The author (not pictured) started using coupons in 2020 to save money for her family.
d3sign/Getty Images
In 2020, I learned how to coupon through TikTok videos.
My CVS app says I've saved over $2,000 in the last five years by couponing.
I can save money with relatively low effort.
When I was furloughed and pregnant in 2020, I, like many others, was addicted to TikTok. However, I wasn't on the app watching teenagers dance. I was learning how to coupon. Because I could really only go to the grocery store or drug store during this time, couponing became a way to save money and entertain myself.
Five years later, I'm proud to say that my frugal ways have helped my family save a ton of money in grocery and household costs. According to my CVS app, I've saved $2,322 in the last five years — and that's just at one store. I haven't paid for toothpaste in years and had a good couple of yearslong streak where I never paid more than $1 a gallon for oat milk.
It's social for me, too; my neighborhood group text is always buzzing with advice on what deals were good this week. With steep prices these days, couponing is an essential and easy way for me to keep costs down and have a little fun gaming the system. Here's how I do it.
Most coupons are digital
Some people have an image in their heads of a mom in the 90s with a big coupon binder. Times have evolved; all my couponing is done in-store apps and a few external aggregate apps. I have two small children, so while I'd love to get organized and go through each store app and plan my trip out, most of the time, I'm shuffling through the deals and adding them quickly to my queue as I walk into the grocery store with my girls in tow. I've only reached for a handful of paper coupons in the last five years.
Many apps now have a scan function, which allows you to scan a barcode on an item and see if a coupon is attached to it. Coupons either come off during the transaction, such as in a store app like Kroger or Publix or after you scan a receipt, such as with Fetch and Ibotta. For these, funds can be withdrawn at any time directly to your bank account.
To make it even easier, coupon influencers can guide you through coupons for stores such as Target, Dollar General, and even Sam's Club. They regularly highlight deals for name brands such as Bounty, Pampers, Arm & Hammer, and Rubbermaid.
Coupons exist for lots of categories of products, including premium groceries
Coupons can get you great deals on everyday items like canned goods, yogurt, and cheese, but premium brands give out way more coupons than people might think.
Merryfield, for example, is a couponing app with coupons for expensive brands like Applegate Farms, Vital Farms and Lesser Evil. I regularly see coupons for Siete and Dave's Killer Bread on Ibotta; I've gotten free Wow Bao buns from the app Aisle that retail for $8.79 at Kroger. I've even used coupons from some of these apps at Costco and Trader Joe's. If you love Sumo mandarin oranges, you'll know they can cost up to $6 a pound. There's a current coupon for them.
These cost savings add up in a major way with relatively little effort
Every time I tell someone I'm a couponer, they scoff that it's too much work to keep up with, but to me, spending a few minutes each shop doing the work is absolutely worth it. I'm saving money and getting a huge dopamine hit. I squeal with glee when I work a good deal, begging my husband to ask how much I paid for something. (The answer is often that I was paid to take the item from the store, a regular occurrence at my local CVS where I go so often they greet me by name.)
While free stuff is amazing, the real value is in the little coupons that accumulate over time. If you combine this strategy with shopping your store's weekly sales, the savings can be enormous. In today's economy, every cent counts, and coupons are a proven way to make your money go even further.
The crowd waved colorful penlights, or glow sticks, primarily used in the anime community.
Amanda Perelli, Business Insider
Virtual influencer Mori Calliope performed a sold-out show at the Hollywood Palladium in February.
These influencers, also known as VTubers, appear as digital avatars and are gaining popularity.
I went to the concert. It was unlike anything I've seen before.
Inside Los Angeles' Hollywood Palladium, red and purple penlights glowed. Fans waved the electronic instruments popular in the anime community, danced, and cheered on a digital avatar while its creator performed from behind the stage.
The virtual influencer who sold out the 4,000-person theater isn't a household name. But she's part of a growing trend of creators who use technology to appear as digital avatars in their content and in live performances.
The VTuber, short for virtual YouTuber, goes by the name Mori Calliope. The creator conceals her true identity to fans.Mori Calliope has 2.5 million subscribers on her main YouTube channel, where she posts music videos in both English and Japanese, chats with fans on livestreams, and streams herself playing games like Minecraft. Some of her livestreams in the last three months were almost eight hours long.
On Wednesday, I went to Mori Calliope's second solo concert. Tickets ranged from $95 for general admission floor tickets to $400 for four balcony table seats, according to the show's official website. I was invited to check out the event for free with a press pass.
Mori Calliope headlined a sold-out show at the Hollywood Palladium on February 26, 2025.
Amanda Perelli/Business Insider
If you're still wondering what a VTuber is. Don't worry, you're not alone. The niche creator category, which originated in Japan, reflects an anime style. Although small in terms of the overall creator economy, the genre has a surprisingly dedicated fan base — one unlike I've seen before.
Unlike those events, most of the fans at Mori Calliope's show appeared to be in their late teens and 20s compared to some of YouTube's younger fanbases. I felt more like I was at an anime convention than a concert. Fans wore apparel like T-shirts, hoodies, jackets, and even cosplay of the VTuber.
Mori Calliope's main platform is YouTube where she has 2.5 million subscribers.
Amanda Perelli, Business Insider
Mori Calliope shows the growing popularity of VTubers
Mori Calliope is one of dozens of VTubers taking over YouTube.
The creator is signed to Universal Music Japan and Cover Corporation's Hololive, a virtual influencer agency based in Japan. Hololive manages Mori Calliope's business ventures and YouTube channel, similar to the way talent agencies do for other creators and stars.
Globally, Cover is a big deal. The company's market capitalization is about $160 billion yen, or around $1 billion. It recently opened an office in Los Angeles as part of a US expansion, Cover CEO Motoaki Tanigo told Business Insider.
Hololive's English-speaking audiences are still a fraction of those in Japan, but they're growing. Combined, Hololive's VTubers had 5.9 billion subscribers in Japan and 3.2 billion subscribers overseas as of December 31, with about two-thirds of those in English-speaking regions, according to the company's February financial presentation.
Tanigo said music like Mori Calliope's is one of the top ways its talent reaches new audiences.
The crowd waved colorful penlights, or glow sticks, primarily used in the anime community.
Amanda Perelli, Business Insider
"The popularity of these events proves that North American audiences have a tremendous appetite for VTuber content," Tanigo said in a January interview conducted through translators. "Our goal is to elevate VTubers alongside popular Japanese exports like manga, anime, and games."
One concertgoer told me fans lined up as early as 3 p.m. on the day of the show. When I arrived about an hour before the start time, a line to get into the venue wrapped around the block. Fans held plushies of Mori Calliope and other characters from her videos. They dressed in merch and other apparel that matched her character's logo and signature pink. I also saw several fans ahead of me dressed in cosplay.
Inside, people stood in line for Mori Calliope merchandise, including T-shirts, glowsticks, a jersey, and a keychain. Hololive also sold the event merch online and at a Los Angeles pop-up earlier in the month.
Mori Calliope appeared onstage virtually where she sang several original songs.
Amanda Perelli, Business Insider
Part of the show was livestreamed for free on YouTube for Mori Calliope's global audience. At one point, 28,000 fans were watching.
About a quarter of the way into the show, the VTuber directed those viewers to a link where they could buy tickets to watch the rest of the performance online. The tickets ranged from $43 to $51 on platforms like SPWN and Streaming+.
After the concert, I overheard groups of fans outside the venue exchanging information including social media handles and Discord groups. They cheered as a pink car wrapped in images of Mori Calliope drove swiftly past them.
A Netto supermarket, with fresh produce stalls and baskets outside, in Denmark.
NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The CEO of Denmark's largest retailer said it will start labeling goods made by European companies.
A spokesperson told BI that customers had asked for greater clarity, but weren't rejecting US goods.
However, the move comes amid souring relations over Trump's comments about taking over Greenland.
The CEO of Denmark's largest retailer said that his company will start marking its goods to indicate which ones are made by European companies, in what he described as a response to customer demand.
Anders Hagh, CEO at Salling Group, wrote in a LinkedIn post on Thursday about the move, saying they'd received inquiries from a number of customers who wanted to buy groceries from European brands.
"Our stores will continue to have brands on the shelves from all over the world, and it will always be up to customers to choose," he added.
Hagh shared a sample image showing a black star on a pricing label to show the product's European origin.
Salling Group, which commands about 36% of the Danish market, operates more than 1,700 stores across countries including Denmark, Poland, and Germany, including the Netto supermarket chain, the føtex department store, as well as hypermarket Bilka. They reported a combined revenue of more than $9.8 billion in 2023.
In his post, Hagh made no reference to the tensions with the US but said that the Salling Group had recently received inquiries from customers who wanted to buy goods from European brands.
Christoffer Green Sørensen, a company spokesperson, told Business Insider that the group's customers had "not made inquiries regarding a boycott of the USA," adding: "They have solely requested more explicit information about European ownership."
He added that the change is set to come into its Danish stores "within two to three weeks," with the possibility of rolling it out across German and Polish stores later.
Public sentiment in Denmark has soured since President Donald Trump's Greenland comments.
Mette Heerulff Christiansen, the owner of a delicatessen store, told Danish TV earlier this month that "Trump has only been president for a month, and we have already felt that our customers have an opinion."
She added: "I actually think it's the start of something that could almost become a movement here in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe."
Trump's sharp criticisms of European and NATO policies have also set alarm bells ringing for the status of the transatlantic relationship.
A Danish group titled "Boycott goods from the USA," created in response to what it described as a trade war by Trump, has more than 36,000 members on Facebook.
Meanwhile, an English-language subreddit named r/buyfromEU, set up less than two weeks ago, has 57,000 members and counting.
Russian military bloggers appeared to dissent as the Kremlin reportedly ordered state media to cover Trump as an "oppressed" figure separate from the US elites.
An act that would require people to register to vote using paper documentation of citizenship has been a focal point of town halls and petitions this week.
Drew Barrymore comes from a long line of famous performers.
Bill Rowntree/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
Some famous actors began their Hollywood journeys before they were born.
Many appeared in their parents' projects or alongside them on red carpets.
Old photos reveal the Hollywood pasts of stars like Jennifer Aniston, Dan Levy, and Lily Collins.
From attending events like the Oscars at a young age to being formally introduced to the press as newborns, these celebrities have been in front of the cameras their whole lives.
The term "nepo babies," which is short for nepotism babies, surfaced on social media before New York Magazine published a 2022 cover story listing dozens of celebrities continuing their parents' legacies in the entertainment industry.
These 25 pictures show today's stars when they were just kids of famous Hollywood actors, directors, and producers.
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda's father, Henry Fonda, was a renowned actor in Hollywood and Broadway.
Bettmann / Getty Images
Academy Award winner Jane Fonda is the daughter of Hollywood and Broadway legend Henry Fonda and the Canadian-American socialite Frances Ford Seymour.
In the above photograph, Jane Fonda is pictured second from right, between her father and her brother, Peter. Left, Henry Fonda's third wife, Susan Blanchard, holds their daughter Amy.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie and James Haven are the children of actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Actor, director, producer, and humanitarian Angelina Jolie is the youngest child of Hollywood actor Jon Voight and his second wife, TV actor Marcheline Bertrand.
Jolie is pictured at the 1986 Academy Awards with her brother, grandmother, and father.
Benedict Cumberbatch
Wanda Ventham and Tim Carlton hold a newborn Benedict Cumberbatch.
The "Law & Order" actor (second from right) was the second-youngest child of the 1950s performer.
Bettmann / Getty Images
Hargitay, best-known for playing detective Olivia Benson in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," was one of the five children of Playboy Playmate and 1950s sex symbol Jayne Mansfield. Her father, Mickey Hargitay, was an actor and bodybuilder famous for winning the 1955 Mr. Universe. A 1-year-old Hargitay is pictured second from right.
Charlie Sheen
The "Two and a Half Men" star (center) followed in his father Martin Sheen's footsteps.
Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images
Born Carlos Irwin Estévez, the "Two and a Half Men" actor (center) is the child of actors Janet Sheen and Emmy-winning Martin Sheen. Martin Sheen (second from right) has had a lengthy career in Hollywood, appearing in movies like "Apocalypse Now" and "Badlands" and shows like "West Wing" and "Grace and Frankie."
In fact, all four of Janet and Martin Sheen's kids have enjoyed careers in Hollywood: Emilio Estévez (pictured second from left) was part of the Brat Pack, Renée Estevez (left) appeared in movies including "Heathers," and Ramón Estévez acts, produces, and directs.
Jennifer Aniston
Before playing Rachel Green, Aniston was the daughter of two TV actors.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The "Friends" actor was born in 1969 to Greek "Days of Our Lives" actor John Aniston and TV actor Nancy Dow.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth grew up in a star-filled family and had her acting debut in a film produced by her father.
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
The Goop founder and actor was born in 1972 to Emmy- and Tony-winning actor Blythe Danner and producer Bruce Paltrow. Her godfather is Steven Spielberg.
She had her acting debut in "High," a 1989 film her father directed.
Nicolas Cage
His father, August Coppola, was the son of composer Carmine Coppola and matriarch Italia Coppola.
Kate grew up following the steps of her famous mother, Goldie Hawn.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
The "Almost Famous" and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" actor is the daughter of Oscar winner Goldie Hawn and musician Bill Hudson, and she is close with her mother's longterm partner, actor Kurt Russell.
"The nepotism thing, I mean … I don't really care," Kate Hudson told The Independent in 2022. "I remember ['Almost Famous' director] Cameron Crowe saying that it wasn't as if Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell showed up to his door with, like, trench coats on, holding a gun to his head and making him put me in the movie. That's not how any of this works."
Lily Collins
The "Emily in Paris" actress is the daughter of musician Phil Collins.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
The daughter of musician Phil Collins, the "Emily in Paris" actor began her acting career at the age of 2. She had her breakout role in 2009, playing Sandra Bullock's daughter in "The Blind Side."
Zoey Deutch
Deutch started her acting career at 15, after taking acting classes since the age of five.
Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage
Known for her roles in "The Politician" and the satirical "Not Okay," Deutch (second from left) is the daughter of "Back to the Future" actor Lea Thompson and "Pretty in Pink" director Howard Deutch.
Her older sister, Madelyn Deutch, is also an actor and musician.
Carrie Fisher
Fisher was the daughter of a Hollywood legend and part of a family legacy.
AP Photo
"Star Wars" actor Carrie Fisher was the daughter of "Singin' in the Rain" star and Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds and musician Eddie Fisher, who married Elizabeth Taylor after divorcing Reynolds.
Carrie Fisher was the mother of a nepo baby herself — her daughter, Billie Lourd, has also made a name for herself in acting.
Dakota Johnson
The "Fifty Shades of Grey" actor is a third-generation star on her mother's side.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
The "Fifty Shades of Grey" star is the daughter of "Miami Vice" actor Don Johnson and second-generation Hollywood actor Melanie Griffith. Her maternal grandmother, Tippi Hedren, starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" in 1963.
Dakota Johnson made her film debut at age 10 in "Crazy in Alabama," directed by her then-stepfather Antonio Banderas.
Johnson has called the "nepo baby" discourse "incredibly annoying and boring," People reported in 2024.
Margaret Qualley
The "Poor Things" actor starred alongside her famous mother in the 2021 Netflix show "Maid."
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Qualley, who is known for her recent role in "The Substance" alongside Demi Moore, is the daughter of Andie MacDowell, with whom she starred in the Netflix show "Maid" in 2021.
She made her modeling debut at New York Fashion Week in 2011, at age 16, and the following year walked for Valentino and Chanel in Paris Fashion Week. She made her acting debut in 2013, appearing in Gia Coppola's "Palo Alto."
Maya Rudolph
Her mother, Minnie Riperton, died when the comedian was only six years old.
Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images
The SNL comedian and actor is the daughter of musicians Minnie Riperton and Richard Rudolph.
Her mother's biggest hit, the 1974 "Lovin' You," was written for Maya by her parents as a nighttime lullaby.
Dan Levy
The actor and comedian is the son of famous Canadian comic Eugene Levy.
Ken Faught/Toronto Star via Getty Images
The "Schitt's Creek" star, writer, and producer is the son of Canadian actor and comedian Eugene Levy, who co-starred and executive-produced the show alongside his son.
Zooey and Emily Deschanel
The sisters have appeared on multiple red carpets with their Hollywood parents.
J. Vespa/WireImage
The sisters are the daughters of cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, who worked on "National Treasure" and "The Passion of the Christ," and TV actor Mary Jo Deschanel.
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow, then 9, was carried by her father from hospital after she was treated for polio.
Bettmann/Getty Images
The "Rosemary's Baby" actor is the child of Academy Award-winning film director John Farrow and Irish actor Maureen O'Sullivan, who played Jane Parker in the "Tarzan" films.
Michael Douglas
Michael (right) and his three brothers were exposed to fame from a very young age.
Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
The Academy Award-winning "Wall Street" actor is the son of actor and filmmaker Kirk Douglas, who appeared in over 90 films throughout his career, and actor Diana Douglas.
Tracee Ellis Ross
Along with her two siblings, Tracee Ellis Ross was often photographed with her famous mother.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Daughter to the legendary singer Diana Ross and her then-husband, music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein, Tracee Ellis Ross grew up in an artistic sphere — she was even photographed by Andy Warhol during her childhood.
Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore is the youngest of a long line of classic actors.
Tom Gates/Archive Photos/Getty Images
When Drew Barrymore shot to fame, aged 7, for "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," she was the youngest of a long line of performers — the Barrymore family has its acting roots in mid-19th-century London. Her father, John Drew Barrymore, starred in many films in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
But growing up in the spotlight was not easy, and Drew Barrymore has spoken of the challenges of stardom at a young age.
Jack Quaid
Born to two famous 1990s actors, Jack Quaid was often photographed in his childhood.
Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
Better known for his role in "The Boys," Jack Quaid is the son of "When Harry Met Sally" star Meg Ryan and "The Parent Trap" actor Dennis Quaid.
"Jack is really talented," Meg Ryan told Glamour in 2023. "He's more of a natural than I'll ever be … That nepo stuff is so dismissive of his work ethic, his gifts, and how sensitive he is to the idea of his privilege."
Following her comments, Quaid told The Daily Beast of the "nepo baby" label, "I don't think it undermines my talent. I know that I work hard, and I know I've heard 'no' way more than I've heard 'yes.' But I also know that this industry is insanely hard to break into, and I had an easier time doing that than most. Both things can be true."
Bryce Dallas Howard
The actor grew up surrounded by stars and has talked about being babysat by Tom Cruise in her youth.
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
The "Jurassic World" actor is the eldest child of legendary Hollywood director and Oscar winner Ron Howard and writer Cheryl Howard.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Along with her sister Kelly, the Academy Award winner was born into a Hollywood family.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The scream queen is the daughter of "Psycho" star Janet Leigh and actor Tony Curtis, who appeared in more than 100 films.
"The current conversation about nepo babies is just designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt," Curtis wrote. "There's not a day in my professional life that goes by without my being reminded that I am the daughter of movie stars."
Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller comes from a comic family, with his parents working as a comedian duo in the 60s and 70s.
Fairchild Archive/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images
The "Zoolander" star and comedian was born in 1965 to actor Anne Meara and comedian Jerry Stiller, who made up the comedy duo Stiller and Meara in the 1960s and 1970s.
Antony Starr as Homelander and Cameron Crovetti as Ryan in season four of "The Boys."
Jasper Savage/Prime Video
Prime Video's "The Boys" will end with its upcoming fifth season.
"Supernatural" stars Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins will have roles in the final season.
There's no release date yet, but filming is underway and expected to continue through mid-2025.
All good things must come to an end, including Prime Video's popular superhero satire series "The Boys."
The show was officially renewed for a fifth season in May 2024. Two days before the season four premiere, creator and showrunner Eric Kripke revealed via X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram that the upcoming fifth season would be the show's last.
"#TheBoys Season 4 Premiere Week is the perfect time to announce: Season 5 will be the Final Season! Which was always my plan, I just had to be cagey about it until I got final permission from @voughtintl,'" Kripke wrote on Instagram.
"But I'm thrilled to bring this story to a gory, epic, emotional climax. So check out Season 4, premiering THIS THURSDAY, because the end has begun! Hop in for the ride. Which will be bumpy. And probably a little moist. @theboystv @primevideo."
Here's everything we know about season five of "The Boys," so far.
Season 4 is designed to be a darker, more introspective season ahead of the all-out action of season 5
Erin Moriarty as Annie January on season four, episode three of "The Boys."
Prime Video
Season four explores the characters' biggest fears and unresolved traumas. Kripke compared the show to a three-act film and said that season four serves as act two.
"It's like the darkest point, the most introspective point," he told Deadline. "It's the one where the characters have to emotionally face their existential trauma. So then they're able to jump onto the roller coaster ride that is the climax of the movie."
In an interview with LADbible, Kripke said that the season four finale makes the five-season plan even clearer.
"There's no way a show goes one more season after the events of that finale," the showrunner said.
"As far as we're concerned, it's our show's version of the apocalypse," he said of season five.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan hopes to return as Joe Kessler
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Joe Kessler and Karl Urban as Billy Butcher in season four of "The Boys."
Jasper Savage/Prime Video
Morgan joined season four of "The Boys" as one of Butcher's old buddies who reenters his life. It's not until episode six that fans learn that the real Joe is actually dead, and Butcher has been hallucinating the whole time — a side effect of his brain tumor.
In season four, the hallucination version of Joe serves as the manifestation of Butcher's bloodthirsty side, the part of him that wants to wipe out all supes. During the last moments of the finale, Butcher is seen driving off with the last dose of the supe-killing virus, with Joe smiling with satisfaction in the rearview mirror.
"I don't know how you do season five without an appearance, at least," Morgan told Variety when asked if he'll return for the final season. "That's my feeling. I've never had any official talks about it, but I think it'd be really hard to carry on without some sort of resolution — and hopefully that'll be a whole season!"
Jensen Ackles will return as Soldier Boy, and he'll be joined by his 'Supernatural' costars Jared Padalecki and Mischa Collins
Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, and Jensen Ackles of "Supernatural" in May 2019.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The CW Network
Jensen Ackles joined "The Boys" during season three as Soldier Boy, an obnoxious supe and the biological father of Homelander (Antony Starr). Ackles was absent from season four but had a cameo at the very end of the season.
Ackles made a surprise appearance at a panel for "The Boys" at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024, where it was announced that he would be a series regular for season five.
"You know, what we realized was we really hadn't explored the father-son relationship much between Homelander and Soldier Boy," Kripke told video game blog Gamesradar+ at SDCC. "There's a lot of material there, how Soldier Boy feels about Homelander, how Homelander feels about his dad, and so we really wanted to dig into that relationship."
Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy in the season three finale of "The Boys."
Courtesy of Amazon Studios
There's also going to be another "Supernatural" reunion.
In February 2025, the social media accounts for "The Boys" posted a video revealing that Ackles' "Supernatural" costars Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins will also appear in season five.
Additional new cast members for season 5 include "Hamilton" star Daveed Diggs and "Stranger Things" actor Mason Dye.
Variety reported that Diggs will be a series regular. Dye will play a supe named Bombsight, who's already been referenced in "The Boys" as one of the oldest known supes in history.
Kripke already has ideas for the series finale ending
Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir and Chace Crawford as The Deep in season four, episode two of "The Boys."
Jasper Savage/Prime Video
Kripke told Deadline that the writers' room spent weeks discussing the show's mythology and broad ideas for season five, and he has a good idea of how the series will conclude.
"I know that moment where the title card comes up, and it says six months later, and you see where everybody is," he said. "I know that. I can really write the last 10 pages of this story right now."
He explained to The Hollywood Reporter that everything hasn't been mapped out in detail yet because he wants to allow the writers to suggest ideas and twists.
"I don't totally know how we're going to get there, but I know the destination," he said.
Season 5 of 'The Boys' will definitively wrap up the show's story
Karl Urban as Butcher and Antony Starr as Homelander in the season three finale of "The Boys."
Courtesy of Amazon Studios
"The Boys" juggles many characters and storylines, but the heart of the show is the dynamic between sworn enemies Butcher (Karl Urban) and Homelander (Antony Starr).
Homelander already teased a "scorched" earth" destiny for him and Butcher in the season three premiere. It looks like fans will likely see that play out in season five.
"The show is a serialized story that is about Butcher and Homelander slowly crashing into each other, and the show doesn't work without either of those," Kripke told The Hollywood Reporter. "So, you just can't keep that going on forever, you have to let them smash into each other."
"What I would say is, this particular story is ending, the Butcher-Homelander is ending," he told Variety. "But there can be other stories and other corners of the universe."
There are already various "Boys" offshoots in different stages; the college-set "Gen V" was renewed for a second season in October 2023, and a Mexico spin-off is in the works. There's also the prequel spin-off series "Vought Rising," which will star Ackles and Aya Cash, reprising her role as Stormfront. Entertainment Weekly reported that Dye will return as Bombsight in "Vought Rising."
But the upcoming fifth season of "The Boys" will be the end of the road for the show.
"This story of 'The Boys' will not continue on," Kripke told Entertainment Weekly, adding that some other potential spin-offs in development have yet to be announced.
There's no release date yet for season 5
Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell and Erin Moriarty as Annie January in season four of "The Boys."
Jasper Savage/Prime Video
In July 2024, Kripke told Variety that season five would begin filming around mid-November.
"And I don't know when it'll premiere yet, but we'll be shooting well into middle of '25," he said.
The showrunner added that, like past seasons, the final installment will be comprised of eight episodes.
Since season five is anticipated to film through 2025, that means it likely won't premiere until 2026.
