Before Brie Larson was cast as Francie Fak, there was a Vanderpump Rules alum in the running for The Bear cameo.
Abby Elliott, who plays Natalie, was asked about Francie’s introduction in season 3, telling Elle last month, “[The Bear creator] Chris Storer and I have been having conversations about this since season 2, when the concept of Francie first gets introduced. We were like, ‘Who is she?’”
“We talked about Stassi [Schroeder] from Vanderpump Rules. And we were like, ‘I think she’s kind of like Stassi,’” Elliott, 38, recalled. “Then, I think it was between seasons 2 and 3, I was at the L.A. Natural History Museum, and I saw Stassi. I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I was so embarrassed because my kid was having a tantrum and her kid was so well-behaved, and [Storer] was like, ‘This is perfect. This is so Natalie and Francie.’”
Schroeder, 37, ultimately didn’t join the hit Hulu series. Instead, viewers were surprised when Larson, 35, popped up on screen.
“When Brie stepped in, it made it all the more perfect. We really hit it off,” Elliott shared. “I think we’re pretty similar, and she’s so funny. I love her. We were simpatico from the start, which was so much fun to play. And even though we do, sort of, find out [the source of Natalie and Francie’s feud], it’s still a little unclear!”
FX
Season 3 built up to a reunion between former friends turned enemies Natalie and Francie. But when Francie finally appeared, it remained unclear what actually led to their falling out. The duo hinted at a romantic past before acknowledging that they missed each other and decided to resume their friendship.
“Another thing that Chris and I talked about: I was watching a reality show with all these women at this wedding in those Hill House nap dresses. And I was like, ‘It’d be so funny if [Francie and Natalie] are going at each other in these Little-Bo-Peep pastel dresses,’” Elliott told Elle. “So we tried to do that with the wardrobe in episode 7. She’s wearing a headband and I’m wearing a headband.”
Elliott pointed out the juxtaposition of the setting and the subject matter, adding, “Everything’s very cute, and then we’re going into this dark drunken backstory. It was my favorite thing to shoot. That episode felt so much like My Best Friend’s Wedding and The Wedding Singer and all of those kind of ’90s/2000s movies that you watch and you’re like, ‘Oh, I wish I was at that wedding.’”
Elliott concluded: “There was a scene in My Best Friend’s Wedding, which takes place in Chicago, and [Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz] are in the bathroom at Wrigley Field. Cameron’s wearing a little headband and she’s in pastel, and she goes off on Julia’s character. I kept watching that scene before [filming episode 7] to really get me into it. So much goes down at weddings. It’s such a perfect backdrop for drama and comedy.
Kim Kardashian had to deal with firing back at the man suing her for mistakenly posting his photo on social media — instead of an inmate she was trying to help — while at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding celebration, Us Weekly can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by Us, Kim, 44, and her legal team argued that the case brought by Ivan Cantu had no standing. The reality star signed the paperwork on June 26 while in Venice, Italy. Kim was overseas for the Bezos wedding, which took place the following day.
In 2024, Kim started using social media to raise awareness and attempt to help a different man named Ivan Cantu, a Texas man who was convicted of murder in 2001 and sentenced to death.
Kim said she became vocal to try and stay his execution, along with many others.
Her lawyer explained, “[Kim] played an important role in advocating for Mr. Cantu. Over the course of approximately ten days in February 2024, [Kim] and her team posted a series of ‘stories’ regarding Mr. Cantu — approximately 16 in all — on [Kim’s] Instagram account. Of these 16 stories, one story posted two days before Mr. Cantu’s execution mistakenly used an image of the plaintiff in this action, a New York-based project manager whose name is also Ivan Cantu.”
Kim Kardashian and Khloé KardashianLuigi Iorio/GC Images
In his lawsuit, Ivan, the man suing Kim, claimed he suffered emotional distress due to the posting. He claimed the incident caused him to lose sleep and experience PTSD. Kim argued his claims have no merit. (The inmate that Kim was attempting to help, meanwhile, was executed on February 28, 2024)
Getty Images (2)
In her motion, Kim’s lawyer said, “The mistake was discovered within hours of the posting and the story was immediately deleted, with [Kim] swiftly issuing a public apology to [Ivan] that same.”
Her lawyer continued: “Stated succinctly, this lawsuit is an attempt to cash in on a mistake that occurred in connection with, and as a direct result of, [Kim’s] exercise of her constitutional rights of free speech and petition.
The reality mogul filed a declaration as part of her motion. She said, “Over the past eight years, I have used my resources and public platform to advocate for criminal justice reform and a fairer legal system, including a focus on clemency and exoneration of individuals who were wrongfully convicted or subjected to disproportionate sentences.”
Kim Kardashian and Khloé KardashianErnesto Ruscio/GC Images
She added, “My work advocating for criminal justice reform is solely based on my personal desire to use my voice to fight for people who may not have a voice and to drive systemic change. I engage in this work because I am passionate about it and without any commercial benefit or intent.”
Kim continued, “My advocacy for criminal justice reform has no direct relation to any of my business or commercial pursuits. My advocacy led me to pursue a law degree, deepening my commitment and work in criminal justice reform. I graduated from the State Bar of California’s Law Office Study Program in May 2025.”
She said she learned about the inmate Ivan’s case in early 2024. “I was moved by Mr. Cantu’s story and his steadfast claim of innocence. I was also troubled by what I understood to be serious problems with Mr. Cantu’s conviction,” she said.
Kim said the photo of the plaintiff being used was a simple mistake.
“The use of Plaintiff’s image in the February 26 Story was a mistake and was not done intentionally. Neither I, nor to the best of my knowledge, anyone on my team knew or believed at the time the February 26 Story was posted that the person depicted in the image was Plaintiff and not Mr. Cantu. I would not have used the image appearing in the February 26 Story had I known that it was a picture of Plaintiff and not Mr. Cantu,” she said.
Apple, 21, was spotted walking her dog in the Hamptons on Thursday, July 3, dressed casually in a white sweater, navy shorts and matching Mary Jane slip-ons. For glam, Apple tied her tresses in an updo and covered her face with a pair of oversized sunglasses.
Apple is the eldest child of Paltrow, 52, and ex-husband Chris Martin, who also share 19-year-old son Moses.
Not only is Apple a dead ringer for Paltrow, but she has the wardrobe to match.
“I’ll sneak into her closet and steal little things,” the Vanderbilt University student told Interview magazinein an April profile. “My absolute favorite stuff is her old Calvin Klein from the ’90s. I have a lot of it and it’s the best thing in the world. Going into her archive closet is just heaven on earth.”
Apple MartinMatt Agudo/INSTARimages.com
According to Apple, her mom is generous with letting her borrow clothes.
“She lets me steal stuff because she’s like, ‘I saved it all so that you could steal it.’” Apple told the outlet. “Then she’s always like, ‘You have to be so careful.’ [Back in the day, she would wear] a cheetah print coat, hair clips, sunnies and some cool wedged sandals. I love that.”
Apple and Paltrow are famously close, with the Oscar winner finding it particularly difficult when her firstborn left for college.
“It’s been a major transition. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew it would be hard because Apple and I are so close and were together all the time,” Paltrow exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2022. “But I had no idea. It was like the worst heartbreak I’ve ever [felt]. I felt like the love of my life broke up with me for weeks. It was terrible.”
She continued, “Now, I’m getting more used to it and it also helps to see her happy and well-adjusted. That makes a huge difference. And she just came home for October break, so that was good. I’ll see her for Thanksgiving.”
In addition to seeing Apple during school holidays and breaks, Paltrow and Martin, 48, celebrated their daughter at the famed Le Bal debutante ball in Paris last fall. As Apple made her society debut, she was accompanied by her parents, her brother and her grandmother Blythe Danner.
Two of the lawyers from the 20th century’s most infamous trial have weighed in on the Sean “Diddy” Combs verdict, which the jury handed down on Wednesday, July 2, after less than three days of deliberation.
Robert Shapiro, who initially led the late O.J. Simpson’s legal team in his 1995 trial, praised Diddy’s lawyers following Wednesday’s verdict. The jury found Diddy, 55, guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but not guilty on the arguably more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
“The defense team did a terrific job on a case the U.S. Attorney overcharged,” Shapiro, 82, told Fox News Digital on Thursday, July 3. “An acquittal in federal court is highly unusual. Congratulations to Mark [Agnifilo] and Teny [Geragos] for building an incredible group of talented lawyers.”
Alan Dershowitz, who served as an adviser for the Simpson trial, also praised Diddy’s legal team, saying it was wise to keep the disgraced mogul off the witness stand.
“Ultimately, the smart decision was not putting O.J. on the witness stand,” Dershowitz, 86, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “The smart decision here was not putting Combs on the witness stand. The difference is we want a complete victory. They got a partial victory, but an almost complete victory, so I commend them for excellent work.”
He continued, “I think this was a good day for justice today, and it showed the power of juries to stand up against the federal government. And that’s a necessary check on the excesses of prosecutors.”
Diddy was arrested in September 2024 and charged with racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied further allegations against him.
After the verdict came in on Wednesday, his lawyers vowed to continue “fighting” for their client. “Today’s a great victory. It’s a great victory for Sean Combs, it’s a great victory for the jury system,” Agnifilo said in a press conference. “We are not nearly done fighting. We are just getting started.”
The defense asked for Diddy to be released on bail following the partial guilty verdict, but Judge Arun Subramanian denied the request. For now, Diddy will remain in custody at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center until his sentencing on October 3. The judge will consider an expedited sentencing date at a hearing on Tuesday, July 8.
In his interview on Thursday, Dershowitz slammed the court for denying Diddy’s bail.
“Vindictive and wrong,” he said. “He was convicted of transactional, consensual sex with two adults.”
Dershowitz and Shapiro were both part of the so-called “dream team” that represented Simpson after he was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994. The team also included Johnnie Cochran, Barry Scheck, F. Lee Bailey and Robert Kardashian.
Simpson, who died last year at age 76, was acquitted following the lengthy trial, but he was later found liable for the wrongful deaths of Brown Simpson and Goldman in civil court. He was ordered to pay their families $33.5 million in damages.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Amazon Prime Day is right around the corner! And in case you haven’t heard, it’ll be bigger and better than ever. The event runs from July 8 to July 11, giving you four full days to shop deals on everything from mattresses and TVs to dresses and hair tools. But if you’re in the market for a new pair of sandals, you don’t have to wait.
Some of the Amazon’s comfiest, classiest summer sandals are already marked down to Black Friday-like levels right now. Score slides, wedges and strappy flats from brands like Steve Madden, Vince Camuto, Skechers, Franco Sarto and Reef. Even better? The best Amazon picks start at just $17, so you won’t feel guilty for grabbing a few pairs. They’re selling out as we speak!
19 Comfy, Rich-Looking Sandals on Sale Before Amazon Prime Day
1. Everyday Staple: We’re in love with the simple, go-with-everything style of these minimalist-inspired leather sandals — originally $65, now $37!
2. Dreamy Denim: Nobody wants to wear jeans during the summer, but denim-looking wedges? Count Us in — originally $57, now $38!
3. Artsy Queen: Compliments are guaranteed with these strappy Franco Sarto sandals that have intricate stitching and smooth leather straps — originally $65, now $56!
4. Clear Yes: These Steve Madden slip-ons are a no-brainer in our book. You’ll look like a Santorini rich mom — originally $60, now $45!
5. Extra-Cushiony: Soft, sleek and supportive, these casual Reef slides have a coastal style with a street-ready twist — originally $55, now $44!
6. Goldie Locks: Vince Camuto nailed it with these luxe-looking flat sandals, which are designed with shiny gold hardware — originally $119, now $80!
7. Feeling Lucky: Have you ever seen such timeless sandals? These espadrille wedges have shiny straps, a sawtooth outsole and classic side buckles — originally $89, now $53!
8. Looking Tall: Over 8,800 shoppers give these secretly supportive sandals five stars. You’ll be over two inches taller — originally $39, now $32!
9. Rhinestones Galore: Easily dress these elastic-strap sandals up for weddings and patio parties or down for errands — originally $36, now $17!
10. Classy Act: Combine shiny gold and raffia material with these designer-like slide sandals that give pure Hamptons energy — originally $110, now $65!
11. Fairytale Find: Every color is on sale, so grab two of these strappy platform wonders — originally $41, now $30!
12. Expensive Look: The cork footbed, double-strap design and shiny hardware makes these slip-ons look like a high-end brand — originally $35, now $22!
13. Vacation Mode: Need new go-to date sandals? These Amazon’s Choice wedges are it — originally $70, now $30!
14. Yoga Mats: Look no further for sophisticated flip-flops that make every step feel cloud-like . . . if not comfier — originally $29, now $21!
15. Walking Everywhere: These heel-contoured sandals are ultra-supportive, whether you’re touring Rome or grocery shopping — originally $47, now $38!
16. Center of Attention: Don’t be surprised if people stare . . . you’ll look celebrity-rich in these elegant Paris slides — originally $30, now $21!
17. Bestseller Alert: We’re a little obsessed with these mermaid-inspired sandals that give flip-flops a refined upgrade — originally $40, now $30!
18. Orthopedic Support: These braided T-strap sandals feel like sneakers, but nobody would ever know — originally $40, now $34!
19. Last but Not Least: Fashionistas wear these sandals to the office. Rock them with dress pants and a button-front blouse to become the office envy — originally $46, now $31!
Just in time for the 4th of July weekend, former Love Island USA contestant Connor Newsum hard-launched his relationship with Carmen Kocourek.
“An update,” Connor wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, July 2, with a collage of photos featuring his new girlfriend.
In one of the shots, Connor leaned in for a kiss on Carmen’s cheek as they seemingly enjoyed a dinner date. Other pictures show the couple smiling from ear to ear as they spend quality time together.
While Carmen has yet to make the relationship Instagram official, she commented with the heart and smiling face with halo emoji.
Fans first met Connor on Love Island USA season 6 in 2024. He entered the villa on Day 2 and was briefly coupled up with both JaNa Craig and Leah Kateb. He was ultimately dumped from the island on Day 15.
As for Carmen, she appeared on season 5 of the Peacock series in 2023. She entered the villa on Day 2 and came in fourth place alongside Kenzo Nudo on Day 32.
After Connor went Instagram official this week, many of Carmen’s former costars expressed excitement about the new coupling.
Connor Newsum and Carmen KocourekCourtesy of Connor Newsum / Instagram
“Awwww cutiessss,” Leslie Golden wrote in the comments section. Johnnie Olivia added, “God she’s STUNNING.”
As for Connor’s costars, Liv Walker shared her approval by writing, “Awwwwww.”
On Sunday, July 13, Connor will join Liv and other fan favorites from Love Island USA season 6 for a new spinoff show called Love Island: Beyond the Villa.
Cameras will roll as couples including Miguel Harichi and Leah, JaNa and Kenny Rodriguez, and Serena Page and Kordell Beckham continue their love stories.
Others, like Kaylor Martin and Kendall Washington, will document their lives as single reality stars as they figure out what’s next.
According to Peacock, Love Island: Beyond the Villa promises to follow everyone’s favorite season 6 Islanders around Los Angeles as they navigate new careers, evolving friendships, newfound fame and complex relationships outside of the Love Island villa.
While it’s unclear if Connor’s new romance with Carmen will make the show, the Washington native is expected to make guest appearances throughout the season.
“Wait im screamamamammaaming im obsessed what @carmen_kocourek,” Remi Bader wrote in the comments section of Connor’s latest post. “Treat her well or else.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Carmen and Connor’s team for additional comment.
Love Island: Beyond the Villa premieres on Peacock Sunday, July 13, with new episodes streaming every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.
Diddy, 55, was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution on Wednesday, July 2. Following a plea for a release on bond, the disgraced music mogul was remanded back to MDC in Brooklyn, New York, to await his sentencing hearing in October.
Diddy’s holiday will begin with a breakfast of cereal, fruit, milk and a breakfast cake, according to a menu obtained by People. Hours later, he will reconvene in the commissary for lunch. Options include a choice of a hamburger or bean burger or two hot dogs or soy dogs. Inmates will also be served mac and cheese, green beans, fruit and juice.
According to the outlet, dinner options include baked fish or black beans with a side of buttered noodles, mixed vegetables and two slices of white bread.
Diddy has been incarcerated at MDC since September 2024 when he was arrested on charges of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy. The rapper pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied all of the accusations.
Following the weeks-long trial, the jury rendered its verdict on Wednesday. Diddy was acquitted on the sex trafficking and racketeering charges, but found guilty on the transportation charges. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
“I want to thank my client Sean Combs for trusting us. Myself and everybody here, this incredible dream team that he put together,” lawyer Teny Geragos said during a Wednesday press conference. “Without him, we would not be able to do this. He is incredible, and I want to thank him.”
She added, “Despite the terrible conditions at the MDC, I want to thank the good people who work there who ensured that we had a sufficient amount of time to prepare for trial. It is extremely difficult to prepare for a federal case in the conditions at the MDC, and they did everything they could to make that happen.”
Lead defense attorney Marc Agnifilo also called the verdict a “great victory” for both Diddy and the justice system.
“Today’s a great victory,” Agnifilo said. “It’s a great victory for Sean Combs, it’s a great victory for the jury system. We are not nearly done fighting. We are just getting started.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant stirred controversy for his comments about Cassie after the verdict in the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial was announced.
Bryant, 36, took to social media on Wednesday, July 2, and responded to a post from CBS Sports reporter Ashley Nicole Moss, who wrote, “I couldn’t imagine how she feels this morning. it’s the very unfortunate reality of women who experience sexual violence – the story is just never enough.”
“I respect your opinions heavy but Cassie wasn’t no victim.. not even close,” Bryant wrote.
When Moss pointed out “we saw her beaten on camera,” Bryant added, “I was referring to the freak offs and drugs she chose to participate in.”
“Her getting beat was extremely unacceptable but a lot of you people gotta understand your wife of 15yrs will risk her family for a life style in Hollywood,” Bryant wrote in another post. “Accountability have to play its part somewhere.”
When one commenter called Bryant’s comments “sad,” the ex-NFL player continued his ranting.
“I’m not sad… diddy wrong and Cassie wrong,” Bryant wrote. “A lot of you women get weird whenever it’s time to take accountability for your actions..a sin is a sin neither is greater than the other.”
Bryant received major pushback for his comments, with one fan saying, “Dez you gotta stop so much talking bro.”
“Dez appreciate your football acumen,” a separate fan commented. “But you are a f***ing idiot here man did you not see videos of her being beaten??? Your view on women is what is wrong with society today.”
Another wrote, “Dez bro I love you but what are you on and why would you ever post this.”
He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. His sentencing date is currently scheduled for October 3.
Diddy pleaded not guilty to all charges leveled against him after his September 2024 arrest in New York City and has denied all of the allegations.
Multiple people accused Diddy of sexual assault and sex trafficking, beginning with his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, 38, who testified in May as a key witness for the prosecution.
Diddy’s arrest came nearly one year after Cassie filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexual and physical abuse throughout their relationship, which lasted off and on from 2007 to 2018. The mogul denied her claims in a statement shared by his attorney.
“Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations,” Diddy’s lawyer Ben Brafman said at the time.
One day after the suit was filed, Diddy and Cassie settled out of court. In May 2024, CNN published a hotel surveillance video of Diddy kicking and grabbing Cassie in 2016. He later apologized for his actions in a video shared via Instagram.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Body positive influencer Clara Dao is reflecting on how her decision to get breast implants impacted her social media following.
“I fully expected I would be cancelled once I announced my boob job,” Dao, 26, told the New York Post on Tuesday, July 2. “I’ve lost a lot of followers – around 500,000 across all my platforms. Losing followers doesn’t come as a shock.”
She continued, “I built my following based on that one single message of loving your natural body, your flat chest, especially. A big part of my following followed me for that message.”
Dao amassed almost eight million followers on social media, frequently posting about her smaller chest and her journey to self-acceptance. Dao underwent the cosmetic procedure in March, costing her $3,398.56 — and admitted that the backlash from her following has been “pretty brutal.”
“Before, when I did flat chest content, most of the hate came from guys, saying you look like a guy, you look ugly, you’re like a piece of wood. Now my hate comes from women, saying you’re a hypocrite, you’re so fake. A lot of people won’t understand. I accept that I won’t be understood by most people, especially my fans,” she said. “The first video I made was about doing what you love. That’s the deeper message I want to spread with my content.”
Despite the reaction from some of her followers, Dao said her “immediate circle” had “positive” things to say because they knew she wanted “a change.”
“My family has always encouraged me to get the surgery since I was 17, since before I started making the content,” she explained. “There’s a cultural difference. In Asia, people are a lot more image-focused. They want you to show the best version of yourself, no flaws, especially online. When I first started social media and showed my flat chest, showed my imperfections, belly rolls, acne, skin texture, my family was against that for a very long time. But I never really listened to them.”
Dao, who went from a bra size 32AA to a 32C, said she’s “loving” her new look and doesn’t regret getting the implants.
“I felt boxed into that content,” she said of having a smaller bra size. “People just knew me as ‘the flat-chested girl.’ As long as I had my flat chest, I could fall back on it and increase my subscribers, and things would just be the same.”
She continued, “Creatively, I feel boxed in; I don’t feel passionate about the content I did anymore. I don’t want that option anymore. I got the surgery because I was bored. I wanted to get out of the trap of making content about my flat chest. I had a lot of self-love and body positivity before, and I have a lot of self-love now.”
Dao admitted that the surgery was “pretty impulsive” as she began thinking about getting implants in February and underwent the procedure in Vietnam the following month. The influencer noted that she had “slight complications” with the surgery but is now on the road to recovery.
“The wound on my left side didn’t close for two, three weeks, so it took a bit longer to heal, but nothing major. The service here is very good. They checked the wound every day,” she explained. “It really hurt for the first three days. I’d need help getting up and down from the bed, and I couldn’t do certain movements with my arms. But after a month, you get back basically to normal.”
Sophia Bush revealed the ways One Tree Hillallegedly would try to get out of paying the female leads — including lying that the show was about to go off the air.
During the Thursday, July 3, episode of “The Burnouts” podcast, Bush, 42, was asked whether she had an opportunity to negotiate her salary, to which she replied, “We weren’t really given the opportunity to do that. They would always tell us we were on the verge of getting canceled so that we wouldn’t try.”
“They just said, ‘Listen, we know none of the girls are making what the boys are making. But you cannot pay her a third of what the woman making the least amount of money on the show is making,’” she noted. “They really went to bat for me.”
According to Bush, she was “finally” being “paid equally to the second-lowest paid woman on the cast” after the negotiations. “So under 20 percent of what my male costar was making on the show,” she added.
One Tree Hill, which aired from 2003 to 2012, was set in the fictional town of Tree Hill, North Carolina, and originally followed the lives of two half-brothers — played by Chad Michael Murray and James Lafferty — who compete for positions on their school’s basketball team.
CW / courtesy everett collection
Over the years, viewers got more invested in the brothers’ respective lives and romantic relationships, which allowed for their female costars, including Bush, Hilarie Burton Morgan and Bethany Joy Lenz, to have large roles on screen
“Part of the reason they like to make teen television is because they don’t really have to pay young people very much money. Because I had been an added character — even though I’d be a series regular,” Bush continued. “I was essentially told, ‘This is all we can afford to pay you. Take it or leave it. It’s never going to get any better than this.’”
Bush called it a “baptism by fire in the financial space,” adding, “You want to work so you say yes, but when you make money, 10 percent goes to your agent and 10 percent goes to your manager and 5 percent goes to your lawyer. Then you have to buy into your union and you have to figure out how to incorporate a business.”
While One Tree Hill was finding success on screen, Bush was struggling to make ends meet.
“I threw cash at friends who had a 6th floor walk-up in the West Village. My two best friends from college moved into it and it was a two-bedroom apartment and I would sleep on the pullout couch on weekends when I’d fly up here,” she recalled. “People are like, ‘Oh my God, you’re the star of a TV show and there’s billboards everywhere.’ And you’re like, ‘I’m terrified about how I’m going to pay my rent.’”
Bush isn’t the only one to speak out about her OTH paycheck. Bevin Prince, who made regular appearances on the drama from season 1 to 4, opened up about how much she brought in.
“We were making $75 a day for 16-to 18-hour days. I was still in college and was still trying to finish my degree at the same time, which was really complicated for me,” Prince, 42, revealed to Bush and Burton during the “Drama Queens” podcast in December 2021. “Because we were displaced from Hollywood, I got to know you guys so well, and Soph, you especially were such a champion for me along the way with everybody. Then they started to let me do things.”
She added: “When I look back at it, I really can find things that I am incredibly proud of. I think one of the things that I am super proud of is my ability to show up and show up really hard. Like if somebody asked me to shake my pom-pom, I’m not going to shake it lightly. I took that $75-a-day job very seriously.”
If you’ve ever dreamed of attending a summer event in a dreamy Zimmermann dress — there’s never been a better time to shop! Amazon is packed with early Prime Day deals on lookalikes from the designer brand. And yes, they are just as romantic, vacation-friendly and expensive-looking. Think: Pretty florals, breezy fabrics and darling ruffles that look straight off a boutique rack.
From glowy garden party maxis to brunch-ready minis, these 13 picks will make it look like you shop designer without the hit to your wallet. The best part? Some of our favorite lookalikes are now marked down to some of their lowest prices of the year, starting at just $20. Keep on scrolling to shop these gorgeous finds before they fly off the shelves.
Early Prime Day Deals on Zimmermann-Style Dresses
1. Our Favorite: This colorful mini dress looks like it came straight out of a Zimmermann boutique in Europe — was $38, now $33!
2. Pretty Pastels: Perfect for a Sunday brunch, this pastel puff-sleeve dress is best styled with strappy sandals and a crossbody clutch — was $43, now $28!
3. Ruffle Realness: With its romantic ruffle touches, this floral mini dress channels major garden party energy – was $47, now $44!
4. Shopper Favorite: A bestseller on Amazon, shoppers are loving this eyelet embroidered maxi dress that comes in tons of pretty colors like lilac and barbie pink — was $68, now $59!
5. Luxury-Level: This puff-sleeve dress is so stunning, it looks like it could cost ten-times the price — was $47, now $42!
6. Paisley Perfection: Switch up your dress collection with this paisley print mini that’s now at its lowest price in 30 days — was $60, now $30!
7. Belted Beauty: Channel rich mom energy in this belted mini dress that’s made for afternoon luncheons and rosé — was $50, now $47!
8. Perfectly Polished: From galas to dressy brunches, you’re going to want this collared maxi dress that’s made with the most eye-catching floral fabric — was $49, now $46!
9. Statement Sleeves: Opt for this long lantern-sleeve dress when you prefer styles with a bit of extra arm coverage — was $53, now $40!
10. Luxe Lace: Love the Bridgerton era? This lace-detail dress channels the vibe in a modern and chic way — was $53, now $48!
11. Flowy and Fabulous: Comfort lovers are going to want this flowy boho maxi that blends Zimmermann style with a soft fabric — was $40, now $30!
12. Vintage Charm: Love a hint of vintage in your closet? Check out this ornate-print dress that’s adorned with an eclectic bird print — was $24, now $20!
13. Show the Shoulders: This lace embroidered dress makes your shoulders the center of attention with a floral eyelet fabric — was $55, now $47!
While enjoying her last few moments in Greece on vacation with her husband, comedian Jeff Arcuri, former Bachelorette star Katie Thurston took to Instagram to share a life update.
In the three-minute long video, Thurston revealed she is preparing for a “big check-in scan” on July 7. The check-in is “to see how the meds are working with my tumor, the good news would be either no growth or even shrinkage.”
“We go home today, and oftentimes when I’m entering back into reality of cancer, that’s when things kind of start to hit,” Thurston explained. “When those monthly scans or appointments come and go, I allow myself the next 28 days to really forget that I have cancer.”
Thurston said being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer has forced her to “shift” how she thinks. “My oncologist never told me how much time I have left, and I’ve never asked.”
Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
“Stage 4 is a very scary mentality at times, because it is forever,” Thurston explained, adding that she continues to do her best to seek out all of the blessings in her life.
While sharing that her skin biopsies came back benign and that she and Jeff were upgraded during their stay in Greece, “a part of me was like, ‘Thank you. Thank you, God, Thank you universe for these blessings and everything you’ve given me today.’”
“But there’s a small part of me that like feels like a dog before it dies, gets this, like, this big boost, you know,” Thurston shared as she grew emotional. “I’m not trying to even make this like a sad video. I’m just being honest that cancer is very much like a trained lifestyle at this point.”
The 34-year-old added that it is up to people to decide how they want to live their life and for Thurston, especially while vacationing in Greece, “I enjoyed wine. I enjoyed the sugars, you know, the desserts. I enjoyed the memories that I’m making. Because what’s the point of not living when you’re given today? You know, when you’re given life?”
“And that’s how I feel like every day, I’m just like, ‘Thank you.’ Every night I go to bed, I’m like, ‘Thank you for giving me today.’”
Thurston first announced she was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2025. “Life update: I have breast cancer. Yesterday I saw all the couples post their Valentine’s Day celebrations. I felt envious if I’m being honest,” she said, at the time.
“Jeff took me to Hawaii and after, we were going to travel the world before planting roots together in NYC finally. But instead, my Vday was spent coordinating a place to live as I have to go back to LA for more testing and treatment.”
Have you stocked up on sundresses, trousers and swimwear for summer? If so, your wardrobe may be missing one important thing: boutique-looking blouses. Breathable, unique-looking tops come in handy during steamy work commutes, rooftop lunches and tropical vacations. Right now, you can score one (or a few) ahead of Amazon Prime Day now that tons of cute options are on sale early.
As expected, Amazon has slashed so many price tags before it’s massive Prime Day sale. The big event doesn’t kick off until July 8, however, bargain hunters can save on big-ticket items now. Think: beauty finds, tech gear, household items, and of course, fashion must-haves.
If you’re most excited about the latter, browse these 17 impressive blouse deals that are sure to make your bank account smile. This list includes dressy shirts for business meetings and casual pieces to wear around the house. The best part? Prices start as low as $9.
Early Amazon Prime Day Deals on Boutique-Worthy Blouses
1. Our Favorite: Want to feel comfortable when you leave your chilly office and grab lunch? This butter-soft tunic is the way to go. It’s versatile and breathable, so you can dress it however you’d like — was $13, now just $10!
2. Playful Palette: Love the look of dreamy florals? This sleeveless tank top will become your favorite blouse for errands because it’s stylish, comfortable and slimming — was $20, now just $15!
3. Elevated Basic: With a square-neckline and smooth stretchy fabric, this versatile tank looks like the shirt version of a LBD — was $20, now just $9!
4. Work Ready: This airy cap-sleeve blouse is perfect for fashionistas who are going to office. It’s made of a soft, chiffon-like fabric that adds a dressy touch to any ensemble. Plus, it has an exotic-looking floral print design — was $26, now just $20!
5. Flattering Details: This fluffy babydoll blouse features puffy three-quarter-sleeves that conceal underarm batwings — was $28, now just $20!
6. Casual Vibes: Heading to a backyard barbecue? Maybe you’re going on a mid-day shopping trip. The colorful stripes on this V-neck top add a vibrant pop to your summertime ensembles — was $13, now just $9!
7. Frilly Flair: Want to show a little skin? The off-the-shoulder design on this billowy floral print blouse is the way to go. It has an elastic detail that offers tummy-slimming, too — was $27, now just $23!
8. Timeless Stripes: Crisp, white button-ups are a summertime staple. This wrinkle-resistant blouse is unique because it features thin stripes for a rich mom-approved flair — was $29, now just $26!
9. Breezy Petals: This chiffon-like blouse features petal-shaped sleeves that we absolutely adore — was $19, now just $18!
10. Smooth Texture: We love this short-sleeve V-neck because it features a subtle Swiss dot design — was $30, now just $20!
11. Fashion Flashback: Retro peplum blouses are all the rage now. This slimming blouse features bloat-concealing ruffles and a scrunchy waistband with an adjustable tie — was $25, now just $20!
12. Endless Options: Shoppers love the comfortable fabric and loose-fitting design on this pleated blouse so much, they’ve purchased it in multiple shades. There are over 40 different styles to choose from — was $13, now just $10!
14. Lots of Length: If you’re not a fan of cropped blouses, you’re in luck. This breezy top has a flared, bat-wing sleeve design and stretchy pleats that conceal bloating — was $33, now just $29!
15. Delicate Accents: This cap-sleeve top comes in a wide variety of shades and features delicate eyelet cut-outs for a boho touch — was $10, now just $9!
16. Trippy Prints: Speaking of boho-chic style, you’ll love the paisley print on this lightweight blouse — was $20, now just $13!
17. Last but Not Least: Pull out your favorite work pants and skirts because this flutter-sleeve blouse is the start of dreamy office-approved ensemble — was $26, now just $20!
Kylie, 33, admitted that it was her “feeding him donuts and buying baked goods” that contributed to Jason, 37, standing up on a chair and ripping off his shorts to reveal a red, white and blue speedo.
“I did know the speedo was happening because this bet has been in effect between Jason and [former Philadelphia Eagles teammate] Beau Allen for a very long time. I want to say three months that they have been on a weight loss journey,” Kylie revealed on the Thursday, July 3 episode of her “Not Gonna Lie” podcast. “I know the penalty was to wear a speedo to the [Ocean Drive] event. I also know that I’ve been feeding him donuts and buying baked goods when appropriate. And was it a little bit of sabotage? No. If it was, Beau Allen, you owe me some money because you’re welcome.”
Jason first announced the bet during a March episode of his “New Heights” podcast, which he hosts with brother Travis Kelce.
“Beau Allen reached out, and he said, ‘Hey, do you wanna do a competition on who can lose the most body fat percentage but still gain muscle?’” he said. “I don’t know, Beau wants to have some competition, so we agreed to get DXA scans.”
Jason then explained that the loser would have to wear a speedo at the Ocean Drive charity event. Kylie, for her part, was not present when Jason made his big reveal. She was feeding the couple’s 3-month-old daughter, Finnley , at the time. (The couple also shares daughters Wyatt, 5, Elliotte, 4, and Bennett, 2.)
Kylie said she wasn’t there because she didn’t want to be part of the event’s introductions. She wasn’t aware that Jason would get up on a chair and rip his shorts off.
“By the time I was coming back, I had received a text message of the behind angle and him proceeding to Magic Mike his shorts off,” she said. “I had not seen this move before. I don’t know if he practiced. If he did, it was with doors closed … Am I bitter about it? A little bit.”
She also acknowledged the irony of Jason’s viral moment happening just days after she asked fans to stop thirsting over her husband on social media. Kylie promises the timing was not intentional.
“I do think it’s comical that I just asked you guys to stop putting drool emojis under my husband and then he came out in a crop top and did breakaway shorts,” she said. “I do see that. I wasn’t trying to set you guys up for failure. It was a timely thing that I needed to address based on the thirst traps of my husband … then he just went on and continued to be sexy, I can’t help that.”
Aaron Rodgers has returned to social media after tying the knot.
In a Wednesday, July 2, Instagram post, Rodgers, 41, was all smiles while posing with fellow Pittsburgh Steelers teammates Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek, Pat Freiermuth, Calvin Austin III, DeKaylin Metcalf and Roman Wilson. “Summerball,” Rodgers captioned the upload.
News broke in June that Rodgers agreed to a one-year contract with the NFL team after spending two seasons with the New York Jets.
In NFL legend Troy Aikman’s mind, he hopes that Rodgers is able to “recapture some of his form” with the Steelers in the fall. (Rodgers tore his Achilles in his first game with the Jets in 2023.)
“I think it’s a good fit, actually,” Aikman, 58, told Us Weeklyin a cover story.
ESPN reported that Rodgers visited the Steelers’ practice facility in March but remained tight-lipped about his future plans.
“I wasn’t stringing anyone along,” Rodgers said during an April appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show. “I wasn’t holding anyone hostage. I was honest from the jump about where I was at mentally and some of the constraints I have in my life right now that warrant my attention.”
Rodgers continued, “I’m open to anything and attached to nothing. Retirement could still be a possibility, but right now my focus has been — and will continue to be — on my personal life. And that’s what I’ve told the coaches. There’s still conversations that are being had. It’s all been very honest lines of communication.”
The same month Rodgers joined the Steelers, he revealed he secretly exchanged vows when asked about a black band on his left finger during a meeting with reporters at Steelers minicamp.
“It’s a wedding ring,” he said while sharing that he exchanged vows a “couple months ago.”
Rodgers did not reveal the identity of his partner at the time. He announced in April that he was in a “serious relationship” while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show.
“I have off-the-field stuff going on that requires my attention,” he said at the time. “I have personal commitments not knowing what my future was going to look like after last year that are important to me.”
Rodgers added, “I have a lot of things that are taking my attention and have, beginning in January, away from football. That’s been where I’ve been focusing most of my attention.”
Dua Lipa continues her reign as the star with the best bikini style.
Lipa, 29, took to Instagram on Wednesday, July 2, to show off her toned figure in a sexy bikini during an Italian getaway. While soaking up the sun on an orange-and-white striped towel, Lipa posed in a polka dot set. The black-and-white With Jéan design featured a dark triangle top ($79) adorned with white spots and lace lining. The piece was finished with halter top straps and she tied it just tight enough to expose her underboob.
The singer teamed the look with matching bottoms ($69) finished with the same lace details, razor thin straps that tied in bows on her hips and a thong back.
Lipa beamed for the camera while relaxing on the beach and accessorized with black oval shades.
The “Levitating” singer opted for an au naturel look, showing off her glowing skin and sun kissed cheeks. She wore her brunette hair down and pushed back.
Courtesy of Dua Lipa/Instagram
Elsewhere in the social media post, Lipa shared moments of her time in Italy, including an oyster meal, an Aperol spritz — which was accompanied by a black cat — and adorable selfies of her and her fiancé, Callum Turner.
Courtesy of Dua Lipa/Instagram
In the pic, Lipa rocked a white tank top finished with a scoop neck. She added a bit of glam to her look with a statement silver bracelet and brown sunglasses.
Turner, 35, for his part, looked his best in a green-and-white textured polo top and camel khaki bottoms. He finished his getup with brown sunglasses and a black watch.
Courtesy of Dua Lipa/Instagram
“Italian weekend ,” Lipa captioned the post. Her celebrity friends and fans were quick to compliment her in the comments section.
“Ohhhh my heart,” Dove Cameron wrote. Influencer Maya Borsali added, “BEBEEEEE,” while more fans commented fire emojis.
Through the years, Lipa has shared countless bikini moments. In May, she showed off a brown bikini, also by With Jéan, while tanning on a lounge chair. The set was finished with subtle spots and delicate lace-up details. She styled the number with cherry red eye lasses and large gold hoop earrings.
One month prior, Lipa sizzled in a fiery Topic of C two-piece equipped with a classic triangle top and coordinating bottoms with bows on her hips. Also in April, she shared a sweet pic of her and Turner holding hands in their swimsuits. Lipa stunned in a cheeky blue swimsuit while Turner opted for black shorts.
In Us Weekly’s exclusive sneak peek of the Thursday, July 3, episode of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, the cast comes together and reflects on their costar’s emotional adoption journey that led to her connecting with her birth mom.
“All she said was, ‘Are you angry with me?’ and she was crying,” Snooki, 37, tells the cast of her last conversation with the woman who placed her for adoption. “She said, ‘Thank you for understanding. I love you so much.’ I said I have an amazing life. I have three kids now.”
In a confessional interview, Snooki began to consider how different her life would be if she had stayed in Chile with her birth mom and never made it to New Jersey.
“I always thought if I grew up in Chile and stayed there, obviously I wouldn’t be with [my husband] Jionni,” she says. “I wouldn’t have my kids. I probably would have never moved to Jersey. I love my life.”
In the emotional scene, several cast members praised Snooki’s birth mom for giving her daughter the opportunity to thrive with her adoptive parents.
“What she did, it afforded you to have the opportunities and the family and the life,” Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino says in the clip, “which is beautiful.”
Jenni “JWoww” Farley adds, “How would you have grown up if you were in Chile? There would be no Snooki. Can you believe that? The world wouldn’t have a Snooki. That would be awful.”
A montage of clips began to play, which featured some of Snooki’s most memorable moments on Jersey Shore. The show premiered in December 2009 and continues to be a major hit for MTV.
On Thursday’s episode, Angelina Pivarnick learns about her costar’s milestone for the first time.
Nicole “Snooki” PolizziCourtesy of YouTube / MTV
While Snooki said she didn’t want to “bother” Angelina, 39, with the developments as she worked on herself, she quickly filled her in with the latest.
“It was very dramatic,” Snooki says, before sharing a photo of her birth mom. “She doesn’t know it’s Snooki.”
In a confessional interview, Angelina — who previously discovered that the man she believed to be her biological father was not actually her father — said she was interested in learning more about her friend’s experience.
“I’m just so intrigued by her whole story because at the end of the day, my circumstances did not go well,” she says. “But for Nicole, I really hope it’s a different outcome.”
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation airs on MTV Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
Just hours before he died, Jota posted a video from their wedding day via Instagram.
“A day we will never forget ,” he wrote.
Cardoso and Jota got engaged in 2022 after years of dating. The couple shared three young children: sons Dinis, 4, and Duarte, 2, and a daughter who was born in November 2024.
PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Jota, who played for Liverpool F.C. in the English Premier League, and his brother were killed in a single car accident early Thursday morning.
“The information we have so far is that the car, which was a Lamborghini, was in a road traffic accident and left the road due to a tire blowout while overtaking,” the Spanish Guardia Civil told BBC News. “It was in the early hours, 00:30 BST, in the municipality of Cernadilla in the province of Zamora.”
The vehicle “caught on fire,” according to the police, killing both men.
“Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota,” the team posted on its website on Thursday. “The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.”
The statement continued, “Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss. We will continue to provide them with our full support.”
Jota’s death impacted all corners of the sports world, including NBA star LeBron James, who has an ownership stake in Liverpool.
“My prayers goes [sic] out to his loved ones during this time!” James, 40, posted via X on Thursday. “May you all be guided and protected! YNWA JOTA!! .”
“YWNA” is an abbreviation for “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” a song that’s become an anthem for Liverpool fans.
“If it wasn’t for places like Planned Parenthood, I would be a mother — and I wouldn’t have been a great mother and I definitely wouldn’t be sitting here today,” the Dancing With the Stars pro said in an Instagram video.
Uma Thurman detailed her abortion story in September 2021 after Texas passed a law banning the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. “In my late teens, I was accidentally impregnated by a much older man,” the Pulp Fiction actress wrote in an essay for The Washington Post. “I wanted to keep the baby, but how?”
After discussing it with her parents, however, the Oscar nominee realized that terminating the pregnancy was the better choice. “Choosing not to keep that early pregnancy allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted and needed to be.”
Keep scrolling to see which celebrities have shared their abortion stories:
The "Edge of Seventeen" singer ended a pregnancy in 1979. “If I had not had that abortion, I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac,” she told The Guardian in October 2020. “There’s just no way that I could have had a child then, working as hard as we worked constantly. And there were a lot of drugs, I was doing a lot of drugs. ... I would have had to walk away.”
Four years later, Nicks told Rolling Stone, "When this pregnancy happened, it was like, ‘What the heck happened?’ I am completely respectful of the world rules here, and all of a sudden this happens to me and I can’t figure it out. ... So, my decision was to have an abortion. If people want to be mad at me about that, I don’t really care, because my life was my life and my plan was my plan and had been since I was in the fourth grade."
The Oscar winner detailed her “horrific” abortion story in an Instagram video shared in October 2024 after previously opening up about it in her 2018 memoir, In Pieces. “I had no choices in my life. I didn't have a lot of family support or finances. I graduated high school but no one ever said, 'How about college?' Nothing,” Field recalled. “I didn't know what I was gonna be, and then I found out I was pregnant [at 17].”
Field’s family doctor drove her to Tijuana, Mexico, along with his wife and Field’s mother, and the actress underwent a “beyond hideous and life-altering” procedure without any anesthetic. “A few months after that, I began auditions. I didn't have an agent,” she added. “And by the end of that year, I was Gidget. I was the quintessential, all-American girl next door.”
In her October 2023 memoir, Behind the Shoulder Pads, Collins revealed that she had an abortion in her 20s while she was engaged to Warren Beatty. “I was lucky to have had an expert doctor,” she wrote. “I had no pain and recovered within two days and was able to get on with my life. This may make me sound callous, but I just thought of the episode as a delayed period and put it to the back of my mind. The scenario of what my future life would have been like if I had gone to term and delivered a child was too depressing. I would have been vilified by the press and my career absolutely ruined.”
Collins went on to welcome daughter Tara and son Alexander with second husband Anthony Newley and daughter Katyana with third husband Ron Kass.
Washington revealed in her 2023 memoir, Thicker Than Water, that she had an abortion in her 20s after a romantic incident resulted in an unplanned pregnancy. “I struggled a lot in the beginning with whether or not to include my abortion story," the Scandal alum told People in September 2023. “At first I wasn't really sure how it fit into this story of my life. But I started to feel like it was really important for me to share this.”
She continued: “This story had so much to do with my understanding of myself and the world as my career unfolded.”
As for why she decided to open up about her experience, Washington told the outlet: “It's just so important to me that abortion is not a bad word, and that my abortion is not another thing on the list of things that I'm ashamed of. … We’re at a moment where it’s really important to be telling the truth about our reproductive choices because some of those choices are being stripped away from us.”
In her September 2023 memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones, the comedian revealed that she had her first abortion at age 18. “All I felt was an urgency to not be pregnant. So, I had an abortion, and it was very hard,” she wrote. “I don’t want to say it was wrong, because to this day I would do the same thing.”
By the time she reached her mid-20s, Jones had two additional abortions. “This is not a birth control method,” she recalls realizing. “When I went to Planned Parenthood, I finally learned how to prevent pregnancies and take care of myself. Thank God for those people and what they do.”
“This was also something that I didn’t want to talk about [at the time] because there was so much shame around that,” Hilton said during a February 2023 interview with Glamour, revealing that she had an abortion in her 20s. “I was a kid and I was not ready for that.”
The Simple Life alum added that Roe v. Wade getting overturned in June 2022 made her want to speak out about her experience.
“It’s your body, your choice and I really believe in that. It’s mind-boggling to me that they’re making laws about what you do with your reproductive health, because if it were the other way around with the guys, it would not be this way at all," she said.
Inspired by Chrissy Teigen, the actress opened up about the two miscarriages she's experienced throughout her relationship with husband Jason Biggs. "The first was at the beginning of our relationship and the second was during the pandemic," she wrote in a September 2022 Instagram Story. "Both times I needed a D&C [dilation and curettage] and received abortion care and both times I was so grateful to live in a country where that was possible."
“Two years ago, when I was pregnant with Jack, John [Legend] and my third child, I had to make a lot of difficult and heartbreaking decisions. It became very clear around halfway through that he would not survive, and that I wouldn’t either without any medical intervention,” the Cravings founder said during Propper Daley’s A Day of Unreasonable Conversation Summit in September 2022. “Let’s just call it what it was: It was an abortion.”
She added: “[It was] an abortion to save my life for a baby that had absolutely no chance. And to be honest, I never, ever put that together until, actually, a few months ago. … I told the world we had a miscarriage, the world agreed we had a miscarriage, all the headlines said it was a miscarriage. And I became really frustrated that I didn’t, in the first place, say what it was, and I felt silly that it had taken me over a year to actually understand that we had had an abortion.”
Burke detailed an abortion she had at age 18 in a video shared via Instagram in June 2022. “I think I made the right decision [because] I wouldn’t be sitting here [and] I wouldn’t be passionately doing what I love to do if it wasn’t for the right to have an abortion, and this has nothing to do with anybody else," she said. "I have no regrets. There is no shame behind it.”
The California native went on to note that she'd been practicing safe sex by using condoms and birth control, but sometimes “s—t happens” anyway. “I was two weeks pregnant when I got an abortion," Burke continued. "I’m happy that I made that decision. I have no regrets. There is no shame behind it.”
The That '70s Show alum revealed that she had an abortion after finding out that the fetus was not viable. "One of the worst days of my life was when I made the choice to terminate a pregnancy in the second trimester," she wrote via Instagram in June 2022. "The devastating truth is that we found out the fetus would not survive to full term, and that my life was at risk as well. At the time - I had the choice. Everyone has their own story for seeking out this medical procedure and I empathize with anyone who’s been faced with this impossible decision."
In a June 2016 essay for Playboy, the comedian wrote that she had two abortions as a teenager. “Like millions of women, I can live my life without an unplanned child born out of an unhealthy relationship because of Roe v. Wade,” she said. “Getting unintentionally pregnant more than once is irresponsible, but it’s still necessary to make a thoughtful decision. We all make mistakes all the time.”
After news of the Supreme Court's plans to overturn Roe leaked in May 2022, the "Sidelines" songstress revealed that she had an abortion nearly one year prior. "I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour," she tweeted at the time. "I went to Planned Parenthood where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access."
In June 2022, the Real Housewives of New York City alum told her Instagram followers that she had an abortion in her late teens. "Today is one of the worst days of my life, on this planet, as a woman, as an American, as a human being, that men took away the right for us to choose what to do with our bodies," she said in an Instagram Story after the Roe decision was announced. "I had an abortion when I was in my late teens, and my life would have been so dramatically affected. Who knows, I may have put it up for adoption and wondered my entire life, 'Was it a mistake?'"
The Scream Queens alum shared her abortion story in May 2019 after Alabama passed a law that essentially banned the procedure. “I was worried about my career responsibilities and afraid that I could not exist as both a career woman and mother,” she tweeted. Palmer later deleted her original tweet but added another explaining that she felt abortion was hard to discuss via social media. “Twitter is sometimes too flat and too short to express intimate sentiments. Words without context, very annoying,” she wrote. “I am disheartened about hearing the news in Alabama. I feel as if women rights laws are going backwards. Individual choice is being taken. I’m truly so confused at the world [right now] and the policies that follow.”
"It’s not brave for me to say I had an abortion at 15, because it’s a medical thing — a thing, a choice that I made, and I don’t regret it at all,” the Girls 5Eva star said during a May 2019 panel discussion at the In Goop Health Summit. “I don’t have a shame. I’m glad I didn’t have that guy’s baby. I’m OK. ... We hold on to these things as to not make men uncomfortable, but I’m ready for them to start holding it. I’m done.”
In her 2012 memoir, the Ugly Betty alum revealed that she had an abortion when she was in high school. "Being pregnant is the most frightening thing that happens in your life," she told Nightline in April 2012. "I knew in high school that's something that I was not prepared to do, or fight, or struggle with."
Following the Supreme Court's decision in June 2022, the model said she had her first abortion as a teenager after she was raped. Baldwin chose to have a second abortion after she got pregnant in a relationship. “We were very unhappy together,” she said in a TikTok video. “And he made it pretty clear that he never wanted kids or marriage — he barely wanted to be in a serious relationship. I chose to get an abortion because I know exactly what it felt like to be born between two people who hated each other."
Thurman had an abortion in her late teens. "I have no regrets for the path I have traveled," she wrote in a September 2021 essay for The Washington Post. "I applaud and support women who make a different choice. The abortion I had as a teenager was the hardest decision of my life, one that caused me anguish then and that saddens me even now, but it was the path to the life full of joy and love that I have experienced."
The Kill Bill actress’ eldest daughter, Maya Hawke, later said she wouldn't exist if her mom hadn't had an abortion. "If she hadn't have had it, she wouldn't have become the person that she had become and I wouldn't exist," the Stranger Things star said during a June 2022 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "Both of my parents' lives would have been derailed if she hadn't had access to safe and legal health care — fundamental health care."
In a December 2014 interview, the "Starships" rapper revealed that she had an abortion as a teenager. "It was the hardest thing I’d ever gone through,” she told Rolling Stone, adding that she got pregnant while dating her first love, who was an older man. “It’d be contradictory if I said I wasn’t pro-choice. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t have anything to offer a child.”
The model had an abortion after giving birth to her second child. "My mental health couldn’t handle being pregnant again & I made the best decision for ME & ultimately my family," she wrote via Instagram in May 2019. "It wasn’t the 'easy thing to do,' it was excruciating on many levels, but necessary. Do I regret it or question my choice? Not at all."
“I had an abortion when I was young, and it was the best decision I have ever made,” the Good Place alum tweeted in May 2019. “Both for me, and for the baby I didn’t want, and wasn’t ready for, emotionally, psychologically and financially.”
The Oscar winner wrote about her abortion in the 1991 book The Choices We Made. “I found out I was pregnant when I was 14,” she recalled. “I didn’t get a period. I talked to nobody. I panicked. I sat in hot baths. I drank these strange concoctions girls told me about — something like Johnnie Walker Red with a little bit of Clorox, alcohol, baking soda — which probably saved my stomach — and some sort of cream. You mixed it all up. I got violently ill. At that moment I was more afraid of having to explain to anybody what was wrong than of going to the park with a hanger, which is what I did.”
“When I was younger I had an abortion,” the Friday Night Lights alum wrote via Instagram in May 2019. “It was the smartest decision I could’ve made, not only for myself and my boyfriend at the time, but also for this unborn fetus. For a baby to’ve been born to two people — too young and completely ill equipped — with no means or help from family, would have resulted in a child born into an unnecessary world of struggle. Having a baby at that time would have only perpetuated the cycle of poverty, chaos and dysfunction I was born into."
The West Side Story star underwent a botched abortion before Roe v. Wade made it legal in 1973. In June 2022, the Oscar winner told Variety that she became pregnant while she was dating the late Marlon Brando. “Marlon found a doctor through some friends,” she said. “He was a real doctor — Marlon paid him $500 — as opposed to something in a back alley.” After the procedure, however, she began to bleed at home. She later discovered the doctor hadn't actually completed the abortion.
“I had what they told me was a ‘disturbed pregnancy,’” Moreno recalled. “The doctor didn’t do anything really, except make me bleed. In other words, he didn’t do it right. I didn’t know it then, but I could have died. What a mess. What a dreadful mess.”
In January 2021, the model revealed that she had an abortion shortly before she met fiancé Robin Thicke, with whom she shares three children. “So, my abortion story sucks, but I’ll talk about it,” she said in an Instagram video. “Healing mentally, I just knew it was the right thing to do, so that’s what’s always kept me feeling OK about the decision.” After going to the clinic alone, Geary recalled that the person who'd gotten her pregnant picked her up and took her "straight" to the airport. “So, you know, I did make the right decision cause, like, who does that after someone gets an abortion?” she added.
The Where the Heart Is actress had an abortion after being raped. "As everyone knows, and I'm very open about it, I'm a three-time rape survivor," Judd said at the Women in the World Summit in April 2019. "And one of the times I was raped, there was conception, and I'm very thankful I was able to access safe and legal abortion. Because that rapist, who is a Kentuckian, as am I, and I reside in Tennessee, has paternity rights in Kentucky and Tennessee. I would have had to coparent with a rapist."
The late Paul Walker's daughter revealed that she had an abortion amid the coronavirus pandemic. "I too battled with the choice but in 2020, when the world was collapsing during the pandemic, I sought an abortion,” the model wrote via Instagram in June 2022. “It is a very private and personal experience — the way it should be. I was lucky enough to have a great doctor who supported me through the debilitating process — with their help, I am able to be the happy and healthy person I am today."
In October 2021, Maloney said that she had an abortion when she first started dating Tom Schwartz 10 years prior. “I wanted it to work out, but I was just like, ‘If anything, he’s going to leave and I’m going to be a single mom,'" she said in an episode of Vanderpump Rules at the time. “I know I wanted to have kids, but I just knew that that was just not the time in my life. … Everyone, every woman, every person should be able to decide what’s best for them.”
The Dynasty alum had an abortion in her 20s, several years before the procedure was legalized in her native United Kingdom. “I had an abortion. [A child] would have been the death of my career, and I was by then 26," she recalled in a June 2021 episode of Piers Morgan's Life Stories. "Of course, I hesitated, but I realized that if I was going to have a child I was going to be able to bring the child up properly, and I believed very strongly that I’m in charge of my body. I was a feminist before the word was heard and I shall do what I felt was right for me. It would have been wrong to have [gone through with the pregnancy]. It would have ruined my life."
The tennis icon had an abortion in 1971, two years before Roe v. Wade legalized the procedure nationwide. "Anyone seeking an abortion had to obtain approval from a hospital committee — that is, tell a panel of strangers why they believed their pregnancy would 'gravely impair' their physical and mental health," she wrote in a December 2021 essay for The Washington Post. "Arguing to a dozen or so people I had never met why I qualified for an abortion remains one of the most degrading experiences of my life. But there was still another indignity: The law required that my husband sign a consent form. Men remained in charge of not just financial matters but even the right to govern my own body."
"In 2012, I had an abortion. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make," the Dark Sparkler author tweeted in May 2019. "I still think about it to this day. But these truths do not make me regret my decision. It was the right choice for me, at that time in my life. I have not a single doubt about this."
The Fifth Element actress had an "emergency" abortion in 2017. "I was 4 1/2 months pregnant and shooting on location in Eastern Europe," she wrote via Instagram in May 2019. "I went into pre term labor and told that I had to be awake for the whole procedure. It was one of the most horrific experiences I have ever gone through. I still have nightmares about it. I was alone and helpless. When I think about the fact that women might have to face abortions in even worse conditions than I did because of new laws, my stomach turns."
The late Glee alum wrote about having an abortion in her 2016 memoir, Sorry Not Sorry. “It was very scary to open up about everything,” she wrote. “It’s not something a lot of people talk about, but I think they should. I know some people might read it and say, ‘What the hell?’ But I hope someone out there gets something out of it.”
The activist ended a pregnancy at age 22 in 1957 while she was living in England, where the procedure was then illegal. She later dedicated her 2015 book, My Life on the Road, to the doctor who performed the abortion. "Knowing that [I] had broken an engagement at home to seek an unknown fate, he said, 'You must promise me two things. First, you will not tell anyone my name. Second, you will do what you want to do with your life,'" Steinem wrote. "Dear Dr. Sharpe, I believe you, who knew the law was unjust, would not mind if I say this so long after your death: I’ve done the best I could with my life. This book is for you."
The Girls alum had an abortion in 2007 while she was in college. “I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be attached to this person for the rest of my life," she recalled in a 2015 video for the Center for Reproductive Rights. "My life was just not conducive to raising a happy, healthy child. I just didn’t feel it was fair. So, I decided to get an abortion.”
“I realized I could not bring a child into my world and simultaneously change the world," the Scream star tweeted in March 2019, adding that she had been on birth control but it failed. "I do not regret my decision and it was not made lightly. If you do not want an abortion, don’t get one."
The One Tree Hill alum had an abortion before welcoming her second child in February 2018. "Having an abortion after my fetus died allowed for my uterus to heal in a way that made it healthy enough to carry future pregnancies," she wrote via Instagram in June 2022. "It doesn’t matter if you use the term D&C. The official word on the hospital paperwork is abortion. That’s what it was. You know what would have made that painful day even worse? If abortion had been illegal, and law enforcement inspected my body to make sure I hadn’t caused my own miscarriage."
During a June 2022 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum revealed that she had an abortion at 17.
“I wish people would stop posting examples of exceptional reasons for having abortions," the "Smile" songstress wrote via Instagram in June 2022. "Most people I know, myself included, just didn’t want to have a f–king baby. AND THAT IS REASON ENOUGH! WE DON’T HAVE TO JUSTIFY IT."
“I miscarried three times before my 24th birthday. It seemed a cruel irony that I could get pregnant with ease but struggled to maintain a pregnancy,” the “Without Me” singer told Vogue in an essay published in July 2022. “One of my miscarriages required ‘aftercare,’ a gentle way of saying that I would need an abortion, because my body could not terminate the pregnancy completely on its own and I would risk going into sepsis without medical intervention.”
They added: “During this procedure, I cried. I was afraid for myself and I was helpless. I was desperate to end the pregnancy that was threatening my life. … My abortion saved my life and gave way for my son to have his. Every person deserves the right to choose when, if, and how they have this dangerous and life-altering experience. I will hold my son in one arm, and fight with all my might with the other.”
Allen got candid about her experience with getting several abortions during a July 2025 episode of her “Miss Me?” podcast.
“I’d get pregnant all the time, all the time,” she said. “Abortions, I’ve had a few, but then again, I can’t remember exactly how many. I think maybe, like, I want to say five, four or five.”
Allen also shared a story about one of the abortions.
“I remember once getting pregnant and the man paying for my abortion, and me thinking it was so romantic,” she said. “I don’t think it’s generous or romantic. How much is it, like, 500 quid? Kids are a lot more expensive.”
Allen added that she’s gotten better at using contraceptives and has an IUD.
“I think I’m on my third, maybe fourth,” she explained. “I just remember before that was a complete disaster area.”
Zac Affleck was arguably the most controversial member of DadTok when The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered on Hulu — so how did he end up winning fans over in season 2?
When The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives debuted in September 2024, viewers met a group of Mormon mom influencers in Utah, including Jen Affleck and her husband, Zac.
Zac and Jen’s familiar last name made them the immediate standouts (even though it still remains unclear whether there is actually any relation to Ben and Casey Affleck). As the season continued to play out, the couple offered a glimpse at a traditional Mormon marriage, which certainly came with challenges.
In what is now considered Chippendalegate, Jen’s plans to enjoy a night out in Las Vegas fell apart when Zac threatened to end their relationship over her decision to go to a Chippendales performance. The rest of the season called into question how Jen was being treated in her marriage overall, only for her to decide to leave MomTok in favor of a move to New York with Zac.
“It had a lot to do with just me and just figuring out everything. There are so many factors — not just our relationship — like religion, friendships and my children,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2024. “In order to make the right decision for me and my family, I really had to take a step back and ask myself, ‘How am I going to move forward and what’s best for us?’ You’ll just have to wait for season 2 to see what happens.”
While Jen initially claimed filming the show improved her marriage, she later confirmed that the pair went through a separation. Jen and Zac, who shared two kids when Mormon Wives premiered, got back together in season 2 — not long before she found out she was pregnant with baby No. 3.
“[We went through] lots of therapy. When I say lots of therapy, I mean eight hours a week. We really went all at it,” Jen told Us in May 2025 about ketamine therapy. “It was definitely a game changer. Definitely life changing — and I never thought I would try ketamine. But when you’re looking for anything to help you try anything.”
Jen added: “We wouldn’t have been able to get through season 2 — honestly season 1 or season 2 — without therapy. And filming definitely isn’t a comfortable thing for Zac. I think it’s definitely harder for him to be vulnerable. So that was him really trying to break through that during season 2. Even though there’s a lot of tough conversations we need to have on and off camera, it was all helpful in the end.”
Season 2 captured Jen and Zac’s attempts to save their marriage but it was his behavior that made viewers suddenly root for the Afflecks. Zac’s TikTok videos and offscreen comments also helped redeem him after he originally faced major backlash online.
“We were so vulnerable and we shared everything about our religion and our life and our marriage,” Zac said on “The Viall Files” podcast in May 2025.. “I honestly think we went a little bit naive into the show — just not really knowing what to expect or what reality TV even is.”
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of every Zac era that helped pave the way for his redemption arc:
Zac Affleck and Ben AffleckCourtesy of Jen Affleck/Instagram; Getty Images
When season 1 debuted in September 2024, Jen claimed on the show that Zac’s dad, David Affleck, is second cousins with the famous actors.
Several of Jen’s costars — and the audience — questioned the validity of that statement. Once Zac finally broke his silence on the claims, he addressed it with a sense of humor.
“It’s never been something serious,” he explained in a May 2025 episode of Mormon Wives. “And so, when Jen started telling people that, I did tell her, ‘I don’t think you should say that anymore. I think that’s probably gonna backfire.'”
Jen stood her ground and told Zac he was “not going to make” her “feel stupid.” While Zac wouldn’t budge on the matter, he did have fun with his response, adding, “You’re not. Or maybe you are.”
One month later, Zac took to his Instagram Story, to share a post from a Hulu viewer about Ben’s interest in playing blackjack, with the caption, “I wonder if Jen and Zac know abt this. secret lives of mormon wives bouta get real crazy.”
In response, Zac, whose passion for gambling has become a story line on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, replied, “Uncle Ben is a legend.”
Rough Introduction
Courtesy of Jen Affleck/Instagram
While the Chippendales drama made viewers cringe, Jen expressed her gratitude for the show because it allowed the couple to work on their issues.
“I definitely think it was the best thing to happen to our relationship. While watching the show, a lot of people are going to think that maybe this would break our relationship apart. But if anything, it did the opposite,” she shared with Us in September 2024. “Being on camera and having those moments happen made us take a step back and actually look at a relationship and make us just see what we have to change.”
Jen said she was proud of the progress she and Zac made off screen, adding, “Ever since we finished filming, we’ve been doing nonstop therapy and it’s been great. So if anything, [watching the show] is just going to be exposure therapy at this point.”
Putting Jen First
Instagram
After Zac received so much backlash that he had to lock his social media accounts until season 2 premiered, he showed Jen and fans a new side of him when he promised to prioritize her. (He also started to bond with Demi and Jessi after they had multiple hour-long phone conversations.)
“I reached out to my dean and put in my application to leave medical school. My feelings toward MomTok haven’t completely changed but I feel like a lot of our marriage I made about me and what I want to do,” he told Jen in a May 2025 episode. “I don’t know what I am going to do with my life, to be honest. I am here to support you and support your career.”
As Zac and Jen fought for their marriage, she found out she was pregnant with their third baby. Zac supported Jen as she dealt with depression and suicidal ideation that led to her checking into a wellness center.
“Spent 11 days away from my loved ones, focusing on healing and working through my trauma,” she wrote via her Instagram Story in March 2025 before the second season premiered on Hulu. “It was definitely one of the most challenging and impactful experiences I’ve ever had . Not the pregnancy journey I expected, but definitely what baby and I needed.”
Jen elaborated on the “moments of processing, learning, pain and healing” at the retreat, which included counseling sessions, yoga classes, spending time with horses and painting.
“It’s not every day you have the chance to be surrounded by professionals and mentors who dedicate their time to support you,” she continued. “I am truly grateful for everyone who made this possible.”
Part of Zac’s public rehabilitation was showing his sense of humor — and what better way than on TikTok? One of Zac’s greatest hits was a collaboration with Whitney Leavitt’s husband, Conner Leavitt, where they poked fun at the rumors that they were secretly gay.
“When the lavender marriage rumors finally get to you but you have each others backs,” Zac captioned a TikTok in June 2025 which featured a transition that showed Conner with his legs around Zac’s shoulders.
Zac noted that the video was a way to “welcome” Conner to DadTok. Conner replied to the video, writing, “Always hear [sic] for you bro. Day or night.” In response to a fan joking that the video was “giving double lavender marriage,” Zac noted, “Yeah that was the joke lol.”
Bringing the Receipts to the Reunion
Disney/Fred Hayes
It feels safe to say that Zac didn’t cement his place on the show until the Mormon Wives reunion. After coming to his wife’s defense amid her feud with Demi Engemann, Zac came prepared with receipts: a conversation of Demi appearing to give him and Jen talking points.
“When we were in contract negotiations for season 2, Demi called Jen on the phone and was on speaker. I was sitting there and Demi said the craziest things about Jessi — who was her best friend — that she had no respect for her, that she was disgusting and that she wanted nothing to do with her,” Zac claimed during the Hulu special. “This was her best friend. I turned around and I said, ‘She is talking about Jessi that way. How do you think she’s talking about you?’”
“We get in the car, and we are driving home when Bret and Demi call us on the phone. Brett had said, ‘Hey, we really need to figure out [Demi’s] whole victim [narrative].’ Because he didn’t like that she said [she was] a victim because I think he was afraid that she was gonna claim victim and it was gonna be clear to the whole audience that she was not a victim,” Zac noted. “As he started saying that, I’m like, ‘I’m gonna press record,’ because I had heard what she had said about Jessi and I’m like, ‘To cover our own backs, we’re just gonna get the receipt on this.’”
Other Zac highlights from the reunion include him having to explain to Jen the sexual implication behind the clam emoji while she told him what “the big O” meant.
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