ANAHEIM, Calif. — Reliever Kirby Yates finalized a $5-million, one-year deal with the Angels on Tuesday.
A 38-year-old right-hander, Yates flopped last season with the Dodgers. He did not pitch after Sept. 20 after straining his right hamstring, an injury that also sidelined him between May 17 and June 8.
Yates is technically making a return the Angels, who employed him for one major league appearance in 2017 after claiming him off waivers from the Yankees. Yates subsequently joined the San Diego Padres and enjoyed the longest sustained success of his career before bouncing to Atlanta, Texas and the Dodgers over the past three seasons.
The veteran is rejoining Mike Maddux, the pitching coach who oversaw Yates’ All-Star performance in 2024 while both were with the Rangers. Yates went 7-2 with a 1.17 ERA, an 0.83 WHIP and 85 strikeouts in 61 innings for Texas.
Yates still earned a World Series ring last season after agreeing to a $13-million, one-year deal with the Dodgers, but he spent three stints on the injured list and had a 5.23 ERA before failing to get on the postseason roster as part of the Dodgers’ struggling bullpen.
Yates is 30-24 with a 3.36 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and 98 saves in 472 relief appearances over 11 major league seasons with Tampa Bay (2014-15), the Yankees (2016), the Angels, San Diego (2017-20), Atlanta (2022-23), Texas (2024) and the Dodgers. He led the major leagues with 41 saves in 2019.
He had Tommy John surgery twice, in 2006 while in college and after getting hurt during spring training in 2021 with Toronto.
He is the latest addition to the Angels’ overhauled pitching staff, joining new relievers Jordan Romano and Drew Pomeranz. The Angels also took low-cost fliers on Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah, two once-promising starters whose careers were derailed in recent years.
Cruz Beckham’s girlfriend Jackie Apostel has revealed her new surprise career moveCredit: InstagramJackie’s new career could spark rivalry with Cruz’s brother Brooklyn Beckham’s wife NicolaCredit: GettyJackie was at Cruz’s dad’s 50th birthday celebrations which Brooklyn and Nicola snubbedCredit: Instagram
The talented star is already known for being a music producer and model and now she wants to add another string to her bow.
Jackie revealed in a lengthy video that she wants to make movies, but musical ones.
She opened the post up with saying how this was one of her New Year’s resolutions.
Jackie then said: “I really want to write a musical and I’ve wanted to write a musical for a really long time. I know it sounds lame and I know a lot of musicals are s**t but mine will not be.”
To clarify what type of musical she meant, she wrote over the top of the clip “not Broadway, but movies”.
Continuing, Jackie said: “And I’ve always loved musicals. I want to write. you know something as timeless and iconic as Grease or something you know Disney Pixar vibes.
“I would love that as well. I’m a huge fan of like Rio. The music is just unbelievable. In a dream world.”
Jackie ended the video with: “I think 2026 is the year you make things happen and you expect the unexpected.”
CRUZ SPEAKS OUT
Meanwhile, leading up to Christmas, Jackie’s boyfriend Cruz made several attempts to extend an olive branch to his big brother amid the high profile feud.
One of which was a photo he shared of himself with both of his brothers, Brooklyn and Romeo Beckham, 23.
Across the snap Cruz wrote: “Love you guys.”
Cruz has been dating for nearly two yearsCredit: Getty
However, despite this olive branch, things took a bad turn shortly before Christmas.
Wedding Dress Controversy: Rumours begin circulating that there’s tension between Nicola and Victoria Beckham after Nicola chooses not to wear a Victoria Beckham-designed wedding gown. Nicola later clarifies in August 2022 (and again in March 2023) that Victoria’s atelier couldn’t make the dress in time, but reports in May 2025 suggest Victoria actually changed her mind about making the dress.
Post-Wedding (2022 onwards): Minimal interaction between Nicola and Victoria on social media, and noticeable absence of Nicola at key Beckham family events.
May 2025:David Beckham’s 50th Birthday Snub: Brooklyn and Nicola are notably absent from David Beckham’s 50th birthday celebrations in London, despite being invited. Reports suggest their absence was due to Brooklyn not wanting to be in the same room as Kim Turnbull, the girlfriend of Romeo who had previously been reported to have been dating Brooklyn, who David allegedly opted to have at the party over Nicola.
Rumours emerge of a falling out between Brooklyn and his younger brother Romeo, reportedly due to Romeo’s new girlfriend, DJ Kim Turnbull, who allegedly had a past connection with Brooklyn.
Reports surface that the Beckham parents are “hurt and disappointed” that Brooklyn is “playing no part in family life.” Sources claim that tensions between Brooklyn and Nicola and his parents are “definitely not beyond repair.”
July 2025: Reports indicate David and Victoria are “desperate” to reconcile with Brooklyn. Brooklyn publicly wishes his sister Harper a happy 14th birthday on Instagram, tagging Nicola, which is seen as a potential “olive branch” and a rare public message to his family amid the rumored rift.
Brooklyn UNFOLLOWS his brothers Romeo and Cruz just 24 hours after his birthday message to Harper. Nicola quickly follows suit and also ditches the Beckham bros from her Instagram following. Romeo and Cruz are now also no longer following Brooklyn.
She made her debut in the panto playing the Wicked Fairy in Sleeping Beauty.
Other lesser known stars taking part in Panto this year include Call the Midwife’s Laura Main and Helen George.
The Sun understands there is set to be a huge shake up of London panto as a series of decade long contracts expire.
A source said: “Many of the famous faces in the Palladium’s panto have been on contracts locking them in for years – some as much as a decade.
“They are now all running out so bosses are ready to shake things up.”
Panto Rich List
1. Alison Hammond, £195,000
2. Scott Mills £190k
3. Vernon Kay. £190k
4. Christopher Biggins, £180k
5. Bradley Walsh. £120k
6. Catherine Tate, £120k
7. Brian Connelly, £120k
8. Sydnie Christmas, £80k
9. Nigel Havers, £60k
10. Katie Price, £50k
Scott Mills raked in £190,000 for his role in Jack and the BeanstalkCredit: Trafalgar TicketsPantomime stalwart Christopher Biggins is one of the top paid stars, but not quite the very topCredit: Rex
Alongside Steve Smith, Khawaja is one of two remaining members of the Australia team beaten by England in their last series win in this country in 2010-11.
Khawaja has made 6,206 Test runs at an average of 43.39, with 16 hundreds.
He needs 30 runs in his final Test to go above Mike Hussey into 14th on Australia’s all-time run-scorers list, just behind the great Donald Bradman in 13th.
Khawaja played the last of his 40 one-day internationals in July 2019, having scored 1,554 runs at 42. He played in nine T20 internationals, scoring 241 runs at 26.77.
Now playing domestically for Queensland, Khawaja will end his career on the ground that was his home when he first played professional cricket for New South Wales in 2008.
Often in and out of the Australia team across his Test career, he found a home at the top of the order during the previous home Ashes in 2021-22.
However, his place came under scrutiny during this series after he suffered back spasms in the first Test that prevented him from opening.
Travis Head took Khawaja’s place in the second innings and made a swashbuckling century to lead Australia to an eight-wicket win.
Khawaja subsequently missed the second Test with the back problem and was due to be left out of the third, only to receive a late call-up when Steve Smith fell ill.
He made scores of 82 and 40 in Adelaide to retain his place in the fourth Test.
After the Ashes Australia will not play another Test until August, by which time Khawaja will be almost 40.
Australia lead the current Ashes series 3-1. The final Test starts on Sunday (23:30 GMT, Saturday).
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Lauren Betts scored 25 points and surpassed 1,500 career points in leading No. 4 UCLA to a 97-61 rout of Penn State on Wednesday.
Gianna Kneepkens added 17 points, Kiki Rice scored 16 and Sienna Betts 10 for the Bruins (13-1, 3-0 Big Ten), who won their seventh in a row after leading for all but 31 seconds.
The Bruins, who entered averaging just over 95 points per game since their lone loss to the No. 2 Texas Longhorns on Nov. 27, found their offense immediately inside a quiet Rec Hall.
Lauren Betts finished 11 for 19 from the floor. She sunk a layup in the opening seconds to spark the first of a handful of lopsided runs for the Bruins.
Kneepkens and Rice added back-to-back three-pointers moments later before Kneepkens hit another long ball to put UCLA up 13-2 less than three minutes in.
Penn State (7-7, 0-3) responded with a pair of buckets, but Kneepkens drained her third three-pointer of the quarter and UCLA closed out the first on a 14-5 run shooting 58% from the floor.
The rout was on from there for the Bruins, who led by as many as 37 with 6:41 in the fourth quarter. They led 46-23 at halftime.
Gracie Merkle had 15 points and Kiyomi McMiller scored 13 for Penn State, which fell to 1-15 against AP top 10 teams since coach Carolyn Kieger’s first season in 2019.
Up next UCLA: vs. No. 17 USC at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night.
Wow, 2025 — in the race to dismantle civilization, you certainly outdid yourself. And it took some brilliant stand-ups this year to take our problems big and small and turn them into jokes that reminded us that what we’re going through isn’t so bad or at least offer solace that things could always be worse. The best comedy specials even found a way to bring humanity together. From arena-level acts to L.A.’s favorite local comics, these were our favorite comedy specials from 2025.
Frankie Quinones at Super Chief Art Gallery in Los Angeles.
(Ethan Benavidez/For The Times)
Frankie Quiñones, “Damn, That’s Crazy” (Hulu)
In his Hulu debut “Damn That’s Crazy,” comedy sketchmaster Frankie Quiñones, who earned viral fame for his Cholofit character, does all the heavy lifting as himself. And at certain points, he definitely gets heavy. Directed by Ali Wong, the special takes viewers on a journey of relationship baggage, pandemic-related sex addictions and unresolved family trauma over sexual abuse he endured when he was a child. Yet still — there are plenty of laughs along the way. It’s the type of thing that people will certainly label as brave, but only because it succeeds without trying to be. (Nate Jackson)
It’s easy to be fooled into thinking Andrew Schulz is living his best life when he’s in the spotlight. But the stand-up comic and successful podcaster has been through his own share of problems too, like his and his wife’s efforts to have a baby. It was an ordeal that inspired a refreshingly honest core of his latest hour titled, simply, “Life,” which focused on struggles with conception, IVF and new fatherhood. Though 2025 was a year when his name was often linked to the manosphere led by Joe Rogan, Schulz’s special puts less effort into shock humor and any alt-right political agendas (though there is a touch of that here and there) as he leads with his personal story that shows a side to him as a parent that makes it not just funny, but also a compelling watch. (N.J.)
Our picks for this year’s best in arts and entertainment.
Sebastian Maniscalco, “It Ain’t Right” (Hulu)
In his seventh special, “It Ain’t Right,” Sebastian Maniscalco continues his streak as the Michael Jordan of disgruntled dad humor. As an arena-level act, the 51-year-old Chicago-bred comic still has the rubber-limbed athleticism and animated bravado that allows every one of his punchlines to be seen from space (or at least the cheap seats). But the over-the-top exaggeration he’s known for is always rooted in humility and shame — as with any good Italian. The infirmities of getting older are also a key source of laughter in this new hour, from the struggle of putting on socks, going to bed with sleep apnea or taking his family to the zoo. Like the title of the special, a lot of the stress Maniscalco continues to put up with as a superstar comic doesn’t seem right, but thankfully it’s still funny. (N.J.)
Bill Burr, “Drop Dead Years” (Hulu)
No one detonates a room with honesty and irritation quite like Bill Burr, and his latest, “Drop Dead Years,” shows the comedian in his fully evolved form. His rants remain forever epic as he talks about outlawing war, freedom of kids’ speech, social acceptance, (not) thinking positive and fake political empathy. He even turns inward, questioning his own need to be likable and empathetic. Burr may joke that he’s a broken man, but as fans would expect, he pieces it together beautifully in this special. (Ali Lerman)
Jordan Jensen, “Take Me With You” (Netflix)
Jordan Jensen’s comedy is hard to categorize, just like the rest of her. And while that’s generally how we like our funny people — layered, nuanced, tortured — it tends to wreak havoc on the actual lives of the comics themselves. Not quite fitting in a box (even though she definitely knows how to build one) has been Jensen’s shtick since birth. She grew up in upstate New York, raised in a heavy-construction family that included three lesbian moms and a dad who died when she was young. Because of that unconventional background, she says her level of hormone-fueled boy craziness mixed with her rugged ability to swing a hammer basically turned her into “a gay man.” Somewhere in her teens she entered a “fat mall goth” phase that she’s never left, even after becoming a popular comedian worthy of a Netflix special. Combining her inner Hot Topic teen with freak-flag feminism and alpha-male energy, her style makes not fitting in feel like one of the coolest things you can do — because it is. (N.J.)
Atsuko Okatsuka
(Mary Ellen Matthews / Disney)
Atsuko Okatsuka, “Father” (Hulu)
There were a lot of specials that came out this year, but only one featured a perfectly coiffed bowl haircut, because only Atsuko Okatsuka could pull it off. In her latest for Hulu, “Father,” Okatsuka makes a great case for codependency as she talks about living a tandem life with her husband Ryan, their choice not to have kids, the downside to having “a story,” and she also pulls back the pompoms on the dark side of cheerleading. Okatsuka’s movements are just as witty as her words, her energy is infectious, and “Father” is as refreshingly unpredictable as she is. (A.L.)
In the pantheon of stand-up comedy’s living legends, few names carry more weight than Fluffy‘s. In “Legend of Fluffy,” which premiered on Netflix in January, the comedian born Gabriel Iglesias takes fans through a giant retrospective of his career in comedy while zooming in on certain aspects of life: dating as a newly single man, trying to age gracefully, and a robbery that happened at his former home in Long Beach. It’s the type of special that is loud (just like his Hawaiian shirts) but also contains a positive message about refusing to give up on your dreams even in the face of obstacles, doubt or a near-death experience on a private jet. (N.J.)
Marc Maron, “Panicked” (HBO)
The L.A. comedy scene’s favorite curmudgeon is still finding the will to propel himself forward, hurtling over one existential crisis after another. Many of them come out in his latest HBO special, “Panicked,” where he zooms in on the indignities of not only growing old but finding ways to care for an aging dad whom he describes as “newly demented.” Between bits about being unlucky in love, we see flashes of pain held over from the death of his partner Lynn Shelton. But that vulnerability one might ordinarily save for therapy comes out in the form of genius, nonsensical segues to bits about rat poop under his house, Hitler’s fashion choices, the saving power of Taylor Swift and more from Maron’s endearing, hopelessly twisted psyche. (N.J.)
Nate Jackson
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Nate Jackson, “Super Funny” (Netflix)
There’s a reason Nate Jackson’s debut Netflix special arrives during barbecue season. Perched on a stool under the spotlight at his shows, the comedian spends most of the evening delivering hospital-worthy third-degree burns to crowd members who want the smoke. Throughout his quick-witted hour of crowd work on “Super Funny,” Jackson finds a way to weave the stories of his random audience members together in a way that makes the whole show feel pre-planned. Meanwhile, even as Jackson is busy making fans the butt of his comedic freestyle, the person laughing the hardest in the crowd is usually the roastee. It’s the mark of good crowd work that’s not simply well done but, more important, done well. (N.J.)
Leanne Morgan, “Unspeakable Things” (Netflix)
Most comics are used to getting better with age but not necessarily bigger. Though she’s just turned 60 years old, one of comedian Leanne Morgan’s funniest jokes about herself is about just how big she’s gotten —not in terms of her career but her figure. It’s one of the first lines that escapes her mouth in her latest Netflix special, “Unspeakable Things.” But despite her jokes about not fitting into the typical Hollywood mold, it’s clear that Morgan’s life and career have certainly changed for the better since her hit 2023 Netflix debut, “I Am Every Woman.” As she grabbed the mic again for the streamer in 2025 — this time on a glitzy stage wearing a golden gown — her unvarnished style of storytelling shows us why she’s resonating with much of America. There’s just no substitute for a whip-smart Southern woman telling it like it is. (N.J.)
Iliza Shlesinger
(Marcus Ubungen / Los Angeles Times)
Iliza Shlesinger, “A Different Animal” (Prime Video)
Comedian Iliza Shlesinger takes the word “special” very seriously, and not just because she’s done a lot of them (seven). It’s because when she hits the stage, the goal is to leave a mark. In her latest, “A Different Animal,” Shlesinger dives into her evolution as a mother of two dealing with “mom brain” while proudly upholding her role as an elder millennial who can school Gen Z and Alpha newbies on what’s up with a mixture of wisdom, wit and wild animal noises. (N.J.)
Ralph Barbosa, “Planet Bosa” (Hulu)
Garnering nationwide buzz since his debut Netflix special “Cowabunga,” Ralph Barbosa has reached the top of his game in “Planet Bosa,” his latest hour on Hulu. Aside from getting more comfortable on stage, the 28-year-old exudes an energy in this new phase of his career that’s a welcome surprise from a guy whose packed schedule barely leaves time for sleep. The new special delves into his dating life, family woes as a young single dad and writing cleverly authentic jokes about the shocking ICE raids that have led to widespread detention and deportation of immigrants. (N.J.)
Jim Gaffigan, “Live From Old Forester” (YouTube)
Raise your glass to Jim Gaffigan for being THE pre-party for Thanksgiving with his latest offering, “Live From Old Forester: The Bourbon Set.” Dedicated to his love of the spirit, Gaffigan’s “passion project” is already at over 3 million views and is packed with bourbon history and facts, wacky bourbon names, and consumption stories that even someone who covets Fighting Cock over Blanton’s would connect with. And of course, between the mash bills and tasting notes, he still manages to slip in plenty of self-roasting. Gaffigan called this special “niche,” but the truth is, when he’s the symposiarch, “The Bourbon Set” is an oak barrel of straight-up laughs for the masses. (A.L.)
Steph Tolev
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Steph Tolev, “Filth Queen” (Netflix)
Blunt, unapologetic, insanely funny and owning the crown of “Filth Queen,” Steph Tolev knocked it out of the smutty park with her first Netflix special. Produced by Bill Burr and filmed at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, her show rips through bodily functions, dating gone wrong and, spoiler, the messy truths about women. Her energy is next level, her confidence is all I want for Christmas, and no matter your gender, or if you’re holding in gas or not, Tolev is giving everyone (except maybe your parents) permission to laugh at the good, the bad and the hairy. (A.L.)
Cristela Alonzo
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Cristela Alonzo, “Upper Classy”
In the third installment of the Texas comedian’s “Classy” trilogy (“Lower Classy” was in 2017, and “Middle Classy” in 2022), Alonzo definitely saved the most class for last. “Upper Classy,” her latest special, is by far her most vulnerable, which the comedian says is necessary, especially during this political moment when people like her are spoken about in the news, but not spoken to. She gives us her rags-to-riches story of growing up in an abandoned diner with her family, pairing that against her life now and enjoying the childhood she never had — and the ability to keep all her bills on autopay. After being taught to work hard in an immigrant household, Alonzo is learning how to live hard — and have fun — in her 40s (including taking swimming lessons). With her glow-up complete, Alonzo still makes it a point to rep her Mexican roots with pride. (N.J.)
Ali Siddiq, “Rugged” (YouTube)
Switching back and forth between high-energy and effortless cool, Ali Siddiq captivates as he shares (and acts out) insane family stories in “Rugged.” A master of storytelling, Siddiq talks about staying honest, teenagers and their antics, and getting mad about things that aren’t even happening, all while keeping each one of his bits hilarious to the end. Siddiq might not be the king in his own castle, but he’s certainly a king among comedians, and “Rugged” proved it this year. (Fun fact: Siddiq released two specials in 2025, the other being “My Two Sons,” which is equally as great and also on YouTube.) (A.L.)
Jim Norton, “Unconceivable” (YouTube)
Filmed at the Comedy Cellar in New York, Jim Norton’s newest hour, “Unconceivable,” explores everything from adjusting his life (and apartment) as a first-time husband to intimacy with his wife, Nikki, all while remaining brutally honest, dark and Norton to the core. Even listening to him explain the pressures and expectations that society places on strangers and their marriages — which should fully be serious — feels more like a comedy confessional rather than a set. He’s an industry veteran for good reason. His “Unconceivable” is as funny and as raw as it gets, proving once again that there’s no such thing as TMI when it’s delivered by the right comedian. (A.L.)
Jay Jurden, “Yes Ma’am” (Hulu)
In his first special, “Yes Ma’am, ”comedian and Mississippi native Jay Jurden burns verbal calories while showing the world why queer men from the South are often undefeated at being hilarious and relatable. Dependably lethal with his joke construction, Jurden’s every breath is laced with humor as he covers transphobia rules, emo rappers, traveling through blue dot cities, and fun stories with a dash of cuckoldry. His Southern background may have shaped his stories, but it’s Jurden’s hilarious and frank honesty that make “Yes Ma’am” a “hell yes, ma’am!” for 2025. And that million-dollar smile doesn’t hurt either. (A.L.)
Rosebud Baker
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Rosebud Baker, “The Mother Lode” (Netflix)
Life-altering in the sincerest sense of the word, “The Mother Lode” comedically chronicles Rosebud Baker’s journey into motherhood, in real time. Skilled at mining laughs from life’s toughest situations and with her internal dumpster fire front and center, Baker goes from resisting parenthood to IVF, miscarriages, discussing parenting styles and questioning her own identity. Filmed and edited superbly with the same version of a joke, pre- and post-pregnancy, Baker truly did hit the mother lode giving birth to this special that now gets to live with its other mama, Netflix. (A.L.)
Ken Flores, “LOL Live With Ken Flores”
This year, the comedy world lost one of its biggest up-and-coming voices with the death of Ken Flores at age 28. Migrating from the Chicago stand-up scene to L.A., the loud comic made his presence known with raw, street-wise style, a diamond grill that made crowds smile before he even told a joke. Weight-related humor aside, Flores was undoubtedly one of the heavies in the local stand-up scene, and this half-hour comic assault is a time capsule of what could have been with this rising talent who left us too soon. (N.J.)
Bert Kreisher
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Bert Kreischer, “Lucky” (Netflix)
Bert Kreischer resumes his shirtless razzle-dazzle and talent for hilarious, heartfelt storytelling in his special “Lucky,” inspired by his constant state of identifying the luck in his life. Most of that luck, let’s be honest, is actually the result of being married to his wife, LeAnn, who keeps him from going over the edge with his antics. If you’re into his brand of bare-chested misadventures, you will get plenty of that. But the heart of this latest hour doesn’t really show up until Kreischer’s moving tribute to his family’s dog, which will leave you laughing and crying right along with him. (N.J.)
Comedian CP, “Sunday After Six” (Veeps)
Chris Powell, a.k.a. Comedian CP, is a killer on the mic. Whether he’s hosting or headlining, comedy fans who’ve seen him perform know that his dragon-style delivery mixed with creative storytelling breathes fire onto any stage. His debut special, “Sunday After Six” puts all of his skills firmly on display in a way that will hopefully lead to our seeing more of him on the screen next year. (N.J.)
Trae Crowder, “Trash Daddy” (YouTube)
Don’t judge a comedian by his accent, especially if it’s Trae Crowder. Though the Tennessee-born comedian describes his voice as having more Southern twang than “a racist banjo,” it takes him less than two minutes onstage to show why he’s known as “the Liberal Redneck.” Whether it’s punchlines skewering white supremacists or viral video rants about the Trump era filmed from the front seat of his sun-damaged Jeep, Crowder’s brand of comedy is a mind-melting combination that never minces words about where he stands on major topics related to America. His latest special, “Trash Daddy” — released on YouTube via comedy platform 800 Pound Gorilla — swerves among jokes about politics, family and living life as a hick from the sticks while trying to raise California-bred children. (N.J.)
Phoebe Robinson, “I Don’t Want to Work Anymore” (YouTube) Phoebe Robinson’s new comedy special dismantles girl-boss culture, questioning whether financial independence and constant achievement actually lead to women’s happiness. “I Don’t Want to Work Anymore” tackles modern dating, aging and the exhausting pressure to constantly create content. The 41-year-old comedian now prioritizes rest, boundaries and authentic work over relentless productivity and the need for external validation. (N.J.)
Tim Dillon, “I’m Your Mother” (Netflix)
Taped at the Comedy Mothership in Austin, Texas, “I’m Your Mother” is Tim Dillon doing what he does best, showering us with the confidence of a man who’s absolutely done pretending things make sense. From America’s never-ending identity crisis and celebrity worship to his own royal worship and to what parenting seems like from his view, he breaks down the world’s nonsense with the energy of someone who’s seen some s— and isn’t impressed. “I’m Your Mother” isn’t guidance, it’s a verbal smackdown wrapped in laughter that’s unremorseful and so well written, Tim Dillon is now our mother. (A.L.)
Kathleen Madigan, “The Family Thread” (Prime Video)
Kathleen Madigan’s “The Family Thread” gifts us an hour built on the everyday chaos and wry Midwestern sensibility that define her comedy. From absurd family group texts to aging parents and small-town quirks that feel instantly recognizable, she never fails to turn the frustrations of life into sarcastically sharp punchlines. “The Family Thread” is a master class on why Madigan has kept people entertained for years with nothing more than honesty and outstanding storytelling. (A.L.)
Mike Vecchione, “Low Income White” (YouTube)
Making a second special funnier than the first is effortless for Mike Vecchione, and “Low Income White” serves as an even sharper follow-up to his debut special, “The Attractives,” both produced by Nate Bargatze. Vecchione’s deadpan style and constant misdirection are on full display as he talks about age gaps, magic doctors and the reality of marital vows, piling on joke after sarcastic joke. (A.L.)
Ian Edwards, “Untitled” (YouTube)
Ian Edwards fires off rapid-paced jokes throughout his latest special, “Untitled.” At the Comedy Store in La Jolla, Edwards’ comfort onstage (in a onesie, no less) is in plain view as he riffs on relationships, confusing albinos, problematic travel, rooting for the wrong side of current events, and the many layers of racism in green-bubble texts. “Untitled” is a straight shot into the mind of Ian Edwards, and if you’ve slept on this special, there’s still time to fix that. (A.L.)
Ryan Sickler, “Live & Alive” (YouTube)
Ryan Sickler turned thick blood into sweet wine this year with his new special “Live & Alive.” His trademark candor (and giggle) drives the hour as he plays tour guide through a traumatic hospital stay that nearly became his last — plenty of morbid humor to go around in this hour. His survival is his own setup and punchline as he pulls you into embarrassing bits at his own expense. And every twist and ridiculous turn leaves you grateful he’s still around to tell the story while being “Live & Alive.” (A.L.)
Chinedu Unaka, “LOL Live With Chinedu Unaka” (Hulu)
For over a decade, L.A.-bred comedian Chinedu Unaka’s passion-driven work as a special education teacher would become the day job that both funded his dream and gave him the tools to achieve it as he held the attention of kids with ADHD while making them learn while laughing. Coming at comedy from the lens of a charismatic instructor with a Nigerian American background, Unaka’s quick wit and dry humor about life, relationships and his immigrant parents are on full display in his latest special. (N.J.)
Cameron Esposito
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Cameron Esposito, “4 Pills” (DropOut)
A lot of comedy specials are made for us to sit and laugh at a comedian’s funny thoughts. In her latest special, Cameron Esposito wants to take things a step further by giving you a look inside her brain. As a person diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 40, her mind offers a lot to unpack. But the goal remains the same as any special: to laugh at something we feel like we’re not supposed to, only to realize we can relate to a person’s struggles more than we think. In her latest hour, “Four Pills,” Esposito has honed a fresh perspective on living with bipolar disorder that forced her to take her 20 years of stand-up to the next level by bringing fans into the deepest part of her world for the first time. (N.J.)
Samantha Hale, “Horror Nerd” (Apple TV/ Prime Video)
Only Samantha Hale, raised in Los Angeles on “Top Ramen and fear,” could make hair-raising terror this funny. Her long-running show, “Horror Nerd,” jumps from the Hollywood Improv stage to the screen as she nostalgically riffs on serial killers, the healing power of stabby movies, and turns genre obsessions, cult-classic fandom and online feedback into an unbroken chain of laugh-out-loud brilliance. No topic is too strange or scary as she turns her passions and life’s oddities into “Horror Nerd,” a must-watch for anyone who loves humor one (bloody) bite at a time. (A.L.)
Jiaoying Summers, “What Specie Are You?” (Hulu)
Jiaoying Summers is a single mom and a comedian, and somehow she killed it in her first stand-up hour, “What Specie Are You?” on Hulu. Summers swings from dating after divorce and discovering her identity as an immigrant, to choosing favorites between her kids and breaking down an “Asian hate system” that’s so deadpan it almost feels reasonable. Blaming her lack of a filter on her Chinese upbringing, she will have you dying laughing one minute and feeling personally attacked the next. And that works. (A.L.)
Why this column stuck with me: I chose “I’m Fighting Parkinson’s One Punch At A Time” because it was a story that took four years to write but one that has resonated immediately and endlessly.
When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the winter of 2021, I decided to keep the diagnosis a secret. Initially I didn’t even tell my own three children. I didn’t want people feeling sorry for me, or looking at me differently or, worse, treating me differently. I wanted to continue with my normal life while fighting the disease in private.
As part of this fight, I attended a boxing class for Parkinson’s patients. The class was filled with 80-year-old women pounding on a heavy bag, 75-year-old men dancing across the floor, elderly and trembling people working hard to stave off the effects of PD. They quickly became my heroes, and deserved to be illuminated as inspirations to others. I finally realized that I could tell their story and maybe push others to come out of the PD shadows and seek the same therapy.
And, well, if I was going to write about others with Parkinson’s disease, I would have to come clean about myself. So, with help from boxing instructor Jody Hould and sports editor Iliana Limón Romero, I did. And I’m glad I did. I’ve since heard from countless people that the story moved them to admit their illness and begin boxing therapy or other types of PD workouts. My diagnosis was a punch in the gut. But thanks in part to the encouragement that came from this story, I’m fighting back.
Lola Young has made a return to social media after an abrupt pause on her careerCredit: AlamyLola stepped back from the spotlight after a series of strugglesCredit: PABut she broke her silence to thank fans for their supportCredit: Refer to source
Lola, 24, returned to Instagram with some positive news for fans and promised she was doing a lot better.
“Hey, I just wanted to express gratitude to everyone who has given me time and space to gather myself and get my head in a better place,” she wrote in the heartfelt post.
“I’ve felt so much love and support from you all and it has helped more than you will ever know.”
Lola continued: “I am hoping to gradually get back to performing and continuing pursuing my dreams. Happy holidays to you all and can’t wait to see you in 2026.
“Life is a journey, nothing is perfect but today I am doing well. All my love always, Lola x.”
The London-born singer had just released her critically-acclaimed debut when she made the sudden decision to press pause on her career and cancelled her tour.
Announcing her departure in a heartbreaking statement shared on Instagram, Lola said she hopes her followers will give her a “second chance”.
“I’m going away for a while. It pains me to say I have to cancel everything for the foreseeable future. Thank you for all the love and support,” she wrote in a post at the time.
“I’m so sorry to let anyone down who has bought a ticket to see me, it hurts me more than you know.”
The singer had gone through a series secret struggles – from a mental health diagnosis to an ongoing nepo baby row and even legal issues.
Last year, while Lola’s biggest hit was climbing up the charts, she was checked into a rehab facility for an addiction to cocaine.
It’s thought she was admitted last November and the drug addiction swamped the singer for “a long time”, she said in an interview with The Guardian.
She also revealed she ‘hated’ her body after trolls flooded her social media accounts with cruel comments.
Meanwhile, when she was 17, she was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.
The condition is a mix of schizophrenia symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, according to the NHS.
Writing on Instagram in 2022, Lola explained: “I have struggled immensely learning to accept this part of myself, and I am still learning.”
Lola’s star exploded in 2024 and had just released her debut album when she paused her careerCredit: Getty
PHOENIX — Camdyn Glover used to be a quiet conservative. She worried what her teachers would think or if she would lose friends over her convictions. But she said something changed when Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September, and she started crying in her classroom at Indiana University while other students cheered and clapped.
“We can’t be silenced,” Glover decided.
Now she’s visiting Phoenix with her parents and brothers for this year’s Turning Point USA conference, the first to take place since Kirk’s death. Although the organization became a political phenomenon with its masculine appeals to college men, it’s also been expanding outreach to young women like Glover. The shift is poised to accelerate now that Turning Point is led by Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, who has embraced her new role at the helm of a conservative juggernaut with chapters across the country.
If successful, the organization that helped return President Trump to the White House could narrow a gender divide that has been a persistent challenge for Republicans. Turning Point offers a blend of traditional values, such as encouraging women to prioritize marriage over careers, and health trends pushed by online influencers.
Glover, 18, said discovering Turning Point in high school gave her an appreciation for dialogue when she felt like an outcast for her beliefs, such as being anti-abortion. At her first conference, she feels like she’s found a political and cultural home for herself.
“They want to promote a strong independent woman who does hold these values and can go stand up for herself,” she said. “But it’s also OK to do it in heels, put some makeup on, wear a dress.”
‘If Erika can do it, I can do it’
One of Glover’s classmates, Stella Ross, said she stumbled upon Charlie Kirk on TikTok in the months before the last presidential election.
She already felt like her perspectives were being treated differently on campus and thought she was receiving unfairly low grades in her political science classes. A devout Catholic, Ross said she was inspired by how Charlie Kirk wasn’t afraid to weave his evangelical faith into his political arguments.
She also noticed how many women posted comments of appreciation on Erika Kirk’s videos, and she joined Indiana University’s Turning Point chapter in the same month that Trump won his comeback campaign.
“I was like, wow, if Erika can do it, I can do it,” Ross said.
Ross has career aspirations of her own — she interns with Indiana’s Republican Party and aspires to be a press secretary for a governor or president. But she hopes to have flexibility in her job to be fully present with her children and believes that a traditional nuclear structure — man, woman and their children — is “God’s plan.”
When she thinks of Erika Kirk, “it’s really cool to see that she can live out that balance and it makes me feel like that could be a more realistic future for me because I’m seeing it firsthand.”
A new messenger
Erika Kirk often appeared alongside with her husband at Turning Point events. A former beauty pageant winner who has worked as a model, actress and casting director, she also founded a Christian clothing line and a ministry that teaches about the Bible.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, she said she had fully bought into “boss babe” culture before Charlie showed her a “healthier” perspective on life. Now she leads the multimillion-dollar organization, which she said at a memorial for her husband would be made “10 times greater through the power of his memory.”
The political gap between young men and women has been growing for years, according to a recent Gallup analysis. Not only have women under 30 become more likely to identify as ideologically liberal, they’ve also embraced liberal views on issues such as abortion, the environment and gun laws.
The schism was clearly apparent in the last presidential election, where 57% of male voters under 30 supported Trump, compared to only 41% of women under 30, according to AP VoteCast.
Turning Point has been working to change that, hosting events like the Young Women’s Leadership Summit and urging attendees to embrace traditional family values and gender roles.
Charlie Kirk said earlier this year that if a young woman’s priority is to find a husband, she should go to college for a “MRS degree.” Matthew Boedy, a professor of rhetoric at University of North Georgia, said Erika Kirk could be a more effective messenger because she was focused on her career before meeting her husband.
“I do think her story resonates more because she tried it out and can tell them it is not for them,” he said.
Some conservative women are turned off by this approach. Raquel Debono, an influencer who lives in New York City, described the event as a “Stepford wives conference,” featuring women in pink floral dresses.
She said Turning Point’s emphasis on being traditional wives “leaves out a lot of women who work,” she said, “and I think they’re going to lose all those voters, honestly, in the next election cycle if they keep it up.”
Debono founded her own organization, Make America Hot Again, where she throws parties intended to make voters feel welcomed into the conservative movement and allow them to get to know people who share their politics.
‘Big time’ growth for some chapters
Aubree Hudson had been president of Turning Point’s chapter at Brigham Young University for only two weeks when she visited nearby Utah Valley University for an event with Charlie Kirk.
She said she was standing only about six feet away when he was fatally shot. She ran to find her husband, who was at the back of the crowd, and they fled to her car.
Hudson, 22, is from a rural farm town in southwestern Colorado. Her conservative convictions are rooted in her family’s faith and patriotism. A copy of the U.S. Constitution hangs in her parents’ home, and her father taught her to value God, family and country, in that order. Her mother stayed at home, telling her children that “you guys are my career.”
Since Kirk’s assassination, Hudson said the number of people — particularly women — getting involved with the organization jumped “big time.”
Emma Paskett, 18, is one of them. She was planning to attend the Utah Valley University event after one of her classes, but Kirk was shot before she made it there.
Although she wasn’t very familiar with Turning Point before that point, Paskett said she started watching videos of Kirk later that night.
Paskett considers Erika Kirk to be a “one in a million” role model, and her role as a leader was a driving factor in signing up.
“That’s exactly what I want to be like,” she said.
Govindarao writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed to this report from Washington.
In January 2018, conservative Fox News host Laura Ingraham was having dinner at Toscana, an Italian restaurant in Brentwood, when she spotted the renowned Hollywood director — and unabashed liberal — Rob Reiner.
She asked him to come on her show, “The Ingraham Angle.” He was on set the next day.
After introducing him as “a brilliant director,” who made her favorite movie, “This is Spinal Tap,” Ingraham said: “Last night, the first thing Reiner says is: ‘Are they gonna shut the government down?’’ I’m like, wow, I’m here in L.A.; I wanna talk about Hollywood stuff. But he wants to talk about politics.”
Al Gore and Rob Reiner attend the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April 2007.
(Scott Gries / Getty Images)
Ingraham and Reiner vehemently disagreed — about alleged Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election, about whether President Trump is racist, about the treatment of conservatives in Hollywood.
But Reiner also called Ingraham “smart as hell.” And Ingraham said Reiner “should be lauded” for being willing to spar with her, unlike many politicians on both sides of the aisle.
It was the kind of blunt but ultimately respectful exchange that added to Reiner’s widespread appeal off-screen, both because of — and in spite of — his views.
Reiner and his wife, Michele, were killed at their Brentwood home last weekend, allegedly by their son, Nick, who has been charged with murder. The couple’s deaths have sent a thunderclap through Hollywood and beyond, partly because the Reiners had so many friends and connections in creative and political circles.
Rob Reiner — who, in the role of Michael “Meathead” Stivic in the groundbreaking sitcom “All in the Family,” played the liberal foil to his bigoted, conservative father-in-law, Archie Bunker — seemed to relish his real-life role as a progressive celebrity activist. That made him a hero to many in blue California but a villain to others, especially the reality-TV-show-star-turned-president, Donald Trump.
In a highly criticized social media post, Trump attributed the deaths to “the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
But while Reiner, a blistering critic of the president, disagreed with many conservatives on policy, he also worked to build relationships with them — in media and entertainment circles, the California State Capitol, and beyond.
Actors Alec Baldwin and James Woods listen to director Rob Reiner in between scenes for the 1996 film “Ghosts Of Mississippi.”
(Columbia Pictures via Getty Images)
Actor James Woods, a longtime Trump supporter, said in a Fox News interview this week that Reiner saved his career by casting him in the 1996 film “Ghosts of Mississippi” over studio objections. He called Reiner “a great patriot” with whom he shared a mutual respect despite myriad political disagreements.
Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for conservative powerhouse Turning Point USA, wrote on X that he “shared approximately zero in common with Rob Reiner politically, but I am so saddened by this news” and praying that “justice would be swift and without conspiracies [sic] theories.”
Kolvet said Reiner “responded with grace and compassion” to the September killing of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk — a violent end that Reiner said nobody deserved, regardless of their views.
Hard-right Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, called the deaths “a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies.” And GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, wrote on X that “The Princess Bride” was his favorite film and called Reiner “a comedic and story-telling master.”
Off screen, Reiner had a unique ability to connect with people of all persuasions, in various mediums, at the top of their careers or just starting. He was very much influenced by Norman Lear, the creator of “All in the Family,” who blended his Hollywood career with progressive activism.
Similar to Lear, Reiner didn’t just dabble in social causes and campaigns. He launched them, led them and brought people aboard. “He wasn’t building an operation the way Hollywood typically does, making donations, hosting fundraisers,” said Ben Austin, a former aide to Reiner who worked in the White House during the Clinton administration.
And all the time, he did it while making movies, some of them deeply personal, intertwined with his life as a parent.
Reiner was the driving force behind the successful 1998 California ballot measure, Proposition 10, a landmark policy that put a tax on tobacco products and pumped billions of dollars into preschools, teacher training, and support for struggling families. He enlisted help in that effort from such beloved figures as Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams and his own father, comedy legend Carl Reiner.
After the initiative passed, Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, appointed the younger Reiner chairman of the First 5 commission overseeing disbursement of the funds.
Rob Reiner co-founded the group that would help overturn Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California.
(Los Angeles Times)
And in 2009, Reiner co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which led the successful legal fight to overturn Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California. The group hired legal luminaries from opposite sides of the political spectrum to overturn the ballot measure: the conservative former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson and litigator David Boies, a liberal who squared off against Olson in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gave George W. Bush the presidency in 2000.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, a Democrat, said in an interview Wednesday that Reiner successfully rallied people to the cause because he was so adept at humanizing the stories of the plaintiffs and other same-sex couples — and emphasizing love.
“I don’t think you can overstate how influential he was at the national, state and local level and how well-liked he was,” Garcetti said. “Politics and movies share this in common: They both need good stories … and he was such a gifted storyteller.”
Garcetti said that while many celebrities lend money and faces to political causes, prettying up political mailers and email blasts, “Rob built those causes. He wasn’t like the frosting on the cake. He actually was the baker.”
Garcetti, then a Los Angeles City Council member, joined Reiner in stumping for 2004 Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean, for whom the director was an early backer. Garcetti crossed paths with him often, including during the push to overturn Proposition 8 — and at the Los Angeles City Hall wedding of Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, two of the plaintiffs in the federal case that struck it down.
Katami wrote in an Instagram post this week that Reiner and his wife “stood with us in court for 4.5 years” and that he and his husband sat at the couple’s table in their home many times.
Rob Reiner chats in 2012 with Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, plaintiffs in the case that struck down Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
“Because of them, they were able to sit at our table, at our wedding, on a day and in a moment that would not exist without their belief in who we are and how we love,” Katamami wrote.
He added: “They are brave. They are funny. They are generous. They are deeply human. And they make everyone around them feel seen, protected, and encouraged to be more fully themselves.”
Former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat now running for California governor, officiated Katami and Zarrillo’s wedding. He said in an interview that Reiner personally bankrolled much of the legal fight because he genuinely believed it was the right thing to do.
In 2008, Villaraigosa kicked off his successful reelection campaign with a private reception at the Reiners’ home.
“You know, the one thing about Rob Reiner: There was no pretense,” Villaraigosa said. “If you go to his house … he’s a very wealthy man — he has been a director, an actor, co-founder of Castle Rock Entertainment — and yet his house was like a home. It wasn’t a mansion. It was like a ranch-style house, very homey.”
Rob Reiner hugs then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in January 2015. The director had just introduced Villaraigosa at a school as the mayor kicked off his Leadership Tour highlighting his support for universal preschool.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Villaraigosa and others said Reiner had a granular knowledge of the policies he supported, garnering the respect — if not always the affection — of those with whom he disagreed.
Gale Kaufman, a veteran Democratic strategist who was a longtime advisor to the influential California Teachers Assn., clashed with Reiner over education policy but admired his commitment to — and knowledge about — the issue.
Kaufman told The Times this week that she was amazed by “his attention to detail and his dogged determination that he was right.”
“This was not just someone giving you a pot of money and saying, ‘Go do this.’ This was a guy who was … in every piece of it.”
Cinematographer Reed Morano was one of several in Hollywood whose career soared because of Reiner.
In the late 2000s, Morano was known for filming low-budget projects — often in a gritty, hand-held style. Many of them premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, including the Oscar-nominated “Frozen River.”
In the early 2010s, Morano got a chance to pitch her talents to Reiner and producer Alan Greisman, who were assembling a team to shoot 2012’s “The Magic of Belle Isle,” starring Morgan Freeman and Virginia Madsen and directed by Reiner.
Barely 15 minutes after leaving the meeting, Morano got a call telling her she had the job.
“The thing that strikes me is he could have had anybody he wanted,” said Morano on a call Tuesday from New York City, noting that “Belle Isle” was the biggest budget project she had worked on up to that point. “It’s just he was so open-minded and so forward-thinking, and I think he could see potential that other people couldn’t see.”
Morano then handled cinematography for Reiner’s “And So It Goes,” starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton, released to 2014. Reiner, she said, also wanted her to work on “Being Charlie,” the 2015 addiction drama co-written by his son Nick, but she was unable to because of scheduling conflicts. Separately from Reiner, she would go on to win an Emmy in 2017 for directing on the series “The Handmaid’s Tale” and a prize at Sundance for her second film as director, 2018’s “I Think We’re Alone Now.”
A decade before Morano connected with Reiner, Michael Trujillo, now a veteran campaign consultant, went to work for him as a young communications and policy aide for First 5. He was in his early 20s and was stunned to learn he would be working steps from Reiner’s office in the Beverly Hills headquarters of his legendary Castle Rock Entertainment.
Rob Reiner speaks in 1998 to a child development policy group about Proposition 10, which added sales tax to tobacco products to fund early childhood education.
(Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
“I show up to Castle Rock Entertainment as a 22-year-old, in Beverly Hills, off Maple Drive. I’m just a Mexican kid from the northeast San Fernando Valley. My dad was a construction worker. My mom was a secretary … and I’m like, ‘What the f— am I doing here?” Trujillo said with a laugh.
Castle Rock, he said, was simultaneously a Hollywood hot spot and “a classroom in politics.” Trujillo said he once played office golf — blue cardboard for water hazards; brown paper for sand traps — with actors Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy while the movie “A Mighty Wind” was being edited. Politicians were always there, too.
Trujillo regularly joined Reiner on his once-a-month flights from Santa Monica to Sacramento for First Five commission meetings and tagged along to news conferences and school classrooms. He usually carried a Sharpie, knowing fans would show up with DVDs or VHS tapes of their favorite Reiner flicks to be signed.
“Rob was able to have conversations with anyone and everyone,” Trujillo said. “If you’re a Republican or Democratic legislator nationally, or even local or in the state, you were still a fanboy. You still wanted to meet his character from ‘All in the Family.’ You still wanted to shake the hand of the guy that made ‘Princess Bride.’ You still wanted to talk to the guy that made ‘A Few Good Men.’”
The Whole 10 Yards panel discusses the “eerie” similarities between the careers of Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, after the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback tore his ACL in defeat by the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Anthony Geary, the Daytime Emmy winner who played half of “General Hospital’s” supercouple Luke Spencer and Laura Baldwin, died Sunday. He was 78.
“The entire #GeneralHospital family is heartbroken over the news of Tony Geary’s passing. Tony was a brilliant actor and set the bar that we continue to strive for,” “GH” executive producer Frank Valentini wrote on Monday in two posts on X. “His legacy, and that of Luke Spencer’s, will live on through the generations of #GH cast members who have followed in his footsteps. We send our sincerest sympathies to his husband, Claudio, family, and friends. May he rest in peace.”
The actor died of complications a few days after having planned surgery in Amsterdam, the city he and spouse Claudio Gama called home, Soap Opera Digest reported.
“It was a shock for me and our families and our friends,” Gama told TV Insider exclusively Monday, saying that for more than three decades Geary had been his friend, companion and — for the past six years — his husband.
Geary notched almost 2,000 episodes on “General Hospital,” where he started as a cast member in 1978. Along the way he took a number of breaks from the show before wrapping up his “GH” career in 2015.
Even with those breaks, Daytime Emmys voters nominated Geary 17 times in the lead actor category. He took home the trophy eight times, in 1982, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2015.
Despite their plot line beginning with Luke drunkenly raping Laura — played by Genie Francis — only to have her fall in love with her rapist, their love story became insanely popular in the early 1980s, appealing to a younger audience and saving the series from cancellation. The characters got married in November 1981. The audience for the wedding, which aired over two days, was around 30 million viewers and remains the highest-rated soap opera event in history.
Tony Dean Geary was born on May 29, 1947, in the town of Coalville, Utah, and raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After studying theater at the University of Utah, he began his acting career with roles on shows including “Room 222,” “All in the Family,” “The Partridge Family” and “Mod Squad” in the early 1970s. “General Hospital” cast him in 1978, but not before he added shows including “Barnaby Jones,” “The Streets of San Francisco” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.” to his resume. He racked up dozens more credits in his career, but nothing that brought him the fame that “GH” did.
When Geary left “GH” for good in 2015, some former colleagues talked to The Times about working with him.
Jane Elliot, who played another Spencer love interest, Tracy Quartermaine, recalled in 2015 that she acted with Geary when he first screen-tested for the role that was supposed to be only a 13-week arc.
“It’s always awkward with an actor you don’t know,” she told The Times. “I was walking down this flight of stars, and I pass Tony, who is doodling on a piece of paper. He’s doing tic-tac-toe. I immediately know what kind of actor he is, doing something real in an unreal setting. I went up to him, put an O next to his X, and our relationship was established.”
“Tony’s friendship and guidance has meant the world to me,” said actor Jonathan Jackson, who was only 11 when he started on the soap as Lucky Spencer, Luke’s son. “He was always extremely warm and very present, there was nothing condescending in him. He never treated me like a kid. We clicked right away.”
The “Nashville” actor returned to the show after many years away to help Geary wrap up the Spencers’ story.
”When I found out he was leaving, I knew I had to come back,” Jackson said at the time. “He was great. Having those last scenes with me were everything I hoped it would be.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, co-star Genie Francis, who is still on “GH,” remembered her former on-screen love on social media.
“This morning I woke up and went into my husband’s arms. In my sleep, my life was flashing before me and I was afraid of death.” An hour later, she wrote on Facebook, producer Valentini called to tell her that Geary had died.
“I immediately felt remorse, I hadn’t spoken to him in years, but I felt his life end in my sleep last night, and with it a big part of me, and mine,” Francis continued. “He was a powerhouse as an actor. Shoulder to shoulder with the greats. No star burned brighter than Tony Geary. He was one of a kind. As an artist, he was filled with a passion for the truth, no matter how blunt, or even a little rude it might be, but always hilariously funny. He was the anti-hero, always so irreverent, but even the most conservative had to smile. Working with him was always exciting. You never knew what might happen.
“He spoiled me for leading men for the rest of my life. I am crushed, I will miss him terribly, but I was so lucky to be his partner. Somehow, somewhere, we are connected to each other because I felt him leave last night. Good night sweet prince, good night.”
Michele Singer Reiner, who was killed along with her husband, filmmaker Rob Reiner, on Sunday at their home in Los Angeles, was a photographer who moved from still images into filmmaking and later into producing, with work that blended performance, politics and persuasion. She was 70.
Singer Reiner was gigging as a photographer in the late 1980s, visiting film sets as part of her income. One of those sets was “When Harry Met Sally …,” the romantic comedy Rob Reiner was directing in New York, a film that would go on to become one of the era’s defining hits. Having divorced actor and director Penny Marshall eight years earlier, Reiner said he noticed his future wife across the set and was immediately drawn to her.
Scripted by Nora Ephron, the film was originally written to leave its central couple, played by Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, separate, crossing paths over the years without ending up together. But after meeting Singer Reiner, Reiner reconsidered. He rewrote the final scene so the characters reunite and marry, an ending that helped make the film a beloved classic.
The two married in 1989, months after the film’s release. They went on to have three children: Jake, born in 1991; Nick, born in 1993; and Romy, born in 1997.
Hours after the couple were found dead at their Brentwood home, Nick Reiner — who had struggled for years with substance-abuse issues — was taken into custody and booked into Los Angeles County jail on suspicion of murder, according to jail records. He had spoken publicly about getting sober by 2015, when he worked with his father on “Being Charlie,” a semi-autobiographical film about addiction and recovery that Rob Reiner directed and Nick co-wrote.
After their marriage, Singer Reiner worked on several of Reiner’s films, as a special photographer on “Misery,” his 1990 adaptation of the Stephen King novel, among others. Their marriage also became a working partnership. As Reiner’s career expanded beyond studio films into documentaries and political projects, Singer Reiner — who earlier in her career had photographed the cover of Donald Trump on the photo of his 1987 bestseller “The Art of the Deal” — was closely associated with those efforts, collaborating on films and advocacy campaigns that increasingly overlapped.
Their civic strand emerged early. In the 1990s, she and Reiner started the I Am Your Child project, an effort aimed at raising awareness about early childhood development and expanding access to support services for parents.
The initiative coincided with Reiner’s emergence as one of Hollywood’s most prominent political voices. He was a founding board member of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which led the legal fight to overturn Proposition 8, the California ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage. He was also a central figure behind Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, a landmark policy that created an ambitious statewide early childhood development program.
In the last decade, Singer Reiner moved more fully into producing. Her credits included such Reiner-directed projects as “Shock and Awe” (2017), “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” (2023) and this year’s “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” as well as “God & Country,” a 2024 documentary examining Christian nationalism in the United States.
As news of their deaths spread, tributes emphasized the Reiners’ shared public life. Laurie David, an environmental activist and documentary filmmaker who was a close friend of the couple, wrote on Threads that “Rob & Michele — always referred to as Rob & Michele — were an extraordinary couple who worked side by side to make the world a safer, fairer and more just society.”
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also issued a joint statement calling the couple’s deaths “heartbreaking” and pointing to what they described as the Reiners’ “active citizenship” in defense of “inclusive” democracy. “They were good, generous people who made everyone who knew them better,” the statement said.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the loss “devastating,” writing that while Reiner was creative, funny and beloved, Singer Reiner was his “indispensable partner, intellectual resource and loving wife” in all of their endeavors.
