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Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Chris Redd is ready to be more open and vulnerable in 2026. He committed to the resolution by publicizing revelations about his “pill issues” and his relationship with comedian Kenan Thompson’s ex-wife.

“I saw everything that everybody said. Every single thing everybody said, I saw it,” Redd said in an emotional Instagram video shared Tuesday.

The 40-year-old comedian, whose tenure on the NBC sketch series lasted from 2017 to 2022, spoke candidly about how his “pill problems” during his time on “SNL” led to his relationship with Thompson’s ex-wife, Christina Evangeline, whom he did not name in his video. Redd explained in his video that the personal woes prior to his exit in September 2022 were a “very unique, nuanced thing that happened.”

In addition to struggling with substance abuse, the “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” actor said in his video that he sold pills to fellow “SNL” cast members. He kept their identities concealed, assuring them he wouldn’t “snitch on y’all.”

Redd, who said he suffered panic attacks behind the scenes, claimed his cast mates would talk about him behind his back and showed no concern for his health. “It’s crazy that somebody would watch you destroy yourself,” he said.

Evangeline, Redd simply called her “this lady,” was the only person to encourage him to seek treatment and therapy, he said. Her support and their bonding led to them falling in love.

“I felt bad from the start,” Redd said, adding that the relationship was an “emotional double-edged sword” given his collaborations with Emmy-winning “SNL” fixture Thompson.

He added: “I hate doing something to somebody that I know would hurt them.”

Thompson filed to divorce Evangeline in 2022 after more than a decade of marriage. They share two young daughters. That same year, Redd left “SNL” and celebrity gossip account Deuxmoi posted a blind item speculating on the circumstances of his departure. TMZ also reported on Redd and Evangeline’s romance, noting “there was no overlap or cheating” when the pair got together.

Redd said in his video that he chose love, though it made him “look terrible to people that I love and a lot of my fans.” The comedian spoke about his therapy revelations (“I realized I’m more sad than angry”) and assured followers he doesn’t feel “cool” about dating Thompson’s ex-wife. Still, he said, Evangeline was someone who made him “feel like I didn’t know what love was and I just felt like I couldn’t miss out on it.”

Though Redd acknowledged there was probably another way to balance his friendship with Thompson and his relationship with Evangeline, he said, “I was in love and I was spiraling out.”

Redd was known on “SNL” for his impressions of prominent figures such as former New York City Mayor Eric Adams and rapper Kanye “Ye” West. In recent years, he turned his focus back to stand-up comedy and is promoting an upcoming project set for Jan. 28.

Singer-songwriters Lisa Simmons-Santa Cruz and her husband Francisco Carroll Santa Cruz were going through a challenging time last March when they worked on Snoop Dogg’s 2025 gospel album, “Altar Call.”

“We were actually writing all those songs in a hotel, displaced,” Carroll Santa Cruz said.

The couple, who have worked in the entertainment industry for more than 29 years writing and producing music for artists like Kelly Rowland and television shows such as “Desperate Housewives,” had lost their Altadena home in the Eaton fire a few months earlier.

Still, the platinum singer-songwriters didn’t want to pass up the opportunity, which came up during the final week of their hotel stay when Simmons-Santa Cruz and Carroll Santa Cruz were introduced to Snoop Dogg through artists Charlie Bereal and Point 5ve. Although Snoop Dogg had also set up a donation center for fire victims, the couple chose not to share their own displacement with him or anyone else in the music industry.

“We needed something the fire couldn’t burn and that was our music,” Simmons-Santa Cruz said. “At that time, we needed something separate from the fire — something that the fire couldn’t touch, it was too traumatic to keep revisiting what we’d lost, so our work became our peace and our escape.”

Despite the loss of their home studio and the limitations of working from a hotel room, they successfully completed the project in a short amount of time. Simmons-Santa Cruz later described the experience as “divine intervention in the midst of tragedy,” saying the music gave them space to heal through faith while doing what they loved most.

“It was comforting, we didn’t have to focus on the fire or what was lost, the music gave us a moment to reflect on life, and it became a saving grace,” she said.

The couple had originally resided in the Altadena home with Simmons-Santa Cruz’s 77-year-old mother, who first bought the house in 1974. In the aftermath of the fires, the couple was forced to figure out where they were going to live as they also grappled with the immense paperwork, bills and insurance claims that came with the loss of their home.

MusiCares, a health and welfare charity for musicians founded by the Recording Academy in 1989, offered them assistance.

“They were like, the FEMA of the music industry,” Simmons-Santa Cruz said.

According to Theresa Wolters, executive director of MusiCares, the organization supports the music community through direct financial assistance for basic living, medical, mental health and substance use needs, as well as free preventive healthcare. One year after the Los Angeles wildfires, MusiCares has directed more than $15 million toward relief and recovery, reaching over 3,200 music professionals affected by the disaster.

When MusiCares stepped in to provide emergency funds for Simmons-Santa Cruz and her husband, it also offered to replace an important instrument for her. Her father, who died seven years ago, helped her pick her first guitar, but the guitar was left behind when the fire broke out.

“That guitar was very sentimental for me,” she said.

Nothing can ever replace the personal memory tied to the guitar, but Simmons-Santa Cruz says that MusiCares offered her hope through this deed, and the new guitar represents that.

“I just broke down, I just started crying, because I’m like, who replaces a guitar? … The last thing that was on my mind was replacing our equipment because we’re still in survival mode,” she said.

Drummer Darryl “JMD” Moore” getting fitted for custom ear molds for his live performances at MusiCares Altadena Health and Wellness Clinic at Grammy Museum L.A. Live

(Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

The couple is living in a rental and continuing to deal with the fallout of the fires, still unable to rebuild their house because of the financial costs. Since the fires, many other music professionals have faced similar hardships, like music producer and drummer Darryl “JMD” Moore, who still has to pay the mortgage on the home he lost while rebuilding another one “like for like” as mandated by the mortgage bank.

“I wanted to build a home for my children, and my grandchildren, my descendants, that would serve them financially and in every other way it could, because I know this property is valuable, my house doubled in value, it was worth twice what I paid for,” Moore said. “But our insurance is not paying us enough money to build the same house, it’s like hundreds of thousands of dollars short, so everybody like us, we’re in a scramble to get the money to fill in the gaps.”

After years of renting in Altadena, Moore finally bought his first home there in 2011, a purchase made possible thanks to his success in the music industry. Moore is known in both the jazz and hip-hop music scenes, having produced acts like the Pharcyde and Freestyle Fellowship while also drumming for jazz greats like Horace Tapscott. Moore originally grew up in South L.A., where he started playing drums at 13, focusing on R&B and funk before eventually being mentored by the renowned jazz saxophonist and singer Elvira “Vi” Redd.

When the Eaton fire began to crawl toward Moore’s house, he said he quickly packed his most important possessions. He took an archival hard drive which contained his music from 2004 to the present, but everything else burned: his recording studio, archival tapes and reels, and his favorite drum set, a vintage 1965 Rogers Holiday kit he bought in the ‘80s.

“I played on albums and records with that Rogers kit, when I moved to New York in ’89, I took that Rogers kit with me, and I pushed that kit down the street every night from the East Village to the West Village to work,” Moore said. “I can get one that looks just like it if I was willing to spend the $4,000, but was it in the back of the subway, did I play it on Bleecker Street?” the jazz drummer said.

Immediately after the fire took his home, Moore needed to work, but he no longer possessed the peripherals and equipment he required to record. MusiCares donated thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment he needed, including a drum set, and it also provided grants to help him pay both his mortgage and the rent where he’s currently staying. Moore has a long way to go before he completely recovers financially, but he says the organization made a significant impact in his life this past year, and he’s grateful.

“My studio’s back online, I’m able to practice, I’m able to work and do some gigs … it gave me my voice back, really, that was the beginning of everything,” the hip-hop producer said.

For Gwendolyn Sanford and Brandon Jay, a married couple raising a 16-year-old and a 9-year-old, the emotional weight has been just as significant as the financial burden that followed. The couple said they’ve been proactive in prioritizing the mental well-being and happiness of their children since losing their Altadena home.

“It was harder for them early on, when we were moving so frequently, we didn’t have any control over it, we were just trying to get somewhere stable to be, and I think they were processing the loss when they were sad that we didn’t have our home,” Sanford said.

Sanford and her husband are singer-songwriters and have scored music for television shows like “Weeds” and “Orange Is the New Black.” The couple is also in a children’s music band called Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang, and they recently composed music for the off-Broadway show “Romy and Michele the Musical.”

Like many others, the couple lost their personal recording studio, making work difficult. The stress has been immense for the couple, but they said MusiCares was able to ease some of the financial burden when the organization offered them grants to cover their mortgage, which they are still on the hook for.

Darryl “JMD” Moore in front of his home that burned down in the wildfires, taken in 2023.

(Darryl “JMD” Moore)

“There’s all the red tape and hurdles and things we have to do just to rebuild our home, so that in itself is like a full-time job that we never wanted, on top of just our regular lives raising our kids and doing work,” Jay said. “So, to have the support of someone like that and have them say you don’t have to worry about this one aspect for a while, is invaluable.”

Recently, Sanford was asked to perform at a groundbreaking ceremony her former Altadena neighbor was having for a new house being built there. Sanford’s daughter had not wanted to go back to the neighborhood, but she decided to accompany her mother anyway. The return was cathartic.

“She was able to walk around our lot and have a private moment, and I asked her how she felt, and she said, ‘I feel safe here, this is my home,’” Sanford said.

At the event, Sanford sang a song she penned in 2011 called, “Acorn,” which was inspired by the grandeur of oak trees and what they symbolize in nature. The song has taken on a different meaning for her in the wake of the fires.

“The acorn is a metaphor, and I think that’s kind of where we all are right now, we have to start over, we have to start small, and eventually we’ll get back to where we were,” Sanford said.

Can You Keep a Secret? aired on Wednesday night starring Dawn French and Mark Heap.

BBC viewers appeared distinctly underwhelmed on Wednesday evening following the debut of a fresh sitcom on the channel.

Can You Keep a Secret? stars Dawn French and Mark Heap as married couple Debbie and William Fendon.

The plot centres on widow Debbie, who goes to extraordinary lengths to safeguard her family following the sudden death of her reclusive husband.

But there’s a shocking revelation: she’s not actually bereaved, as William is very much alive. After being wrongly pronounced dead, Debbie takes the audacious step of going along with the charade and pocketing his life insurance payout, provided he stays hidden from view, reports the Express.

When their son Harry (Craig Roberts) discovers the reality, he’s understandably shaken to find his supposedly deceased father alive and kicking.

As the programme began, BBC viewers wasted no time heading to X to voice their reactions, with many clearly unimpressed.

One viewer remarked: “Makes Mrs Brown look like a comedy masterclass. Wish the bbc had kept it a secret!” Another posted: ” Waiting for the comedy on @bbc #CanYouKeepaSecret.”

A third viewer admitted: “Not sure not raised a half hearted smile so far #CanYouKeepaSecret.”

whilst another simply declared: “Just awful.”

Yet not everyone shared the same view, with some thoroughly enjoying the new programme, as one person noted: “That was lucky. I kept the TV on after #Traitors and Dawn French humour is cracking me up.”

While another viewer enthused: “Same here. This is hilarious!”

Yet the comedy appears poised to shift into darker territory, as the episode’s closing moments revealed someone has discovered William’s survival, with a menacing letter addressed to him being pushed through the letterbox.

A teaser for upcoming episodes showcased a montage of scenes making it abundantly clear the family’s closely guarded secret has been exposed, with the mysterious individual demanding hush money – but whose identity remains unknown?

Discussing her role in the sitcom, Dawn French explained: “Right from the off I could see that she’s one of those people that absolutely believes she’s always right. I don’t think I’ve ever done that in my life, been sat firmly in that righteous place the way Debbie is.

“I may have often imagined that I could be right, but I’ll err on the side of thinking, ‘I’m probably wrong about this’. Debbie just doesn’t have that anxiety or filter. She’s made a split decision in a mad moment, and once the decision is made, unless she’s prepared to go to prison, she knows she’d better man up and deal with it.

“I mean, I’ve never been in this situation, but I guess once you make a life-changing decision like that, and you jump into the dilemma of it, you’ve got to gird your loins and get on with it because once you’re in, you’re in.”

Can You Keep a Secret is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**

In a bid for greater user engagement, Walt Disney Co. will introduce vertical videos to its Disney+ app over the next year, a company executive said Wednesday.

The move is part of the Burbank media and entertainment company’s effort to encourage more frequent app usage, particularly on smartphones.

“We know that mobile is an incredible opportunity to turn Disney+ into a true daily destination for fans,” Erin Teague, executive vice president of product management, said during an onstage presentation in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show. “All of the short-form Disney content you want, all in one unified app.”

Teague said the company will evolve that capability over time to determine new formats, categories and content types.

Disney’s presentation also touched on its interest in artificial intelligence. Last month, San Francisco startup OpenAI said it had reached a licensing deal with Disney to use more than 200 of the company’s popular characters in its text-to-video tool, Sora. Under the terms of that deal, users will be able to write prompts that generate short videos featuring Disney characters and use ChatGPT images to create those characters’ visages. Some of those Sora-generated videos will be shown on Disney+, though the companies said the deal did not include talent likenesses or voices.

Disney also said it would invest $1 billion into the AI company.

Part of Disney’s move toward AI is to appeal to young Gen Alpha viewers, who are more comfortable with AI and “expect to interact with entertainment” instead of simply watching stories on the screen, Teague said.

“AI is an accelerator,” she said. “It’s why collaborations with partners like OpenAI are absolutely crucial. We want to empower a new generation of fandom that is more interactive and immersive, while also respecting human creativity and protecting user safety.”

In a new partnership with chipmaker Nvidia, Universal Music Group plans to introduce what it calls “responsible AI” that could change music discovery and creation.

The companies will begin research on how to advance human music creation and compensation for rights holders in the age of AI, as revealed in the deal announced Tuesday. With this technology, the new partners say they hope to leverage AI-powered tools to aid and protect artists’ work, instead of using hands-off generative AI.

“We look forward to working closely with NVIDIA to direct AI’s unprecedented transformational potential towards the service of artists and their fans as we work together to set new standards for innovation within the industry, while protecting and respecting copyright and human creativity,” said Sir Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group’s chief executive, in a press release.

Universal Music Group will use Nvidia’s Music Flamingo program, a large audio-language model designed to understand music in-depth. It was launched in November and can understand musical elements like structure, harmony, instrumentation and lyrics. The program can process songs up to 15 minutes long and will also be able to capture the historical and cultural context, as well as various emotional arcs.

With the program’s ability to process songs thoroughly, Universal Music Group aims to use this tool to help connect artists and fans. Instead of relying on typical genres or tags, Music Flamingo allows listeners to discover new music in a more automated fashion.

There are also plans for Nvidia and Universal Music Group to begin developing an incubator in which artists, songwriters and producers will help design and experiment with new AI tools. The company said it hopes this process will help AI tools fit into creative processes with greater ease.

Universal Music Group, with its corporate headquarters in the Netherlands and another office in Santa Monica, was founded in 1996. The music giant behind artists like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish is valued at roughly $40 billion on the U.S. stock market, with shares selling around $25.35 each. The deal with Nvidia follows several other AI agreements that Universal has inked with companies like Klay and Stability AI.

Nvidia was founded in 1993, with the original goal of bringing 3D graphics to video games and multimedia projects. As the tech industry has continued to evolve, Nvidia has emerged as the leader in computer chips designed to power AI tools and applications.

“By extending NVIDIA’s Music Flamingo with UMG’s unmatched catalog and creative ecosystem, we’re going to change how fans discover, understand, and engage with music on a global scale,” said Richard Kerris, the general manager for media and entertainment at Nvidia, in a statement.

“And we’ll do it the right way: responsibly, with safeguards that protect artists’ work, ensure attribution, and respect copyright.”

SINGER Richard Ashcroft was banned from driving yesterday by a judge who criticised his repeated speeding.

The Verve frontman, 55, admitted doing 48mph in a 40mph zone in his £145,000 four-litre Mercedes Benz AMG V8.

He already had nine penalty points on his licence before his latest offence on the M4 in Brentford, West London, late on February 19 last year.

He was given three more, taking him to 12 and an automatic ban.

Banning him for six months, district judge Daniel Benjamin said: “Mr Ashcroft put not only himself, but others road users at greater risk of harm.

“The purpose of the penalty points disqualification provision is to enable a person after one offence to change and after a second offence change and after a third offence change and Mr Ashcroft has reached four offences without showing any intention to abide by the speed limit.”

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Dad-of-two Ashcroft, who lives in a £10million house near Richmond Green, South West London, was also fined £1,875, with £880 in costs.

He pleaded guilty by post and did not appear at Lavender Hill magistrates’ court, blaming a pre-arranged commitment.

Charges of speeding on the M4 twice in one day in March were dropped.

Ashcroft led The Verve, known for hit Bitter Sweet Symphony, from 1990 to 2009.

Just like for much of the world, 2025 was a rough year for Casita Bookstore in Long Beach.

The Latina-owned business celebrated its third birthday on Dec. 3, but the milestone was marked by the sad realization that the store wasn’t going to make it through another year in its current location.

Shop owner Antonette Franceschi-Chavez posted a video on social media over the weekend discussing the store’s hardship.

“These last six months — especially in the summer — have been really hard, not only as a small business owner, but as a community, as a society,” she said. “We’ve depleted our savings, taken on some debt just to make sure we can make ends meet, but we’ve gotten to a point where we’re just not going to make it anymore.”

She explained that her business experienced a nearly 20% drop in sales year over year from 2024 to 2025. This situation has left her with two options: shut down the operation permanently or scale down the store to save some money and give the business a fighting chance.

In order to save jobs and build back up, Franceschi-Chavez announced that the store would be moving into a smaller place attached to her husband’s Long Beach barbershop — which is located within a couple of miles from Casita’s current location.

The video also included a plea for people to donate to a GoFundMe campaign.

“If our casita has ever touched you, helped you make a new friend, open your eyes to a new story, we’re asking for your help,” she said. “We need your help to be able to move, to be able to pay our employees, to be able to bounce back.”

(James Carbone / For De Los)

Franceschi-Chavez told The Times in a Wednesday phone interview that she began noting a marked drop in business beginning in September. In an effort to cut back on costs, she decided to stop some of the programming at the bookstore, including a cafecito club because getting coffee for people was becoming too expensive.

“We tried everything that we could to try and get more people in our doors,” she said. “We had to reach into our savings to cover those summer months. Then I started going into my credit cards. I had to start pulling small business loans. I was just digging myself into deeper holes because our sales were dropping and people were not walking in the door.”

The 38-year-old business owner hoped that her store and her two employees will be fully transitioned to their new location by around mid-February. She noted that the GoFundMe has helped ensure that her employees will be paid, even if the store has to shut down operations for a few weeks during the transition.

“The internet is a beautiful place sometimes — all these people that don’t know me, but they believe in our mission. They want to see women-owned small businesses and businesses of color continue in a world where Amazon can deliver something in five minutes and everything’s always on sale,” Franceschi-Chavez said.

“It’s really beautiful to see that people out there still really care about their community and about having a space for marginalized groups to grow, gather and connect to each other.”

Illustrating the levels of generosity from the public and financial struggle of the shop, Franceschi-Chavez said that in the four days since posting about the store’s troubles it reached the amount of sales that it did in all of December.

She explained that store hours will remain the same as usual as things get settled and cautiously expressed plans to have a couple of community events at the current location in the coming weeks.

The homey bookstore was featured in the De Los 101 guide as one of the 10 best Latino-owned bookstores and comic shops in L.A.

Amid the COVID-19 shutdowns, Franceschi-Chavez wanted to spend time with her daughter and decided to open a bookstore.

The former dual-language teacher often found that there were not enough Spanish-language books available for children to read, which is why the shop carries selections like “Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock” by comedian Jesús Trejo and “Tejedora del Arcoiris” by Linda Elovitz Marshall. The bookstore also prides itself on its selection of LGBTQ+ literature for children, including “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish” by drag queen Lil Miss Hot Mess.

“It’s a little craftsman house that we turned into a bookstore, so it lent itself to the name,” Franceschi-Chavez said. “It makes you feel like you’re visiting your tia’s house. It’s so warm and that’s one of the biggest pieces that makes it really hard to let go. Our vision of that little dream is going away.”

There are some things that make a person happy they’re not a millennial mom. Ashley Tisdale’s mommy group drama is one of those things.

Because Tisdale — now Ashley Tisdale French — sounds like she might be stuck in her own “High School Musical,” and it looks as if Hilary Duff’s husband just threw a stink bomb under the bleachers.

Adding to the drama: Duff and Mandy Moore are rumored to be part of the group, though Tisdale French has annoyingly refused to name names.

“Since becoming a public figure as a teenager, it’s often the thing I least expect that people most want to talk about,” the former child star wrote in an essay for New York Magazine that echoes what she wrote a while back on her own blog. “Sometimes, I’ll say something offhandedly, only to see it turn into a headline or start a conversation on TikTok.”

Bottom line, per the essay, is that Tisdale French — who married composer Christopher French in 2014 — was pregnant during the pandemic. She missed out on baby showers and prenatal yoga classes and handing her newborn baby off to acquaintances. Then a friend brought together a group of new moms.

“[F]inally, we were able to be together, and our kids were able to be together, and it all felt right,” she wrote.

The founder of the Being Frenshe line of personal care products thought she had joined a group of cool kids who did cool things.

“I felt energized by being around women who understood the challenge of feeding a baby while taking a Zoom call.”

She literally called them cool.

“[I]t made me hopeful about finding the balance between fulfilling work and family life, since all these cool women were able to do it. Maybe we’d be able to share our secrets to success.”

Then social media burst her bubble.

“I remember being left out of a couple of group hangs, and I knew about them because Instagram made sure it fed me every single photo and Instagram Story.”

She wrote that she realized her mommy group was just like high school.

“Even though it had been decades since tenth grade, the experience of being left out felt so similar.”

But now she was a grown-up, so she took a stand.

“So that’s exactly what I texted to the group after being left out from yet another group hang: ‘This is too high school for me and I don’t want to take part in it anymore.’”

People didn’t react well, she said. One mommy sent flowers, then didn’t acknowledge her thank-you. Another was like, “You weren’t invited? I thought you were.”

Keep in mind, this is part of a series titled “It’s Been a Year,” which includes essays about a woman learning via DNA test results that she wasn’t the person she thought she was and one from actor Rebecca Gayheart about going through estranged husband Eric Dane’s ALS diagnosis and subsequent care.

Then again, it also includes a Kathy Griffin essay about post-divorce dating at age 65 that includes some serious name-dropping — “It wasn’t my idea; it was all Sia and our friend Nia Vardalos’s fault. We were at Sia’s house, just being silly girls, when they dared me to do it.” — and a detailed discussion of condoms.

But back to Tisdale French.

“Why me? The truth is, I don’t know and I probably never will. What I do know is that it took me back to an unpleasant but familiar feeling I thought I’d left behind years ago.”

She was more specific about what happened in her older blog post, by the way.

“I realized that there were group text chains that didn’t include everyone, which led to cliques forming within the larger group. And after the third or fourth time of seeing social media photos of everyone else at a hangout that I didn’t get invited to, it felt like I wasn’t really part of the group after all.”

She also shared a revelation with her blog readers.

“If a mom group consistently leaves you feeling hurt, drained, or left out, it’s not the mom group for you. (Even if it used to be!) It’s no longer serving you in a way that lifts you up, and you don’t have to stay out of obligation or anything else.”

We will never know how far into either essay Hilary Duff’s husband got. We do know that Matthew Koma didn’t hesitate to pull out the Burn Book.

Koma got riled up enough over it that on Instagram, he mimicked Tisdale French’s repost of New York Magazine’s promotional post about the essay, slapping a picture of his own face over hers and changing the headline from “Breaking Up With My Toxic Mom Group” to his own: “When You’re The Most Self Obsessed Tone Deaf Person On Earth, Other Moms Tend To Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers,” with “A Mom Group Tell All Through A Father’s Eyes” as a sub-headline.

Alas, he posted it as an Instagram story, now expired, so we can imagine it only with the help of outlets such as People, which for the longest while has been writing about Reddit AITAH posts and the subsequent comments telling the original poster whether they are indeed the jerk in a particular situation. (Not that any jerks are being discussed here.)

Tisdale French doesn’t name names in her essay, but Koma’s reaction seems to indicate that former child star Duff, 38, might have been one of the allegedly mean moms who was definitely not being named. And Duff and Koma hosted former child star Moore, 41, and her family after last year’s Eaton fire in Altadena, when Moore’s home burned down, so some might bet on Moore also being among the mothers of small children in former child star Tisdale French’s group.

Tisdale French, meanwhile, apparently anticipated this kind of speculation in reaction to the New York essay because she had experienced it after blogging about the same topic. And apparently it’s all wrong, wrong, wrong.

“It’s a subject that has made women DM me to say ‘I feel seen’ and to share their most emotional stories with me,” she wrote for the magazine.

“It has also made wannabe online sleuths try to do some investigating like they’re on ‘CSI’ (please, don’t even try — whatever you think is true isn’t even close).”

Cool? Uncool? Christopher French, Ashley’s husband, may have made his own decision on that already.

“Underrated life skill,” French wrote on Wednesday morning in an Instagram story, quoting author and mindfulness coach Cory Allen. “Pausing to decide if it’s worth your energy.”

An upcoming Netflix thriller based on a bestselling series of novels is a must-watch for streamers this year

Netflix has confirmed a new thriller series based on an iconic series of books is in the works – and it’s shaping up to be a must-watch release for 2026.

Starring Watchmen’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen ll, the seven-episode first season follows former Special Forces soldier John Creasy, who’s looking to turn over a new leaf.

However, he must first battle his own personal demons before he can live the life he wants to lead.

Man on Fire will stream on Netflix at an undisclosed date in 2026. Based on the 1980 novel of the same name by A.J. Quinnell, the original book has spawned a bestselling series and a film adaptation starring Denzel Washington.

Joining Abdul-Mateen is Billie Boullet (World-Breaker) and City of God star Alice Braga in major roles.

Plus, True Detective’s Scoot McNairy and Only Murder in the Building’s Bobby Cannavale will also star in recurring roles.

Director Steven Caple Jr, who has helmed the blockbuster films Creed II and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, will direct the first two episodes.

An official synopsis from Netflix reads: “Man on Fire follows John Creasy, who was once a high-functioning and skilled Special Forces Mercenary known for surviving even the most desolate situations.

“However, John is now battling extreme PTSD and personal demons. As he attempts a fresh start, he’ll find himself back in the (metaphorical) fire and fighting harder than ever.”

Actress Boullet will portray Poe Rayborn, a young woman “growing at a rapid and confusing pace” who reluctantly moves to Brazil when her parents relocate.

Spending her days with a class of wealthy international school friends, her worldview is totally thrown off its axis after witnessing a terrifying event and she’s forced to ally herself to John.

Braga is portraying Valeria Melo, “a professional driver with familial connections to a gang running a local favela. After Creasy hires Melo, she quickly becomes his right hand in protecting a young girl and pursuing terrorists.”

Cannavale will take on a guest role as Paul Rayburn, an ex-Special Forces soldier with an uncanny ability to read people. McNairy is guest starring as an intelligent and manipulative CIA agent, Henry Tappan.

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Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.

This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Bridgerton.

If you still need to be sold on this action-packed new series, Quinnell’s series of novels have built up a huge following of die-hard readers over the years who will surely be first in line.

One fan on Goodreads gave the first book a five-star review and said: “Few books are perfect action films but this is one of them.

“I have not felt this engrossed while reading a story in a long time. If you enjoy action or revenge movies you will dig this book.”

Netflix has just released a first-look at Abdul-Mateen in action, but stayed tuned for more details coming soon.

Man on Fire premieres in 2026 on Netflix.

Emmerdale fans think they have worked out who Rhona Goskirk keeps having secret and cryptic phone calls and messages with, and it could be a familiar face on the ITV soap

Viewers of Emmerdale believe they have figured out who Rhona Goskirk keeps calling.

Earlier this week after we learned Ray Walters had been murdered, we saw Rhona speaking to someone on the phone. She was keeping it from her husband Marlon Dingle, and rushed to put her phone away.

During the call she said: “Have you done it?”. It’s not yet clear what she was talking about and who the caller was. Then on Wednesday, she yet again secretly called someone.

This time the person did not answer, with their identity not shared. She sighed over not being able to speak to the person, and had a desperate message for them.

READ MORE: Emmerdale 2026 spoilers: Cain’s cancer diagnosis, Ray’s killer revealed and Graham returnREAD MORE: Emmerdale spoilers let slip Ray’s true killer in twist as culprit exposed

She was heard telling them: “Call me back as soon as possible please. April is going to the police.” She sounded like this was something that would impact them, despite April planning on reporting Ray and Celia Daniels over her ordeal, including drug dealing and sexual exploitation.

So why would Rhona be so against this, and who would she try to warn? Is it linked to Ray’s murder which is yet to be made public? Viewers are starting to speculate that the return of Rhona’s ex Graham Foster could be tied into the plot.

Graham rose from the dead during Corriedale, making a shock appearance after being killed off in 2020. He was on the phone in the scene, yet another cryptic phone call.

Now, fans are theorising that the scenes were linked, and Rhona has been calling Graham. One fan said: “It has to be Graham – surely!” as another wrote: “Graham methinks…”

A third fan agreed: “Yes, Rhona still having secret phone chats today and I did wonder if it was to Graham.” Another fan suggested: “I’m so confused about Rhona’s mystery phone calls recently and I don’t know who we’re meant to think it is.

“It seems to be every time Ray is mentioned but also seems weird it’s just as Graham has returned, and so I wonder if it’s Graham she is speaking too and if maybe he’s involved in Ray dying.”

Another viewer said: “I think she’s already been in contact with him,” as a further post read: “She rang Graham.” Another read: “I think it was Graham who Rhona spoke to they were together when he allegedly died I think it was Graham who killed Ray.”

The suggestion kept on being shared as a fan wrote: “Rhona’s got Graham to kill Ray maybe?” A fan also said: “Rhona phoned someone to warn them that April was going to the police station to report all that’s happened so that left me more confused… is Rhona in contact with Graham?”

It’s safe to say several fans think it was Graham as the comments continued. One thought included: “It has to be Graham right? Seems like too much of a coincidence otherwise.” A further one read: “I defo think it’s Graham. Who else would it be?

“They needed to build something on the lead up to his grand reveal in Corriedale and tie up the Ray thing quickly as the SL with him and Celia came to an end so abruptly. Soap writers are clearly a big fan of this “back from the dead” trope at the minute, after bad coat Becky rocked up in Weatherfield, and Cindy arrived fit and well in Walford after dying in prison.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

LOUISE Thompson has provided her fans with an update after her son was taken to hospital with bleeding tonsils.

The reality star, 35, who has faced several health challenges including ulcerative colitis, lupus, and PTSD, revealed today how her four-year-old was rushed to hospital.

She took to social media to share a snap of him hooked up to a series of machines while lying on a hospital bed before she gave fans an update.

In the first update shared hours after the initial post about her son leo, Louise penned: “Thank you for your kind messages.

“He is doing really really well and as always has been looked after incredibly well by the angels of our universe (I feel a suitable LinkedIn job description for nurses and doctors).

“I think I have the most supportive mum following on here ever. You guys are so brilliant – so practical, resourceful and everyone has dealt with some kind of drama at some point over their life so between 1.5million of you I think we have nearly everything covered.”

MEDICAL WOE

Louise Thompson rushes son, four, to hospital as he suffers painful condition

MUM DREAMS

Louise Thompson wants another baby in 2026 – 5 years after traumatic birth

She added in the next post: “I did night shift, dad will switch in and do day shift as my breath and hair is horrendous. TMI. Now time for some of my own medication.”

Earlier today, Louise told her followers how she had rushed the youngster to hospital after his struggle with “bleeding tonsils”.

Alongside the snap showing him in the ward, she wrote: “Nothing like a wild start to the year.

“Hopefully just a temporary blip.

“Anyone else’s child had bleeding tonsils before?”

Bleeding tonsils can be a sign of infection, potentially after tonsillitis, or following surgery.

This comes after Louise had a hospital dash of her own on Christmas Eve.

She had to previously undergo the removal of her entire large intestine (colon) due to her inflammatory bowel condition, which resulted in her getting her life-saving stoma bag.

But on Christmas Eve, Louise revealed she had spent a large chunk of time in hospital having a procedure.

Louise underwent a proctoscopy, which, according to the NHS, is an examination where an endoscopist looks directly at the anal canal with a small rigid proctoscope.

Taking to her Instagram page to reveal her hospital visit and explain what she had done.

“Looks dramatic but it wasn’t. I had a proctoscopy today. It’s like a colonoscopy but not as invasive because I don’t have a colon so there isn’t very far the camera can go,” she penned over the first slide.

“Still bloody awkward and a tiny bit uncomfortable but fentanyl is a wonder drug,” she penned.

The first three episodes of Mr Beast’s Beast Games season two are streaming now on Prime Video

*Warning – contains spoilers for Beast Games season 2*

A brand new season of Mr Beast’s Beast Games has finally landed on Prime Video promising to be bigger, better and more intense than ever.

The first three episodes have dropped on Wednesday (January 7) as 200 contestants all battle it out in the hopes of winning a staggering prize pot of $5,000,000 (which equates to around £3.7 million) making it one of the largest prize winnings in reality competition history.

Straight away, viewers are plunged into chaos as 200 hopefuls are split into 100 of the world’s smartest and 100 of the world’s strongest, but only 100 make it through to Beast City after a brutal first challenge.

Titled Strong Vs Smart, alliances have already been forming, as well as new relationships and bribes – but what may come as a surprise to fans, is a major season 2 twist that no-one was expecting.

Prime Video teases: “After a record-shattering first season, Beast Games is back! Bigger, bolder, and more intense than ever. MrBeast has assembled 100 of the planet’s strongest competitors and 100 of the world ’s smartest minds.

“Strong vs. Smart” will battle for an eye-watering $5,000,000 prize. As players face off in the ultimate collision of brain and biceps; alliances will form and trust will break. Every challenge pushes the limits of human strength, intelligence and strategy. What wouldn’t you do for $5,000,000?”

But what is the huge season 2 twist? We have put together all you need to know as the first three episodes drop.

Beast Games season 2 twist explained

Arguably the first jaw dropping moment of season 2 came during episode 1’s major cliffhanger when MrBeast brought the contestants their first bribe.

The players were asked whether they wanted to take home $100k but they walked from the competition there and then.

But the game would not be down a few, instead, the players that chose to leave would instead be replaced… not just with anyone, but with familiar faces from the first season – including the winner.

Many took to social media to share their views as one person said: “Honestly Beast Games is pretty cool and i LOVED the cast reveal from last season.”

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**

Another wrote: “Damn Jimmy brought back the season 1 contestants. What a great idea.” A third added: “Jeff is back!!! Can he go for back to back wins.”

However, a fourth replied: “People who have already stole hundreds of thousands of dollars being allowed the chance to play again doesn’t sit well with me?!”

Ten previous contestants had the opportunity to return, should anyone decide to go home.

In the end, it was Twana (player 830), Karim (player 406), Akira (player 539) Jeff (player 831), Jeremy (player 991), Deano (player 380), Mia (player 952), JC (Player 566), Gage Gallagher (player 974) and Courtney Ferris (player 424) who returned.

Who won Beast Games season 1?

Jeff Allen was season one’s winner when he took home $10m, beating 999 other competitors and taking home one of the largest cash prizes.

For Jeff, it was his family that spurred him on as he wanted to win the funds to put towards helping with his son’s rare disease. According to People, his eldest son Lucas was diagnosed with Creatine Transporter Deficiency at just 2 years old, which was first picked up on when he was “missing milestones”.

He said: “I need to take care of him. I want to make sure he’s taken care of at home, but also, can we invest into research to help ultimately find a treatment for him and other kids like him?”

Beast Games is streaming on Prime Video

Two-time All-American wide receiver and prominent Outdoors Channel host Jordan Shipley is in critical condition after an accident on his ranch in Texas, his family said in a statement.

Shipley, 40, was described as stable after remaining hospitalized Tuesday night in Austin. The statement said a machine that he was operating near his hometown of Burnet caught fire. The former Texas great suffered “severe burns on his body.”

Shipley abruptly retired in 2012 after three NFL seasons primarily because of persistent concussion issues and chronic knee problems. He quickly transitioned to television shows that showcased his passion for deer hunting, co-hosting “The Bucks of Tecomate” and “Tecomate Whitetail Nation.”

“It was not hard at all,” Shipley said at the time of retiring at 27. “Only because I never saw myself as a football player first. Don’t get me wrong, I worked my tail off for football and I loved it but never saw that as my whole identity because I had such a big background in outdoors. Really, with this opportunity I had I was actually pretty excited about moving forward.”

Although he enjoyed a strong rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 with 52 receptions for 600 yards and three touchdowns, he is best remembered as a record-setting player at Texas.

Shipley starred as a receiver and a kick returner from 2006 to 2009, setting program single-season records in 2009 with 116 receptions and 1,489 yards. He also remains the career leader for receptions with 248 and ranks second in career receiving yards with 3,191, behind Roy Williams. Shipley also returned four punts or kickoffs for touchdowns.

After being drafted in the third round by the Bengals, he became one of the most popular players with Cincinnati fans, and his No. 11 jersey was worn by thousands. After a debilitating knee injury early in the 2011 season, he was never the same player, and he had short stints with Tampa Bay and Jacksonville before retiring.

According to his family, Jordan was operating a machine at his ranch when it caught fire. He managed to free himself from the machine, but “not before sustaining severe burns on his body in the process.” Jordan was airlifted to the hospital in Austin.

“He was able to get to one of his workers on the ranch, who drove him to a local hospital. He was then care-flighted to Austin, where he remains in critical but stable condition,” the statement said.

Shipley’s younger brother, former Texas wide receiver Jaxon Shipley, 33, asked for prayers in a statement on Instagram: “Please pray for full healing and no infections or other issues on his road to recovery. I don’t want to get into all the details, other than his life was spared today by the grace of God and the sheer will to live. I believe prayer is effective so I’m asking anyone and everyone to lift Jordan up in prayer.”

Not to offend Larry David by saying it as late as Jan. 7, but: Happy New Year!

The turning of the calendar also signals that Phase I of awards season is coming to a close. With the Golden Globes and a big weekend of parties on the horizon, I’m proud to share our last issue — and my last letter from the editor — until after the Oscar nominations.

I’ll be back in February to unveil our three issues in Phase II. And be sure to keep an eye out Friday for Glenn Whipp’s newsletter, which will have more on our Jan. 8 cover subject, George Clooney.

Digital cover story: ‘Bugonia’

(JSquared Photography / For The Times)

Fans of Yorgos Lanthimos’ misanthropic comedies will forgive the Michael Haneke pun in my coverline for Michael Ordoña’s story on “Bugonia,” starring Emma Stone as a healthcare CEO and Jesse Plemons as the conspiracy theorist who believes she’s an alien invader. And not simply because Haneke’s own brand of bleak absurdism seems to have rubbed off on Lanthimos. Funny games — well, ‘silly games’ — are at the core of Lanthimos’ distinct creative process.

“It makes it light,” the filmmaker explained. “You don’t take yourself too seriously. You don’t take the material seriously. You’re gargling and doing lines, whatever. It’s a way of the actors getting the dialogue in them in an unconscious way, not fixed with a kind of intellectual baggage, so it’s freer and it has more possibilities. And they feel comfortable with each other.”

Small roles, big performances

(Los Angeles Times photo illustration; photos by Dania Maxwell / For The Times; Warner Bros. Pictures; Tatum Mangus)

Envelope copy chief Blake Hennon sent up a cheer when Lisa Rosen’s recurring spotlight on the brilliant-but-unheralded turns that we love in movies came across his desk, and rightly so. In a flash, a film can make an indelible impression, and it’s often thanks to those who fall outside the usual pundit predictions.

This year’s participants include real-life siblings Jacobi and Noah Jupe (“Hamnet”), Paul Thomas Anderson stalwart April Grace (“One Battle After Another”) and one-scene wonder Hadley Robinson (“The History of Sound”).

The shot of the season

Thanks to contributor Daron James, the back page of every Envelope features an unforgettable frame from a film or TV series, accompanied by an explanation from the artists behind it. And while all are striking, I’m glad to say we’re ending Phase I on my favorite.

Perhaps it’s that “Breathless” was one of the first movies that made me fall in love with movies. Perhaps it’s Richard Linklater’s courageous decision to have his protagonist wear dark sunglasses throughout the movie. Perhaps it’s the charm of actors Guillaume Marbeck and Zoey Deutch. It’s probably all of the above. But whatever the reason, the final shot of “Nouvelle Vague” is, for my money, the best single shot I saw in 2025.

More stories from our Jan. 8 issue

House of Guinness featured a particular scene which has had everyone talking.

House of Guinness is on Netflix and the historical drama was the creation of Peaky Blinders boss, Steven Knight. Having been out for months already, the series continues to be a huge hit with new fans continuing to tune in.

The series tells the true story of the Guinness siblings as they continue their father’s brewing business following his death.

Anthony Boyle plays Arthur Guinness, and the star has opened up about filming the series and his excitement at the prospect of a second season. Fans may recognise the star from Derry Girls, as well as Say Nothing.

The star spoke out about one particular scene during episode three, in which he was seen standing fully frontal whilst getting out of the bath.

Fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to say they were “blindsided” and the 31-year-old star has opened up about filming the scene.

READ MORE: Was Arthur Guinness assassinated? House of Guinness explainedREAD MORE: Was Arthur Guinness gay? Truth behind House of Guinness’s big secret explained

While it did not bother him filming completely naked, he did have one worry about the audience following the show’s release.

Speaking to Town & Country, he was asked if he considers the large audience of Netflix intimidating, to which he said: “Yeah, definitely when I did the naked scene [laughs].

“Definitely when I did that, I was sat in that bath and I was like, ‘Oh wait, it’s gonna be like millions of people’.

“My focus is usually on the other person, less so than what I’m experiencing, but on the day that you’re getting naked, you’re like, ‘Oh god, I hope my f****** granny doesn’t see this!’

“Moments like that happen! But for the most part, I don’t think about the reach of the show, no.”

Taking to X to share their thoughts on the bath scene, Sharon SL shared: “Is no one talking about Arthur’s bath scene? What was that I just saw?”

Stoops commented: “Did NOT expect to see that in the bath scene, holy hell.”

Addressing the future of the series, Boyle said he would love to return for a second season if it was given the green light by Netflix.

Speaking exclusively to Reach titles at a screening of the series, he said: “If they want to do a second season, I’d love to. I think the scripts were amazing and I really enjoyed the cast and directors.

“I loved it, I love the end product. It’s a show I’m really proud of and if they wanted to go again I’d be overjoyed.”

At this moment in time, the series is yet to be renewed for a second season. This could be because director Knight is focusing on the upcoming Peaky Blinders film, titled The Immortal Man. The film is due to be released in March 2026 and it sees the return of Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby.

House of Guinness is on Netflix

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website**

Jesy Nelson has opened up about her twin daughters’ devastating genetic condition and how they may never walk in an emotional interview on ITV’s This Morning

Jesy Nelson has revealed the extreme lengths she takes to make sure her twins can breathe at night following their devastating muscular atrophy diagnosis. The Little Mix star announced on Sunday that her twins had been diagnosed with the rare genetic condition spinal muscular atrophy and may never walk.

The 34-year-old welcomed daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster prematurely back in May with her musician fiancé Zion Foster, 27. Speaking in a video on Instagram at the weekend, Jesy told her fans that Ocean and Story have the most severe form of the disease, which sees muscles deteriorate over time, and that she’s now a nurse to the twins.

She added that she took them to the GP when her mum noticed they weren’t moving as much as they should. “The girls have been diagnosed with a severe disease called SMA type one. It stands for spinal muscular atrophy which affects every muscle in the body from legs, arms to swallowing,” she said.

Speaking on This Morning today, Jesy revealed that her twins exhibited early symptoms of SMA – but she didn’t know what they meant. Fighting tears, she told Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley: “That is the part that frustrates me the most. I knew and saw all of the signs before I knew what SMA was.

“It was weird because from when I was in NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit], the way they used to lay on my chest, they would have frog leg position. I did say to my mum, ‘Isn’t their belly an unusual shape? They breathe from their belly.’

“That’s what frustrating – for me, if these were the cards I was always going to be dealt and there was nothing I could do about it, it would be easier for me to accept. But when you know there is something that can be done about it and it is lifechanging to your child, that’s the bit that I cannot accept.”

She added that it makes her “so sad” to watch videos which show the twins gradually losing use of their legs over the course of weeks. “That’s how quick it is and that is why it’s so important to get treatment from birth,” she said.

Jesy went on to reveal that her house was “looks like a hospital” with all of the medical equipment needed to keep the twins alive.

“Story has to be on a breathing machine at night because she isn’t strong enough to breathe by herself at night,” she said. “They have to have Cough Assist machines to help them cough, I have to put feeding tubes down their nose to get secretions off their chest.

“I’ve had to learn this within the space of a few days of getting their diagnosis. It’s so much to deal with while you’re also trying to deal with this horrendous thing that’s just happened.”

Sharing an update on the twins, she said that doctors have told her that they won’t be able to walk, regain neck strength and will be in wheelchairs. However, Jesy isn’t giving up hope.

“There have been so many stories where parents have been told this and then their children have gone on to do incredible things,” she said.

“So I believe you have to manifest this into existence. They’re still smiling, they’re still happy and they have each other.”

If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at SMA UK. You can get in touch by phoning 01789 267520 or by emailing office@smauk.org.uk.

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX.

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