Hilary Duff is still working hard to keep family traditions alive this holiday season, even though her family will be spending Christmas on the road.
“We’re actually traveling on Christmas day this year, which is really exciting,” Duff, 37, exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “I think that I love the whole buildup of the holidays. I know it’s chaotic, but I really love being in town, all the festivities, like, we’re going to a holiday road and we’re going to pick out our Christmas tree, we always play tag on the Christmas tree lot. That’s one of my favorite family activities.”
One of Duff’s personal holiday traditions happens when her kids are out of the house. “We put the tree up together, and then once the kids go to school, I replace all of the ornaments and put them where they actually belong,” she quips.
Duff shares her eldest child, son Luca, 12, with her ex-husband, Mike Comrie. She and her husband, Matthew Koma, welcomed their first child together, daughter Banks, 6, one year before they tied the knot in 2019. They continued to grow their family with the arrival of daughter Mae, 3, in 2021. Duff and Koma, 37, welcomed their third child, daughter Townes, on May 3.
This year, Duff introduced a new tradition that’s fun for the whole family. “We’ve been doing night swims with hot cocoa,” she reveals. “It’s a little bit of a spoiled thing ’cause we heat the pool and get it really warm, but we’re out there doing night swims and cocoa. Sometimes I’ll have a glass of red wine. It’s really fun. We try to do it on the weekdays so the kids — it took, like 30 minutes, but the kids feel like it’s something special and it’s not a normal night around here.”
She adds: “We’re traveling on Christmas day and then we’re skiing, and that’s it for the holidays.”
While the holidays come with plenty of excitement, they also come with stress, especially for parents. “The burden is heavy for moms,” Duff tells Us. “I wake up in the middle of the night like, ‘Oh, I have these things I didn’t handle.’ … So, I’m getting slowly but surely prepared and [am] definitely excited. I love the holiday season so much, but being an adult now and making it magical for so many people is just so much.”
To help keep things organized, Duff is partnering up with Meta AI, which she describes as a “thought partner.”
She explains: “It’s just something that you can rattle your thoughts off with, and it comes [up] with ideas. … [If] my normal approach to this part of the holiday is a little stale, what can I do? Or [it can] help me get these lists together. ‘I’ve already done this. What can I add to it? I’m going to be in this part of town.’ It’s really amazing that we have this assistant for people that, one, don’t have access to a normal assistant. The other day I had to bring an appetizer and I was like, ‘I have this, this and this. What can I do with it?’ And it helped me.”
She goes on to joke: “I have a personal assistant and I even still need it.”
For more on Duff, watch the video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
Brittany Murphy was a Hollywood star unlike any other before her tragic death.
Born in November 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, Brittany’s (full name Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack) parents, Sharon Murphy and Angelo Bertolotti split when she was 2 years old. She became interested in acting after she and her mother moved to New Jersey.
Murphy got her big break on the sitcom Drexell’s Class before going on to appear in critically and commercially acclaimed films such as Clueless, Girl, Interrupted, 8 Mile and Uptown Girls. After two failed engagements, she tied the knot with Simon Monjack in 2007.
Murphy unexpectedly died at age 32 in December 2009, sending shock waves through the entertainment industry. Her death was ruled an accident, with the official cause cited as pneumonia, anemia and prescription drug intoxication.
The mystery of why Murphy seemingly didn’t seek out medical treatment is what Dr. Lisa Scheinin, who performed the actress’ autopsy, thinks continues to hold peoples’ interest. “I think that’s why people just don’t let it go,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2024. “A lot of times, when a celebrity dies, there’s an initial flurry of interest and then it just fades away.”
Makeup artist Trista Jordan, who worked with the actress on the film Something Wicked, told Us: “Brittany left an impact on a lot of people’s hearts. She truly was a sweetheart, but I don’t think she surrounded herself with the right people. I think if she hadn’t met Simon Monjack, she’d probably still be alive.”
Scroll down for a look at Murphy’s biggest personal and professional moments:
Murphy appeared on a 1991 episode of Murphy Brown before booking her breakout role as Brenda Drexell on Drexell’s Class. The series ran for one season from 1991 to 1992, after which she continued to book TV gigs on shows such as Almost Home, Frasier, Party of Five and Sister, Sister.
Murphy famously voiced Luanne Platter on the long-running animated series King of the Hill. She continued to lend her voice to the cartoon comedy up until her death.
Murphy starred alongside Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Elisabeth Moss, Clea DuVall and Jared Leto in the drama Girl, Interrupted. She portrayed Daisy, a young woman struggling with OCD and self-harm.
Murphy began dating Ashton Kutcher after meeting on the set of their movie Just Married. Their short-live romance fizzled out in 2003, the same year as the film’s release.
The same year she entered her relationship with Kutcher, she starred as rapper Eminem’s love interest in the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile.
Another of Murphy's most memorable roles was that of Molly in Uptown Girls. The film follows Molly as she forms a sweet bond with a young girl named Ray (Dakota Fanning) after taking a job as her nanny.
Murphy was briefly engaged to talent manager Jeff Kwatinetz in 2004. The engagement reportedly only lasted for four months, but the two remained friends after their split.
Murphy followed up her engagement to Kwatinetz by accepting a proposal from actor Joe Macaluso. Similar to her previous romance, the duo’s relationship didn’t last long as they reportedly called it quits in 2006.
Murphy died on December 20, 2009. She was transported to a Los Angeles hospital after not seeking out medical treatment for flu-like symptoms. Brittany’s official cause of death was ruled as severe anemia and pneumonia.
“Any decent doctor would have her in the ER, hooked up to a transfusion as quick as they possibly could, because this is a life-threatening situation,” Scheinin stated in the October 2021 HBO documentary What Happened, Brittany Murphy?. “The anemia in itself would've been fatal even without the pneumonia. The pneumonia was fatal, and then you're adding this to the equation.”
In a bizarre coincidence, Monjack also died of pneumonia less than one year later at age 40. Given the couple died of the same cause, rumors speculated about what could have caused their health issues. Brittany’s father, Bertolotti, accused her mother, Sharon, of poisoning Brittany and Monjack (which she denied), while others have speculated the couple suffered from mold poisoning in their home. (Scheinin stated in the HBO documentary that no evidence of mold was found in Brittany’s lungs.)
In the What Happen, Brittany Murphy? film, retired Coroner Asst. Chief Ed Winter said that Brittany’s cause of death is not the “mystery” in the case, but rather why her health issues weren’t caught sooner. “Had they taken her to the doctor a few days before, she'd still be alive. There are some people that, they're not satisfied,” he stated. “They think maybe there's more [to the story]. You just have to go on the facts.”
Brandi Glanville put her recent health struggles aside to celebrate the holiday season.
The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 52, showed off her healing face at her friend Amouranth’s Winter Wonderland birthday party in Burbank, California, on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. The event marked Glanville’s first public outing since revealing she’s suffering from what doctors believe is a facial parasitic infection.
Glanville sported a fuzzy leopard-print coat on the event’s red carpet before posing for pics inside the party with Twitch and OnlyFans streamer Amouranth, 31. Sporting a black mini dress and matching knee-high boots, the Bravolebrity accessorized her look with a festive red and leopard-print Santa hat.
Glanville rocked a natural glam makeup look and red lip for the birthday party. Her face appeared to be healing and improved compared to the selfie she shared earlier this month to announce she was battling an unknown skin issue.
“Sick it!” she captioned the snap via X on December 7. In a follow-up tweet, she added: “What happened? I wish I knew. I’ve been in &out of the hospital this passed [sic] year 1/2 spent almost every dollar I have trying to figure it out. Some Dr.’s say I have a parasite that jumps around my face. Some say it’s stress-induced edema. I personally say it’s Bravo.”
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight published on December 10, Glanville said she has had “every test under the sun” done to figure out what the cause of her face condition is. “They’re like, ‘It could be a parasite.’ That’s, you know, new,” she shared.
Having “been on meds” for the past year, Glanville told the outlet she’s spent around $70,000 on trying to fix her skin issue. She also speculated she contracted the possible parasite while filming season 5 of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. (Glanville was accused of sexually harassing costar Caroline Manzo while filming the show — which has yet to air — in 2023. She has denied the allegations.)
Brandi Glanville
“We had food sitting out for hours on end and some of it was meat. In Morocco,” she explained to ET, noting she began experiencing symptoms after filming had wrapped. “Six months after I got back from Morocco, I started having this speaking thing and the swelling up thing, it started in July and we’re still here trying to figure it out.”
Botched and Real Housewives of Orange County star Dr. Terry Dubrow later told TMZ that he did not believe a parasite was the issue, but suggested that Glanville get an official diagnosis sooner than later. “She’s like a ticking time bomb. Every minute that that microorganism is allowed to stay in her skin and do potential damage, she could suffer worse for it,” he told the outlet on December 12. “It could be more difficult to treat and she could form more scars and more nodules. So Brandi needs a diagnosis. She probably needs a surgical intervention to get a piece of tissue and figure out what’s going on.”
One day later, Glanville told fans via X that she had “been in touch” with Dubrow, 66, and that “all the fillers that were in my face have been dissolved.”
Glanville described the feeling of her supposed facial parasite on Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast earlier this week, sharing: “Whenever I get the chills, it’s generally an infection. Then I start having the ticking in my ear, and then whatever’s in my face, moving around, started moving around again. And it starts sinking in again.”
Admitting that she’s unsure whether the issue is a parasite, she added: “I prefer [my face] when it’s a little swollen, to be honest. When it’s only swollen on one side, it’s not great. But the sinking in thing is killing me slowly, because I just feel like I look like a crackhead.”
Not only do Kim Kardashian and her bestie Tracy Romulus have matching outfits, but they now have matching cars.
While heading out to celebrate Romulus’ 45th birthday in twinning black leather trench coats on Wednesday, December 18, Kardashian, 44, surprised her pal with a black Cybertruck. “Thank youuuuuuuuuu … There is no one like you my crazy, over the top bf @kimkardashian,” Romulus captioned a blurred Instagram Story snap of the car on Wednesday, which Kardashian reposted via her own account the following day.
The Kardashians star also reshared her BFF’s Instagram Story reaction videos to the lavish gift. In the first clip, Kardashian told her friend, “Look outside.” Romulus then jumped with joy after spotting the Cybertruck.
“Kim, are you serious? Are you nuts? Are you crazy?” she asked Kardashian, who simply replied, “Happy Birthday!” Looking to put the gift to the test, Kardashian went on to ask, “Should we take your car tonight?”
In a separate Instagram Story clip, the women walked outside to get a closer look at the vehicle. “You’re so crazy,” Romulus said before embracing Kardashian for a hug. “I don’t even know what to say.” (Kardashian’s knee scooter, which she has been spotted using after recently breaking her foot, also appeared in the videos.)
In addition to being close friends with Kardashian, Romulus is also the executive vice president of communications for the reality star’s clothing brand, Skims.
Romulus’ car is not the first Cybertruck the Kardashian-Jenner family has gifted this year. Back in May, Kris Jenner got her grandson Psalm a mini version of his mother’s silver Cybertruck for his 5th birthday. (Kardashian shares Psalm and kids North, 11, Saint, 9, and Chicago, 6, with her ex-husband Kanye West.)
“Thank you mom! @krisjenner for the coolest gift for Psalms for his bday,” Kardashian captioned a cute Instagram Story snap of her son sitting in his toy car. “Baby Cyber truck.”
Kardashian gushed about the present in a follow-up Instagram Story clip, telling Psalm, “Now you match Mommy, huh?” Psalm, for his part, told her: “I want to drive this to school.”
Last month, Kardashian made headlines after posing alongside a Tesla robot to promote the new Cybertruck model, the Cybercab. After the photos sparked controversy, a representative for Kardashian told The New York Times on November 22 that she did not receive payment in exchange for her posts about the Tesla products.
Along with gifting the latest technology to her family and friends, Kardashian is focusing on her love life. A source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month that Kardashian has started dating someone new” and is “keeping it very under wraps.”
The insider added: “She’s said the next person she dates will be someone who isn’t famous.”
“I think pooping next to each other in open spaces really creates a really deep bond,” Nicole, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly while chatting about the upcoming season of the Fox reality competition show. Jenner, 41, hilariously added: “She had my back every time I needed to drop a deuce.”
Nicole and Jenner are two of the 16 celebrities who will be put through a series of grueling challenges akin to actual Special Forces training on the show’s third season, which premieres on Wednesday, January 8. As the cast is pushed to their physical and mental brink, only a handful will emerge from the competition stronger than ever.
“When you’re stripped down like that, I mean you literally have nothing else,” Nicole told Us of the filming experience. “You don’t have your family, you don’t have your friends, you don’t have your phones, you don’t have social media. There’s no way to disconnect. You have no other option but to connect. And thankfully it was a cast full of really amazing, dope people that we were able to connect with. I’m really thankful.”
Jenner doubled down on her kind comments, calling his costars “phenomenal.” He added: “The camaraderie going through these team challenges because it’s not a contest. You’re not there to compete against each other. You’re there to get to know each other and to help each other, motivate each other and to just try to make it to the end.”
Jenner went on to credit former NFL stars Golden Tate and Cam Newton for helping to keep things light on set despite the hard conditions. “Just having people there that were funny and there was just such diversity and we got really lucky. We really did,” he stated.
Brody Jenner, Kayla Nicole in ‘Special Forces.’
Nicole told Us that she joined the show to prove to herself that she’s “capable of anything that I put my mind to,” which included facing a newfound fear. “I was unaware that I had a fear of heights up until the show,” she revealed. “I love roller coasters. I can do all of those things, but there’s something about jumping off of a bridge over land [that] spooks me. I can jump off of a helicopter into the water every day. I loved those tasks. But for whatever reason, put me on a bridge over standstill land and I freeze.”
Jenner, meanwhile, said having to leave his fiancée, Tia Blanco, and 16-month-old daughter, Honey, was “one of the toughest parts” about his Special Forces journey. (The couple welcomed their first child together in July 2023.)
“Tia’s the best mom ever, so I knew that Honey was well taken care of,” he said. “And so, knowing that I had an incredible support team at home and they’ll be fine, and going out there and just trying to get the job done, it was great.”
Season 3 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test premieres on Fox Wednesday, January 8, at 8 p.m. ET.
“The first day that we worked together, I think I told people this, but I was worried that I would cry,” Ritter, 43, exclusively told Us Weekly while chatting about the upcoming film, which hits theaters on Friday, December 20. “When you meet somebody who you’ve watched your whole life — and I loved him so much.”
Ritter has been a longtime fan of Carrey’s, telling Us that she did “impressions of him very early in my career to get my acting manager.” So when she got the chance to work with him in Sonic 3, the actress said she was “very worried that I was going to cry.”
She explained: “I was telling everybody just to let the charge out a little bit, and thank God I didn’t in front of him. I didn’t cry to his face, but I kept it together. I was very cool, but I did a lot of acting.”
Carrey returns as Dr. Robotnik for the third Sonic installment. Rather than face off against the titular hero (voiced by Ben Schwartz) and his pals Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) and Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey), Sonic 3 will see Dr. Robotnik team up with the trio to take down the villainous Shadow the Hedgehog (voiced by Keanu Reeves).
Just like his on-screen character, Ritter — who joins the franchise as Director Rockwell — told Us Carrey was like a “mad scientist” on set. “He’s a comedic scientist. And I think just watching how he would make subtle changes, big changes — he would do the scripted version and then he would have pages and pages of alts to try, stuff that he had written the night before, or an idea that came to him,” she shared. “And he would just make these subtle little changes, and the comedy would land differently. It was so cool to watch.”
Krysten Ritter, Lee Majdoub, Neal H. Moritz, Jeff Fowler, Toby Ascher, Tika Sumpter, James Marsden, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey and Keanu Reeves attend the ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 3’ photocall to ‘Push the Button’ and turn the London Eye Blue on December 10, 2024.
Ritter’s favorite credits of Carrey’s include In Living Color, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Liar Liar, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber. “He’s so funny. He’s created a language the same way, like, Tim Burton,” she gushed. “You can look at one image like, ‘Oh, that’s so Tim Burton.’ You can look at the music of Jim Carrey’s comedy and be like, ‘Oh, it’s so Jim Carrey.’ He’s just doing his own thing. He’s just one in a billion.”
Not only was Ritter excited to work alongside Carrey on Sonic 3, but the film will mark the first project of hers that her 5-year-old son, Bruce, will get to watch. (She shares her son with longtime partner Adam Granduciel.)
Jim Carrey as Ivo Robotnik and Sonic (Ben Schwartz) in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3.’
“I have some Jessica Jones little action figures, so he knows about [the TV show] Jessica Jones, but he could not see any of that ever,” she quipped. “So, this will be the first thing that he’s able to see of my work, which is really exciting.”
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits theaters on Friday, December 20.
“I want to be clear that we’re including travel expenses, hotels, and me also flying and putting up everyone that I would invite to go with me, plus tickets, plus merch,” the comedian, 40, told People in an interview published on Thursday, December 19, noting it was “all well worth it” and she “would’ve paid even more.”
Glaser said she justifies her Eras Tour spending on the fact that she does not have kids, something she said wasn’t the “easiest decision” to make. “There was a part of me that was like, ‘I would like kids,’ but it just doesn’t fit in my life. And so, in order for me to make myself feel better about the decision, I did look up how much it cost to raise a kid,” she explained. “And so, once I saw that number, I thought, ‘It’s no problem for me to spend this on Taylor Swift.’ People spend that much on their kids playing hockey for five years, so it’s OK.”
She continued: “No one ever shames anyone for having kids and says, ‘Oh, what a waste of money. Oh, you’re flaunting your wealth.’ But for some reason, when I go to 22 Taylor Swift shows, it’s like, ‘You’re so privileged. How dare you spend that money.’”
Swift, 35, began her record-breaking Eras Tour in March 2023 and traveled to five continents before wrapping up in Vancouver, Canada, on December 8. The Grammy winner played to over 10 million fans over the course of her 149 shows, bringing in over $2 billion in ticket sales, according to The New York Times.
“It’s nice to see the total that she made,” Glaser told People. “I love that it was down to the dollar, and I could see my own money in that number and be like, ‘Yeah, there it is.’”
Nikki Glaser
Glaser documented her Eras Tour travels for fans via Instagram and even captured a sweet moment where Swift spotted her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, in the crowd of one of her June shows in Dublin.
It was after the tour’s June 30 shows in Dublin that Nikki’s parents, Julie and Edward Glaser, made headlines for criticizing footage of Julia Roberts rubbing her hands on Kelce’s shoulders at the concert. Julie called the interaction “weird” in a July 1 video on Nikki’s Instagram Story, adding, “[Julia] just wants to get in there.” Edward, for his part, stated, “The scratching is weird.”
Nikki subsequently made her parents film an apology video after their comments about Roberts, 57, and Kelce, 35, went viral. Julie apologized for her use of the word “gross,” stating in a July 2 Instagram Story clip, “It’s not a nice word. … So, I’m issuing an apology right now for using the word — but I think it was really weird.”
Edward hilariously chimed in, saying it was “too late” for his wife to take back what she said.
Taylor Swift
Now that The Eras Tour has officially come to an end, Glaser is gearing up to host the 2025 Golden Globes on Sunday, January 5. “The Golden Globes is not only a huge night for TV and film, but also for comedy. It’s one of the few times that show business not only allows but encourages itself to be lovingly mocked (at least I hope so),” she joked in an August 28 press release.
She went on to call the gig “exciting, yet challenging” because of its live format, adding, “[And it’s] in front of Hollywood’s biggest stars, who also might be getting wasted while seated next to their recent exes.”
There’s one present on Hoda Kotb’s daughters’ Christmas lists that Santa Claus won’t be placing underneath the tree this year.
“They want makeup, but what is that about?” Kotb, 60, shared on the Wednesday, December 18, episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers. “That is not happening. What are we talking about? All these little kids, like young kids, 7, 8, 9 [years old], are into skincare and stuff. But we don’t have that in my house. That’s a big no.”
Kotb shares daughters Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, with her ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman. This year will mark her first Christmas in her new suburban home outside of New York City, where she moved her family earlier this year.
Luckily for the Today show host, her girls have more than just makeup on their holiday wishlists. “They asked Santa for magic sets. They like magic sets,” she shared. “They like American Girl dolls. They’re into anything with bubbles.”
Host Seth Meyers went on to joke that Kotb’s kids will have to put up with a “few more years of bubbles” before they are allowed to start wearing makeup.
Kotb will be by her daughters’ sides when that time comes, as she will be leaving Today next month after nearly 30 years at NBC. While announcing her exit in September, Kotb cited turning 60 and wanting to spend more time with her kids as the main reasons behind her decision.
“All of us, like, have a time pie and you kind of have to decide how much of your time pie do your kids get and how much does your work get,” Kotb reiterated on Late Night With Seth Meyers. “And so, I thought, it’s time for my kids to get a bigger slice.”
Hoda Kotb with daughters.
Following her final episode on Friday, January 10, Craig Melvin will take over her role as Savannah Guthrie’s Today coanchor. Jenna Bush Hager will continue to cohost the fourth hour — which will be retitled Today With Jenna & Friends — alongside a rotating lineup of guest hosts.
On Wednesday, Meyers, 50, questioned Kotb about what parts of her Today job she will and won’t miss. One thing she, Haley and Hope will all miss about 30 Rockefeller Plaza is eating at the NBC commissary dining hall.
“I love the NBC commissary,” Kotb gushed. “In fact, when my kids come to hang out or come to see me at work, the only thing they ask for is to go up to the ninth floor of the commissary, because it’s got a good spread.”
Among the things Kotb won’t miss are waking up at 3 a.m. for the show and having to work on holidays. Though she will no longer receive her morning weather report from Al Roker on-air, Kotb said she will keep up the tradition from home.
“I’m still gonna get that [weather report]. I’m texting Al,” she stated. “I’m gonna be like, ‘What’s up for my trip? What’s up for today?’ And Al, he’s the first one to respond.”
The Today cast and crew will celebrate Kotb throughout her final week on the show next month, which will culminate with a special “Hoda-bration” episode filmed in front of a live studio audience in 30 Rock’s Studio 8G, a.k.a. the Late Night With Seth Meyers studio.
“This is gonna be the spot. And we, first of all, we love you. We love this spot. And to think that the last one’s gonna be live on a Friday is pretty cool,” Kotb told Meyers, who hilariously responded: “But don’t get, like, any sticky fingers while you’re here.”
The actress reshared several birthday tributes from family and friends via her Instagram Story on Wednesday, December 18. Among the posts, Holmes revealed the sweet gift she received from Suri, 18.
“I am so grateful for all of my blessings especially my daughter ,” Holmes captioned an Instagram Story snap of a bouquet of purple roses.
Holmes shares her only child with her ex-husband, Tom Cruise, to whom she was married from 2006 to 2012. Suri was spotted in New York City on Wednesday to watch her mom in the Broadway revival of Our Town, per pics obtained by the Daily Mail. (Suri is currently in her freshman year at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.)
“I’m proud of my daughter,” the Dawson’s Creek alum told Town & Country in August of Suri beginning college. “Of course, I will miss the close proximity, but I’m really proud of her and I’m happy.”
Reflecting on her own teenage years, she added: “I remember being this age, this time of beginnings. It’s exciting to learn about yourself, and I loved that time, so it makes me happy to think about it like that.” (Holmes was just 19 years old when Dawson’s Creek premiered in 1998.)
Holmes’ Wednesday post about Suri comes one week after she shut down rumors that Tom, 62, has a $1 million trust fund set up for their child. “Completely false,” she wrote over a December 8 Instagram screenshot about the rumors. She captioned the post, “Enough.”
She defended herself in the post’s comments. Responding to one that read, “Hey are you worried if you can pay your rent AND eat this month? No? Yea me either I Wish these were my problems,” Holmes stated that she “didn’t disagree” with them. “But in the world today, I don’t want a target on my child’s back,” she added. “It’s dangerous.”
Despite keeping her daughter out of the spotlight, Holmes has made a handful of rare comments about Suri over the years. “I love her so much. My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality. To make sure she is 100 percent herself and strong, confident, and able. And to know it,” she told InStyle in July 2022.
Holmes continued: “She came out very strong — she’s always been a strong personality. She’ll pick an activity and work her butt off until she’s really good at it. Then she’s like, ‘OK, I’m going to try the next thing.’ She’s very focused and a hard worker. … She’s pretty special.”
In addition to Suri’s flowers, Holmes’ Our Town cast and crew sang her “Happy Birthday” backstage after a performance on Wednesday. “Love you all @ourtownbroadway,” she captioned an Instagram Story video of their performance. (The show’s star-studded cast includes Jim Parsons, Zoey Deutch, Ephraim Sykes, Richard Thomas, Michelle Wilson and Billy Eugene Jones.)
The group followed up their serenade with a delicious meal. “French fried and falafel and homemade red velvet cake from @bobbydaye I am so blessed!!!!” Holmes wrote alongside a snap of herself, Parsons, 51, and more making a plate of food.
Several stars took things to the next level when transforming into their roles for 2024’s biggest films.
Cynthia Erivo spent several hours being painted green to play Elphaba, a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West, in Wicked. “It would take about two hours and 45 minutes to four hours depending on how much we were doing before we got on set,” the actress explained in her Variety’s “Actors on Actors” conversation with Angelina Jolie in December.
Erivo said “everything” was painted green, from her hands to her “whole head.” Finishing details included green-colored contacts, green nails and freckles.
“I wanted to because I also wanted to see the transformation. I wanted to see someone green,” she shared, noting that some people on set never saw her out of her Elphaba makeup. “I would walk on set and that would be the first time they met me, as Elphaba, but they wouldn’t have met me as Cynthia at all because I would have to start [makeup] before we rehearsed,” she stated.
The surprise of seeing her green is something Erivo said added to both her performance and the performances of her fellow actors. “I loved that because it meant that when we’d start shooting, I was her, and they didn’t know anything but her,” she told Jolie. “So, their reactions were always [genuine].”
Scroll down to see some of this year’s biggest on-screen movie transformations:
Nicolas Cage terrified moviegoers with his transformation into the serial killer Longlegs in the Oz Perkins-directed horror film. Facial prosthetics, pale face makeup and a white wig helped Cage pull off one of the scariest performances of the year.
“He has a strange connection to the color white,” he told Entertainment Weekly of his character’s look in July. “I don't really know what it is. He says it's just a force he's aware of. You don't question it too much. He knows it when he sees it.”
While Glen Powell portrayed a storm chaser in the summer blockbuster Twisters, he took on several personas for his role as Gary, a undercover mole, in Netflix’s Hit Man. In order to successfully assist in sting operations in New Orleans, Gary uses wigs and makeup to transform into a lineup of varying personas.
“To chew on all these different characters and feel you have to be a chameleon, that’s one of the things,” Powell noted in a May behind-the-scenes video for the streamer. “So, there’s a lot of pressure to play a character like that. But also, like, yeah, [it’s] an actor’s dream.”
One of the more subtle parts of Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba transformation, the makeup team placed prosthetic ears over the actress’ own in order to cover up her many ear piercings. Erivo also pushed for her version of Elphaba to have micro braids, as opposed to the character’s wavy, dark hair in the original Broadway show.
“[I] wanted something more connected to the person underneath, me,” she told Variety in a December interview. “I asked if we could reimagine that hair as micro braids because I knew you’d still have the movement, and you could still have the length, but there was a texture that was slightly different to what you would normally see on stage, and it was a direct connection between me as a Black woman and Elphaba as a green lady.”
While Demi Moore’s character, Elisabeth Sparkle, starts out The Substance looking like her normal self, she is completely unrecognizable by the time she is killed by her younger second half, Sue (Margaret Qualley).
“Demi was willing to do as much as possible,” the film’s prosthetics designer, Pierre Olivier-Persin, told The Hollywood Reporter in November.
Moore’s second half in The Substance perhaps meets a more gruesome fate, as Margaret Qualley’s character Sue’s misuse of the titular drug causes her to transform into a gory monster, which Persin dubbed as “Elisasue.” Persin also told THR that Qualley wore fake breasts for her portrayal of Elisabeth’s idyllic, younger self.
Paul Mescal packed on lots of muscle to play Lucius in the highly-anticipated Ridley Scott sequel. Luckily, the Irish native came from an athletic background playing Gaelic football.
“There were some negotiations with Paul,” fitness trainer Tim Blakeley told GQ in November. “At the start he said ‘I warn you, I do drink and I do smoke. He realized he would have to curtail that, but he wanted to work in times he could have a few drinks here and there.”
When it came to Mescal’s training, Blakeley told the outlet he’d sometimes have to “hold him back.” He added: “When [Paul] does something, he does it at 110%, and I didn't want him doing that, I wanted him doing 80% so he didn’t hurt himself.”
In A Different Man, Sebastian Stan’s character, Edward, undergoes a medical procedure to cure his neurofibromatosis (a medical condition that causes tumors to grow on the skin and bone). Stan underwent an intense makeup process to portray Edward’s pre-procedure self.
“I warned him. I said, ‘We’re going to coat your entire head, hair and everything with glue, and it’s going to be hot and uncomfortable,’” makeup artist Mike Marino told Variety in September, noting that he had to proportionally balance what I could do with Sebastian as makeup, as design not just to copy and mirror Adam [Pearson]’s face.” (Stan stars alongside Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis.)
Sebastian Stan underwent more than one on-screen transformation in 2024, as he gained 15 pounds to play a younger Donald Trump in The Apprentice. “I actually started drinking a lot of Coca-Cola,” he told Entertainment Tonight in October. “Let me tell you, if you drink four Coca-Colas a day, a lot of things happen to your body. Don’t do it.”
Just as his costar Timothée Chalamet embodied Bob Dylan in the biopic A Complete Unknown, Boyd Holbrook looked spot-on in his portrayal of the legendary Johnny Cash. He traded in his typical blonde locks for Cash’s dark hair. Holbrook even sang live as Cash on set.
“I could play guitar. I could play chords. I couldn’t count music. I could sing in the shower and the car like everybody else,” he told Good Morning America in December.
Hoda Kotb’s final week on the Today show will end with a special celebration.
“You all know that Hoda’s last day is January 10, right? We’re celebrating you the whole week before. And today, we have a big announcement,” Jenna Bush Hager shared on the Wednesday, December 18, episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna. “We are having a ‘Hoda-bration’ for Hoda’s final show.”
In honor of the occasion, the special episode will be filmed in Rockefeller Plaza’s Studio 8G and feature a live studio audience. “There will be big surprises, lots of surprises that Hoda won’t even know about,” Bush Hager, 43, teased.
The news was brand-new to Kotb, 60, who remarked: “You guys, that’s awesome.” Bush Hager, for her part, was relieved she didn’t spill the secrets early. “I was scared I told you,” she noted. “I can’t remember what I’ve told or who I’ve told.”
Today fans can get the chance to join the “Hoda-bration” live audience by requesting tickets via the show’s website.
“We just really cannot wait to celebrate and send you [off],” Bush Hager stated. “I don’t know what’s gonna be happening with me because just talking about the ‘Hoda-bration’ brings tears to my eyes. So, we’re hoping we can do it and I can get out alive. But it’s gonna be a beautiful day. … We’re gonna start 2025 with an absolute bang.”
In addition to the “Hoda-bration” news, Bush Hager revealed that information about her upcoming Today With Jenna & Friends cohosts will be shared after the holidays.
Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on ‘Today.’
Kotb announced her plans to step down from the NBC morning show back in September, citing turning 60 and wanting to spend more time with her kids as the main motivations behind her exit. (Kotb shares her daughters Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, with her ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman.)
“I just turned 60, and it was such a monumental moment for me when I turned 60 years old because I started thinking about that decade, like, what does that decade mean? What does it hold? What’s it gonna have for me?” she shared on the show’s September 26 episode. “And I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and to try something new.”
Following Kotb’s final episode on Friday, January 10, Craig Melvin will take over her role as Savannah Guthrie’s Today coanchor. Hoda & Jenna will be revamped into Today With Jenna & Friends and feature Bush Hager alongside a rotating lineup of guest hosts until a permanent replacement is picked.
Earlier this month, Bush Hager got teary-eyed while discussing Kotb’s impending Today departure, joking that she was in the “depression stage” of the grieving process. “Denial lasted a good month. Anger was last week when I tried to make you jealous with Gayle [King],” she quipped on the December 10 episode of Hoda & Jenna. “I’ve bargained with God basically every night for the last couple months. And now, I’ve hit depression, where she says one thing and [I cry].”
Despite being two of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds prefer to keep the lives of their four children out of the spotlight.
“We try to give them as normal a life as possible. I try not to impose upon them the difference in their childhood to my childhood or my wife’s childhood,” Reynolds shared in a December 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “We both grew up very working class, and I remember when they were very young, I used to say or think, like, ‘Oh God, I would never have had a gift like this when I was a kid,’ or, ‘I never would’ve had this luxury of getting takeout,’ or whatever. Then I realized that that’s not really their bag of rocks to carry.”
Reynold’s quotes about the couple’s “working class” upbringing sparked some online discussion, as Blake’s parents, Ernie and Elaine Lively, both worked in the entertainment industry throughout her childhood. Blake’s four siblings — Robyn, Lori, Eric and Jason — also all grew up to become actors.
Ryan, meanwhile, is the youngest of his parents Tammy and James Chester Reynolds’ four sons. During his childhood in Vancouver, Canada, James worked as a food wholesaler and police officer while Tammy worked in retail.
Ryan told THR that his kids with Blake are “very much in touch with gratitude and understanding the world enough to have a strong sense of empathy,” adding, “Those are the things that I would think [would indicate] we’re doing an OK job — if our kids can empathize with other people and other kids. But yes, it’s different. When I was a kid, you would just suck it up, get out of the house and be back by sundown, which I just can’t even imagine now.”
Ryan and Blake became parents with the birth of their daughter James in 2014, followed by daughters Inez and Betty in 2016 and 2019, respectively. They welcomed their son, Olin, in 2023.
Scroll down for the couple’s quotes about raising their children:
June 2016
“Ryan had a nice, normal upbringing, and we want our kids to have the same normal life that we had,” Blake told Marie Claire ahead of welcoming baby No. 2. “We don’t ever want to rob them of what we had, because we’d feel really selfish.”
December 2019
“She wants to be an actor,” Ryan said of eldest daughter James during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “I explained to her, I was like, ‘Look, that’s a huge burden on your nervous system, having to process all of that attention and information. Or else, you develop all of these unhealthy coping mechanisms.’ She just, like, looked at me like she didn’t know what the f— I was talking about.”
Despite his concerns, Ryan said he would ultimately be “fine” with James getting into acting down the line. “But being a child actor in movies and stuff? That’s, like, a whole other ball of wax,” he added.
At the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, Blake opened up about how she and her husband planned to teach their children about systemic racism “differently than the way our parents taught us” in a lengthy Instagram post. “We talk about our bias, blindness and our own mistakes,” she wrote. “We look back and see so many mistakes which have led us to deeply examine who we are and who we want to become. They’ve led us to huge avenues of education.”
November 2020
Noting that he loves “being a girl dad,” Ryan told Access Hollywood that one of his and Blake’s biggest parenthood priorities was being “as present as possible” for their children. “We don’t split up like I shoot movies and my wife shoots movies and we go travel all over the place and we just all go together,” he shared. “I think that’s been the best part of it is that we really don’t spend a lot of time apart. I get to spend a lot of time with my girls.”
June 2021
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Ryan revealed that his kids inspired him to be an advocate for mental health awareness. “I have three daughters at home and part of my job as a parent is to model behaviors and model what it’s like to be sad and model what it’s like to be anxious or angry,” he explained. “That there’s space for all these things.”
He added: “The home that I grew up in, that wasn’t modeled for me really. And that’s not to say that my parents were neglectful, but they come from a different generation.”
Reynolds told Extra that he and Blake don’t “shy away” from discussing current events with their kids, despite their young age. “Anytime there’s anything out there that’s, like, a big news story, something that is epic and historic — and God knows we’ve had a lot of those over the last four or five years — I usually just say, ‘Do you have any questions about this?’” he stated. “I don’t really feel at that age it’s a good idea to just inject my own sort of perspective or narrative on that. I just want to know what they’re feeling and thinking, and that tends to work out all right.”
May 2024
In a joint interview with Deadpool & Wolverine costar Hugh Jackman for People, Ryan revealed that he credits his anxiety with making his parenting “better.” He explained: “Your focus is less on yourself and more on your kids. … Now I love that I have anxiety, I love that I’ve had anxiety because when I see my kids experiencing some of that, which is probably genetic, I know how to address it in a way that is compassionate, that actually allows them to feel seen. I know that I can’t just fix it. And I can communicate all that stuff to them and with them. I’m always grateful for it.”
July 2024
Ryan opened up about his and Blake’s home life, revealing that their kids “can’t even go to sleep unless they’re in our bed. He told the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast: “My wife always says, ‘They’re all under our roof right now. The whole family’s under our roof right now. We have them all. That is a fleeting thing and not an infinite resource.’”
He continued: “So, [my advice to other dads is to] embrace the chaos of it all because it does get to you. And it’s OK to be like, ‘OK, f—, I am dying here.’ Because that’s gonna happen every other day.”
September 2024
“Parents today are so different. We’re so soft,” Ryan quipped during an appearance at HubSpot’s INBOUND tech conference in Boston, per People. “I don’t yell. I grew up with like — it was nuts, it was an improvised militia. … Now it’s like, I can go look at all my resources for parenting and remind myself to be perfectly compassionate.”
When asked about the future of Deadpool in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ryan revealed that his status as a father could affect when his superhero returns to the big screen. “It swallows my whole life. You can’t take your hand off the stick all the way through development, through postproduction into marketing and promo, and then, you kind of [stop],” he said of working on the film franchise on Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series.
As a result of Deadpool’s busy schedule, Ryan said he doesn’t want to become an “absentee” father. “I don’t ever want to miss stuff. I, like, kind of die inside when I see their face and they have a competition or they have a sports thing or something and I missed it,” he said.
Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on as he leaves the field after the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on December 15, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Travis Kelce is getting sentimental about recently returning to his hometown.
The Kansas City Chiefs traveled to Ohio to take on the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on Sunday, December 15, winning 21-7. As a Cleveland Heights native, Kelce, 35, was excited to show his teammates around.
“I just love that city, man. It was so fun. I felt like a tour guide,” Travis shared on the Wednesday, December 18, episode of his and brother Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast. “When we flew in, I felt like a tour guide, just telling everybody every single city that we were going past, every monument, every building. ‘Oh, that’s where my mom [Donna Kelce] worked, right there, the big one, the [Key Tower], the tallest one.’”
Travis noted that he has “such a love and appreciation for how we grew up and the fun that we had and all the people that we knew that helped mold me and have the values that I have today.” A lot of those people were at Sunday’s game, with Travis giving a shout-out to “my friends being there, my friends’ parents being there, my childhood friends’ kids now watching me like I was a little kid watching the Browns.”
Passing by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center — where Travis and Jason, 37, would go on school field trips as kids — was nostalgic.
“[It brought up] silly memories, like, going to the cafeteria at the Science Center and spitting spitballs at random people and getting in trouble for it as a kid,” Travis quipped. “Just being reckless and getting in trouble with my friends and the memories and all that silly stuff was just, like, going in and out of my mind. And I just, you know, it felt so surreal.”
Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs greets fans after the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on December 15, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Travis also hinted that he’s unsure whether Sunday was the last time he’d be able to play in his hometown city again in his NFL career. “It kind of felt like I was giving it one last hurrah before I’m done because, you know, I’ve only played there twice in 12 years,” he explained. “So, unless we get thrown on there in the next couple, I don’t really see it ever happening again.”
He continued: “It was just a special day for me personally, man, so shout-out to everybody from the Heights and everybody from Cleveland that showed up for me and has always supported me in life, not just since I’ve been in the league.”
Though Travis had the support of his Ohio friends and family in the stands at Sunday’s game, his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was not in attendance. Swift previously wrapped up The Eras Tour on December 8 and celebrated her 35th birthday on Friday, December 13.
Despite Swift’s absence, Travis felt the love from her fans on Sunday and even high-fived two Swifties sporting Eras Tour merch on his way out of the stadium. “@newheightsshow tell travis thanks for saying hi to us,” one of the fans captioned an X clip of their interaction with Travis.
Wicked: Part One changed Us for good, and the second half is sure to do the same.
The first of the two-part Wickedmovie adaptation, released in November 2024, brought the beloved Broadway show to life on the big screen. Starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, the story chronicled the backstory of the two witches prior to the events of The Wizard of Oz.
The film followed the story of the musical’s first act, setting up part two — titled Wicked: For Good — to tell the second act’s events.
Erivo previously opened up about why the adaptation was split into two parts. “What’s wonderful about the show is that you get an insight into why this woman becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, but you have only three hours to do it in,” she told Entertainment Weekly in February 2024. “With us, you have two movies.”
The actress added: “We’ve expanded on their relationship as friends. That’s a really important special thing that you have in the show, but here you really get to go with them in that. We’ve got something really special.”
Scroll down to learn everything we know so far about Wicked: For Good:
When Will ‘Wicked’ Part 2 Hit Theaters?
Wicked: For Good is set to release in theaters on November 21, 2025. It is unknown whether the sequel will follow in the first movie’s footsteps and debut special sing-along screenings.
What Is the Official Title for ‘Wicked’ Part 2?
One month after Wicked: Part One’s premiere, it was announced in December 2024 that the second film’s official title would be Wicked: For Good.
Which Cast Members Will Return for ‘Wicked’ Part 2?
Additionally, it is likely Peter Dinklage will return to voice Dr. Dillamond, as the character briefly appears in act two of the stage show. It is unconfirmed whether other cast members such as Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James and Keala Settle will return as Pfannee, Shenshen and Miss Coddle, respectively, in For Good.
What Is the Story of ‘Wicked’ Part 2?
Part One ended with Elphaba being tricked by The Wizard and Madame Morrible into using the Grimmerie to create the flying monkeys in hopes of using them as spies against the animals of Oz. She and Glinda escape their clutches before emotionally agreeing to part ways. In the film’s closing moments, Elphaba shows off her power in the show-stopping musical number “Defying Gravity” before fleeing the Emerald City on her enchanted broom.
Following the act two plot of Wicked, the sequel will pick up a few years after the events of the first film. Now viewed by Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba continues her plans to help the land’s animals while Glinda rises to power as The Wizard’s new spokesperson.
As Wicked fans know, the story of act two lines up with the events of The Wizard of Oz and ends where the first film began with Glinda’s song “No One Mourns the Wicked.”
Will There Be Any Major Story Changes in ‘Wicked’ Part 2?
Bode revealed that Nessarose’s story in Wicked: For Good will differ from the original stage show. Spoilers for Wicked the musical: While visiting Nessarose in Munchkinland, Elphaba grants her the ability to walk by enchanting her pair of silver slippers. According to the actress, this story line will play out a bit differently on the big screen.
“I wasn’t there for the actual script change,” Bode told People in December 2024, noting that director Jon M. Chu told her, “’Hey, we changed this part in this way just so that it felt less like a fixing moment.’”
Bode said that rather than Nessarose “pleading for a disability to be fixed,” the plot will instead focus “on the magic in general and the magic of the story.”
When Was ‘Wicked’ Part 2 Filmed?
Both Wicked parts were filmed consecutively. Trailers for Part One have featured brief glimpses of footage from For Good, including Dorothy and her friends’ first meeting with The Wizard and Elphaba’s hands on the Yellow Brick Road.
Will There Be New Songs in ‘Wicked’ Part 2?
Composer Stephen Schwartz confirmed in a 2023 interview with The Messenger that the sequel will feature at least two new songs. “The storytelling required it, and therefore they were created — the intention was that they were organic and not imposed on the movie,” he said in the since-unpublished conversation, per Playbill.
He continued: “There’s new stuff that I think the fans will enjoy. But our hope and intention is that the people to whom the story and the show are important will not in any way be disappointed, but will be thrilled by what they will see and the new stuff that’s been added and the way film is used.”
Chance the Rapper’s wife, Kirsten Corley, has officially filed for divorce.
Corley, 31, filed the necessary documents eight months after the pair announced their separation via social media. Corley submitted her filing on Friday, December 13, according to court records viewed by Us Weekly.
It is unknown whether Corley is seeking spousal support or sole custody of the pair’s two daughters —Kensli, 9, and Marli, 5.
Earlier this year, Corley and Chance (real name Chancelor Johnathan Bennett) announced in a joint statement via their Instagram Stories that they had called it quits after five years of marriage. “After a period of separation, the two of us have arrived at the decision to part ways,” the exes wrote on April 3. “We came to this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together.”
They continued: “God has blessed us with two beautiful daughters who we will continue to raise together. We kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate this transition.”
Chance first met his estranged wife when he was just 9 years old at his mother’s 2003 office party, during which Corley and two of her friends performed to a Destiny’s Child song. “Now I’m locking eyes with the prettiest girl I ever seen in my almost-a-decade of life on earth,” he wrote in a March 2019 X thread.
Chance the Rapper with his kids.
After his dad suggested he perform a dance routine of his own, Chance denied his dad’s request and “moved to the back of the crowd” without introducing himself to Corley. “16 years later it’s happening,” he tweeted. “This wknd is the time, and the place is my wedding. I’m gonna dance with my wife because this is my destiny.”
The two welcomed their eldest daughter, Kensli, in 2015, three years before Chance popped the question in front of family and friends at a backyard barbecue.
They tied the knot the following year in Newport Beach, California. “It was a beautiful ceremony,” a source exclusively told Us in March 2019, noting that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were among the event’s celebrity attendees.
Despite their split, Chance and Corley reunited in October to take their daughters to watch Simone Biles and other U.S. gymnasts on the Gold Over America Tour. “Took the girls to see @goldoveramericatour and meet some of the greatest athletes to grace the earth!” he wrote alongside a sweet Instagram snap of his family posing with Biles, 27, and her husband, Jonathan Owens. “Thanks so much @simonebiles for taking time to meet my kids while they’re on their own journey through gymnastics. And thanks to all the athletes who put on an amazing show at @unitedcenter.”
Savannah Guthrie’s family of four has expanded this holiday season.
In her 2024 Christmas card, the Today show coanchor, 52, revealed that she, her husband, Michael Feldman, and their two kids — Vale, 10, and Charley, 8 — brought home a fluffy “new family member.”
“So. Very. Merry!!” the front of the card read, which Guthrie shared via Instagram on Friday, December 13. “Sending all our love. Mike, Savannah, Vale, Charley and introducing …”
On the back side of the card, the group shared news that they adopted a puppy named Fetch Guthrie Feldman. “Mike, Savannah, Vale and Charley are delighted to announce that this year, we made Fetch happen,” the card states, referring to the iconic line from the 2004 movie Mean Girls and a play on the new pup’s name. “Merriest everything to all and blessings for 2025!”
The card’s back featured sweet snaps of the couple and their kids holding their little black pup. Guthrie and Feldman, 56, celebrated their new dog by sporting “I made fetch happen” T-shirts. Vale and Charley, meanwhile, rocked T-shirts featuring their and Fetch’s names with a heart in between.
The family seemingly adopted Fetch earlier this month, as Guthrie used a snap of Charley holding their dog as the cover photo for her son’s Instagram birthday tribute. “This phenomenal boy is 8 this sweet December 8th! Happy golden birthday, dearest Charley ,” she wrote on December 8, shared alongside a montage of pics and clips of Charley from over the years.
Guthrie isn’t the only Today personality to show off their 2024 Christmas card. While the front of Jenna Bush Hager’s holiday card features a traditional family photo, the back includes a funny snap of herself, her husband, Henry Hager, and their kids — Mila, 11, Poppy, 9, and Hal, 5 — dressed as “olden times people.”
“Hal is a dinosaur or a dragon, and [we’re] just wishing you ‘hope ever after,’” Bush Hager, 43, explained on the December 9 episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna. After cohost Hoda Kotb remarked that they all looked “cranky,” Bush Hager noted: “That’s our look, that we said, ‘Pose in a certain way,’ and everybody brought out their best faces.”
Kotb, 60, opted for a more classic holiday card this year, mailing out photos of herself and her daughters Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, posing in front of the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree. (Kotb shares her two kids with her ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman.)
The Today hosts continued to get into the festive spirit by attending a White House holiday press party earlier this month. Guthrie and Bush Hager each brought their eldest daughters to the event, while third hour of Today cohost Sheinelle Jones was joined by her eldest child, son Kayin, 15.
“A beautiful night for our kids that they won’t soon forget. Thank you @whitehouse ,” Guthrie captioned a Saturday, December 14, Instagram slideshow of snaps from their night out.
As the daughter of former President George W. Bush, Bush Hager noted that it was “special” to experience the White House through Mila’s eyes in an Instagram post of her own. “Thanks so much for having us @potus Had you told my 22-year-old self, I’d be back at the press party, I would have never believed it!” she wrote on Saturday.
Since being diagnosed with skin cancer, Teddi Mellencamp has used her platform to remind fans to take care of their skin.
Mellencamp revealed in March 2022 that she had a mole removed on her back. “This is a reminder to please go get your yearly skin checks,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum wrote in an Instagram statement at the time, confessing that she avoided her own skin checks “for a very long time” because of “anxiety.”
Fellow Bravo star Kyle Richards was the one who encouraged Mellencamp to consult a dermatologist. “When @kylerichards18 saw my back and it had changed colors again, she immediately took me to the doc who within minutes said it looks like melanoma and did a big removal,” Mellencamp wrote. “Please let this be a reminder to take action on your own skin.”
Later that month, Mellencamp shared the good news that her melanoma was “in situ, which means the cancer cells were contained in that area of my skin and have not spread any deeper.”
She continued: “I really hope that in sharing all of this, I can encourage all of you to get your skin checked annually— if I hadn’t gone in, I don’t want to think about how it could have gone differently.”
Scroll down to follow Mellencamp’s skin cancer journey after her initial diagnosis:
October 2022
Mellencamp revealed that she had been diagnosed with stage II melanoma months after her initial consultation. “Melanoma awareness update. Despite my anxiety, I listened to the doctors and went in for my 3-month skin check last week since my previous melanoma,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “They said I had another abnormal spot near my last one so they did a biopsy. I got the call this morning: Stage 2 melanoma.”
She told fans to take doctors’ orders seriously, writing, “Moral of this story: if a doctor says, ‘come in every 3 months’ please go in every 3 months. I so badly wanted to blow this off. ‘What could happen in 3 months?’ I thought. Apparently a lot.”
Mellencamp noted that she used to put baby oil and iodine on her skin as a teen to get tan and didn’t start wearing sunscreen or getting her moles checked until she was 40. “This has been such a wakeup call for me, and I hope to all of you, to love and protect the skin you’re in,” she concluded.
Mellencamp revealed in another Instagram post that she had two more moles removed that also came back as melanoma. “Due to so many melanoma’s [sic] in one are, they are worried to cut in there and try to remove because they aren’t sure what they would be cutting into,” she wrote, before detailing her new treatment plan, which involved undergoing a PET scan and seeing a hematology specialist and a surgical oncologist.
October 2022
Mellencamp shared the results of her PET scan via Instagram, including snaps of where her melanomas were removed. “They think I’m predisposed to melanomas,” she noted. “I will need wide encision [sic] surgery removal and nodal mapping. During the surgery they will also do a sentinel lymphoid biopsy. Because with a PET scan they can’t see if it’s spread to lymph nodes.”
She got candid about her post-op recovery in another social media update days later. “I don’t share this for sympathy- I am sharing because one of the things that keeps me going through all of this is your messages telling me you are getting tested,” Mellencamp wrote. “I am grateful to my family, friends and husband who welcomed my pain and anxiety with open arms. I you all so much and I just know I am going to kick this cancer’s a**- with the help of my incredible doctors and nurses of course.”
Mellencamp ended the post on an inspirational note, writing, “Life comes in waves and we will always be stronger for it… on the good days and the bad .”
Mellencamp showed off her back and shoulder scars while revealing that her multiple melanoma removal surgeries were successful. “The margins are clear. I also got genetic testing results and there are no mutations we need to worry about,” she stated. “And I just had a healthy mammogram (please don’t forgo these either, ladies). So I say peace out to 11 melanomas and 3 lymph nodes— I gladly hardly knew ya— and hello to a new sense of peace.”
The “Two Ts In A Pod” podcast cohost continued: “It’s been eye-opening how quickly things can change and it’s a lesson I will never forget, nor quit speaking up about. I want nothing more than for all of you to be proactive so you do not have to experience this. Let my scars be your inspiration to get preventative care.”
January 2023
Despite her previous removals, Mellencamp developed three new spots that “needed to be biopsied.” She explained via Instagram, “I have had both white and brown melanomas; this is why I continue to share to get checked no matter what.”
She also asked doctors about a suspicious bump on her neck. “The ultrasound came back irregular,” Mellencamp noted. “I had the option of a needle biopsy or getting it cut out completely; the doctor recommended the biopsy to start, however there’s a small chance it’ll come back inconclusive and we will then have to remove it.”
Mellencamp said she was “dealing as best I can with something out of my control,” adding, “Things I can control: staying on top of my appointments, self-checks, and asking my doctors questions.”
Mellencamp partnered with the Melanoma Research Foundation to help raise awareness for skin cancer by showing off her biopsy scars in a “#GetNaked” campaign photo shoot. That same month, she encouraged fans to add sunscreen to their daily skincare routines.
September 2023
More than one year after her initial diagnosis, Mellencamp revealed that another of her biopsied spots came back as melanoma. “I can’t even remember if this is the 12th or 13th one,” she captioned a tearful selfie via Instagram. “At this point, I am starting to black-out these memories like a portion of my childhood. I slept maybe 2 hours last night because my mind was racing.”
Although the melanoma was caught early, Mellencamp explained that she would need “another surgery next week and additional biopsies.”
One day later, she said “the key” to dealing with her multiple health scares was “getting out there and moving my body, releasing my emotions [and] fixing my mindset.” She added, “Whatever you’re going through, letting the negative fester only holds you down. And we aren’t here to be held down. We are stronger than that. We are meant for more than that. So if you’re struggling with something today, this is for you.”
After undergoing multiple biopsies, Mellencamp revealed via Instagram that the area of her melanomas on her back is too “broad,” adding that doctors “no longer feel comfortable cutting [into it.” She explained, “They said I can wait a week so I can show at nationals but upon my return I will start on a 5-week immunotherapy cream.”
The cream is supposed to help the body’s immune system attack cancer cells and comes with side effects such as fatigue, blisters and inflammation. “Stay vigilant on getting your skin checked my friends. We can fight this ,” she concluded her post.
December 2023
Mellencamp opened up about a setback in her treatment.
“Long story short: The immunotherapy treatment did not work on my melanomas. I had a wide excision removal on my most recent melanoma last week to see if it did and sadly it did not,” she captioned an Instagram photo of her back, which displayed her scars from past procedures.
Mellencamp then shared that she will undergo surgery on December 26 “to remove a larger portion of the problematic area.”
She wrapped up the post by reminding her followers to “book your skin checks for the new year.”
Weeks later, Mellencamp had a “wide excision melanoma” procedure, which “went well.”
“I specifically went through a ‘wide excision melanoma, soft tissue defect reconstruction with adjacent tissue rearrangement.’ Basically, they cut out the area of my shoulder and replaced it with a flap of skin from below on my back,” she wrote via Instagram. “But the pain and discomfort are all worth it.”
She added: “The outpouring of love and prayers in the comments and DMs has left me speechless (which is tough). I wish I could respond to everyone but please know I am forever grateful. Please get your skin checked. I promise you do not want to go through this.”
March 2024
Mellencamp gave an update on how her scars were healing three months after her initial surgery.
“What a difference 3 months can make!” she wrote via Instagram alongside before and after shots of her back. “My scar is healing nicely, and I have the best doctors to thank.”
While the marks were improving, the former reality star revealed that her doctor had noticed a new spot in another section of her body that needed to be checked out.
“But in full transparency, also during my three-month checkup, there was one abnormal spot the doctor felt we should biopsy,” she continued. “It’s on the other side of my body, so praying it’s nothing. But [I] felt it’s a great time to remind you to get those skin checks .”
December 2024
“I just got done having a little cry, but it’s a good one. It’s the first time in over two years I’ve gone in for my three-month check and not had to have a biopsy because I have another cancerous spot,” Mellencamp tearfully told fans in an Instagram video. “Both me and my doctor, we just looked at each other and we were like, ‘What?’ It was, oh my gosh, such a good feeling.”
Noting that she will have another check-up in March 2025, she continued: “This should be a reminder to all of you guys, please, please book your skin checks, book your mammograms, book your OBGYN appointments, book your eye doctor appointments.”
Mellencamp also shared a “scar update” photo of her back. “Over 1000 stitches later. Get your skin check please,” she wrote over the pic.
Kristin Cavallari’s 2020 vacation to the Bahamas was far from paradise.
The Hills alum, 37, recalled experiencing a home break-in during her family’s one-month stay in the Bahamas on the Tuesday, December 17, episode of her “Let’s Be Honest” podcast. “My kids still do not know to this day,” she shared.
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, she, her then-husband, Jay Cutler, and their three kids — Camden, 12, Jaxon, 10, and Saylor, 9 — moved from the condo where they were staying to a vacation home. “I had all of my Uncommon James jewelry in the closet, just laid out, you know, like, on one of the counters. And our HVAC unit broke, so we had workers in our house that day and they were fixing everything.”
That night, Cavallari was asleep in bed with Camden when an intruder entered her bedroom. “I woke up to a man crawling on my bedroom floor,” she revealed. “And I was so out of it because, obviously, I had just woken up. Then I go, ‘What the f— are you doing?’ … And this man stands up and runs out the door.”
According to Cavallari, she quickly realized the man was not Cutler, 41, as he was dressed in an all-black outfit and ski mask. “Because Camden was in bed with me, I didn’t yell. I didn’t scream,” she said. “You think in those moments that that’s what you would do, but your instincts just kick in.”
After the man left, Cavallari went to check on Cutler and their younger two kids, who were sleeping in another room. “I woke up Jay, and once I woke Jay up, then I got really nervous. Then I start, like, [getting] really scared,” she recalled. “I started shaking and I was like, ‘Holy f—.’ I was able to process then what just happened. But until that point, I was not scared. I was really calm, and you just are running off of instinct.”
Cavallari said the “HVAC guy” broke in to steal cash and her Uncommon James jewelry, which they ended up getting back. The story of the scary encounter is one the TV personality says she will withhold from her kids.
“I will not tell them probably until they’re adults, you know, because I just think some things kids do not need to know,” she explained on the podcast. “Scary stuff like that, I will take that one. I will hold that one in and take that with me.”
Cavallari did not publicly share her break-in story at the time of her vacation but did post several photos from the tropical trip via social media. “Social distancing,” she captioned a March 2020 Instagram pic of herself chilling on the beach. Sharing an oceanside pic with her kids, she wrote, “The thing that matters most .”
Shortly after returning home from the Bahamas, Cavallari and Cutler announced they were calling it quits after nearly seven years of marriage and more than a decade together. The former spouses finalized their messy divorce two years later.
“I just want you to know that you are so much stronger than you think,” Garcia, 41, said on the Sunday, December 15, episode of “The Nikki & Brie Show” podcast. “And also, you know, in our strongest moments, we definitely have, then, super weak moments. And we just have to figure out how we get through that — what do we do? And who do we need to lean on? What do we need to bring into our life and surround ourselves with, and what can feed our soul and make us strong? And I’ve dedicated myself to that the past few months, and it truly helps”
Garcia noted that she hasn’t had “a day without tears” since settling her divorce from Chigvintsev, 42, last month. “I just know that situations like this, divorce, whatever it may be, it takes a piece of you. It takes a piece of your heart that will never grow back or never be replaced, but it’s, ‘How do we make that piece of you that’s gone strong?’”
Garcia and Chigvintsev began dating in 2019 after competing together on season 25 of Dancing With the Stars in 2017. The pair welcomed their son, Matteo, in 2020 and went on to tie the knot in 2022.
Us Weekly confirmed in September that Garcia filed for divorce from Chigvintsev, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split and listing their date of separation as August 29. In response to the filing, Chigvintsev requested joint custody of Matteo and spousal support in court docs exclusively obtained by Us.
The exes each filed restraining orders against each other in October, accusing the other of causing physical altercations during their marriage. The restraining orders were dropped when the two finalized their divorce last month.
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev
On Sunday’s podcast, Garcia noted that “things will get better” while listening to voicemails from fans sharing their similar divorce experiences. “What I’ve realized going through this is, like, support and love is everything,” she said. “And from family, from friends, and then from people that you just know through podcasting, social media or on the streets, and it means a lot.”
Garcia went on to share that her and Chigvintsev’s split has made her reflect on her “entire life,” explaining: “I’ve had bad things happen to me. So, it made me really sit and be like, ‘Why have all these things happened to me?’”
From her hardships, Garcia has learned that everything happens for a reason. “I feel like, ‘OK, God put this on my path for a reason. So, what am I supposed to learn here? What tool from life am I supposed to take here, to conquer this and overcome it and make my path brighter and better? And then I’m able to share this with others and bring them here too,’” she stated. “That’s what I have learned is no more dwelling, no more this. Take the pain and go through it and know that that’s OK. Like, it’s OK to be sad and it’s OK to be angry and it’s OK to be all these emotions.”
Now she’s focused on using her experience to help others. “I feel like things happen to us because we are supposed to help others in that way,” she told listeners. “And I can’t, you know, believe the amount of women that have come to me. And it’s been pretty amazing to sit and have some incredible conversations with people and, you know, just not feel alone.”
Pedro Pascal poses with the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for “The Last of Us” during the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, February 24, 2024.
The SAG Awards are headed back to Netflix for the show’s 2025 awards ceremony.
The 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will stream live on Netflix on February 23, 2025, marking the second time the ceremony will air on the streamer. This year’s show also marks the second time Kristen Bell will take on the role of host, having previously done so in 2018.
“Thrilled to be hosting the SAG Awards again this year,” Bell, 44, said in a December 2024 statement. “I’m honored to be asked back and can’t wait to share the evening with my fellow actors, doing what we do best … celebrating ourselves.”
The 2024 SAG Awards honored films and TV shows such as Oppenheimer, Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, Succession, The Bear and Beef. Stars such as Lily Gladstone, Cillian Murphy, Elizabeth Debicki and Pedro Pascal took home some of the night’s biggest acting awards, while Barbra Streisand was honored with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Scroll down for everything you need to know about the 2025 SAG Awards:
When Are the 2025 SAG Awards?
The 2025 SAG Awards will take place on Sunday, February 23, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Where Can I Watch the 2025 SAG Awards?
The 2025 SAG Awards will be streamed live from the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles on Netflix.
Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, and Anne Hathaway speak onstage during the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on February 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
When Will the 2025 SAG Awards Nominations Be Announced?
Nominations for the 2025 SAG Awards will be announced on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, three days after nomination voting closes. Final voting for SAG-AFTRA members opens on Wednesday, January 15, and closes on Tuesday, January 21.
How Are the SAG Awards Different From Other Award Shows?
As opposed to awards shows like the Oscars and the Golden Globes — which are based on votes from Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science and entertainment journalists, respectively — the SAG Awards are voted on by actors who are a part of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
Additionally, the SAG Awards recognizes the ensemble casts of TV shows and movies in addition to individual acting awards.
Kristen Bell attends the Academy Women’s Luncheon presented by CHANEL at the Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures on December 10, 2024.
Who Is Hosting the 2025 SAG Awards?
Bell will return to host the SAG Awards for her second time. She became the show’s first-ever host in 2018 and was followed-up by Megan Mullally in 2019 before the ceremony switched over to a no-host format for the next five years.
“Kristen Bell’s wit, warmth, and charm makes her the perfect fit for our show –– a night celebrating actors and the outstanding performances of the year,“ SAG Awards executive producer Jon Brockett said of Bell’s hosting gig in a December 2024 Netflix statement. “Plus — who better to keep us entertained and on our toes than Kristen?”
Jane Fonda attends the 2024 Women In Film Annual Gala at The Beverly Hilton on October 24, 2024.
Who Will Receive the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 SAG Awards?
Actress and activist Jane Fonda will be honored with the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2025 ceremony.
“Given annually to an actor who fosters the ‘finest ideals of the acting profession,’ the SAG Life Achievement Award will be the latest of Fonda’s esteemed catalog of international industry and public distinctions recognizing her masterful performances and impactful activism,” SAG-AFTRA announced via its website in October 2024. “Jane Fonda’s acclaimed career, which spans six decades, has captivated audiences with her versatile performances across film, television and theater, while using her platform to champion critical social causes.”
especially my daughter 
,” Holmes captioned an Instagram Story snap of a bouquet of purple roses.
I Wish these were my problems,” Holmes stated that she “didn’t disagree” with them. “But in the world today, I don’t want a target on my child’s back,” she added. “It’s dangerous.”
,” one of the fans captioned an 
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