This year has already delivered some incredible films — but no season does a blockbuster quite like summer.

From Tom Cruise’s latest — and potentially final — addition to the Mission: Impossible franchise to Celine’s Song’s highly anticipated romantic comedy The Materialists, all genres are ripe for the picking for theatergoers as temperatures continue to rise.

“People call romances chick flicks,” Song told Time in May of her quest to bring respect back to romance films after her Oscar-nominated debut, Past Lives. “Of course it’s tied to misogyny. But when people say it’s not important, I ask, ‘Not as important as what?’ When you watch a movie, we don’t all know what it’s like to save the world. But we know what it’s like to fall in love. It’s the biggest drama in our lives. It’s vital, and we need to talk about it more.”

If staying home is more your speed, streaming services are also doling out A-list content. Consider John Cena and Idris Elba’s Heads of State: The duo star, respectively, as the president of the United States and prime minister of the United Kingdom in this Prime Video buddy action comedy that follows the world leaders as are they are targeted by assassins.

15 Must-Watch Movies on Hulu Right Now (May 2025)

“Once the movie starts, it doesn’t stop, and it starts with Air Force One getting destroyed,” Cena teased exclusively to Us Weekly in May of what to expect in the high-stakes flick. “We get to run the presidential beast through the paces in what is an epic car chase. I’m hung out of a bank vault from a 30-story building. We jump off a train, and that’s just getting warmed up.”

Keep scrolling for Us’ top summer movie recommendations of 2025:

‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’

Release Date: May 23 (Theaters)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hannah Waddingham, Angela Bassett, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Hayley Atwell

Logline: Newton’s Third Law of Motion was wrong. For every action, there is not an equal and opposite reaction — not when it comes to seeing 62-year-old Tom Cruise’s stunt work for what could be the farewell entry in this popcorn mega-franchise. How the [bleep] does he do it? Hang off a biplane, deep-dive into a sunken submarine … as Ethan Hunt, he’s giving his considerable all to thwart the Entity, a rogue AI that’s threatening, you know, the world! The whole gang — Rhames, Pegg and Hayley Atwell — are back together for M: I-8, and we cannot wait!

‘Fountain of Youth’

Release Date: May 23 (Apple TV+)

Starring: John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Domhnall Gleeson, Eiza González

Logline: Two estranged siblings (Krasinski and Portman) join forces to seek the legendary Fountain of Youth, embarking on an epic adventure filled with historical clues and threats at every turn, where success could grant them immortality. Hold on — let Us grab our cups for a drink!

‘The Phoenician Scheme’

Release Date: May 30 (Theaters)

Starring: Benicio del Toro, Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera

Logline: “The story of a family and a family business,” reads the mysterious logline for the film, which stars del Toro as  Zsa-zsa Korda, a “maverick in the fields of armaments and aviation” and “one of the richest men in Europe.”

‘From the World of John Wick: Ballerina’

Release Date: June 6 (Theaters)

Starring: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus

Logline: We get a little facetime with Reeves as our previous titular hero, but assassin Eve (de Armas) steps in as the lead ass-kicker, who is trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization and sets out to seek revenge after her father’s death.

‘Deep Cover’

Release Date: June 12 (Theaters)

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Nick Mohammed

Logline: When an undercover cop (Bean) offers improv instructor Kat (Howard) the role of a lifetime, she recruits two of her students (Bloom and Mohammed) to infiltrate London’s gangland by impersonating dangerous criminals.

‘The Materialists’

Release Date: June 13 (Theaters)

Starring: Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans

Logline: A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker (Johnson) finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex. A love triangle with Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans? Lucky gal.

‘The Unholy Trinity’

Release Date: June 13 (Theaters)

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Samuel L. Jackson, Brandon Lessard, Veronica Ferres

Logline: The buried secrets of an 1870s Montana town spark violence when a young man returns to reclaim his legacy and is caught between a sheriff determined to maintain order and a mysterious stranger hell-bent on destroying it.

‘Echo Valley’

Release Date: June 13 (Apple TV+)

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Julianne Moore, Domhnall Gleeson, Kyle MacLachlan

Logline: After her estranged daughter (Sweeney) shows up on her doorstep covered in blood, Kate (Moore) pieces together the shocking truth of what happened and learns just how far a mother will go to try to save her child in this gripping tale of love, sacrifice and survival.

‘28 Years Later’

Release Date: June 20 (Theaters)

Starring: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes

Logline: There doesn’t seem to be a cure for the rage virus — in fact, the freakily fast-moving infected from 2002’s 28 Days Later haven’t even slowed down! Oh, and mutants have joined the ranks. Yikes!

‘M3GAN 2.0’

Release Date: June 27 (Theaters)

Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, Ivanna Sakhno

Logline: “Hold on to your vaginas,” warns the overprotective doll-bot (Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) we met in the 2023 hit. Seems a new AI villain, Amelia (Sakhno), is on a rampage.

‘F1’

Release Date: June 27 (Theaters)

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Logline: Racing legend Sonny Hayes (Pitt) is coaxed out of retirement to lead a struggling Formula 1 team — and mentor a young hotshot driver — while chasing one more chance at glory.

‘Jurassic World Rebirth ‘

Release Date: July 2 (Theaters)

Starring: Scarlett Johnasson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali

Logline: Five years post–Jurassic World Dominion, an expedition braves isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough. Plus: Jonathan Bailey in glasses!

‘The Old Guard 2’

Release Date: July 2 (Netflix)

Starring: Charlize Theron, Uma Thurman, Henry Golding, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Logline: A follow up to the 2020 sci-fi adventure, Andy (Theron) leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. They grapple with the resurfacing of a long-lost immortal, complicating their mission to safeguard humanity.

‘Heads of State’

Release Date: July 2 (Prime Video)

Starring: John Cena, Idris Elba, Jack Quaid, Priyanka Chopra

Logline: The U.K. prime minister (Elba) and U.S. president (Cena) have a not-so-friendly and very public rivalry that jeopardizes their countries’ “special relationship.” But when they become the targets of a powerful and ruthless foreign adversary — who proves more than a match for the two leaders’ security forces — they are begrudgingly forced to rely on the only two people they can trust: each other.

‘Superman’

Release Date: July 11 (Theaters)

Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced

Logline: It’s a bird, it’s a plane — no, it’s a new Superman! Corenswet’s iteration of the iconic superhero must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice and the human way, he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned.

‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’

Release Date: July 18 (Theaters)

Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Lola Tung, Tyriq Withers, Nicholas Alexander Chavez

Logline: Years after the Southport Massacre of 1997, the Fisherman is slashing teens again. (Isn’t his hook rusty?)  Survivors Ray (Prinze Jr.)  and Julie (Hewitt) return to assist new teenage miscreants.

‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’

Release Date: July 25 (Theaters)

Starring: Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, Ralph Ineson

Logline: Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, the Silver Surfer (Garner).

‘Happy Gilmore 2’

Release Date: July 25 (Netflix)

Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Ben Stiller, Margaret Qualley, Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce

Logline: It’s all in the hips! Sandler finally delivers a sequel to his 1996 golf comedy, with Kelce and Bad Bunny among the stars joining the silliness on the green.

‘The Naked Gun’

Release Date: August 1 (Theaters)

Starring: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Busta Rhymes

Logline: The dim-bulb cop of the 1980s and ’90s films and TV series has a son — who looks a lot like Liam Neeson! For Anderson, Baywatch is no longer her silliest role in this film that follows the one man who has the particular set of skills to lead a police squad and save the world.

‘Together’

Release Date: August 1 (Theaters)

Starring: Dave Franco, Alison Brie

Logline: Years into their relationship, Tim (Franco) and Millie (Brie) find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love and their flesh. Gross, but sign Us up!

‘Freakier Friday’

Release Date: August 8 (Theaters)

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chad Michael Murray, Mark Harmon, Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

Logline: Make good (movie) choices! In this update of the 2003 comedy, Tess Coleman and daughter Anna are swept up into a bigger body swap — with Anna’s daughter and soon-to-be-stepdaughter (Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons). Nice for Us, Chad Michael Murray (even better with age!) and Anna’s garage band, Pink Slip, return.

‘Americana’

Release Date: August 22 (Theaters)

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Halsey, Paul Walter Hauser, Eric Dane

Logline: After an artifact falls onto the black market, a shy waitress with big dreams (Sweeney) teams up with a lovelorn military veteran (Walter Hauser) to gain possession of it, putting them in the crosshairs of a ruthless criminal working on behalf of a Western antiquities dealer.

Everything Coming to Pluto TV in May 2025

‘Caught Stealing’

Release Date: August 29 (Theaters)

Starring: Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz, Bad Bunny, Regina King, Liev Schreiber, Matt Smith

Logline: A burned-out former baseball player (Butler) unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined. The film is Butler’s best throwback project since The Bikeriders — or The Carrie Diaries, depending on preference.

© Disney; Netflix; Prime Video

Love Is Blind season 3 couple Matt Bolton and Colleen Reed have split after four years of marriage.

“We wanted to share something personal, and this is not easy to do, but after nearly four years together, we’ve decided to end our marriage and move forward on our own paths,” the pair wrote in a joint Instagram statement on Friday, May 23. “We’ve been separated for some time now and have being our best to work through everything privately and with care.”

The former reality stars explained, “This was an incredibly difficult decision, not one we made lightly. It came with a lot of thought and it’s been an emotional process for both of us.”

Matt and Colleen, both 30, recalled, “We met in the most unique and unexpected way, and we’ll always be grateful for the love and memories we’ve shared. There’s not one thing we would change and we continue to have deep respect and care for one another.”

‘Love Is Blind' Alums Colleen and Matt’s Relationship Timeline

The statement concluded by saying, “Thank you to everyone who has supported us. We kindly ask for compassion as we navigate this transition.”

While Matt and Colleen were one of only two couples to tie the knot during season 3 of Love Is Blind, which premiered in October 2022, the pair had their fair share of ups and downs on the way to the alter.

The twosome faced their biggest challenge after Colleen admitted to having a conversation with contestant Cole Barnett — who was engaged to costar Zanab Jaffrey at the time — where they mutually confessed that they would be attracted to each other “in the real world.”

'Love Is Blind’ Couples Status Check: Who Is Still Together?

While the ballet dancer told Matt about the exchange later that same night, the news didn’t sit right with the businessman and he threatened to leave the show entirely.

When the season 3 finale aired in November 2022, Colleen expressed her regrets about the moment and apologized for causing drama within the group. It was really hard for me to watch. I get emotional [about it],” she said. “I never would ever want to disrespect [Cole and Zanab’s] relationship.”

The duo faced their second roadblock while out at the bar during a season 3 episode when some of the girls opted to keep the night going at a second location. Matt, for his part, questioned why his fiancée thought “going the club was more important than coming home to her f—king boy,” and once again threatened to pack his bags and exit the show.

'Love Is Blind' Star Colleen: Why I Don't Wear My Engagement Ring

“There’s no f***ing way I can marry this woman,” he told costar Bartise Bowden at the time.

The incident was enough to make Colleen later waver about their upcoming nuptials, telling Matt during a one-on-one date night that she didn’t believe love was “enough for marriage.” 

Despite the Pennsylvania native referring to their relationship as a “roller-coaster she didn’t want to get off of,” both Matt and Colleen said “I do” on their wedding day, telling cohosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey during the reunion that they were “so happy.” The pair did, however, also reveal that they had yet to move in together after saying “I do.”

“I can’t wait to move in with him and I’m going to spend the rest of my life with him,” Colleen gushed while citing lease issues for their decision to live apart.

Following the reunion special, Colleen opened up about life with her new husband via social media.

“Matt, I met you in the most unexpected way and now I can’t imagine a life without you,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “We have gone through many challenges and I’m proud of much we learned from each hurdle that we have come across. A year and a half later and I continue to love you more and more each day. You are my love, my person, my best friend, my chef, my dance partner, my world traveler, my movie buddy, my golfer, my lobster, my silly goose … my everything. Quoting myself, ‘Cheers to getting Litty as a Titty for the rest of lives!’”

‘Love Is Blind’ Season 3 Cast: Where Are They Now?

Last month, Colleen exclusively told Us Weekly that she and Matt had weathered many storms during their relationship.

“Oh gosh, we had so many challenges,” she quipped at Us + Maidenform’s Reality Star Style Awards party on April 22. “Of course, staying together, but also, I would say with all the audience and all the eyeballs is definitely the hardest to go through and all of the opinions and everything.”

Colleen added, “I would say that was 100 percent the biggest challenge. But then, you have your own everyday challenges that you go through in a relationship and a marriage. With everything, it’s definitely a pressure cooker, so you just have to be strong with yourself and with your relationship.”

© Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for ESPN

Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman are taking a look back with Us at some of their most memorable 9-1-1 scenes.

Stark, 33, and Guzman, 37, who star as Evan “Buck” Buckley and Eddie Diaz, respectively, have become fan-favorite characters over the show’s eight seasons — largely in part to the duo’s close onscreen friendship (and, at times, speculated romance). It’s no surprise that some of their most iconic moments on the show have been together, from fights to saving each other’s lives and more.

Filming together, however, isn’t always as easy as it seems behind the scenes. While speaking exclusively to Us Weekly, Stark confessed that the season 4 episode “Suspicion,” in which Eddie gets shot, was particularly challenging — but not for reasons one would expect.

“It wasn’t a particularly heavy day emotionally because we knew he was gonna survive, right? It was a heavy day that I had to keep throwing him over my shoulder, to throw him into the back of the fire truck,” Stark told Us with a laugh. “And most people when they do a scene like that, they’ll ask questions like, ‘Ah, is it OK that your back doesn’t hurt?’ Whatever. This is no word of a lie: Between every single take, Ryan was eating chocolate cake. And I have to throw him over my shoulder. And I’m like, ‘Why are you making yourself heavier for me?!’”

9-1-1's Evan 'Buck; Buckley and Eddie Diaz's Friendship Timeline

Here, the duo look back at some of their most popular scenes for Buck, Eddie, and the friendship that has been lovingly dubbed Buddie:

Season 3, Episode 9: Buck Asks Eddie to Go for the Title

Oliver Stark: Ah, yeah, this kitchen scene. There’s meant to be, the way that it read to me anyway, it’s a lot of tension. There’s a lot of buildup [to] the point that you’re like, “The heck is about to happen here? Are they gonna fight or what?” And then there’s, like, a smash cut to them playing video games. But it was fun to see the limit that you could take it to, how much you could amp it up and then undercut it with the video games. But I think there’s something previously in that episode where, because we’re talking about fighting, I think I said to him, “I thought you were gonna hit me.” And he says something like, “Bet I can beat you up.” And it goes from there and it’s basically we’re just each trying to one-up each other until smash cut to playing video games with Chris (Gavin McHugh), and I love that the show plays between tones so well. It does feel really intense, but it never takes itself too seriously for too long. I think that’s a strength of the show, and really, this scene is a great example of that.

Season 4, Episode 4: Buck Yells at His Parents to Love Him ‘Anyway’

OS: This seemed very emotional, cathartic. If there’s ever any time you’ve wanted to scream at your parents, this was a really big scene for me and it precedes, if I remember correctly, the “Buck Begins” episode, which is a look back into his childhood. I think we played it lots of different ways, if I remember correctly, how heated it gets. And there’s this line in the scene that I really love, which I just thought was so fitting for Buck. He talks about having walked through fire every single day because of his parents and because of the upbringing. And we find out later, I think later in the episode, that Buck was basically born to be a donor to his brother, who had leukemia. And that gives so much context to his childhood for him. All of that angst that came out of that childhood came spilling out in the scene. I remember Kenny [Choi] came up to me. We shot my coverage and the camera was facing me. And when I would shout at Dee [Wallace], who plays my mom in the show, she would always, like, shudder a bit when I got loud. And Kenny came up and he was like, “You see, she keeps on jumping back? Make sure when it’s on her coverage you shout just as loud to get that kind of scare out of her!” So obviously we did. Her and Greg [Harrison], who plays my dad, are both fantastic actors. So it was just nice for everybody to come together and work for each other in the scene. And I really love the way it came off.

Season 4, Episode 13: Eddie Gets Shot

OS: The scene where Eddie gets shot, it wasn’t a particularly heavy day emotionally because we knew he was gonna survive, right? It was a heavy day that I had to keep throwing him over my shoulder, to throw him into the back of the fire truck. And most people when they do a scene like that, they’ll ask questions like, “Ah, is it OK that your back doesn’t hurt?” Whatever. This is no word of a lie: Between every single take, Ryan was eating chocolate cake. And I have to throw him over my shoulder. And I’m like, “Why are you making yourself heavier for me?” But I was probably throwing him extra hard to spite him back. I think my biggest concern on the day, because I remember getting almost quite in my head about it, is he gets shot from behind and the blood splatters over my face — the timing of me reacting to the blood. Because [if someone’s going to] hide down here with a squirt gun and blast me in the face with blood, it is very difficult to convince yourself you don’t know that’s about to happen, so some part of you is ready to recoil for it, but Buck doesn’t know that it’s about to happen. So trying to trick my brain into, “Here we are just talking, oh, no, here it comes?” That was my biggest difficulty on the day. But the take that we got actually worked perfectly, however many changes of a white shirt that I was wearing later. We really had a lot of fun with that episode, crawling under the fire truck and getting to do all the things that I love to do on the show. The physical stuff and just committing to it. Thankfully it really turned out.

Ryan Guzman: Honestly, the only thing I was thinking about is my cousin, and he had been to war six different tours and he’d seen plenty of people getting shot. And I remember him telling me something about people getting shot and how sometimes it just goes right through you. So it was very kind of graphic, I guess, in my mind. But I was really just trying to keep it calm and grounded for the scene. But yeah, shout-out to my cousin and those that serve.

Season 5, Episode 13: Eddie Breaks Down to Buck

RG: Man, what I’m thinking right there is I am drained. I’ve been crying all day. And I cried on my takes and Oliver’s takes. So it was just nonstop. My eyes were puffy by the end of the night. It was cathartic, I guess it was a release or whatever. Maybe I had been holding on for whatever, for 30 years. It was fun.

Season 7, Episode 4: Buck Plays Jealous Basketball

OS: It was very fun for about an hour and a half. Six hours later, my knees were hurting, I was out of breath. Well, actually, I was out of breath within the first 10 minutes. But it was great. We had a beautiful location and basketball court, as you know if you’ve seen the scene, like, right on the ocean. So we were all really happy to be there. And it just felt like something different for the show. We weren’t in the firehouse, we weren’t in the firetrap. We [weren’t in] one of our houses and we were getting to do something different. None of us are particularly skilled in the art of basketball, which I think is good. If one of us was really, really good and the rest of us were really bad, I think we wouldn’t have had so much fun together. But it was a really fun day of working out different, mostly choreographed plays. I didn’t expect it to go that way. Naively, I thought it’d be, like, just play basketball and see what happens. But it wasn’t, it was a rehearsed almost dance of, “Alright, you’re gonna pass over there so then this guy’s gonna move over here,” and how to set up and tell the story through the plays. I naively just thought I was gonna get to play basketball for a day freely, but it all worked out and we got to tell the story through the game, as it were. And yeah, definitely one of my favorite days as I look back on 9-1-1.

Season 8, Episode 17: Eddie and Buck Fight in the Kitchen

OS: So the most recent Buck-Eddie fight, fueled by grief and differing levels of grief, and Eddie is dealing with the fact that he wasn’t there for the death and Buck is dealing with the fact that he was there for the death. And so those are already two conflicting things, and I love the way this scene came together. I didn’t realize this when we were making it, but it’s all shot handheld, the camera’s kind of shaking at points, and it feels very raw, which I think is very fitting with the kind of emotions that are going on here. I didn’t realize during the scene that Ryan was gonna grab hold of me and lunge at me, but during the duration of the show, we’ve kind of built such a trust, myself, him and the rest of the cast. So you have that kind of sandbox to play in. There’s a high level of trust, so if somebody wants to try something, you feel like you have the space to do that. And I love the way the scene came together.

Us Weekly: So you had no idea that was going to happen?

OS: No, like, “Get off me.”

Us: Did you and Ryan have any conversations before that or did you kind of just go right into it?

Oliver Stark: Eddie Struggles to ‘Deal With Emotions’ After Buck’s Accident

OS: No, so the show, we don’t really rehearse beforehand. I mean, obviously, we rehearse on the day and work it out with the director and the [director of photography] and then we set the cameras up. But everybody always comes with their own ideas. And the way that it always comes together is that the best idea in the room wins, which is oftentimes an amalgamation of different people’s ideas. You know, “I thought I wanted to move over here,” and, “Oh, well I wanted to move over here.” Right? “Well, what if we kind of do this instead?” And it just comes together and we’ve gotten quicker and quicker and more in sync with each other at doing that over the years.

RG: Yeah, this scene, it had so many great textures, again, thanks to [showrunner] Tim [Minear]. And Oliver’s, right. We rehearsed it one time, but I did it super bland, mellow as can be. And then the director pulls me off to the side and says, like, “You want to hit him right now? Do you wanna punch him?” And I go, “I don’t know if I wanna punch him! But let’s play with that.” And lo and behold, I started elevating the pushing.

© Disney/Chris Willard

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Farmer Wants a Wife’s third season has come to a close — and at least one couple is still going strong.

Warning: Spoilers below for the season 3 finale of Farmer Wants a Wife. 

During the season 3 finale of the hit Fox series, which aired Thursday, May 22, all four farmers were asked to make a choice between their final two women. While drama sprouted from certain decisions, it was smooth sailing for John Sansone, who ultimately chose Claire Dirette over Lily Ayres.

“Claire and Lily and I, leading up to [the final decision], had been knowing what this [show] was and knowing what we were all in for,” John, 25, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the finale. “I was trying to keep the camaraderie as strong as possible throughout it. I would’ve been shocked if Lily or Claire in a different situation had just blown up on me.”

Farmer Wants a Wife’s John Breaks Down His 1st Kiss Rejection From Samantha

John and Claire walked into the sunset unscathed, but the couple confessed that their initial meeting was far from spectacular. Their attraction, it turns out, came as a surprise to both of them as the season progressed.

“I didn’t have a first impression of Claire personally at all,” John confessed. “Afterwards we have these things called OTFs, which [are] on-the-fly interviews about each and every date. And after the speed dates in Alabama, I remember saying to the camera something like, ‘Yeah, Claire was a great girl. She seemed very sweet and nice and soft-spoken, but the date was just kind of dull.’”

Claire, for her part, recalled being “extremely nervous and anxious” about being on the show, which affected how she presented herself.

“I don’t remember our first conversation by any means. So I had no first impression of John at all,” she told Us, noting that she was on “autopilot” at the start of the season.

While John said he “immediately” noticed how well Claire got along with the other women  — something that made him want to “keep her around” — it wasn’t until the pair got more comfortable together that things took a romantic turn.

He told Us, “Toward the end [of the season everybody started to loosen up more and get more casual and just started basically being themselves and not worrying about all the cameras and all that nonsense, so that’s when I think I really started to like Claire and really started to get along with her into a level that would stem to a relationship.”

Claire echoed John’s sentiment, admitting there were times she thought she might need to “leave” — “I can’t be here, this is too hard,” she recalled thinking — before bonding with John and the other women changed her mind.

“It did kind of quickly change as soon as I got close with the girls. And then John made it easy on me too,” she continued, pointing to the show’s Nashville mixer, which all four of the farmers and their contestants attended, as a big turning point.

“I had to pull him for a conversation and I was super anxious, like, I couldn’t really get a word out, and he just made it really lighthearted and joked around,” she recalled. “I think that really helped me just loosen and open up and be more myself.”

After John picked Claire for a solo date toward the end of the season, the twosome realized they had different values. Being opposites, however, only brought them closer together as John appreciated learning from someone with an alternate point of view.

“I think that’s a very beneficial thing to have in any relationship,” John said. “Personally, I’m not a big fan of echo chambers. I can’t stand them. I gotta get away from them. So, I think it’s pretty interesting and fun to go through this with somebody who has a different outlook on certain things in life.”

Some differences, of course, were slightly bigger obstacles than others. John’s desire to marry someone who stays home with the kids didn’t fully line up with Claire’s life plans, but it wasn’t something she worried too much about.

“I guess I wasn’t super surprised that he felt that way,” she told Us. “And I mean, I don’t think it was anything I was immediately, adamantly against. I’m happy to learn from him and I think he learns from me. And that’s one really strong point we have is our ability to communicate. So any difference or problem that we’ve had, we’ve been able to talk through. And I think that I would be surprised if there was something that we couldn’t figure out and talk through in the future.”

Claire’s mom, on the other hand, was more taken aback by John’s traditional outlook, asking him during the finale what he felt women “are for.” Thankfully, the duo were able to have a respectful exchange — but that didn’t mean John wasn’t anxious going into it.

“I was insanely nervous. Her mom is a decorated college professor who does public speaking events and a very strong woman and very set in her ways,” he explained. “It was pretty interesting and nerve-racking to talk to her. But I think it was very cool that we were able to just talk through stuff and just learn each other’s outlooks and perspectives and have a friendly conversation and just talk about our differences. I think that was really neat and something that a lot of people should take a note from that old notebook.”

So, where do John and Claire stand now? Us is pleased to report the two are still happily together and currently spending some time in Chicago — “I’m extremely uncomfortable and I wanna leave, I want my mom to pick me up,” John joked of the location change — and are focused on taking it “day by day.”

That means while they are loving spending time together, a permanent move for Claire to the farm isn’t in the cards quite yet.

“[We’re] not putting any pressure on ourselves. I think that’s why we have such a strong relationship,” John revealed. “We’re not trying to force anything or put all these dates or timelines or plans on us, because that’s just gonna build a lot of unnecessary pressure for us right now. We’re still in the very early stages of the relationship.

We’re both very young. We’re just gonna keep riding this out and see how it goes.”

As for those “differing” values, John said they’ve had “those conversations” and they always “go over very well,” but it’s nothing they’re stressing out over right now.

“That’s just one of those things that’s, like, way too big of unnecessary pressure walking in,” he said, while Claire added, “I think every time we’ve had a difficult conversation or something more serious, we’ve been better afterwards.”

With the show behind them, John and Claire are looking toward the future and taking what they’ve learned with them.

Why Farmer Wants a Wife’s Matt Said ‘No’ to Show ’30 Times’ Before Joining

“I’m so glad I did that because it was kind of, like, free therapy all the time when you’re sitting and talking to the camera and the producer is asking you questions. Even doing that you learn a lot about yourself,” Claire said. “So I was really grateful for the entire experience.”

John also has no regrets and said putting himself in “uncomfortable situations” is the “absolute best way to grow.”

“The coolest thing that I learned is just how easy it is to actually just talk to people with different views and values,” he told Us. “Not only Claire, but people in production, other people on different farms and all that stuff. As long as you just go into it with a good attitude and recognizing that that’s just another human being on the other side of the conversation, then you know you’re gonna go far in life.”

Farmer Wants a Wife is available to stream on Hulu.

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Owen Patrick Joyner is willing to do just about anything when it comes to delivering a killer good time.

Warning: Spoilers for Final Destination: Bloodlines. 

Joyner, 24, stars as Bobby Campbell in Final Destination: Bloodlines, which hit theaters on Friday, May 15, and is already the No. 1 movie in the world. The actor is undoubtedly a standout in the latest installment of the beloved horror comedy franchise, but much like his costars and predecessors before him, he couldn’t escape being brutally killed off in one of the most off-the-wall ways possible.

Joyner is given the honor of death by anaphylaxis in the film, as his character is deathly allergic to nuts. It’s actually kind of a nut allergy and vending machine coil through the skull combo, but his demise begins when he decides to eat a peanut butter cup in a last ditch attempt to outsmart his family’s death curse.

Everything You Need to Know About ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’

Luckily for Joyner, he’s no stranger to food-related deaths — he famously died by a car engine-heated street hot dog in his critically acclaimed series Julie and the Phantoms. Nor is he, it turns out, a stranger to severe nut allergies.

“I brought my real EpiPen and we were doing the scene and [directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein] were like, ‘So do you know anything about [allergies]? Like, have you ever experienced something like that?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, actually I brought my EpiPen!’” Joyner told Us Weekly exclusively. “And I saw a little twinkle in their eye. I feel like that’s when I booked it.”

Joyner heard from a friend who was also auditioning for Bobby that there was a scene involving an EpiPen. His pal also shared insight into how keen Lipovsky and Stein were to take big swings. The directing duo rented out an entire set when pitching their concept to Warner Bros. in hopes of giving execs an immersive experience.

“During their director pitch, [Zach and Adam] had a conversation and they were talking to camera while the back of their fireplace caught on fire. And then it spread to the walls, the paintings went to the roof and the entire room was on fire,” Joyner explained. “And it turned out they were in a set and they had staged that whole thing because they were just such big fans.”

Joyner, of course, didn’t have “the money” to set up an entire stage, so he worked with his own real-life experiences — and the effort clearly paid off. His sitcom experience likely also swung the pendulum his way, as Final Destination is known for its unique comedy elements.

That comedy, however, felt particularly tricky with Bloodlines as so much of the plot revolves around a single family unit dying off one by one. Joyner told Us it was a “big conversation” between the cast and creatives to figure out tonally where to land with each big death.

“With the family dynamics, it was so different, because it almost felt like it was accepted that people moved on with the other movies because they were friends. But we have to keep pushing,” he said. “Like, how much do we commit if our sister dies or if this person dies within our family? How deep do we go?”

A huge focus, Joyner noted, was figuring out what the audience would want above all else — “If you lose them, you already lost on the first day,” he told Us — but ultimately, the film opted to lean on the humor. That’s where the improv came in.

“Kudos to the directors and the creative team because they totally let us go on our own,” Joyner said. “We would do two takes by the book and by the lines and  then we would do two that were just kind of crazy improv or as many as they let us do. And they would come to us and [say], ‘Go crazy. Say whatever you want.’ So there’s some crazy footage out there of us saying stuff that does not work.”

As the rest of Us anxiously await the blooper reel, Joyner is celebrating what did make it to the final edit. Bloodlines — the sixth film in the franchise — follows a family who realize they are part of a decades-long death curse after their relative (Brec Bassinger) escaped a tragic accident years prior. Being part of such a hefty legacy is a responsibility that Joyner hasn’t taken lightly.

“It’s pretty intimidating, you know? Obviously, as an actor, it’s super exciting with a big piece of IP like this … and there’s millions of people that love it,” he confessed. “But at the same time, being 14 and a half years later, they were gonna have to — not reinvent the wheel — but maybe paint it a little bit, and change things up for the audience. Like, a little bit of a roll of the dice. So I was nervous.”

Joyner was put at ease after seeing the script from Jon Watts, Lori Evans Taylor and Guy Busick. “And then, of course, [producers] Craig [Perry] and Sheila [Hanahan Taylor], who created this entire universe, certainly gave me more confidence,” he added. “Obviously, I was gonna jump into it. I wasn’t gonna let something like this slide.”

Another weight on Joyner’s shoulders? Transitioning from family-friendly content to something with a little more bite. The actor made a name for himself on Nickelodeon shows like 100 Things to Do Before High School and Knight Squad before skyrocketing to success with the Netflix musical series Julie and the Phantoms in 2020.

“I loved every moment of [being on Nickelodeon], just getting to kind of do humor and comedy. And then I was lucky enough after that I was 19 and I went into the Julie and the Phantoms. That felt like a little step up,” Joyner explained. “As a young actor, you’re always nervous. Like, ‘Can I make it to a different step? Even if it’s lateral, can I do something that’s more mature and grown up?’ I wasn’t seeking horror, but I was excited to do something that was … a little riskier.”

While Joyner may be happy to be moving forward in his craft, he’s well aware — and endlessly grateful — for the love Julie and the Phantoms still receives five years after the one-season series first made waves.

“There’s still people that are excited and once in a while you’ll see a petition for season 2 and I wanna find those people and give them a hug,” he said. (The actor confirmed that despite hopes, a second season is “probably not gonna happen.”)

Joyner admitted that he didn’t know JATP would have the profound effect on audiences it has — rumors have swirled that Netflix wasn’t anticipating the series would resonate so deeply with older generations — but he felt “pretty confident” in being part of a project led by Kenny Ortega.

“You can kind of go, ‘You know what? I don’t think this has to be my greatest work for it to be successful,’” Joyer said. “Obviously, a lot of people have success [with] him. He’s the magic man. I don’t know how else to put it. So I wasn’t that surprised when it was an older group [who loved the show], because Kenny Ortega started High School Musical. Then I think he brought some of that fan base to us and they accepted us with open arms.”

The series, which dropped amid the coronavirus pandemic, followed 15-year-old Julie (Madison Reyes), who, in grieving the death of her mother, discovers an old CD that brings three teenage ghosts who died in the ‘90s into her life. Joyner portrayed Alex: the sensitive, often anxious drummer.

Like his EpiPen for Final Destination, Joyner tapped into his own experience when it came to bringing Alex to life. “I find that most of my characters just end up being anxious because I’m anxious. So they’re just like, ‘That works, push that side of you,’” he said with a laugh.

Most Shocking (Scripted) TV Moments of 2023

Portraying an openly queer character was slightly more “nerve wracking” for Joyner, who didn’t know Alex’s sexual identity when he landed the part and wanted to make sure he did the character justice.

“I remember getting all nervous and then Kenny called me and I said, ‘Kenny, if you give me the green light, then I know it’s OK.’ And he did, and I think it was important to him,” Joyner recalled. “He said, ‘Well, this isn’t about him. He’s a character with struggles, but he just happens to be queer. Take it and run with it, Owen.’ And I said, ‘OK Kenny, if you say so.’”

Joyner’s interpretation clearly paid off, as Alex quickly became a favorite among fans.

“Everyone was so loving and so accepting,” he told Us. “It meant a lot to a lot of people, which is something I wasn’t expecting or didn’t know I’d have the honor to be for some people, you know?”

Final Destination: Bloodlines is in theaters now.

© VALERIE MACON/Getty Images; Warner Bros.Pictures

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Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling learned how to “annoy” each other by cohabiting while filming their 2010 romantic drama, Blue Valentine.

“We shot the first part where they’re young and in love and everything is going really well and then we took a two week break and we lived together. Office hours, baby, like, 9 to 5. Professional situation,” Williams, 44, recalled during the Monday, May 19, episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. “So we did these improvisations during the day to, honestly, find out ways to annoy each other and to destroy this thing that we had made.”

Williams noted that production initially didn’t plan on taking a break from filming, but she and Gosling, 44, were too connected for what came next. “We were having such a hard time letting go of the thing we loved,” she explained.

While living side by side, Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance would come into Williams and Gosling’s shared space and give them a “scenario” before leaving them to their own devices, hoping they’d build on their estrangement. He’d then return and say, “After you’ve had this frustrating day, now you’re going to go take your daughter to the amusement park and try and have a good time,’” Williams remembered. “It was fun.”

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While the five-time Oscar nominee pointed out that it’s unlikely actors would be given that much room to “play” today — “Try selling that to a producer,” she joked — she was thankful they had the opportunity.

The duo even “burned” their characters’ wedding photo to kick off the friction, much to Williams’ dismay.

“We learned how to annoy each other. It was horrible,” she said. She recalled thinking, “I don’t want to give you reasons to hate me. We were having such a good time. The party has to be over so soon?”

The exercise even backfired to an extent, with Williams admitting she simply ended up disliking herself. “You don’t have to hate me, because now I hate me,” she quipped. “I’m annoying. We [were] calling forth all our worst qualities!”

Williams and Gosling starred as Cindy and Dean, respectively, in the critically acclaimed romance, a couple whose relationship takes a nosedive after falling madly in love during their 20s. The movie earned Williams an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. (She ultimately lost the award to Natalie Portman for Black Swan.)

While speaking to NPR‘s Fresh Air in 2010, Gosling reflected on sharing a space with Williams for the shoot, explaining that the characters disconnected needed to feel as “genuine and real and true” as the love story portion. He revealed that in addition to burning photos, they celebrated holidays and go through the motions like any real-life family.

“We also celebrated fake Christmas and put up Christmas trees and baked birthday cakes and bought birthday presents, and went to Sears,” he told the outlet. “Whatever we could do to create real memories, so when it came time to shoot the [last] part of the film, we were drawing on real memories.”

He explained, “Most movies, you have to try and forget you’re making a movie, because there are trailers and booms and lights and marks, and it’s everywhere. And with this, you’re trying to remember that it is a movie, because it’s so easy to get lost in it.”

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Despite their undeniable onscreen chemistry, Williams and Gosling never dated in real life. Williams welcomed daughter Matilda in 2005 with the late Heath Ledger before tying the knot with musician Phil Elverum in 2018. The pair were married for less than a year before calling it quits in 2019. Months later, Williams announced she was engaged to Thomas Kail and they wed in 2020. They have since welcomed three children together.

Gosling, for his part, has been in a relationship with Eva Mendes since 2011. The couple share two daughters: Esmeralda Amada, born in 2014, and Amada Lee, born 2016.

© Davi Russo/©The Weinstein Company/courtesy Everett Collection

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Influencer Emilie Kiser’s 3-year-old son, Trigg, has died.

Us Weekly confirmed via the Chandler, Arizona, Police Department on Sunday, May 18, that the child passed away “earlier this afternoon.” He was pulled out of a backyard pool on the evening of Monday, May 12.

The statement to Us continued, “The investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident remain ongoing. This is still an open investigation. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not be releasing additional details until the investigation is closed.”

Chandler Fire Department told Arizona’s 12 News on Wednesday, May 14, that a 3-year-old boy was in critical condition after being discovered. According to the department, police officers got to the residence first and began CPR on the unconscious boy before firefighters arrived and took over.

Influencer Jasmine Yong’s 2-Year-Old Son Dead After Drowning in Pool

The boy was then flown to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for treatment.

While the boy was not identified initially, rumors began to circulate online that suggested the boy could be Kiser’s son after her followers noticed the popular influencer, who is located in Arizona, had not posted a TikTok video in more than two days.

“Emily i hope you are okay. i feel sick!! ,” one follower wrote in the comments section of Kiser’s latest morning routine TikTok video that featured Trigg, her newborn son, Teddy, and husband Brady.

“Please be a bad rumor I’m sick,” another person said, while a third added, “I’m sending you so much love Emily. ”

Kiser, who has amassed 3.1 million followers on TikTok and more than 1 million on Instagram, is known for her relatable videos on the day-to-day experiences of being a wife and mother.

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After welcoming Trigg in July 2021, Kiser and Brady announced they were expecting baby No. 2 in September 2024.

“WE GOTTA BABY GROWING,” Kiser wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of herself with Brady and Trigg holding a sonogram photo. “We can not wait to add another angel to our family. Whatever you are, we love you so much already.”

The couple welcomed son Teddy in March, which Kiser announced via Instagram. “We love you so much and our hearts feel like they are going to burst,” she wrote at the time, sharing a series of photos from the hospital birth. “I am so grateful for a smooth delivery, a healthy baby, and the best husband. Could not have done it without my rock @bradykiser. The love I have for my boys is infinite.”

For more on pool safety, see Bode Miller’s tips and visit Coverstar’s website during Water Safety Awareness Month.

© Courtesy of Emilie Kiser/Instagram

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Anna Lore promises that Final Destination: Bloodlines delivers all the bloody good “fun” fans crave from the iconic franchise — with a twist that will also leave them feeling more attached to the characters than ever before.

“[People] can expect everything that they love from the old films and also, there’s heart to this movie,” Lore, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the film’s Friday, May 16, release. “Like, when I watched it for the first time, I got quite emotional and I was like, ‘Is this just because I love these actors so much?’ But I think the amount that you care about the family kind of adds a little bit of a twist to this movie.”

Lore noted that there will be certain scenes “where you’re like, ‘Oh, I don’t want these people to die,’” — but those heartwarming feelings won’t overstay their welcome. “The way they die is so fun that you can’t help sort of rooting for it to happen,” she said.

Bloodlines takes audiences back to the very beginning of Death’s twisted sense of justice — but adds a familiar twist. Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all. Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Rya Kihlstedt, Brec Bassinger and Tony Todd also star alonside Lore, who plays Stefani’s blunt and sassy cousin Julia Campbell.

Everything You Need to Know About ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’

Part of Final Destination’s magic has always been its ability to blend the horror and comedy genres, and that “balance” is more prominent than ever in Bloodlines. The deaths, which have always been notably unhinged, are also amped up to an entirely new off-the-wall level.

“It’s a balance to not have the film be too heavy, to have it still be fun and have people enjoy it,” Lore explained. “I can’t believe how well they walked that line. [And] I think the thing about Final Destination deaths is you’re always like, ‘They’re not gonna do that.’ And then … they do that.”

Lore immediately knew she was in good hands when she read the script from Guy Busick, Lori Evans and Jon Watts, even though she hadn’t seen any of the previous films before landing the role. Despite becoming somewhat of a Scream Queen through her career — she’s appeared in films like They/Them and the upcoming Black Phone 2 — Lore confessed she’s not much of a horror fan herself. Her boyfriend, however, is a different story.

“My boyfriend — who introduced me to, like, every horror thing that I know — I think when I auditioned, he changed my name in his phone to ‘Anna Final Destination,’” she recalled with a laugh. “He was just, like, so excited for me. Just even that I, like, had my hat in the ring. He was so thrilled.”

Once on set, Lore was in awe of directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, who the actress said gave her the opportunity to try something “different” every take.

“The directors were super open to play,” she explained. “They said to us at one point, ‘Do not be afraid to make mistakes. We will make mistakes here. Don’t be scared, there’s no bad choices.’ And that as an actor is, like — I’ve never heard that in my life.”

Once the “pressure” was off to nail every scene, Lore was able to lean into the “creative environment” of the set, something she thinks helps the film feel more authentic.

Not every part of the job is easy, though. Lore admitted that reading a horror script is always her biggest challenge, as she has to imagine various brutal ways in which she might die.

“Like, what would it feel like? How scared would you be? What and how much pain would you be in?” she explained.

One major lesson learned? Stay away from Google. “One time I was like, ‘I’m gonna look up images from one of my deaths in a different film, and look up some images to see if I can get some details on what it would really be like to die this way.’ And that was the first and last time I ever [did that],” she recalled with a laugh. “I’m way too sensitive.”

The gruesome details, she noted, are best left to the professionals.

“The special effects people, I mean, they’re Googling, like, ‘What does [being] electrocuted to death look like?’ I cannot go into that territory,” she told Us. “Now [for me] it’s just completely make-believe.”

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But how does someone so squeamish find themselves at the top of the casting list for iconic horror franchises like Final Destination and Black Phone 2? One, be great at your craft. Two, know how to scream bloody murder.

“Once you have a great scream out there, it’s like, ‘We need that scream in our movie!’” Lore quipped. “So I think it’s more [that] it’s calling me to it. More than even just drawing me to it. But I don’t know where I go from here. [Final Destination] is one the biggest horror franchises of all time! This is horror royalty now.”

Final Destination: Bloodlines is in theaters now.

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Tamera Mowry and husband Adam Housley have a love story for the ages — but they took time to make sure their romance was meant to last before getting serious.

While the pair met at Pepperdine University in the early 2000s after an economics professor set them up, the Sister, Sister alum and the California native dated for six years — and then took a year apart — before eventually tying the knot in 2011.

“[In order to know] if we are meant to be together, we said, ‘It’s got to be God’s way and not our way,’” Mowry told Ebony.com in October 2012, revealing that the couple also decided to remain celibate until marriage.

She continued: “Our right way was the way we felt God wanted us to do it which was being celibate. We said to God, ‘This is who we are, I know you take us as we are, our faults, our fears, our joys, our hope as a couple and have your way.’”

After realizing that they had each found “The One,” the twosome got engaged in January 2011 and tied the knot four months later. In November 2012, Us Weekly confirmed that the couple had welcomed their first child together, son Aven John Tanner. Daughter Ariah was born in December 2020.

Scroll down to relive Mowry and Housley’s romance:

© Courtesy of Adam Housley/Instagram

© Courtesy of Adam Housley/Instagram

© Courtesy of Adam Housley/Instagram

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© Courtesy of Adam Housley/Instagram

© Courtesy of Adam Housley/Instagram

© Courtesy of Adam Housley/Instagram

© Courtesy of Adam Housley/Instagram

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© Courtesy of Adam Housley/Instagram

© Courtesy of Adam Housley/Instagram

© Courtesy of Adam Housley/Instagram

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© Courtesy of Tamera Mowry/Instagram

© Courtesy of Tamera Mowry/Instagram

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Let’s get something out of the way: I am a ride-or-die Law & Order: SVU fan.

I will stan Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Odafin Tutuola (Ice-T) for the rest of time. I will stick by them through every new, slightly different but very similar squad room, and I will pretend not to know that the famous guest star is the bad guy as soon as I see him. Nothing gives me comfort like that dependable “chung-chung”— what an ex once called “the soundtrack” to my apartment—and I can watch the same episode 25 times, actually, without getting bored. It is — strangely, but not uncommonly — like a weighted blanket for my soul.

However, the 26th season, which concluded on Thursday, May 15, left me wanting more. I hesitate to say that, because I hesitate to say anything critical about anyone’s art, because it’s art, and many talented people worked very hard on it. Also…26 FREAKIN’ SEASONS. That is insane and unheard of and a triumph to be celebrated. But this season felt a little rudderless.

I appreciated that the show kicked off the midseason with an episode called “First Light,” starring the terrific Amy Landecker as a Gisèle Pelicot–inspired victim and the equally terrific Lelan Orser as her abuser. There is no more inspiring woman in the world right now than Pelicot, and her story could have played out over an entire multi-episode arc. Instead it was smashed into 42-ish minutes. If there were ever a need to slow down and take multiple episodes — maybe even an entire season — to unpack a tragedy and the many ways systems and individuals can fail women (something the show often does brilliantly), it was this.

'Law and Order: SVU' Loses 2 Main Cast Members in Surprise Shakeup

More recently, the May 8 episode ”Aperture” left me scratching my head. It was — I think — about a wealthy couple touring an apartment that had a telescope, through which the wealthy husband spied a sexual assault, except the couple wasn’t wealthy, they just like to look at apartments; and though it was an assault, it was a very different, very hard-to-believe-even-for-SVU kind of assault than detectives first thought. And also the episode was sort of about the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson? (Side note: Do so many people really have telescopes in their apartment? I’ve lived in New York my whole life and nobody I know has a telescope. Anyway.)

Over 26 seasons, the series’ most memorable story lines have been slow burns — clusters of episodes in which drama plays out over a long period of time (the William Lewis saga, which had two eras; The Delia Wilson/Bart Ganzel war, etc.); any number of one-offs that see the righteous comeuppance of crypto bros, racists, men’s-rights activists and other D-bags; and the introduction of crimes so obscure and strange they make you worry a little bit about the writers. (There is not one SVU fan who watched the third season of White Lotus and didn’t immediately think, “family annihilator” as Timothy Ratliff fixed those toxic smoothies.)

For a show that often rips plotlines from headlines, I can understand why things might be overwhelming. News in the most terrible time line moves fast — too fast for our nervous systems — and our attention spans are short. There’s just so much to cover. But lately, no storyline has been given enough room to breathe, and the result is often confounding.

Speaking of room to breathe, I do wish some of the actors who’ve come and gone in recent years got more of it. On May 7 it was announced that Juliana Aidén Martinez, who never quite clicked into place during her one season as Detective Kate Silva, and, more surprisingly, Octavio Pisano (Detective Joe Velasco for three seasons) will exit. They follow a long line of recent blink-and-you’ll-miss-them regulars:  Jamie Gray Hyder, Demore Barnes, Molly Barnett, Phillip Winchester. The most exciting but quickly dashed development was when Jordana Spiro went from a standout guest star playing a horrifically abused wife in 2022 to an FBI profiler in 2024, then disappeared forever. (Back to Martinez for a moment: Who can blame her for not clicking? I’m sure any actor playing New Female Detective at the Special Victims Unit comes in with a fair amount of premature PTSD knowing how things have gone for so many before them.)

But the cast shakeup, as sad as it is, especially for Pisano, is likely good news. On the heels of that announcement, it was revealed that season 27 would correct an egregious error—the dismissal of longtime cast member and fan favorite Kelli Giddish. (It was hard not to feel that every new squad member who came and went was trying to fill the Rollins-shaped hole in the place, as was Rollins herself, who kept showing up as a guest star.)

But the best sign that things are looking up for SVU came in April, when Deadline broke the news that Michele Fazekas — who has produced nearly 100 episodes — would become (unbelievably) the show’s first woman showrunner, replacing David Graziano. Playwright Warren Leight served as showrunner for more than a decade, with a break in between, and oversaw some of the series’ best episodes (including ones that were ripped from the headlines, like 2011’s “Scorched Earth,” which took inspiration from the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case, and the ahead-of-its-time body-mod-themed “Strange Fruit,” which featured a not-yet-famous Britt Lower, who was already incandescent). I have a feeling we’re headed for another golden age like that one in the hands of Fazekas and her writing partner, Tara Butters.

Mariska Hargitay's Top 10 Best Law & Order: SVU Episodes

“I’m obviously not done with SVU and I have so much responsibility there still, which is keeping me artistically challenged. It’s challenging. In the meantime, I also have had these incredible moments,” Hargitay said in May 2024 about staying on the show since its 1999 premiere. “I’m really happy and fulfilled with my life right now. So, we’ll see what comes. But as of right now, I’m very happy on the ride.”

This is all to say: SVU, you are a titan. I believe in you. Twenty-six is ancient in TV years, in the very best way. And I’m so excited to see where we go from here. (Also, please try another Gisèle Pelicot arc. You — and she and we — deserve it.)

All episodes of Law & Order: SVU are available to stream on Peacock.

© Ralph Bavaro/NBC

9-1-1 was determined to leave viewers feeling hopeful after the shocking and tragic death of Captain Bobby Nash.

Warning: Spoilers below for the season 8 finale of 9-1-1: 

The Thursday, May 15, episode, titled “Seismic Shifts,” featured the entire 118 — yes, including Ryan Guzman’s Eddie Diaz — banding together to help save civilians after a building explosion left them trapped in rubble. After the successful rescue resulted with zero fatalities, Chimney Han (Kenneth Choi) made it clear that the team was not going to break apart and ruin Bobby’s (Peter Krause) legacy any time soon.

“Everybody just stop. You’re not getting on a red-eye. And nobody is transferring out and nobody is staying in Texas. This is our firehouse. This is the 118. And it’s not just a number. It’s us,” Chimney declared. “And you’re right, Buck, things are never gonna be the same again because Cap is gone. But leaving won’t change that. It won’t make you feel any less sad. It just means that you’ll be sad all alone.”

‘9-1-1’ Recap: Buck and Eddie Fight Over Bobby's Death

He continued, “Bobby died so that I could live, and it has screwed me up in ways that I can not fully express, but the truth is he would have done that for any one of us. You see, he knew that just coming into work every day there’s a chance that one or more of us would not make it home, and his job above everything else was to make sure that we did. And we are all standing here right now because of him. This team, we are his legacy. So we can miss him and we can mourn him and we can even curse his name, but we are not going to disrespect him by throwing away what he built right here. So you hang up your turnouts, you hit the showers, you go home and you get some rest, because we are all going to see each other on our next shift. Together. Understood?”

The episode concluded with the 118 reunited and working toward a new normal following Bobby’s passing. Keep scrolling to see where each character ended season 8 before season 9 premieres later this fall:

Athena

After witnessing a building explosion — not too different from the explosion that occurred before her husband’s death — Athena (Angela Bassett) headed into the rubble to save as many people as she could. After being joined by Chimney, the two found themselves stuck without an exit. When it was revealed that one of the civilians had been keeping his injuries a secret in order to save the other (an echo of what Bobby did for Chimney), the pair were able to set aside their differences and ultimately save both men.

“You’re a very capable paramedic and a great leader,” Athena told Chimney before they embraced. “He’d be so proud of you.”

Athena ended the episode by deciding to sell her newly renovated home and headed to the hospital to meet Chimney and Maddie’s (Jennifer Love Hewitt) new son, Robert Nash Han.

“Hello, Bobby,” she cooed while holding the infant in her arms.

Chimney

When arriving at the emergency with the 118, Chimney got wind that Athena was inside and headed in to help her. While in the midst of assisting injured civilians, a second collapse left them stuck inside the rubble. Together, the duo managed to save two injured men, working through their differences over Bobby’s death. (Bobby hid his symptoms after contracting a deadly virus so that Chimney would be given the single anecdote, ultimately leading to his death.)

Back at the station, Chimney lost his cool after realizing the team was able to save everyone — meaning zero fatalities — but still felt fractured. He then jumped into a passionate speech that inspired Eddie to stay in L.A. and Buck (Oliver Stark) to refuse his transfer so they could all stay together as the 118 was meant to be.

Chimney ended the episode at the hospital, welcoming his son, Bobby, who he introduced to Athena.

Eddie

Eddie began the episode with plans to return to Texas with his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), to start his job as an El Paso firefighter. At the 118’s goodbye lunch, the team presented him his turnouts to take with him to his new station.

However, as he packed up at home, Christopher alerted him to the news of the 118’s emergency, and Eddie immediately headed to the site to help. While Gerrard (Brian Thompson) wanted to go by the book for the rescue, Eddie found a different way to help Buck and Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody) escape, zip-lining them from one building to the next. He credited the idea to Bobby, who taught him there’s “always a choice.”

After Chimney’s emotional speech at the 118 later in the episode, Eddie decided to stay in L.A. with Christopher, and the duo moved back into their home.

Buck

Buck (Oliver Stark) began the episode by revealing that he put in for a transfer, claiming that the 118 is “just a number now.” He then headed to the emergency with the 118, saving residents with Ravi before a second collapse left them trapped. He and Ravi ultimately escaped, thanks to Eddie’s quick thinking, and the trio headed back into the building to save the rest of the team.

Buck later took Chimney’s speech to heart like everyone else, choosing not to transfer. He ended the season by looking for a new place — one that feels “lived in,” like Eddie’s home did.

‘9-1-1’ Recap: Is Bobby Really Dead? Did Eddie Return From Texas?

Maddie

Maddie’s main focus in the finale was figuring out who was stuck inside the collapsed building so she could communicate what she found back to the 118. She ended the episode by giving birth to her and Chimney’s son, Robert Nash Han, named in honor of Bobby.

Hen

Hen (Aisha Hinds) started “Seismic Shifts” by announcing to the rest of the team that she passed on taking over as captain after it’s revealed that Gerrard planned to step down and return to his TV consulting role.

She then took to the ground after the explosion with the rest of the crew. After returning to the 118 safely, she accidentally referred to Chimney as “Cap,” possibly hinting that he could be stepping up into the role for season 9.

Hen and her wife, Karen (Traci Thoms), ended the episode by officially adopting their foster daughter, Mara (Askyler Bell).

© Disney/Christopher Willard

Oliver Stark and the rest of the 9-1-1 cast are still adjusting to life on set without Peter Krause — but are proud of the work they’ve done in the wake of their costar’s shocking exit.

“We’ve been up and down on this ride for a time now. But I’m really happy with everything that season 8 turned out to be,” Stark, 33, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the season 8 finale. “I think everybody’s really proud of it.”

The beloved ABC procedural left fans reeling with its decision to kill off Krause’s Captain Bobby Nash earlier this season, when the beloved character secretly contracted a deadly virus. With only one anecdote available, Bobby chose to keep his own symptoms a secret so that fellow firefighter Chimney (Kenneth Choi) could survive.

The episodes that followed saw fire station 118 reuniting to honor their longtime leader. As the characters mourned the loss of Bobby on screen, the actors were busy saying goodbye to their IRL friend Krause behind the scenes.

See the Cast of '9-1-1' Return to Set After Bobby's Emotional Death

While speaking to Us, Stark recalled one emotional day with Krause when the duo, alongside Choi and costar Aisha Hinds (who plays Hen), had a quiet moment together as the original core four firefighters featured since season 1. (Series regulars Ryan Guzman, who portrays Eddie, and Jennifer Love Hewitt, who plays Maddie, both joined the cast in season 2.)

‘We [had] just finished and I went to take my makeup off, or whatever, and Aisha went to get changed. And it just so happened that myself, Kenny, Aisha and Peter were all coming out of our trailers at the same time,” Stark shared. “Ryan wasn’t working that day and [our other costar] Anirudh [Pisharody] was with us and he had left, so it was just the four of us who were the four that started in the 118.  And we hadn’t realized, because the schedule is so hectic and stuff is moving. And Peter said to us, ‘Do you realize that was our last emergency, the four of us?’ And we just had a moment. We all embraced, we all cried a little bit and just said, ‘You know, this was a really cool ride we took together.’”

Here, Stark speaks more about his final days with Krause, what the future holds for season 9 of the hit series and reflects on what portraying a bisexual character on network TV means to him:

Us Weekly: Congratulations on such an amazing season and what a ride it’s been.

Oliver Stark: We’ve been up and down on this ride for a time now. But no, I’m really happy with everything that season 8 turned out to be. So I think everybody’s really proud of it. Really proud of it.

Us: And so many twists and turns, especially with this shocking death. I mean, when you were all at the table read, what was that moment like? Was it just silence, like, “I can’t believe this is actually happening?”

OS: So our show most certainly does not do table reads.

Us: Oh, OK.

OS: But I’m sure that would be the vibe, right? So we were called individually by our showrunner [Tim Minear] and he kind of said, “Listen, I’m gonna kill Bobby.” And I think everybody had differing reactions. I think some of us responded with a loud, “What do you mean?!” I fell to silence. I was pretty stunned by it, and it’s a big swing. Big change for the show.

Us: What was your first conversation with Peter like then after that?

OS:  I hadn’t seen him [for], like, a week beforehand. I can’t remember what the episode that we shot before was, but we were quite segmented. Then I also didn’t see him for maybe another week afterwards. And in a group text, myself and Aisha [Hinds] reached out and said, “So, um, dot, dot, dot.” And he just said, “Let’s talk when we see each other in person.” And you know, we had a nice embrace. I said, “You good? You OK with it?” And he said, “Absolutely.” You know, this what happens. And he’s doing great. I thank him for all the time that I’ve spent with him over the years and all the things I’ve taken from him. Lessons learned. And I look forward to continuing the friendship, of course,that I know will continue.

Us: Has it hit you yet though?

OS: Yes. I think it has because we’ve made three or four episodes since. [Peter has] popped into them, episodes 16 and 17. He makes an appearance, but it’s not the intensity of which we would usually see each other. You know, I say it’s hit me, [but] I think it will probably hit me again when we come back for season 9. When it’s like, “Oh, he’s not here. He doesn’t come here anymore.” I think that’s when it will maybe really settle in.

Us: Because it feels permanent now, different now.

OS: Exactly. Exactly.

Us: As an actor, does it make you nervous knowing that they killed off such a beloved character? Obviously, your character is like that, too. So now, going into season 9, are you like, “Wait a wait a minute, what’s behind the corner here?”

OS: I think it’s good to not be too complacent. We should always wonder if we can be doing more or working harder. So it doesn’t make me consciously nervous, but it is a new thing that the show has now opened. So make sure you turn up on time. Get your mark, know your lines. [laughs] I’m not screwing this one up, you know?

Us: Seriously! Before Bobby dies, he tells Buck, “They’re going to need you.” Is that a phrase that’s going to stick in his brain now going forward?

OS: Yeah, I think so. I think he feels like this was his dying wish, as it were. He’s charged Buck with this task, and he was such an instrumental character to 118. And [having] such a strong foundation that removing him has resulted in everybody kind of falling away from each other. I think Buck is going to take it very seriously — that I’m the one that has to do some work to bring everybody back together.

Us: Do you think that he’s ready for the responsibility [of captain] now that Hen kind of turned down the position?

OS: I don’t think Buck is trying to make any move in the sense of professionally being the figurehead. He’s not trying to be the captain. But I think more just in a personal sense. And in actual fact, it’s not gonna be a thing that is only on Buck’s shoulders. This is a family and everybody is gonna step up and play their own role in re-tethering everybody back together.

Us: When you read the script and you saw how well Buck initially took the news, at the funeral and saying, “I went to therapy, I’m OK.” What was your kind of reaction to that?

OS: Well, I don’t think it’s so much, “I went to therapy. I’m OK.” I think it’s more — you are right, that is kind of how it is said — [but] the way that I took it is, we handle grief differently, right? And it comes in waves. And the other thing is, in real life, if somebody close to you dies, it doesn’t necessarily mean that life stops around you. There are still things you have to do. There are things you have to handle. And I think that’s what Buck saw getting through the funeral service [to be]. Like, this is our duty. And we owe this to him as our captain to turn up and be on. It’s fun finding the little moments of the emotion breaking through, but then it’s like, “No, but we are here to play the part as kind of dutiful firefighter.” So I actually really enjoyed the more stoic approach.

Us: Is that challenging, for you as an actor to kind of balance both all those different emotions?

OS: Exciting.

Us: Exciting, isn’t it? Yeah. That’s probably a better word.

OS: You want the complex things and to be able to find those little moments, and this is a show that is a network procedural but it has always given us these opportunities to play complex things and to feel more than one thing at the same time, which is obviously what we as real people do. So it’s nice to get to infuse that into the characters as well.

Us: Out of all the seasons, what’s been your favorite arc for Buck?

OS: I think for many reasons, season 7. We played this coming out arc for Buck, and then he uncovered this new side of himself that has always been there, but he didn’t quite understand yet. It was fun for me to play through. But I think in a grander sense it had a really high importance and meaning for people. It was a real kind of gift to me as an actor, to be a part of that.

Us: I’m sure you probably almost felt a responsibility to play this character the correct way, which you do so beautifully. A lot on your shoulders too, in a sense, maybe.

OS: Absolutely. I think the key for me was to really try my best to not feel that though … I don’t want to get in my head. And I also didn’t want to, I don’t know, place more importance on myself. In the sense that if I just play this as honestly and as authentically as possible, then that’s real representation, you know? That will speak to more people and they’ll be able to see themselves in the journey rather than self-nominating myself as some spokesperson or representative instead. Just play the character and let the character be what he is to people. Let them relate on their own rather than me placing that kind of importance upon myself.

Us: I’m sure you have so many people reaching out to you though.

OS: Definitely. It’s, it’s been lovely. All kinds of different messages, you know, even as specific as firefighters saying, “I’m a firefighter and I came out later in life.” Or, “I’m a firefighter and I’m still in the closet.” And it was really amazing for me to see that. It was very overwhelming at the time in the most beautiful sense. It just made me know that we were doing something right.

Us: Do you want to explore that side of Buck more in the future down the line when it comes to dating?

OS: Yeah, absolutely. And I think one of the things that the show is really keen on doing moving forward is — the character is bisexual, right? And being clear in that we’ve not said this is now a gay character. Really giving true bisexual representation, I hope, is something that we lean into in the future.  And show how all encompassing that can be and just what it means to Buck.

Us: People have always been asked about Buck and Eddie time and time again. We won’t kind of go down there, but do you feel like there should be, or will be, a deeper exploration between their friendship possibly further into the future? Do you think that’s necessary? Or do you think that Buck’s initial denial to Maddie is sufficient?

OS: Yeah. The kind of personal story lines got a little bit derailed by the death of Bobby.

Us: Of course.

OS: When something like that happens, everything else kind of falls by the wayside. So I don’t know if that will come back. I don’t think Buck is lying in the show when he says, “No, that’s my best friend.” I don’t think he’s intentionally lying or trying to hide anything. I don’t know if that will play again in the show. Eddie is, as we’ve seen thus far at the very least, been a straight character. So I don’t know what else there is to explore, but that’s not my job!

Us: Not your job to do that! But we couldn’t help but notice that Eddie and Chris end episode 17 on Buck’s couch. Are you aware of this Couch Theory that goes around. Do you pay attention to things like that?

OS: I am aware of it. I wouldn’t say I pay attention. I think there’s a fine line between the two. It’s out there, but I do think it’s great that people theorize so much and infuse so much love into the show. I take it as a compliment.

Us: Totally. People are fully invested week after week. Last episode, Eddie accuses Buck of being selfish. What was your reaction to that?

OS: I don’t think Buck is actually being particularly selfish in that episode. But I do understand it from the point of view of, [Eddie] has certainly been [selfish] before. And so I think Eddie is almost dealing with PTSD. His experience is, this is how Buck usually reacts. So there’s almost an assumption that Buck is making it about himself again. And add in the high emotions of grief and everybody’s settling back in and his son is in Texas and he’s bringing his son out. There’s just a lot going on for these characters. Everything is heightened. I think a clashing of heads is inevitable and there’s just so many things. So many emotions.

Us: Totally. And I know that Buck has a heart to heart with Eddie’s aunt. What do you think he’s gonna kind of take away from that conversation and how will he implement that in the future?

OS: You know, I think she says something like, “Change is inevitable.” And this is a theme that has maybe come up for Buck a few times in the past. I mean, obviously the losing of Bobby, that you can’t stop and that you have to find a way to just accept it ad grow from it. And I do think that that is what the show is doing with Buck here. There’s an opportunity, unfortunately through the death of Bobby, to mature Buck and have him move into Buck 4.0. Or wherever we are now. So we’ll see what that iteration looks like, but I do think it’s a push in that direction.

Us: What was it like shooting with Peter on that final day?

OS: Emotional. Well, I’ll tell you actually, that the death day was emotional.

Us: Is that what you guys called it on set?

OS: I’m glad we didn’t. [laughs] I feel like that would’ve been insensitive, but we actually shot the preceding episode after the death episode.

Us:  So it wasn’t goodbye yet.

OS: No. Because the next day we just had a regular scene, but there was actually a really lovely moment on my last day with him, where we just finished and I went to take my makeup off, or whatever, and Aisha went to get changed. And it just so happened that myself, Kenny, Aisha and Peter were all coming out of our trailers at the same time. Ryan wasn’t working that day and Anirudh [Pisharody] was with us and he had left, so it was just the four of us who were the four that started in the 118. And we hadn’t realized, because the schedule is so hectic and stuff is moving. And Peter said to us, “Do you realize that was our last emergency, the four of us?” And we just had a moment. We all embraced, we all cried a little bit and just said, “You know, this was a really cool ride we took together.” I’m gonna cry right now! I was getting a little emotional. Alright, next question!

Us: Did Peter take anything from the set? Did you give him any parting gifts or anything like  that?

OS: I hope he did. I don’t know what he took, but I hope he took some stuff on his way out.

Us: Definitely. Well, we have a big finale.

OS: Yes.

Us: How would you sum up this finale? I know you obviously can’t tell us what happened, but what can you tease? How would you describe it in three words?

OS: So I might give you more than three words. [laughs]

Us: OK!

OS: Yeah. So episode 17 ended [with] this big explosion in the laundry room, and we’re just gonna kind of be dealing with the fallout of that. This big building collapses and we get to see the 118 partnered off in different directions. Some are trapped in different areas and we basically struggle to get back to each other, but also save everybody that they can along the way. Then, typical 9-1-1, hopefully end in some kind of nice, hopeful place.

Us: I feel like we can’t deal with any more heartbreak.

OS: Well, unfortunately, it just keeps on coming.

Us: The hits keep coming. How do you kind of foresee things going as we enter season 9?

OS: I really genuinely don’t know. I’m excited to see what it looks like, whether a Hen or a Chimney becomes captain, or if they bring somebody new in —which in itself can throw up some new dynamics. I don’t really want to speak too much on it, because I just don’t know. And I’m really excited to see what this next version of the show, this kind of new era that it will have to step into, shapes out to be.

9-1-1's Angela Bassett, Aisha Hinds and More React to Bobby's Death

Us: Definitely. And when it’s time for you to say goodbye to 9-1-1, do you feel like Buck is always going to stay with you? Do you feel like it’s going to be a hard person to kind of  separate from?

OS: Absolutely. I think anytime you spend this amount of time playing a character, the lines become blurred in certain senses. I mean, the hardest thing will be for me — and I think with anybody leaving the show — would be the personal connections that we’ve built over the years. And you see these people more than you see anybody else in your life.  And to go from that level of intensity to then, maybe nothing, is gonna be difficult. Well, not nothing, because obviously we’ll stay in contact and we’ll see each other. But not to the same level that you do when you’re working. That will certainly be the hardest thing, not seeing the family that we’ve created.

Us: Well, I don’t think we’re stopping anytime soon!

OS: I’ll take it. I hope so.

Us: Well Oliver, thank you so much for stopping by. Congratulations on such a phenomenal season. And hopefully, like you said, you can spare us the tissues for this upcoming finale.

OS: Well, you can use them. You’ll finish the box.

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9-1-1’s Evan “Buck” Buckley and Eddie Diaz have been a beloved duo since the show’s second season — with some fans even hoping their friendship will turn into something more.

After a high-profile marriage and subsequent divorce from Fergie, Josh Duhamel sparked a low-key romance with now-wife Audra Mari.

“Everyone told me that after you get married you feel different,” Mari exclusively gushed to Us Weekly in September 2022, shortly after exchanging vows with the Safe Haven star. “To be honest, I never really believed them and I thought it would feel the same way it’s felt being with Joshua for the last three years. But it’s much different! I feel secure.”

Duhamel and the former pageant queen wed at Olivet Lutheran Church in Fargo, North Dakota, in September 2022, surrounded by their friends and family. Their ceremony came less than one year after the Love, Simon star proposed to Mari with a message in a bottle.

Duhamel and the beauty queen were first linked in October 2019 after they were spotted kissing at an airport in Toronto. News of the Duhamel’s budding romance came one year after his split from Eiza Gonzalez, whom he dated in 2018 for less than a year. He was previously married to the Black Eyed Peas singer, with whom he shares son Axl, from 2009 to 2017.

After a string of high-profile relationships, Duhamel opened up about living a low-key life with his new love.

“She’s a very sweet girl,” the Transformers actor told Access in January 2022. “Very similar interests — we’re from North Dakota, we love lake life. She’s got a cabin not far from mine. We just match. She’s an amazing person.”

Scroll down to relive their romance:

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9-1-1 star Ryan Guzman is mourning the death of Captain Bobby Nash just like everyone else — but initially thought his character, Eddie, would be  the one saying goodbye.

“I got the call [about Bobby dying] from [our showrunner] Tim [Minear] when I hadn’t really worked in a month or so,” Guzman, 37, explained exclusively to Us Weekly ahead of the show’s season 9 finale. “I hadn’t been in two episodes. So I thought the call was for me! I thought I was on the chopping block.”

Guzman’s Eddie has spent a majority of season 8 in El Paso, Texas, trying to win back the affections of his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), who moved in with his grandparents when their relationship deteriorated in season 7. The duo have since reunited, but Eddie was still nowhere to be found when Bobby (Peter Krause) contracted a deadly virus that ultimately led to his death.

Bobby’s funeral finally brought Eddie back to L.A., and by the penultimate episode of the season hadn’t left. While a permanent return back to the City of Angels remains to be seen, Guzman teased that L.A. is where Eddie truly “belongs.”

Ryan Guzman Talks the Success of '9-1-1' and Finding Family in His Costars

Here, Guzman talks to Us about what to expect from 9-1-1’s season 8 finale, reflects on the loss of costar Krause and more:

Us Weekly: Ryan, we’re excited to have you here, fresh off a crazy season. It has been an intense season, an emotional season. Obviously we’re dealing with the aftermath of a beloved character’s death. What was your reaction when you found out that Peter was leaving?

Ryan Guzman: I was in shock. I was in complete shock. I mean, you think of the core group and you never think they’re gonna leave. Or, if one leaves, we all leave, right? But it was just a shock and kind of a weird thing to know that someone is going to be off the show, but then still work with them. Every single time I saw him, I would give him hugs and be like, “Oh man, we will still hang out! We’re still gonna be friends.”

Us: Does it ever make you nervous as an actor then? Like, if he can go…

RG: Well, honestly, I got the call from [our showrunner] Tim [when] I hadn’t really worked in a month or so. I hadn’t been in two episodes. So I thought the call was for me!

Us: Oh, really?

RG: I thought I was on the chopping block. But no, you’re always kind of concerned. And now that you know this has happened, you just gotta be on your toes.

Us: Definitely. A lot of fans were upset that Eddie wasn’t there for Bobby’s death.

RG: Mm-hmm.

Us: What was your reaction to that? Was anything cut that we didn’t get to see? Because I think fans maybe wanted a little bit more of you.

Ryan: Yeah. We did do an edited reaction for this [episode 17], right? And it was a lot longer than what was shown.

Us: Oh, OK.

Ryan: But I mean, while I had those two episodes off, I was spending it with my kids. That’s all I cared about. I didn’t even realize — I’m like, “Oh, there’s two massive episodes being filmed right now.”

Us: We have this big [season 8] finale coming. It seems like the 118 is trapped. What can you tease about the episode and how this maybe sets the tone of what’s to come?

RG: Well, I mean, now we’re under the new landscape with no Bobby, so no captain. … You feel that there’s something missing and now we gotta try to figure out what fills that void. So that’s what we kind of figure out in this next episode.

Us: So we’ll have an answer about who’s the captain going forward?

RG: I think we’ll have an understanding of where the team’s at. I don’t know about as far [naming a new] captain.

Us: When he was in Texas he kind of seemed to shift a little bit, with his wardrobe and things like that. Was that intentional? Because it seemed to shift back when it came to L.A.

RG: Absolutely. I mean, I kind of pulled from my own experience — when I go back to Sacramento, I dress a little differently than I do in L.A. Kind of like hometown vibes. You got to let your guard down. So that’s kind of what I leaned into with Eddie and as much as he loves where he’s from, Texas, I really think that L.A. is where Eddie belongs.

Us: How is the aftermath of Bobby’s death going to affect Eddie? Because it seems like he is in a dark place. Is that fair to say?

RG: He could be. He could revert back right into old Eddie. But there’s been so much growth and work through Eddie over the past seven seasons, that we might actually be on the precipice of a new version of Eddie where he’s able to take on more.

Us: Is that exciting for you as an actor?

RG: It is. You know, you always wanna keep it new.

Us: Out of all of the arcs that Eddie has had, what has been your favorite or most challenging?

RG: This last season was probably one of my favorites. You know, from the mustache and all the funny stuff with that. And the dancing, you know, half naked. [laughs] It’s, like, all those different things. It’s a really fun season.

Us: Was there anything you’re like, “I don’t know if I’m gonna do that!”

RG: Honestly, the dancing part was like, “Uh, I’m gonna be in my chonies?! OK. We’ll figure it out. We’ll figure it out.”

Us: If you had to describe this finale in just a few words, what would it be?

RG: United.

Us: United, OK! Was it weird to film this without Peter though? Oliver [Stark] was saying that you filmed his death and then you went back to film a previous episode, so it was out of order a little bit.

RG: So strange. So strange. I’ll randomly text Peter every now and then just when I’m missing him. .. It is very strange. We do have Brian, who plays the other captain. And he’s also a joy to work with outside of his personality as the character he plays.

Us; Despite the heaviness of the past episode, a lot of fans couldn’t help but notice that Eddie and Chris ended the episode happily on Buck’s couch. Are you aware of the Couch Theory?

RG: No!

Us: That couches have, like, a deeper meaning between Buck and Eddie? Because obviously, you know, relationship…

RG: Oh! I’m curious now. [laughs]

Us: You’re gonna have to go through the fan theories and everything like that. But fans are always wondering, and I’m sure you get this question a lot, do you ever feel like they should explore that relationship a little bit more?

RG: I feel that it’s best [the way] they are right now. Because it’s such a beautiful opportunity. I know a lot of people want to see something and maybe the enticing part is that and we keep it that [way]. But I love that we get to depict on network television, a heterosexual man and homosexual man, and it doesn’t matter to them. They’re brothers. They love each other and they’re there to support each other and I think that’s all, honestly, what we need more in our world.

Us: Are you happy with Eddie’s single status? Do you want him to explore a relationship with him more in the future?

RG: He’s ready for the next thing to happen. So whenever that does happen, yeah. I think it should happen next season or so.

Us: What are you most looking forward to about season 9 and how Eddie can kind of grow and develop? If you were writing the show, what would you want to see happen to Eddie?

RG: Well, you can’t just have the characters be all happy. That’s not gonna be a good show. So we gotta figure something out with Eddie. But I think the next relationship should be something life-changing that it just throws him off for a loop. Maybe that. I don’t know if I wanna lose any more cast members.

9-1-1’s Ryan Guzman Says Eddie, Buck Are 'Stronger Than Ever' in Season 7

Us: No, no, definitely not. Let’s not go there.

RG: Yeah. You know, I’m open for anything. And Tim, you know, he throws curve balls all the time.

Us: What are you hoping fans feel after this finale? Oliver said you’re still going to go through the rest of your tissue box. Do you feel the same way? It’s still gonna pull on those emotional heartstrings?

RG: Absolutely.

Us: Maybe lessen the blow that we’ve had so far, these past couple episodes?

RG: Yeah, we should feel a little warmer after this one. I think I saw some comments of the last episode and it was like, “Oh, the 118 feels like it’s back.” You see all your characters all interacting with each other. It’s back.” I think we see more of that.

9-1-1 airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.

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Add Josh Hartnett to your list of hot action stars.

In Fight or Flight, which hit theaters on Friday, May 9, Hartnett plays down-and-out ex-Secret Service agent Lucas Reyes, who makes a deal to bring a high-value asset back to the States. The problem? The plane is filled with assassins trying to kill them both. The film was shot in just 25 days by first-time director James Madigan, and the experience is nothing short of blood-soaked, brutal fun. The fact it features a platinum-haired, fortysomething Hartnett handling all his own stunts is just a bonus.

“I was like, ‘Can I still do this? I wanna see if I can,’” the actor, 46, exclusively told Us Weekly about his choice to do the project. “I wanted to prove something to myself, physically, but also just give somebody pure popcorn entertainment in the best way possible, which is with a lot of humor and a lot of physicality and over-the-top, unexpected surprises. I’m very proud of it.”

Hartnett opened up to Us about taking chances at this stage in his career, the importance of balancing work and life at home and looking ahead to his next chapter.

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Us Weekly: You are stabbed, punched and pelted at every turn in this film. You’re even in danger of being sucked out of the airplane! Why submit to that punishment?

Josh Hartnett: [That] was the conceit of the film when it was sent to me. [Our producers] also did John Wick and they were like, “Keanu [Reeves] does his own stunts.” And I was like, “Yeah, I know.” And they were like, “Well, do you wanna do your own stunts? It would really make the movie better.” And I was like, “Yeah, of course I do.” In your forties like I was, not many people are asking you to go out and do your own stunts and film. So it was such a unique challenge and also just a fun opportunity to have some of the greatest, most fantastic stunt teams around me helping choreograph.

Us: Were there any stunts you didn’t do yourself?

JH: I had a wonderful stunt double who helped preface all of the fights. And he did one stunt for me that I wasn’t allowed to do. So aside from that one stunt, I did everything else. That was the one where the character’s thrown into the bar. Because the glass was not breakaway enough for production and they were worried that I was gonna get cut badly and then we’d have to stop production. So that was the only thing that I wasn’t allowed to do. But the rest of it’s me. And it was pretty demanding.

Us: Were you on board with your characters’ eclectic look and blonde hair? How involved were you in the creative decisions?

JH: That was my choice. These are all my choices. The blonde thing was just a logic thing for me. He’s been in Bangkok for two years. He’s been hiding from people that have been trying to kill him. He’s done everything to hide himself. I wanted to show that he’s sort of given up. And this was a ridiculous thing that he tried, dyeing his hair, that it was still kind of present because he didn’t really care anymore and he was on his last legs. I like meeting the character at the lowest point in his life and then taking him even lower, in a way. Then he becomes an unreliable hero, which I think is more fun for the audience to be a part of, because they don’t know if he’s going to win, or even if they want him to win.

Us: I was rooting for him fully. This movie is so funny and the blooper reel would probably be crazy. What would your contribution be?

JH: There’d be so many times I hit my head on those f***ing baggage compartments there at head height — like, there’s no room on a plane to fight. And I was getting pummeled into those things in every single scene. The blooper reel would just be me. Like, oh, my neck, ’cause it just kept hitting that thing. But we didn’t have any time to reset or to recalibrate or to recover. We had to keep going and we had 25 days to shoot the whole thing. So it was just one after the other, after the other. Sometimes shooting two different scenes and two different sequences at the same time, or working one out while we were shooting the other one.

Us: I bump my head on those things even when I’m just on a plane.

JH: Try having a 250-pound Bulgarian stunt guy hit you from the side into one of those things!

Us: No, thank you! You’re so funny in this movie. Would you ever return to rom-coms?

JH: I’ve got one that I’m working on! I can’t say anything about it because it’s not happening yet, but I’ve got a script we’ve been quietly putting together that would be kind of in the rom-com genre.

Us: You’ve been going full force these past few years. Are you craving a break at all?

JH: I’m balancing like crazy. I’ve got a lot of time at home. I’ve shot one film in the last 18 months. [My wife Tamsin Egerton and I] had a baby. I wanted to be at home with the baby for as long as I could, so I spent 13 months at home after he was born. Then I went and shot Verity and now I’m gonna go shoot something else this summer. But I am definitely taking as much time with my family as possible. At the same time, when I go away, I wanna make it worth it. And I’ve been very, very lucky to be working with great people and [be] making films that people are seeing. So it feels like I’m doing a lot more than I am maybe.

Us: And the range of your projects is so varied. What goes into choosing what roles you play?

JH: Is it unique? Is it something I haven’t done before? Can I be surprising? Is it surprising to me? Would it be interesting for me to be a part of because it’s new? And then, will it be interesting to an audience to see me do it? Can I pull it off? That’s another part of it. [With Fight or Flight],I was like, “Can I still do this? I wanna see if I can.” And then once I commit to something, I really make sure that I can do it. I don’t want to mess with anybody and I want to make sure that when you go have the experience of watching a film that I’m in, you’re being completely entertained.

Us: Fight or Flight ends on a major cliffhanger. Could we see you in a sequel?

JH: Listen, if a ton of people see it and a ton of people want us to do a sequel, I would be totally game I really enjoyed it, but at the same time, it was more that we wanted to leave the whole thing open-ended and fun and just have the question marks out there. This is a fun character that could be explored further with [my costar] Charithra Chandran. I think she’s so talented and so much fun to work with.

Us: Well, I’m campaigning for a franchise. I want to watch you do it into your seventies!

JH: Oh, great. So me and Liam Neeson. Yeah, this is my Taken.

© Peter Jarowey/Vertical

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The 118 is still struggling to find a new normal in the wake of Bobby’s death on 9-1-1.

After last week’s emotional funeral and goodbye, season 8, episode 17 of the ABC series, titled “Don’t Drink the Water,” follows the character’s through their next chapter of grief. While Athena (Angela Bassett) attempts to heal by throwing herself back into work, others still find themselves unraveling without their fearless leader.

Warning: Spoilers below for season 8, episode 17 of 9-1-1.

Chimney (Kenneth Choi) in particular continues to battle his guilt after taking the single anecdote for the rare virus he and Bobby (Peter Krause) both contracted when attempting to save people from a lab explosion.

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“Kinda worry that maybe I did [cause this],” Chimney tells wife Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) during an emotional moment in the Thursday, May 8, episode. “I’ve been thinking about that day and Bobby and I were talking about the baby and I asked him to take care of you and the kids after I was gone and he promised not to let anything happen to you guys. I mean he must have known at that point that he was infected so was that the moment that he decided? Because I reminded him that I have a kid on the way?”

New episodes of 9-1-1 air on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET. Keep scrolling to see how every character’s story unfolds in “Don’t Drink the Water”:

Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley

Although he seemingly handled Bobby’s death well initially, Buck (Oliver Stark) crumbles in “Don’t Drink the Water,” overwhelmed with memories of his captain and frustrated by how disconnected the rest of the 118 feels. He attempts to go to confession with Father Brian (Gavin Stenhouse), Bobby’s former priest but ends up venting about how things have changed in the firehouse instead. He’s interrupted by a small earthquake, which he takes as a sign from above.

When he returns home to his apartment — where Eddie (Ryan Guzman) is still staying — he voices his anger over his best friend not coming clean about being offered a job at a firehouse in Texas, noting that he had to hear it through their mutual friends. The two argue to a point where they almost come to blows. When Buck questions if Eddie thinks Buck could have done more to save Bobby, Eddie storms off, saying, “I don’t know, Buck. I wasn’t there.”

The next day, Buck finds a note from Eddie that says he went to the airport. Assuming he left for Texas, Buck throws the note, muttering that Eddie is a “jerk” under his breath. Later after work, Buck’s surprised by Eddie who is still in town. Eddie apologizes by bringing his son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), to L.A. to cheer Buck up. Eddie’s aunt is also there to cook them dinner, and she has a heart-to-heart with Buck where they lament over how great of a dad and person Eddie is and the importance of embracing change, as hard as it may be.

Eddie Diaz

Eddie is still in Los Angeles at the start of episode 17, worrying about Buck’s mental health while also grappling with when he should return to Texas. He reveals to Hen (Aisha Hinds) that he was offered a job at a firehouse in El Paso, but when Hen asks when he plans to tell Buck he’s leaving, Eddie asks her to do it for him. “Get out of my house,” she jokes in response.

Eddie later returns to Buck’s apartment to find a frustrated Buck, who is upset he learned about Eddie’s Texas offer through the grapevine. Eddie then gets angry himself, claiming Buck wouldn’t be happy for him because of how self-centered he can be. He then confronts Buck for never asking how it felt for him to get a call about Bobby’s death while alone in his house and then having to tell Christopher “another person he loved died.” He expresses how guilty he feels over not being there and that he questions if he could have saved Bobby had he been around.

The next day, Eddie is nowhere to be found. While Buck assumes he’s gone back to Texas, he surprises Buck with bringing Christopher into town, admitting he’s been “mean.” He and Christopher end the episode enjoying time together on Buck’s couch.

Henrietta ‘Hen’ Wilson

Hen starts off the episode by revealing that she’s been offered the role of captain in the wake of Bobby’s death, but isn’t sure if she wants to take the job. She expands on those thoughts during a night in with Athena, where she explains that she still thinks of Bobby as their Captain. Still, she notes that once someone puts off a promotion they often feel “stuck.” She ultimately chooses to turn down the new position.

Athena Grant

Athena is still adjusting in the wake of Bobby’s death. While kids May (Corinne Massiah) and Harry (Elijah M. Cooper) tell her that they understand if she wants to sell the family home once it’s renovated, Athena declines, sharing that she plans on sticking around. She also reveals that she’s decided to return to work earlier than expected, which doesn’t surprise her kids.

Elsewhere in the episode, she assists in clearing up a dispute and a laundromat before spending some down time with Hen. As they discuss how Bobby would “want” Hen to take the job of captain, Chimney brings Hen and her wife, Karen’s (Traci Thoms) kids’ home from the movies. Athena then immediately leaves, making it clear that things are still not cleared up between her and Chimney after Bobby sacrificed himself so Chimney could live.

She later tells Karen that she doesn’t “blame” Chimney for Bobby’s death, but when she looks at Chimney, she sees “the man who isn’t here.”

“He’s alive and Bobby’s not. I know it’s not fair,” Athena says, noting that every time she looks at Chimney she gets “angry.” Ultimately, she says that it’s best the pair keep their “distance” and simply remain “professional.”

Chimney Han

Chimney is still reeling and dealing with the guilt over surviving over Bobby. He expresses wanting to patch things up with Athena but notes that it’s hard when they “can’t be in the same room.”

He throws himself into projects for the upcoming baby, and he confesses to Maddie he thinks he might have “caused” Bobby’s death by asking Bobby to take care of his family when he thought he was going to die.

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Maddie Buckley-Han

Maddie once again takes a supporting role in “Don’t Drink the Water,” handling multiple emergencies at the 9-1-1 call center — including a situation with contaminated water and a dentist visit gone wrong. She also has a conversation with Chimney about his guilt over Bobby’s death and Athena’s anger, explaining that she might just “need some time.”

© Disney/Christopher Willard

Hallmark star Nathaniel “Nate” Pelletier has died. He was 53.

According to his obituary, Pelletier, who worked on the network’s When Calls the Heart as a transport department employee and actor, died suddenly on April 11 while home alone in Langley, British Columbia. His cause of death is unknown.

“He touched many lives with his generosity and extraordinary work ethic,” the obituary reads. “He was always there to lend a helping hand when needed and most times, before it was asked of him. He was charismatic and loved to meet new people, greeting them with his big smile and a warm hearty handshake.”

Pelletier is survived by his daughter, Myhrsades Jones, his brothers, Jeramie and Jason, his nephew, Andrei, his father, Perry Phillips, his mother, Yvonne Langevin, his stepbrothers, Gordon Langevin and Brian Langevin, his stepsister, Teri Van-Ryssel, and godmother Lee DeGoede.

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When Calls the Heart premiered in 2014 and stars Erin Krakow as Elizabeth Thatcher, a young schoolteacher from a wealthy family who migrates from the big city to teach school in a small coal mining town in the 1920s. Per his obituary, Pelletier, who often played a taxi driver on the series, referenced his “work-family” as his “second greatest love.”

Earlier this month, Pelletier’s costar Martin Cummins, who portrays Henry Gowen on the hit series, paid tribute to Pelletier with a heartfelt Instagram tribute.

“I just came back from a ride on the bike Gord and Nate put together for the girls and I. I’m taking shade in Mexico under the awning Nate helped me figure out in the woods near the old cabin. I have spent more hours at work sitting in the blue room, in silence or in conversation with Gord and Nate than I have standing on tape with the camera rolling,” he captioned the post alongside various photos of his close friend. “Gord has always felt like a father figure to me, and Nate and I were his boys running around the town, hanging out in the woods and talking shit. Life is constantly changing. Things are never the same. The Valley will not be the same without Nathaniel Pelletier. He was a gentle soul and it was my honor to call him friend.”

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The official When Calls the Heart Instagram page also shared that the cast and crew were mourning the loss of Pelletier, with production manager Mike Magnusson calling the actor a “true Unicorn” of a human being who smashed “every 14 hour day with a wide smile & endless cheer for all.”

He added that Nate “‘saw’ people, and was always there with a kind word. He leaves a void of spirit we will not be able to replace. Nate you were one of a kind, and we loved you. You will be sorely missed my friend.”

© Courtesy of Martin Cummins/Instagram

Taylor Swift’s former Cape Cod home has hit the market with a price tag of nearly $15 million.

Swift, 35, bought the estate in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, for $4.8 million in 2012 and sold it the following year, according to Boston.com.

At the time of her acquisition, the pop star was dating Conor Kennedy, 30, who’s the son of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the late Mary Kennedy. Their fling lasted two months, with a source confirming to Us Weekly in October 2012 that Swift and Conor had “quietly parted ways,” leaving no “hard feelings.”

In June 2019, the book Kennedy Heirs by author J. Randy Taraborrelli detailed their short-lived romance and how Conor, then 18, allegedly had been worried about Swift purchasing a beachfront property near his family’s compound just six weeks into their relationship.

“Conor liked Taylor, don’t get me wrong,” his friend told Taraborrelli, “but this business of her buying the house on the Cape made him nervous. It seemed as if she was getting a little too attached, spending five million bucks on a house just to be near the guy.”

Swift sold the house in 2013, just months after their breakup, and went on to date DJ Calvin Harris and actor Joe Alwyn before meeting her current beau, Travis Kelce, amid her blockbuster Eras tour in 2023.

The idyllic, seven-bedroom residence is owned — for now — by architect Dell Mitchell and interior designer Heather Wells. It sits on an elevated bluff overlooking 200 feet of private beach, with views of the ocean, of course, as well as the storied Kennedy compound.

Scroll to see photos of the estate:

© Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy ; Jack Vatcher Photography

© Jack Vatcher Photography

© Jack Vatcher Photography

© Jack Vatcher Photography

© Jack Vatcher Photography

© Jack Vatcher Photography

Sean Penn is all about taking chances — both on and off screen.

From his various Oscar wins to being a proud dad of two, Penn goes all in with whatever he does, and with the knowledge  that following his gut usually delivers the best results. In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, the actor, 64, recalled one particular risk in which he chose to cast daughter Dylan and son Hopper, then in their 20s, in his 2021 thriller Flag Day. It’s a decision he’ll never regret as a filmmaker or a father — even when some parental anxiety inevitably kicked in.

“I don’t know if this is true of everyone, [but] the greatest joy [in life] is often relief. It’s when you take a chance with something, you invest in it. And sometimes with so much excitement, you forget the risk that you put yourself or someone else at,” Penn said while discussing his new film Words of War. “And when I’ve asked my son Hopper or daughter Dylan to do something like act in a movie, it’s only later you realize, ‘Jesus, this could have been a setup for their humiliation.’ And then to experience that relief when they’re great … It’s exciting to do.”

Penn admits that some of the motivation behind the decision to cast his children, whom he shares with ex-wife Robin Wright, is selfishness. “I sleep best [when] my kids stay too late at a barbecue that goes into the night and pass out here and I know everybody’s in proximity. I feel the same way with work when they’re around,” he told Us.

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But it’s that kind of heart-first thinking that has led him to his decades-long, decorated career as an actor, director and executive producer, and his latest risk-taking venture comes in the form of Words of War. The film is based on the life and career of journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya, who reported on political and social events inside early 2000s Russia until she was murdered. Penn joined the project as an exec producer after shooting had wrapped, happy to serve as a “champion” of a project he believed in.

“I was shown the film and I just said, ‘Anything that I can do that would be helpful [I’ll do],’” he explained. “It was great storytelling. I thought [it was] necessary and exciting, the idea that it exists and can be shared [as a] cautionary tale.”

Penn also pointed to Maxine Peake’s performance as Anna as an additional tipping point for his involvement, as well as that of Jason Isaacs, who Penn believes has deserved his flowers for quite some time.

“The world has known [Jason], but between White Lotus and this, it’s about time this great actor has this kind of run,” he shared. When it comes to whether he turned in to watch his longtime pal’s recent stint on the hit HBO series, Penn confessed: “I was upset all week waiting for the next one.”

Beyond what’s on the screen, the project is  also about sparking real conversations about the world at large for Penn, who is clearly interested in telling stories that resonate for far longer than after the credits roll.

“The situation we are in now, we feel words are weaponized now, very much so, and opinions and truths. I think we have lost our ability to discuss, to debate,” he explained. “You have to listen to people’s opinions that you don’t agree with.”

But we shouldn’t shy away from those heated discussions, Penn added. “We’ve got to thrash this out. We can’t hold down the shutters, as none of us will grow and move forward and learn,” he said.

Penn saw that passion in Anna’s extraordinary journalism, as did Peake herself through the lens of portraying her.

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“The words that she put on the paper were so effective and she could connect with an audience so brilliantly, and her writing was beautiful, even when she was describing some of the most horrific incidents,” Peake told Us at the film’s premiere earlier this month. “It made you want to sit up and pay attention when a lot of the time, as we do, we can turn away from those reports. [Thinking], ‘I don’t want to know. There’s nothing I can do’. And journalists like Anna engage you and make you realize there’s something all of us can do.”

Words of War is out in theaters and on digital now.

© Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

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