Justin Verlander found himself in the hot seat after using his wife Kate Upton’s Zoom account for a recent press conference.
During a virtual press event on Monday, January 13, an NBC Sports reporter named Taylor Wirth had a hot mic moment that involved Verlander, 41 — but the MLB player didn’t mind.
As San Francisco Giants president of operations Buster Posey was speaking to the reporters, Wirth accidentally interrupted saying, “Look at Justin’s name!”
Wirth didn’t appear to know he was unmuted when he pointed out that Verlander’s Zoom moniker was his wife’s name.
After the Giants’ vice president of media relationship Matt Chisholm reminded the reporters to stay muted unless they are asking a question, Verlander poked fun at his own mishap.
“I’ll change it, alright? I’ll change it,” Verlander quipped, referring to his Zoom name.
The pitcher made good on his promise, changing his moniker to “JUSTIN VERLANDER (not Kate)” for the remainder of the press conference.
Justin VerlanderCourtesy of MLB/X
Wirth, meanwhile, poked fun at his hot mic blunder by reposting a clip from the Zoom via X. He then shared a meme of a college guy pointing at himself while holding a beer, confirming he was the one who called out Verlander.
Verlander met Upton, 32, in 2012 while shooting a commercial for the Major League Baseball 2K12 video game. They went public with their romance in January 2013. After briefly splitting later that year, they reunited in January 2014.
Justin VerlanderSteph Chambers/Getty Images
After the former Houston Astros pitcher won the 2017 World Series with his team, he and Upton jetted off to Italy to get married.
The pair celebrated their one-year anniversary in November 2018 days before welcoming their daughter, Genevieve. The following year, Verlander reflected on the past decade and all of his life changes.
“It’s been such an incredible decade! Meeting my best friend, getting married and starting a family has been the most amazing gift ever!!! Nothing tops that,” he wrote via Instagram in December 2019. “On the field … winning a championship, throwing a couple no hitters and winning a few awards along the way has been an incredible journey. The friendships that have grown or began this past decade will continue on for decades to come. Truly blessed . Now bring on the next decade!!”
Since entering the 2020s, Verlander’s baseball trajectory has changed more than once. In December 2022 he said goodbye to the Astros after six years with the ball club. That same month he confirmed he was joining the New York Mets for the 2023 season, but by August of that year he was back with the Astros.
Earlier this month, Verlander entered another new phase of his MLB career as a pitcher for the Giants. He signed a one-year contract with the team on January 11 for $15 million.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson recalled having to choose between working on his craft or taking unemployment so he could eat during the beginning of his career.
“I started out in theater. I got my equity card pretty easily [when] I did Shakespeare in the Park,” Ferguson, 49, told Kathy Bates during the Tuesday, January 14, episode of his “Dinner’s on Me” podcast, which was taped before the Los Angeles wildfires broke out last week.
He noted that when the show moved to Broadway it “only lasted a few months” and his career stalled. To make ends meet he worked a few odd jobs.
“I worked at a gift shop. I worked at coffee shops,” Ferguson remembered.
While he still dabbled in theater during that time frame the money was minimal. “I would do off Broadway things. But there [were] times when the paychecks that you would make doing these off-Broadway shows were not as good as the unemployment,” he explained, adding, “I would really have to think, like, ‘Do I want to eat, or do I want to grow my artistic self and take these great parts?’ And there [were] times when I was really nervous about it.”
He pointed out that “taking work would actually mean a pay cut because my unemployment was more.”
Ferguson made his Broadway debut in 1998’s On the Town. He later starred in the original cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which started in 2006. His Shakespeare in the Park gigs include 2007’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2010’s A Winter’s Tale and The Merchant of Venice and 2015’s The Tempest.
His small screen career took off in 2006 when he began playing Richie Velch on The Class before landing his biggest TV role to date playing Mitchell Pritchett on Modern Family in 2009. The sitcom lasted 11 seasons, ending in 2020. (He was nominated for five Emmys during the show’s run.)
In 2022, Ferguson made a splash on Broadway once again with Take Me Out. He won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his portrayal of Mason Marzac. He returned to the big screen in 2023 for Cocaine Bear and followed it up with All That We Love in 2024. Ferguson also had a guest starring role on Elsbeth last year.
Outside of acting, Ferguson hosts his podcast and raises his two children with husband Justin Mikita. (The couple welcomed sons Beckett and Sullivan via surrogates in 2020 and 2022, respectively.)
“We’re a little overbearing at times, and we want to hug them and snuggle them,” Ferguson exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2024 of his parenting style.
“Collectively, they’re both like, ‘OK, enough, back up and together we’re deciding that you guys are a little overwhelming,’” he teased. “I love that they’re kind of already, like, drawing a line in the sand together about us.”
Ferguson noted that he’s OK with his kids uniting against their parents, telling Us, “That’s really sweet. I love that they’re gonna have each other for their whole lives.”
Brooke Shields, Luke MacfarlanePhillip Faraone/Getty Images; Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
Hallmark Media made headlines in 2022 when they upped their exclusive contracts following a mass exodus of their talent to competitor Great American Media.
“It’s usually for either two movies, and some of them are for a Christmas movie,” Hallmark executive vice president Lisa Hamilton Daly told Deadline in May 2022 of their approach to keeping stars such as Lacey Chabert and Nikki DeLoach. “It’s really to make sure that we have access to that talent during the year.”
While the contract was lucrative, the actress ended the working relationship after just three Flower Shop Mysteries films.
“I’d completed only three when I realized I had to renegotiate. I’d been hired, I was told, to help change the face of the network,” she wrote. “They wanted me to be funny and bring more comedy to their offerings, but as filming progressed on each of the Flower Shop Mysteries — the franchise I was hired to headline — all the humor had evaporated.”
Scroll down to see which Hallmark stars past and present have talked about their respective contracts:
Brooke Shields
Cindy Ord/WireImage
After playing flower shop owner and ex-lawyer Abby Knight in three Flower Shop Mysteries movies in 2016, Shields cut ties with Hallmark.
“Not everything is for everyone, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Hallmark Channel — God knows it has a huge fan base — but it was not the future I wanted for my career,” Shields wrote in her Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old memoir, which was released in January 2025. “I’m never against hard work, but I am now a believer in only saying yes to work that serves me.”
The actress realized, “I simply could not do ten more films that were not what I was promised and felt completely wrong for me. So I quit. I definitely surprised some people, and in plenty of ways I surprised myself. I certainly would never have done that in my 20s.”
“I’ve had overall deals with them and in [the terms it says,] I’m gonna commit to five Christmas movies or five movies, but I can’t work for any other network — and they name all the other networks — and they can’t be holiday-related movies,” he explained during an appearance on Tosh Show in December 2023. “So I was able to do [Netflix’s Single All the Way] because I was outside my deal with them.”
The actor noted that Netflix paid less than his Hallmark projects which pay “well.” Macfarlane is also a fan of his residuals from the network.
“They have to air a certain amount of time before you start getting [residuals],” he said of Hallmark. “If you end up doing one of the ones that kind of hits and is popular, it gets aired more and more, so you eventually get residuals.”
Candace Cameron Bure
Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Cameron Bure stepped away from her role as Hallmark’s “Queen of Christmas” in April 2022. She gave insight into her decision to move to Great American that September, claiming it was partially because of negotiations.
“The truth is I’ve been under contract with Hallmark for a very, very long time. And those have been absolutely wonderful,” she told Variety at the time. “It just so happened that my contract was expiring when Great American Family started up.”
Cameron Bure — who starred in 18 Aurora Teagarden Mysteries on Hallmark Mysteries — alleged that she waited until the contract was up before talking with Great American Media. “We did not start having those discussions until we were well into negotiations with Hallmark Channel for renewing,” she continued. “And as every businessperson knows, you’ve got to do what’s right for contracts. It didn’t work out with Hallmark and so we started talking to Bill.”
Danica McKellar
Jason Davis/Getty Images
McKellar became a fixture on Hallmark in 2015, but parted ways with the network in October 2021 as one of the first stars to ink a deal with Great American Media. In November 2024, she revealed that she wasn’t under contract with Hallmark at any point.
“At Hallmark, I never had an overall deal. And, with Great American, I had these multi-picture deals,” McKellar claimed during an episode of the “Sex, Lies and Spray Tans” podcast. “They let me be way more involved in the writing and the producing. It is so creatively fulfilling.”
The actors began working together during season 6 of the Hallmark Channel series playing Nathan Grant and Fiona Miller, respectively. While their characters aren’t romantically involved, McGarry and Wallace sparked a real-life relationship off camera.
McGarry confirmed they were dating via social media in November 2020. Less than two years later, the couple starred in their first rom-com for the network, Feeling Butterflies, which aired in March 2022.
The twosome teamed up for Hallmark’s Christmas in July film My Grown-Up Christmas List. In the movie, Wallace portrayed Taylor Nichols, while McGarry played Luke Malone.
“The trick to my treat. It’s like being in a loving caring, magical relationship with the house that gives full size chocolate bars!” the Christmas Scavenger Hunt actor wrote via Instagram in a tribute to his love. “Happy Birthday Darling xx @imkaylawallace.”
Wallace showed McGarry support ahead of the premiere of his holiday film, Checkin’ It Twice, which premiered on Hallmark October 20. She reposted the movie’s poster via her Instagram Story, adding a red heart emoji alongside a tag with his name.
McGarry confirmed at the annual Hearties Family Reunion fan event that he and Wallace had tied the knot. “That ring on your finger, I hope it’s not a prop,” a panel host asked him in an Instagram clip from the event. McGarry responded, “No, it’s not a prop,” before flashing his wedding band for attendees. He did not share additional details about their nuptials at the time.
“Her smile is my favorite thing. I’m so happy I get to look at it for the rest of my life,” McGarry gushed about Wallace via Instagram. “Happy Kayla-ween to my beautiful wife. Xo 🎃 Happy birthday 🎈.”
The following month, McGarry sang his wife’s praises while supporting her debut on the Paramount+ series Landman. “So incredibly proud of my beautiful, movie star wife! Xo @landmanpplus premieres Nov 17th on @paramountplus,” he captioned a series of social media photos of Wallace on the red carpet.
“A story about the people and families that work the oil patch to supply America with its largest export!” McGarry added. “An exceptionally talented team of writers, actors, and crew create a story that’s suspenseful, horrific, exciting, but above all heartbreakingly human. Can’t wait for the world to see it, Darlin.”
Wallace exclusively told Us Weekly about her and McGarry’s dynamic, revealing how they coordinate working apart. “Kevin and I have been really lucky that our schedules have kind of flip-flopped,” she said. “We've just been incredibly lucky with timing.”
The actress noted that they “hope” they can continue to “be in the same city with each other as the other person's filming” but acknowledged that it’s a “struggle” at times.
“There's travel involved in this career, so we've just been super lucky so far that we've been able to be together in both cities,” she added.
Wallace also teased that fans could see them reunite for future When Calls the Heart episodes. “I can say that there’s a chance that I will return,” she said.
Tim Tebow and wife Demi-Leigh Tebow are expecting their first baby.
“Baby Tebow ,” the couple captioned an Instagram Reel on Tuesday, January 14, announcing Demi-Leigh’s pregnancy. The twosome revealed that their little one is due this summer.
In the video, the former NFL quarterback, 37, gave his wife a kiss before unveiling a sonogram of their baby to the camera. Demi-Leigh, who is 16 weeks pregnant, glowed in the maternity photo shoot, wearing a form-fitting white dress that showed off her growing baby bump.
“We are just so excited and so over the moon to be having a baby together,” Demi-Leigh, 29, told People on Tuesday. “I feel like every time I say, ‘Tim’s going to be a dad!’ it feels so surreal.”
Tim, meanwhile, said he is “honored for the privilege of getting the responsibility and the joy of being mom and dad.”
The couple shared their pregnancy news ahead of their five-year wedding anniversary. Tim and Demi-Leigh tied the knot in Cape Town, South Africa, on January 20, 2020, after a yearlong engagement.
The retired football player met his now-wife in 2018 at the Tim Tebow Foundation’s annual event Night to Shine, which is a prom for people with special needs.
“Demi had a little sister with severe special needs. [She] was kind of our matchmaker,” Tim exclusively told Us Weekly in August 2024 of Demi-Leigh’s sister Franje, who had cerebellar agenesis and died in May 2019. “Demi and her family were invited [to Night of Shine], but unfortunately her sister was too sick to go. But through that, we connected and never stopped talking.”
While the pair felt an instant connection, Demi-Leigh confessed to Us in August 2024 that there was a “language barrier” when they began dating.
Courtesy of Demi-Leigh Tebow/Instagram
“Loving in a second language is different,” Demi-Leigh explained, asking her husband, “Remember the first time after our first date, I told you, ‘Keep well,’ and you thought I was dismissing you?”
Tim recalled the moment, telling Us, “Her first language is Afrikaans, not English,” since Demi-Leigh is from South Africa.
“I was like, ‘Keep well? … I don’t know if I’m going to see you again!’” he laughed of their initial exchanges.
Despite their communication barriers, the duo said “I do” in 2020 and were quickly asked when they planned to expand their family.
“I don’t know if we’re running the four-minute offense or we’re playing defense,” Tim told Extra in November 2020. “We’re trying to figure out what’s next for us.”
Tim noted that both he and the former Miss Universe “definitely want” children and were “excited for when it’s just the right time” to become parents.
The couple started out as two friends in Texas who went to school together. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback became close with Matthews in 2011 when he was just a freshman at Whitehouse High School.
After dating for several years, the pair attended different colleges but remained an item.
“He ended up going to Texas Tech, and that’s when it really hit me, ‘Oh s—t, he might go play professional football,” Matthews told Today in December 2020 of her then-fiancé’s football skills. “It was surreal to see him living his dream and seeing him grow as an athlete and as a man in general was just amazing.”
They cemented their relationship in March 2022 when they said “I do” in Hawaii. Mahomes and Matthews have since embraced married life — and the craziness that comes with raising three children.
Scroll down to relive Mahomes and Matthews’ love story:
The Texas teens started dating in March 2012 when Mahomes was a sophomore and Matthews was a junior at Whitehouse High School in East Texas. The pair were friends for a year before Mahomes gave Matthews a Valentine’s Day card and a rose in the cafeteria, which resulted in the soccer player considering him as a romantic prospect.
The couple attended multiple school dances together including Matthews’ senior prom in May 2013.“Best prom date a guy could ask for!! #prom2013 #bestfriend #greatnight,” the quarterback captioned a collage of photos from the night via Instagram.
The pair kept their romance alive while attending different colleges in Texas. Mahomes played football at Texas Tech University from 2014 to 2017, while Matthews played soccer for the University of Texas at Tyler from 2013 to 2017.
Mahomes chose to forgo his final year of eligibility as a college quarterback to enter the NFL draft in April 2017. He was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs as their first-round pick and the 10th overall pick. “Officially a Kansas City Chiefs fan! I'm so proud of you Patrick!” Matthews wrote via Instagram at the time. “I cannot wait to take on this amazing journey by your side!❤️ I love you lots!”
A month after her love signed with the Chiefs, Matthews landed her own deal with Iceland’s pro soccer team. Mahomes was by her side in May 2017 when she signed the contract.
After two seasons with the Chiefs, the couple bought a home together in May 2019 in Kansas City. The nearly $2 million home has three bedrooms, three baths, a home gym and pool, according to Bizjournals.com.
The couple celebrated Kansas City’s Super Bowl win in February 2020 with an on-field kiss and lots of confetti. “I am so beyond proud of this dude and this team, all year it was about battling, amazing comebacks and overcoming an injury, and for that YOU DESERVE THIS,” Matthews captioned a series of photos after the victory.
“8 years ago, you played safety & I was a cheerleader in a small town called Whitehouse, TX,” the fitness trainer wrote via Instagram in March 2020, celebrating the couple’s 8-year anniversary. “Oh how times have changed! Love you❤️.”
After more than eight years together, the professional athlete proposed to Matthews in September 2020. Mahomes got down on one knee in a VIP box at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City in front of an illuminated sign that read, “Will You Marry Me?” There was also a massive floral display and a candlelight dinner to follow.
Weeks after getting engaged, the couple announced in September 2020 that they are expecting their first child together. “Mom & Dad, taking a small detour to the wedding❤️,” the bride-to-be wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of the pair holding a sonogram.
The soon-to-be parents revealed in October 2020 that they are having a baby girl. The pair set off confetti poppers while their friends and loved ones virtually watched the announcement.
The football player announced the arrival of his first child with Matthews on February 21. "Sterling Skye Mahomes 2/20/21," he captioned an Instagram pic of his daughter's hand with his and Matthews'. The new mom was photographed wearing a necklace bearing their daughter's name.
Matthews celebrated after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round NFL playoff game. The fitness guru popped a bottle of champagne and sprayed fans in the Missouri stadium. "Oops 🤷🏻♀️ #LETSGOOOOO," she captioned the clip via Twitter.
In their joint Instagram post announcing Matthews' pregnancy, she and Mahomes revealed they are ready for "Round 2!" with their second child. The couple posed for multiple photos with their daughter, Sterling, who wore a shirt that read, "I Have a Secret to Tell You." She then changed into a different shirt emblazoned with the phrase, "Big Sister."
"Just traveling the world with these two❤️," Matthews captioned a sweet photo of her and Mahomes with their little girl in a tropical location.
Matthews gave birth to the pair’s son on November 28. Named after his father, their second child will go by “Bronze.”
“Patrick ‘Bronze’ Lavon Mahomes III 11/28/22 7lbs 8oz,” the athlete wrote via Instagram at the time.
Mahomes joined his wife as a part owner of the Kansas City Current more than two years after Matthews became involved with the team. The women’s soccer organization was also cofounded by Chris and Angie Long.
“I am thankful for the chance to join @brittanylynne as part of the @thekccurrent ownership team,” the quarterback wrote via an Instagram statement. “She and the Longs have done an incredible job building a world-class organization and I am excited to join another championship-caliber club as it continues to make history.”
Matthews, for her part, said in the team’s statement that she is "so thrilled to make this a family affair.” She noted that her husband” has been a huge supporter behind-the-scenes. His passion for the Current is undeniable and I am glad that he will be with us as we continue on our journey to become the best in the NWSL."
"MY BABY DID IT!!!!!" Matthews tweeted after the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. "Patrick and his teammates are DAWGSSSS."
“Happy 1st Anniversary. One of the best weeks of my life, marrying your best friend it’s one of the greatest things you could do!” Matthews wrote via Instagram. “Nothing beats doing life with you and these beautiful kiddos of ours! Year 1 was wild but we got many more to go☺️. You & Me forever♾️.”
The couple reminisced about the start of their relationship during episode 1 of Netflix’s Quarterback docuseries, which premiered on July 12. “We kinda met in seventh, eighth grade,” Mahomes recalled in the documentary. “She was the grade above me, I was kind of the best friend, in the friend zone forever.”
It wasn’t until Mahomes gifted Matthews a rose on Valentine’s Day during his sophomore year of high school that he upgraded from her friend to boyfriend. “He thought it was a joke,” Matthews said of the gesture. “I thought it was the cutest thing in the world. And then everyone at our lunch table started chanting, ‘Kiss him, kiss him,’ and made it really awkward cause we were ‘just friends’ so that’s kind of what started it and then I thought it was cute.”
Patrick led the Chiefs to their second consecutive Super Bowl victory before Brittany joined him on the field for the Lombardi Trophy presentation. She brought kids Sterling and Bronze with them, as well as Patrick’s mother, Randi, and brother Jackson.
“It means the world that [they’re here],” Patrick gushed. “Brittany is a great wife with two great kids. I can’t ask for anything better than this.”
The pair revealed they are expecting baby No. 3. Brittany and Patrick shared the news via an Instagram video that featured Sterling and Bronze showing off their mom’s ultrasound photos.
The couple welcomed their third child, daughter Golden.
“•Golden Raye Mahomes• 1/12/25🎀✨,” read a joint Instagram post that showed off their newborn daughter’s feet.
Tom Durant Pritchard as Alexander Blake and Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet in ‘Miss Scarlet.’Sever Zolak; Miss Scarlet Limited and MASTERPIECE
Season 5 of Miss Scarlet is all about change, but newbie Tom Durant-Pritchard is just like Us rooting for Eliza Scarlet to find her happily ever after.
“We all need love, do you know what I mean?” Durant-Pritchard, 37, exclusively told Us Weekly while playing coy as to whether his character, the new Scotland Yard Inspector Alexander Blake, will be a new love interest for private investigator Eliza (Kate Phillips).
The actor is replacing Stuart Martin’s Inspector William Wellington a.k.a. The Duke in the upcoming season of the PBS Masterpiece Mystery show, which premieres on Sunday, January 12. (The early streaming release began on December 8, 2024, on the PBS App and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.)
Unlike William, who was in love with Eliza for years before taking a job in New York City at the end of season 4, Blake doesn’t like private investigators. That aversion to Eliza’s profession, however, might be short-lived, according to Durant-Pritchard.
“Blake doesn’t want any PIs working with Scotland Yard, but there’s that classic thing with Miss Scarlet is you can’t deny that she’s very good at her job,” he told Us. “And Blake is a sensible man and comes to appreciate the fact that as much as he doesn’t want Ms. Scarlet to get involved in any of the cases, she’s kind of too good to ignore.”
He teased, “So begrudgingly he has to allow her to take part.”
While the two butt heads right out the gate — during the premiere they cross paths on a tricky case involving stolen goods — Durant-Pritchard explained they have a few things in common that could bond them.
“He’s gone through his own heartbreak that is different to Miss Scarlet,” the season 5 star shared. “But they find each other at a time when they’re in their company. They need each other in a way.”
Durant-Pritchard noted that there’s a “reluctance” to Blake and Eliza “getting on” when he first comes to town but that changes as the seasons progresses.
“You see a sort of friendship building. There is something between them as much as they both don’t want it to happen,” he teased. “There’s a relationship building.”
Durant-Pritchard explained that even though Eliza wants to have a clean break from William — fans will see how the two formally part ways during the season 5 premiere — healing from heartbreak “is never that simple.”
The English actor revealed that Eliza’s feelings from season 4 will “feed into what happens in season 5.” When it comes to how she will connect with Blake and weasel her way into more cases, Durant-Pritchard said it will come down to proving herself at work.
Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet in ‘Miss Scarlet.’Sever Zolak; Miss Scarlet Limited and MASTERPIECE
“There are some great cases that are quite big that require quite a lot of mental strength,” he shared. “And the bond that Blake and Ms. Scarlet have to form to solve those cases, kind of allow the past to stay in the past and they have to start building their own relationship and future between them.”
Durant-Pritchard remained somewhat coy about whether Blake and Eliza’s dynamic will become romantic — but he didn’t rule it out completely.
“You can expect two, single people in a state of heartbreak, going about their business to the best of their ability,” he told Us. “And as much as they don’t want to spend time with one another as the season progresses, they end up having to spend more and more time together and get to know each other better and better as time goes on.”
While Blake and Eliza start off on a rocky foot, Durant-Pritchard had an easy time getting along with the show’s leading lady.
“Kate is a fantastic actor, and she’s a great person. It’s very easy to just hang out and have that,” he gushed about Phillips, 35. “I’ve come from a background of doing my fair share of comedies, and we share a love of comedy [and] rom-coms, all the work of Hugh Grant over the years.”
Durant-Pritchard revealed that he and Phillips connected over their love of movies and spent a lot of time getting to know each other’s ticks. (Durant-Pritchard picked Four Weddings and a Funeral and “all the Bridget Jones’s” as his favorite rom-coms.)
“We spoke, I think, every day from about 8 in the morning til 7 at night, and we spent every second together,” he recalled. “We just got on so well that it was just very easy on set.”
As fans gear up for new dynamics in season 5 of Miss Scarlet, Durant-Pritchard gave Us his vision for season 6 — assuming Blake sticks around.
“I would like to see how his relationship with Ms. Scarlet progresses through time,” he said, hinting that he too is team Eliza finding love. “To see if they can maintain a kind of working relationship and then anything else that happens is a boon, I guess.”
Season 5 of Miss Scarlet premieres on Masterpiece Mystery on PBS Sunday, January 12, at 8 p.m. ET.
Rolling in the dough! Reality TV shows can be grueling, awkward and time-consuming, but for many contestants, it’s more than worth it based on the prize money they can win at the end.
Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, who has won seven seasons of MTV’s The Challenge, has taken home more than $1.2 million in winnings over the years. When it comes to an individual season win, The Challenge, has ranged in what the top competitor takes home, with the grand prize totaling $900,000, split between two people for 2021’s TheChallenge: Double Agents. For its milestone 40th season, The Challenge: Battle of the Eras upped the prize to $1 million.
Baking shows also have a wide variety of seed money, with some series only giving a cake stand to the champion and others awarding the top chef a restaurant job and salary. Talent competitions, however, have the most inconsistencies with regard to prizes.
For years, The Voice coaches have been vocal about how the winners of the singing competition don’t appear to get the proper support from the record label that signs them as part of their winner’s compensation package.
“We work with these artists and give them this tremendous workshop and get them to the end of the show, and I think the work that we do on the show is amazing,” former coach Adam Levine told reporters at a press conference for The Voice‘s season finale in December 2017. “We give these guys this incredible platform and this really rare thing, a lot of exposure and airtime. Once we pass the torch, it is the record label that completely destroys that.”
Scroll down to see the reality show prize numbers from worst to best:
The bakers are not compensated for their time on the British series, nor is the winner given any sort of monetary prize. Instead, the winner gets the coveted title, a cake stand, flowers and recognition as they move forward with any baking career moves.
The Netflix competition series’ prize is $100,000. However, the season 4 champion earned an extra $50,000 after Spice Girls Emma Bunton and Mel B successfully completed a mission to help boost the winner’s pot.
The U.K. version of the dating series ends each season with a choice for the winning couple: Do they split the £50,000 prize (roughly $69,000) or do they steal the money and keep it for themselves? The Love Island USA winners have the choice to steal or split the $100,00 prize.
The tattoo-centered show hands out $100,000 to the top artist every season. In 2020, however, the coronavirus pandemic cut filming short resulting in the top three finalists each earning an unknown cash prize.
The singing competition awards each season’s winner $100,000 and a record contract with Universal Music Group, Newsweek reported in March 2021. Some past seasons have also given the winner a new car.
The biggest prize for The Voice winner is the publicity they received following the show and, in some cases, booking tours with their former coaches. Shelton, for example, took season 11 winner Sundance Head on tour with him and later brought contestant RaeLynn along for his performances.
The culinary series initially gave out $100,000 to the winner of each season but beginning with season 6, the prize was increased to $125,000. When it comes to Top Chef: All-Stars and Top Chef: All-Stars LA, the winner earned $200,000 and $250,000, respectively.
The cooking show not only awards the winner a cash prize of $250,000 (as a yearly salary), but the series also ends with the top chef landing a role as head chef at one of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants.
According to Newsweek, the singing competition awards winners a total of $250,000 in prize money, in the form of a record deal with Hollywood Records, which is given out in two sums. The winner gets $125,000 when they sign their record contract and the remaining $125,000 when they complete their album. The singers also have a budget of up to $300,000 to record the record, which is given as an advance and must be paid back against future earnings.
According to a leaked contract in 2019 from third-place contestant Madison VanDenburg, the winning artist also receives $1,000 per week as a salary while recording their album. However, the prize money has decreased in recent years, with earlier winners including Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard reportedly being awarded $1 million deals after their respective wins.
The grueling obstacle course has had a variety of prizes awarded throughout the years. According to ScreenRant, season 2 had an award of $250,000, while seasons 4 through 6 gave its winner $500,000. Season 7 through season 11’s winner received $1 million.
When the MTV series debuted its first-ever All Star season in 2021, the competitors battled it out for $500,000. The Challenge: Double Agents winners, on the other hand, took home $900,000, which was split between CT Tamburello and Amber Borzotra.
Season 40 upped the prize to $1 million. Jordan Wiseley came in first for the men and earned $400,000. Jenny West and Rachel Robinson tied for first for the women and took home $237,500 each. Runner-up Derek Chavez received $75,000 while Bananas and Michele Fitzgerald earned $25,000 for third place.
The talent competition, which can include winners from any walks of life, awards a whopping $1 million prize, which can be taken all at once or paid out over 40 years. In addition to winning money, the top competitor lands a Las Vegas residency.
Year after year, fans tune in to see which contestant can survive the great outdoors. The stars of the show themselves are given a cash prize of $1 million if they are able to beat out their fellow castmates. Winners at War, which was the show’s 40th season, gifted its winner $2 million. After season 40, Survivor returned to the original $1 million prize in the new era.
During the latest episode of Southern Hospitality, Maddi Reese revealed that rumors about Joe Bradley’s sexuality delayed the start of their relationship — and TJ Dinch was to blame.
“Three or four years ago, TJ spread a bunch of rumors that I was gay,” Joe told newbie Austin Stephan during the Thursday, January 9, episode of the Bravo show.
Austin wasn’t surprised by the revelation, telling Joe that TJ “used to tell me the same s—. He would straight up tell me that you were gay.”
Maddie, who is currently dating Joe, confessed that the stories around town made her hesitate to act on her feelings toward him.
“Three years ago, everyone was talking about the rumor,” Maddi recalled. “So, of course, I kinda believed TJ when he told me Joe is flirty, or fruity, or what’s the word? Gay.”
She confessed, “That was the reason why I did not hook up with Joe for a long time.”
Maddi said since she began seeing Joe, she can confirm the rumors aren’t true. “Obviously, I’ve slept with Joe. I sleep with Joe. He likes p—,” she declared.
Joe, for his part, said that he confronted TJ when he heard the rumors, but TJ vehemently denied that he started them.
“I said, ‘Why the f— you would say that to people?’ And he said, ‘No, I would never say that. I would never tell anyone that. I promise you I didn’t do it,’” Joe told the cameras, admitting, “Since I am a very trusting person, I believed it. And now I’m paying for it.”
Joe claimed that his one-time best friend “makes you believe you can trust him and then he’ll f— you over.”
In addition to allegedly spreading rumors about his sexuality, Joe took issue with TJ telling people that he hooked up with Luann de Lesseps in January 2024 when he said he told him the truth in confidence.
“That’s when it hit me. TJ’s the one telling people that I’m gay,” Joe said during Thursday’s episode. “Because he’s the mouth of the South.”
TJ Dinch and Joe Bradley.Paul Cheney/Bravo
Us broke the news in January 2024 that Joe and Luann, 59, were spotted getting cozy at a New York City hotel after they met during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
During the season 2 Southern Hospitality reunion the following month, TJ told host Andy Cohen he was “99 percent” sure that Joe and Luann hooked up. Joe denied the allegations.
TJ revealed during the season 3 premiere, which aired on January 2, that he hadn’t spoken to Joe for months since their drama at the reunion.
TJ, however, remained adamant that not only did Joe kiss Luann but also “cheated” on his then-girlfriend, Danielle Olivera, with the Real Housewives of New York City alum. (Danielle, 36, confirmed her and Joe’s split in February 2024.)
Joe played somewhat coy about exactly what transpired with Luann during the season 3 premiere, but he did confirm to Us in December 2024 that he “kissed” her. He claimed that he wasn’t trying to hide anything but was still upset with TJ for breaking his trust.
Those trust issues have been front and center so far this season — especially since Maddi is still friends with TJ, which Joe confessed worries him. (Joe and Maddi exclusively told Us that they’ve been dating since April 2024, which is right around the time the cameras picked back up.)
“It was also kinda pissing me off that you were being so buddy-buddy with him,” Joe told Maddi during the new episode, referring to her conversation with TJ at a group party one week prior.
Maddi, however, maintained that her friendship with TJ shouldn’t affect her relationship with Joe.
Joe Bradley and Maddie Reese.Bryan Steffy/Bravo
“You can be friends with somebody and have boundaries,” she told her boyfriend. “You know you can’t trust [TJ] with your to the grave s—, you obviously know that, but there’s no reason he can’t be your friend.”
Joe claimed, “Me and TJ’s problems are way deeper.” Maddi pointed out that they aren’t “addressing the elephant in the room.”
Fans will continue to see Joe and TJ’s drama unfold with every new episode. In fact, Joe exclusively told Us ahead of the season that TJ’s “mindset” will “make a lot more sense once you watch it.”
He teased, “Some people thinks that he has feelings for me, [but] I think that’s in the past, but who knows? This season everyone will kind of find out TJ’s true colors and why he’s acting the way he is towards me.”
Southern Hospitality airs on Bravo Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
“He just, like, can’t handle any f—ing constructive criticism,” Austen, 37, said of Craig, 35, during the Thursday, January 9, episode, after the two butted heads one week prior.
Austen told mutual friend Shep Rose that after he accused Craig of never spending time with him outside of work — they launched their “Pillows & Beer” podcast in 2021 — and the gym, and Craig didn’t respond well.
“I’m going to lower the bar, I guess,” Austen confessed, noting he doesn’t want to be in a “s—y” place with his one-time best friend.
Amid their feud, Craig and then-girlfriend Paige DeSorbo found themselves hosting a backyard party for their friends, but Austen didn’t make the guest list. (The group was initially supposed to attend a birthday party for Taylor Ann Green, but she canceled it at the last minute.)
“He’s not extending the invite to me because I told him something he didn’t want to hear,” Austen told the cameras, calling Craig “a petty little bitch.”
Craig was equally as upset over his tension with Austen telling Rodrigo Reyes that Austen said he wasn’t a “good friend” which rubbed him the wrong way.
“I’m not going to chase you down and convince you to be my friend,” Craig said of Austen, confessing he’s “kinda growing out” of their ups and downs. (Austen, meanwhile, exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2024 that she wishes “Craig had more of a balance in his life,” calling him a “hermit.”)
Later in the episode, Craig expressed frustration to Madison LeCroy over Austen’s comments and revealed it’s spilling over to their podcast success.
“He came over here and basically knocked my hustle,” Craig claimed, adding, “I’m never going back to that guy that he misses.”
Paige — who confirmed her and Craig’s split in December 2024 — also slammed Austen for his alleged overreaction to Craig putting work and her before his friendship with Austen. “What grown man goes over to another grown man’s house crying that he misses them?” she quipped.
Craig Conover and Austen Kroll.Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Hayu
“I was dumbfounded. I was like, ‘We’re not dating.’ Like what are you talking about?” Craig said with a laugh.
Craig confessed that he thought the men were “good” and “on the same page” but once he learned that wasn’t the case, he pivoted. “I recorded the podcast by myself last night,” he told Madison, 34, explaining, “I like doing the podcast with him but not when he acts like this.”
“You and I, when we have disagreements and don’t understand each other we can take space because there’s nothing tying us together other than our friendship,” Craig told Shep, hinting that the podcast was becoming a big point of contention for him and Austen.
Craig noted that for him, a “solution” to the Austen problem would be “to take a step back from the podcast.” He said, “Then how you live your life won’t annoy me. Instead of forcing yourselves.”
When Shep commented that it must be “exhausting” to juggle his friendship with Austen and work together so closely, Craig confessed that the “chemistry” was no longer there.
“With the podcast, he wouldn’t show up or he’d be hungover. Just miserable,” Craig alleged, claiming that Austen “bitched about our podcast tour” and he “had to do everything.”
Craig confessed, “It’s supposed to be the most fun time of the week, and I started to dread it.”
Austen Kroll and Craig Conover.Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images
The Sewing Down South founder explained that he treats the podcast “as a job” and does it “responsibly,” while Austen allegedly “treats it as a party.”
Craig added, “Maybe I’m outgrowing the arraignment we had before.”
In a preview for next week’s Southern Charm episode, Craig confronts Austen about their podcast issues. “How much would I have to give you to sign papers saying, ‘Craig owns Pillows & Beer now?’” Craig asks.
“We’re doing this?” Austen replies. “Wow.”
At the time this week’s episode aired, Austen and Craig were still cohosting the podcast and recently opened their By The Way restaurant in Charleston together.
Southern Charm airs on Bravo Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
The Duggars have become a household name thanks to their continually growing family, but it all started withJim Bob Duggar and wifeMichelle Duggar.
After tying the knot in 1984, Jim Bob and Michelle welcomed their first child, sonJoshua, in 1988. The pair then went on to have 18 more children, with their youngest, daughter Josie, being born in December 2009.
The family’s day-to-day activities were documented on TLC’s19 Kids and Counting for 15 seasons from 2008 to 2015. Some of the kids then branched off on their own, starring onCounting On, beginning in 2015. The spinoff was canceled after 11 seasons in 2021 following Josh’s sexual misconduct scandal. (He is currently in prison after being convicted of possessing and child pornography.)
Scroll down to get to know the whole Duggar family:
Married in 1984, the couple delayed having children for two years before Michelle became pregnant with son Joshua. "We have set up our home to be designed for taking care of children. We love children, and we really believe every child is a special gift from God," Jim Bob has said. The couple went on to welcome 18 more children.
Michelle and Jim Bob's eldest son, Joshua (born in 1988), was homeschooled and graduated high school at age 16. In 2003, his family — then 14 children strong — was first introduced to TV viewers on a Discovery Health Channel special. Josh, the owner of a political consulting firm, married Anna Keller in 2008. They have since welcomed seven children.
In April 2021, Josh was arrested in Washington County in Arkansas and placed on federal hold. He was detained without bail. The following day, he was charged with receiving and possessing child pornography, but pleaded not guilty to the charges. After a lengthy trial, he was sentenced to 151 months in prison in May 2022.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit voted to uphold Josh’s conviction in October 2023. Less than one year later, the Supreme Court rejected his conviction appeal in June 2024.
Born in January 1990, John-David and his twin sister, Jana, became the second and third children of the Duggar clan. John-David owns and operates Duggar Towing and acts as a volunteer firefighter. He married Abbie Burnett in November 2018. They welcomed their first child, daughter Grace, in January 2020. In September 2022, they became a family of four, welcoming son Charlie.
Jana is John-David’s twin sister, born in January 1990. Unlike most of her siblings, Jana has been vocal about being single throughout her 20s and now into her 30s. In addition to being an aunt to many nieces and nephews, Jana enjoys gardening, home remodeling and cooking. She also has her own YouTube channel.
Jill, who was born in May 1991, had her very first kiss in June 2014 at age 23 when she married Derick Dillard, her dad's former prayer partner. Jill and Dillard connected via phone, text and Skype during their initial courtship, and finally met face-to-face in 2013 when Dillard was doing humanitarian work in Nepal.
Two months after their wedding, Jill announced the couple was pregnant with their first child. They welcomed son Israel in 2015 and Samuel two years later. The couple have since distanced themselves from the family after dropping out of Counting On in 2017. After suffering a miscarriage in 2021, Jill and her husband welcomed their third child, son Freddy, in July 2022. In April 2024, the couple announced that Jill suffered another pregnancy loss with a stillborn daughter they planned to name Isla Marie.
Jim Bob and Michelle welcomed daughter Jessa in November 1992. After she met Ben Seewald through church, they began courting in 2013. The couple got engaged in August 2014 and wed three months later. The pair share sons Spurgeon and Henry and daughters Ivy and Fern. Jessa gave birth to baby No. 5, a son, in December 2023 after suffering a miscarriage one year earlier.
Jinger was born in December 1994, bringing the family’s total to six kids. She met her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, while doing ministry work in Laredo, Texas, and the two began courting in 2016. They got married in November of that year. The couple welcomed daughters Felicity and Evangeline Jo in July 2018 and November 2020, respectively.
In October 2024, the reality star announced she’s pregnant with her and Jeremy’s third baby.
In January 1995, the family welcomed Joseph. After courting Kendra Caldwell for a few months, Joseph proposed at his sister Joy-Anna’s wedding in May 2017. The couple walked down the aisle four months later and then welcomed son Garrett and daughter Addison. The duo’s third child, daughter Brooklyn, was born in February 2021, followed by son Justus in 2022.
Josiah arrived in August 1996. The TV personality proposed to his love Lauren Swanson in March 2018 at the same location her parents got engaged. The pair got married three months later. They welcomed their first child, daughter Bella, in November 2019 and later welcomed kids Daisy and Ezra.
Joy-Anna was born in October 1997, becoming the pair’s ninth child. After knowing Austin Forsyth for 15 years, the pair began courting and got engaged in February 2017. They tied the knot in May of that year. The couple has since welcomed son Gideon and daughter Evelyn. In October 2022, the twosome announced baby No. 3 is on the way, and they welcomed their second son, Gunner James Forsyth, in May 2023.
The couple’s final set of twins, Jedidiah and Jeremiah, were born in December 1998. Jedidiah works in local politics and ran for Arkansas State Representative District 89 in Springdale in 2020. He married Katey Nakatsu in April 2021 after a seven-week engagement. The couple welcomed their son, Truett, in 2022 and daughter Nora one year later. In July 2024, they announced they were expecting twin girls. Daughters Elsie and Emma were born in January 2025.
Jeremiah was born alongside twin brother Jedidiah in December 1998. In June 2020, he became a certified flight instructor. He also served as his twin’s campaign manager as he ran for Arkansas State Representative in November 2020. He married Hannah Duggar (née Wissmann) in March 2022, and the couple announced five months later that they were expecting their first baby. Hannah gave birth to daughter Brynley Noelle on Christmas Day 2022.
Less than one year later, the twosome announced Hannah's second pregnancy. Daughter Brielle Grace was born in February 2024. In December 2024, the couple announced they are expecting their third daughter.
Jason joined the family as baby No. 12 in April 2000. He is now the owner of Build Master Construction after becoming a contractor. He also likes music and being outdoors, according to his Instagram profile.
James was born in July 2001. He earned his CDL (commercial driver license) in July 2020. The outdoorsman then bought his first home, which sits on 2.65 acres, according to The Sun, in January 2021.
The family’s 14th child arrived in November 2002. Justin proposed to his girlfriend, Claire Spivey, in November 2020. They tied the knot in February 2021 when Justin was only 18 years old, and Claire was 19.
Johannah was born in October 2005, becoming the sixth Duggar daughter and 16th child. Her birth aired as part of the Raising 16 Children special in March 2006.
Jennifer arrived in August 2007, bringing the pair’s total to 17 kids. She has been a flower girl in three of her siblings’ weddings as well as in her parents’ vow renewal ceremony in 2009. The teenager was also a bridesmaid in both Joy-Anna’s wedding and Joseph’s nuptials.
Nicole Kidman went full method actress while accepting an award for Babygirl — and fans couldn’t look away.
“I just want to say anyone who wants to join me, please, I’m going to raise a glass of milk to all of the baby girls in the room,” Kidman, 57, told the audience on Tuesday, January 7, while accepting the award for Best Actress at the National Board of Review Gala in New York City.
The actress proceeded to chug the glass of milk while standing at the podium. When she finished, she said, “Good girl,” paying homage to one of Babygirl’s most iconic scenes.
Kidman flashed a coy smirk after downing the beverage, which took the actress no more than a few seconds. She then blew a kiss to her fans as the crowd cheered and before she walked off stage.
The memorable milk moment is a nod to Kidman’s character in the film, Romy, who is the seemingly perfect mom and wife at home and a total boss at work, serving as the CEO of her company. After getting tired of her idyllic life, Romy has a torrid affair with her much younger intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson).
Nicole KidmanDimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
In one memorable scene, Romy sits at a bar with friends and coworkers when Samuel sends her a glass of milk from across the room. The gesture takes her aback, but eventually Romy picks up the cup and drinks every drop while keeping her gaze fixed on Samuel.
The pair, who are at the start of their affair, exchange intense and steamy looks as Romy finishes the milk and wipes away the residue from her lip.
Samuel later walks past Romy and whispers, “Good girl.”
The sexy and surprising scene was inspired by writer, director and coproducer Halina Reijn’s real-life experience.
“I went to a bar, and I ordered something boring like a Diet Coke because I didn’t drink at that time because I was a control freak. There was this young Belgian actor — I can’t say who it is — but he was famous,” Reijn told IndieWire in December 2024. “I knew of him. I’d never spoken to him. He was at least 15 years younger than I, and he ordered me a glass of milk.”
She recalled thinking it was an “incredible, hot thing to do and so courageous,” so she decided to “reward him by drinking the whole thing.”
Reijn confessed that she did get “a little nauseated” after she finished the glass, but that didn’t stop it from being “one of the most arousing moments of my life.”
Babygirl’s raunchy story line has been a topic of conversation since its release last month. During the 2025 Golden Globes on Sunday, January 5, host Nikki Glaser couldn’t help but joke about the sexual nature of the movie.
“Nicole Kidman is here, oh my gosh. Nominated for Babygirl,” Glaser, 40, said during her opening monologue. “Oh my gosh, I loved that movie. I gave it two fingers up.”
Kidman was bent over with laughter at her table when the cameras panned to her and husband Keith Urban. Sarah Paulson, who was sitting behind her, was visibly shocked by the joke, as were many fans.
Glaser then gave Urban, 57, a shout-out, saying, “Thank you to Keith Urban for playing the guitar so much that she wants to leave and make 18 movies a year. Keep strumming you, kooky koala.”
Jason Beghe and Benjamin Levy AguilarParrish Lewis/NBC (2)
After a season of changes, Chicago P.D. is gearing up for even more drama, romance and crime solving action during the back half of season 12.
“We have quite a lot coming with our new deputy chief character, Shawn Hatosy’s Reid,” Chicago P.D. showrunner Gwen Sigan exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 7. “We saw in the midseason finale, he kind of makes this statement to Voight like, ‘We’re gonna be friends,’ but it’s clearly a friendship of ownership and, like, leverage.”
Sigan said it’s been “really fun to write” the face-off between Deputy Chief Charlie Reid (Hatosy), who joined the cast this season, and Intelligence Unit leader Hank Voight (Jason Beghe).
She teased that the pair’s leadership styles “changes the dynamics quite a lot in the unit” moving forward.
Sigan noted that the second half of the season will also finally show Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) getting married after their third engagement during season 11.
The showrunner told Us that Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) will continue to have an “existential crisis and a crisis of faith” in the upcoming episode, adding that Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) will get “some romance” once again.
“We’ve got a little bit of everything,” Sigan said. “Things will keep changing and evolving for the unit for sure.”
Scroll down for everything Us learned from Chicago P.D.’s showrunner about the remainder of season 12:
Cook’s Story Will Come to Light
Elizabeth Sisson/NBC
After joining the Intelligence Unit earlier this season, fans will finally get a better picture of who Kiana Cook (Toya Turner) is and where she comes from.
“Episode 9 is a Cook episode,” Sigan told Us, referring to the midseason premiere, which airs on Wednesday, January 8. “You’re getting to meet a lot of her family members actually in this episode, which is fun. And you’re getting to learn about her past and her backgrounds and the different worlds that she belongs to and how vastly different those are from each other.”
Sigan said that Cook’s past will reveal why she is so focused on being present and doing “the job well.” She teased that the show’s return is an “action ride” for Cook and the remainder of the season will give more “background on her and who she is and why she’s really unique for the unit.”
Chief Reid Goes Toe to Toe With Voight
Elizabeth Sisson/NBC
Throughout season 12, Reid has been aware of everything Voight’s team is doing — the good and the bad — and has looked the other way. However, Sigan told Us that his choice not to reprimand the team will come at a price.
“He’s a character that plays so many of his cards so close to the vest. And it’s difficult for Voight to really read him,” the showrunner said of Reid, noting, “We’ve always seen Voight kind of be a bit of the all-knowing. So to have it be somebody else is really fun.”
She called Reid a “fun house mirror to Voight,” meaning that the chief “operates in a way that Voight used to” but is “enhanced and exaggerated.”
“We’ll get to learn more and more about him and his motivations throughout the season,” Sigan teased. “But it’s definitely a cat and mouse game and … it’s certainly a friendship that has a lot of strings attached.”
Burgess Is Doing It Her Way
Elizabeth Sisson/NBC
In season 12, episode 6, Burgess made detective, and viewers will see her in action in the second half of the season.
“There’s this really easy transition of her just taking that leadership role of kind of being the one that sort of leads the charge,” Sigan explained. “You’ll see her giving commands more often and certainly being a bit, perhaps, overwhelmed or taken aback by just how much [paperwork and] more responsibility [she has].”
While Burgess will have a lot to juggle, she finds her “groove” and a style of leadership that Sigan said is “so different” than that of past detectives Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) and Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer).
“It feels like her own thing, which is much more, ‘I’m still your peer, but I am gonna give you orders now. I’m gonna now direct a bit more,’” Sigan continued. “Everybody, I think, is so supportive and just falling into those roles, too.”
Torres Is ‘Not Great’
Elizabeth Sisson/NBC
During the midseason finale, which aired in November 2024, Torres’ past affair with informant Gloria Perez (Yara Martinez) came to light when she was found running a drug business in Chicago. Gloria died after helping the Intelligence Unit, and much to his surprise, Torres wasn’t reprimanded by the chief for his misconduct.
Torres, however, is not doing “great” when the show returns. “It triggered a lot for him,” Sigan said of the affair and Gloria’s death, noting that Torres’ background will continue to be explored.
“[We reveal] why he was ever attracted to this woman and why he got in this affair and sort of the trauma that leads all the way back to his childhood,” she told Us. “And then also how present events sort of trigger a bit of a crisis of faith.”
Atwater’s Love Story Isn’t Over
Elizabeth Sisson/NBC
Atwater agreed to a no-strings-attached relationship with Valeria “Val” Soto (Natalee Linez) during season 12, episode 3, and according to Sigan, that arrangement might change when Val returns in upcoming episodes.
“The nice thing about that relationship was the way it starts is almost this, like, ‘We’re gonna do something for the pair of us that’s just for us,’” she said. “But then, obviously, as time has gone on, how has that morphed and grown?”
The showrunner explained that Atwater will have to “decide is this just a casual thing that we clearly both need in our lives or is it something more?”
Sigan added: “We get to explore the whys behind it for the pair of them and maybe why they’re not wanting something very serious. Is that a defense mechanism or is that because of the way they built up their lives?” She hinted the dynamic will become “more emotional and deeper.”
Burzek Will Get Hitched
Elizabeth Sisson/NBC
Squerciati previously told Us that she wants “the white dress moment” for Burgess when she finally marries Ruzek. Flueger, however, told Us that he thinks their style is more “courthouse” wedding.
Sigan revealed that the onscreen nuptials are a “middle ground” between the two. “It’s been such a long time coming and they have this family — they have [daughter] Mikayla [and] she wants to have her say, and I think she wants a party,” Sigan told Us on Tuesday. “So it, to me, is going to be sort of a middle ground of finding what works for the both of them that isn’t a courthouse wedding, that they can have everyone they love there.”
She noted it should also be a “simple” and “grounded affair,” but the scenes have not been filmed yet. “I don’t know all the details,” Sigan confessed, adding that she “could see” Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) officiating.
Chicago P.D. airs on NBC Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
Alec Baldwin is the oldest and most known of the siblings, having been nominated for an Oscar as well as winning three Emmys and three Golden Globes. His younger brothers, Daniel Baldwin, William “Billy” Baldwin and Stephen Baldwin, have all followed in his footsteps and made a name for themselves as actors.
The four brothers — who also have two sisters, Elizabeth Keuchler and Jane Sasso — have been equally in awe of their successes over the years. In 2008, they all had their own respective TV hits: Alec starred on 30 Rock, Billy was on Dirty Sexy Money and Stephen and Daniel appeared on reality shows Celebrity Apprentice and Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew, respectively.
“We’re still kind of pinching ourselves,” Stephen told Vanity Fair in 2012. “From my perspective, we’re just four dumb jocks from Long Island.”
Scroll down to meet the entire Baldwin family — including the brothers’ wives and children:
Alexander and Carol Baldwin
Keith Bedford/Getty Images
The Baldwin brothers’ parents, Alexander and Carol Baldwin, tied the knot in 1954 after meeting as students at Syracuse University. They welcomed six children, two daughters and four sons, raising them in Long Island, New York.
Their father, Alexander, died in 1983 at the age of 55. Their mother, Carol, who ran the Carol M. Baldwin Cancer Research Fund, died in May 2022. She was 92.
Elizabeth Keuchler
Ramsay de Give-Pool/Getty Images
Elizabeth is the eldest of the Baldwin children, born in October 1995. She is married to Charles Keuchler and they share six children.
Alec Baldwin
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Alec is the second oldest Baldwin child. He was born in April 1958. Alec is best known for his roles on The Doctors, Knots Landing, Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. His biggest movie credits include Beetlejuice, It’s Complicated, Still Alice and the Boss Baby franchise.
Alec was married to Kim Basinger from 1993 to 2002. The exes share one daughter, Ireland, who was born in October 1995, and one granddaughter, Holland, born in May 2023.
Following their divorce, Alec found love again with wife Hilaria Baldwin, whom he wed in 2012.
Alec and Hilaria — who are set to star in their own TLC reality series Spellbound — share seven children. They welcomed Carmen, Rafael, Leonardo, Romeo, Eduardo, Maria and Illaria, in August 2013, June 2015, September 2016, May 2018, September 2020, February 2021 and September 2022, respectively. (Maria was born via surrogate.)
Alec made headlines in 2021 when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot and killed on the set of his film Rust. Alec, who was holding the prop gun when it went off, was charged in January 2024 with involuntary manslaughter. He has remained adamant that he is innocent, and the charges were dropped in December 2024.
Daniel Baldwin
Karwai Tang/WireImage
The third-oldest Baldwin was born in October 1960. He is an actor, producer and director. Daniel’s biggest credits include starring on Sydney, Homicide: Life on the Street and having a recurring role on Cold Case. He also appeared in Homicide: The Movie and Enchantress.
Daniel has been married multiple times. He and first wife, Cheryl Baldwin, share daughter Kahlea, born in 1984. Daniel and second wife, Elizabeth Baldwin, split in 1996 after six years of marriage. They share one daughter, Alexandra, who was born in 1994.
He moved on with Homicide: Life on the Street costar Isabella Hoffman. The pair, who dated from the mid-90s to early ‘00s, share son Atticus, born in 1996.
The actor married Joanne Baldwin in 2007. The couple welcomed daughters Avis and Finley in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Daniel and Joanne split in 2011 and after briefly reconciling she filed for divorce in 2012.
Daniel got engaged to Robin Sue Hertz Hempel in 2014. The pair called off their engagement in 2022. Daniel married D’Asia Bellamy in 2022 and they welcomed their son, William “Bat” in 2023.
Billy Baldwin
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Fourth in line, Billy was born in February 1963. He got his start as a model later becoming an actor with his role coming in 1989’s TV movie The Preppie Murder. He has since starred on Dirty Sexy Money, Gossip Girl and Northern Rescue and appeared in films such as Silver, Primary Suspect and War of the Worlds: Extinction.
Billy has been married to Chynna Phillips since 1995. His spouse is best known for being one third of the musical group Wilson Phillips, which also includes sisters Carnie and Wendy Wilson. Chynna is also the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas fame.
Billy and Chynna share three children: daughters Jameson and Brooke and son Vance. They welcomed Jameson in 2000, Vance in 2001 and Brooke in 2004.
Jane Sasso
Courtesy of Jane Baldwin Sasso/Instagram
Jane is the second youngest in the family, born in January 1965. She is married to Randy Sasso and they share two children. Like her older sister, Jane mainly stays out of the public eye.
Stephen Baldwin
Jim Spellman/WireImage
Stephen is the youngest of the Baldwins. He was born in May 1966. He followed in all of his brothers’ footsteps by making his acting debut in 1986. He is best known for starring on The Young Riders and Nova Vita and appearing in The Usual Suspects and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas. He was part of The Apprentice during seasons 7 and 13 and in January 2025 fans can see him competing on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
Stephen has been married to Kennya Baldwin since 1990. His wife is a Brazilian-born graphic designer. The couple share two daughters: Alaia and Hailey, born in 1993 and 1996, respectively. They also have two grandchildren, Iris, born in 2020, and Jack, born in 2024.
Ireland Baldwin
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Comedy Central
Ireland was born in October 1995 to Alec and then-wife Basinger. The model and actress followed in her parents’ footsteps starring in 2017’s Campus Caller and 2020’s A Dark Foe. Over the years, Ireland has been vocal about her ups and downs with her father, and she’s even roasted him on TV several times. Ireland briefly ran a restaurant in Oregon, which closed in late 2023.
Ireland announced in December 2022 that she and boyfriend RAC (real name André Allen Anjos) were expecting their first baby together. They welcomed daughter Holland in May 2023.
Alaia Aronow
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Stephen’s eldest daughter was born in January 1993. She is a model and advocate who works to raise awareness about endometriosis, which is a medical condition that affects the reproductive system.
Alaia married producer Andrew Aronow in September 2017. The couple share one daughter, Iris, who was born in August 2020.
Hailey Bieber
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Stephen’s youngest daughter, Hailey, was born in November 1996. She is a model who rose to fame in 2014 with her first commercial campaign and made her runway debut that October for Topshop. In 2022, she launched her beauty brand Rhode.
Jessica Alba and Cash Warren have been vocal about their efforts to keep the spark in their relationship alive while raising three children.
The couple met while working on 2004’s Fantastic Four, which Alba starred in as Susan Storm and Warren was a production assistant. After dating for nearly four years, the duo tied the knot in May 2008.
Warren cofounder reflected on their spur-of-the-moment decision to get hitched in 2019 while honoring his wife on their 11-year anniversary. He noted that the choice to get married came one month before they welcomed their first child, daughter Honor, in June 2008.
“Prior to that day, neither of us thought marriage was important … it felt outdated and we weren’t going to fall for an antiquated social construction,” Warren wrote via Instagram in May 2019 of the last-minute nuptials. “But something changed in us that morning.”
Warren — the pair also share daughter Haven and son Hayes, born in 2011 and 2017, respectively — added that their quick wedding was just the right fit for them as a family.
“11 years and 3 kids later, we’re still learning, growing, giggling and loving,” he added. “Here’s to a lifetime of pushing each other to be the best versions of ourselves and catching each other when we fall.”
In January 2025, news broke that Alba and Warren called it quits after 16 years of marriage.
Scroll down to see Alba and Warren’s most-telling quotes about their dynamic:
“Right after I met [Cash], I called my best friend and was like, ‘I met this guy and I feel like I’ve known him forever and I’m gonna know him for the rest of my life,’” Alba revealed during the September 2010 issue of Cosmopolitan. “The romantic stuff comes and goes, but it’s like, ‘Does that person have your back?’ You have to be a team navigating through wherever life may lead you and I want a friend for that.”
“Whenever I doubt myself for a second, he’s the first one to come up and say, ‘You can do this, I believe in you,'” the Fantastic Four actress exclusively told Us Weekly when her company first launched in 2011 of her husband’s unwavering support. “I don’t know what I’d do without him there. And he’s so good with the kids. We’re really happy.”
“I just knew when I met him that I was going to know him forever. It was weird; he instantly felt like family. It was so easy. I’d never felt like that with anyone,” Alba told InStyle during her February 2013 cover story. “I was usually pretty self-conscious, minding my p’s and q’s, very aware of every time my fork hit the plate when I was having dinner on a date. With him, there was none of that. We got each other. We’re kindred spirits.”
“You have to be structured about carving out time for yourself and your relationship,” the Never Been Kissed actress said during her April 2018 Redbook cover shoot. “I like to go hard. That effort level where you’re pushing yourself to the limit is almost meditative.”
Alba explained that she would “always try to get home from work for bath time and to cuddle the kids before bed. After that, Cash and I have dinner together and talk about our days. I need us time all the time.”
While celebrating the couple’s anniversary in May 2019, Warren reflected on the “awkward” way their nuptials came to be. “11 years ago ... we were lying in bed having one of those amazing lazy mornings where we we’d do nothing. You were 9 months pregnant with Honor and we were so excited to meet her in the coming weeks,” he wrote via Instagram at the time. “Not sure who thought of it first but the decision we made that day would forever change the course of our lives. We hopped up, got dressed and drove straight to the courthouse.”
The Being Terry Kennedy executive producer noted that it “wasn’t the dream wedding you deserved. In fact, it was laughably awkward. Standing under an arch of dusty plastic flowers in the courthouse chapel, we held hands and said I Do.” He remembered not having any friends or family by their side as they tied the knot, but it didn’t matter.
“Just you, me and the courthouse employee who served as our witness. We walked out holding hands, giggling with excitement and a touch of nervousness,” he continued. “I remember opening the car door for you and as you climbed in, calling you ‘Mrs. Warren’ for the first time.”
The Sin City actress gushed over her man on their 11-year anniversary in May 2019. “#Us #11yearsmarried my @cash_warren ❤️, my best friend, my everything,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “We are better together — the life we dreamt of and manifested together is beyond anything I could have imagined. I love you with my whole self... we got this #rideordie por vida #happyanniversary.”
During a joint interview on “The Skinny Confidential Him & Her” podcast in May 2019, the duo argued over whether onscreen sex scenes were a perk of the job as an actor. Alba called the whole thing “disgusting,” while Warren joked about how nice it would be to get intimate with someone else on camera.
“There’s no way hooking up with someone else is not fun. You’re still having fun, that dude’s a stud. There’s no way you’re not gonna enjoy hooking up with him,” the Los Angeles native said. “I would be an actor just to have that moment.”
The Flipper alum, however, had a difference of opinion, saying, “That’s the difference between me and you. It’s just disgusting most of the time because they are usually a stranger.” Warren fired back, “Even more fun. No way.”
“One thing that Jessica and I are 100 percent aligned on is that we’re not raising a–holes,” Warren said in the June 2020 issue of Drew + Scott Reveal magazine. “If they get out of line, we’re not going to stand for it. We’ve tried to maintain the values our parents taught us.”
Alba seconded her husband’s remarks, adding, “I don’t shy away from setting boundaries and routines. They have to make their beds. They have to set the table, clear the table — those are no-brainers, right? They participate in taking care of the home and themselves.”
Alba got real about the ups and downs in her marriage during a July 2021 appearance on Schwarzenegger’s Instagram show, Before, During and After Baby. "It's all rosy for two and a half years. But then after that you become roommates," Alba said, laughing. "You're just going through the motions. You have the responsibilities; it's a lot of, like, checking the boxes, right?"
The actress explained that her and Warren’s romantic bond has at times become their last priority, despite trying to make time for weekly date nights. "We have, like, obviously the friendship, the comfort of, like, 'You're not going anywhere,' and so sometimes you don't treat those people the best, right?” she added. “You don't consider their feelings in the way that you would consider other people's feelings. So that is something that I think is a constant one to work on."
Alba also revealed Warren sometimes gets “the short end of the stick” when it comes to her time. At the end of the day, however, they are dedicated to keeping their marriage a priority. “The second one of you is checked out then it's a one-sided relationship,” she explained. “Because you're not always gonna be on the same page, and you're not always gonna grow at the same pace."
“When we first started dating, I was really jealous of other guys and the attention that she was getting from other guys, and it just wasn’t making me feel good,” Warren revealed during an August 2023 appearance on Jana Kramer’s “Whine Down” podcast. “I was always a pretty confident person in my own, kind of, walking my own path and really happy there. And next thing you know, I’m looking up and just feeling jealous all the time.”
After his jealousy led to a breakup with Alba “four years into our relationship,” Warren said he vowed to “channel [my jealousy] in a different way, into a more productive way.”
He also gushed about being Alba’s “biggest cheerleader” and letting her enjoy her career successes. “When we got together, I was like, ‘Pursue your passion. Pursue your careers. Don’t make sacrifices because you feel bad for leaving the kids for this week or that week. Eventually, they’ll grow up and they’ll forget the fact that you were gone for these three days or these five days,’” he shared. “We live, we forgive, we forget.”
Joe Miñoso warned that his Chicago Fire character, Joe Cruz, “will not be unscathed” after his run-in with Junior in the show’s midseason premiere.
“He’s not really thinking much about himself,” Miñoso, 46, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 7, of Cruz’s mental state going into the next two episodes. “I think he’s more concerned about his brother, and especially his wife and kids, which is something that did not exist when this problem first reared its ugly head.”
During season 1 of Chicago Fire, Cruz left a gang leader named Flaco to die in a fire. The incident came back to haunt the firefighter during the season 12 midseason finale, which aired in November 2024, when Cruz found a bullet urn in his locker. The pendant was full of cremated remains.
Cruz soon learned that Flaco’s cousin, Junior (Richard Cabral), was out of jail and knew what he did. When the show picks up on Wednesday, January 8, Cruz will come face-to-face with Junior and must decide how to keep himself — and his brother, Leon (Jeff Lima), who was previously pulled in by the gang — safe.
“Junior definitely wants Cruz’s help in some nefarious activities,” Miñoso revealed, noting that Cruz has to “make a decision as to whether or not he wants to get himself involved in that.”
The actor teased that the “stakes are so much higher” this time around because Cruz is focused on finding a solution that gets the “problem away from [his] family.”
Miñoso said that viewers will see Cruz “fighting” to do just that in Wednesday’s episode, with the “ramifications” of his choices coming to light one week later.
The One Chicago star noted that despite Cruz’s best efforts to be his own hero, he will have help from both his biological brother and his brothers at Firehouse 51.
“For the first time, you’re gonna see Cruz lean on Leon,” Miñoso explained. “There’s been so much of Cruz sort of holding up and being the big shoulders in that relationship. I think we’re gonna see a little bit of a role reversal there when it comes to those two brothers.”
Leon won’t be the only one who has Cruz’s back moving forward. His boss Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) will insert himself into the mess as well.
Joe MiñosoPeter Gordon/NBC
“I will say that something goes down that makes it impossible to avoid — or not notice — that something’s going on with Cruz,” Miñoso told Us. “And especially since our good friend Severide is so incredibly intuitive and constantly sniffing around for stuff.”
He said that the fear of Cruz’s secret coming to light is going to affect his “work as a firefighter on the job” and his “relationship between him and some of the squad members,” which is where Severide comes into play.
Miñoso noted that Cruz is “really good at feeling very guilty about letting people down” and Severide is at the top of his list of people he doesn’t want to disappoint. (In recent seasons, Severide has named Cruz acting lieutenant when he’s out on arson cases.)
“He does not want to ruin that level of responsibility,” the actor said, confessing, “It’s gonna be a hard road to navigate for Cruz, especially with Severide and [Dermot Mulroney‘s character Chief] Pascal [watching].”
Miñoso hinted that the drama with Junior will be his first real introduction to the new chief on a personal level, which might not be a good thing.
“[This] is a really bad first impression,” he said. “So we’re hoping that we can figure out a way to get to a better place with Pascal after the end of this whole story line.”
During the Tuesday, January 7, episode of RHOBH, Garcelle, 58, reflected on her past relationships while getting ready to go to the Los Angeles hotspot the Viper Room in celebration of castmate Erika Jayne.
“Erika’s being honored by the GLAAD Association and it’s at the Viper Room,” Garcelle said while getting her makeup done. “And was it owned by Johnny Depp?”
Once her makeup artist confirmed Depp’s previous ownership, Garcelle dropped a romance bombshell. (Depp sold his stake in the iconic club in 2004 as part of a lawsuit settlement involving alleged mismanagement.)
“I was in Miami at a club and yeah, made out with Johnny,” she confessed. “Isn’t that crazy?”
Garcelle didn’t go into any more detail about the alleged kiss with the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, 61, but she was right about his connection to The Viper Room.
Depp was one of the original owners of the music venue and nightclub when it opened in 1993 alongside his 21 Jump Street costar Sal Jenco. The club is now owned by James Cooper and Silver Creek Development.
Depp isn’t the first A-list star that Garcelle has claimed to have hooked up with over the years. During the December 3, 2024, episode of RHOBH, Garcelle revealed the “biggest star” she’d been on a date with, listing Eddie Murphy, Will Smith and Sean Penn.
“Oh, I didn’t know about Sean Penn,” Erika, 53, replied, before revealing in her confessional that she would’ve made a few different choices if those were her past suitors.
Erika wondered, “Well, I just want to know if Garcelle dated Eddie Murphy, Sean Penn and Will Smith, why did she marry the man she married? Why not marry one of them, you know? I mean, that’s what I would have done.”
Garcelle previously talked about her fling with Smith, 56, during a 2020 episode of the Bravo series when the actor’s ex-wife, Sheree Zampino, made a cameo. (Smith and Zampino, 57, split in 1995 and he later wed Jada Pinkett-Smith.)
“He was hot,” Garcelle said of Smith at the time. “He was a bachelor, I was single, you know, it happens in Hollywood.”
One famous face she didn’t romance was Jamie Foxx, her costar on The Jamie Foxx Show from 1996 to 2001. The twosome later reunited on screen for 2013’s White House Down.
“I think me and you should have been together,” Foxx, 57, told Garcelle during a September 2020 episode of her “Going to Bed With Garcelle” podcast.
He teased that every time he sees Garcelle with one of her boyfriends he says, “Damn, I f—ed up!”
Outside of her Hollywood hookups, Garcelle had long-term relationships with ex-husbands Daniel Saunders and Mike Nilon. Garcelle was married to Saunders — with whom she shares 33-year-old son Oliver — from 1991 to 2000.
Garcelle was married to talent agent Nilon for nearly 10 years before she discovered he was unfaithful and they split in 2011. The exes share twin sons Jax and Jaid, 17.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
The California native broke into the entertainment industry in 2005 and instantly became a staple on the kids’ network with roles on both Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide and Zoey 101.
As he continued to gain fame, Butler stayed close to his inner circle, which includes Ashley Tisdale. The duo met when Butler was a teenager — well before he dated Tisdale’s other BFF Vanessa Hudgens — and went on to costar in 2011’s Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure.
The pair’s friendship, however, has confused some fans after Butler and Hudgens called it quits in late 2019 after more than eight years of dating.
Butler, for his part, showed that there are no hard feelings between him and Hudgens when he revealed in April 2022 that Hudgens inspired him to take on the role of Elvis Presley for the film Elvis, which premiered that summer.
Scroll down to see Butler’s ups and downs throughout his career:
Butler made his TV debut in 2005 playing Zippy Brewster on Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. He had a recurring role on the Nickelodeon series until 2007.
Butler landed a starring role in 2013 alongside AnnaSophia Robb on The CW’s The Carrie Diaries, which was a prequel to Sex and the City. He played Sebastian Kydd for two seasons.
Us exclusively confirmed in January 2020 that Butler and Hudgens had split over the holidays after nearly nine years together. “Vanessa and Austin are officially broken up,” a source told Us at the time. “And Vanessa has been telling those close to her about their breakup.”
The Intruders star was first linked to Kaia Gerber in late 2021. Us confirmed the pair were an item in December of that year with an insider revealing, “It’s still very new.”
Nearly one week after Butler earned his first Golden Globe nomination for Elvis, he made his Saturday Night Live hosting debut. While he notably crooned several of Presley’s biggest hits and fangirled over Sarah Sherman’s “Jewish Elvis” during the episode, it was his monologue that stole the show.
“I’ve been thinking about [my late mother, Lori Butler, who died in 2014] a lot this week, just imagining how proud she would be that her son who used to not even be able to order food from a restaurant is now standing on this stage,” he tearfully told the crowd in December 2022. “And tonight, anytime you see me doing a silly voice or making a funny face, that’s for you mom.”
Butler received his first Golden Globe in January 2023, winning Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for his Elvis role.
“I also want to thank our incredible producers and Warner Bros. and the Presley family,” he said in his acceptance speech. “Thank you guys, thank you for opening your hearts, your memories, your home to me. Lisa Marie, Priscilla, I love you forever. Lastly, Elvis Presley himself. You were an icon and a rebel and love you so much.”
Butler received his first Oscar nomination less than two weeks after Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, died of cardiac arrest in January 2023. She was 54.
"It's sort of a bittersweet moment right now because I think of how much I wish she was here right now to get to celebrate with me," he said of the acknowledgment during a January 2023 appearance on Today. "It's the same thing I feel with Elvis; I wish that they could see these moments, you know? It's just sort of strange to celebrate at a time of such deep grief. But I sort of think of it as a way to honor her. This is for her."
Butler returned to television for the first time since The Shannara Chronicles for AppleTV+’s Masters of the Air miniseries. He played Major Gale “Buck” Cleven on the show, which premiered in January 2024.
Multiple outlets including People and TMZ reported the news on Tuesday, January 7. TMZ reported that they called it quits at the end of 2024 and Butler was absent from Gerber’s recent family vacation.
The Elvis actor, 33, was first linked to Gerber, 23, in December 2021 after they were seen attending a yoga class together. Us Weekly confirmed at the time they were “low-key dating” after their respective splits from Vanessa Hudgens and Jacob Elordi.
Two months later, Butler and Gerber were photographed in Paris on Valentine’s Day, cuddled up under an umbrella in the rain.
It wasn’t until the 2022 Met Gala that May that the pair stepped out for their first red carpet as a couple — where they celebrated the Gilded Age theme in style. Gerber wore a metallic Alexander McQueen gown while her then-boyfriend donned a black Prada suit.
Butler and Gerber continued to grow close throughout 2022 and the Dune 2 actor even joined his girlfriend’s family for a new-New Year’s getaway to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, that December.
The following year, the duo became more visible with their romance. Gerber joined Butler in January 2023 for several Golden Globes afterparties after he took home the trophy for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama.
Gerber opted to skip the Academy Awards in March 2023, but she reunited with Butler that evening to attend the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Los Angeles. The following month, the twosome later posed on the Time100 Gala red carpet in New York City.
“Although Austin and Kaia are both in the public eye, they’re really down to earth and have a very secure relationship,” the insider said in September 2023, noting that the “time has flown by” since they first hooked up.
The source added that Kaia’s parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, approved of the relationship. “Kaia loves that her family gets along so well with Austin,” the insider claimed. “He’s joined them on several vacations and he’s definitely a part of the family.”
In June 2024, Kaia was once again by Butler’s side as he celebrated the Los Angeles premiere of The Bikeriders. In an Instagram video shared by Entertainment Weekly, Butler gave Kaia a kiss while standing outside the TCL Chinese Theatre.
Butler told Access Hollywood at the time that Kaia not only “approves” of the cropped blazer and double-pleated trousers that he wore for the premiere, but she actually picked out his red carpet ensemble.
The twosome’s summertime appearance was one of the rare moments they were seen together in 2024. After filming multiple projects throughout the year, Kaia walked the Fourth Annual Academy Museum Gala red carpet alone in October 2024.
The following month, the model was spotted at the LACMA Art+Film Gala — also solo. She also stepped out for Next Gen 2024 party hosted by The Hollywood Reporter and Instagram in November 2024 without Butler.
Butler, meanwhile, attended the SFFILM Awards Night in San Francisco last month by himself.
Steven Weber, S. Epatha Merkerson.Parrish Lewis/NBC(2)
Steven Weber assured Chicago Med fans that they “will certainly not be disappointed” after the show’s midseason return — but his character, Dr. Dean Archer, still has a lot to sort out.
“I have to give props to the writers for really crafting a true cliffhanger, almost a literal one,” Weber, 63, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 7, while promoting Chicago Med’s first episode back from hiatus.
He teased, “If you love S. Epatha Merkerson — and who doesn’t? — you won’t be disappointed at what she delivers and what the show delivers.”
The last time viewers saw Weber’s Dr. Archer he was sliding his resignation letter under Sharon Goodwin’s (Merkerson) door while, unbeknownst to him, she was being held captive by her season 10 stalker.
In the final moments of the midseason finale, which aired in November 2024, a bloodied Goodwin broke free from her office and ran toward Archer, who noticed her just as the elevator doors shut.
When Chicago Med returns on Wednesday, January 8, Weber said Archer will have a lot on his proverbial plate after what he just witnessed.
“Because of his background in the Navy and the stuff he did during the war … his kind of instinct to try to take action kicks in,” the actor explained, noting that the surgeon has “always had kinda emotional difficulties getting close to people, but he feels a real bond with this person, this Sharon Goodwin.”
George Burns Jr/NBC
That connection to his boss makes Archer stop thinking and just act. “He’s also moved and scared and frightened for her in ways that [weren’t] tested during his military service,” Weber said. “It’s literally life and death.”
While Archer decided to leave Chicago Med’s Emergency Department (ED) after butting heads with newbie Dr. Caitlin Lenox (Sarah Ramos), Weber said he can’t “just sit down or sit on his hands” after seeing Goodwin badly wounded.
“He’s gonna take action. If we know Archer, we know that he’s going to do his best [to save her],” he continued.
While Weber played coy about Goodwin’s fate — viewers last saw her stabbed and subsequently bleeding out — he said the attack will show “how emotionally bonded everybody in the ED is.” (He also hinted that “justice” for Goodwin and “consequences” for the stalker’s actions is “coming.”)
“They’re affected by the news that one of their own has been so hurt and so impacted, and everybody begins to take stock in themselves,” he shared, revealing that the doctors and nurses will “spring into action even if they’re overwhelmed by emotion.”
George Burns Jr/NBC
Once the dust settles, Archer will have to decide what’s next for him and his career. “I’m talking to you now, so clearly I haven’t been fired,” Weber teased.
Weber noted that Archer remaining on staff at the ED will continue to be explored throughout the remainder of the season.
“This was a real jolt to him,” he explained. “His emotional arc in these four seasons that I’ve been playing him has been understanding the need for emotional connection to his son, to his family, and to his coworkers, and [trying] to shed a lot of the defensiveness that he had probably before his active duty. So he’s got to figure out what this jolt means to him as a person of a certain age, a certain time of life.”
Archer will have to ask himself, “Should he stay on? Should he move on? What’s important?” Weber said, reiterating, “This incident really affects him, and it affects him emotionally down the line.”
Although Archer will be reevaluating his life choices, Weber told Us that romance isn’t at the top of his priority list after recently becoming single again.
“I don’t think he’s good at dating. He’s embraced his kind of isolation in a sense. But it can get lonesome,” he confessed. “He’s had a history of not liking himself, so he kind of takes that on and there will be some surprises going forward that address that. In ways that the audience might find both shocking and satisfying.”
Chicago Med returns on NBC Wednesday, January 8, at 8 p.m. ET.
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