For those who started the 2025 by setting their Goodreads goal for the year, Us Weekly has a treat for you.

There are tons of books set to be released this year — in both the fiction and memoir genres — but a few stand out among the rest. Emily Henry is constantly cranking out new books, and this year is no different. Her newest, titled Great Big Beautiful Life, is set to be published in April, just in time for those summer romances.

“What I can tell you about the book is it feels like a spiritual heir to Beach Read, but it’s different,” Henry teased to Us Weekly exclusively last year. “It feels like my first real departure, but it is still both a love story and a romance.”

The author noted that it was a “really emotional” experience writing Great Big Beautiful Life. “It really gripped me in a way that I hadn’t been gripped in a while,” she added.

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While Us is waiting for Henry’s release date with bated breath, there are many books we’re looking forward to reading in 2025. Keep scrolling for 12 of 2025’s highly anticipated releases:

‘Onyx Storm’ by Rebecca Yarros

The third book in The Empyrean presumably starts where the last one left off, with dragon riders Violet and Xaden (who, spoiler alert, turned into a venin) figuring out their next steps after saving Basgiath War College.

Onyx Storm will be released on January 21.

‘Deep End’ by Ali Hazelwood

Another Hazelwood romance? Yes, please. The Love Hypothesis author is set to introduce Scarlett Vandermeer, a platform diver in her junior year of college, who is thrown into a sudden romantic arrangement with swim captain Lukas Blomqvist.

Deep End will be released on February 4.

‘I’ll Have What She’s Having’ by Chelsea Handler

The comedian is back at it again with another book, set to be released on her 50th birthday. Handler has a new batch of vulnerable (and hilarious) essays for fans that span the years from childhood to adulthood.

I’ll Have What She’s Having will be released on February 25.

‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ by Suzanne Collins

Collins is back with another prequel to The Hunger Games series. This time around, fans of the books will be getting to hear Haymitch Abernathy’s story.

Sunrise on the Reaping will be released on March 18.

‘Elphie: A Wicked Childhood’ by Gregory Maguire

Just as the Wicked hype will be dying down, Maguire is bringing Elphaba’s story before Shiz University to life.

Elphie: A Wicked Childhood will be released on March 25.

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‘Say You’ll Remember Me’ by Abby Jimenez

For the perfect love story, look no further than Jimenez’s latest novel. Say You’ll Remember Me tells the story of Xavier Rush (who just might be the perfect guy) and his perfect date with Samantha.

Say You’ll Remember Me will be released on April 1.

‘Great Big Beautiful Life’ by Emily Henry

Two writers, one story. Both Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson are looking to write the biography of the mysterious Margaret Ives — and no one has seen her in years. Margaret invites both authors for a trial period before picking the one who will tell her story.

Great Big Beautiful Life will be released on April 22.

‘Matriarch’ by Tina Knowles

Beyoncé’s mom has all the tea, and here’s to hoping she’ll spill it. Knowles is set to tell her story, starting off from growing up in 1950s Galveston, Texas, to what it was like raising a superstar.

Matriarch will be released on April 22.

‘One Golden Summer’ by Carley Fortune

There’s nothing better than reading a Fortune book by a body of water (we assume that’s how Meghan Markle read her last book, which she has since optioned to adapt), so just get ready. Alice is a photographer who snapped a photo of Charlie Florek when they were just teens — but now he’s all grown up.

One Golden Summer will be released on May 6.

‘Atmosphere’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Reid’s novels (which include Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) transport readers to different worlds and this one is sure to be no different. Taking place during the 1980s Space Shuttle program, this story follows Joan Goodwin and her battle to go to space.

Atmosphere will be released on June 3.

‘Nice Girls Don’t Win’ by Parvati Shallow

Reality TV fanatics, get ready because Shallow will be sharing her Suvivor story from the start and reveal how she became a powerful woman.

Nice Girls Don’t Win will be released on July 8.

‘Cher: The Memoir — Part 2’

If the second part of Cher’s memoir is anything like the first, Us is ready. The songstress will likely kick this book off right where the last one ended and more insane stories are sure to be told.

Cher: The Memoir — Part 2 will be released on November 19.

Former Australian child actor Rory Sykes died in the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires. He was 32.

“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my beautiful son @Rorysykes to the Malibu fires yesterday. I’m totally heartbroken,” Rory’s mother, author Shelley Sykes, wrote via X on Thursday, January 9. “[He was a] British-born Australian living in America, a wonderful son, a gift born on mine and his grandma’s birthday 29 July 92.”

Rory, who was best known for his childhood role on England’s Kiddy Kapers series, lived in Los Angeles and worked as a humanitarian, author and motivation speaker. According to Shelley, 62, he “had his own cottage” on their family’s 17-acre Mount Malibu estate.

Shelley further noted in her X tribute that Rory’s house “burnt down” on Wednesday, January 8, in the wildfires.

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“I couldn’t put out the cinders on his roof with a hose because the water was switched off by @LVMWD Las Virgenes Municipal Water,” Shelley claimed. “Even the 50 brave firefighters had no water all day! He will be incredibly missed by [his] mama, his pet peacocks Edgee & Mickie and all his online fans around the world!”

A string of wind-induced wildfires broke out on Tuesday, January 7, devastating buildings across the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles. In addition, many locals left the city limits following mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders.

“He said ‘Mum, leave me’ and no mum could leave their kid. I’ve got a broken arm, I couldn’t lift him, I couldn’t move him,” Shelley told local Australian outlet 10 News, noting she drove to a local fire station for assistance. “When the fire department brought me back, his cottage was burnt to the ground.”

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Many celebrities lost their homes to the blaze, like Rory’s self-contained house on his family estate. Per the author’s social media obituary, Rory’s cottage was “decked out with all the latest Apple gadgets” that were also lost in the fire.

“[Rory] was the founder with me of @happycharity a true humanitarian. He saw himself as the number one fan of @Apple & @tim_cook and most importantly an avid @RuneScape gamer,” Shelley continued in her X statement, adding that her son was “born blind with cerebral palsy and had difficulty walking.”

She continued, “He overcame so much with surgeries and therapies to regain his sight & to be able to learn to walk. Despite the pain, he still enthused about traveling the world with me from Africa to Antarctica.”

Rory had also overcome his disabilities to have a career as an author and motivational speaker.

“@rorysykes was a sought-after inspirational speaker for @TonyRobbins when he was only 8 years old,” Shelley added. “@CallumsCure book first published by @simonschuster in Australia was about his courage.”

Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.

Zendaya and Tom Holland were sure to discuss having children before their recent engagement.

“Tom really wants to have a family, and [he] and Zendaya are on the same page about having kids and wanting to start a family together,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly. The insight comes after Us confirmed on Monday, January 6, that the couple had gotten engaged.

Noting that “Tom is absolutely in love with her,” the insider said that Holland, 28, is “very focused on building a family and his career.” The source continued: “Tom is [a] very old-school English guy in the way that he wants to have a family and have kids relatively young.”

Both actors come from big broods, as Tom is the eldest of his parents Dominic and Nikki Holland’s four sons — including twins Harry and Sam, 25, and Paddy, 20. Zendaya, 28, is the only child of her divorced parents, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman and Claire Stoermer, but has five older siblings from her father’s previous relationship.

Zendaya and Tom Holland's Relationship Timeline

Tom opened up about his future fatherhood plans in an interview with Men’s Health earlier this month, revealing he plans to put a pause on acting once he becomes a dad. “When I have kids, you will not see me in movies anymore,” he shared. “Golf and dad. And I will just disappear off the face of the earth.”

News of the couple’s engagement broke one day after Zendaya flashed a diamond ring at the 2025 Golden Globes on Sunday, January 5. “Zendaya tried to keep it a secret but was very excited to show off her ring,” the same source exclusively told Us on Monday. “She didn’t think people would notice but didn’t care either way.”

According to the insider, Tom decided the holidays were “the best time to propose in a very low-key way,” as Zendaya “didn’t want anything over the top.” The source added: “Tom wanted to propose because he feels he is at the right time in his life and feels ready to settle down. They had many conversations over the years, but there was never any pressure. Zendaya is giddy and excited. She knew it might have been coming but never put pressure on it.”

Tom’s father, Dominic Holland, 57, confirmed the engagement news in a Friday, January 10, blog post via his Patreon account, revealing that Tom purchased Zendaya’s ring himself, had “everything planned out” and “had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter.”

The Spider-Man costars first sparked romance rumors in 2017, though Zendaya went on to date her Euphoria costar Jacob Elordi from 2019 to 2020. She and Tom rekindled things not long after and their relationship status was confirmed after being spotted kissing in a car in July 2021.

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“These two are the real deal,” a separate source exclusively told Us in July 2024. “They started as besties, and that’s [why] their relationship is rock solid … Their families are all in. [They] think they’re perfect together.”

Zendaya put her engagement ring on display while attending a screening of her film Challengers on Monday, using the dazzler to accessorize her black leather blazer and matching tulle skirt. She completed the look with a ponytail hairstyle and bangs as well as a pair of diamond stud earrings.

With reporting by Amanda Williams

Jinger Duggar has been honest about the challenges of growing up in the TLC spotlight — and of breaking free from the conservative teachings of her childhood.

Jinger is one of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 children who were raised as followers of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, a fundamentalist organization founded by the controversial leader Bill Gothard. Fans watched along as Jinger and her siblings navigated their daily lives on 19 Kids and Counting, which ran from 2008 to 2015, and the spinoff Counting On, which aired from 2015 to 2021.

After stepping away from the world of reality TV, Jinger began to form her own ideas about faith with the help of her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, whom she married in 2016. “I’m grateful for my childhood. It was not perfect … but at the end of the day, I’m grateful for my parents,” Jinger said on the “Unplanned” podcast in June 2024. “I love them, we have differences, everything’s not perfect between us, but I think that at the end of the day, I love them and I know that they know that.”

Jinger previously opened up about her upbringing in her books The Hope We Hold and Becoming Free Indeed, detailing the quirks of her religious background and the different perspectives she has now. Her latest memoir, People Pleaser, which debuts in January 2025, will delve deeper into the “not-so-healthy path” she was on.

Jinger Duggar's 'Becoming Free Indeed' Book Revelations

“I realized I was a people-pleaser from the time I was a teen. … There [is] people-pleasing that shows up in everybody’s life, every single day and I think that’s why now is the time to write this book,” she said on the “Jinger & Jeremy” podcast in September 2024. “It’s such a problem and it will always be a problem.”

Scroll down for Jinger’s candid commentary on her unconventional upbringing:

Love Notes From Prison

Being part of a recognizable family came with a few surprises. “Guys would write from prison for my sisters. It was crazy,” Jinger said on the “Dinner Party With Jeremy Fall” podcast in July 2021. “We constantly had letters coming in the mail and it was like, ‘Oh, who is it for this time? Oh, it’s for Jana, oh, it’s for Jessa.‘ … It was mind blowing just to think that somebody thought they would walk right into your life and marry you, like, they were already basically proposing in their letters.”

Jinger added that some of the inmates might have believed the proposals were “legit,” saying, “I can understand how somebody would think, ‘Oh, I know you so well because I watched you from a child grow up,’ so they think that there’s a relationship there when there’s not. It’s like, a one-sided thing.”

‘Cult-Like’ Faith

Jinger exclusively told Us in January 2023 that she “definitely” recognized that her religious upbringing “was cult-like in many ways,” adding, “It was built on fear, manipulation, control and superstition, so all those things combined in how hard it is for kids to leave or adults to leave — anyone, really. … Once you hear the teachings, you’re not supposed to depart from those.”

In an interview with People that same month, Jinger said that she was often “crippled with anxiety” growing up due to the “fear and superstition” encouraged by Gothard’s “harmful” teachings. “I was terrified of the outside world,” she admitted. “The teaching I grew up under was harmful, it was damaging, and there are lasting effects.”

Bond With Her Sisters

In her 2023 book, Becoming Free Indeed, Jinger revealed that out of all nine of her sisters, she feels most connected to Jessa. “She is my closest sibling in age, only 13 months older than me. She is fifth and I am sixth of 19 Duggar kids,” Jinger wrote. “Growing up, Jessa and I were together all the time. Though all the Duggar girls shared the same room, I often felt like I was roommates with only Jessa. Our beds were next to each other for my entire childhood.”

Jinger Duggar Opens Up About 'Not Perfect' Dynamic With Her Parents

Being on TV

Jinger and her siblings were first featured on TV in 2004 before 19 Kids and Counting premiered in 2008. “I look at those years and I’m really grateful for the opportunities that I was able to have,” she exclusively told Us in January 2023 while reflecting on growing up in the spotlight. “Like, we traveled the world, things that we wouldn’t have been able to do as a large family. At the same time, I can say I saw, also, those challenges [that came with it].”

At the time, Jinger explained that she and Vuolo “talked about” whether they wanted to raise their own children in the public eye. (The couple welcomed daughters Felicity and Evangeline in 2018 and 2020, revealing in 2024 that baby No. 3 is on the way.)

“I spent most of my life on TV. … That was my childhood,” she told Us. “Like, that was all I knew. I played with the boom mics and all of that, but [my kids are] just so not used to it. So it’s kind of interesting to see.”

The Family Rules

Fans have long been fascinated with the Duggar family’s strict expectations for their children under the IBLP teachings. “I thought I had to wear only skirts and dresses to please God. Music with drums, places I went or the wrong friendships could all bring harm,” Jinger told People in January 2023.

During an appearance on the “Unplanned” podcast the following year, Jinger admitted that many of the “man-made” rules “don’t make sense,” like not being allowed to wear T-shirts. “If you have a normal shirt, you’re allowed to roll up your sleeves,” she explained. “But you can’t buy a T-shirt that has the sleeves already off.”

There were also guidelines put in place for courtship, with dates requiring a chaperone. “You know, you can’t kiss before you’re married, you can’t hold hands … [but] I don’t see that in the word of God,” Jinger told Us in January 2023, revealing how she plans to approach the topic with her own children. “I don’t think that courtship is a word that we’re gonna use with them at all because I don’t think that that’s the only way to find a spouse — or the best way — at all.”

Living With 18 Siblings

Jinger admitted on “Unplanned” in June 2024 that she was “afraid” of the pressures to have “as many [kids] as possible” before she became a parent. She recalled having to take care of two of her own siblings when she was younger.

“I think that parents should take care of their kids. If you have them, you should take care of them. Kids can help out, learn responsibility in other ways, but maybe not in the motherly aspects of what moms or dads should be doing,” she said. “You have all these imbalances of kids raising kids. I think that I saw that a lot in the system and I think that that is unhealthy.”

Jinger Duggar Claims Her Family Sometimes 'Didn't Like' Reality Show Edit

Jinger also remembered the IBLP teachings impacting her family’s life in unexpected ways. “We would never do organized sports because we were afraid of influences around us,” she said. “And so we would do a family sport in the community … and we would all play that together. … Looking back, I’m like, ‘Oh, I wish I would’ve had maybe more opportunities to explore what I was really interested in in that way.’”

Not Enough Food

During an August 2024 episode of the “Jinger & Jeremy” podcast, Jinger spoke candidly about growing up with 18 siblings. “I remember a few times when we were very young some of my siblings would take their food, take their plate of food — get ready for this, it’s disgusting — in the bathroom,” she recalled. “They would carry it and put it on the bathroom counter, my mom would be like, ‘Don’t do that.’ They’re like, ‘They’re going to eat it.’”

Jinger added, “That’s literally what they thought, ‘I’m not going to be able to eat my food because somebody’s going to take it and we might not have enough food for seconds today.’”

Season 5 of Miss Scarlet is all about change, but newbie Tom Durant-Pritchard is just like Us rooting for Eliza Scarlet to find her happily ever after.

“We all need love, do you know what I mean?” Durant-Pritchard, 37, exclusively told Us Weekly while playing coy as to whether his character, the new Scotland Yard Inspector Alexander Blake, will be a new love interest for private investigator Eliza (Kate Phillips).

The actor is replacing Stuart Martin’s Inspector William Wellington a.k.a. The Duke in the upcoming season of the PBS Masterpiece Mystery show, which premieres on Sunday, January 12. (The early streaming release began on December 8, 2024, on the PBS App and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.)

Unlike William, who was in love with Eliza for years before taking a job in New York City at the end of season 4, Blake doesn’t like private investigators. That aversion to Eliza’s profession, however, might be short-lived, according to Durant-Pritchard.

Miss Scarlet's Tom Durant-Pritchard Asks Fans to Give New Character a Chance

“Blake doesn’t want any PIs working with Scotland Yard, but there’s that classic thing with Miss Scarlet is you can’t deny that she’s very good at her job,” he told Us. “And Blake is a sensible man and comes to appreciate the fact that as much as he doesn’t want Ms. Scarlet to get involved in any of the cases, she’s kind of too good to ignore.”

He teased, “So begrudgingly he has to allow her to take part.”

While the two butt heads right out the gate — during the premiere they cross paths on a tricky case involving stolen goods — Durant-Pritchard explained they have a few things in common that could bond them.

“He’s gone through his own heartbreak that is different to Miss Scarlet,” the season 5 star shared. “But they find each other at a time when they’re in their company. They need each other in a way.”

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Durant-Pritchard noted that there’s a “reluctance” to Blake and Eliza “getting on” when he first comes to town but that changes as the seasons progresses.

“You see a sort of friendship building. There is something between them as much as they both don’t want it to happen,” he teased. “There’s a relationship building.”

Durant-Pritchard explained that even though Eliza wants to have a clean break from William — fans will see how the two formally part ways during the season 5 premiere — healing from heartbreak “is never that simple.”

The English actor revealed that Eliza’s feelings from season 4 will “feed into what happens in season 5.” When it comes to how she will connect with Blake and weasel her way into more cases, Durant-Pritchard said it will come down to proving herself at work.

“There are some great cases that are quite big that require quite a lot of mental strength,” he shared. “And the bond that Blake and Ms. Scarlet have to form to solve those cases, kind of allow the past to stay in the past and they have to start building their own relationship and future between them.”

Durant-Pritchard remained somewhat coy about whether Blake and Eliza’s dynamic will become romantic — but he didn’t rule it out completely.

“You can expect two, single people in a state of heartbreak, going about their business to the best of their ability,” he told Us. “And as much as they don’t want to spend time with one another as the season progresses, they end up having to spend more and more time together and get to know each other better and better as time goes on.”

While Blake and Eliza start off on a rocky foot, Durant-Pritchard had an easy time getting along with the show’s leading lady.

“Kate is a fantastic actor, and she’s a great person. It’s very easy to just hang out and have that,” he gushed about Phillips, 35. “I’ve come from a background of doing my fair share of comedies, and we share a love of comedy [and] rom-coms, all the work of Hugh Grant over the years.”

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Durant-Pritchard revealed that he and Phillips connected over their love of movies and spent a lot of time getting to know each other’s ticks. (Durant-Pritchard picked Four Weddings and a Funeral and “all the Bridget Jones’s” as his favorite rom-coms.)

“We spoke, I think, every day from about 8 in the morning til 7 at night, and we spent every second together,” he recalled. “We just got on so well that it was just very easy on set.”

As fans gear up for new dynamics in season 5 of Miss Scarlet, Durant-Pritchard gave Us his vision for season 6 — assuming Blake sticks around.

“I would like to see how his relationship with Ms. Scarlet progresses through time,” he said, hinting that he too is team Eliza finding love. “To see if they can maintain a kind of working relationship and then anything else that happens is a boon, I guess.”

Season 5 of Miss Scarlet premieres on Masterpiece Mystery on PBS Sunday, January 12, at 8 p.m. ET.

The Traitors host Alan Cumming has plenty of fabulous looks, but his dog Lala might be the real style star of season 3.

Lala performs her sidekick duties by lounging in her tufted doggie bed alongside Cumming, 59, as he has one-on-one conversations with each cast member on the Peacock reality show, and she looks fabulous doing it, donning sumptuous cloaks and trendy tartans.

It turns out that Lala has a real rags-to-riches tale, with Cumming and husband Grant Shaffer adopting her in February 2016 before she made her debut on The Traitors during season 2.

“When we got her from @socialteesnyc she had just arrived from Costa Rica where she’d been taken off the streets by a kind vet because she was pregnant,” Cumming revealed in a 2022 Instagram post. “After her puppies were born and adopted, nobody wanted Lala (I know!!) until a very lovely American lady took her back to NYC where she was fostered for a week or so by another lovely lady until she found her forever home with me, Jerry and @granteepants. Alas, less than a week later she had to have emergency surgery as a piece of gauze had been left inside her when she was spayed!! But she is a fighter AND a lover and now an internationally renowned and beloved sensation!”

Scroll down to see Lala’s sensational style moments from The Traitors season 3:

© Peacock

© THE TRAITORS -- "Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold" Episode 302 -- Pictured: Alan Cumming -- (Photo by: Euan Cherry/Peacock

© Euan Cherry/Peacock

© Euan Cherry/Peacock

© Euan Cherry/Peacock)

© Euan Cherry/Peacock

© Euan Cherry/Peacock

Renée Zellweger’s blink-and-you-missed-it marriage to country singer Kenny Chesney was so short-lived that even the actress herself sometimes forgets it ever happened — but at the time, it was one of the biggest celebrity dramas around. Twenty years on, let’s look back at what really became of Renée ‘n’ Kenny…

How it Began

It was at NBC’s Concert of Hope (a tsunami aid telethon) in January 2005 that Zellweger, now 55, and Chesney, now 56, first met — but this was no chance encounter. The Bridget Jones actress had already planned to pass a note to the country star after admiring him from afar. Chesney, meanwhile, had cited her as one of his top celebrity crushes in a 2002 interview with The Tennessean, saying “Here’s a country girl who’s still down to earth. You never see her coming, then — wham! — there she is. And that makes her really, really sexy. Plus she seems like the kind of girl who could fit in and be at home anywhere.” His 1999 song, “You Had Me From Hello,” was also rumored to have been inspired by seeing the actress utter a nearly-identical line in 1996’s Jerry Maguire.

The story, as told by entertainment expert and former People magazine Editor-in-Chief Jess Cagle, goes that after the telethon, where Chesney was performing and Zellweger was answering phones, he approached her and said “I hear you are trying to pass me a note — don’t let the principal find out!” and the pair promptly started getting to know each other.

“They had each other from hello,” said Cagle at the time. “At that point, they exchanged numbers and emails and started this sort of long-distance relationship that became a real romantic thing.”

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The first public hint of a romance between the pair came in April, when Zellweger unexpectedly appeared on stage with Chesney at his show in Jacksonville, Florida, presenting him with a margarita and kissing him on the cheek.

How Long it Lasted

This is the part that got everybody talking.

After less than four months of dating, the couple got married in May 2005 in an intimate ceremony at Chesney’s private estate on St.John in the U.S Virgin Islands. Zellweger wore a Carolina Herrera gown and was walked down the aisle by her father, with 35 close friends and family members in attendance.

It all seemed dreamy, but after less than four months, Zellweger filed for an annulment, citing “fraud” as the reason for the split.

How it Ended

When news of the shocking breakup went public, there was fierce speculation about what “fraud” might mean, even leading to intrusive speculation about Chesney’s sexuality (which he later addressed head-on).

Zellweger released a statement to clear things up, saying she wanted to “clarify that the term ‘fraud’ as listed in the documentation is simply legal language and not a reflection of Kenny’s character.” She added: “I would personally be very grateful for your support in refraining from drawing derogatory, hurtful, sensationalized or untrue conclusions and greatly appreciate your understanding that we hope to experience this transition as privately as possible.”

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What They Said About Each Other

Chesney responded to Zellweger’s statement with his own words. “This is an incredibly sad time,” he said. “I just hope everyone can respect the privacy that I know Renée has already asked for.”

But still the gossip rumbled on, forcing the couple to issue yet another statement — this one, together, and via their reps. They said: “The miscommunication of the objective of their marriage at the start is the only reason for this annulment. Renée and Kenny value and respect each other and are saddened that their different objectives prevent the success of this marriage.”

Both stars mostly laid low in the immediate aftermath but in November 2005, two months after the annulment, Chesney was complimentary towards his ex in an interview on The View. “She and I fell in love like a couple of schoolkids,” he said. “I’m glad to know that can happen, that that exists and we still really care about each other. It would’ve been a bad thing if I hadn’t met her. She’s wonderful. I don’t want to sit here and go: ‘Poor me.’ I am totally blessed, and I’m grateful for it.”

What They Say Now

Now that more time has passed since the brief, some might say doomed marriage, both parties have felt more able to speak about what really went down.

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“I think people need to live their lives the way they want to, but I’m pretty confident in the fact that I love girls,” said Chesney in a 2009 Playboy interview. “I’ve got a long line of girls who could testify that I am not gay. In order for us to get an annulment, the legal papers could claim either physical abuse, which wasn’t true, or three or four other things that also weren’t true. The best thing we could put in there was fraud. So I said, ‘All right, do it. Whatever’.”

In a 2010 interview, he gave a few more details — and it sounded like he simply wasn’t ready for marriage. “I look at my life as a box,” he said. “So everything that I put in — learn how to play guitar, put that in the box. The friends I made. I put that in the box, and my career grew. That box grew into this wonderful house… And you protect everything and all the relationships and all the people that helped you build that house. “It was out of the box. [Renée’s] a sweet soul, no doubt about it, but I just wasn’t ready…. This is the first time I’ve actually talked about it, but that’s what happened.”

In another Playboy interview, in 2015, Chesney was even more reflective about the turn of events, and the impact on his life. “Nothing positive at all in my life came from it, I can tell you that,” he said. “I didn’t have any clue as to what true marriage meant. I was so used to committing to one thing — music — and then I had to totally commit to a second thing, marriage. I didn’t know how. It was a scary moment for me. I had never really had any kind of attention from the paparazzi. It went from zero to the complete other end of the spectrum. I’d go to a concert and there would be helicopters circling, trying to get a picture of me and her together. I thought it would be like that all the time. I just totally panicked. I did the only thing I knew to do: I ran. I pushed her away, in every way possible—to the point where I just didn’t want to be married to her anymore. It’s that simple. I still struggle with it. Was it the right thing to do or not? I still think about her every day. Every day I wonder if she’s okay. I mean, you don’t just fall out of love with somebody.”

More recently, in a 2023 interview with Billboard, Chesney talked about how his experience with Zellweger had made him conduct his life more privately. “One of the reasons I’m so private is when my life started to change and people started caring at a different level, the only thing I could keep to myself was the intimate details of my life,” he said. “What is interesting is we were playing stadiums already, and after that … I didn’t have social anxiety before that, then you add our success and then you add that to your life and you have a little bit of social anxiety. And now, dealing with the way the world is today and how social everything is, and how information is transferred — yeah, you’d have to be crazy to want to be a celebrity today.”

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Zellweger has also spoken about the tumultuous period of her life, and said in a 2016 interview with The Advocate that the speculation about Chesney’s sexuality really upset her. “It made me sad that somehow people were using that as a way to be cruel and calling someone gay as a pejorative, which has fateful consequences,” she said. “Of course, there’s the bigger-picture problem of why anyone had to make up a story at all. I’m an old-fashioned gal who doesn’t feel it’s appropriate to hang out your laundry on the lawn. I feel you devalue yourself as a human being when you share very personal things with a bajillion strangers who are making fun of you. I just don’t see that there’s any dignity in that.”

Zellweger added that she often forgot the marriage had ever happened, saying “It’s a pretty big thing to forget, isn’t it?”

Key Relationship Takeaways

Looking back, it seems like these two just got carried away with the romance and passion of falling in love after admiring each other from afar — but forgot to actually figure out if they were compatible. Both in their mid thirties at the time, getting married probably felt like the obvious thing to do.

Renee Zellweger and Ant Anstead's Whirlwind Romance: Relationship Timeline

Two decades later, both are in long-term relationships — just not with each other. Chesney has been dating model and dancer Mary Nolan since 2012 — and their relationship is extremely private — while Zellweger has been with British TV star and motor specialist Ant Anstead since 2021. Interestingly, though, neither party has ever married again; did those disastrous few months put them both off for life?

From “Magic” to “Right Round,” Pitch Perfect’s all-male a capella group the Treblemakers sang many hit songs in the 2012 comedy — but star Adam DeVine says one hit sticks out to him.

“My favorite song that I sang in Pitch Perfect [with the Treblemakers] was ‘Don’t Stop the Music’ by Rihanna,” DeVine, 41, reveals exclusively in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now. “I still have the whole dance memorized. I destroy at karaoke with that one.”

The movie — which also stars Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin and Rebel Wilson — opens on DeVine (as Bumper) singing the 2007 Rihanna hit alongside the Treblemakers at the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella.

DeVine finishes the song in a split, which prompts ICCA commentator Gail Abernathy-McKadden (Elizabeth Banks) to exclaim, “Sexy man splits!” while her colleague John Smith (John Michael Higgins) replies, “His pain is our gain, Gail.”

Aca-Awesome! See the ‘Pitch Perfect’ Cast’s Sweet Reunions

DeVine — who cohosts the iHeartRadio podcast “This Is Important” with his Workaholics costars Anders Holm, Blake Anderson and Kyle Newachek — went on to star in the sequel, Pitch Perfect 2, and a Peacock spinoff series based on his character, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin.

Keep scrolling for more fun facts from DeVine, including why he considers season 1 of Workaholics to be the proudest moment of his career:

1. My favorite song that I sang in Pitch Perfect [with the Treblemakers] was “Don’t Stop the Music” by Rihanna. I still have the whole dance memorized. I destroy at karaoke with that one.

2. I used to collect Pez [dispensers].

3. The most surprising thing I’ve learned since welcoming [my first child] Beau [last March] is that I don’t mind changing a poop-filled diaper. It’s no big deal when it’s your son. I’ll do anything to help out the lil homie. The better question might be what haven’t I learned. Becoming a parent truly changes your perspective on life and turns your priorities upside down.

4. A cheeseburger and french fries from In-N-Out is my favorite comfort meal.

5. My first car was a 1993 Cavalier Convertible. It was white with spray-painted red hubcaps and a salvaged title!

6. My most starstruck moment was meeting Kobe Bryant backstage at some awards show. I’m a basketball fan, and I didn’t know I would be seeing him. I lost my mind.

Celebrities Share Their Favorite Karaoke Songs

7. I could watch all three Lord of the Rings movies for the rest of my life.

8. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is my favorite book.

9. Jennifer Love Hewitt was my celebrity crush growing up.

10. My alternate profession would be a radio DJ. I love comedy too much to not be able to do it in some way.

11. When I was still in school, I was great in the passing periods. I really shined while walking to the next class.

12. Growing up, I always thought Green Day was the coolest band.

13. Zac Efron is probably the most famous person in my phone book. He’s so damn famous!

14. My dream collaborator is Shaggy. I want to do a reggaeton album with him.

15. The proudest moment of my career was finishing season 1 of Workaholics. I knew I had just done something special with my best friends. I miss doing that show. I didn’t realize how good I had it.

16. My favorite way to spend the weekend is just by taking it easy with no plans. I’m at the age where a nice relaxing weekend sounds great.

17. I would like to travel more. This world is big and beautiful. I want to be on my deathbed and smile, knowing I saw it all.

18. I don’t binge-watch TV shows — I savor — but that being said, I just rewatched Narcos: Mexico in three days.

‘Pitch Perfect’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

19. My first job was as a bag boy in a grocery store.

20. I took a bath for maybe the third time in my adult life last week [and thought to myself], “Why haven’t I been doing this all the time? It’s great.”

21. The childhood memory that makes me smile is fishing with my dad. I hope to create those types of lasting memories with my son. I hope he’s not expecting to catch anything, though — I’m a much worse fisherman than my father.

22. I learned how to act in a sitcom from working on Modern Family. The dialogue is so fast-paced and snappy — I learned how to keep it tight and right. I love that show so much.

23. I’m one hell of a hacky sacker.

24. The app I use the most is MyFitnessPal. By planning out my week and tracking my food, I can stay accountable and keep my long-term health goals in mind without letting setbacks — hello, beer! —
discourage me. [This] is my year! I’m hoping to finally have abs… in my 40s.

25. My favorite place to vacation is Hawaii. I fell in love with
it while shooting Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.

Fran Drescher‘s Golden Globes look was no doubt stunning, inspiring curiosity as to which products the age-defying 67-year-old used for the big night. Thankfully, celebrity makeup artist Gregory Arlt spilled the tea to Us — and we were taken aback by the fact that the “Italian movie star”-inspired look was actually accessible! The Nanny actress’ flawless skin was prepped with a hydrating primer from Laura Geller Beauty, which you can shop right on Amazon.

Golden Globes Beauty! 24 Exact Products Worn by the Stars to Shop Now

Laura Geller Beauty is a makeup line formulated with mature skin in mind, so all of its products complement women of any age. Arlt leaned into the old Hollywood glam trend seen everywhere on the Red Carpet, taking notes from Audrey Hepburn. He began with a fan-favorite, Spackle Skin Perfecting Primer Hydrate, using it to prep the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG-AFTRA) President’s skin. Arlt added that it’s “his go-to primer for Drescher to help blur any pores or fine lines while holding foundation in place to keep skin looking fresh for a long night out.”

See Laura Geller Spackle Skin Perfecting Primer Hydrate for $36 on Amazon! 

We’ve been obsessed with hydrating primers lately due to their ability to make skin look like it has a real-life filter, especially in winter. A cross between skincare and makeup, Spackle Skin Perfecting Primer in Hydrate is infused with hyaluronic acid, glycerin and antioxidants that nourish skin while creating a flawless base for makeup. Many users even say they can skip foundation after using this primer!

Among the thousands of 5-star reviews, one devotee wrote, “Love this stuff,” noting that it’s “great that if I put it on and I’m in a hurry, I don’t even feel the need to put on foundation!”

Jodie Foster Wore This ‘Dewy’ Foundation That Is Incredible for Mature Skin

“This has been a game changer for me and a mainstay in my makeup vanity for the last five or so years now,” a second shopper confirms. “It really does work to smooth out your skin and all your makeup, to set on it instead of settling into your pores.” They add that while “the hydrating version is my go-to,” they also find that the “Diamond is great for a more glowy look,” referring to the luminous version of the Spackle Primer.

Still, while the reviews are no doubt lovely, it’s worth seeing this pick in action — the before-and-after photos will make your jaw drop! And if the goal is to keep makeup in place all day or night, or you’re looking for a refreshing skin-perfecter on days you go makeup-free, scoop up this industry insider pick today.

See Laura Geller Spackle Skin Perfecting Primer Hydrate for $36 on Amazon! 

Keri Russell Wore This Celeb-Loved Foundation at the Golden Globes

© ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images

Let’s talk about sex … or the lack thereof. While the movies are still a way to escape the realities of life, it seems there’s no more fantasizing about what it’d be like to spend the night with an A-lister — unless they’re offering OnlyFans content.

Some of the biggest blockbusters from the past few years have made millions at the box office, but they’re missing one major thing: a steamy sex scene. Miles Teller only felt a rush flying an F-18 as far as 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick is concerned, and Tom Cruise didn’t even sleep with love interest Jennifer Connelly in the movie. Similarly, Twisters had audiences up in arms when it premiered in July because nothing romantic happened between leads Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Not even a smooch — unless you count the deleted kiss that was leaked on X.

Listen, Us is fully on board with a slow burn, but sometimes escapism in the form of two hot people getting it on onscreen is what we want — and need. When did the tides turn? And, more importantly, why does it seem like all the sex is gone? Let’s put the blame on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Of course, we’re kidding because who doesn’t love a good superhero movie? (Chris Evans, we miss you!) But there’s a point to be made about the 34 and counting films in the MCU. Mind you, the film franchise has been going on since 2008, and only one of the flicks features a sex scene (2021’s box office bomb The Eternals). Most of them don’t even have a kiss!

The Battle for Attention in Hollywood Is Getting Really Dirty, Us Declares

Are we really living in a “puritanical age” of Hollywood, as some have called it? Well, a study published last year by The Economist says yes, stating that sexual content in movies has dropped 40 percent since 2000. Previously, 20 percent of movies had no sex at all, and the same study revealed that number has now gone up to 50 percent. It has been argued, however, that the rare intimate scenes of today are more graphic than they once were — but that’s still up for debate.

An added layer to this discussion is the actors who have taken a stand. A number of stars have been vocal about their distaste for filming (or choreographing, as some will say) intimate scenes. Henry Cavill, for one, bluntly stated that he’s “not a fan of doing them” in scenes “overused” in film. The younger generation, who favor TikTok over AMC Theaters, seems to agree — OnlyFans anyone?

Do Actors Get Aroused in Sex Scenes? An Intimacy Coordinator Tells Us

Overall, it seems more fitting to say that technology is the cause for the recent decline in onscreen lovemaking. The internet age has made sex more accessible for Gen Z, thanks to OnlyFans and streaming services galore. The thrill of going to the movie theater and trying to fake-avert your eyes from an intimate moment between two actors doesn’t seem necessary anymore.

While sex scenes might be what the younger generation prefers to stream on their phones, studios are leaning into what audiences can only truly enjoy in a theater. Watching Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal fight it out in the Colosseum during Gladiator II on an IMAX screen is never an experience we’ll get at home. Maybe movie theaters should make a permanent shift from intimacy to action movies? Because based on the box office receipts, it seems likely that those are the only kind of hot and sweaty scenes we’ll see on the big screen. We’ll take what we can get.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have rolled up their sleeves to help out those affected by the wildfires that ravaged parts of Los Angeles.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the World Central Kitchen in Pasadena, California on Friday, January 10.

Us Weekly understands Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, volunteered to hand out food and supplies to people affected by the Eaton Fire.

During their visit, the couple witnessed harrowing stories from victims, but also strong community spirit as they offered their support. The Duke and Duchess also took time to connect with elderly individuals and families affected by the crisis inside the Pasadena Convention Center.

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Open Montecito Home to Friends Amid L.A. Fires

As well as serving meals alongside World Central Kitchen (WCK) volunteers outside the venue, Harry and Meghan donated clothing, children’s items, and other essential supplies to the main donation center, Us understands.

Monetary donations have also been made to relief, recovery and rebuild efforts via their charity organization, the Archwell Foundation.

Harry and Meghan also joined Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California’s First Partner, and Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, in personally thanking first responders, including Fire Chief Marrone and his team from the LA County Fire Department as well as Members of CalFire and the Pasadena Police Force at the Rose Bowl.

As part of their volunteering efforts, Harry and Meghan met with World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés at the charity’s food stations and thanked the teams for the hard work involved  in supporting the community in its time of need.

It comes after Meghan and Harry opened their Montecito, California home this week to friends who were evacuated as fires blazed across parts of Los Angeles including the Pacific Palisades area, Malibu, Santa Monica and the Hollywood Hills.

Meghan and Harry live in Montecito with their children Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3. Their home is around 80 miles north of the Pacific Palisades area in LA, where the fires first broke out on Tuesday, January 7.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are 'Casually House Hunting' in Malibu

While it is not known which of the couple’s friends have made use of the home, thousands of people had been forced to flee their homes due to the wildfires. Among the celebrities affected by the fires were Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton, Spencer Pratt and Milo Ventimiglia, whose homes all went up in flames.

The couple has dedicated a page on their official website to the wildfires, sharing information about resources and organizations taking part in the relief effort.

The couple first moved to California from the UK in 2020 during the pandemic. After initially staying on Vancouver Island, Canada, they then spent several months at Tyler Perry’s Los Angeles home before buying their own home in California.

Kate Beckinsale has marked the one-year anniversary of her stepfather’s death with a candid and emotional post, detailing what it was like to watch him as well as her father die.

The actress shared a photo of her late stepfather, Roy Battersy, via her Instagram account on Friday, January 10.  In the image, Roy is seen wearing a novelty shirt that reads, “World’s best farter. I mean father” and is smiling while  holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Finding my father‘s dead body alone in the middle of the night at the age of five shaped my entire life. Seeing my beloved stepfather die a year ago today will haunt me forever,” Beckinsale, 51, wrote in the lengthy tribute. “It does seem terribly careless to have managed to be present for both deaths and unable to prevent either, the second time trying with every single thing I had. It was not enough.”

The Canary Black actress reflected on her grief and sense of loss surrounding Battersy’s death, who passed away in Los Angeles in January 2024 following “a brief illness.”

Kate Beckinsale’s Stepfather Roy Battersby Dead at 87

“In the process of losing my beloved Roy I lost family, friendships , at some points my own health, and all the money I had due to how disgusting the American healthcare system is for those who are not insured. I would do it again. No question.I cannot help feeling that I dreadfully failed,” she wrote

Beckinsale went on to explain that she is leaning on what she can to “console” herself, telling herself that Battersy was prepared for the end of his life and was “at peace with it.”

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A post shared by Kate Beckinsale (@katebeckinsale)

“It does feel like a lie I am telling myself to try and feel better, however. Perhaps I am just unfortunately not enlightened enough to sell that to myself over my sense of loss, guilt and failure,” she admitted.

The one-year anniversary of Battersy’s death was a difficult pill to swallow, according to Beckinsale.

BAFTA Addresses Kate Beckinsale's Criticism Over Stepfather's Tribute

“It is a tough day to talk about our fledgling and precious tragedy,but given that I couldn’t save him, I’ll be damned if I’m not going to honour him in some small way,” she continued. “He taught me how to be brave. He taught me that it doesn’t matter if people don’t like you as long as you’re doing the right thing, he lost everything fighting for justice for the trade unions, for the Palestinians in the ‘70s,living with them in refugee camps in Lebanon for several years making his 1977 documentary “The Palestinian”, fighting for the miners losing everything in the strikes.”

She concluded, “I am so lucky that I was raised by someone who uncompromisingly knew what was right and lived it. And loved me .Thank you for being my father. I miss you so much.”

TJ Holmes and Amy Robach are defending David Muir after he received widespread backlash for using a clothespin on his flame-retardant jacket while reporting on the Los Angeles wildfires.

Holmes, 47, and Robach, 51, who previously worked with Muir at ABC, gave their perspective on the incident during the Friday, January 10 episode of their podcast, “Does This Make Me Look Fat?”

Muir, 51, came under fire when viewers spotted the clothespin cinching his jacket during a live cross on Wednesday, January 8 and accused him of caring more about how he looked on TV than the natural disaster he was reporting on.

Holmes defended Muir against that accusation, claiming the news anchor may not even have been aware of the existence of the clothespins.

Fans Are Divided Over David Muir Tailoring His Coat For Wildfires Report

“The perspective might be missing if you’re just reading tweets. The perspective might be missing in that, often times — and I don’t know if he does — travel with a producer or even a wardrobe person whose job is — you might be looking at your phone, getting the latest, looking at notes or doing something, and people are pulling and plugging things onto you, the mic and the IFB [in-ear monitor] and all these things,” Holmes explained. “You don’t even know what’s happening to you, and someone could’ve made the decision of ‘Let me do this with the jacket.’ We don’t know.”

Holmes said that despite the use of clothespins, he believed Muir is incredibly hard-working.

He continued: “But just a little context, the guy works his butt off. You don’t like what he did, fine. It’s just a lot to be piling on.”

However, Holmes conceded it did look bad for a TV journalist to be caught worrying about superficial aspects when reporting on an event where people have lost their lives and homes.

“The idea that people — even if the midst of a tragedy — about to anchor a main evening broadcast wouldn’t give a damn about how they look is just unreasonable. Now to what degree should they care is the issue and to what degree should they come off like they’re caring is then a separate issue, but of course he has to care and pay attention to how he looks before he goes on TV,” Holmes said. “But if your house was on fire and you see a guy over there with a mirror brushing his hair doing all this before he goes on the air and reports about your tragedy, that’s going to piss you off.”

Meanwhile, Robach admitted that when she was reporting from the road, she usually made a concerted effort to not appear too “glamorous” for this reason by keeping her hair and make up simple.

David Muir Ditches Jacket Clothespin During Coverage of L.A. Wildfires

“I have taken great care as a journalist to not seem as though I’m concerned about how I look in that moment,” she said. “We all look different on the scene of these sorts of tragedies than we do on the set. On the set, we’ve got hair and makeup and nice suits and fitted clothing, but when you’re out there, it’s just a very different environment.”

Robach also defended Muir against the heated backlash he’s been receiving and said she doesn’t believe he deserves it.

“I don’t think he deserves the hate he’s getting… I don’t think that is fair or appropriate in any way — and especially from people who’ve never had to be on television every day where your image, your looks are constantly being critiqued or acknowledged so you might have a hyper-awareness about that,” she said.

Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.

Bill Hader and Ali Wong are a match made in comedy heaven.

Hader and Wong were both married to other people before they were first linked in 2022. Hader wed director Maggie Carey in 2006 and welcomed three daughters: Hayley, Hannah and Harper. News broke in 2017 that the pair had split after more than a decade of marriage. They finalized their divorce in 2018.

Wong, meanwhile, wed Justin Hakuta at City Hall November 2014, and the two welcomed their daughters, Mari and Nikki, in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

After eight years of marriage, Wong’s rep confirmed in April 2022 that she and Hakuta had gone their separate ways.

One year later, Hader’s love life raised eyebrows when he spoke about his “girlfriend” in an interview with Collider.

“My girlfriend and I were just figuring out that I haven’t had a vacation in 10 years. I went with her to San Francisco, but that doesn’t really count,” he said in April 2023.

Hader’s rep subsequently confirmed to Us Weekly that he’s seeing Wong. “Bill Hader and Ali Wong are dating again,” a statement read.

Scroll through for more on Hader and Wong’s timeline:

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© Faye Sadou/Cover Images; Sara De Boer/startraksphoto.com

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Bill Hader had a very good reason for not being at the 2025 Golden Globes with girlfriend Ali Wong.

“Bill was not able to attend the Globes due to a pre-existing eye condition that flared up and he was advised by his doctor to stay home and rest,” Hader’s rep told People on Friday, January 10. “He and Ali are still together.”

Hader, 46, and Wong, 41, sparked breakup rumors after the comedian attended the awards show last weekend without Hader by her side. While Wong walked the red carpet solo, she ended up bringing a close friend as her plus-one.

When Wong took home the award for Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television for her Netflix special Ali Wong: Single Lady, she made no mention of Hader in her speech. Instead, she gave her pal a shout-out.

Ali Wong Attends 2025 Golden Globes Without Bill Hader

“My best friend is here! Mia, thank you so much for all of your love and support throughout the years,” Wong said during her speech. “This means a lot. Thank you so much.”

At last year’s Golden Globes, Hader was by Wong’s side when she won for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television for her role as Amy Lau on the Netflix show Beef in 2024. While Wong didn’t mention Hader in her speech then either, the couple celebrated her accomplishment by sharing a sweet kiss and multiple hugs.

Wong and Hader were first linked in 2022 following her separation from Justin Hakuta. Wong and Hader briefly split later that year, but Us Weekly confirmed in April 2023 that they rekindled their romance.

In her now-award-winning stand-up special, Wong joked about how she and Hader got together.

“Hey, Ali, I just happened to hear the news of your divorce today, and I gotta tell you … I’m excited,” she recalled Hader telling her in a phone call after he got her number from a mutual friend. “I am, Ali, because look, I have had a crush on you forever, and I actually told my best friend years ago that you were my dream girl. And I know this sounds crazy, but, uh, I want you to be my girlfriend.”

Bill Hader Says Ali Wong is ‘Off the Market’ at Her Comedy Show

Wong shared that while she was on tour in Europe, Hader followed up by sending her flowers in multiple cities. While her female friends thought the gesture was “so sweet,” her male friends warned her that Hader could be a “psychopath.”

“That’s how cheap and lazy men have become,” Wong quipped. “That now when a fellow man commits any act of kindness, any romantic gesture, it must be a symptom of an undiagnosed mental illness.”

Jennifer Garner became emotional as she revealed she lost a friend from church in the Los Angeles wildfires.

The actress, 52, choked up as she told MSNBC on Friday, January 10 that one of her friends died in the wildfires ravaging parts of Los Angeles including the Pacific Palisades area, Malibu, Santa Monica and the Hollywood Hills.

“I did lose a friend, and for our church, it’s really tender so I don’t feel like we should talk about it yet,” Garner told the outlet. “I did lose a friend. She didn’t get out in time.”

The Family Switch actress added that she felt for those who had lost their homes in the devastating fires.

Celebrities Share Personal Photos of Heartbreaking Los Angeles Wildfires

“My heart bleeds for my friends,” Garner said. “I mean, I can think of 100 families, and there are 5,000 homes lost. I can — without even [thinking] — I could just write out a list of 100 friends who lost their homes.”

She added: “I feel almost guilty walking through my house. You know, what can I do? How can I help? What can I offer? What do I have to offer with these hands and these walls and the safety that I have?”

Garner has been rolling up her sleeves to help out amid the wildfire outbreak, volunteering at one of Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen pop-ups in Los Angeles County. These have been set up to help feed evacuees who have been forced to flee their homes due to the fires.

“I’ve lived in and around the Palisades for 25 years, so I just think all of us, we want to get our hands into working, somehow, to be helpful,” Garner said. “And because of my work with Save the Children, we have a relationship with the Chef, and I was able to just say, ‘Can I be with you for the day? What can I do to help? Put me to work.'”

A string of wind-caused wildfires broke out in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 7, quickly causing mass devastation. Many residents have left the city limits under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders and thousands are estimated to have lost their homes.

Which Stars Have Been Affected by the Los Angeles Fires?

Many celebrities have also been impacted by the wildfires, including Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton, Spencer Pratt and Milo Ventimiglia, who all lost their residences to the blaze.

Hollywood has also canceled a slew of events over the past few days including premieres for The Last Showgirl, Wolf Man and Jennifer Lopez’s Unstoppable as well as The Critics Choice Awards, among others.

Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.

When Hoda Kotb capped off a week Today dubbed “Hoda-bration!” honoring the longtime host’s last day on Friday, January 10, she dressed the part in a familiar Veronica Beard white blazer suit that, sartorially speaking, felt like a full-circle moment that honored her legendary career.

While Kotb, 60, has been part of the fabric at NBC News for nearly 30 years (she announced she would be departing in September 2024), it’s hard to believe that she faced nearly just as many rejections. She was turned down 27 times for a television job before someone finally said “yes,” and she said the big break was all because of a jacket.

On her first day, an anchor got sick so she filled in on the evening newscast. “The litmus test for who anchors the news in Greenville, Mississippi WXVT News Center 15, is who shows up to work with a blazer,” Kotb said in an interview with PR for Anyone.

“I remember [Stan Sandroni, the late news director,] busted in, and he goes, ‘Okay, who has a blazer?’ I go, ‘What?’ ‘A jacket. Who has a jacket?’ I go, ‘A jacket? I have a jacket. It’s hanging on the hanger.’ ‘Oh good, you need to anchor the news, because Ann [Martin] is sick,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘OK!’”

Hoda Kotb Officially Exits 'Today': Biggest Moments From Her Final Episode

She frequently looks back on that moment and says it only takes one person (and one blazer) to change your life, which made her smart suiting for her farewell feel all the more fitting. A proud wardrobe repeater, Kotb has always kept her work uniform simple and streamlined.

“I’ve worn the same dress I don’t know how many times. I re-wear everything,” Kotb said in a 2020 interview with Glamour. “A lady tweeted to me, ‘I’ve seen that dress 57 times,’ and she was right!”

Kotb continued: “Our staff even put up pictures of the number of times I wore the dress. I thought it was funny … There are people who are much cooler than me, who have a much cooler fashion sense than I’ll ever have. It’s not my thing.”

Her pragmatic sensibility was echoed by Savannah Guthrie in a video shared via YouTube on Friday, January 10. “She’s about what matters,” Guthrie, 53, said. Then, she jokingly held up Kotb’s “red carpet purse” which was a Ziplock bag with lip gloss, a compact, cash and a banana for a snack. Guthrie ended on a more serious note: “I love you deeply whether you’re sitting next to me or not whether we get up at 4 o’clock in the morning together or not, I will always be by your side.”

Indeed, Kotb took a similarly sentimental approach with her accessories: stacks of bracelets, rings and necklaces for her final episode that she said she holds near and dear to her heart.

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She pointed out, “This top bracelet that says, ‘With You,’” a gift she received from Guthrie, before showing off a ring that Guthrie gave her which said, “Love.”

For her part, Guthrie chose a black dress for the farewell show, because she was in “mourning” on her beloved colleague’s last day. Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve — or blazer.

Josh Hall is taking another chance on love following his split from Christina Haack.

“Josh met someone wonderful in Nashville, and they have been happily dating for some time,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “Josh wasn’t trying to date, but he met someone, and it was a perfect match.”

The source adds that Hall, 44, is “trying to live a more private life” since he “has no desire to be a celebrity” after he and Haack, 41, called it quits in July 2024 following two years of marriage. As Hall has moved on from Haack, he’s been keeping his new romance out of the spotlight.

“He hasn’t made a show of the relationship, but it’s not a secret. Josh is just low-key,” the source adds. “He is very happy with his life and looking forward to 2025 and what’s on the horizon. This is the happiest he’s been in some time.”

Joshua Hall Reflects on 'Tough' 2024 Amid Christina Hall Divorce

According to an additional insider, Hall is dating Stephanie Gabrys, a model based in Nashville. While not much is known about Hall and Gabrys’ relationship, the pair have interacted on social media. Within days of his birthday last September, they both posted separate Instagram photos from Big Sur, California. She also tagged Hall in a Story showing off a stunning bouquet of flowers with the message, “You don’t have to ask him if he loves you.”

On New Year’s Day, Hall reflected on how the previous year was “tough” for him but noted he was grateful for how much he grew as a person.

“Sometimes the tough situations can change you. You end up becoming a different person. A better version of yourself. You learn things about yourself you didn’t know before,” he wrote via Instagram. “It has opened my eyes to many things. Even though it was tough, I know that it taught me many lessons and for that I’m grateful. I always tell myself that God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.”

Gabrys, for her part, took to the comments section to cheer Hall on as the new year began.

“Proud of you and the strong, patient, hard working, generous and kind hearted man you are!” she replied. “2025 is going to be the best year yet! .”

Hall “liked” Gabrys’ response.

Currently, Hall and Haack are in the middle of a contentious divorce. Haack hired lawyer to the stars Laura Wasser to assist in finalizing their split as soon as possible. While the pair are no longer together, their relationship is still in the public eye as the premiere of the new HGTV series, The Flip Off, draws closer.

Both Hall and Haack were supposed to star in the show alongside Hall’s ex-husband Tarek El Moussa and his current wife, Heather Rae El Moussa. While filming for the home improvement show began before their split, Hall was subsequently dropped from the project following news of their divorce. Us previously confirmed that The Flip Off was moving forward with Haack, Tarek and Heather.

Earlier this month, HGTV released a first look at the series that teased Hall and Haack’s relationship ups and downs. After the clip dropped, Hall took to social media to slam the network.

“TFW you can’t get enough ratings with celebrity designers so you manufactured drama with me, a nobody,” he wrote via his Instagram Story on Monday, January 6, seemingly referring to an intense exchange between the exes in the series’ trailer. “@hgtv, you’ve changed.”

Haack reposted Hall’s response and fired back.

Christina Haack 'Did Not Enjoy' Filming With 'Insecure' Ex Josh Pre-Divorce

“Manufactured?! Pretty sure no one at Hgtv told you to be rude to me …” she responded via her own Instagram Story alongside a screenshot of Hall’s post. “That was all natural.”

As Hall has moved on, Haack is open to the idea of finding love again one day, but she doesn’t plan on walking down the aisle in the near future.

“I’ll always love love,” Haack exclusively revealed in a cover interview with Us Weekly earlier this week. “I probably will [get married again] eventually. But, not anytime soon.”

With reporting by Andrea Simpson

After booking the role of Reba McEntire‘s daughter on Happy’s Place, Emma Kenney received support — and meaningful advice — from none other than her Shameless costar Steve Howey.

“I was very excited to be a part of Happy’s Place and work with Reba. I worked with Steve Howey for a long time, who also worked with Reba for a long time. So going into it, I gave him a call,” Kenney, 25, exclusively told Us Weekly. “He had nothing but amazing things to say about her and he was not wrong.”

Kenney had “such a great time” working with McEntire, 69, who previously shared the screen with Howey, 47, on the Reba sitcom. “She has such a kind and generous and welcoming energy, which is very special when you’re joining an already established cast to feel like that,” Kenney noted. “So I was very fortunate to have that.”

After sharing the screen with McEntire, Howey went on to star alongside Kenney in Showtime’s hit series Shameless. Howey returned to his roots with a guest role on Happy’s Place earlier this season, which set the scene for a potential onscreen reunion between him and Kenney.

'Shameless' Cast: Where Are They Now? Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Allen White, More

“I would love to get back onto a set with Steve. He is one of my favorite people and the funniest person,” the actress gushed to Us. “He’s definitely kind of an uncle figure to me. And I would love to do scenes with him and Reba. That would honestly be so much fun.”

For now, Kenney is celebrating the chance to act with McEntire after bringing the role of Gracie to life in the Friday, January 10, episode of NBC’s newest sitcom.

“I definitely felt a lot of responsibility going into this project and playing Reba’s daughter. She’s such an icon and such an established performer,” Kenney continued. “The show had already aired a few episodes when I started shooting. So obviously I watched what I could that was out and tried to prepare in that sense. I definitely wanted to come and try to bring some honor to her daughter’s character.”

Part of Kenney’s preparation meant developing her own take on the character.

“She’s very tough and very no-nonsense. Gracie definitely has a lot of resilience and I’d say determination,” she shared. “But I definitely wanted to bring some heart to her and I wanted the audience to be able to see why she’s got this tough exterior.”

Kenney continued: “I always do a character analysis that I write down. Sometimes I’ll choose a zodiac sign for the character, as kind of strange as that might sound. It gives me a little bit of a point of view for this character. I chose [Gracie] to be a Capricorn. I felt it made sense for her.”

‘Reba’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

While Kenney would love to reprise her role as Gracie, she would also love the chance to reunite with former costars — including her Shameless family.

“I miss working with them all. It is always a sad and maybe nostalgic feeling when you wrap a show that you’ve done for years because it’s most likely never going to be the exact same casting crew. Although doing The Conners [on ABC] did give me hope,” she admitted. “In the sense that they literally brought back the entire crew from their original show from the ’80s and ’90s. But I’ve been really fortunate to work with such wonderful people that I’ve really formed strong bonds with. I’d love to get on the set with any of them again.”

Happy’s Place airs on NBC Fridays at 8 p.m. ET.

Justin Baldoni’s experience meeting Britney Spears on set is being examined thanks to a resurfaced clip.

During a January 2017 interview with Fuse, Baldoni, 40, recalled an awkward moment when he interacted with the pop superstar while she was guest starring on Jane the Virgin.

“I know she was a fan of the show,” he recalled. “We were shooting and then a few of us that weren’t in scenes with her came to watch one of her scenes. Because I had tweeted her and she had tweeted me back, I’d gone up to her [too], so in my mind we were friends, but we weren’t. I went up and I gave her a big hug and I think I scared her.”

After the moment, Baldoni saw his costars laughing, leaving the actor wondering: “Did I just harass Britney Spears?”

‘Jane The Virgin’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

“I was a huge Britney Spears fan in high school. What adolescent boy wasn’t?” he asked. “The guest star I was most excited to work with was Britney Spears. And then it turned out, I didn’t get to work with her. And there was zero scenes with Rafael and Britney Spears — probably at her request.”

Baldoni played Rafael Solano in Jane the Virgin for nearly 100 episodes between 2014 and 2019. During season 2, the show welcomed Spears, 43, as a guest star where she played herself.

“I had tweeted her. I was going to bring a poster from her Live [From] Las Vegas tour to set and I didn’t do that because I don’t have one,” Baldoni recalled. “I was joking. But I think she thought I was serious.”

Us Weekly has reached out to Baldoni’s team for comment on the video.

The resurfaced clip comes as Baldoni finds himself in a legal battle with his It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively.

In December 2024, Lively, 37, sued Baldoni for sexual harassment. The lawsuit alleges that there was a meeting conducted to address Lively’s claims that there was a “hostile work environment” on set. She also accused the actor of launching a “social manipulation” campaign against her to “destroy” her reputation.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s Alleged Feud and Lawsuits Explained

Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, called Lively’s accusations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” in a statement to Us, claiming that Lively filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” about the movie’s production.

Baldoni hit back days later with his own lawsuit, where he was listed as one of the 10 plaintiffs suing The New York Times for $250 million after its reporting on Lively’s legal filing. Baldoni’s lawsuit alleged that Lively pursued a “strategic and manipulative” smear campaign against him and “cherry picked” communications while leaving out key details.

A spokesperson for The New York Times said that the publication is standing by the story and plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”