounts of chemistry, making them endlessly watchable.
‘The First Time’
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In a Before Sunrise-like weekend, high school senior Dave (Dylan O’Brien) meets Aubrey (Britt Robertson) and forms an instant connection. He confesses he’s been pining after his pal Jane (Victoria Justice) while Aubrey, a junior, has her own big plans with her hot but boring boyfriend Ronnie (James Frecheville). Dave soon realizes he wants Aubrey’s first time to be special while Aubrey realizes she doesn’t want Dave to lose his virginity to Jane.
This 2012 coming-of-age flick has the two ingredients that we need in every rom-com: chemistry and banter. (It’s easy to see how the onscreen chemistry sparked a six-year offscreen relationship between O’Brien and Robertson.)
‘Set It Up’
One could argue that Glen Powell’s role as Charlie in the Netflix original rom-com earned him his heartthrob status. In the 2018 movie, he and Zoey Deutch portray a pair of overworked assistants. In order to get their bosses (played by Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu) off their backs, Charlie and Harper work together to – as the film’s title suggests – set the two up.
The duo go to hilarious lengths to get their bosses together – from trapping them in an elevator to getting them on the kiss-cam at a New York Yankees game – all while forming a romantic connection of their own along the way.
It wouldn’t be a true rom-com if the film didn’t end with a good ole confessional of one another’s feelings, but Powell and Deutch make it their own with their characters’ lovable witty banter. Not to mention, the movie is set in New York City, which is quite possibly the most iconic rom-com location there is. — Paige Strout
‘Always Be My Maybe’
Sheryl Nields/Netflix
The problem with the streaming era is that once it’s no longer on the new releases list, viewers tend to forget about it. That’s exactly why you might be saying, “Oh yeah, that movie,” when you see this 2019 Netflix title.
Overachiever Sasha (Ali Wong) and underachiever Marcus (Randall Park) were childhood sweethearts and they lost touch after a single awkward sexual encounter. They reconnect 15 years later after Sasha gets dumped and find that they’re living wildly different lives, but the spark is still there. Is it finally time to admit their feelings?
Park and Wong’s real-life friendship helps make their characters’ connection instantly believable, and the script keeps the story moving quickly. While the premise is familiar to rom-com fans, the execution is what makes it feel different. For example, when a seemingly perfect man makes Marcus feel jealous, it turns out to be Keanu Reeves, playing the most obnoxious version of himself. And the obligatory grand gesture revealed at the end is truly heartwarming.
‘Get Over It’
The late ‘90s and early ‘00s had a knack for adapting Shakespeare’s works into teen comedies. While 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s the Man, among others, are often referenced as some of the era’s best rom-coms inspired by The Bard, Get Over It exists as an underrated gem with an all star cast that is passed over all too often.
Loosely based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the film follows high school student Berke (Ben Foster), who, after getting dumped, quits his beloved basketball team and joins the school play in order to be closer to his ex, Allison (Melissa Sagemiller). In typical Shakespearean fashion, things quickly go awry — and Berke discovers the quest for “true love” is never really that easy.
The film is fun — with a killer soundtrack that includes a cover of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” by Sisqó and Vitamin C — but the real highlight is the cast. Kirsten Dunst, Mila Kunis, Shane West, Sisqó, Colin Hanks, Zoe Saldaña, Carmen Electra and Martin Short all make appearances, delivering a true mishmash of early aughts royalty. — Kat Pettibone
‘Plus One’
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Longtime friends Ben (a pre-The Boys Jack Quaid) and Alice (a pre-Mr. and Mrs. Smith Maya Erskine) face the problem of every late 20-something: a summer full of weddings. Since both are single, they agree to be each other’s plus one at all 10 of their upcoming weddings.
Quaid and Erskine are both very capable of bringing dramatic vulnerability as well as making a joke land perfectly. Add in their sizzling chemistry and a script full of sharp dialogue and you’ve got a delightful rom-com.
‘The High Note’
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Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is the assistant to legendary singer Grace Davis (Tracy Ellis Ross) but she really wants to produce music. She starts producing for David (Kelvin Harris Jr.) and quickly starts to fall for him. However, she doesn’t want to screw up her first real chance at making her dreams come true. She tries to use Grace to help David launch his career, but there’s a big reason why he doesn’t want to be associated with the icon.
This movie — which is, admittedly, more of a romantic dramedy — came out when theaters were closed in spring 2020, so it was pretty overlooked. The optimistic and cheerful tones didn’t really jive with what was happening in the world at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s worth revisiting. The relationships are believable and charming and it’s a delightful way to escape for 112 minutes — and isn’t that what we want most out of a rom-com?
’40 Days and 40 Nights’
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There’s no denying Josh Hartnett was a major heartthrob of the ‘90s and early ‘00s, but while Pearl Harbor and Halloween H20 continue to thrive in the pop culture zeitgeist, 40 Days and 40 Nights has been all but forgotten, often left off the list of most memorable romantic comedies of the time despite it being both charming and, well, starring Josh Hartnett.
Hartnett plays Matt Sullivan in the 2002 film, a heartbroken singleton who, after his last relationship ended in disaster, now finds himself unable to commit to one woman. To help quell his “issue,” Matt decides that he’s giving up sex for Lent. No problem, right? Big problem, actually, when the girl of his dreams (Shannyn Sossamon) walks into his life right as the dry spell begins.
It’s crass at times — and certainly a product of its era — but despite some scenes not aging well, it’s surprisingly sex positive (for the women, too) and gives Hartnett a chance to stretch his comedic chops, something he hasn’t done a whole lot throughout his career. — Kat Pettibone
The NCIS family just keeps growing — with seven existing or former shows and one more on the way as of 2025.
While many fans might think the naval intelligence-based franchise began with NCIS, that’s not the case. The flagship NCIS show was actually JAG, which debuted on NBC in 1995.
The series followed military lawyers in the Department of the Navy’s Office of the Judge Advocate General who could prosecute and defend criminal cases under the code of military justice. NBC canceled the show after one season, but CBS picked it up.
The original drama, which starred David James Elliott and Catherine Bell, introduced Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and his team in the eighth season finale in 2003. The excitement around the backdoor pilot led to CBS ordering a full first season of NCIS, which premiered the following September.
More than 25 years after JAG started, the NCIS franchise is still alive and well. Scroll down to see all the spinoffs:
The first spinoff launched in 2003 and ran for 19 seasons with Harmon still at the helm as Gibbs. The actor exited the series in 2021 following an appearance on season 19’s episode “Great Wide Open.” The drama returned for season 20 in September 2022 with Gary Cole’s Agent Alden Parker stepping in as the new head of the team.
Season 21 was initially slated to begin in fall 2023 but was pushed back because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The new season finally premiered in February 2024. Season 22 kicked off in October 2024.
The series launched in 2009 and tied back to JAG in 2020 when Elliott and Bell guest starred in a crossover as Harmon “Harm” Rabb Jr. and Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie. The show — which starred Chris O’Donnell as G. Callen and LL Cool J as Sam Hanna — came to an end in May 2023 after 14 seasons.
The procedural, which starred Scott Bakula and Lucas Black, launched in 2014 and ran for seven seasons before it was canceled. New Orleans concluded its run in May 2021.
NCIS welcomed its first female-led spinoff with Hawai'i in September 2021. The show starred Vanessa Lachey as Jane Tenant, the special agent in charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor. Season 3 of the island-based drama returned on February 12, 2024. It was canceled ahead of season 4 in April 2024.
The Australian series marks the first international edition of NCIS. It was initially set to air exclusively in Australia on Paramount+ and Network 10 and not in the U.S. However, CBS later confirmed that season 1 would premiere in the States in November 2023. Season 2 premiered in February 2025.
The cast includes Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey and Todd Lasance as her Australian Federal Police (AFP) counterpart Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey. Sean Sagar, Tuuli Narkle, Mavournee Hazel and William McInnes round out the cast.
Paramount+ announced in February 2024 that Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo will reprise their respective NCIS roles, Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David, in the NCIS: Tony & Ziva spinoff that began production later that year.
The show picks up with Tony and Ziva raising their daughter, Tali. Things get complicated when Tony’s security company is hacked, and the couple must figure out who is after them.
Ellen Pompeo will star in and executive produce a new limited series for Hulu, marking her first significant role since landing Grey’s Anatomyin 2005.
The eight-episode show was initially called the untitled orphan project but has since been named Good American Family. The series follows a midwestern couple who adopts someone they believe is an 8-year-old girl with a rare form of dwarfism, Variety reported in August 2022, but the family quickly realizes all is not what it seems.
“As they begin to raise her alongside their three biological children, they slowly start to believe she may not be who she says she is,” the synopsis said. “As they question her story, they’re confronted with hard questions of their own about the lengths they’re willing to go to defend themselves, falling into a battle that’s fought in the tabloids, the courtroom, and ultimately their marriage.”
Pompeo and will executive produce along with Laura Holstein and the actress’ Calamity Jane production company for ABC Signature Studios.
Scroll down for everything to know about her new limited series:
Pompeo and Mark Duplass play married couple Kristine and Michael, while Imogen Reid portrays Natalia. Dulé Hill, Christina Hendricks, Sarayu Blue and Jenny O’Hara are recurring guest stars.
“Told from multiple points of view, as a means to explore issues of perspective, bias, and trauma, this compelling drama is inspired by the disturbing stories surrounding a Midwestern couple who adopts a girl with a rare form of dwarfism,” Hulu shared in February 2025. “But as they begin to raise her alongside their three biological children, mystery emerges around her age and background, and they slowly start to suspect she may not be who she says she is. As they defend their family from the daughter they’ve grown to believe is a threat, she fights her own battle to confront her past and what her future holds, in a showdown that ultimately plays out in the tabloids and the courtroom.”
Hulu released the first photos from the upcoming series in February 2025, including a picture of Pompeo’s Kristine hugging Reid as Natalia. Other photos include Natalia staring at herself in the mirror and Kristine and Michael meeting with someone that appears to be involved in the adoption process.
Erin Levy (Mad Men) will serve as showrunner. Katie Robbins (The Affair) is writing and executive producing, with Pompeo, Holstein, Mike Epps, Dan Spilo, Niles Kirchner and Andrew Stearn.
Ben Barnes is pleasantly aware that he is the internet’s No. 1 choice to play Sirius Black in the Harry Potter reboot.
“You wouldn’t believe the amount of Harry Potter books I’ve signed or Gryffindor scarves I’ve been given as gifts,” Barnes told Us Weekly while promoting his debut album, Where the Light Gets In. “The amount of fan fiction that I’ve been drafted into very enthusiastically is incredible.”
Fancasts, in which online fan communities select actors they hope to see portray their favorite book characters onscreen, aren’t a new phenomenon. However, such buzz doesn’t typically last for decades as it has for Barnes. It’s become so prevalent that one of the top suggestions that comes up when entering his name into Google is “Who does Ben Barnes play in Harry Potter?”
“It’s been going on for 20 years that people have been very kindly saying that they would’ve liked me to have played a young version of the Sirius Black character in Harry Potter, but now it’s been going on so long that I’m now the age of the actual character in the books,” the actor, now 43, said.
Many Harry Potter fans have long requested a spinoff following the Marauders, Harry’s parents and their friends as students at Hogwarts. In the mid-2000s, Barnes was the popular choice for a young Sirius, often alongside Andrew Garfield as Remus Lupin and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as James Potter. When Potterheads started asking him to sign their Gryffindor paraphernalia, he thought they were confusing franchises. After all, he did play Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia films.
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“Now I understand that it was this group of Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Andrew Garfield and myself that they were just very keen to be these characters when they kind of came out,” Barnes shared, noting that he’s a “massive” fan of Gary Oldman, who actually played Sirius Black in the films, and enjoyed the books.
The casting rumors haven’t come up with Garfield (who recently told reporters he’d “consider any role offered” in HBO’s Harry Potter reboot) or Taylor-Johnson. “I have kind of gotten to know both of them over the years a little bit, but never managed to talk to them about this,” he told Us.
He also hasn’t spoken to Warner Bros. yet about potentially playing Sirius, but Barnes said he’s certainly open to playing the role when the upcoming TV show starts adapting Prisoner of Azkaban. “They’re books that I love and at least half of my career has been based on literary adaptations that I’ve loved,” he noted. “And that one, I see no reason why it would be any different, but I haven’t spoken to anyone about it yet.”
Barnes certainly doesn’t mind the enthusiasm fans have, explaining, “I find it very flattering, but it is quite weird to be kind of lauded for something that you never did.”
Many of the fans who are pulling for him to play Sirius are also filling music venues as Barnes tours with his debut album, which dropped earlier this month. The Shadow & Bone alum, who is finishing the U.S. leg of his headlining tour, admitted that moving from saying other people’s words to singing his own was intimidating.
“I think a lot of actors are actors because they like to tell other people’s stories and become someone else for a period of time, and they can, if not hide behind, certainly investigate life and look at it through the lens of someone else,” Barnes said. “With music, there’s not really any hiding. It’s you on the stage. It’s you singing things that you’ve written about your life. To have people come and support that, and I found the music community very loving and supportive in that way. They’re like, ‘Yes, I’ll come and play on that. Yes, I’ll sing that song with you.’ … It’s really rewarding.”
Shore Fire Media/Wanda Martin
That wasn’t his only encouragement. After releasing his first few songs, Barnes saw fans following his lead and doing what they love.
“Watching people do covers of it or dance in their kitchen to it or do little reels of them hugging their best mates to the songs or pole dancing or whatever it is that they were doing to the songs — an awful lot of pole dancing, I dunno where that comes from — but it was just so great to see people kind of taking the cue from me,” Barnes told Us. “If I can do pop music as a man in his 40s, then people can do the thing that they want to do. And I talk about that in the shows a little bit, but watching people do it in real time and really pick up that mantle and just get out and do the things that they love to the soundtrack that I made was incredibly rewarding.”
Barnes plays New York City on Saturday, February 1, in New York City before heading to the U.K. and Europe. Tickets are available here.
Ben Barnes has seen his music inspire people to sing covers, hug their loved ones and even pole dance.
“An awful lot of pole dancing. I dunno where that comes from, but it was just so great to see people kind of taking the cue from me,” Barnes, 43, told Us Weekly in an exclusive interview. “If I can do pop music as a man in his 40s, then people can do the thing that they want to do.”
The actor, known for his roles in The Chronicles of Narnia, Westworld, Shadow & Bone and more, released his full-length album, Where the Light Gets In, earlier this month. The record features stunning vocals, hopeful lyrics and a lot of piano-heavy tracks — which wouldn’t have come together if Barnes hadn’t returned to the keys decades after quitting lessons.
“I had one lesson when I was about 8 and the teacher was a horrible old witch, and she kind of shamed me at the end of the lesson,” he said. “I remember it quite vividly and I thought, ‘Well, I’m not going back to doing piano. Piano is stupid.’ I know it’s really important to not have regrets in life and to be really appreciative of everything that’s happened to you that’s led you here. But if I had just gone back the next week…”
It was his mother, Tricia, who inspired him to take up the instrument more than 25 years later amid her own battle with ovarian cancer.
“In my mid-30s again, I actually had a conversation with my mom about priorities and she wasn’t very well at the time and I said, ‘Well, my priorities are to do this and this and this.’ And one of them was to play more music,” Barnes recalled. “She’s very wise, and she said to me, ‘Those aren’t your priorities. Those are ways you’d like to see yourself or those are kinds of dreams you’ve got, but they’re not your priorities. Your priorities are the things you make a priority.'”
Finn Field-Thompson (@finnft)
His mom’s advice was the push Barnes needed to actually dedicate time to making music. “It really was one conversation,” he said. “It wasn’t even a long conversation, but it just knocked me to the floor and I thought, ‘Right, those things that I want, that I think I want to prioritize, I have to make an effort to put to the top of the list.’ I got a few lessons and I just started spending some time there. And now it’s become really a place of real solace and peace for me. After a day of filming or whatever, just sit at the piano, play some chords. It was a very valuable piece of advice.”
Though he learned the keyboard later in life, Barnes realized he’d been training to be a songwriter for years.
“I would meet even quite established musicians who would be talking me through music structure or chordal stuff or key changes and other things that I didn’t really understand,” he said. “They would then say, ‘Also I’ve written this song, but I’m struggling with the second verse. Do you think you could take a look at the lyrics?’ I was like, ‘Finally this literature degree that I did was becoming useful!’ And so discovering things that you might be sort of naturally good at later in life is a really rewarding thing too.”
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His lyrics are positive and hopeful, a sharp contrast from his acting roles in recent years. His single “Beloved” depicts loving someone as they struggle to accept love (“You’re so beloved so be loved,” he sings) while “Slow It Down” feels like a proposal (“Share your baby names with me/Stand at family graves with me”).
The actor doesn’t feel like his dark roles as baddies affect his music, but he conceded, “It was nice to come home from long days of villainy on various TV shows and sit at the piano and write these more sentimental songs. There’s definitely some solace in that.”
Those optimistic lyrics are not a character but a genuine representation of Barnes. “I think that the hopeful aspect to things is just sort of a very intrinsic part of who I am and who I want to be as a man,” Barnes told Us. “I think that sharing that message — that life is short and precious, and we should approach life in a kind of loving and self-loving way — that message manages to creep its way into all of my songs no matter what I set out to write them about. I think that’s just part of who I am.”
Barnes will wrap up the U.S. leg of his tour on Saturday, February 1, in New York City before heading to the U.K. and Europe before returning to play Los Angeles on March 5. Tickets are available here.
Captain America 4 will feature Anthony Mackie playing the star-spangled superhero — a fact Chris Evans emphasized when addressing speculation that he’d return to the big screen as Steve Rogers.
“Sam Wilson is Captain America,” Evans tweeted in July 2022 after a tweet from The Hollywood Reporter claimed it was “unclear” if he’d return as Cap after leading the first three flicks.
Audiences saw Mackie’s character come to terms with the weight of Steve’s legacy before eventually accepting his role as the new Captain America in the 2021 Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In the final episode’s credits, a title card read Captain America and the Winter Soldier, confirming that Sam has worked through his concerns and fully accepted the mantle. Evans has been supportive of Mackie’s promotion.
“No one better to do it. I mean, [Mackie] honestly does it justice,” Evans told Yahoo in June 2022. “I’m so proud of him. I can’t wait to see what they do in the future with it, but if there’s any tearshed, it’s just for the sweet memories I had.”
Scroll down to find out everything we know so far about Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World movie:
The fourth film was originally titled Captain America: New World Order, Marvel confirmed in at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. However, nearly one year later, they changed the title to Captain America: Brave New World.
Mackie was the first confirmed cast member. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier viewers will also recognize Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Sam's army liaison, and Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, an older veteran who received the super soldier serum, Marvel Studios confirmed at D23 Expo in September 2022.
During the panel in Anaheim, California, it was revealed that the Cap 4 cast will also introduce Shira Haas as Sabra, an Israeli superhero in the Marvel Comics, Variety reported.
Meanwhile, Marvel also confirmed an unexpected return. Tim Blake Nelson will come back as Samuel Sterns/The Leader. He was last seen as the villain in 2008's The Incredible Hulk.
Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, has not been confirmed as a cast member. He'll be appearing in the Thunderbolts, which will hit theaters two months after Mackie's Cap movie debuts.
A January trailer shows the White House being attacked and Sam warning President Ross that his inner circle has been compromised. It looks like that's not all Ross has to worry about — the trailer shows him morphing into Red Hulk.
Marvel movies can range from comedy to horror and everything in between, but Captain America: Brave New World will be a "paranoid thriller," Onah told audiences at D23.
Mackie said he's excited to try something new. “I’m nervous! I’m excited. It’s everything I expected it to be," he gushed during the presentation.
The actor told ComicBook.com in 2023 that it would be a "tall order" to get him back as Steve Rogers, but he has not confirmed or denied if he'll appear in the fourth film.
Julius Onah directed the movie. Malcolm Spellman, who led the writing team on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, helped write the script. Per Marvel, the screenplay is by Rob Edwards and Malcolm Spellman & Dalan Musso and Julius Onah & Peter Glanz, with story by Rob Edwards and Malcolm Spellman & Dalan Musson.
“We're getting it all together to start shooting next year,” Mackie told E! News in September 2022, noting they were in pre-production. Filming started in spring 2023 and was delayed amid SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes later that year. Filming completed in 2024.
“I want a fight scene that rivals Chris Evans' fight scene in the elevator [in Captain America: The Winter Solider],” the new leading man told E! News in September 2022. “When he fought like 10 dudes in the elevator. That was a badass scene. The first time I saw that I was like, ‘That's crazy.' So I just want a fight scene that rivals that.”
General Ross is now the President of the United States, and he'll have to work alongside Sam's Captain America.
"There's a dynamic between President Ross and Sam Wilson," Feige explained to Entertainment Weekly in February 2023. "They have a history together, but in this film, we'll be seeing the dynamic between Captain America and the president of the United States in a way that is just incredible."
Yes, Tyler will make an appearance as the scientist she only played once in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, the second movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed in March 2023. Captain America: Brave New World will be the 34th film in the franchise.
Betty was Hulk's love interest and the daughter of General Thaddeus Ross in the film. The MCU has since recast Edward Norton's Hulk with Mark Ruffalo and General Ross has been recast with Harrison Ford following actor William Hurt's death.
Anne married British army Captain Mark Phillips in 1973. The following year, the newlyweds had a fright when an attempt was made to kidnap the princess.
Anne has been known for breaking the rules and is even one of the few royals to get divorced and remarry. She and Phillips finalized their divorce in April 1992, and she remarried Sir Timothy Laurence, a naval officer and former aide to the queen, the following December.
Later in life, Anne settled into her role as a grandmother. Her son, Peter Phillips, and his ex-wife, Autumn Kelly, share daughters Savannah and Isla. Her daughter, Zara Phillips, shares daughters Mia and Lena as well as son Lucas with Mike Tindall. None of her children or grandchildren have titles, a break from tradition that Anne hoped would result in her kids having normal lives.
Anne became Princess Royal, a title usually reserved for the eldest daughter of a monarch. There can only be one Princess Royal at a time, and it is the highest honorary title for a female member of the royal family.
The princess continued carrying out royal engagements as her father and mother slowly stepped back, including this visit to a firestation in Chile known as "English Station."
Amid her mother's death, Anne was the first female member of the British royal family to “stand guard” during the Vigil of the Princes. Anne wore her naval uniform as she joined her three brothers for the vigil.
Ahead of King Charles III's coronation, Anne spoke out in a rare interview about the notion that he plans to "slim down" the monarchy after being crowned king.
“Well, I think the ‘slimmed-down’ [comment] was said in a day when there were a few more people around … [to] make that seem like a justifiable comment,” the princess explained to CBC. “It doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing, I would say. I’m not quite sure what else we can do.”
Anne supported big brother Charles at his coronation alongside Prince Edward, Prince William, Princess Kate and more. Following the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Anne joined the royal procession to Buckingham Palace on horseback, being the only royal family member to do so.
“I have a role as the Colonel of the Blues and Royals in the Household Cavalry regiment as Gold-Stick [in Waiting]. And Gold Stick was the original close protection officer,” she told Canada’s CBC News earlier that month. “So that is a role I was asked if I’d like to do for this coronation, so I said ‘yes.’”
She stood with her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace later that day.
One day after Buckingham Palace revealed that Charles had been diagnosed with cancer, Anne made an appearance handing out honors to public figures during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle. She and other senior royals continued to fill in for Charles at numerous public events before he resumed royal duties in March and public-facing appearances in April.
Less than two weeks after riding on horseback during the Trooping the Colour parade, Buckingham Palace announced that Anne had been hospitalized after sustaining “minor injuries and [a] concussion” following an incident in her Gatacombe Park home. “Her Royal Highness remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery,” read the statement. No further details about the injury were shared at the time, but Anne briefly canceled her public appearances.
When she celebrated her 74th birthday in August, the official royal family Instagram account shared a sweet message along with various photos of Anne. “Wishing The Princess Royal a very Happy Birthday today!” the caption read.
Princess Anne spoke with the Press Association in January and discussed the possibility of retirement, noting that it “isn’t really an option” for members of the royal family.
“I don’t think there’s a retirement program [in] this particular life,” she quipped. “It really isn’t written in, no. It isn’t really an option, no, I don’t think so.”
During the same interview, Anne looked back at her 2024 horse riding accident and revealed that she had no recollection of the incident that left her hospitalized.
Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates announced their plans to divorce in May 2021, which came as a shock to many after 27 years of marriage.
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” they shared in a statement on May 3, adding that they “no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”
The couple met in 1987 when Melinda started working at Microsoft, the company Bill founded. After the romance got serious, Bill made a pro/con list for whether he should propose (really), and they decided to embark on a life together. Bill and Melinda married in 1994, the same year they launched the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The two welcomed daughter Jennifer in 1996, son Rory in 1999 and daughter Phoebe in 2002.
“Working together as well as raising a family together, there’s a certain intensity to that,” Bill said in a 2019 Facebook Live. “But we’re very lucky because we mostly see things the same way, the goals are very much the same.”
Scroll through for a full timeline of Bill and Melinda’s romance:
Bill and Melinda meet for the first time while attending a PC trade show in New York City. Bill asked Melinda out several weeks later, and he had to set the date two weeks in advance due to his busy schedule.
Bill and Melinda’s first child, Jennifer, is born. Melinda decides to step down from her career to focus on raising her daughter and welcomes son Rory in 1999 and daughter Phoebe in 2002.
"Just like in a family with kids, in business, we show up with a united front that this is who we are," Melinda said.
The couples’ past charitable organizations reorganize and become the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and they both serve on the board of trustees. Bill says it’s an equal partnership.
“In the case of Melinda, it is a truly equal partner,” Bill said in the Netflix doc. “She’s a lot like me in that she is optimistic and she is interested in science. She is better with people than I am. She’s a tiny bit less hardcore about knowing, you know, immunology, than I am.”
Their charitable efforts get plenty of public attention, and they’re named Time’s Persons of the Year along with Bono. “We realize that we’ve been extremely fortunate in business, and we want to give back in ways that can do the most good for the most people,” they said in a statement at the time. “But we also believe that everyone has something to offer — time, money, or energy — that can help others.”
When Melissa releases her book, she and Bill do several interviews highlighting the strength of their marriage. “I’m always interested in his point of view and I know he’s always interested in mine, I think sometimes our disagreements sharpen the questions that we ask each other,” Melinda said in a 2019 Facebook Live.
Just three months after announcing their split, the pair finalized their divorce. According to documents obtained by Us Weekly, the court found that the "marriage is irretrievably broken." The judge ordered both parties to comply with the terms of their separation contract but did not award any financial judgment or spousal support. The court also found that the division of property and personal property that the former couple agreed upon is "fair (just and equitable)." No child supported was ordered, either, as the pair's three children are all legal adults.
Nearly one year after news of Bill’s 2000 affair with a Microsoft employee made headlines, Melinda broke her silence on the infidelity. “I certainly believe in forgiveness, so I thought we had worked through some of that,” she said during an interview on CBS Mornings. “It wasn’t one moment or one specific thing that happened. There just came a point in time where there was enough there that I realized it just wasn’t healthy and I couldn’t trust what we had.”Melinda also acknowledged how “painful” the pair’s split was, adding that being “angry” was “part of the grieving process.” However, she “started on this journey of healing” and felt like she was finally “turning a page in the chapter.”
During an interview with CBS Mornings, Melinda revealed that her ex-husband's working relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was one of the factors that led to the couple's split. "I did not like that he’d had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein,” she told Gayle King. “I made that clear to him.”
The philanthropist went on to say that she met the late financier "exactly one time" so she could see what kind of person he was. "I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door," she recalled. "He was abhorrent. He was evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterwards. ... It was awful, and he was awful."
When King asked if Bill continued to see Epstein after that meeting, Melinda said that only her ex could answer that. "Any of the questions remaining about what Bill's relationship there, those are for Bill to answer," she explained. "But I made it very clear how I felt about him."
In a statement to CBS, Bill said that he now regrets ever spending time with the disgraced businessman. “Meeting with Epstein was a mistake that I regret deeply,” he told the network. “It was a substantial error in judgement.”
During an appearance on Today, Bill opened up about the "sad and tragic" end to his marriage.
"The divorce is definitely a sad thing. I have responsibility for causing a lot of pain to my family. It was a tough year. I feel good that all of us are moving forward now," the billionaire explained in May 2022.
In response to a question about his rumored infidelity possibly playing a role in his divorce, Bill replied, "I certainly made mistakes and I take responsibility. I don’t think delving into the particulars at this point is constructive, but yes I caused pain and I feel terrible about that."
Melinda told Fortune that her divorce from Bill had been “unbelievably painful in innumerable ways.”
“But I had the privacy to get through it,” Melinda told the outlet. “I also kept working with the person I was moving away from, and I need to show up and be my best self every single day. So even though I might be crying at 9 a.m. and then have to be on a videoconference at 10 a.m. with the person I’m leaving, I have to show up and be my best. And I learned as a leader that I could do it.”
Bill and Melinda continued to work together at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation until she stepped away. Melinda announced her resignation via Instagram.
“After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to resign from my role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” she wrote. “My last day of work at the foundation will be June 7th.”
In a subsequent statement, Bill said he was “sorry” to see Melinda go but was “sure she will have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work.” He added, “As a cofounder and cochair Melinda has been instrumental in shaping our strategies and initiatives, significantly impacting global health and gender equality.”
During an episode of Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose Podcast,” Melinda opened up about how she struggled after her and Bill’s split, calling it “the hardest thing [she] had ever been through in [her] entire life.”
“I thought I was going to be married for life,” she said. ”I thought I’d be married 50 plus years. So all of a sudden, despite very much work and counseling, what you had doesn’t actually exist and, for me, I couldn’t go forward. There wasn’t enough trust any longer. It wasn’t something I wished for. I certainly didn’t think I’d be in my late 50s and be divorced.”
She added, “It was incredibly challenging.” She credited her survival to “close friends” and “a good therapist,” noting that divorce is “not something I would wish on any family.” However, she noted that “on the other side there can be a lot of beauty” after getting through “the rough patches.”
Bill was candid about his divorce from Melinda, telling The Times of London, “That was the mistake I most regret.” For Bill, their split is one of his biggest failures.
“You would have to put that at the top of the list,” he told the outlet. “There are others but none that matter. The divorce thing was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years.” Bill added that he does feel “more cheerful now,” despite his regret.
“When we got divorced it was tough and then she made the decision to leave the foundation — I was disappointed that she took the option to go off,” he continued. “Melinda and I still see each other — we have three kids and two grandchildren so there are family events,” Bill told the U.K. newspaper. “The kids are doing well. They have good values.”
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Emilia Pérez leads the pack of 2025 Oscar hopefuls with a whopping 13 nominations, but the movie has faced several different controversies.
Karla Sofía Gascón is at the center of the musical drama as a powerful Mexican mob boss who hires a lawyer (Zoe Saldaña) to help her fake her death and undergoes gender-affirming surgery. Gascón became the first openly transgender woman to score nominations for Best Actress at both the Golden Globes and Academy Awards.
Directed by French director Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez premiered in May 2024 at France’s Cannes Film Festival, where it immediately received a warm reception. Gascón, Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz were honored with Best Actress while Emilia Pérez was given the Jury Prize. However, criticism came once the movie hit Netflix the following September.
The cast and crew are aware of the controversies, and the director has encouraged people to see the film before forming opinions. “I would like to tell the people who are participating in this controversy that the film has not even been released in Mexico. They have not seen it,” Audiard told CNN en Español in a January 15 interview while discussing the backlash. “So, please, if you want to criticize the film, criticize it after having seen it. Then we will discuss it.”
Below are the biggest points of contention among Emilia Pérez critics:
Mexican Representation
Emilia Pérez is set in Mexico and tackles sensitive topics like drug trafficking, gang violence and missing persons. Critics note that someone who hasn’t lived in Mexico under such threats might not be the best person to tell such a story, and some even accused the movie of perpetuating stereotypes.
“If there are things that Mexicans find scandalous in Emilia, I apologize,” Audiard told CNN en Español.
It isn’t just the subject-matter that has sparked backlash. Gascón is from Spain, not Mexico. Paz is the only Mexico-born actor among the leads. The film is also set in Mexico — but Audiard largely filmed Emilia Pérez in France.
“I came to scout locations. At that time, I had every intention of filming the movie here,” Audiard added. “All of it, in its entirety, in natural locations. But in the end I couldn’t. I even thought that when I couldn’t do it in natural locations, I could do it at Churubusco Studios,” he said. “However, there were more financial facilities in France. But the artistic director came here to Mexico to do research. She found many elements. We even came here to Mexico [and] did rehearsals.”
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Questionable Spanish
Many Spanish-speaking viewers raised their eyebrows while watching Emilia Pérez. Audiard wrote the script and French singer Camille wrote the songs, and both had to work with a translator since neither speak Spanish. The songs and dialogue have been criticized as stilted and awkward, and several social media users have noted that the English subtitles aren’t exact translations.
“Camille worked with a great translator, Karla Aviles, who’s Mexican,” the director told The New York Times in November. “But throughout the shoot we had problems, for instance, with Selena’s accent in Spanish. She is Texan. Karla Sofía Gascón speaks Castilian Spanish. She’s from Madrid. Given that I don’t speak Spanish, the nuances of the Mexican accent versus the Castilian were lost on me. We had all these problems with accents, but we fixed them in the edit. We did a lot of dubbing.”
Audiard expressed his appreciation of the language to CNN en Espanol in January, explaining, “Although I don’t speak Spanish, I think its musicality is very beautiful and I wanted to do an opera in Spanish.”
Meanwhile, Gomez, who is not fluent in Spanish, has faced backlash for her performance in the film with critics claiming they can tell she doesn’t know what she’s saying. Eugenio Derbez called her accent “indefensible,” adding, “I feel like she doesn’t know what she’s saying. If she doesn’t know what she’s saying, she can’t give her acting any nuance.”
Gomez responded directly via TikTok in December 2024. “I understand where you are coming from,” Gomez commented in Spanish. “I’m sorry. I did the best I could with the time I was given.” He later apologized for his comments.
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Trans Representation
GLAAD called Emilia Pérez “a step backward for trans representation,” in one article. The film was noticeably missing from the nominations for the GLAAD Media Awards on Wednesday, January 22. The honorees are commended for meaningful representation of the LGBTQ+ community.
Many trans critics have cited various issues with the film, from the unrealistic portrayal of gender-affirming surgery to the way Emilia’s transition seems to be equated to morality.
Autostraddle slammed the movie as “unique cis nonsense” for being filled with overplayed tropes about trans people. “It’s not about offense or something being not allowed,” critic Drew Burnett Gregory wrote. “It’s that it’s boring. I don’t understand why a movie that’s so bonkers in other ways chooses to undercut its strengths with this shallow understanding of its titular character.”
Meanwhile, Pink News noted the biggest offense was that it didn’t feel at all like an honest story of transition. “The point isn’t that trans representation must be perfect, but that it has to be earnest, and Emilia Pérez does not feel earnest,” critic Amelia Hansford wrote.
Sound designer Cyril Holtz said an artificial intelligence company Respeecher was used to alter Gascón’s voice. For a song taking place before Emilia’s gender-affirming surgery, the director wanted Emilia’s voice to sound different. They used AI to blend the voice of Gascón and Camille, who wrote the musical numbers.
“In the case of Karla Sofía, it was more complicated because there were really parts of the field that were extremely difficult, especially because she had already made her transition and there were registers that were no longer accessible to her,” Holtz said in French during an interview about technology at Cannes.
Gascón’s Past Social Media Activity
The film’s star started receiving widespread backlash in January 2025 after past social media posts resurfaced online, and have been translated by multiple outlets. Some of the posts, which went as far back as 2016, were written about Muslim people in her native Spain, along with criticism of George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in 2020. Other messages took aim at several religions. Gascón also slammed the 2021 Oscars in a separate post.
“As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain,” Gascón shared in a statement via Netflix, according to the Associated Press. “All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.”
Alan Rickman died on January 14, 2016, but just seven months before his death, he opened up about seeing his young Harry Potter costars thrive as adults.
“I think it’s a relief as much as anything else,” Rickman said of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint‘s success in a June 2015 episode of Josh Horowitz‘s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast. “You watch that situation and as much as I was only doing it for seven weeks, they were doing it for 52 weeks. This was their life from 12 to 22. And you would watch it from the sidelines at times and throw the odd lifeline in because there was so little time for that.”
Rickman, who died of pancreatic cancer at age 69, played Severus Snape in all eight Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2011, and he kept in touch with Radcliffe after filming concluded.
“It’s only in recent years that, for example, I’ve managed to sit down in a cafe in New York with Daniel,” Rickman continued in the interview. “At one point, he was down the road at one theater and I was up the road in another. Huge pride to go to see him in the musical [How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]. How dare he be dancing as well as the New York dancers? Because he worked at it.”
It wasn’t until recently that Radcliffe heard Rickman’s words. Horowitz played the clip at an April 2024 “Happy Sad Confused” recording with Radcliffe in support of Merrily We Roll Along (for which Radcliffe won his first Tony Award).
“I was so intimidated by Alan Rickman. How can you not be by that voice?” Radcliffe, now 35, said after watching the clip of his late costar. “Even hearing that voice you forget quite how low it was until it echoes through you. I was so intimidated by him for the first three movies. I was terrified by him and was like, ‘This guy hates me.’ Somewhere along the line, he saw that I really wanted to do this and work at it.”
Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Matthew Lewis on July 11, 2011, in New York City.Getty Images
He added that Rickman was particularly supportive of his theater career on both Broadway and London’s West End. “He cut short a vacation in Canada to come and see me in Equus,” Radcliffe said. “He saw every piece of stage work I did when he was alive. He would take me out afterwards and we would talk about it. He was one of the first people to say, like, ‘You should look at voice coaching and Alexander technique and all this stuff.’ He was like, ‘You’re probably not going to get this otherwise, so you should just investigate all this stuff.’ I am so lucky. To hear him say that is really lovely. Thank you for showing me that.”
While Rickman called Radcliffe a “phenomenal” performer in the 2015 podcast, that wasn’t always how he felt. In his personal journals, published in 2022’s Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman, he recalled seeing Radcliffe become more professional during Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
“He’s so concentrated now. Serious and focused — but with a sense of fun,” Rickman’s May 2003 entry reads of the third movie. “I still don’t think he’s really an actor but he will undoubtedly direct/produce. And he has such quiet, dignified support from his parents. Nothing is pushed.”
Obviously, that changed — Radcliffe has said on several occasions that he didn’t determine he wanted to be an actor post-Potter until the fifth film — and the younger actor didn’t mind hearing the bad along with the good. He even appreciated Rickman’s suggestion.
“I would love to [try] definitely directing,” Radcliffe said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in November 2022. “Producing seems like all the hard parts of the industry without any of the fun, so I don’t really have interest in doing that.”
Radcliffe added, “All the stuff Alan wrote was very lovely and nostalgic reading. Like, from his comments about us, being like, ‘These kids need to learn their lines. That’s kind of a nightmare right now.’ All of that stuff through to us meeting when I was over here [in NYC] when I was doing a play. It was very, very sweet to read all that.”
Glenn Close admitted she hasn’t looked for a romantic relationship in the 10 years since her last divorce.
During her interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, which aired Monday, January 13, the Drew Barrymore asked if Close, 77, had even dipped her toe back into the romance pool after her divorce. (Close and businessman David Evans Shaw split in 2015 after nine years of marriage.)
“No, I don’t know. I mean, I’m always up for anything, but I’m very happy right now,” the Back in Action star said.
Barrymore, 49, asked if the Oscar winner ever tried dating apps. “Are you crazy?” Close asked incredulously, adding, “No, I’m too shy to do that.”
The host admitted she “got so into” the apps. “I thought it was so much fun and the search is different,” Barrymore explained.
Glenn CloseThe Drew Barrymore Show/Ash Bean
Close, however, admitted that she isn’t looking for love. “I’m not searching,” she said. “Because I’m actually, I’m not a hugely, comfortably, social person, so I don’t leap to go to a party.”
Prior to marrying Shaw, Close was married to Cabot Wade from 1969 to 1971 and James Marlas from 1984 to 1987. She shares daughter Annie Starke Albu with ex John Starke.
Barrymore, who divorced Will Kopelman in 2016 after four years of marriage, is often open about her forays into the dating world with her talk show guests, and Close isn’t the only one who has said she’s happy flying solo. Taylor Tomlinson opened up to Barrymore about being single in an October 2024 episode.
“They always kind of tell you when you’re younger that once you’re happy and, like, feel fulfilled in your own life and you don’t feel like you need someone, they’re like ‘And that is when you meet the one!'” the After Midnight host, 31, said. “I actually think that feeling happy and fulfilled and content in your own life alone makes it even harder to date because you’re just like, ‘Well I could just go home to me. I could I could order what I want for dinner and I could just be quiet.'”
Glenn Close and David ShawMike Windle/Getty Images for TWC
Meanwhile, Julia Fox told Barrymore that she has “sworn off men” during an August 2024 interview. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Fox, 34, said in an August 2024 episode. “I’m happy. Everything’s fine. Why would I wanna throw anything in the mix that might mess up my Feng shui, so to speak?”
Barrymore said she herself was still single eight years after divorce, and Fox asked, “Aren’t you so happy though?”
“Yeah, I am,” Barrymore laughed.
The Drew Barrymore Show airs weekdays. Check your local listings.
Lala performs her sidekick duties by lounging in her tufted doggie bed alongside Cumming, 59, as he has one-on-one conversations with each cast member on the Peacock reality show, and she looks fabulous doing it, donning sumptuous cloaks and trendy tartans.
It turns out that Lala has a real rags-to-riches tale, with Cumming and husband Grant Shaffer adopting her in February 2016 before she made her debut on The Traitors during season 2.
“When we got her from @socialteesnyc she had just arrived from Costa Rica where she’d been taken off the streets by a kind vet because she was pregnant,” Cumming revealed in a 2022 Instagram post. “After her puppies were born and adopted, nobody wanted Lala (I know!!) until a very lovely American lady took her back to NYC where she was fostered for a week or so by another lovely lady until she found her forever home with me, Jerry and @granteepants. Alas, less than a week later she had to have emergency surgery as a piece of gauze had been left inside her when she was spayed!! But she is a fighter AND a lover and now an internationally renowned and beloved sensation!”
Scroll down to see Lala’s sensational style moments from The Traitors season 3:
Lala previously launched her Hollywood career when she appeared on Alan Cumming’s Edge of Scotland in 2017. Perhaps that's when she started her accessory collection, which seems to rival even Dolores Catania's closet.
Though she was born in Costa Rica and adopted in New York City, Lala is clearly proud to represent her father's Scottish heritage with her fierce tartan frocks.
"Lala, having been a street dog, never had toys. She's not interested in toys at all actually," Cumming told Masterpiece in 2024. "I mean, she'll occasionally chew a blanket or something, but she's not like that at all." Her chill demeanor makes her the perfect Traitors cohost.
The word “Bennifer” might include flashbacks to frosted lip gloss and butterfly clips, but everything comes back in style eventually. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez got back together nearly 20 years after their romance first took the world by storm.
The pair first connected in 2002 on the set of the ill-fated Gigli. The movie flopped at the box office and among critics, who claimed Affleck and Lopez didn’t have much chemistry.
It was a different story off-screen. Lopez filed for divorce from second husband Cris Judd in June 2002, and she went public with the Good Will Hunting star after. The “Waiting for Tonight” singer had a 6-carat pink diamond ring on her finger by November.
Their wedding was set for September 2003, but they canceled just days before the ceremony due to “excessive media attention” before officially splitting in January 2004.
Nearly two decades after seemingly moving on (with Lopez marrying Marc Anthonyand Affleck starting to seeJennifer Garner in 2004), the exes reunited in spring 2021. Lopez and Affleck finally said “I do” in a Las Vegas ceremony in July 2022.
The two met on the set of Gigli, which sank at the box office while their relationship sizzled. Lopez was married to her second husband, Cris Judd, but Lopez filed for divorce in June 2002 and it was finalized the following year.
Lopez and Affleck were engaged by November 2002. Affleck proposed with a 6-carat pink diamond ring.
The duo even welcomed Dateline's Pat O’Brien into their Vancouver rental home to discuss their relationship, but they wouldn’t say exactly when they fell in love. “You can’t pinpoint it,” Lopez said. “We became friends first. That is the honest to God truth.”
After weeks of paparazzi photos from the set, the "Jenny from the Block" music video premiered on TRL. Affleck costarred and engaged in some heavy PDA with J. Lo.
Just days before they were set to say "I do," Bennifer called off the wedding. They cited "excessive media attention" but remained together.
Lopez believed tabloid attention majorly impacted the relationship. "I think different time, different thing, who knows what could've happened, but there was a genuine love there," she told Jess Cagle.
Affleck said Lopez should have received an Oscar nod for her work in Hustlers. "She should have been nominated. She's the real thing,"he told New York Times reporter Brooks Barnes. "I keep in touch periodically with her and have a lot of respect for her. How awesome is it that she had her biggest hit movie at 50? That's f--king baller."
Less than two weeks after Us confirmed that the former couple had been spending time together again, the duo were spotted vacationing in Big Sky, Montana. "They looked very happy together," an insider told Us of the trip. “It was just the two of them on vacation together. Big Sky is a special place to Ben.”
After sparking romance speculation in April 2021, a source exclusively told Us in May that the exes have “always loved each other” and Lopez’s friends “won’t be surprised if they end up together.” A second source added that the duo had a “heart-to-heart” following their respective splits from Ana de Armas and Alex Rodriguez in 2021, which “reignited a spark between them.”
Days after Us confirmed that Lopez was in California to visit Affleck, the Massachusetts native and the Grammy nominee were spotted hanging out together in Miami. The director was seen walking behind Lopez as the musician smiled during their Florida outing in photos obtained by the Daily Mail in May 2021.
“Jen and Ben are both very happy with each [other] and are excited to see where the relationship goes,” an insider told Us following the duo's Miami getaway. “They are full-on dating and very happy together.”
The lovebirds were making out in Malibu when they attended a birthday dinner for Lopez’s sister at Nobu. In photos obtained by Page Six, the two packed on the PDA as they locked lips and stayed close throughout the night.
The Gigli costars got cozy in the Hamptons while celebrating 4th of July shortly after taking their kids on a fun-filled trip to Universal Studios in Hollywood. Days later, Lopez gushed that she's "never been better" during an interview on Zane Lowe's Apple Music radio show. "It's the best time of my life," she said.
As the duo's relationship continued to heat up, a source told Us that the pair were "fully committed" to starting a future together — and planned "on moving in together very soon." The same month, a second source revealed Affleck and Lopez had been house hunting in Beverly Hills and Bel Air.
"There's been so many times in my life where I have not felt happy, just like anybody else. And I think I'm good at hiding that from the public because I don't feel like that's their burden to carry. I don't put that on them," Lopez said while promoting her single "Cambia El Paso" on Apple Music, adding that she'd felt "really, really good" in recent months. "Everything is just amazing. And I feel great. Everything is beautiful."
The pair were spotted house-hunting in the chic Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. One of the homes they looked at was listed at $65 million and included a bowling alley, movie theater, gym and wine cellar. In video footage obtained by TMZ, the duo packed on the PDA while looking at real estate.
The "Dance Again" singer playfully dodged a question about whether she looks "happier" during an interview with Hoda Kotb. She replied she is "always happy when you see me" after the Today host commented on her appearance. When Kotb asked point-blank if she was "happier," Lopez turned the discussion back to her new song with Lin-Manuel Miranda. "The song is out, five years since we’ve done it,” she said on the Today show appearance. “And I believe that that message of loving one another and coming together and love, is never more relevant than it is right now.”
The couple made their subtle debut on Instagram in a video posted by Leah Remini. In the montage, Lopez and Affleck got cozy in a black-and-white photo booth snap.
To celebrate Lopez’s 52nd birthday, the two went to France. They arrived in Nice on a private airplane and headed straight for the sea. They spent time snuggling and kissing on a yacht off the coast of Monaco.
The singer even shared a photo of her and Affleck kissing via Instagram.
After Lopez's daughter joined the couple for dinner at Craig's in Los Angeles, Affleck was spotted supporting his girlfriend on the set of a new project.
Lopez and her teenage twins were joined by Affleck's daughters at Hollywood's Pantages Theater for a performance of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton.
The duo attended the Venice International Film Festival premiere of Affleck's movie The Last Duel, marking their first red carpet appearance since rekindling their romance earlier in the year. Prior to the event, their last red carpet outing together was for the August 2003 premiere of Gigli.
The duo did some family bonding when took Affleck's daughters, Seraphina and Violet, as well as Lopez's twins, Max and Emme, to an outdoor movie in Los Angeles.
Affleck gushed over his "strong" girlfriend as she was named Adweek's 2021 Brand Visionary. "I am in awe of what Jennifer's effect on the world is. At most, as an artist, I can make movies that move people. Jennifer has inspired a massive group of people to feel they have a seat at the table in this country. That is an effect few people throughout history have had, one I will never know and one I can only stand by and admire with respect," he noted at the time.
The couple spent a romantic night together at a Los Angeles Lakers game, sitting courtside and sharing a few kisses between plays. When the Jumbotron broadcast a video of the happy pair engaged in some light PDA, the crowd cheered.
“This is adorable from The Tender Bar,” the “On My Way” songstress gushed while opening a PR box from the Prime Video movie via Instagram Story. “There’s a great scene in a bowling alley with Ben and the little boy. Ben plays his uncle [and] they’re both amazing in the movie if you haven’t seen it, you should. This is awesome.”
"We were just on the boat! There was no recreation!" Lopez told People. "I was lying down. ... It was a trip I like to take for my birthday, but no, we were not intentionally recreating it. I didn't know there were paparazzi out in the middle of the ocean either!"
The Marry Me star said she and Affleck are trying to keep their relationship private because they remember the publicity circus of their early '00s romance.
"I think what we learned from the last time is that love, when you are lucky enough to find it, is so sacred and special and you have to hold a little bit of that privately and that's what we've learned," Lopez said during an appearance on Today. "But we're very happy, if that's what you wondering about."
Affleck walked the red carpet alongside his girlfriend at the Los Angeles premiere of her romantic comedy Marry Me. Lopez told Entertainment Tonight that the red carpet was a night of work and fun for her.
"It's a great date night. We're super happy," the singer said. "What can I tell you? We're just having a good time."
The Last Duel star directed a special remixed music video of Lopez's “On My Way” single, which was released in conjunction with the Marry Me film.
“I am going to share something very special and personal with you that normally that I would only share with my inner circle,” Lopez wrote via her OnTheJLo newsletter on February 11. “It’s an early Valentine’s Day present from Ben. Watching it made me think about the journey of true love, it’s unexpected twists and turns, and that when it’s real, it actually can last forever. This seriously melted my heart.”
Affleck subtly appeared in Lopez’s “Marry Me” music video. While the actor’s face isn’t shown, eagle-eyed fans spotted his arm and neck in the final shot, cuddling Lopez in bed. In another scene, a portrait of Affleck is visible atop her piano.
Affleck and his son, Samuel, supported Lopez as she accepted the Icon Award at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards. "I want to say thank you to every one of you for believing in me when other people didn't, even when I didn't," the singer gushed during her emotional speech. "Thank you for teaching me who I really am."
Marin, who worked with Lopez on Shotgun Wedding in March 2021, recalled Affleck reaching out to his ex-fiancée when they were filming. “She was just so happy all the time,” Marin told HollywoodLife one year later. “I wish them only good things in life especially if they can make it and do this at the same time.”
They’re engaged! Lopez announced that Affleck popped the question again 18 years after their initial split via her On the JLo newsletter. In a video message sent to her fans, an emotional Lopez showed off her huge, green diamond engagement ring, saying, “You’re perfect.” She also teased the “major announcement” with a video on Twitter on April 8. “So I have a really exciting and special story to share…” the singer told her followers, adding a diamond ring emoji to her Twitter handle.
A few days after her initial engagement announcement, Lopez revealed in another "On the JLo" newsletter that Affleck proposed on April 2 while she was in the bathtub. "Saturday night while at my favorite place on earth (in the bubble bath), my beautiful love got on one knee and proposed," she wrote. "I was taken totally off guard and just looked in his eyes smiling and crying at the same time trying hard to get my head around the fact that after 20 years this was happening all over again, I was quite literally speechless and he said, 'is that a yes?’ I said YES of course that’s a YES."
After Selling Sunset star Emma Hernan mentioned her alleged Raya exchange with Affleck during season 5 of the Netflix series, a rep for the actor told Us that the pair "never met." Hernan later clarified to E!'s Daily Pop that the dating app messages were sent in 2019, though she said on the reality show that it happened "right before" Affleck and Lopez reunited. As the scene raised eyebrows, a source told Us that the fiancés "couldn't be happier," adding, "This isn't affecting their relationship one bit."
While accepting the Generation Award at the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards, Lopez concluded her speech with a sweet message for Affleck. "Ben and everybody at home, wait for me to have dinner. I will be home by 7!" she said.
That same month, the performer reflected on the couple's full circle connection. “It’s a beautiful moment,” Lopez told Entertainment Tonight about rekindling her romance with Affleck. "I feel like there’s a lot left for me. So, I’m very excited about it. I do think it’s just halftime."
"Happy Father’s Day to the most caring, loving, affectionate, consistent and selfless Daddy ever," Lopez captioned an Instagram video of affectionate moments between her and Affleck in honor of the holiday.
The social media post also included a voiceover from the Marry Me actress, which said, "This is the best time of my life. I love my career, but nothing is more fulfilling to me than being able to build a family with someone who I love deeply and who is just as dedicated to family and to each other as we can be. And I'm feeling incredibly blessed."
Us confirmed on July 17 that the pair had obtained a marriage license on Saturday, July 16, before their walk down the aisle in Las Vegas. They tied the knot just after midnight at The Little White Chapel, nearly 20 years after their initial engagement.
“They both thought it was a fun and casual way to tie the knot,” an insider exclusively told Us at the time.
The songstress released wedding photos hours after Us confirmed that the couple secretly got married in Las Vegas on July 17. The pair got hitched at The Little White Chapel in Las Vegas.
"We did it. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient," Lopez wrote in her "On the JLo" newsletter.
Following their Georgia nuptials, the Maid in Manhattan star performed a new song for her hubby at the reception, complete with backup dancers and singers. The title of the track is unknown, but Lopez crooned the lyrics “can’t get enough” various times while Affleck look on in adoration.
The Marry Me star shared details of the pair’s Georgia wedding festivities in the September edition of her “On the J.Lo” newsletter.
“It had rained at sunset every day that week. Everyone was worried about the heat, the aptly named ‘love bugs,’ the details, would the guests all arrive on time, etc. — not to mention the thunder and lightning that arrived almost on cue each day at the exact time the ceremony was supposed to start that Saturday,” Lopez wrote. “Oh, and all of us caught a stomach bug and were recuperating ‘til late in the week, that, and along with a few other unexpected setbacks, had all the makings of a doozie of a wedding weekend.
Despite the various concerns, the “Let’s Get Loud” singer revealed she “never had a doubt” the wedding would go off without a hitch. The “sun broke free” just minutes before the couple said “I do,” and Lopez referred to it as “one of the most perfect moments” of their lives.
“The sky was clear blue, and distant clouds of pure white held fast in the sky. As the sun set behind the live oaks draped in Spanish moss, a warm breeze swept over the lawn where our closest family and friends sat and, at long-last, I started my walk down the stairs that would become the aisle that would lead me toward the rest of my life. Ahhhhh … it was actually happening,” she gushed about the romantic ceremony.
The New York native also revealed the song that played during the first dance — “The Things We Handed Down” by Marc Cohn — and spoke about serenading her hubby at the reception, which took the Good Will Hunting star’s breath away.
"When he saw me appear at the top of the stairs that moment it both made absolute sense while seeming still impossibly hard to believe, like the best dream, where all you want is never to awaken,” Lopez noted. when I got close enough to see his face, it made the same wonderful sense to me. Some old wounds were healed that day and the weight of the past finally lifted off our shoulders. Full-circle — and not at all the way we planned it. Better.”
The newlyweds looked happy in love as they braved the California heat during the Malibu Chili Cook-Off on Labor Day weekend. Lopez stunned in a flowing white linen dress while Affleck, for his part, donned khaki slacks and a light blue button-down.
An insider told Us that the duo are "still in their honeymoon phase" months after their two weddings. "They are very head over heels for each other," the source said. "Becoming husband and wife hasn't changed their relationship much, except for the fact that it solidified what they had. They're looking at homes to purchase together and hoping to find one they're both happy with. It's been an ongoing process."
After their two honeymoons, the duo are focusing on work and family. "Jen is hard at work filming, and Ben has been taking over daddy duty and helping out with the kids a lot," the insider explained. "She adores the fact that he is such a great father and she can always rely on him. He's been very supportive of her and has visited her on set, which she loves."
The Shotgun Wedding star and Affleck wore coordinating black outfits at the Ralph Lauren Spring 2023 Fashion Experience, their first joint appearance since their wedding.
The Grammy nominee announced her ninth album, This Is Me ... Now, exactly 20 years after the release of 2002's This Is Me ... Then, which featured a tribute to Affleck titled "Dear Ben." When Lopez revealed the new track list via Instagram on November 25, fans noticed another song dedicated to Affleck titled "Dear Ben pt. II."
Lopez revealed during an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe that her now-husband inscribed a secret message on her second engagement ring. "Not. Going. Anywhere," she said. "Because that's how he would sign his emails when we started talking again. Like, 'Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere.'"
The songwriter also reflected on losing the "love of my life" after their early 2000s split. "It was so painful after we broke up," she confessed. "Once we called off that wedding 20 years ago, it was the biggest heartbreak of my life. I honestly felt like I was going to die. It sent me on a spiral for the next 18 years where I just couldn't get it right. ... Now, we know. And there [are] no questions and there is no kind of like, 'Well, let's see how this goes.' Like, 'Nope, it's me and you. That's it. All the way, till the end. That's it. It's going to be us.'"
In her "On the JLo" newsletter, Lopez gave fans a glimpse of how she and her husband celebrated their first Christmas as a "blended family" with their children. "I've been hunkering down at home (and loving it) since I wrapped my last movie, just getting ready for the holidays!" she wrote, explaining that her festive season was inspired by her new song "Hummingbird" from her album This Is Me ... Now. "I decided this year that the hummingbird would be a perfect theme. We have blended families, doubled the people, doubled the fun, doubled the love, doubled the presents and tripled the chaos!!"
She went on to describe a new tradition she and Affleck began for their littles ones: a Christmas Taco Tuesday. "This was the first time in a long time we were able to get together with people that we haven't seen in forever," Lopez added. "The party was filled with family, friends, colleagues, and people we've known from over the years. We sang and danced and had the most amazing time!"
The twosome packed on the PDA at the premiere of Lopez’s Shotgun Wedding. While promoting the movie on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the actress got candid about their Sin City wedding.
“We were planning to get married in August in Savannah, the family was going to be there, everyone’s going to be there, and it was so stressful. … And it kind of all fell apart [when we were supposed to wed in 2004] and this time, I absolutely had a little PTSD and I was like, ‘Is this happening?’” she said. “We were so happy, but I just felt the wedding was so stressful. And one day Ben just said, ‘F—k it, let’s just go to Vegas and get married tonight.’”
After admitting that she’s “learned to embrace” the Bennifer nickname, Lopez explained how her second-round at romance with Affleck inspired her upcoming album.
“I did an album 20 years ago that, obviously, had a song called ‘Dear Ben’ on it that was about the time that me and Ben were together then. I got very inspired when we got back together,” she said of This Is Me Now. “It was kind of like a miracle and something that neither one of us really ever thought would happen and I went into the studio, and I wrote an album in two months.”
Bennifer's appearance at the 2023 Grammys made headlines — but it was Affleck who stole the show with his meme-worthy facial expressions as he appeared unamused throughout the night's performances while Lopez was dancing to every song. Despite Affleck's affect going viral, Lopez wrote via Instagram that she had the "best night" at the 65th annual awards show with "my love, my husband."
Lopez showed off her new infinity tattoo — dedicated to beau — for Valentine’s Day. “Commitment ♾️,” the Marry Me star captioned a series of images via Instagram that included her new ink along with a second piece of body art that seemingly belonged to Affleck. The design included two arrows crossing over each other with the letters “J” and “B.”
In addition to their new tattoos, Lopez shared a few images of the happy couple over the years, including some stills from a boat outing that featured the Argo director grabbing the Shotgun Wedding actress' posterior.
Affleck revealed that Lopez had been encouraging him to be more open amid speculation about his unapproachability. "She thinks that because of experiences that I’ve had, I’ve become very guarded. And she’s right," the Air star told The Hollywood Reporter. "I view these things as land mines, where if you say one wrong thing, your career might be over. She tells me today, 'Relax, be yourself. Have fun. You’re a fun guy who is real and genuine and you just seem so serious.' Do I seem serious? But as in many things, she’s right. And she loves me. She’s looking out for me. She’s trying to help me. So, it’s like, maybe I ought to f–king listen to her."
Lopez posted a video of her and Affleck singing along to Sam Cooke's "(What a) Wonderful World" to celebrate her husband's 51st birthday. "Dear Ben … Happy Birthday. I love you!" she wrote via Instagram.
Lopez dropped her “cinematic odyssey” alongside her ninth studio album, This Is Me … Now. The record served as a sequel to 2002’s This Is Me … Then, which was released during her first go at romance with Affleck. A documentary about the making of the film was also released, titled The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
Affleck made cameos in both movies. While he was overall supportive of the project, also expressed his discomfort in being featured.
“I did really find the beauty and the poetry and the irony in the fact that it’s the greatest love story never told,” he told the camera during the documentary. “If you’re making a record about it, that seems kind of like telling it.”
An insider exclusively told Us that the pair were “having issues in their marriage,” which began when Lopez ramped up "work commitments” in preparation for her tour.
“Jen is very focused on work,” the source explained. “They are on two completely different pages most of the time.”
While the insider noted that Lopez also looked at a home in Los Angeles that she’s saying is intended as an investment property, a second told Us that Affleck started staying at a place in L.A. that is separate from the couple’s usual home.
The second insider also confirmed that despite any issues, the couple had no plans to separate and are working on their relationship.
Lopez canceled her This Is Me … Live Tour later that month in order to take time off “to be with her children, family and close friends,” per an email shared by Live Nation and her fan newsletter.
A source told Us that the pair, who continued to sport their wedding rings in public, were selling their shared L.A. home. “Jennifer is distraught. She wants to sell their house off-market to try and get less attention surrounding it,” another insider revealed. “Ben doesn’t care about the negative attention [because] he’s been through this before and it doesn’t faze him.”
The same source also noted that the two had been “discussing divorce” while working to sell their home.
That month, Lopez called Affleck “our hero” in an Instagram Story post for Father’s Day, while Affleck referred to her as “my wife” on an episode of Kevin Hart’s Peacock talk show Hart to Heart.
Amid news of the pair’s marital woes, a source exclusively told Us that Affleck and Lopez were “doing their own thing right now” and were “living separate lives.” However, a second insider noted that there was still a “sliver of hope” for reconciliation.
“They are going through so much individually and as a couple,” a third source shared. “They may take some time to see if this complicated moment can resolve itself and they come back to each other [as] better people.”
A different source later told Us that the couple were hoping to sell their shared home sooner rather than later. “They decided to list the house very recently, within the last week,” the insider explained. “They thought they could sell it off-market but made a game-time decision in order to put more eyes on the property. They are in a rush to sell it. Ben especially wants to be done with the house. He was never happy there.”
Robert Pattinson‘s caped crusader will go back to the Batcave for a sequel to the March 2022 film The Batman.
Warner Bros. confirmed the follow-up film at CinemaCon in late April 2022, just a little less than two months after The Batman hit theaters.
“Thank you all for your tremendous support for The Batman,” Reeves told told the Las Vegas CinemaCon crowd in April 2022 when Warner Bros. announced the movie. “We couldn’t have gotten here without the faith and enthusiasm of all your teams around the world. I’m excited to jump back into this world for the next chapter.”
Pattinson previously said that though he took a long break from franchises after wrapping the five-film Twilight Saga in 2012, he actually hoped to return as the DC Comics superhero and show his growth.
“It was so fun doing it. I’m down to do this for as many times as people want to see it, really,” he told Fandango in February 2022 ahead off the first film’s release. “I’ve talked to Matt about the idea of doing a trilogy. I know it would be wonderful. I really, really enjoyed the process, and it’s such a fun character to play. Yeah, that’d be lovely.”
Find out everything we know so far about Pattinson’s The Batman sequel below:
The Batman Part II was initially set to hit theaters on October 3, 2025, but the film was delayed following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023. In March 2024, Warner Bros. announced that a new release date was set for 2026, but by the end of 2024, the date was moved again to October 1, 2027, more than five years after the initial film's debut.
While Pattinson was the only confirmed cast member when the sequel was announced in April 2022, the film left the door open for other stars to return, including Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth. Colin Farrell could also return as The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot, but that will likely depend on what happens to his character in his HBO Max spinoff series.
Matt Reeves will return to helm the second film. The War for the Planet of the Apes filmmaker cowrote the 2022 movie's script with Peter Craig and is expected to help write the follow up.
Even before the sequel was confirmed, plot speculation began. Pattinson revealed he has a personal preference when it comes to adapting comic book arcs.
“I was definitely kind of thinking Court of Owls is probably gonna be in the sequel,” Pattinson told Vanity Fair in March 2022. “It definitely seems like — well, I mean, I am literally just guessing, I just keep saying it.”
The Court of Owls is an organization formed by Gotham’s most wealthy and powerful families, and they are pulling all the strings in Gotham for their own benefit. Considering how the first film explained Gotham’s politics and the power of the wealthy people who shaped the city, it’s easy to see why Pattinson is theorizing that those themes will be explored further.
While Pattinson hopes for a Court of Owls appearance, Reeves said he could envision Mr. Freeze in a sequel.
"In my view, I just feel drawn to finding the grounded version of everything. So to me it would be a challenge in an interesting way to try and figure out how that could happen, even the idea of something like Mr. Freeze, that such a great story, right?" he told Collider in February. "I think there's actually a grounded version of that story, which could be really powerful and could be really great."
The Joker (Barry Keoghan) appeared briefly at the very end of The Batman, and there wasn't even a clear shot of his face. It seemed like the Dark Knight already put him behind bars, but Arkham Asylum is known for mastermind escapees.
Reeves is keeping the title for Pattinson's next outing simple. In January 2023, Gunn and Safran confirmed that the sequel is called The Batman Part II.
