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BIG Brother hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best have revealed a HUGE new twist that will see two familiar faces return.

On tonight’s show, Cameron B became the fourth housemate to be booted out of the house following a public eviction.

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So far ITV2 viewers have said goodbye to Emily Hewertson, who was in the house for a few hours, and Gani Khan, who became the second housemate to be evicted last Friday.

And earlier this week, ITV bosses made the decision to axe George following “inappropriate behaviour and language”.

But now Big Brother has decided to bring back not one but TWO former housemates to shake things up.

After Cameron’s eviction, Will told viewers: “Now it’s finally time to reveal next week’s game-changing twist.”

AJ said: “Next Friday, two more late arrivals will go into the Big Brother house and they’re not just any late arrivals.”

Will explained: “Two former housemates who may have gone too soon will be going back through those doors.

“So make sure you watch tonight’s Big Brother Late and Live because we’re going to have all the info.”

Kicking things off on the after show, Will said: “What a night we’ve had so far. Three housemates face eviction and two former housemates are going back in next week.”

Big Brother fans raced to Twitter with their predictions.

One wrote: “EMILY AND GANI RETURN?!!!”

A second posted: “My theory on the bigggg twist is 4 out 4 in like in Timebomb series of Big Brother where one of Emily or Gani return.”

The 25-year-old Bolton lad Cameron B entered the House on Day Two, alongside three other newcomers.

Axed star George Gilbert, 23, had also been on the chopping block before his shock exit.

BOOTED OFF

The Sun revealed how the parish councillor was removed after ‘unacceptable language and behaviour’. 

Sources told The Sun that George left his co-stars horrified after making offensive comments which could be interpreted as antisemitic and was immediately called to the Diary Room and ejected from the house. 

“Everyone was absolutely disgusted,” an insider said.

“Nobody could believe what he said – he was clearly out to shock people.”

Since leaving the house, George has said: “As a flag bearer of freedom of speech I never hesitate to discuss and question any topic regardless of how contentious it may be.

“Sadly, the boundaries of what is deemed offensive are subjective and I evidently went too far this time by crossing their line one too many times.”

He added: “It is a shame that specific debate could not be had and that it has had to end like this.

“Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me.”

George has since made a return to social media following his departure from Big Brother.

The ex-housemate has since updated the privacy settings on his Instagram account to allow it to be public.

A previous brutal twist saw housemate Emily Hewertson evicted on the very first night.

The political events manager shot to fame last June when she was falsely accused of flinging a milkshake over Nigel Farage in Clacton-on-Sea. 

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George Gilbert was repeatedly warned by Big Brother for using offensive language and has now been removed from the ITV show in scenes that will air tonight’s episode

Big Brother contestant George Gilbert has been asked to leave the show following repeated use of offensive language. The 23-year-old’s removal will be aired in tonight’s episode.

George has been a controversial figure on the show since he entered, as he has had several arguments with other housemates over political issues like immigration and homelessness. He was also given a formal warning by Big Brother after doing a homophobic impression of another housemate, Sam Ashby, in a game of Truth or Dare.

In scenes deemed by ITV to be too offensive to air, George is said to have made an antisemitic comment that led to his ejection from the house. His full exit will be shown tonight (9 October).

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In the episode, George will be called to the Diary Room, where Big Brother will remind him of the rules he agreed to when he started on the show. “Hello, George,” Big Brother said. “George, before you entered the Big Brother House, the rules regarding unacceptable and offensive language and behaviour were explained to you.”

George then flippantly asked, “What is it?” Big Brother responded that the show has issued a warning to the Essex-based contestant on “several separate occasions” about his language and even issued him with a formal warning.

“Despite this, at 6.22pm, in a conversation about conspiracy theories, the words you used broke the rules regarding unacceptable and offensive language.

“George, Big Brother thinks that your repeated use of offensive language in the house including during yesterday’s conversation is unacceptable. Big Brother cannot permit you to use language in a manner which is likely to be considered offensive by Housemates or the viewing public.”

Parish councillor and actor George said he understood, but Big Brother then had more to say. He continued: “Despite the prior warnings and the opportunities we have given you to adjust your language in the House, you have persisted in using offensive language. And as a result, Big Brother has no choice other than to remove you from the House.”

George was given the opportunity to say something. He said: ““I always want to question any theory, any movement, I just like to, I just want to know the truth about things and I’m sorry. So I’m really gutted but if that’s what you want to do then I’m sorry it’s ended like this.”

This is very similar to what he said upon leaving the Big Brother house. “As a flag bearer of freedom of speech, I never hesitate to discuss and question any topic regardless of how contentious it may be,” the 23-year-old said.

“Sadly, the boundaries of what is deemed offensive are subjective and I evidently went too far this time by crossing their line one too many times. It is a shame that specific debate could not be had and that it has had to end like this. Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me.”

Because of his language and behaviour, George was nominated for eviction in this week’s vote. However, his removal forced ITV to halt the public vote. Addressing the situation on Big Brother Late and Live, host AJ Odudu said “George was removed from the Big Brother house today following repeated use of unacceptable language and behaviour.

“As he was up for eviction, the vote has been closed for now. So if you’ve voted already, your votes don’t count. But new votes between Cameron B, Elsa and Richard will be opening tomorrow and you’ll have five new votes. So tune in tomorrow to see the housemates reaction to the news.”

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Big Brother host AJ Odudu announced a huge change to the show’s voting system for Friday’s eviction after housemate George Gilbert was removed from the house earlier today

Earlier today, Big Brother announced that George Gilbert had been removed from the house over “repeated use of unacceptable language and behaviour”. George was one of four housemates facing eviction on Friday, and the public vote has now been halted due to this.

Yesterday, the housemates nominated for the first time, and it was revealed that George, Elsa, Richard and Cameron B would be facing the public vote. George, Elsa and Cameron B received the most amount of votes from their fellow housemates, and Richard was atomically up as he had the cursed eye.

Addressing the situation as she opened Big Brother’s Late and Live tonight, host AJ Odudu said: “George was removed from the Big Brother house today following repeated use of unacceptable language and behaviour.

READ MORE: Big Brother chaos as two housemates warned over offensive language in just two daysREAD MORE: Big Brother fans uncover housemates secret past – including Downton Abbey role

“As he was up for eviction, the vote has been closed for now. So if you’ve voted already, your votes don’t count. But new votes between Cameron B, Elsa and Richard will be opening tomorrow and you’ll have five new votes. So tune in tomorrow to see the housemates reaction to the news.”

In a statement following George’s removal, ITV told The Mirror: “Following repeated use of unacceptable language and behaviour, George has been removed from the Big Brother House with immediate effect and will no longer participate in the programme.”

It was later revealed that George’s comments will not be aired on the show as they are contrary to broadcast standards. Contestants were told the rules regarding language and behaviour ahead of entering the Big Brother house, receiving training in respect, dignity and inclusion.

However, later on in the day, it was reported that George left his co-stars horrified after making offensive comments which could be interpreted as antisemitic. “Everyone was absolutely disgusted,” a source revealed to The Sun. “Nobody could believe what he said – he was clearly out to shock people.”

It’s been reported that he was called into the Diary Room after making the comments, and was immediately ejected from the show.

George received a warning over his behaviour earlier in the week after imitating housemate Sam during a game of Truth or Dare. He was told by Big Brother in the diary room: “At 11:26, during a game of Truth or Dare, when asked about your least favourite qualities of other Housemates, you said the following, ‘Sam, um too…’, you then went on to mimic Sam using both noises that mocked the way Sam talks and body language that included limp wrists.

“Do you understand how both your language and behaviour could be offensive to Sam, your Housemates and the viewing public?” George then said that he had apologised to Sam after making the comments.

However, The Mirror understands that George was given several warnings for unacceptable language which were not broadcast as they were contrary to broadcast standards.

Big Brother airs tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.

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On October 07, 2025, Carolina Wealth Advisors, LLC disclosed a buy of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE: NVO) shares, an estimated $6.01 million trade based on the average price for Q3 2025.

What happened

According to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing dated October 07, 2025, Carolina Wealth Advisors, LLC increased its stake in Novo Nordisk, adding 102,629 shares during the third quarter. The estimated trade size was $6.01 million, calculated using the average closing price for the period from July 1 through September 30, 2025. The updated holding stands at 116,973 shares.

What else to know

This transaction was a buy, raising Novo Nordisk A/S to 2.8% of the fund’s 13F reportable AUM as of Q3 2025.

Top holdings after the filing:

• NYSEMKT:SCHQ: $18.93 million (8.2% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025.
• NYSEMKT:BKAG: $13.22 million (5.7% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025.
• NYSEMKT:SCHP: $13.10 million (5.6589% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025.
• NYSE:DELL: $10.14 million (4.3781% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025.
• NYSEMKT:SPHY: $10.09 million (4.3568% of AUM) as of Q3 2025.

As of October 6, 2025, Novo Nordisk A/S shares were priced at $59.65. This price reflects an underperformance of 65.4 percentage points relative to the S&P 500 over the past year.

Company Overview

Company Snapshot

Novo Nordisk:

• Offers pharmaceutical products focused on diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular, rare blood disorders, and hormone replacement therapies, as well as medical devices such as insulin pens and smart diabetes solutions.
• Generates revenue primarily through the development, manufacturing, and global distribution of branded prescription medicines and medical devices, with a strong focus on chronic disease management.
• Serves healthcare providers, hospitals, and patients in Europe, North America, Asia, and other international markets, targeting individuals with diabetes, obesity, and rare diseases.

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare leader specializing in diabetes and obesity care, with a robust presence in rare disease therapeutics. The company leverages extensive research and development capabilities to deliver innovative pharmaceutical products and smart medical devices. Its scale, diversified product portfolio, and global reach provide a strong competitive position in chronic disease management.

Foolish take

Carolina Wealth Advisors’ $6 million addition to its Novo Nordisk holdings is noteworthy as it grows the holding from a 0.5% position to a 2.8% stake in the firm’s overall portfolio.

This purchase makes the Ozempic and Wegovy maker the 11th-largest holding overall in the firm’s portfolio, and its sixth-largest stock holding.

With five bond and treasury ETFs making up 28% of Carolina Wealth’s holdings, this ballooning Novo Nordisk stake stands out.

Novo Nordisk’s shares have dropped nearly 60% from their highs in the last two years, so this could be a well-timed acquisition.

After receiving immense fanfare for its obesity and diabetic drug breakthroughs, the company’s price-earnings (P/E) ratio soared to 50 as the stock hit new all-time highs in 2024.

However, with revolutionary breakthroughs like these — paired with the subsequent fanfare — comes competition. Now the market has Novo Nordisk trading at a much more reasonable 19 times earnings as it tries to gauge just how much of its leading market share the company will be able to hold on to.

Ultimately, if investors believe in Novo Nordisk’s ability to maintain its leadership advantage and build upon its pipeline of promising treatments, today’s valuation could be a bargain — and Carolina Wealth is piling in.

Glossary

13F AUM: Assets under management reported in quarterly SEC Form 13F filings, covering U.S. equity holdings by institutional investors.
Reportable AUM: The portion of a fund’s assets under management that must be disclosed in regulatory filings, such as Form 13F.
Quarter (Q3 2025): The third three-month period of the 2025 calendar year, covering July 1 to September 30.
Stake: The ownership interest or position held in a company, typically measured by the number of shares owned.
Top holdings: The largest investments in a fund’s portfolio, usually ranked by market value or percentage of total assets.
Filing: An official document submitted to a regulatory authority, such as the SEC, disclosing financial or investment information.
Underperformance: When an investment’s returns are lower than a benchmark or comparable index over a specific period.
Chronic disease management: Ongoing medical care and treatment strategies for long-term health conditions, such as diabetes or obesity.
Pharmaceutical products: Medications developed and manufactured for diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of diseases.
Medical devices: Instruments or apparatuses used in the diagnosis, treatment, or management of medical conditions.
Smart diabetes solutions: Technology-enabled tools, such as connected insulin pens, designed to help manage diabetes more effectively.
TTM: The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report.

BIG Brother star George has broken his silence after being kicked out of the house for a ‘horrifying’ comment. 

The housemate was axed by ITV bosses today after ‘unacceptable language and behaviour’. 

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Now, since leaving the house, George has said: “As a flag bearer of freedom of speech I never hesitate to discuss and question any topic regardless of how contentious it may be.

“Sadly, the boundaries of what is deemed offensive are subjective and I evidently went too far this time by crossing their line one too many times.”

He added: “It is a shame that specific debate could not be had and that it has had to end like this. Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me.”

Sources tell The Sun that George left his co-stars horrified after making offensive comments which could be interpreted as antisemitic and was immediately called to the Diary Room and ejected from the house. 

“Everyone was absolutely disgusted,” an insider says. “Nobody could believe what he said – he was clearly out to shock people.”

It’s understood that ITV will air scenes featuring George on tonight’s show but won’t air the comments that led to him being kicked off the show. 

After George’s warning last night, Caroline was called into the Diary Room during tonight’s episode, as she was giving a formal warning by Big Brother for unacceptable behaviour

It was a dramatic night in Big Brother tonight, as the housemates were called to the Diary Room to nominate for the first time. However, it wasn’t the only time Caroline was called to the famous room, as she was given a formal warning by Big Brother.

Like George Gilbert, Caroline’s warning came after a comment she had made during a housemate game of spin the bottle. As she was pulled into the Diary Room, the voice of Big Brother told her: “Yesterday at 11:21pm during a game of spin of the bottle, you had the following conversations.

Big Brother recalled the conversation, in which Caroline asked which housemate she would sleep with if they were trapped on a desert island and she “might be able to make babies to get a new civilisation.”

READ MORE: Celebrity Big Brother star says run-in with Victoria Beckham still ‘triggers my PTSD’READ MORE: Big Brother fans robbed of dramatic eviction episode as Late and Live reveals cruel twist

Nancy then asked Caroline if it had to be a guy, as Jenny said she was pansexual. “Is she pansexual? Do you like pans?” Caroline asked, as Zelah told her to just ask Nancy who she was most attracted to.

Nancy then answered Zelah, as Caroline responded: “She’s a girl. No you’re not!” she then added: “But you haven’t got a willy. Is that really bad? But I was talking about…I’m so sorry Z. Is that bad? That was bad wasn’t it? Oh no, I’m dead now. Is that bad?’”

Zelah has been open about his transition with housemates – and Caroline told Big Brother she was “ashamed” of herself as she hung her head in shame in the Diary Room.

“Caroline, Big Brother thinks that your language in these instances was offensive and unacceptable and cannot permit you to use language in a way that could cause offence to your fellow Housemates and the viewing public,” Big Brother said, as they gave Caroline a formal warning, in which she agreed.

When asked if there was anything she’d like to say, Caroline added: “Sorry. It was a horrible thing I said. Horrible. I don’t know where it came from.

“I can’t excuse myself. If I had an excuse I’d say but I don’t have one. I’m sorry to everyone out there and I’m sorry to everyone in here. I will make sure I apologise profusely to everyone because I can see the disappointment in everyone’s eyes. I was having such a lovely time, more than lovely. I’ve gone and ruined everything. I can’t see a way back.”

Zelah was left in tears in the Diary Room, telling Big Brother: “I didn’t think it would affect me that much. That’s why I didn’t want to tell anyone from the get go, because once people know their true perceptions come out. But ‘she’s a girl’ was strong.”

“I’m so down for people asking questions, I think it’s really important, but sometimes my openness comes at the expense of my own feelings. I can’t remember the last time words hit me like that.”

It comes after George was given a warning by Big Brother during last night’s episode after a game of Truth or Dare in which he was asked about his least favourite thing about each housemate.

Big Brother told him: “At 11:26, during a game of Truth or Dare, when asked about your least favourite qualities of other Housemates, you said the following, ‘Sam, um too…’, you then went on to mimic Sam using both noises that mocked the way Sam talks and body language that included limp wrists.

“Do you understand how both your language and behaviour could be offensive to Sam, your Housemates and the viewing public?” George then confirmed he had apologised to Sam after making the comments.

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PHILADELPHIA — It was quintessential October baseball.

Two starting pitchers dominating two helpless lineups.

A low-scoring contest in which every stranded baserunner felt like a monumental missed opportunity.

A nail-biting affair decided by one team cashing in a rare scoring chance, and the other failing to do the same.

In the bottom of the sixth inning in Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Monday, the Philadelphia Phillies had two aboard with one out, but came up empty.

In the next half-inning, the Dodgers faced the same situation, but came away with four runs.

That was the difference in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory at Citizens Bank Park, giving them a commanding 2-0 lead in a best-of-five series that will shift to Dodger Stadium for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell delivers during the second inning Monday against the Phillies.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

For most of Monday night, a crowd of 45,653 in South Philadelphia sat anxiously in anticipation, waiting for the dam to break in an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel.

On one side, Blake Snell was dotting his fastball up in the zone and to both parts of the plate, giving the Phillies little to hit while setting them up to flail at his dominant arsenal of secondary weapons. Through four innings, he retired 12 of 14 batters with only two walks issued. He had gotten whiffs on each of the first 11 non-fastballs he threw. And not until there were two outs in the fifth did he give up his first hit.

Opposite him, Jesús Luzardo was equally effective. After stranding runners on the corners in a shaky first, the left-hander locked in and made the Dodgers look silly with a barrage of sweepers and changeups that dipped below the zone. Where he needed 24 pitches in the first, he completed the next five on just 48 throws. In that time, he retired 17 in a row and let only two balls even leave the infield.

Finally, in the bottom of the sixth, the narrative began to change.

The Phillies generated the game’s first big opportunity, after Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber walked in back-to-back at-bats against Snell with one out. It was the first time all night their lineup had gotten a runner past first. And it happened as two-time MVP Bryce Harper came strolling to the plate.

Snell’s plan of attack against Harper was simple. His first pitch was a slider in the dirt. His next was another one up in the zone Harper fouled off. Two more sliders followed, with Harper fanning on the first and fouling off the next. Then, after one change-of-pace curveball was buried in front of the plate, Snell went back to the slider one more time. It darted below Harper’s swing for a strikeout. Citizens Bank Park groaned.

The inning ended a batter later, when Alec Bohm chased a 2-and-0 changeup and hit a groundball to third base. Miguel Rojas fielded it behind the bag, clocked the speedy Bohm racing toward first, and decided to go the short — albeit risky — way instead, sprinting to third base and beating Turner to the bag with a headfirst slide.

That ended the inning. This time, frustrated boos rained down from the stands.

Minutes later, the Dodgers would be in front. Unlike the Phillies, they didn’t squander their one opportunity for runs.

Teoscar Hernández led off the top of the seventh with a single. Freddie Freeman followed with a line drive to weak-fielding Nick Castellanos (who was drawn into the Phillies’ lineup following an injury to Harrison Bader in Game 1) in right, getting on his horse to leg out a hustle double.

That knocked Luzardo out of the game. And in a move that would soon be second-guessed, Phillies manager Rob Thompson opted for right-handed reliever Orion Kerkering instead of dominant closer Jhoan Duran.

Kerkering got one quick out, striking out Tommy Edman.

But then Kiké Hernández hit a cue-ball grounder to Turner at shortstop. After a slight hesitation, Teoscar Hernández broke for home hard. As Turner fielded the ball and fired to the plate, Hernández chugged in with a feet-first slide. Catcher J.T. Realmuto’s tag was a split-second too late.

Teoscar Hernández celebrates after advancing to third on a double by Freddie Freeman in the seventh inning against the Phillies in Game 2 of the NLDS on Monday. Hernandez later scored the Dodgers’ first run.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Dodgers had opened the scoring — and would only keep adding on.

With two outs in the inning, Will Smith (who, like in Game 1, entered as a mid-game replacement as he continues to work back from his fractured hand) hit a two-run single to left. Shohei Ohtani, who had been hitless in the series and 0 for 3 earlier in the night, tacked on another with a groundball that got through the infield.

By the time the dust settled, the Dodgers had surged to a 4-0 lead.

They would need every bit of it.

Emmet Sheehan followed Snell’s six-inning, one-hit, nine-strikeout gem with two innings of relief, retiring the side in the seventh before limiting damage in the eighth, when he gave up one run after a Max Kepler triple and Turner RBI single but retired the side on a strikeout of Schwarber and a flyball from Harper.

The real trouble came in the ninth, when the Dodgers turned to Blake Treinen — and not recently ascendant bullpen ace Roki Sasaki — to close the game.

Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki delivers in the ninth inning against the Phillies on Monday in Game 2 of the NLDS.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Treinen couldn’t, giving up a leadoff single and back-to-back doubles to J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos to bring home two runs and put the tying runner at second.

Alex Vesia entered next and got two outs (one of them, a crucial play from third baseman Max Muncy to field a bunt and throw out Castellanos at third as the lead runner). Then, Sasaki was finally summoned to face Turner with runners on the corners.

He induced a groundball to second baseman Tommy Edman. Edman spiked his throw to first, but Freeman picked it with a sprawling effort. And once again, the Phillies had failed to completely cash in on a scoring chance — leaving the Dodgers one win away from advancing to the NL Championship Series.

Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where we’re back from the bye, recharged and ready for the gauntlet ahead on USC’s schedule. Here’s hoping you had a nice relaxing weekend away that didn’t involve yelling at the television about your team’s struggling secondary.

Following that lead, we’re going to step away from the football field for this week to talk about something that every college football program could use more of these days, but never seems to get enough of:

Money.

First, let me take you back four years before the Pac-12 imploded, to when then-Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott had a big idea to save his flailing conference.

His plan? Sell off a 15% stake of the Pac-12 to a private equity firm for a reported infusion of $1 billion, which Scott hoped would be enough to help stabilize the conference. At the time, the Pac-12’s media rights deal was only providing about $30 million per school annually. A private equity investment, Scott figured, would add tens of millions to that total, helping to hopefully keep the Pac-12 afloat until the conference’s next media rights negotiation.

But the plan never came to fruition, and the Pac-12 unraveled. The reason it didn’t work then was the presidents and chancellors of the Pac-12’s member schools had no stomach for selling off a stake in their conference to a private equity firm, no matter how desperate the conference was. USC, in particular, was one of the most vocal detractors. Viewing itself as the crown jewel of the conference, it already wasn’t happy with the equal distribution of media revenue. It saw no reason, at the time, to give away more valuable equity in its brand while locking into that arrangement for a longer period.

Had Scott managed to make that deal, who knows what might have happened with the Pac-12.

But almost seven years later, private equity firms are once again swirling like vultures overhead. As first reported last week by ESPN, USC’s new conference, the Big Ten, is now seriously considering a $2-billion private equity infusion. That deal would also reportedly lock in the conference’s members through 2046, injecting at least a little stability into an especially unstable landscape.

A decision is expected in the coming weeks, and the conference is looking for consensus among schools to move forward. But USC had no interest in such a deal before. Why would that be different now?

Well, for one, college sports have gotten a lot more expensive in the wake of the House settlement. Even before adding a $20.5 million line item to its budget, USC’s athletic expenses were among the highest in the nation at $242 million, according to the most recent Department of Education data. And that figure doesn’t consider the $200-million football facility currently being built or the millions of scholarship money that needs to be raised or the $200-million budget deficit the larger university finds itself in.

A nine-figure private equity check would go a long way in soothing those financial concerns. Especially at the Big Ten’s smaller schools. But it wouldn’t solve every revenue problem in USC’s future. And it would be foolish to think that money doesn’t come with strings attached, even if the discussed deal does at least attempt to mitigate that influence.

The deal would create a separate corporate structure that would handle all things related to revenue generation within the Big Ten. That revenue would then be distributed between 20 equity stakeholders — the 18 conference schools, the league office and this private equity firm.

So the private equity firm wouldn’t own a piece of USC athletics, so much as it would own a share of the Big Ten’s business interests. That setup would then theoretically limit the investor’s control and keep private equity out of other decisions pertaining to Big Ten athletics, which had been the fear of Pac-12 presidents when the conference previously turned up its nose to such an investment.

There are still many unknowns here, most notably how the revenue would be distributed. But there’s no reason to think the conference’s biggest brands, such as USC or Michigan or Ohio State, would sign on to any deal that didn’t include distribution of that revenue that significantly favored those schools.

That appears to be the plan. But as of now, neither Michigan nor Ohio State is on board yet.

“I believe selling off Michigan’s precious public university assets would betray our responsibility to students and taxpayers,” Jordan Acker, a member of Michigan’s Board of Regents, wrote on social media.

And in this case, the buyer has an entirely different mission than the other stakeholders involved. Private equity firms exist solely to provide up-front capital in order to eliminate risk, turn a profit and then exit the marketplace. There’s no reason to think it would be different in this case. Which doesn’t exactly jibe in the marketplace that is college athletics.

So is a $100-million check worth giving away that control? For Purdue or Rutgers, probably. For USC? I’m not so sure.

USC, like Michigan and Ohio State, has yet to sign off on plans for conference-wide private equity investment and still has questions about the potential deal, a person familiar with the decision not authorized to discuss it publicly told The Times. But the school wants to be good partners in the conference, and of course, it could always use an infusion of cash.

But does USC really need money that badly? The athletic department has already taken significant steps to raise revenue in light of the House settlement, including striking a massive, new 15-year multimedia rights deal with Learfield. USC doesn’t necessarily need the Big Ten or its new private equity partner to create conference-wide revenue streams where it could just strike deals on its own. Nor does it need assurances of the Big Ten’s long-term stability enough to sacrifice equity.

USC once made a mistake by accepting an equal share as its peers in the Pac-12. But it can’t make that mistake again. By virtue of its brand, USC is always going to have a seat at the table.

And if the Big Ten is getting into bed with private equity, it should be using every bit of that leverage to get the best possible deal. There’s no world in which USC should accept a smaller slice of that pie than Michigan or Ohio State, no matter the history of the other two.

Calling all questions!

Have any questions, comments or concerns about USC coming out of the bye week?

Send them along to [email protected] or shoot me a DM @RyanKartje on X or @rkartje on Instagram by Monday night, and I’ll include the best ones in a video mailbag I’m planning to put out early next week.

—Kilian O’Connor is out for at least two games with a knee injury, and maybe more. J’Onre Reed will start at center in his place. Most assumed that Reed would be the starter when he joined USC in the offseason. But O’Connor, a former walk-on, won the job in camp. Which, depending on your perspective, is either troubling for Reed or encouraging for O’Connor. Nonetheless, this is a guy who started 25 games at Syracuse. I’d hope, if USC made a point to pursue him in the portal, that Reed should be at least a passable replacement for a former walk-on. That said, the next two games — against Michigan and Notre Dame — wouldn’t have been a cake walk for USC’s offensive front even at full strength.

—Freshman All-American Caden Chittenden is getting healthier, but don’t expect him to be handed kicking duties when he returns. USC brought in Chittenden after a tremendous freshman season at Nevada Las Vegas to solve its field goal woes. But he’s been dealing with a hamstring injury since the preseason, and in his place, Ryon Sayeri has been as good as anyone could have hoped. Sayeri has hit eight of nine field goals, third-best in the Big Ten, and all 28 extra point attempts. On kickoffs, he’s been “a machine.” “If a guy is playing at a high level, no matter who it is, we wouldn’t make a change just because of that,” Riley said last week. Don’t be surprised if he keeps the job the rest of the way, regardless of Chittenden’s status.

—USC’s top guard, Rodney Rice, will miss the next few weeks with a shoulder injury. Not ideal, obviously. But Rice should be ready to go for the basketball season opener on Nov. 3, when the Trojans take on Cal Poly. Assuming he returns to full health, he’s primed for a big season as the engine of USC’s offense.

—Former Trojan quarterback Mark Sanchez was stabbed and later arrested after allegedly drunkenly assaulting a 69-year old man in Indianapolis on Friday night. When the story was first reported, it seemed like Sanchez was the victim of a violent attack. Turns out, the police believe it was the other way around. The other man involved, a 69-year-old grease disposal truck driver, told police that Sanchez tried to break into his truck and assaulted him when he refused to move his truck from an alleyway, according to police records. The man first pepper sprayed Sanchez, then, allegedly fearing for his life, stabbed Sanchez multiple times in the chest. Sanchez was eventually taken to the hospital in critical condition, and he later told police that he didn’t know who stabbed him. He’s now in stable condition.

—The NCAA tournament is “inching closer” to expanding to 76 teams. That’s according to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger, who reported that the expansion would likely feature a 12-game opening round in multiple cities, as opposed to the four-team “First Four” matchups which traditionally took place in Dayton, Ohio. I suppose this was inevitable, with so much TV money to be made with the tournament. But I’m not sure if anyone outside of TV execs are really clamoring for this expansion.

Olympic sports spotlight

Many of you have asked and I have heard your pleas for more Olympics sports coverage in the newsletter! So from here on out, most Mondays, we’re going to zoom in on a standout team or athlete from one of USC’s non-revenue programs.

Maribel Flores was named Pac-12 freshman of the year two years ago, but she missed part of the next women’s soccer season to play for Mexico at the U20 World Cup and tallied just a single point as a sophomore.

Now, as a junior, Flores is back in peak form. She has 15 points across 11 games for USC, which ranks third in the Big Ten.

USC struggled without a win through the first three weeks of September, but has since gotten back on track with a three-game win streak. After a road swing through Minnesota and Iowa next week, the Trojans won’t have to leave L.A. for the rest of the regular season. For now, they’re just one game behind UCLA, in second place in the Big Ten.

In case you missed it

Former USC star Mark Sanchez accused of attacking truck driver before he was stabbed

Where does USC go from here with its struggling secondary?

What I’m watching this week

Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman), in ‘Magnolia.’

(Peter Sorel/New Line Cinema)

Inspired by last week’s pick in this space, “One Battle After Another,” which exceeded my sky-high expectations, I’ve decided to dive back into the Paul Thomas Anderson filmography and check off the boxes I’ve missed.

First up in that quest was “Magnolia,” a sprawling, three-hour epic that I’ve been meaning to watch for many years. Set in the San Fernando Valley, where many of Anderson’s films take place, it follows an ensemble of interconnected narratives that Anderson somehow manages to weave into one story. Incredible writing. Amazing acting. As if I needed any more evidence of Anderson’s genius, “Magnolia” only solidified my adoration of his work.

Until next time …

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Lakers entered training camp with hopes of finally establishing chemistry between stars Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. But the trio have yet to see the court together. On Sunday, they all stayed on the bench during the Lakers’ 111-103 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.

With Doncic (rest) and James (glute) already out, Reaves was rested Sunday after an already full first week of training camp. The fifth-year guard had the highest workload on the team entering the first preseason game that took place after three days of practice. He scored 20 points against the Phoenix Suns as one of the few offensive bright spots in Friday’s blowout loss.

Without their top offensive playmakers, the Lakers got a lift from guard Gabe Vincent, who made his preseason debut after nursing a knee injury. He had 16 points and five assists while center Deandre Ayton, who scored just one point on two shots in Friday’s preseason game, scored seven points, all in the first quarter, with seven rebounds.

“We came with more intention,” Vincent said compared to the Lakers’ 103-81 loss to the Suns on Friday. “We were more focused. Obviously it’s different with those three not playing. They’re a huge part of our team and everything that we do. But next man up.”

After their first two preseason games, the Lakers have one week of practice until their first home preseason game against the Warriors on Oct. 12. Coach JJ Redick said that although Doncic was scheduled to rest for the first two preseason games after he played in EuroBasket with his national team, the Slovenian superstar is still expected to play before the team officially opens its season on Oct. 21. The Lakers have four preseason games remaining.

Whether James, who was held out of early training camp practices because of nerve irritation in his glute, will play in the preseason remains to be seen. Entering an unprecedented 23rd NBA season, James is on a slower ramp-up schedule than previous years, Redick said.

The Warriors took a similarly cautious approach with their aging superstars as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler III and Al Horford were all limited to one half. The 37-year-old Curry still scored 14 points in 15 minutes, draining five of seven shots from the field and drawing loud cheers from a nearly full Chase Center crowd when he laid up an acrobatic shot through contact and pointed two finger guns into the ESPN baseline camera.

Redick called it a challenge to get a proper evaluation of his team in a 48-minute preseason game when his top three stars are out, but after Friday’s preseason opener, he was looking for better organization on offense early in the shot clock, playing with pace and more physicality.

“We’ve got to be more physical getting open,” Redick said before the game. “We’ve got to be more physical with our screening. That doesn’t change based on who’s in the lineup, so that habit, we can build that.”

“Championship habits” is one of three pillars Redick has preached relentlessly during training camp, along with championship communication and championship shape. He said he would judge the latter in part by whether players are sprinting back on defense.

The Lakers were outscored 23-5 in transition Sunday and 42-11 through two preseason games.

With the exception of a 10-0 Warriors run to end the second quarter and a nearly six-minute stretch to begin the third quarter during which Golden State pushed a seven-point halftime lead into a 23-point rout, Redick said the overall competitiveness was “much better” than against Phoenix. But the next challenge will be to put forth that effort consistently.

It follows a recent theme Redick introduced to the team: Kaizen, the Japanese word for improvement.

“It’s just getting 1% better each day,” said forward Jake LaRavia, who had 10 points and three assists. “And that goes along with just winning the day. We thought when we played Phoenix, we didn’t. Today, we thought we did a good amount better, obviously, still not the result that we wanted, but we’re working in the right direction.”

MORRISONS is to introduce a big change to its stores to make sure shelves are stocked faster by floor staff.

The supermarket giant is rolling out a tracking app for store managers so they can see how quickly staff are unloading food onto shelves.

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It said the new system, which was first reported by the Telegraph, would allow them to identify when employees may need additional training.

It comes as Morrisons tries to win back shoppers from rivals, as it is set to be overtaken by Lidl as Britain’s fifth biggest supermarket.

The latest data shows that the discount retailer makes up 8.3% of the grocery market share against Morrisons’ 8.4%, according to Worldpanel.

This is compared to Morrisons‘ 8.6% a year earlier, and 9.4% in 2022.

The supermarket said it had been tracking how quickly staff were working for some time now to make sure the right number of workers were on the shop floor.

But the new app will “help teams understand their own performance” and allow employees’ work to be monitored by store managers, rather than the company’s head office.

A Morrisons spokesperson said: “Along with a lot of our sector, we have used ‘time and motion’ data for some time now to help us allocate hours to a store and ensure we have fair, consistent and standardised ways of working.

“To support this, we have created an app to help teams understand their own performance.

“This will allow us to be fair and consistent in recognising colleagues, whilst also identifying opportunities to coach our colleagues and understand where additional support and training may be required.”

Earlier this year, in a move to improve customer service in stores, Morrisons changed its rules for staff so that only certain workers would be allowed to enter stockrooms.

The retailer said it wanted to ensure it had “the right colleagues in the right place to deliver the best service to customers at all times”.

What else is happening at Morrisons?

Last year, Morrisons slashed over 3,600 jobs and closed 17 stores as part of a major shake-up to its operations.

The supermarket’s workforce dropped from 104,819 to 101,144 in the year leading up to October 27, 2024.

Thousands of jobs were axed across Morrisons’ stores, head office, as well as its manufacturing and distribution operations.

The latest job losses come after the Morrisons shut 17 of its stores around the UK earlier this year, with the final store in Haxby, North Yorkshire, closing on May 14.

The 16 other stores were all axed in April.

As part of a cost-cutting overhaul, the grocer also shut more than 50 of its in-store cafés, 35 meat and fish counters, and 18 Market Kitchen food courts earlier this year.

It cited the need to cut costs amid rising financial pressure.

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BIG BROTHER housemate Cameron revealed the surprising REAL reason he entered the house.

The 22-year-old farmer, from Somerset, got candid with fellow housemate Zelah, and opened up about his true intentions for coming onto the show.

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Cameron, who introduced himself as an introvert, told his co-star that he had entered the house on a mission to lose weight, as the pair openly discussed issues around body image.

As the pair had a conversation Cameron admitted that he had come into the house to “lose a bit of weight”.

Zelah, who works a professional trainer, asked if Cameron had any goals when it came to food.

Cameron responded: “Just like not eat so much crap all the time, like don’t binge as much.“

He went on to ask Zelah: “Did you used to be big?”

The personal trainer responded: “I used to be bigger, I used to be overweight.”

Zelah continued: “During my teen years, I developed an eating disorder.”

He opened up about his battle with bulimia, telling Cameron he struggled with “eating and then throwing up”.

Zelah admitted: “It stayed with me for a long time.”

Cameron responded: “At boarding school, we were made to run all the time and I was made to do rugby which I never really liked.”

He added: “I never really enjoyed, especially doing it with other people, I never really enjoyed doing all that.

“I felt embarrassed doing all that actually.”

Viewers praised Cameron for opening up about his body image struggles, particularly after he shared his fears over housemates liking him in an emotional diary room confession after entering the house.

Fans on social media admitted that the farmer has started to grow on them.

One viewer wrote on X: “Farmer O.G Cameron is really growing on me. Seems like such a nice guy. Love the way he emotionally checks in with people so effortlessly.”

Another fan said: “Farmer Cameron is a great addition to the cast i shouldnt have judged him prematurely”.

It comes as Gani became the second housemate to be given the boot from Big Brother house – after facing the first public vote of the series. 

Poor weather conditions meant ITV bosses had to pull the plug on using their outdoor set forcing this week’s evictee to leave via the back door.

Both Gani and Zelah found themselves facing the public vote after being given an evil eye by the four newest housemates – Richard, Feyisola, Cameron B and George.

Upon his departure being confirmed, he was met by Will Best, who walked him over to the Late and Live studio amid the shake-up.

When asked how he was feeling, Gani looked heartbroken as he confessed: “I seriously don’t know what to even say right now.”

During his exit interview with AJ and Will, Gani admitted he wanted to share more of himself whilst on the show.

Big Brother star Gani made a shock confession during Thursday night’s episode as he revealed he was forced to marry his own cousin and now has a 10-month-old baby

A Big Brother housemate left their co-stars stunned by a shock revelation about their love life. The housemates have been getting to know each other as the hit ITV show returned to screens earlier this week.

However, along the way there has already been some surprise admissions. On Thursday night, Gani revealed he was forced to marry his own cousin.

The pizza shop manager, 39, decided to open up to Jenny about his love life and how he explored his sexuality. He revealed that it was his dad’s decision that he should marry despite him knowing it wasn’t for him.

READ MORE: Big Brother fans uncover housemates secret past – including Downton Abbey roleREAD MORE: Big Brother makes huge change to live evictions after 25 years as twist exposed

Gani, who is from south London, also shared that he is a dad to a 10-month-old baby. When he entered the Big Brother house, he was open about being bisexual.

Jenny asked if he had found love since moving to the UK from India, which prompted Gani to revealed more about his life. “This is going to be very interesting and very shocking for you,” he explained.

“2022 was the turning point in my life. I was so open-minded [on sexuality], even though I was from a religious background. I was always like, ‘why not try everything’.”

He added: “From 2022 to 2024, I was literally enjoying and exploring bisexuality. And then at the end of 2023, December 2023, my dad all of a sudden was like, ‘Gani, how long are you not gonna be married. Come on, please marry, why are you doing this?’

“And I was like, ‘no, I don’t want to get married, blah, blah, blah’.” In a turning point, Gani explained: “Then my dad asked me [to get married] and I couldn’t say no. That is how I got married in January 2024 with my cousin.”

Jenny was physically stunned by what she had heard as she asked if he is still married. Gani told her: “I am still married, yeah. I have a baby boy – 10 months old.

“And I said to my mother, ‘It is not you, it is your husband [Gani’s father]. It is my dad, your husband – he forced me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have married.”

Gani admitted he would never have planned to get married himself as he insisted it is “not for me”. Jenny said: “As long as you are happy and your wife is happy but talking to you now, I don’t think you want to be married?

“If you don’t want to be married, can you not get divorced or is that really bad in India?” He went on to explain: “The thing is Jenny, I didn’t marry to get divorced actually.

“I love my wife, I love my son. From where I’m standing, I wanted to repair things and I wanted to be with my wife and son. This is me – either take it or leave it. I choose to live like this because this is my second life and I want to live in a f***ing iconic way.”

Viewers were also as surprised as Jenny as one said: “Biggest bombshell of the season is Gani being married and having a child with his COUSIN.” Another added: “GANI IS MARRIED AND HAS A 10 MONTH OLD SON???? Huhhhh?!” Someone else commented: “gani with the crazy lore drop hello??” A fourth wrote: “Gani is married to WHOOOO????”

READ MORE: £6 ‘pain-free’ razors has shoppers ditching professional exfoliating

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BIG Brother star Elsa Rae’s Tiktok creator boyfriend Ed Matthews was seen throwing a huge tantrum in the street after she sparked romance rumours with one of her housemates. 

After splitting following their on-off romance, Elsa ditched Ed in favour of the Big Brother house. 

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And a TikTok video shows the controversial influencer losing his cool. 

Ed is seen slumped on a bench, saying: “I made a f****** mistake… a big mistake. 

“Everything in this world is energy, you know that.” 

Fans rushed to comment, with one writing: “Big mistake… why, cause Elsa’s making something of herself?”

Another said: “He’s gutted now. She’s an amazing, loyal girl and she deserves better.” 

And a third added: “No one has more drama than Ed Matthews.” 

Big Brother only returned on Sunday night but it didn’t take long for Elsa and housemate Marcus to spark romance rumours.  

Just days into living in the famous house, viewers spotted a budding connection between Elsa and hunky 22-year-old Marcus.

Marcus is a mechanical engineer and has already appeared to have taken a shine to the model who boasts over 500,000 followers online.

But fans think Elsa could have an ulterior motive.

Being sceptical, they have cast doubt on Elsa’s intentions and have suggested she is faking a romance with Marcus purely to make streamer Ed jealous.

Writing on X, one viewer said: “Elsa trying to make Ed Mathew jealous.”

Another added: “If that’s a hint of a Marcus / Elsa showmance then they can f*** off…..”

Dani Dyer has opened up on how she feels watching fellow Love Island alumni Amber Davies join the cast of Strictly Come Dancing in her place following injury

Dani Dyer has admitted she found the first live Strictly Come Dancing show hard to watch at the weekend. The former Love Island star, 29, had been excited to be a part of the hit BBC contest, but injury forced her to quit in the week running up to the series starting.

Now, while chatting with her dad Danny Dyer on their Live and Let Dyers podcast, the reality TV star admitted she would love to go back next series. “My door is open,” she confessed. “If they want their door to be open then I’ll walk through their door.”

And talking about Amber Davies replacing her, she admitted she feels she will be amazing with Nikita Guzman. “Watching the launch show, they’re all so lovely,” she said before her dad asked how she felt.

READ MORE: Dani Dyer opens up about ‘pure devastation’ she felt when forced to quit StrictlyREAD MORE: Love Island star’s desperate call to cops after creepy man ‘tried to grab kids’

“That was really hard,” she confessed. “Obviously seeing them, but obviously Amber’s come in and they’re going to be amazing together.

“I’m glad that Nikita’s actually got a partner because there was a chance he wouldn’t get a partner. It was just such a quick turnaround.”

She added: “Listen, I wish everyone the best, ” before confessing her love for Geordie Shore’s Vicky Pattison. “I’m so glad I met Vicky,” she gushed.

Dani also revealed during the chat that she felt she may have done something wrong in the world after injuring herself. It left her requiring the advice of her therapist for the first time since she met her husband Jarrod Bowen.

“He just put things into perspective for me,” she candidly revealed.

Speaking of how the injury occurred, dad Danny labelled it a “freak f***ing accident”. Dani then added: “Basically I fell and rolled my ankle and initially I heard a noise but I thought, ‘I think it’ll be fine’, but I came home on the weekend and iced it all, and they sent me for the MRI and it came back that there was a hairline fracture on my ankle, but it was my ligaments.”

“They said to me, the physio, if you have a grade one sprain, we can work with a grade one sprain, but one side of my ankle had a grade two sprain and the other side had a grade one.

“We went and got a second opinion, see the doctor, and I was like ‘What can we do? Physically do? Can you jab it, there’s got to be something’.”

But she admitted the Strictly bosses pulled the plug on her time, admitting they told her it wasn’t worth it. They explained she would be “in so much pain” if she was to continue.

Now, with Amber going in as one of the favourites, fans have been wondering if her call-up is fair due to her West End and dancing background.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

READ MORE: ‘I tested this £28 foundation – it’s a dream and made my face glow all day’

Celebrity Big Brother legend Tiffany Pollard has publicly come out as non-binary as she says she’s embracing both her masculine and feminine sides

Reality TV star Tiffany Pollard has publicly come out as non-binary, opening up about her gender identity and sexual orientation in a series of candid interviews.

The former Flavor of Love and Celebrity Big Brother UK star, 43, explained that she resonates with being non-binary because she experiences both masculine and feminine aspects of herself. “I really do resonate with non-binary because I feel like we are so dual without even recognising it,” she shared this week.

“Some days, I may feel a lot more masculine, and some days I’m super feminine, and that’s okay,” the iconic CBB housemate added.

READ MORE: Big Brother’s first ever winner Craig Phillips explains why he’s left the UKREAD MORE: Carol Vorderman’s three-word reaction as rival Michelle Mone told to repay £122million

Tiffany has also reflected on her early experiences with her sexuality, revealing that she first kissed a girl in middle school and immediately felt it was right.

“It had to happen at some point. You gonna come out of that closet, and once you do, it’s like, ‘Okay, wow, this world is open to me in new ways,'” she told PinkNews. “Shoving me back in the closet is never gonna be an option.”

The reality star, who became a household name as the “HBIC” on Flavor of Love, has long been celebrated for her unapologetic personality and defiance of norms.

On Celebrity Big Brother UK in 2016, Tiffany delivered some of the show’s most unforgettable moments.

These include her infamous “David’s dead” misunderstanding and a string of viral diary room rants where she slammed fellow housemate Gemma Collins.

These moments have cemented her as a fan favourite and contributed to her incredibly strong following within the LGBTQIA+ community.

Tiffany attributes part of her appeal to the community to her authenticity and her resilience, as well as her iconic and sometimes controversial reality TV moments.

Speaking on a recent podcast, she said: “I was bullied a lot, especially coming up as a kid, and I feel like the gays understand that and accept it and see me in a lot of ways, and vice versa”.

She also discussed her exploration of masculinity, noting: “I talk like a man, I think like a man… and why is that something I have to suppress if I know it’s there? But can I throw on a heel and a wig and feel amazing? Yes. There’s still another side to me.”

The star has described her life as “very, very broad,” emphasising that she has never shied away from expressing herself fully.

Tiffany’s openness about her non-binary identity and queer experiences adds to her reputation as an incredibly iconic and influential figure for representation in reality television and beyond.

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READ MORE: Maura Higgins says affordable £10 root spray ‘saves her life’ and covers grey hairs

After a disappointing start to the season in which UCLA’s offense ranked among the worst in the nation, the Bruins and offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri mutually parted ways Tuesday evening, a university official told The Times.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the move has not been publicly announced.

Sunseri becomes the second coordinator to depart in the wake of coach DeShaun Foster’s dismissal, after defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe left earlier this month in another mutual parting of ways.

Tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel will be the offensive playcaller when the Bruins (0-4 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) face No. 7 Penn State (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday at the Rose Bowl. Plans are underway to finalize additional staff and it is anticipated that former UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone will assume analyst responsibilities, pending completion of the appropriate university processes.

Neuheisel and Mazzone have a long history together, starting when Mazzone was UCLA’s offensive coordinator and Neuheisel a backup quarterback from 2012-15. After a stint playing professionally in Japan, Neuheisel joined Texas A&M’s staff as a quality control assistant before the 2017 season at the urging of Mazzone, then the Aggies’ offensive coordinator.

“He said, ‘You’re coming with me, I don’t care what you say,’ ” Neuheisel recalled. “And I said, ‘You’re right, I’m coming.’ I got on the next plane to Texas A&M.”

Sunseri’s hiring was hailed as a coup for the Bruins given that he was co-offensive coordinator last season at Indiana, which averaged 47.8 points on the way to reaching the College Football Playoff. But the Bruins’ offense has struggled mightily in Sunseri’s first season as a playcaller, averaging 14.2 points to rank No. 132 out of 134 major college teams. UCLA also averaged 321.2 yards per game, ranking No. 117 nationally.

The lack of offensive production has been a big reason why UCLA has fallen behind in every game, trailing 20-0 against Utah, 23-0 against Nevada Las Vegas, 14-0 against New Mexico and 17-0 against Northwestern.

Sunseri also couldn’t replicate the success he had as quarterbacks coach at Indiana and James Madison. While UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava has completed a career-high 65.3% of his passes, he’s averaging only 197 passing yards per game and has logged nearly as many interceptions (three) as touchdowns (four), leading to a career-low quarterback rating.

Mazzone helped generate dynamic, high-scoring offenses in four seasons under then-UCLA coach Jim Mora. Mazzone later served as offensive coordinator at Texas A&M and Arizona before going on to serve in that same capacity for three teams in the United States Football League and United Football League.

Mazzone, 68, favors no-huddle offenses light on plays and heavy on simplicity. He’s also known for tailoring offenses to his personnel, particularly the quarterbacks.

“I try to create space for playmakers,” Mazzone told The Times in 2012. “I’m going to get you the ball where all you’ve got to do is beat one guy man-to-man. I do that, then it’s up to you.”

Neuheisel is a lifelong Bruin, having been born at UCLA Medical Center before going on to play quarterback for the team his father once coached, coming off the bench to lead the Bruins to a come-from-behind victory over Texas in 2014. He returned to his alma mater in 2018 as a graduate assistant before subsequent promotions to wide receivers coach and tight ends coach.

One of Neuheisel’s most visible roles is leading postgame locker-room celebrations after victories, yelling, “It’s a great day to be a Bruin!” before players repeat the phrase.

Neuheisel’s latest promotion to playcaller represents another step toward what he’s long said was his dream job: UCLA head coach.

“I didn’t get to put roses on my shoulder as a player,” Neuheisel told The Times in 2016, referring to a Rose Bowl game tradition, “but I’m going to come back and put the roses on the players as a coach.”

A 10-second bit by ABC comedian Jimmy Kimmel plunged Walt Disney Co. into a full-blown crisis that rippled across America.

President Trump, the Federal Communications Commission chief and others were angered this month over Kimmel’s remarks about the Charlie Kirk shooting, which they said had suggested the suspect was a “Make America Great Again” Republican. Kimmel asserted Trump supporters were “trying to score political points” from the tragedy.

TV station groups pulled the program and Disney benched the comedian, sparking a bigger backlash. Protesters lit into the Mouse House for seemingly kowtowing to the Trump administration, consumers canceled Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions and more than 400 celebrities, including Tom Hanks, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lin-Manuel Miranda, signed a letter calling for a defense of free speech. Some investors bailed, briefly erasing nearly $4 billion in corporate market value.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger and his team turned the tide last week when they returned Kimmel to his late-night perch.

But the pressure on Disney’s top brass remains. Trump was not happy over Kimmel’s comeback, grousing that he may lob another lawsuit at ABC. In December, Disney agreed to pay $15 million to end a defamation suit Trump brought against the network and anchor George Stephanopoulos over misstatements.

And FCC Chairman Brendan Carr — who threatened ABC over Kimmel’s comments — isn’t backing down; he’s already opened one investigation into Disney and ABC for their diversity embrace.

“This [situation] isn’t going away anytime soon,” Nien-hê Hsieh, a Harvard Business School professor, said in an interview. “How it is managed certainly matters a lot.”

The Kimmel controversy exposed cracks at the Burbank company that has long meticulously managed its image. It also highlighted the fraught environment facing Disney’s next leader during a period of significant challenges for the entertainment juggernaut.

“Succession is difficult for any company — the stakes are high,” Hsieh said. “But Disney also is kind of a lightning rod that attracts criticism because of its brand and its prevalence and prominence.”

Iger, 74, is retiring for a second time in late 2026, when his contract expires. Within a few months, Disney’s board is expected to name a replacement — a pivotal decision for a company that has long struggled with succession.

Aside from the Trump administration, Disney’s next boss must navigate the shift to streaming, competition from tech giants, the rise of artificial intelligence, a potential economic slowdown and fragile geopolitics with a theme park in China and one planned for the Middle East. The new CEO also must try to keep Disney from again being drawn into America’s culture wars.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger is expected to retire at the end of 2026 after nearly 20 years leading the Burbank entertainment giant.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Four internal candidates are vying for the job, including Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, who oversees television and streaming and managed the Kimmel crisis with Iger.

Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s theme parks and experiences chief, is viewed by many as the leading contender.

Also in the CEO mix are ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro; and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman, who oversees movies, including the Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars franchises, and, in concert with Walden, entertainment streaming services.

“The next leader needs to be very attuned to how the company is perceived and valued by its customers and clients,” Hsieh said. “This is a moment for people to be very clear about their values.”

Disney’s values were questioned by many after the decision to yank Kimmel from the air.

As protesters buzzed around Disney’s Burbank headquarters and Kimmel’s darkened theater on Hollywood Boulevard, the voice of the company’s former chief rang out.

“Where has all the leadership gone?” Michael Eisner asked in a stinging Sept. 19 social media post. “If not for university presidents, law firm managing partners, and corporate chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up for the first amendment?”

Disney hadn’t formally addressed the situation. The only public message was a terse ABC statement on Sept. 17 — minutes after Iger and Walden moved to suspend the show: “ ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ will be pre-empted indefinitely.”

Kimmel was furious. It was about an hour to showtime and his studio audience was queued up outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre. He had intended to clarify his words that night.

But Walden and Iger were worried the comedian was dug in, and his planned remarks would only inflame the situation.

Disney’s move to bench Jimmy Kimmel prompted protests, including days of demonstrations outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre, where “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is taped.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

What was initially viewed by Disney executives as a social media storm — vitriol from Trump supporters — had morphed into an existential threat for ABC when Carr, the FCC chairman, threatened to go after station licenses.

Carr urged other broadcasters to take a stand — a call heeded by Nexstar Media Group, which needs FCC approval for its proposed $6.2-billion takeover of a rival TV station owner, Tegna.

Nexstar pulled Kimmel’s program, followed by the politically conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group. The two companies own stations that provide 22% of ABC’s coverage.

Protesters called for a Disney boycott this month outside the darkened stage of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ The comedian returned Sept. 23.

(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)

ABC’s ambiguous seven-word statement suggested to many that Kimmel wasn’t returning.

“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that night. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”

Disney executives privately said they were simply hitting pause. ABC executives and talent were getting death threats, according to one insider who was not authorized to discuss the situation. Later, in Sacramento, a gunman fired three shots into the lobby of an ABC-affiliated station. No one was injured.

But Disney’s initial response was roundly criticized for being weak, an abdication of the 1st Amendment. “To surrender our right to speak freely is to accept that those in power, not the people, will set the boundaries of debate that define a free society,” Anna M. Gomez, the sole Democrat FCC commissioner, said in a statement.

Executives defended the ABC statement, noting that anything Disney had said at that moment could have exacerbated its troubles with the FCC and station groups. One insider added that company also needed time to weigh whether it was worth bringing back the show.

Iger and Walden held a Sunday sit-down with Kimmel on Sept. 21 to clear the air. The following day, Disney announced his show would return.

“It wasn’t a reaction to any regulatory threats or political threats — it was an editorial decision because we felt the comments were ill-timed and, thus, insensitive given the topic,” Horacio Gutierrez, Disney’s chief legal and compliance officer, said in an interview Monday. “We felt our responsibility was to avoid further inflaming the situation during a very delicate and emotional time for the nation and that couldn’t be achieved in the heat of the moment.”

Gutierrez said narratives about Disney’s motives were inaccurate.

“The guidance we were given by Bob as we were thinking this through was to do the right thing, and that’s what we did in both preempting the show and in putting it back on the air,” he said. “Other people can comment about what they would have done or said … but the reality is the action of the company speaks louder than any words.”

Brian Frons, a former senior ABC executive and a UCLA Anderson School professor, said the way the crisis was handled reflected Iger’s measured leadership style.

“This situation could have turned into a firefight with the [Trump] administration — a direct confrontation,” Frons said. “It could have been Florida-Chapek all over again.”

Disney’s last major public relations debacle was in early 2022, when former Disney CEO Bob Chapek tumbled into a political quagmire with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Disney belatedly opposed a Florida law banning school conversations about sexual orientation, the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill, prompting DeSantis to retaliate with a takeover of a Central Florida land-use board overseeing development around Walt Disney World.

Chapek’s shaky handling of the Florida dispute, which led conservatives to declare the company had become “woke,” was among the reasons Disney board’s fired him in November 2022, returning Iger to the top job.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger (left) and Bob Chapek (right) who served 2 1/2 years as chief executive. Chapek was removed in November 2022 to make way for Iger’s return.

(Business Wire)

Chapek had been Iger’s hand-picked successor but lasted in the job just 2½ years as pandemic dealt a crushing blow to theme parks, movie theaters and sporting events.

“In our instant-response culture, we want managers to have an immediate response and confrontation,” Frons said. “Sometimes, the instant solution might not be the best one.”

The Kimmel crisis and Chapek’s stormy tenure hover over succession.

Disney’s Achilles’ heel has long been its leadership handoffs. Over the years, Iger postponed several planned retirements, prompting at least one prospective successor, Tom Staggs, to exit the company in frustration.

The switch to Iger from Eisner 20 years ago was even more tumultuous, a move made to tamp down a shareholder revolt.

Before Iger was in the wings, Eisner recruited Creative Arts Agency co-founder Michael Ovitz — a debacle that ended in a court battle and a $140-million Disney payout.

Walt Disney Co. Chairman James P. Gorman is the former chief executive of Morgan Stanley.

(China News Service / China News Service via Getty Images)

Last year, Disney turned to James P. Gorman, Morgan Stanley’s former executive chairman, to oversee the succession process amid past criticism that some board members were too deferential to Iger. (A source close to the company disputed that characterization.)

Gorman became chairman of Disney’s board in January. He’s credited with orchestrating a smooth transition at the bank where he served as CEO for 14 years.

Disney’s board has said it would consider internal and outside candidates when determining who’s best equipped to lead the $206-billion company.

Walden was viewed as the early favorite, but some believe that Trump’s election last November might have changed that. The 60-year-old television executive has long been supportive of Democrat causes and is a friend of former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Walden joined Disney in 2019 after Disney swallowed Rupert Murdoch’s Fox entertainment properties, including the Fox television and movie studios and a controlling stake in Hulu. She oversees ABC, ABC News, Disney Channel, National Geographic and, with Bergman, the streaming services.

It’s not clear whether the Kimmel controversy helped or hurt her chances. By the end of last week, both Nexstar and Sinclair had abandoned their boycotts, returning the show to their ABC-affiliated stations.

“If this situation holds, Dana may have proved herself as a very effective crisis manager,” Frons said.

Clockwise from top left: Alan Bergman, Josh D’Amaro, Dana Walden and Jimmy Pitaro.

(Evan Agostini, Chris Pizzello and Richard Shotwell / Invision via AP)

D’Amaro, the parks and experiences chief, is thought to have an edge. Neither Disney nor the board have signaled that there is a front-runner.

The 54-year-old executive runs Disney’s biggest and most prosperous unit — theme parks, resorts, cruise lines and experiences, including video games. D’Amaro is an architect of Disney’s $60-billion campaign to expand and revitalize its parks and resorts and double the number of cruise ships.

The charismatic D’Amaro brims with enthusiasm for Disney where he’s spent most of his adult life — more than 27 years.

Bergman, 59, is a savvy executive who runs Disney’s film studios, its major creative franchises, as well as theatrical and streaming releases and marketing. He oversees Disney Music Group and its Broadway show unit.

And Pitaro, the Connecticut-based ESPN chief, has helped lead Disney’s push to streaming as the once lucrative cable business has contracted. The 56-year-old executive, a former consumer products and Yahoo executive, has managed Disney’s dealings with the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball.

Some worry that none of the candidates will match Iger’s skills.

“This idea that you’re going to replace the CEO — a person who is at the height of their power — with somebody in a similar place is pretty hard,” Frons said. “Instead, you have to ask: Who is the person who can best position Disney for the future in all the businesses that are important today and might be important in the future?”

Why I park my $25K in an HYSA

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WILKO is now selling official Labubu dolls – but shoppers have been infuriated by the hefty price tags.

The dolls, which originate from Hong Kong, are retailing for £50 at the high street chain.

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Customers took to social media to express their anger at the prices of the fang-toothed, fuzzy dolls.

One said on Instagram: ” The prices are horrendous.”

Another added: “Get stuffed.”

While a third said: “Disgusting prices.”

The dolls are currently available both in Wilko stores and online.

Wilko returned to UK high streets last year after announcing it would be closing all of its shops back in October 2023.

The Labubu doll was first introduced in 2015 but has soared in popularity through celebrity endorsements and its ‘ugly-cute’ design.

They are particularly popular across Southern Asia, with K-Pop performer, Lisa, sharing the fluffy doll on her Instagram story which skyrocketed the craze around the toy.

The hashtag Labubu has appeared more than a million times on TikTok.

Where else can you purchase Labubu’s

The figures are available on the Pop Mart platform but consumers have to be incredibly savvy to get them as they are often sold out.

However, if you live near London, Pop Mart’s new flagship shop has just opened on Oxford Street, which often has exclusive drops of the dolls.

These retail for £32, far less than Wilko.

The doll is also available on Amazon for much cheaper prices, although highly sought after editions can sell for upwards of three figures.

You might have more luck looking on second hand retailers such as Vinted or Depop, who often sell high quality items for half the price.

If you don’t want to purchase the item, you can even rent the dolls.

You can borrow the charms for around £4 a day on platforms such as By Rotation.

Growing number of fakes

Not only have the dolls risen to extremely high prices, there is huge number of counterfeits arriving in the UK.

Out of the 259,000 fake toys that arrived in the UK this year, 90% have been Labubu dolls.

Experts value this haul at nearly £3.3million.

Many of these toys fail safety checks for banned chemicals and pose significant choking hazards.

However, despite these safety concerns, IPO research said that 92% of customer we’re aware they we’re buying counterfeit products, but that the price was more important.

How to avoid buying fake toys

Many customers are not aware that they are buying fakes, but the IPO research found that 58% would think twice before purchasing if they knew the safety risks.

Customers should stick to there trusted retailers and official branded websites to avoid purchasing fakes.

Additionally, prices that look ‘to good to be true’ are likely to imply a fake item.

You should also look thoroughly through the reviews before purchasing, look beyond the first few.

When the toy arrives you should look for a UKCA safety mark and a UK or EU contact on the pacakaging.

The packaging should also look of high standard and not have any immediate signs of wear.

For Labubu’s particular, collectors suggest looking for signs such as brightness of the packaging, pop mart stamp on their foot, number of teeth of the dolls should have (nine) and the presence of the a QR code, to ensure the validity of the doll.