I met a blind date at the Atlanta airport, and we flew to Alaska together.
Though we didn't end up having a romantic connect, we spent a week together with our friends.
It was an amazing time, and I'm glad I was brave enough to say yes.
I never thought a blind date would include flying thousands of miles with someone to see if we were compatible, but when mutual friends set me up, I couldn't resist. My date was in the Air Force and on his way home to Alaska for a two-week leave.
We decided to spend his first week off together. It would be a crash-and-burn scenario or a story to tell my grandkids one day. Whatever the result, I was all in.
We met at the airport and flew to Alaska together
Our first meeting was in the airport moments before an eight-hour flight from Atlanta to Anchorage. It wasn't my ideal way to start the date, especially since we'd spoken on the phone exactly once before, but it turned out better than I expected. He was thoughtful and made things less awkward. We made small talk for the first couple hours of the flight but mutually decided not to overdo the conversation.
The mutual friends who'd set us up greeted us in Anchorage. My date had known them most of his life, and I'd met them a year before on a work trip when they'd plotted this set-up, thinking the two of us might hit it off. Connecting with them helped ease any lingering awkwardness and settled my nerves.
The author enjoyed her time in Alaska, even if she didn't find a romantic connection.
Courtesy of Kate Huff
We didn't have a romantic connection, but we still had an amazing time
Our friends planned an incredible week for us, and our first real date was at his favorite restaurant after we arrived. We quickly figured out neither of us felt a romantic connection but enjoyed hanging out together. Thankfully, our friends pivoted, and we ended up doing everything as a group for the rest of the week, taking the pressure off both of us and still allowing us to enjoy the week they had planned.
We visited an old mining community and picked wild raspberries on the side of the road. Traffic stopped on our way to Portage, but instead of worrying about what we'd miss, we played cards while waiting for the roads to reopen. It was a joy to discover glaciers work as well as trees for hammock-hanging. Soaking up the sun felt incredible after white water rafting down a freezing cold river to this Georgia girl.
Capping off our trip, I climbed Bear Mountain and nearly kept up with the Airman and my native Alaskan Friends. I only had to stop and take pictures every few feet to catch my breath. Thankfully, they pretended not to notice. The midnight sunset view from the top was worth every minute of the struggle. I've never felt so accomplished, especially as we raced down the mountain to beat complete darkness.
While our days were jammed with the best Alaskan adventures, when the sun finally set, our nights were filled with endless rounds of Settlers of Catan. Those cozy nights around a fire fueled my love for games and experiences, even if it didn't ultimately bring me the love of my life (or much sleep!).
The author plans to return to Alaska.
Courtesy of Kate Huff
Even though I never saw or talked to my date again after that trip, it was still one of the best vacations of my life. I learned you should always take a chance when you have an opportunity in front of you. You never know what the end result will be until you try — you could meet the love of your life or just go on the best vacation ever. I'm thankful for my friends, who took a shot at setting us up, and for the courage to live in a moment of spontaneous possibility.
As for all the landmarks I missed last time, I plan to return in March. Who knows what will happen this time?
Luigi Mangione is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Some people are praising Mangione on social platforms — and it's causing a moderation headache.
Pamela Smith/AP
YouTube and Threads have taken down pro-Luigi Mangione posts they've said violate their policies.
YouTube told Business Insider it forbids videos that glorify the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO.
The different moderation approaches among platforms are leaving some users confused.
Diana "Ladidai" Umana, a content creator based in New York, has been closely following the news of Luigi Mangione — posting her thoughts on various social media accounts.
Umana's posts are pro-Luigi (and some have unorthodox angles, like saying he wasn't the shooter, which authorities have charged him with). But she was surprised when her entire YouTube account was permanently removed for what YouTube told her were "severe or repeated violations" of its rules.
YouTube's content moderation policies forbid "content praising or justifying violent acts carried out by violent extremist, criminal, or terrorist organizations."
"This means we remove content that glorifies or promotes the suspect in the murder of [UnitedHealthcare CEO] Brian Thompson, as well as content that trivializes his death," Jack Malon, a spokesperson for YouTube, told Business Insider. "This enforcement began in the immediate aftermath of the incident, as part of our standard practice to address content related to violent tragedies."
Other social platforms have also taken down content related to Mangione.
Several subreddits devoted to him have been banned — like r/luigimangione2 — although there are still other active subreddits about him. Reddit didn't respond to a request for comment on its moderation policies about the topic.
TikTok also has a policy against "promoting (including any praise, celebration, or sharing of manifestos) or providing material support" to violent extremists or individuals who cause serial or mass violence. People have complained that TikTok has removed comments saying "Free Luigi" and some videos about Mangione.
On Meta's Threads, people have said some of their posts about Mangione — like a post about his astrological sign or a video montage of him set to an Olivia Rodgigo song — were removed.
Meta has similar guidance, banning the "glorification" of dangerous organizations and individuals, which it defines as "legitimizing or defending the violent or hateful acts of a designated entity by claiming that those acts have a moral, political, logical or other justification that makes them acceptable or reasonable."
However, Meta recently updated what it calls its dangerous organizations and individuals policy to allow for "more social and political discourse in certain instances including — peace agreements, elections, human rights related issues, news reporting and academic, neutral and condemning discussion — and to ensure users are not unduly penalized for sharing it."
A spokesperson for Meta pointed to this policy but declined to comment further.
Pro-Lugi posts can be difficult to moderate
You might imagine how, when it comes to posts discussing Luigi Mangione, there are some gray areas between what's considered praise vs. discussion of social issues.
That's where the deluge of pro-Luigi posts from American users on social platforms gets a little weird.
Mangione's popularity among some people online is complicated, and I won't try to untangle it here (read this or this for some smart analysis). But you've probably already observed some of this online: There are a lot of people posting about Mangione and running afoul of content guidelines that they'd never usually run up against — rules designed for posts praising ISIS or Mexican drug cartels, for instance.
The result is some confusion and frustration among users.
Content moderation is an art, not a science, and there's a spectrum of differences between a statement like "Luigi was justified" and a meme about his looks or an ironic fan cam edit video.
Mangione has been charged with first-degree murder "in furtherance of terrorism," which may clarify things for platforms about whether to consider him as a single accused murderer or an alleged terrorist when it comes to content policy.
For now, it seems that a lot of social media users are surprised or confused by what is or isn't allowed when talking about Mangione on social media.
Business Insider spoke to seven people about why they're not interested in being parents, and their answers ranged from practical concerns about parenthood to just never feeling the desire to have kids.
When she knew she didn't want to have kids: Romero told BI she knew from a young age, as she spent much of her adolescence helping to care for her younger siblings.
Why she doesn't want them: Romero is the oldest of three children, and because of the large age gap with her siblings, she did a lot of childcare growing up. She understood the sacrifices people make when they have children, and it wasn't something she wanted for herself.
"I grew up very much understanding not just the Disney version or what the media portrays as having kids, but the more realistic version of having kids," she said.
She also thinks the American government and society don't do enough to support parents, particularly mothers.
"Women are very much taking on the burden of motherhood, as well as everything else, by themselves," she said. "I personally don't think that's fair."
"There's also something to be said about the fact that motherhood is just not for everybody," she added. "I have so much ambition. There are so many things I want to do."
How people have responded to her choice: "I have been lucky that I have surrounded myself with friends and family who have always respected my decision," she said.
Romero said she sometimes gets pushback from people she isn't close to but looks inward for acceptance instead of outward.
"I have stopped trying to get validation from people who don't understand my decision-making," she added.
What she's most excited about for her future: "As a content creator, I'm very passionate about human rights and collective liberation," Romero told BI.
"I'm excited to have the time, and the space, and the purpose to be able to do these things," she said. "I am a child of immigrant parents, and I'm looking forward to being a voice for that experience."
Anaïs Chantal
Anaïs Chantal.
Anaïs Chantal
Age: 26
Job: Project manager, personal assistant, and bookkeeper in the music industry
When she knew she didn't want to have kids: In 2020, Chantal became friends with a woman who wouldn't have kids.
"I had in my head that I was going to grow up, get married, and have three children," she said. "When she said that, it was like, 'Oh, you can choose to do that. That's an option.'"
"I really started to self-reflect on why I wanted children," she said. "Did I actually want kids, or was I just conditioned to want children?"
Why she doesn't want them: Chantal said her mental health is one of the biggest reasons she wants to remain child-free. She told BI she is a victim of sexual assault and thinks giving birth, breastfeeding, and raising a child could be triggering for her.
"I don't normally tell people this, but there might be somebody out there that has this conflict, and I want people to know that they're not alone," she added. "My mental health is really important, and I don't want to put myself through that. And I also don't want to put my child through that because kids can pick up on things."
Chantal also said that she just doesn't think kids are something she needs to feel fulfilled and joyful.
"I have friends with kids, and they're the sweetest little things, but I really value my peace and being able to come home to peace and quiet," she said.
How people have responded to her choice: "My parents, of course, were initially sad," Chantal said. "But when I sat them down and told them my reasons, they were like, 'You know, it sounds like you really thought this through.'"
She also said she surrounded herself with people who don't want children, both in person and online, which gave her a sense of community.
Chantal had her fallopian tubes removed at 24 once she decided to remain child-free. Her insurance covered the procedure, and she said she felt relieved when it was done.
"I can remember getting wheeled out and waking up and seeing my partner with the biggest smile on my face," she said. "I was so, so happy."
What she's most excited about for her future: Chantal plans to move to New York with her partner next year. Eventually, they hope to settle in a more remote desert area with their dog.
"I just want to see the world, and I'm excited for my freedom," she said. "It does feel like the possibilities are endless for me."
When she knew she didn't want to have kids: "The feeling of wanting to have kids just never came," Nasir told BI.
She said her friends often imagined themselves as moms during imaginative play when they were children, but she pretended to be an explorer or adventurer.
"Even when I hit high school, I never really imagined a future where I was having a kid, but at that time, I didn't know that there was a thing of not having kids because everybody around me had children," she said.
"As I grew older, I started realizing this is a thing," she added. "There are some people who don't have children."
Eventually, Nasir realized she had fallen into that group.
Why she doesn't want them: "I'm very happy around kids," Nasir said. "I think they're very interesting. You can learn a lot from them."
However, Nasir told BI she's "not interested in parenting."
"It doesn't fit the lifestyle I've built for myself over the last 15 years," she said. "I would have to shift a lot to accommodate a child."
"I'm a therapist, and I know how important it is to have parents who are present, connected, and engaged," Nasir continued. "I think that my role in the world is different."
"Everybody has a role that they take on in this world, and when people have kids, a lot of their life, especially for the first five years, starts revolving around their children," Nasir said, adding that she's "not able to do that."
How people have responded to her choice: Nasir said she and her husband were on the same page about not having kids but her choice has been more surprising for other family members.
"I'm South Asian. This is a very big part of our culture, so I definitely got a lot of disappointment and anger from my mom," she said, adding that her mom still has not accepted her decision.
She also thinks her dad is sad about not being a grandpa, and some of her friends have expressed that she and her husband would have been great parents.
"I make a lot of space for other people's grief on this because they lose something when I make a decision," Nasir said. "It doesn't mean that I'm not entitled to it, and it does not mean that I have to feel guilty about it."
What she's most excited about for her future: "I am excited about building something that I can leave behind for others that makes their life a little better," she said. "One person can't change the whole world, but I want to add an impact."
"On a personal level, I'm really excited about being able to have experiences with my partner and have adventures and have a really big life on my terms," she added.
TJ Turner
TJ Turner.
TJ Turner
Age: 38
Job: Engineer at a power company
When he knew he didn't want to have kids:Turner reflected on how kids could fit into his life after his father died in 2024. His dad was part of two unplanned pregnancies, including his conception.
"Not to insult myself, but I realized I didn't want to make that same mistake," he said. "That's kind of when I decided this isn't for me."
Why he doesn't want them: "I just didn't think that I would be good parent material," Turner told BI.
He said the financial and physical toll of parenting, like a lack of sleep, didn't appeal to him. He also didn't think he could take care of his mental health and be the kind of parent he wanted.
"In this day and age, it's so hard to focus on yourself that I don't know how people can not only focus on their own mental health but also focus on the health of their children on top of working full-time," he said.
How people have responded to his choice: Turner was already married when he decided to get a vasectomy, and he said his wife was supportive of his choice. His mom also supported him, though she was "sad initially" that she wouldn't have grandchildren.
"I tried to explain to her, like, 'Look, it's not because I think you raised me poorly or I had a bad childhood. It's honestly more because I know I will never be as good of parents as you were,'" Turner said.
"I think she understood that, and I think she respects that," he said.
What he's most excited about for his future: Turner told BI he's glad his future is flexible thanks to the independence. He can foster his love of motorcycling or go on a date with his wife without worrying about childcare.
"I can pay for my own retirement, own houses, and just live comfortably," he said.
Kathryn Hoffman
Kathryn Hofman.
Kathryn Hofman
Age: 33
Job: Marketing professional
When she knew she didn't want to have kids: Hofman said she always knew, on some level, children weren't part of her life plan. In fact, her late grandfather knew she didn't want children before she did.
"I was not the serial dater," she said. "I didn't typically bring folks around, so everyone assumed it was pretty serious when I brought my husband home. Somebody asked something about children, and my grandfather just chimed in and was like, 'She doesn't want kids.'"
"And I was like, 'You know what? I don't,'" she said.
Why she doesn't want them: "I have a lot of ambitions," she said. "I'm not saying a mom can't accomplish a lot of things, but I really value my ability to assign success to myself and not assign success to what I've done for other people in my adult life."
"I think there are many, many things that I would have to prioritize differently if I were to be a mom," Hofman added.
How people have responded to her choice: "One of the things that people tell me often in response to the statement that I don't want children is, 'Oh, but you would be so good at it,'" Hofman said.
"The idea that I would be exceptionally good at it is one of the deterrents," she told BI. "I know myself well enough to know that if I were to become a mother, I would put all of my effort and energy into that child versus myself."
"Whether that's selfish or not, I'm sort of indifferent to that," she said. "I value my relationships as they are, my relationship with my husband and my relationship with myself."
What she's most excited about for her future: Hofman is an aspiring author, so she's looking forward to starting the querying process in 2025.
She also hopes to learn more and travel with her husband. They plan to head to New Zealand together and Disney World with her niece and nephews.
"That was one of the very few things I felt like I might miss out on not becoming a mom is that first time taking kids to Disney, so I'm borrowing my niece and nephews, and we're going to go do that with them," she said.
"There's just a lot of opportunity and things that come with the freedom of not owing your life and raising somebody else. You can raise yourself and go from there," Hofman said.
Whitney S.
Whitney S.
Whitney S.
Age: 38
Job: Nursing home staffer
When she knew she didn't want to have kids: When she was 17, Whitney watched a video of a woman giving birth in a college-level health class. The reality of giving birth shocked her — and made her sure she didn't want to go through the experience herself.
"I didn't tell anyone because you can't say that when you're 17," she told BI. "Nobody will believe you."
"But no matter what phase in life, no matter how old I was, I said, 'A kid is not going to fit in this,'" Whitney added.
Why she doesn't want them: "With the way things have been going and the way things will be, I don't see a reason to bring a child into this world," she said, pointing to the climate crisis as one of her concerns. "I don't feel like it's safe enough."
Whitney also said she doesn't want to take on the physical and mental risks of pregnancy and motherhood. She thinks many people take the responsibility of becoming parents too lightly.
"I know people who really want kids, and they're preparing for that financially and mentally," she said. "But I know too many people who have not … and the kids always suffer."
How people have responded to her choice: Whitney said she is estranged from some of her family members, who are disappointed she isn't having children, even though there are other kids in her family. She also said her decision impacted her dating life.
"For seven years, I was single," Whitney told BI. "That's a large reason I was single for so long."
Whitney has a boyfriend now, and she said she told him early in their relationship that she didn't want to have children.
What she's most excited about for her future: Whitney has fostered a community with other child-free people on social media and said she's eager to keep growing it and connecting with like-minded people.
"I get a lot of enjoyment out of it despite all the negativity," she said. "I told myself there's gotta be at least one person that can relate to what I'm saying."
When she knew she didn't want to have kids: Hawk said she never felt the urge to be a mother, even as a child.
Watching her friends become parents made it clear to Hawk that having kids wasn't for her.
"I had so many goals and aspirations for myself," Hawk said. "I knew from my friends who started having kids in their 20s just how much time, effort, and energy, mentally and physically, kids took."
"When I saw real-life examples of exhaustion, I definitely knew it was not the path for me," she added.
Why she doesn't want them: "When you decide to become a parent, you have to be ready for every possible scenario that could come up," Hawk said. "That includes having a child who might have special needs and will need care for the rest of his or her life."
"You have the possibility of the marriage not lasting," she added. "What would it be like to be a single mother?"
"When you think of all the variables that can come up with having children, it was more reasons for me to say I'm not ready to accept any of those variables," Hawk said.
How people have responded to her choice: Hawk didn't have pressure from her family to have children, which made her decision easier.
"I come from a long line of child-free women on both sides of my family," she added. "I always had real-life examples of child-free people thriving in my life."
Still, when she married her ex-husband — who also didn't want children — Hawk said people asked them within hours of the moment they said "I do" when kids were coming.
"At the beginning of the reception, I said, 'Oh, you know, we don't want to have children,' and the pushback I got: 'Oh, you'll change your mind.' 'You're too young.' 'You just got married.'"
"I'm like, 'Can I eat my cake?'" Hawk said.
What she's most excited about for her future: "I am at a point in my life now where I put myself in a really good financial situation," she said. "I live in my own large apartment and have peace and quiet. I travel extensively with my boyfriend and friends. I have such freedom to live my life in a way that is not a grind."
"I just feel completely unfettered and to the point where I can really just have fun, and I think not everybody has that opportunity," she added. "I'm going to take it to the fullest extent I can."
Both Lively, 37, and Baldoni, 40, have alleged in their respective legal battles that they each had a hand in creating different cuts of the film at the center of the drama, It Ends With Us.
In her complaint, Lively detailed alleged changes that Baldoni made during the filming of the Colleen Hoover book adaption.
She claimed that additional “graphic” scenes were added that weren’t originally present in the script.
One of the alleged graphic scenes described in the complaint was a scene requiring Lively to “orgasm on camera” – a scene that did not appear in the original script.
“After Ms. Lively signed onto the movie based on a draft of the script, Mr. Baldoni, without Ms. Lively’s knowledge or consent, personally added graphic content, including a scene in which
Ms. Lively was to orgasm on-camera,” the complaint read. “When Ms. Lively objected to these additions, Mr. Baldoni insisted he had added them because he was making the Film ‘through the female gaze.’”
The legal document went on to describe a simultaneous climax scene that Lively claimed Baldoni advocated to include.
“Although he agreed to remove the scenes, he made a last-ditch attempt to keep one in which the couple orgasm together on their wedding night, which he said was important to him because he and his partner climax simultaneously during intercourse,” the complaint read. “Mr. Baldoni then intrusively asked Ms. Lively whether she and her husband climax simultaneously during intercourse, which Ms. Lively found invasive and refused to discuss.”
According to Lively’s complaint, Baldoni also allegedly added a scene involving the younger version of her character Lily (played by Isabela Ferrer) losing her virginity.
“Mr. Baldoni added a detailed scene to the Film in which the underage version of Ms. Lively’s character, Lily, loses her virginity. In both the book and the script for the film, there was no sex scene; instead, the details about this moment were left to the audience’s imagination.” the complaint read.
(Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
It continued: “But Mr. Baldoni, added in considerable details, including both dialogue between Young Lily and her boyfriend (Atlas) about the loss of her virginity, as well as a simulated sex scene in which Mr. Baldoni filmed, and included in his initial cut of the Film, a close up of Young Lily’s face, accompanied by an audible gasp at the moment of penetration. Ms. Lively was informed that when this scene was shot, after Mr. Baldoni called “cut,” he walked over to the actors and said, ‘I know I’m not supposed to say this, but that was hot,” and, “did you two practice this before?’”
Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times on Tuesday, December 31. The actor and director is suing for libel and false light invasion of privacy following The New York Times’ reporting on costar Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment.
The director was one of 10 plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which also includes publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel as well as It Ends With Us producers James Heath and Steve Saraowitz, who began legal proceedings against the media outlet.
In his complaint, Baldoni claimed two different, competing edits of It Ends With Us emerged during production – one overseen by him and the other commissioned by Lively. Baldoni claimed his version tested significantly higher than Lively’s with focus groups.
The same day Baldoni sued The New York Times, Lively officially filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, Nathan and Abel, along with Wayfarer Studios in the Southern District of New York.
The lawsuit alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and lost wages. The claims parallel those made in Lively’s complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department last week.
Lively spoke out about her legal action via a Saturday, December 21 statement to Us Weekly.
“I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,” she said.
A New York Times spokesperson told Us Weekly in a statement on Tuesday, December 31 that the outlet is planning to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
“The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead,” the statement read. “Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article. Those texts and emails were also the crux of a discrimination claim filed in California by Blake Lively against Justin Baldoni and his associates.”
The statement continued, “To address some inaccuracies in the lawsuit, when seeking comments from Mr. Baldoni and others who would be mentioned in the article, The Times shared the information that we intended to publish, including references to specific text messages and documents, asked them to identify any inaccuracies, provide additional context and speak with our team. Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer and the other subjects chose not to have any conversations with The Times or address any of the specific text messages or documents and instead emailed a joint response, which was published in full. (Also, they sent their response to The Times at 11:16 p.m. ET Dec 20th, not at 2:16 a.m. ET Dec 21st as the complaint says.)”
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.(Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
In response to Baldoni filing the lawsuit, Lively’s attorney told Us on Tuesday, December 31 that the lawsuit was based on an “obviously false premise.”
“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today,” the statement read. “This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on a choice “not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,” and that “litigation was never her ultimate goal.” As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false. While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively’s complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer’s allegations in court.”
Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman also shared a statement with Us Weekly, vowing to “take down” The New York Times for its “vicious smear campaign.”
“In this vicious smear campaign fully orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, the New York Times cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics once befitting of the revered publication by using doctored and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts which dispute their chosen PR narrative,” he said via a statement to Us on Tuesday, December 31. “In doing so, they pre-determined the outcome of their story, and aided and abetted their own devastating PR smear campaign designed to revitalize Lively’s self-induced floundering public image and counter the organic groundswell of criticism amongst the online public. The irony is rich.”
He continued: “Make no mistake however, as we all unite to take down The NY Times by no longer allowing them to deceive the public, we will continue this campaign of authenticity by also suing those individuals who have abused their power to try and destroy the lives of my clients. While their side embraces partial truths, we embrace the full truth – and have all of the communications to back it. The public will decide for themselves as they did when this first began.”
Over the years, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has selected the child of a celebrity to carry the torch into awards season and assist with the annual Golden Globe Awards.
The coveted title of Miss and Mr. Golden Globes dates back to 1963 when Donna Douglas and Eva Six shared the honor. The tradition of the role going to a celebrity kid, however, didn’t start until 1971 with Anne Archer, who went on to become a successful actress in her own right.
Being Miss or Mr. Golden Globes — or the Golden Globes Ambassador as it was changed to in 2018 — does include a few in-show responsibilities. Throughout the event, the ambassador assists the presenters in handing out awards and escorting the winners from the stage.
While many stars have held the role over the years, the ambassador program was discontinued in 2021.
Scroll down to meet the Golden Globes Ambassadors of years past:
The Beverly Hillbillies' Douglas was named the very first Miss Golden Globe by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1963. Douglas — lauded for her TV credibility — shared the honor with a film designee, Operation Bikini actress Eva Six.
In 1982, the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd took the stage as Miss Golden Globe. Nine years later, she was honored with a Golden Globe nomination for 1991's Rambling Rose.
Acting as Miss Golden Globe in 1992, the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Connie Stevens earned her first Golden Globe nomination six years later for her role as Paige Clark on Ellen DeGeneres' sitcom Ellen.
Just prior to starring in To Jillian on Her 37th Birthday in 1996, the son of Freddie Prinze was named Mr. Golden Globe, splitting presenting honors with Jaime Nicole Dudney, the daughter of Ken Dudney and Barbara Mandrell.
In the years since appearing as Miss Golden Globe in 1998, Cybill Shepherd's daughter had starring roles in both The Young and the Restless and The L Word.
A model and actress known for her role on NBC's now defunct soap Passions, Susan Lucci and Helmut Huber's daughter — now a married mom with a child — was named Miss Golden Globe in 2000.
Lorenzo Lamas' son appeared as Mr. Golden Globe in 2003, sharing trophy presentation duties with Miss Golden Globe Dominik Garcia-Lorido, the daughter of Andy Garcia.
"This will be a special night for me knowing how carefully she has thought about this and come to the decision on her own," Kevin Costner said when his actress daughter was named to the position in 2004. "This will be an extraordinary experience for Lily and all of us family and friends who have watched her grow up."
The daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, Dakota — who handed out trophies in 2006 and starred as Kate on the FOX sitcom Ben and Kate — was the first daughter of a former Miss Golden Globe to be selected for the prestigious honor. (Griffith did the honor in 1975.)
At 16, Jack Nicholson's daughter appeared at the 64th annual bash in 2007. Lorraine — whose mother is Rebecca Broussard — is an actress who has appeared in Click, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and in Something's Gotta Give, alongside her famous father.
The daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, House Bunny actress Rumer was originally scheduled to appear as Miss Golden Globe 2008, but was forced to wait a year for her time to shine when the show was cancelled due to an industry-wide writers' strike.
Andie MacDowell's daughter — a musician and actress who appeared in the movie Mighty Fine — was the most recent celebrity offspring to hold the title of Miss Golden Globe, handing out trophies at the 2012 event.
Clint Eastwood's blonde daughter was named Miss Golden Globe 2013. "I'm nervous but definitely excited!" she told Us Weekly when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association confirmed her appointment back in November 2012. "I'm nervous about falling!"
The daughter of two of Tinseltown's biggest stars, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, was announced as the 2014 Hollywood heir to carry the torch into awards season. "They think I'm going to do a good job," she told Us Weekly. "I think they're saying, 'It will be fun, don't be too nervous, be yourself.'"
Kelsey Grammer's daughter with ex-wife Barrie Buckner earned the coveted title in 2014. "My dad is super proud," the Awkward actress told Us. "He was so over the moon and so happy about it." The MTV star is also the half-sister of Greek alum Spencer Grammer.
Jamie Foxx's daughter, an aspiring model and actress, performed her Miss Golden Globe duties at the 2016 ceremony with ease. "The best part about this job is I don't have to speak on stage, I kind of just get to sit and observe and look pretty," she told WWD before the show.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that the title of “Miss Golden Globes” was renamed “Golden Globes Ambassador.” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s eldest daughter became the first person with the new title in 2018.
Idris Elba and ex-wife Hanne Norgaard's only daughter was announced as the 2019 Golden Globe Ambassador in November 2018. "I feel honored to hold this title and use this role to not only further educate people on the work of the HFPA, but also shine a light on issues that I care about," the 16-year-old said in a statement at the time. "Mental health, specifically among African Americans and my peers in particular, is something I really want to be more vocal about. There's this perceived stigma and I've seen friends struggle. We need to empower young people to not be afraid to ask for help."
Pierce Brosnan’s sons, Dylan, 22, and Paris, 18, split the Golden Globes Ambassador role during the 2020 ceremony on January 5. “So proud of our sons Dylan and Paris to the ambassadors for the Golden Globes 2020,” the Die Another Day star wrote via Instagram on November 15, 2019.
Spike Lee’s daughter, 26, and son, 23, made history as the first queer and Black male ambassadors, respectively, at the 78th ceremony in February 2021. “Tonya And I Are Very Proud Of Our Grown Children,” the filmmaker wrote via Instagram ahead of the show.
Hotel employee Braian Nahuel Paiz has been arrested in Argentina in connection with singer Liam Payne’sdeath.
The waiter, 24, was charged last month for allegedly supplying the late One Direction star with drugs prior to his fatal fall.
Paiz was arrested at his home outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina on Friday, January 3 and could face between four and 15 years in prison, reported People andTMZ. Per TMZ, Paiz was under house arrest at the time local authorities raided his home.
People reported on Friday, January 3 that both Paiz and his lawyer Fernando Madeo Facente are maintaining that the hotel employee is innocent.
Payne, who shot to fame as one of five members of boy band One Direction, died on October 16, 2024 after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. He was 31.
A preliminary autopsy cited “multiple traumas” as the cause of Payne’s death, including hemorrhages in his chest, skull and abdomen. The partial autopsy found multiple drugs were reportedly found in his system at the time of his passing, including traces of “pink cocaine” — a mix of methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA — cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack.
Paiz was one of five people charged on Monday, December 30 by Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office in connection to Payne’s death.
In addition to Paiz, CasaSur employee Ezequiel Pereyra was also charged with allegedly supplying drugs to Payne ahead of his death.
(Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal)
Meanwhile, Payne’s friend Roger Nores is among those facing manslaughter charges, along with Esteban Grassi, a receptionist at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, and the hotel’s head of security Gilda Martin.
During an interview with Argentina’s Telefe Noticias that aired in November 2024, Paiz denied dealing drugs to the late musician. Paiz claimed he initially met Payne when he dined at the restaurant where Paiz works in Puerto Madero in the weeks leading up to his death.
According to Paiz, Payne “was already under the effects of drugs and he didn’t actually eat anything” at the restaurant.
He continued, “We swapped details and saw each other later that night. It was all normal.”
Paiz insisted, “I never supplied Liam with drugs,” adding that the pair arranged to meet at the “Hyatt in Palermo” on October 2. They met up again at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 13.
“We took drugs together, but I never took drugs to him or accepted any money,” he claimed, adding that he still had the messages exchanged between himself and Payne to arrange their second meeting.
Payne’s funeral was held in Amersham, England, on Wednesday, November 20. Payne’s former One Direction bandmates — Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan — were among those in attendance.
The nation’s highest civilian award honors individuals who ‘made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors’
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is looking to expand the state’s involuntary commitment laws to allow hospitals to force more people with mental health problems into treatment.
This comes in response to a series of violent crimes in the New York City subway system.
Hochul said Friday she wants to introduce legislation during the coming legislative session to amend mental health care laws to address the recent surge of violent crimes on the subway.
"Many of these horrific incidents have involved people with serious untreated mental illness, the result of a failure to get treatment to people who are living on the streets and are disconnected from our mental health care system," the governor said.
"We have a duty to protect the public from random acts of violence, and the only fair and compassionate thing to do is to get our fellow New Yorkers the help they need," she continued.
Mental health experts say that most people with mental illness are not violent and are far more likely to be victims of violent crime than they are to carry out a violent crime.
The governor did not provide details on what her legislation would change.
"Currently, hospitals are able to commit individuals whose mental illness puts themselves or others at risk of serious harm, and this legislation will expand that definition to ensure more people receive the care they need," she said.
Hochul also said she would introduce another bill to improve the process in which courts can order people to undergo assisted outpatient treatments for mental illness and make it easier for people to voluntarily sign up for those treatments.
The governor said she is "deeply grateful" to law enforcement who every day "fight to keep our subways safe." But she said "we can't fully address this problem without changes to state law."
"Public safety is my top priority and I will do everything in my power to keep New Yorkers safe," she said.
State law currently allows police to compel people to be taken to hospitals for evaluation if they appear to be suffering from mental illness and their behavior presents a risk of physical harm to themselves or others. Psychiatrists must then determine if the patients need to be involuntarily hospitalized.
New York Civil Liberties Union executive director Donna Lieberman said requiring more people to be placed into involuntary commitment "doesn't make us safer, it distracts us from addressing the roots of our problems, and it threatens New Yorkers' rights and liberties."
Hochul's statement comes after a series of violent crimes in New York City's subways, including an incident on New Year's Eve when a man shoved another man onto subway tracks ahead of an incoming train, on Christmas Eve when a man slashed two people with a knife in Manhattan’s Grand Central subway station and on Dec. 22 when a suspect lit a sleeping woman on fire and burned her to death.
The medical histories of the suspects in those three incidents were not immediately clear, but New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has said the man accused of the knife attack in Grand Central had a history of mental illness and the father of the suspect who shoved a man onto the tracks told The New York Times that he had become concerned about his son's mental health in the weeks prior to the incident.
Adams has spent the past few years urging the state Legislature to expand mental health care laws and has previously supported a policy that would allow hospitals to involuntarily commit a person who is unable to meet their own basic needs for food, clothing, shelter or medical care.
"Denying a person life-saving psychiatric care because their mental illness prevents them from recognizing their desperate need for it is an unacceptable abdication of our moral responsibility," the mayor said in a statement after Hochul's announcement.
Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates founded the charitable organization, though the couple have since divorced and Melinda French Gates has resigned from the foundation.
Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images; Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a charitable organization with a $75.2-billion endowment.
The nonprofit was created by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his now ex-wife, Melinda French Gates.
The foundation supports causes related to global health issues, poverty, and inequity.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization founded by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his then-wife, Melinda French Gates. The foundation has donated tens of billions of dollars to issues like global health, gender equality, water sanitation programs, nutrition education and support, and more.
The Gates Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) organization, partners with groups that can do impactful work on specific issues in specific areas — medical researchers studying mosquito-borne illness in Tanzania, for example — and helps ensure there is proper funding for the work.
The Gates Foundation is one of the largest such organizations, second only to Denmark's medical research-focused Novo Nordisk Foundation. Its size and scope noted, there is still much people wonder about the BMGF, so let's take a closer look at who it supports, who runs it, and just how much money we're talking about here.
The history, ownership, and wealth of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was formed in 2000 as an offshoot of the William H. Gates Foundation, which the Microsoft founder created six years earlier. Bill Gates stepped down as Microsoft CEO in 2008 to devote more of his time to the foundation.
Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates divorced in August of 2021, and she resigned from her position as co-chair and trustee of the foundation in the spring of 2024. However, despite the couple's divorce, the Gates Foundation is still very active and is even growing the scope of its operations and its endowment. The foundation has about 2,000 employees, and has offices all over the world, including several in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
David Ryder/Getty Images
The former power couple aren't actually the owners of the organization. The Gates Foundation is owned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust.
The Gates Foundation is best known for funding efforts to eradicate diseases like polio and malaria worldwide and addressing global poverty and malnutrition. It works closely with global health organizations like the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The foundation has backed efforts like developing and delivering vaccines to poverty-stricken countries, supporting agriculture and reducing food insecurity in developing nations, and committed more than $2 billion to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the foundation has also received criticism from global health and development experts, who have accused the organization of lacking transparency and accountability. Despite being a private, unelected entity, the foundation has had major effects and implications on public policy around the world, and its critics say it makes decisions based on the whims of its billionaire trustees rather than voters.
For instance, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into agricultural development in Africa over the years via a "green revolution" emphasizing technological innovations in farming. Instead, multiple organizations have called the efforts a failure and urged the foundation to instead listen to the needs of African farmers.
Bill and Melinda Gates have also acknowledged shortcomings in the foundation's strategies. For instance, despite spending billions on improving the US education system, with the goal of boosting high school graduation rates, the couple acknowledged that the foundation's efforts to improve American public schools were "still falling short" and said the foundation hadn't accomplished as much as they would like.
How much money does the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have?
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has personally given tens of billions of dollars to the foundation.
Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images
The foundation is well-endowed, largely thanks to donations directly from the Gates themselves and billionaire Warren Buffett. BMGF has also made some excellent investments over the years.
According to its website, the foundation has an endowment of $75.2 billion. Bill and Melinda Gates have given $59.5 billion to the foundation since its inception, and Buffet has given $39.3 billion since 2006.
The foundation has billions of dollars of Microsoft stock, which is little surprise given that the software company is the provenance of Bill Gates' wealth. Bill Gates' net worth fluctuates with the stock market, but it is well over $100 billion — and that's after subtracting the $76 billion Melinda Gates gained when the couple separated.
Notably, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation does not give money to individuals, its website states, nor does it donate to "projects addressing health problems in developed countries," "political campaigns and legislative lobbying efforts," "building or capital campaigns," or "projects that exclusively serve religious purposes."
Alex Witt said venture capitalists have an unprecedented chance to back five transformative technologies: Generative AI, robotics, autonomous electric vehicles, blockchain, and biotech.
Courtesy of Alex Witt
Founding partner Alex Witt shared three venture capital predictions for the next decade.
Witt says that managers who've launched less than three funds will get more attention.
He also says that five key technologies and the African market will see more investments.
Since venture capital funds plummeted from 2021 to 2023, VCs are looking for ways to stop the pain and regain a sense of control over their future. Still, many VCs predict the industry will significantly decline in 2025 due to high interest rates.
Alex Witt, general partner at Verda Ventures and cofounder of the payment platform SWFT Blockchain agrees with recent predictions.Based on his 14 years of experience in finance and technology, Witt also gave Business Insider three more core predictions for the VC industry's next decade.
He believes technological opportunity combined with changing demographics will shape the VC experience over the next 10 years, creating more investment space for emerging managers, five key technologies, and Africa.
1. Emerging managers will drive the highest returns in the next decade
As limited partners recognize that successful Fund 1s don't necessarily translate into successful Fund 2s or 3s, the VC landscape will see a greater focus on new managers who've launched less than three funds.
"Emerging managers have been traditionally underfunded despite their success," Witt explained.
For context, Witt explained that larger funds have a track record of underperforming: only 17% of funds larger than $750 million return over 2.5 times of capital. Yet smaller funds have been proven to consistently outperform.
"Funds under $249 million are disproportionately represented in the top decile and quartile of performers," he said. Witt explained that targeting smaller, high-performing funds will be critical for future success.
2. VCs have an unprecedented chance to back five transformative technologies
According to Witt, we're entering a new "industrial renaissance" fueled by breakthroughs in five key technologies he believes have massive VC potential.
Generative AI: Witt predicts that key players in this arena will be companies with unique datasets, such as Google with YouTube data and xAI with X and Tesla data. Generative AI will even affect the finance and pharmaceutical industries.
"Some impacts of generative AI to watch for include drug discovery with even faster trials and finance with real-time, data-driven trading.
Robotics: Witt pointed to innovations like generative AI-driven physical AI — for example, Nvidia — and referenced Tesla. "Market leader Tesla is positioned to dominate this area with its 'robots on wheels' approach to manufacturing."
Autonomous electric vehicles: Witt saidChinese carmakerBYD stands out as a global leader in data access and scalable manufacturing. "In terms of cost impact, more than 70% of Uber ride costs are labor-related, and autonomous transport will significantly reduce expenses," he said.
Blockchain: Accessibility is an area to watch in blockchain. Witt said blockchain enables low-cost, borderless transactions, and more markets are using it. "For example, MiniPay, the #1 app in Kenya, surpassed Facebook and Instagram in downloads."
Biotech: As an emerging technology, Witt explained that gene-based therapies offer precision treatments for inherited or environmental genetic abnormalities. "As examples, Moderna's mRNA success foreshadows the broader potential of CRISPR and similar technologies," he said.
"This era is reminiscent of the early 20th century's transformative, broad-based innovations like electricity and the internal combustion engine," Witt said. For VCs, Witt believes the coming decade marks a rare chance to back category-defining companies in emerging industries — but he emphasized that success won't come easy.
"VCs will face the challenge of identifying category-defining winners," Witt said. "As history shows, industries tend to consolidate around one or two dominant players, with only a small fraction of companies emerging as leaders — think Amazon and Google among the dot-com era's 500 IPOs."
3. Africa and the Global South will lead in VC-backed innovation
Beyond technology, Witt stressed that demographics are a critical and often overlooked factor shaping VC trends. He projects that population dynamics will increasingly determine the locations where innovation thrives.
"Demographics are destiny," Witt said.
He predicts that VCs will increasingly allocate capital to the Global South, particularly Africa, due to its "explosive" consumer and market growth potential.
"This shift will redefine traditional portfolio strategies, emphasizing demographic-driven investments," Witt said.
As support for his prediction, Witt noted that Africa leads global population growth, and that all of the top 20 fastest-growing populations are in the Global South.
He added that countries with aging populations and declining birth rates, such as Korea, with a fertility rate of 0.68, face a shrinking workforceand reduced appetite for risk and technological adoption.
In contrast, he believes that regions like Africa, with a fertility rate of 4.18, offer a young, growing population and expanding market potential.
"This is why some VCs are betting on the Global South as the next frontier for innovation and growth," Witt concluded. "Large populations equal large markets, and big markets mean that one or two successful companies can offset eight or nine failures, which is critical for VC success."
If you're a VC who would like to share your thoughts on the industry, please email Manseen Logan at [email protected].
The President-elect pledged to "build an Iron Dome" over the U.S. to make sure "nothing can come and harm our people." A new report shows how it might look.
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