Michelle Trachtenberg’s final social media posts before her death were throwback photos from her Hollywood past.
The actress, known for her work on Gossip Girl and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, was found unconscious in her New York City apartment on Wednesday, February 26, police sources confirmed to Us Weekly. She was 39.
A week before her death, Trachtenberg took to Instagram to post past headshots and several photos from previous red carpet events she attended — including the School Of American Ballet’s Winter Ball in March 2011 and National Geographic Channel’s Killing Kennedy premiere in November 2013.
“A memory, a magical night in #newyork. I remember feeling like Cinderella!
Wishing everyone an ethereal weekend #throwback ,” Trachtenberg wrote in a nostalgic post on February 15. She shared a photo of herself at the Winter Ball wearing a blue chiffon Marchesa dress with embellishments. She wore her hair in a low ponytail with a side part.
She also shared a picture from the Killing Kennedy premiere, to which she wore a green gown with a criss-cross cutout neckline. “I wanted to look like naughty #tinkerbell #throwback ,” she wrote on February 19.
Trachtenberg, who began her career as a child star in commercials as well as on Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1994-1996) before nabbing the lead role in Harriet the Spy (1996), also shared a blurry headshot on February 16, writing, “#sundayscaries ain’t got nothing on me! .”
News of her death comes after Trachtenberg sparked concern among fans over her social media posts last year. The Inspector Gadget star criticized followers for commenting on her appearance in an Instagram post in January 2024. “I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance. I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters,” she wrote alongside a selfie.
“Explain to me how I look sick,” she replied to a commenter in another post, in which she posed with with pal Alexa PenaVega. “Did you lose a calendar and not realize I’m not 14. I’m 38. How sad for you to leave such a comment.”
In another throwback photo posted via Instagram on January 27, she wrote, “Haters gonna hate, #eye don’t care .”
Police sources confirmed to Us on Wednesday that Trachtenberg was found unconscious inside her Midtown West Side apartment in New York City. The incident is not believed to be suspicious. No cause of death has been reported. (The New York Post was the first to break the news.)
Following her child stardom, Trachtenberg went on to join the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Sarah Michelle Gellar’s sister, Dawn, and was a fan-favorite guest star on Gossip Girl as Georgina Sparks. She reprised the role in 2022 and 2023 episodes of the revived Gossip Girl.
More recently, Trachtenberg appeared in the film Spyral and also served as an executive producer for 2021’s Meet, Marry, Murder series, which she also hosted.
Jesse Eisenbergshocked his former Zombieland costar Emma Stonewith a sweet shout-out during his Best Screenplay acceptance speech at the Independent Spirit Awards.
On Saturday, February 22, Eisenberg, 41, took home the writing trophy for his film A Real Pain, which Stone, 36, produced alongside her husband, Dave McCary, under their Fruit Tree production company.
“I met Emma when we were in Zombieland together in 2009 and since then I write little magazine articles and little things on McSweeney’s, and she’s the only person, I’m including my mom here, who would take little screenshots of it over the last 15 years and send me things like, ‘This is such a funny line!’” he said in his speech. “At the time, she was definitely, and still [is], the most famous I know, and yet also the most dedicated to encouraging me as a writer.”
The camera then panned to Stone, who shyly smiled as Eisenberg continued to praise her talent and efforts in the industry. She even mouthed “oh my God” as he deemed her his “fairy godmother.”
“I think about her not as my producer, but like a fairy godmother that I am riding the coattails of her goodwill,” he added. “And I think it’s so important that somebody like her, who is so unbelievably successful in mainstream movies, look for people like me and Julio [Torres], and Jane [Schoenbrun], to try to produce our movies with all the goodwill that she’s amassed so rightly and deservedly over the last several years. Thanks, Emma.”
Stone looked teary-eyed as the camera found her once again. She threw her hands up and seemingly told Eisenberg from her seat, “Stop. What the hell?”
The Oscar-winning actress looked lovely in an Emilia Wickstead ensemble, which featured a beaded and plunging black top and coordinating green skirt. She paired the look with black heels, Irene Neuwirth jewelry and her new pixie haircut.
Stone was at the Santa Monica award show in celebration of A Real Pain as well as I Saw the TV Glow, Problemista and Fantasmas, which she also executive produced. Fruit Tree recently signed a first-look film deal at Universal.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
“I’ve long admired Emma’s versatility as an actress, fearlessly embodying every role. Paired with Dave’s distinctive comedic voice and creative instincts, we’ve seen the incredible work they have accomplished together. We’re thrilled to support the creative ambition and vision that Emma and Dave will continue to bring to projects behind the camera,” said NBC Universal chairman Donna Langley.
Stone and McCary, 39, added, “Fruit Tree was founded with a passion for supporting ambitious filmmakers and bold storytelling. Working with the amazing team at Universal allows us to push those boundaries even further. We couldn’t be more grateful to Donna, Peter, and Erik for their partnership, and we are looking forward to what the future holds together.”
The duo tied the knot in September 2020 and welcomed daughter Louise Jean in March 2021. Prior to marrying McCary, 42, Stone dated A Real Pain star Kieran Culkin as well as actor Andrew Garfield.
Culkin — who is nominated for an Oscar for his role in A Real Pain — said Stone was a major reason why he did the movie, admitting to Vogue in September 2024 that he almost dropped out due to family obligations. (He shares two young children with his wife Jazz Charton.)
He recalled talking to Stone just weeks before the shoot was due to start: “She goes: ‘If you don’t do it, the entire movie falls apart. But that’s not your responsibility. You shouldn’t feel that burden at all.’”
Culkin marveled at her approach: “She was nice enough to let me off the hook. So I guess I’m…in?”
When he flew to Poland to film, Stone made sure she and McCary were even on the same flight for extra support.
Jennifer Lopez and Max and EmmeCourtesy of Jennifer Lopez/Instagram
Jennifer Lopez is in her feels as her twins, Max and Emme, ring in another birthday.
Lopez, 55, shared a sweet video montage of her kids via Instagram on Saturday, February 22, in celebration of their 17th birthday. The video featured clips from the past and present of Max and Emme — whom she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony.
“Seventeen. I love you beyond forever ,” Lopez’s caption read with emojis referring to her long-standing nickname for the twins.
“I called them coconuts because, obviously, they are twins, there are two of them, and when they were in the crib and they were very, very little, their hair looked like coconut hair, on a coconut,” Lopez said on Live with Kelly and Mark in February 2022. “And so I used to call them coconuts, and it just stuck.”
“I like to think that they like [the nickname],” she added.
In the 17th birthday tribute, Lopez shared personal photos of Max and Emme from over the years, including some from their toddler days to more recent snaps of the teens. She paired the montage with Miley Cyrus’ “Edge of Midnight (Midnight Sky Remix)” featuring Stevie Nicks.
Lopez welcomed the twins in February 2008 while married to Anthony, now 56. (They finalized their divorce in June 2014.) She then had long-term relationships with dancer Casper Smart and former MLB player Alex Rodriguez before marrying Ben Affleck in 2023 — 20 years after their first engagement. She filed for divorce from Affleck, 52, in August 2024 and their split was finalized earlier this year.
While discussing her role in Unstoppable in December 2024, Lopez told Entertainment Weekly that she struggles with the idea of being “enough” for her kids as a solo parent. (Lopez plays Anthony Robles’ mom in the boxing biopic.)
“I’ve been a single mom at times in my life, and [I’ve asked,] ‘Am I enough for them?’ And the truth is, all you need is really one good parent to love you,” she told the outlet, adding, “That’s what the movie gave me: You are enough.”
Lopez and Anthony still try to coparent the best they can, but she alluded to the fact that it’s been tricky with him being on the East Coast in a 2022 interview with Vogue. Still, Anthony captioned a photo in 2019 of the parents holding Emme’s hand on the way to a recital, “Nothing but love between us. @jlo.”
“Marc and I are good how we are right now,” Lopez revealed of their coparenting arrangement during a March 2017 appearance on The View. “There’s a reason we’re not together, but we’re great friends. And we’re parents together. We’re even working on a Spanish album together. [And] that has been even better for us. We met working, and that’s where we’re really magical, when we’re on stage together, and so we leave it there. That’s it.”
Anthony also shares daughter Arianna, 30, and son Chase, 28, with ex-girlfriend Debbie Rosado, sons Cristian, 24, and Ryan, 21, with ex-wife Dayanara Torres, and 20-month-old son Marco with wife Nadia Ferreira.
Ethan Hawke agrees with his daughter Maya Hawke when it comes to social media affecting the film and TV industry.
In an interview at the Berlin Film Festival this week, Ethan, 54, reacted to his daughter Maya’s comments on how casting directors are seemingly more focused on an actor’s social media following than talent these days.
“I really feel for these people. It’s really hard,” Ethan said. “Sometimes I’ll be setting a movie up and someone will say, ‘Oh, you should cast Suzie.’ I’m like, ‘Who is she?’ ‘She has 10 million followers.’ I’m like, ‘OK cool, has she acted before?’ ‘No, but…’ And you’re like, ‘Wow, so this is going to help me get the movie made? This is crazy.’”
He continued: “So if I don’t have this public-facing [platform], I don’t have a career? And if I get more followers I might get that part? What?”
Ethan’s reaction was in response to Maya’s discussion with Josh Horowitz on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast on Thursday, February 13, in which she said the rise of the influence of social media and public personalities has made movie-making “a really confusing line to walk.”
“It’s like, ‘I don’t care about Instagram. Instagram sucks.’ [Directors say] ‘Right, but just so you know, if you have over this many followers you can get the movie funded.’ ‘Well, I want to make the movie.’ So, ah.”
Maya, 26, said she’s told “smart directors” that she’s considered deleting her Instagram altogether, but they’ve assured her that it’s more important than she thinks.
“‘Just so you know, when I’m casting a movie with some producers, they hand me a sheet with the amount of collective followers I have to get from the cast. So if you delete your Instagram and I lose those followers, understand that these are the kinds of people I need to cast around you,’” Maya explained. “And so, it’s confusing … this will be a life-long question for me.”
Ethan reiterated those points, telling reporters that he meets “so many young actors that think being an actor is protein shakes and going to the gym.”
“I wish they could meet Phil[ip Seymour] Hoffman like I did when I was 18, because it’s a much more substantive and enjoyable life,” he said. “I mean, go to the gym if you want to, but that doesn’t make you — Robert De Niro is not great because he has a six-pack. If the part calls for it, he’ll do it, and that’s awesome. But he’s so much more than that.”
Ethan has previously spoken about the influence Hoffman had on him, calling the Oscar winner — who died at age 46 of an accidental overdose in 2014 — not “a celebrity” but the first “fully actualized actor artist” of his generation.
“He had something to say with his work, with his theatre company, with the choices he made, with the way he carried himself in the world. You know? He was a very serious person. Robin [Williams], too,” Ethan told Charlie Rose in 2015 of his biggest inspirations.
Maya HawkeJesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney/Pixar
Maya touched on the importance of maintaining one’s artistry in her podcast appearance, as well, noting that her dad and mom, Uma Thurman, worked “really hard” to keep her and brother Levon’s lives private.
“So the outward-facing public stuff I wasn’t included in, but I was included in the art-making part. So the art-making part has always been my comfort zone and the outward-facing part has always been my [uncomfortability],” Maya said.
She further explained that she dislikes when press tours turn into “self-promotion.”
“The line between actor and celebrity has gotten extremely blurry,” she continued. “And, in some ways, a celebrity is someone where their personality is what is the draw. And what I always wanted to be was an actor, where the work is what the draw is — not the personhood.”
Brian Littrell’s 22-year-old son, Baylee Littrell, will compete on season 23 of Idol, the “proud” dad told Today on Friday, February 14. “He’s actually on the new American Idol this season, which is a little caveat of information,” Brian, 49, shared.
“He was just texting me last night, going, ‘Dad, dude, how do you do this? Like, it’s hard work,’” Brian continued. “He’s been busting his butt, and I’m super proud of him. He kind of gets a new sense of reality of what this is.”
Baylee teased his Idol audition via Instagram on February 5, posting a photo from the set and writing, “Well guys, recently I had the opportunity to audition for @americanidol. Tune in to see the season premiere and what happens on 3/9/25!”
Brian commented, “Bubba I can’t wait!!!!! Good Luck we’re all counting on you hahaha,” with Baylee’s mom, Leighanne Littrell, adding, “This yes bubba .”
Brian, who has been a member of the Backstreet Boys alongside Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson since 1993, said Baylee has been in the boy band’s orbit since he was young.
“He tells this joke about being at a convenience store or a drug store, and there was a Millennium album, in the casing of all these CDs,” Brian recalled to Today. “And he picks it up … and he was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s my dad!’ And this was when he was, like, probably 7 or 8 years old.”
Baylee also used to go on the road with the group and introduce them before shows.
“I got to introduce my dad at 5 years old,” Baylee told People in 2023. “And then when I was 10, I started opening up for them. I would sing two or three songs before the opener would come out and play their set. And then that transcended into 2019, being able to go on a 42-show run with them and be the official opening act. That was the experience of a lifetime.”
“I’ve pretty much grown up on the road since I can remember. So my first crib was a bunk on a tour bus,” he added. “So really, my first memories are being out on the road and being abroad.”
Baylee has always followed in his father’s footsteps and made his Broadway debut in 2016 at just 13 in the musical Disaster! before releasing his debut album, 770-Country, in 2019. That same year, he was the opening act for the Backstreet Boys’ DNA Tour.
Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell and Howie DoroughTODAY/YouTube
The Backstreet Boys will be back on stage with their 12-date Into the Millennium Sphere residency in Vegas, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their hit album Millennium. On February 14, they also announced the release of Millennium 2.0, which will come out on July 11. The album is a deluxe version of the 1999 record, with 25 songs that include the original 12 songs remastered, live recordings, demos and an alternate version of “I Want It That Way.” They also dropped a new song titled “Hey” ahead of the album’s release.
“We’re excited to take that album, that concept of the future, to the next level in the most state of the art venue,” Richardson, 53, told Today.
Prince Harryis “just one of the guys,” according to a blind athlete competing at the 2025 Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded service members and veterans.
Retired Army Staff Sergeant Michael Murphy — who lost his eyesight in a December 2018 airfield accident in Volos, Greece — discussed a touching moment with Us Weekly between him and Prince Harry, 40, at this year’s Invictus Games (the first to feature winter sports).
While preparing for an alpine snowboarding event with his guide and fiancee in Whistler, Canada, the Duke of Sussex came up to Murphy, unbeknownst to him. “We were on the side of the mountain and somebody comes up, there’s a bunch of people pulling over, ‘Hey, you guys OK?’ And we were just like, ‘Yeah,’” Murphy, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Vancouver Convention Center on Saturday, February 15.
The athlete said he was focused on warming up and making a video, so he almost “blew off” the royal by accident. He explained, “I can’t see, so they kind of tapped me and whispered, ‘Hey, it’s Prince Harry. ‘Oh, how you doing, sir?’ And I didn’t have my blind bib on, so I just looked like a regular athlete.”
Prince Harry then used his sense of humor to break the ice, noting that snowboarding blind must be a virtually impossible task.
“The cool part about the interaction is, he’s not just here for publicity. He’s a down-to-earth genuine person,” Murphy continued. “So he’s sitting there making jokes. ‘You know why blind people don’t snowboard, right? It’s super difficult and terrifying.’ I was like, ‘Well, I’m here to break barriers, sir.’ So we went back and forth, talked a little bit to him and his crew, went down the mountain, and then a couple runs later, right before I ended up going up to race, he came up behind me. He said, ‘Wow, you really do know how to snowboard. That was impressive. It was good to watch you.’”
“It was super cool, kind of having those interactions, [with] him having a military background,” Murphy added to Us. “I think, personally, from the military aspect of what makes me feel the most normal is people talking crap to you back and forth. [So] just getting that friendship and having him share that moment to where he’s just one of the guys was super cool. And then, just having him out there was definitely the highlight. I’m getting out there. Snowboarding was cool. But having him, knowing the power that he has on everybody here, is just huge.”
Prince Harry — who founded the Invictus Games a decade ago after witnessing the healing power of sport during a visit to the Warrior Games in the United States — also joined Murphy and the other athletes for breakfast and took selfies with anyone who asked.
Murphy said he’s “been fortunate” to see the Duke of Sussex again and have a “little reunion this last time.”
The Team USA snowboarder is one of over 500 athletes from 25 nations to compete in this year’s Invictus Games. This is his second time participating in events, including indoor rowing, skeleton and swimming.
Michael MurphyCourtesy of Michael Murphy/Instagram
“For me, going from a non-commissioned officer in the Army, a leader people came to, to deep, depressed, stuck in my house, not doing anything, it was kind of like up and down, and then I got a huge up again,” he told Us. “So knowing that there was hope, something to train for, to strive for. I just started opening up opportunities, started training, and then I started hearing about the path.”
Murphy noted that he found healing in training for both the Warrior Games in the U.S. and the Invictus Games.
“It was just something that just lit a fire inside of me, and it gave me that motivation I needed to just get back in the fight. So it was truly sports in general, and the adaptive aspect is what saved my life. … But it was a long journey to get to where I am at now, and [I’m] not finished at all.”
Prince Harry spoke about the impact of the Invictus Games at the opening ceremony, telling the crowd the event was born “from a promise I made to myself … a promise to uphold my obligation — a sacred obligation after my own decade and privilege of military service — to do whatever I could to help my fellow brothers and sisters heal, and to champion everything we stand for.”
He also noted how special it was to introduce winter sports to the lineup this year in an interview with Town & Countrypublished on February 14.
“The highlight so far has been seeing competitors and their families take to the snow in Whistler,” Prince Harry told the outlet. “Introducing winter sports to the Invictus Games is a huge milestone — one we’ve been working toward for a long time — so witnessing both the competition and the pure joy on everyone’s faces makes me really happy.”
Of the Games, Murphy added to Us, “The entire environment here, I tell multiple people, this is one area [where], being around other adaptive athletes, that I don’t feel impaired, blind or however you may look at it, handicapped. It’s a huge family. And it’s not only just a sport, it’s a community that you can turn to. So it’s extremely life changing, for sure.”
New couple alert? Or costars in the making? The rumor mill is churning after Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas were spotted out and about together in London.
Cruise, 62, and de Armas, 36, were seen in the Soho area of London after dinner on Thursday, February 13, according to pictures obtained by the Daily Mail. The duo were all smiles as they carried takeout bags and posed for photos with excited fans on the street before hopping in a car together.
The Top Gun: Maverick star wore a navy suit with his hair in a longer cut while the Knives Out actress rocked a black blazer over a black tank top and jeans. She paired her casual chic look with gold flats and her hair down.
The nature of their meeting has not been disclosed. Us Weekly has reached out to their reps for comment.
Cruise has been married three times — to Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990, to Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001 and to Katie Holmes from 2006 to 2012. He shares adult children Isabella, 32, and Connor, 30, with Kidman, 57, and daughter Suri, 18, with Holmes, 46.
He has also been romantically linked to a handful of Hollywood stars including Cher, Heather Locklear and Penélope Cruz. Most recently, he was rumored to be dating Russian socialite Elsina Khayrova.
De Armas also has a storied dating history, most notably known for her relationship with Ben Affleck, whom she dated from 2020 to early 2021 after meeting on the set of Deep Water. Before that romance, the Blonde actress was married to Spanish actor Marc Clotet from 2011 to 2013 and, more recently, was linked to Tinder executive Paul Boukadakis and Manuel Anido Cuesta, the stepson of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.
In a July 2022 interview with Elle, de Armas reflected on the intense public scrutiny she faced during her relationship with Affleck, 52, calling the experience “horrible.”
“Going through it [myself] confirmed my thoughts about, ‘This is not the place for me to be,’ ” she said of deciding to leave Los Angeles. “It became a little bit too much. There’s no escape. There’s no way out.”
De Armas later told Variety in September 2022 that she struggled with being in the spotlight and simply wanted to focus on her craft.
“I have never been someone that wants any attention that’s not about my work,” she said. “So when the attention is not about my work, it is upsetting, and it feels disrespectful, and it feels inappropriate, and it feels dangerous and unsafe. But, especially in this country, I don’t know how you can find protection. I don’t know how you can stop that from happening, other than leaving.”
Cruise has also opted to live outside of L.A. and has spent the last few years in the U.K.
“I guess I am an Anglophile. I spend a lot of time in Britain and that’s not just for work reasons. I just love being here,” he told Derbyshire Live in 2022. “It’s a fantastic blend of old and new. I love seeing the sights, the Tower of London, Nelson’s Column, Buckingham Palace and all those fantastic places which are just full of history.”
Wrestling pro Brock Lesnar has been named in an updated filing of the sexual abuse lawsuit against former WWE CEO Vince McMahon.
In an amended version of the original complaint obtained by Us Weekly and filed on Friday, January 31, by a former WWE employee Janel Grant, Lesnar, 47, is identified as the “WWE Superstar” that McMahon, 79, allegedly attempted to “traffic” her to. The original complaint, released in January 2024, referenced a star wrestler in the accusation but did not provide Lesnar’s name.
Grant, who worked in the company’s legal and talent departments, has alleged McMahon forced her into a sexual relationship in order to keep her job. The updated lawsuit claims that McMahon allegedly requested Grant create “personalized sexual content” for Lesnar and offered her to him for sex in July 2021 — a time when McMahon was attempting to keep Lesnar under contract with the WWE. She further alleges McMahon flew Lesnar to Connecticut on July 21 for an alleged sexual encounter, which ultimately didn’t happen because the WWE pro was “too intoxicated and taken back to the plane.”
Grant claims McMahon then asked her to allegedly “role play” as if Lesnar was there in a sexual encounter with the former executive later that evening. Elsewhere in the amended complaint, Grant alleges that McMahon also had her satisfy Lesnar’s “fetish[es]” and promise to “do anything” requested of her. She also claims McMahon had her create “customized pornographic content” for longtime producer Michael Hayes.
In a statement to Us Weekly, McMahon’s attorney Jessica Rosenberg stated, “As expected, the proposed amended complaint is nothing more than the latest publicity stunt in an ongoing smear campaign. It is filled with desperate falsehoods from a team that continues to disregard the law and the truth.”
Lesnar’s team and the WWE did not respond to requests for comment. Lesnar, who also fought in the UFC primarily from 2008 to 2011, has not made an appearance in the WWE since 2023.
“Vince McMahon physically and emotionally abused, sexually assaulted and human trafficked Janel Grant for more than two years. Calling his horrific and criminal behavior ‘an affair’ is delusional and nothing more than a sad attempt to save his shredded reputation,” Ann Callis, Grant’s attorney, said in a statement obtained by Us last year. “Although Ms. Grant has not seen the Mr. McMahon docuseries, we hope it shines a bright light on his abhorrent and criminal actions by accurately portraying the realities of his abusive and exploitative behavior.”
The Mr. McMahondocuseries was first announced in October 2020 with McMahon’s involvement. However, over the years it took on a different shape amid various sexual misconduct allegations against the wrestling promoter. It debuted on Netflix in September 2024, with McMahon issuing a statement saying, in part, “In an attempt to further their misleading account, the producers use a lawsuit based on an affair I ended as evidence that I am, in fact, ‘Mr. McMahon’. I hope the viewer will keep an open mind and remember that there are two sides to every story.” McMahon, who stepped down from his position as executive chairman at the TKO Group following the lawsuit, has denied all wrongdoing.
“Ms. Grant will no longer be silenced by McMahon. Her story, though deeply troubling and exceptionally painful, is one that can help other abuse survivors find their voices. We seek to hold McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE accountable and to give Ms. Grant her day in court,” Callis’ statement continued.
According to Grant’s initial lawsuit, McMahon allegedly displayed an “increasing lack of boundaries” after they met in 2019, claiming he would greet her “in his underwear, touched her, repeatedly asked for hugs, and spent hours sharing intimate details about his personal life.”
Grant claimed she entered into a physical relationship with McMahon because she allegedly feared “negative consequences” if she turned him down and ultimately “[succumbed] to the pressure.”
McMahon also allegedly shared sexually explicit photographs of Grant with other men within the WWE, had “increasingly depraved sexual demands” and coerced her into having sex with other staffers at the company headquarters during working hours. This included WWE general manager John Laurinaitis, who was also named in the initial lawsuit along with the corporation as a whole.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
Justin Baldoni has shared alleged text messages he claims to have exchanged with costar Blake Lively over a now infamous scene from It Ends With Us amid their legal battle.
The alleged texts between Baldoni, 41, and Lively, 37, were shared via a website with the URL “thelawsuitinfo.com,” which Us Weekly confirmed went live on Saturday, February 1. Last month, the actor-director promised the now-live website would support his allegations against Lively. Two documents were uploaded to Baldoni’s website titled “Amended Complaint” and “Timeline of Relevant Events” and are available to download.
The Timeline breaks down the tension that bubbled up during production of the film, which was ultimately released in August 2024. In a few notes, Baldoni shares messages he claims were sent between him and Lively in April 2023 about a “meet-cute” rooftop scene that he claims she decided to rewrite “hoping to infuse more of her voice into the character and make it more ‘flirty and yummy,’” the Timeline reads.
“You ok if I play around with some of the dialogue to give her a bit more agency and fun and send to you? It’ll affect some of your lines too if I switch out some of hers. But anywhere we can amp their verbal ping pong/volley, I think we’ll be cookin w gas, right? Reel that audience in and make them fall desperately in love w these two, then when the other shoe drops, OUCH, the audience will be devastated,” Lively allegedly wrote in a text to Baldoni.
“We can use some, all or none of it. I just don’t want to step on any toes,” he claims she added, tossing in “prayer hands” and “heart” emojis.
“F— yes,” he allegedly responded. “I couldn’t agree more. It’s what I tried to do in last pass and some of what I was hoping we could do together – I can only write and play with what I feel is your tone so much.”
The scene marks the first time Lively’s character, Lily Bloom, meets her charismatic but volatile love interest, Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni, who also directed the film based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover.
In Baldoni’s Timeline, he claims that he read Lively’s script and decided he would use some of her changes. Lively then allegedly invited him to her apartment in New York to go over the rewrites, which her husband, Ryan Reynolds, allegedly raved about upon Baldoni’s arrival. A “mega-celebrity friend” — presumed to be Taylor Swift — was also at the meeting and shared their input on Lively’s work, as well.
Baldoni claimed in a January court filing, as well as his Timeline of Relevant Events, that he felt pressured by Reynolds, 48, and the “mega-celebrity friend” to approve the scene revisions.
“So I think they wanted you and me to see how they felt about the work because they’ve been by my side for far too many experiences where I’ve been overlooked. I spoke to you about this when we first met,” her text allegedly began.
Baldoni then claims that Lively went on to detail how she’s been treated by directors in the past and how those close to her have championed her behind-the-scenes.
“Both [blank] and [blank] have established themselves as absolute titans as writers and storytellers outside of their primary gig — just singing or just acting or [blank] just directing. I’m so lucky to have them as creative barometers. But also to have them as the people who prop me up and make sure I’m seen for all I can, and do, offer. Because they know firsthand all I contribute,” Lively allegedly texted. “They also know I’m not always as good at making sure I’m seen and utilized for fear of threatening egos, or fear of affecting the ease of the process. They don’t give a s— about that. And because of that, everyone listens to them with immense respect and enthusiasm. So I guess I have to stop worrying about people liking me.”
Courtesy Sony Pictures
According to Baldoni, Lively then went on to share the previously released text about Game of Thrones and her comparison to Khaleesi — she has “a few dragons, for better or worse” who “protect those I fight for.”
In a follow-up voice memo, which was released last week, Baldoni apologized for his notes on her scene changes and seemingly acknowledged Reynolds and the “mega-celebrity friend.” “The three of you guys together is unbelievable. Talk about energy. Just a force all three of you,” he said.
He also pointed out, however, that he “didn’t need” Lively’s crew to back her up on the script changes because he already knew her draft was “really good and it’s going to make the movie,” just as Lively allegedly suggested.
“I’m excited to go through the whole movie with you,” he said in the memo, letting out a few laughs here and there. “I’m just excited to spend time with you. I’m excited to be in your sphere and your presence and for us to share creative juices together, although that sounds terrible.”
In the Timeline, Baldoni shares that he sent Lively another text, to which she allegedly thanked him for his messages and responded, “And I too promise I’ll freak you out, spook you, upset you, and be an actual beast. But I can promise it will always be in service of this movie and our shared goal.”
Baldoni writes in the Timeline that by April 20, 2023, before filming even began, “Concerns about Lively’s undue influence over the Film began to grow.” The Timeline further details their ever-changing dynamic and reported power struggles from Baldoni’s point-of-view — from his alleged request for Lively to meet with an intimacy coordinator and “Board-Certified Integrative Holistic Health Coach” to Lively’s ballooning wardrobe budget and alleged editing room takeover.
In December 2024, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni and accused him of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment as well as launching a smear campaign against her, all of which Baldoni has denied.
In January, Baldoni responded by filing his own $400 million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds and Lively’s publicist Leslie Sloane. He claimed that the trio was guilty of civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy and more.
Lively denied the allegations, and the actress’ team later claimed that Baldoni’s lawsuit is “another chapter in the abuser playbook.”
Baldoni’s team then said they have “the right to defend themselves with the truth” in a statement to Us on Tuesday, January 21. “And this is what we will be continuing to show with the upcoming website containing all correspondence as well as relevant videos that directly quash her claims,” Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said before the website went public Saturday.
Lively and Reynolds have filed a motion with the courts to get a gag order against Baldoni’s attorney. There is a pre-trial hearing set for Monday, February 3, to rule on the request. The larger trial for Lively and Baldoni is set to begin on March 9, 2026, according to an order filed last week.
Us Weekly has reached out to representatives for Baldoni and Lively for comment.
The French bulldog, who has three legs and was born on the same day Teigen, 39, and Legend, 46, tied the knot in 2013, “passed on peacefully in her sleep,” Teigen announced via Instagram on Saturday, January 25.
“I loved this girl. We will miss you, Penny,” Legend wrote in the comments section.
“Our beautiful little tripod queen, penny, passed on peacefully in her sleep today. Born the same day John and I got married, 11 years ago, she was there for us for every baby, every loss, every joy,” Teigen wrote alongside a carousel of photos featuring their pup. “She loved nothing more than being loved, having her nub rubbed and destroying any ball she could get her paw on, even til her last weeks.”
The model added, “Never forget that while every pup is just a few chapters in your long life, for them you are their entire book, their entire lives. Oh penny. We were so beyond lucky to have you. Say hi to Puddy and Pippa for us. You are all together again.”
The family’s first dog, Puddy, died in 2018, with Pippa passing in 2021.
“Our first two dogs are no longer with us, and that was the first time we really grieved together, when we lost Puddy,” Legend said in a 2024 interview with People. “And so once you go through those experiences together, it just helps build the character of your relationship.”
Legend and Teigen now share three dogs: poodle Petey, basset hound Pearl and their latest adoptee Pebbles.
“They are constantly in the mix of our household,” Teigen told People of her pets, which include a bearded dragon and hamster. “I always joke about this, but people are always like, ‘Oh, how do you let the dogs on the furniture?’ I’m like, ‘All that furniture is made with outdoor fabric so that we can have them on the furniture.'”
Legend and Teigen are also parents to four human children: Luna, 8, Miles, 6, Esti, 2, and Wren, 19 months. Teigen also gave birth to son Jack, who was stillborn, in 2020.
“I didn’t know that we could experience this grief and also share it, but when we did, it really meant so much to so many people and it was such a powerful experience for me to learn that,” Legend told Good Morning America after their son’s death. “I’m just grateful that my wife was courageous enough to do it.”
“… Obviously it’s so painful to go through something like this as a woman,” Teigen added, “something that was inside your body that you were nurturing and taking care of, but obviously there’s a father involved, and the support for the both of us has been so beautiful, so incredible.”
Legend has said that their shared grief has made him and Teigen bond as a couple, telling Jay Shetty in 2022, “We’ve been through enough together where it’s really fortified us and made us stronger. Those tests have made us grow together and realize things about each other that we didn’t know.”
Amy Schumer just shared a glowing selfie, revealing she used “no filter” and “no filler.”
The actress, 43, posted the fresh-faced photo via her Instagram Stories and page on Saturday, January 25, writing, “What can I say It was a good night.”
When asked by a follower what made it such a good evening, Schumer responded in the comments section, “Good family time then got to perform with people I love and respect.”
Her post comes after Schumer opened up about her Cushing syndrome diagnosis during a “Call Her Daddy” podcast episode on Wednesday, January 22. (Cushing syndrome is a disorder caused by elevated cortisol in the blood, and leads to a swollen, red, round face.)
Schumer said she found out she had the disease after internet trolls pointed out her “puffy” face during a press tour last year. Some medical professionals chimed in, however, and that’s when she realized the puffiness might be a serious side effect.
She told host Alex Cooper, “They were, like, ‘No, no … something’s really up. Your face looks so crazy that we think something’s up.’”
Amy SchumerCourtesy of Amy Schumer/Instagram
Turns out she had Cushing, which she was diagnosed with in February 2024 — right before she started filming Kinda Pregnant, hitting Netflix on February 5.
“I was getting these steroid injections, and so it gave me this thing called Cushing syndrome; which I wouldn’t have known if the internet hadn’t come for me so hard,” she added. “I learned that I had something called ‘moon face,’ and I’m starring in a movie and there’s a camera in my face, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ I was feeling really down on myself before I started filming this movie.”
Schumer said director Lorraine Caffery “amp[ed] me up” and reassured her that she looked “f—ing great.” Turns out, her system “just had to work itself out” and her face is now, as seen in her latest selfie, radiant.
“Happy for you. You also look great,” Cheyenne Jackson commented, with Olivia Munn adding, “Pretttyyyy.”
After social media users insulted her appearance last year, Schumer told journalist Jessica Yellin for Substack’s News Not Noise column that diagnosing Cushing was no easy task and she feared for her future, as well as her son, Gene, 5, whom she shares with husband Chris Fischer.
“The shaming and criticism of our ever-changing bodies is something I have dealt with and witnessed for a long time,” she added. “I want so much for women to love themselves and be relentless when fighting for their own health in a system that usually doesn’t believe them.”
Liam Hemsworth enjoyed a rare public outing with his longtime girlfriend Gabriella Brooks at the Australian Open.
The actor, 35, and model, 28, were all smiles as they posed together in matching beige ensembles at the Ralph Lauren Marquee in Melbourne on Sunday, January 26.
Hemsworth looked put together in a caramel-colored ensemble while Brooks rocked a tan jacket over a white blouse and cream shorts, which she paired with a brown belt and heels.
The couple was later spotted in the stands alongside Jackie Chan, looking very invested in the men’s final match between winner Jannick Sinner and opponent Alexander Zverev.
Their outing comes after Brooks celebrated her partner of five years via Instagram on January 13. “Happy Birthday to my sunshine ,” she wrote alongside a carousel of photos of the couple over the years.
Brooks also recently shared pictures from the duo’s date night at the Australian ballet in December, writing, “A magical night at the ballet with @chanelofficial @ausballet .”
Liam and Brooks first fueled romance rumors in December 2019 when they were spotted at lunch with his parents, Craig and Leonie Hemsworth. They confirmed their relationship the following year when Brooks attended various events with her man, including his brother Luke Hemsworth’s 40th birthday party.
Liam and Brooks made their red carpet debut as a couple at the Sydney premiere of his film Poker Face in 2022. They also attended the U.K. premiere of brother Chris Hemsworth’s film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga together in 2024.
Liam, who finalized his divorce from longtime partner Miley Cyrus in 2020 after a tumultuous on-off relationship, has kept his relationship with Brooks private aside from their rare appearances together.
James D. Morgan/Getty Images
In a December 2021 interview with Stellar magazine, Brooks reiterated their decision to maintain their privacy. “My personal relationship is very, very important and very sacred to me,” she said. “And I feel like in an industry where so much is put out on show, there are some things you just want to keep to yourself. I completely understand [the interest in our relationship]. But at the end of the day, I guess I just like having that for me.”
Cyrus, 32, for her part, recently shared her heartbreak over the Pacific Palisades and Altadena fires after losing her and Liam’s Malibu home in a wildfire in 2018.
“This image hits me hard in the heart today,” she wrote alongside a black and white photo of rubble via Instagram Stories on January 11. “This is a photo taken of my front porch in 2018 after losing our house in the Woolsey fires. It’s a feeling you don’t ever forget.”
“Walking up to the door you would pass through daily, looking forward to being greeted by the ones you love like you always do but instead being met by a pile of ash and rubble. My soul aches for those experiencing this devastation firsthand and I cry for my city.”
In an interview with Howard Stern in 2020, Cyrus said of her and Liam’s marriage, “I just clung to what I had left of that house, which was me and him. And I really do and did love him very, very, very much and still do, always will.”
As for the reason for their separation, Cyrus said that the two had a lot of issues behind closed doors. “There was too much conflict,” she said, adding, “When I come home, I want to be anchored by someone. I don’t get off on drama or fighting.”
Sutton Foster was all smiles as she supported boyfriend Hugh Jackman at opening night of his Radio City Music Hall Show From New York, With Love.
Foster, 49, attended the first night of Jackman’s concert on Friday, January 24, in a black sequined dress and matching coat — as seen in photos obtained by People. The Broadway icon was joined at the show by Jackman’s pals: Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds, who also made a surprise appearance in the crowd for an impromptu “Hugh & A” session.
Reynolds, 48, raved about Jackman, 56, telling the crowd, “I wanted to actually just say, I love this man, I care about this man. He is genuinely the best human being I know. And I have 4 children!”
He added that Jackman was “my gotcha for life,” even though, Reynolds claimed, “I’m his second-best friend.”
Perhaps his first best friend is Foster, who has also praised Jackman in the past after the duo starred together in Broadway’s revival of The Music Man in 2022, portraying Professor Harold Hill and Marian Paroo, respectively.
“He’s one of the greatest guys ever, an incredible costar,” she told People last year. “And yeah, I think everyone already knows that, though.”
Sources previously told Us Weekly that Foster and Jackman’s friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship during their The Music Man run — and while they were still married to other people. Jackman and his wife of 27 years, Deborra-lee Furness, announced their split in September 2023, while; Foster filed for divorce from screenwriter Ted Griffin in October 2024 after 10 years of marriage.
“Sutton and Hugh’s relationship is the reason Hugh and Deb got divorced,” a source close to Foster told Us in November 2024. “A lot of people on Broadway knew, and we kept it quiet because both of them are so nice and great people. Everyone respected their privacy. But there was an affair and overlap.”
According to the source, Jackman and Foster “are really happy now.”
Hugh Jackman during his From New York, With Love showKevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
The pair were spotted kissing inside a car at an In-N-Out restaurant in the San Fernando Valley earlier this month, and were also photographed out on a date night in Santa Monica. Now, the duo is seemingly back at their home base on the East Coast as Jackman is set to perform seven more weekends at Radio City in 2025 and Foster will appear in Trisha Paytas’ Big Broadway Dream one-night-only show at the St. James Theatre on Monday, February 3, alongside the likes of Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler.
No word yet on if Jackman will support his latest love at the event, but he did cheer Foster on during a performance of Once Upon a Mattress in Los Angeles on January 4.
In 2022, Foster told Vogue that Jackman had become one of her closest friends thanks to The Music Man — and noted that they even had family get-togethers. (Jackman and Furness, 69, adopted son Oscar, 24, in 2000 and daughter Ava, 19, in 2005; Foster and Griffin are parents to Emily, 7, who they adopted in 2017.)
“You usually go into these things thinking, ‘Well, I hope we get along,’ ” she explained, “but we just spent Memorial Day with our families.”
Foster also revealed that she and Jackman used to sit on the floor of her dressing room and chat before each show. “It’s such a wonderful thing,” Foster said during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan. “We just talk and catch up on our day. That’s been one of the best parts of the whole thing,” she added, “that I’ve made this wonderful new friend.”
Jackman raved about their friendship in a December 2021 Instagram post, writing of Foster, “You’re an exceptional talent and friend. Your joy brings the entire company of @musicmanbway to life. I can’t wait for the world to see you as Marian. They are in for an explosion of awesome.”
Zoe Saldaña and her family are overjoyed by her new title: Oscar nominee.
The actress, 46, posted rare photos of her three children — twins Cy and Bowie, 10, and son Zen, 8 — via Instagram on Thursday, January 23, after she was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in Emilia Pérez.
“How today feels :-),” she captioned the carousel of exuberant snaps of her family, including her sons, husband Marco Perego-Saldaña and mom Asalia Nazario.
In the pics, Zoe can be seen smiling in birthday hats and having pillow fights with her boys, enjoying cocktails with her girlfriends, and dancing with her family. In the last photo, she beams alongside Marco, 45, and their kids in front of a cake that reads, “We are so proud.”
In another Instagram post on Thursday, Zoe thanked the Academy for the honor alongside a photo of herself and sisters Cisely and Mariel.
“I am truly honored and grateful for the nomination. Thank you so much for considering me for this award. I am thrilled to be among such talented company. Emilia Pérez was made with love. Thank you to @theacademy and its members for recognizing our work. Jacques!!!!! BINGO!”
Emilia Pérez dominated the Oscar nominations list with a total of 13, including Best Picture, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Zoe and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Karla Sofía Gascón— who became the first openly transgender woman to be nominated in the category.
Zoe is nominated alongside Monica Barbaro for A Complete Unknown, Ariana Grande for Wicked, Felicity Jones for The Brutalist and Isabella Rossellini for Conclave.
Zoe, who has starred in countless films since her big screen debut in 2000’s coming-of-age dance film Center Stage, was met with congratulatory messages from friends and fans alike in the comments section of her Instagram post.
“AHHHHHHH!!!!!! OMG!!! Congrats my beautiful friend!!!! Oscar nominated actress sounds pretty f’ing incredible to me. You’re it girl. ,” Dave Annable wrote, with his wife, Odette Annable, adding, “Yayayayayayay!!!!!!! We are beaming with pride! Well deserved baby!! .”
Kris Jenner also commented, seemingly writing of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, “Congratulations we are so proud of you!!!!!!! .”
Zoe peviously won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her performance as Rita Mora Castro, an attorney hired by a Mexican cartel leader (Gascón) who wants to fake their death to undergo gender-affirming surgery in the 2024 movie-musical.
She said it was nice to be able to tap back into her dance background with the theatrical role, telling W Magazine, “Ballet became my therapy, my medicine, my confidant, my solace during a time when I was going through a lot. My father passed away when I was 9, and my mom went through a really difficult time. There were days when she couldn’t get out of bed because she was so sad. When you’re 9, you don’t really understand that, but she knew that she needed to keep us busy. So I started ballet, and I went full throttle into it because I needed it.”
Karla Sofía Gascón as Emilia Pérez and Zoe Saldaña as Rita Moro Castro in ‘Emilia Pérez.’PAGE 114 - WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS - PATHÉ FILMS - FRANCE 2 CINÉMA
When asked if her sons are into ballet, Zoe admitted, “I’m trying. I’m not going to give up. Studies have shown that it is so therapeutic for men to take any form of dance at a very early age or throughout their lives because they carry so much tension and emotion. At least my twins are tapping. My younger one, he couldn’t give a shit who is dancing. He wants to be Cristiano Ronaldo; he wants to be Lionel Messi. But my twins are very much like, ‘Yo, girls are in there? They’re dancing hip-hop?’ And they’ll dance.”
The smart, strong-willed high school feminist always spoke her mind and tried to avoid what others thought about her in the process. Stiles, 43, believes she’d still be doing the same today.
When asked where she thinks Kat would be now, Stiles told Vogue, “Hopefully, a lot happier out of high school. She’s either touring in a rock band or lives in a cabin in Costa Rica, makes her own sourdough bread, and has no screens around her. And, she’s totally surfing.”
Sounds right to Us!
In the 1999 coming-of-age film, Stiles and the late Heath Ledger played star-crossed lovers Kat and Patrick Verona, respectively. The pair reluctantly fall in love with each other amid a backdrop of high school angst. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Cameron James), Gabrielle Union (Chastity), Allison Janney (Ms. Perky), David Krumholtz (Michael Eckman), Larisa Oleynik (Bianca Stratford), Andrew Keegan (Joey Donner) and Susan May Pratt (Mandella) made up the star-studded supporting cast.
When recalling what it was like to work with Ledger — who died at age 28 on January 22, 2008, following an accidental drug overdose — Stiles said the Oscar winner was “such a bright light.”
“He was such an energetic, kind force. He was very magnetic, very charismatic, and we all had a great time working on that film,” she told Vogue. “I really am grateful that he was so kind to me. For my first experience being the lead in a big studio movie, and, particularly, in romantic situations, you have to really feel comfortable with the person that you’re acting opposite, and he very much made me comfortable.”
People are still as obsessed with their partnership and the Gil Junger-directed movie in general. Twenty-five years after its release, Stiles thinks fans still hold the film in high regard because “the writing was so good.”
“It was a really whip-smart team of female writers, Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith, who in many ways — like Kat Stratford — didn’t bend their wit, humor and observation to trends,” Stiles told Vogue. “They were very much pioneering, and they were like, ‘This is our personality and our sense of humor and that’s what the movie is going to be,’ and that authenticity, I think, is what audiences respond to.”
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
After the success of 10 Things, Stiles went on to star in Down to You, Save the Last Dance, O, The Prince and Me, and the Bourne Identity franchise. Nowadays, she’s a busy mom of three kids, whom she shares with husband Preston J. Cook, on top of being an actress, writer and director.
She recently released her directorial debut, the rom-com Wish You Were Here, starring Isabelle Fuhrman and Mena Massoud, and based on the 2017 novel by Renée Carlino.
“I wanted to make a romantic movie that was really all about the human characters,” Stiles told Us Weeklyabout the project, which premiered on Friday, January 17.
She also admitted that being a mother was the best “training for being a director.”
“You have to be good at time management, you have to be a multitasker. You have to be present but also think 10 steps ahead. You have to be able to operate really well with sleep deprivation,” she joked.
The actress added that with both directing and parenting you must “manage people’s emotions and needs but also guide them,” concluding, “A hundred percent [it’s] the best training.”
The Golden Bachelor’s Susan Noles appears to be BFFs with Donna Kelce.
Susan, 67, shared a photo of herself and Donna, 72, ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans on Saturday, January 18, at KC’s Arrowhead Stadium.
“Game Day Kansas City Baby with Donna #noles #kelce #gameday #moms,” Susan captioned the photo, shared via Instagram on Saturday. In the pic, the unlikely pair showed off their game day ‘fits in what appeared to be a hotel hallway.
Donna opted to rep her son Travis Kelce’s team in a bedazzled black “Kansas City” jacket, while Susan missed the memo and wore a now retired Jason Kelce Philadelphia Eagles jersey. (Susan is from Aston, Pennsylvania — a town just outside Philly — so the ensemble choice was understandable.)
Philadelphia’s ABC Action News correspondent Alicia Vitarelli commented on the post, “The best duo to ever do it!!!!!!!”
Courtesy of Susan Noles/Instagram
Susan also shared photos from the game via Instagram Stories, posting snaps of herself with Donna and actress Brooke Shields as well as clips from the VIP suite.
It appears Susan and a handful of notable women were at the Chiefs game to raise awareness about shingles for THRIVE@50+, a GSK campaign. Shields, 59, Donna, and others, including actresses Gina Torres and Roselyn Sanchez, helped spread word about the brand’s mission.
The women all wore friendship bracelets — à la Travis’ girlfriend Taylor Swift (who was also at the game cheering on her man) — with words like “thrive,” “resilient” and “intentional.”
And while most wore Chiefs gear, Susan stood behind her outfit choice.
“[Susan] is wearing Jason Kelce’s jersey for the Eagles even though we’re at a Chiefs game,” influencer Robin LaMonte said in a video of Susan on Instagram Stories. “Representing the brother.”
Jason — who played center for the Eagles until his retirement in 2024 — celebrated his brother’s stats and career on ESPN Saturday.
Cooper Neill/Getty Images
“[Travis is] such a competitive guy and he’s surrounded by like-minded individuals who are highly, highly competitive by nature,” he told NFL Countdown’s Ryan Clark, Scott Van Pelt, Marcus Spears and Kirk Cousins. “The thing I’ve really enjoyed watching — obviously, the receptions and all the stats and everything in his career culminating into some of the most absurd numbers you’ve ever seen is impressive — but I love just watching the whole ride from just a youthful energetic young kid who’s excited to be out there and happy to be realizing his dream to now being this composed veteran presence who still is, like, angry now and then but, it’s just, you’ve seen the whole career arc of him.
Jason, 37, continued, I” just couldn’t be more proud of where he is now, the leader he is. You can see how much the team gravitates toward him and how much he’s really embraced that role. He’s also got a fantastic beard, which I’m also very proud of.”
After playing 13 seasons in the NFL, Jason now appears on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown and hosts late-night show They Call It Late Night.
As for his brother’s future retirement, Jason evaded the question, joking, “If he isn’t satisfied yet, I don’t know if he’s ever gonna be satisfied.”
Mark Rylance and Claire van Kampen.David M. Benett/Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images
Mark Rylance is mourning the loss of his wife, Claire van Kampen, who died of cancer at age 71 on Saturday, January 18 — his 65th birthday.
“Claire Louise van Kampen, Lady Rylance, has died this morning, Saturday the 18th of January at 11:47, in the ancient town of Kassel, Germany, surrounded by her family,” Rylance and their daughter Juliet announced in a statement.
“Claire has died of cancer on Mark Rylance’s 65th Birthday. Her youngest daughter having died in 2012, she leaves her eldest daughter, Juliet Rylance, her two husbands, and countless beloved friends in England and America.”
Claire — a British theatre director and composer who was the first female musical director at both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre — was described by her family as “one of the funniest and inspiring women we have ever known.”
“We thank her for imbuing our lives with her magic, music, laughter, and love,” they added.
Rylance married Claire in December 1989, and became stepfather to her children with ex-husband Chris van Kampen: Juliet, 45, and Nataasha, who died suddenly in 2012 at 28 after suffering a brain hemorrhage on board a flight from New York to London.
“It’s uncharted ground if something tragic like this happens to you. You become aware it has happened to a lot of people. You make your own decisions about how you get through it,” Rylance told The Sunday Timesin 2016.
After Nataasha’s death, Rylance went on to be nominated for an Emmy and win a BAFTA for his role as Thomas Cromwell, advisor to Henry VIII and a grieving father and widower, in the TV series Wolf Hall. He also won the Best Supporting actor Oscar in 2015 for his role in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies.
Sir Mark Rylance poses with his wife Claire van Kampen and their daughter Juliet Rylance after he was knighted by the Duke of Cambridge during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on April 19, 2017 in London, England.John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Claire was diagnosed with cancer prior to her passing. Born in London in 1953, she eventually trained at the Royal College of Music, studying piano and music theory, according to BBC News. She then embarked on a theatre career, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1986 and, a year later, the Royal National Theatre where she met Rylance. She later became an artistic associate to Rylance at the Globe Theatre, where she worked for 20 years.
She composed original scores for Broadway productions including True West, Boeing-Boeing and La Bete, as well as adaptations of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Richard III.
“Claire completely changed my life … She introduced me to that world of classical and modern music, and it was very much around music that we fell in love,” Rylance said of Claire in 2023, according to The Guardian.
“Claire came to me with two children whom I raised with her and Chris, but we never had children of our own so, to some degree, our projects have been our children. They are incredible,” he continued, adding Claire was “the rock of my life.”
Djimon Hounsou has dozens of award-winning films and two Oscar nominations under his belt, but the actor says he still struggles financially and is “definitely underpaid.”
In a new interview with CNN published on Friday, January 10, the Beninese-born actor, 60, said he doesn’t feel he has been compensated fairly for his work and still faces systemic racism in the industry.
“I’m still struggling trying to make a living,” Hounsou, who earned Oscar nominations for In America (2002) and Blood Diamond (2006), told Larry Madowo. “I’ve been in this business making films now for over two decades with two Oscar nominations, been in many blockbuster films, and yet, I’m still struggling financially. I’m definitely underpaid.”
Hounsou, whose best-known performances include Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000), Steven Spielberg’s Amistad (1997)and The Quiet Place franchise, went on to discuss racism in Hollywood.
“I was nominated for the Golden Globe [for Amistad], but they ignored me for the Oscars, talking about the fact that they thought that I had just came off the boat and off the streets,” Hounsou stated in the CNN interview. “Even though I successfully did that [film], they just didn’t feel like I was an actor for whom they should pay any respect. This conceptual idea of diversity still has a long way to go. Systemic racism don’t change like that anytime soon.”
Hounsou — who shares 15-year-old son Kenzo with ex Kimora Lee Simmons and 2-year-old son Fela with partner Ri’Za — has been open about his career struggles in previous interviews. In a 2023 sit-down with The Guardian, Hounsou said he “felt seriously cheated” after his Blood Diamond costar Leonardo DiCaprio got the best actor nod while he was left in the supporting actor category despite the movie focusing on his character’s journey.
“Today, we talk so much about the Oscars being so white, but I remember there was a time where I had no support at all: no support from my own people, no support from the media, from the industry itself. It felt like: ‘You should be happy that you’ve got nominated,’ and that’s that.”
Djimon HounsouClay Enos/Netflix
He continued: “I’m still struggling to try to make a dollar! I’ve come up in the business with some people who are absolutely well off and have very little of my accolades. So I feel cheated, tremendously cheated, in terms of finances and in terms of the workload as well.”
“I still have to prove why I need to get paid,” he added later in the interview. “They always come at me with a complete low ball: ‘We only have this much for the role, but we love you so much and we really think you can bring so much.’”
In 2025, he’s set to star in Beneath the Storm alongside Phoebe Dynevor and The Zealot with Kodi Smit-McPhee after making appearances in a few DC and Marvel films. Still, Hounsou insisted to The Guardian that studios assumed he “went back” to Africa after Amistad and wasn’t “a true actor.”
“When you hear things like that, you can see that some people’s vision of you, or what you represent, is very limiting,” he said. “But it is what it is. It’s up to me to redeem that.”
Naomi Wattswas 36 when she experienced a turn in her acting career after receiving an Oscar nomination for 21 Grams in 2004. She was also in menopause.
“I’d been warned ever since I started acting that calling attention to your age — when that age was not 23 or younger — would be career suicide. I was told I would never work again if I admitted to being menopausal, or even perimenopausal. Hollywood’s lovely term for such women was ‘unf—able,’” Watts, now 56, writes in an excerpt from her new book, Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I’d Known About Menopause, published by The Sunday Times on Friday, January 10.
The King Kong star goes on to explain that she got her start in Hollywood later than she had originally planned, and was trying to have a baby with her then-partner Liev Schreiber when doctors told her she had entered early menopause.
“I almost fell off the examination table,” she writes in the book, out January 21. “‘What do you mean?’ I said, gasping for air. ‘Close to menopause? That’s for grandmothers. I’m not even a mother yet. And, by the way, that’s what I’m here for, to become a mother. Take it back!’ I was trying to joke, but really I was begging him to make it not be true. I was so scared that this would be the end of my dream to bear children.”
Watts and ex Schreiber, 57, eventually welcomed children Sasha, 17, and Kai, 16, but the news of her early onset menopause affected the actress — both physically and mentally — for years.
“As I sat there stunned and full of self-recrimination, I remembered that my mother had once mentioned she’d hit menopause at 45 — but 45 still felt very far away from 36. And, frankly, I didn’t even really know what menopause meant — except very likely the conclusion of my acting career, which got under way far later than most,” she says. “When I’d hit my early thirties, people had started telling me that the time would soon come when I wouldn’t be able to play a leading lady any more. Was this the end that had been foretold?”
Watts has since starred in acclaimed films such as The Impossible (2012) and Birdman (2014) and booked notable roles in TV series like Gyspy (2017), The Watcher (2022) and Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (2024). But she insists it’s likely due to actresses finding the drive to stand up for themselves in an industry that has historically and notoriously demonized or excluded older women.
Naomi WattsCover Images
“I’ve come to realise that we women can assert ourselves. I’ve also come to believe that there is nothing sexier than a woman who knows what she wants,” Watts writes in her book. “All good relationships at work and at home — and at the doctor’s office — require communication.”
Now, she’s a spokeswoman for older actresses who also fear menopause will halt their careers. “I was craving information on menopause, and certainly no one in Hollywood was breathing a word about it,” she writes. “We were all behaving as if between the seductress years and the grandmother roles, women just… I don’t know, vanished?”
She continues: “I’ve always shied away from jumping on the soapbox. But the menopause conversation requires us to get honest, loud and, dare I say it, even a little unladylike,” she says. “One of the funniest things that’s happened as a result: random celebrities now text me regularly to tell me they’re in menopause. It’s like I’m behind the confessional window or I’m Hollywood’s agony aunt. But I enjoy it.”
Watts founded her company, Stripes Beauty, in October 2022 “to address various practical needs of women my age” — including being intimate. She opens up about how her budding relationship with now husband Billy Crudup changed her perspective on aging and sex in her book.
“I was able to share with him honestly what I was experiencing even though it didn’t match with what I thought was appropriate for a sexy new girlfriend,” Watts writes, admitting she and Crudup, 56, discussed her hormone patches and the “grey hairs on [his] balls.”
“He was compassionate, not squeamish or awkward,” Watts shares of her Gypsy costar, whom she married in 2023. “That was a great gift. My hormone patches never got in the way of sex again.”
Heidi Montag is overwhelmed by her fans’ support after they helped her top the music charts following the loss of her home in the Pacific Palisades wildfire.
“Thank you so much to everyone. No. 1 on iTunes chart, oh my gosh,” Montag, 38, shared via an Instagram Stories video on Saturday, January 11. “Thank you for the overwhelming love and support of my music and really rallying behind us in this devastating time and making it such a blessing.”
Montag and her husband and fellow The Hills alum Spencer Prattshared news that their home burned down in the wildfire on Tuesday, January 7. Since then, the couple have continued to post updates and plead with fans to support them financially amid their devastating loss.
As of Sunday, Montag’s album Superficial, which was originally released on January 11, 2010, topped the iTunes albums chart ahead of the likes of Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS and the Wicked movie soundtrack.
The titular song off the album also charted No. 1 ahead of “APT.” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars, “Are You Even Real” by Teddy Swims and GIVĒON, “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, “Smile” by Morgan Wallen and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey. Her song “I’ll Do It” also landed at No. 7.
“Thank you for helping support us, helping build us back up, helping to encourage us, give us that hope and faith and excitement in such a dark, dark time,” Montag continued in her video post. “No. 1, ahhh! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. And it’s the 15th anniversary of Superficial. So, the timing is just crazy. It’s so crazy, thank you…”
Celebrities including Paris Hilton and Jhené Aiko, who lost their homes in the wildfires as well, supported Montag on Pratt’s celebratory Instagram post. “Congrats @heidimontag ,” Hilton, 43, commented, with Aiko, 36, adding, “Love this!!!!!!! @heidimontag !!!”
Model Emily Ratajkowski also cheered on Montag by sharing a TikTok video of herself listening to the reality star’s “I’ll Do It.”
“Didn’t expect this Heidi Montag song to be the soundtrack to the 2025 apocalypse but you know what f*** yeah,” she wrote over the clip.
Spencer Pratt and Heidi PrattVivien Killilea/Getty Images
Pratt, 41, and Montag have had no qualms about asking for help after losing their home and belongings this week. In a video shared via TikTok on Friday, Pratt asked his followers to watch and like a previous video shared to his account, which featured the song “What It Feels Like” by Aly & AJ.
“I’ll get up to $1,100 from TikTok if it’s one of the top 10 most liked TikToks with that song, so more likely $200 it says, but it can go up to $1,100,” Pratt explained in the video. “So, if you’re bored, please go like that last video. It’s a great song actually and Aly & AJ wear Pratt Daddy Crystals — my friend Amber goes to all their shows and gives them all crystals so it’s kind of an authentic promo since they wear my crystals. I also want to get that $1,100.”
After receiving some backlash in the comments, Pratt shared on Friday, “Some demonic monster just wrote on my IG and tagged me, ‘Of course Spencer’s gonna milk his burned down house for every dollar it’s worth.’ Duh. Duh. That’s right. Let me figure out every dollar I can get.”
He continued: “How do you people not have brains? Are you just the stupidest living creatures? Of course I’m trying to get money to pay for my life with my family because our house and all of our possessions burned down. And if I can do it on social media, which I’ve been making the only money I’ve made for years now continuously, showing my journey of our house burning down and all of our possessions, do you not think I’m going to keep milking it for every dollar?”
Pratt and Montag, who have been married since 2008 and share sons Gunner, 6, and Ryker, 13 months, also hoped fans would support them by choosing not to re-watch episodes of The Hills.
“Pretty much I’d rather you watch anything in the world but The Hills. Do not give that show a single dollar, or that narrator a single brain cell listening to her voice,” Pratt said in a video shared via TikTok, referring to Lauren Conrad. “No, there’s no residuals. So, pretty much, I’d rather have you watch paint dry, tag me in [you] staring at a wall — that would help my life more. Do not waste your energy watching The Hills thinking that helps our lives.”
As for a reality TV future, Pratt shared a possible new opportunity with Hulu amid his family’s heartbreaking situation. He asked fans to “spam” all of Hulu’s accounts so their social team could tell the network executives in an alleged meeting on Monday, “You better give Spencer and Heidi a new reality docuseries about rebuilding their lives and their house out of the rubble.”
#throwback 
,” Trachtenberg wrote in a nostalgic post on February 15. She shared a photo of herself at the Winter Ball wearing a blue chiffon Marchesa dress with embellishments. She wore her hair in a low ponytail with a side part.
#throwback 
.”
#eye don’t care 
.”
.”
,” she wrote alongside a carousel of photos of the couple over the years.
.”
,” Dave Annable wrote, with his wife, Odette Annable, adding, “Yayayayayayay!!!!!!! We are beaming with pride! Well deserved baby!! 
.”
@heidimontag !!!”
