The students were fatally stabbed in an off-campus house in the early hours of the morning, but the motive behind the killings has never been disclosed.
The tragic deaths were covered extensively in the press and the case has been revisited in a number of TV shows, including Prime Video’s One Night in Idaho: The College Murders.
Viewers have already shared their thoughts on the Netflix documentary, with one saying on Reddit: “This show does a really good job of looking at the victims as people. It’s really heartbreaking.”
Another commented on Instagram: “This is going to be a very hard watch,” while another shared: “This case still haunts me.” Here is all you need to know about what happened.
When did the Idaho Murders happen?
The murders took place in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho.
Five roommates, plus a partner of one of the students, were in the house by 2am after spending the night at various locations.
Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen were two of the students who survived the attack, both hiding in the same bedroom.
In February 2023, a friend of the survivors spoke to PEOPLE about how the roommates were still impacted by the murders, saying: “They feel a lot of survivor’s guilt.
“Their friends are gone and they’re still here. It’s been really rough on them. They’re going to be dealing with this for the rest of their lives.”
Who were the Idaho Murders victims?
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin were the four victims and they had all been close friends. On the night they were killed, survivor Dylan, who was a junior at the time and living in a room off the side of the kitchen, heard someone scream in the house.
She recalled how she thought she overheard an unfamiliar male voice saying: “It’s okay. I’m going to help you”. Feeling nervous, she ran to her door and locked it, trying to call all of her roommates, but nobody was answering.
She went over to her door and opened it to see a man dressed in all black, but he did not approach her. She returned to her room, where she called Bethany Funke, later joining her in her bedroom, where the two locked themselves in.
The Netflix documentary’s director, Skye Borgman, said she was keen for the film to focus on the victims and not their killer.
She said: “When I was able to sit down and talk to the families, both before we started shooting and during the shooting, that’s one thing that they really wanted to get across: They weren’t just victims.
“They were alive, bright, happy, amazing people. And it was really important for them to tell this story and to put that message forward — what we lost.”
Who was charged for the killings?
On December 30, 2022, police arrested Bryan Christopher Kohberger on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
At the time of the murders, he was a PhD student completing his first semester at Washington State University in Pullman.
In July 2025, the doctoral student in criminology was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in prison without parole, as well as another ten years for burglary, after issuing guilty pleas.
In July 2026, Kohberger filed a handwritten petition seeking to withdraw his guilty pleas and proceed to trial. The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare is on Netflix
CARDI B is about to let everyone in on the story of her rollercoaster life — including working as a stripper.
I can reveal the rapper is the subject of a major new documentary from the same team behind programmes on Victoria Beckham, Pamela Anderson and Coleen Rooney.
Cardi B is about to let everyone in on the story of her rollercoaster life — including working as a stripperCredit: GettyRapper Cardi is the subject of a major new documentaryCredit: Getty
Production company Dorothy Street Pictures is secretly working on the special, in which she will speak about her rags to riches story.
Cardi, who wore this eye-popping pink catsuit and matching hat for a performance in New York on Sunday, has quite a backstory, so I’m sure it will be riveting viewing.
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She started off her working life as a stripper, and would entice men to hotel rooms and steal their money.
Her fortunes changed when she became a viral sensation a decade ago on apps such as Vine and Instagram, and eventually got signed to a label and scored hit songs including Wap and I Like It.
Cardi has not been short of controversy during her time in the showbiz spotlight, famously throwing a shoe at rival Nicki Minanj during a spat in 2018.
She has also had a difficult love life, getting married to Migos rapper Offset in 2017, and having four kids with him before they separating in 2023.
A source said: “Cardi is one of the most in-demand rappers in the world and is also one of the most interesting.
“She has lived her life in the public eye to some degree. But there’s a lot that she’s never opened up about, and this is her chance.
Cardi, who wore this eye-popping pink catsuit and matching hat, has quite a backstory, so I’m sure it will be riveting viewingCredit: GettyCardi released her long-awaited second album Am I The Drama? last year and then went on a tour across North AmericaCredit: Instagram
“Next year will mark a decade since she released her major-label debut single Bodak Yellow and so there’s a documentary in the works which will mark that.
“There’s a lot to talk about and she wants the public to see who she really is, because she often feels misunderstood.
“It’s expected to air on a big streaming service like Netflix, but the deal is still being hatched out.”
Cardi released her long-awaited second album Am I The Drama? last year and then went on a tour across North America.
And I won’t be surprised if we see her back on stage at British festivals next summer.
KOJO: LADIES RULE
Kojo Funds has worked with acts ranging from Wizkid and Tion Wayne to Kano and Bugzy Malone since bursting on to the music scene a decade agoCredit: Nana Kinq
Kojo Funds has worked with acts ranging from Wizkid and Tion Wayne to Kano and Bugzy Malone since bursting on to the music scene a decade ago.
But the British singer has saluted the work ethic of top women in the industry and says they have inspired him.
His biggest chart hit to date is 2017 collaboration Finders Keepers with Mabel, and has also worked with Raye on a 2018 track called Check.
Kojo said in an exclusive interview: “Female artists who are operating at that level take their craft seriously. Put effort into what you’re doing, don’t do it anyhow.
“They’re very hard-working, I respect them for that. The work ethic… that’s the kind of thing I took from them.”
Kojo’s new single How Many will be on his EP Hello It’s Me Again, which is out on August 21.
And one person who’s bound to be giving it a spin is Cardi B.
Recalling how the US rapper discovered his music, he said: “Her first time in London, she went to a club and they were playing my music.
“Dun Talkin’ came on and she saw how people were hyping her up while she was moving to it.
“The next morning, she’s on Instagram singing it, with her hair messy, a little bit tipsy.”
They’ve since performed together and hung out, so I’m hoping a collaboration with her is on the cards next.
Vanessa Bauer has been tipped for a career in Hollywood by Football Factory and The Business actor Tamer HassanCredit: Getty
The World Cup anthem will be her third chart-topper if she can hang on to the lead until Friday.
But if Rein Me In can clinch it, it will become the longest-running No1 of all time, with 19 weeks at the top.
ROMCOM TOO TOUGH FOR CHRIS
Christopher Nolan says there’s one genre that’s too hard for him to tackle – the romcomCredit: Getty
OSCAR-winning director Christopher Nolan says there’s one genre that’s too hard for him to tackle – the romcom.
The man behind movies such as Oppenheimer, Interstellar and The Dark Knight would be “terrified” at the prospect of making one.
The Brit whose new epic The Odyssey is No1 at the box office, explained: “I think doing a romcom would be incredibly difficult.
I love watching those movies. But no, I think people who direct comedy, people who do comedy . . . that’s one of the hardest things in the world, to make people laugh that way.
“If I show a film to people and maybe they don’t respond to bits of it, I’m like, ‘Ah, they don’t get it. Whatever’. There’s no hiding behind that when you do comedy, so I would be terrified.”
TYLA POPS TO UK ON TOUR
Tyla is hitting the road for a 34-date global tour following the release last week of her second album A*POPCredit: Getty
TYLA is hitting the road for a 34-date global tour following the release last week of her second album A*POP.
The Chanel singer has announced she will open the tour in Paris on October 12 before shows at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on October 15 the O2 Apollo Manchester on October 19 and O2 Academy Glasgow on October 18.
Tickets will go on sale at 10am this Friday through tylaworld.com.
Zara’s latest feet
Zara Larsson wore these slippers as part of a campaign for re-sale site DepopCredit: Depop
THERE was no chance of Zara Larsson getting cold feet about her latest brand deal with these slippers.
She wore the funky footwear – designed as giant feet in flip flops – while reclining on a sofa as part of a campaign for re-sale site Depop.
Zara put 30 pieces of clothing from her own wardrobe up for sale, and they sold out almost straight away.
She said: “I’m not particularly sad about releasing anything of mine into the world because I know I’m gonna get many more beautiful things back. Fashion is fun in that way.”
Given all the designer brands desperate for her to wear their clothes, I am sure she has plenty of options.
LIFE OF RILEY FOR RAY AND DANNY
Danny Dyer and Ray Winstone are teaming up again, two decades after appearing in TV film All In The GameCredit: Getty
DANNY DYER and Ray Winstone are teaming up again, two decades after appearing in TV film All In The Game.
The hardmen, pictured together in 2006, have been cast in UK crime thriller Going Under, which is due to hit cinemas next spring.
Production on the film has just been completed, after being shot in secret.
It will follow Ray’s gangster character Riley and his right-hand man Don, played by Danny, trying to pull off one final deal.
Charli’s bra-t summer
Charli XCX is ready for our fourth heatwave of the summer – and has stripped off to prepareCredit: InstagramThis image of Charli will go on display at the National Portrait Gallery in LondonCredit: PA
CHARLI XCX is ready for our fourth heatwave of the summer – and has stripped off to prepare.
She shared this photo of her wearing a bra and sunglasses on Instagram, just as it was revealed there will be a picture of the singer going on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
A 2024 photo of Charli in a white crop top, which was taken by Harley Weir and used to promote her album Brat, has been added to the gallery’s collection and will be in its History Makers Now space.
Senior curator Brandei Estes said: “We are delighted to acquire this striking portrait of Charli XCX, which captures one of the defining cultural figures of her generation.”
WILD Child actress Emma Roberts has tied the knot to afellow screen star Cody John.
Emma, who appeared in American Horror Story and is the niece of Hollywood A-lister Julia Roberts, wore a Monique Lhuillier dress, and told Vogue: “I’ve been married in a movie before, and I tried out wedding dresses for that, which feels so weird. Now, it’s the real deal.
“I wanted it to feel very vintage-inspired.”
The couple started dating in 2022.
LIZ & BILLY LOVE BIRDWATCHING
LIZ HURLEY has revealed the secret to her romance with Billy Ray Cyrus is a shared love of birdwatching.
She said: “We’ve been together nearly 18 months, but we spend the vast majority of our time in the countryside, whether it’s in England or Tennessee.
“We like doing the same things, which some people would think is a little odd. We like bird watching. We’ve got binoculars, we’ve got long lenses.”
The relationship has been especially good for her son, filmmaker Damian, who has been able to meet Billy’s superstar daughter Miley.
Liz added on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live in the US: “When he was a young teen, he used to love all her music. I used to have to watch her music videos like Wrecking Ball a zillion times with him, so we were very familiar with who she was, and I knew I was going to like her, and I do like her.”
A mother who faked a pregnancy after suffering several miscarriages is the subject of a harrowing Netflix documentary.
15:49, 16 Jul 2026Updated 19:01, 18 Jul 2026
Alejandra opened up in the Netflix documentary (Image: NETFLIX)
Netflix’s latest docu-drama unravels an elaborate lie that saw a woman to cross an irreversible line.
Streaming giant Netflix has just unveiled an emotional trailer for a tragic docu-drama perfect for Maternal Instinct fans, that tells the story of a Mexican woman named Alejandra.
Based on real events that shook all of Mexico in 2009, the film, which features both dramatisations and real home footage, tells of how Alejandra had always wanted to be a mother. However, after suffering multiple miscarriage and noticing the distain from her family, she decided to fake a pregnancy.
The trailer features the voice of Alejandra, who says: “I felt so special. From the moment that the people close to you start treating you lovingly, expectantly, with that joy.
“The way they come up and touch your belly…Many times I wanted to say ‘This isn’t happening, I’m not pregnant’.”
Alejandra explained the tragic reasoning behind her actions, sharing: “When I got married, I felt pressured to please his family.”
Being only 25 at the time, she felt burdened by family and societal expectations and despite her efforts to conceive, she struggled numerous times.
Alejandra then recalled how she met a young woman named Mayra, who she claimed was pregnant but did not want to have the baby. Fixated on the knowledge she knew somebody who did not want to keep their baby, Alejandra began orchestrating her elaborate plan to abduct a child.
She is heard saying: “When I started gaining weight, everything started to change. I wanted someone to burst that balloon of lies.”
In June 2009, she went to the Hospital General de México, where she was employed, and left with a newborn girl, tucking the baby into a bag. Contributors offering their testimony in the film are heard saying: “This was very hard to believe. Yet, it happened.”
Reflecting on her actions, Alejandra said: “What did I do wrong? Breaking the law. Deceiving. Hurting. I think my desire to be a mum was to please others.”
Her story was told in a book by Randall Fuquay called A Child to Call My Own: A True Story of Desperate Love, a Stolen Child, and the Nine Months that Changed Everything. Now, the story has been adapted for the small screen by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Maite Alberdi.
The Costa Concordia disaster is one of the biggest maritime disasters since the Titanic, and the captain of the luxury cruise ship was at the centre of the tragedy
Costa Concordia’s captain Francesco Schettino was handed 16 years behind bars(Image: Getty)
Everything you need to know about Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino
More than 4,000 passengers and crew were plunged into their worst nightmare as the vessel took on water and began to tilt. Captain Francesco Schettino delayed over an hour before ordering passengers to abandon ship and failed to provide authorities with accurate information.
The media branded him “Captain Coward” after footage emerged showing he had abandoned the bridge and boarded a lifeboat himself. Schettino told the court he had ordered the ship off course to please the vessel’s head waiter, whose family hailed from Giglio. Prosecutors alleged he steered too close to the island to show off to a dancer accompanying him at the helm.
Schettino was ultimately convicted of manslaughter and abandoning ship, and was sentenced in February 2015 to 16 years behind bars. He began serving his term in 2017 at Rome’s Rebibbia prison.
The term consisted of ten years for manslaughter, five years for causing the shipwreck, and one year for abandoning passengers, to be served consecutively. Having exhausted every avenue of appeal and with his conviction upheld, he began his sentence in 2017.
Schettino is not due for full release until 2033, according to Maritime Executive.
Netflix viewers are binge watching the four part series, which has already found itself in the top 10
Worst Neighbor Ever can be streamed on Netflix(Image: Netflix)
A “disturbing” true crime series that gives viewers nightmares is available to stream in full.
Earlier this week (July 1), streaming giant Netflix released four part series Worst Neighbor Ever, which comes from the same creators of shows Worst Ex Ever and Worst Roommate Ever.
Spanning across four episodes, it plunges viewers into real life neighbour disputes that often escalate to violence, and even murder. Through chilling body cam and CCTV footage as well as heartbreaking interviews with victims, the series also offers a unique approach by using animated re-enactments.
Promising to show cases that are “more shocking than ever”, an official synopsis teased: “You think you know your neighbors? Think again.
“This new series features first-hand accounts of violence, intimidation, and harassment that are more shocking than ever. Through compelling testimonials, startling body cam footage, and animated re-enactments, Worst Neighbor Ever proves the people next door aren’t just a nuisance – they’re lethal.”
The cases included a huge insurance scam explosion that had a catastrophic impact on one community, as well as a suspect’s chilling moves before a brutal shooting that left one dad dead.
Already, Worst Neighbor Ever has found itself in the top 10, surpassing other new releases taking the top spot.
Viewers cannot stop binge watching the four part anthology series, with some having “nightmares” from the harrowing cases shown.
Taking to X, one person wrote: “Episode 3 of #WorstNeighborEver has in my tearssssss. J**** man.” Another said: “#worstneighborever is crazy.”
A third fumed: “this #WorstNeighborEver series is ridiculous. there’s really some evil people out here.”
A fourth added: “These #WorstNeighborEver cases get worse and worse omg.” A fifth commented: “Episode 3 of worst neighbor ever just ruined my mf dayyyyyy!!!!!”
Another stated: “Every single episode of #WorstNeighborEver has made me cry, episode 3 especially.”
Over on TikTok, one true crime fan said the show was “unbelievably shocking” as they said in a video: “It did not disappoint, it was absolutely fantastic and I am shocked beyond belief.” They added it made then “so sad and so angry”.
One person replied: “just watched it the first episode was gut wrenching”, as another echoed: “OMG just finished watching it, I was bawling my eyes out he didn’t deserve that.”
A third added: “Thought it was so good, and so disturbing.” In another video, one reviewer stated the ‘Worst Ever’ collection has them “locked in every time”, as another said they were “not prepared” when watching the heartbreaking episode. A third penned: “It gave me nightmares.”
Jon Snow went into a “deep depression” after retiring from Channel 4.
Hayley Anderson Screen Time TV Reporter
14:05, 20 Jun 2026
Jon Snow and his wife Dr Precious Lunga at the BAFTAs in 2015.(Image: GETTY)
Jon Snow’s wife has revealed they felt he was “struck off” following his dementia diagnosis.
The veteran broadcaster will feature in the one-off 90-minute documentary Jon Snow: A Last Big Story, as he exposes injustice while fighting for a Zambian community whose homes have been demolished by mining operations.
The Channel 4 News presenter will also speak candidly about his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2023, two years after stepping down from his long-running career.
Audiences will also be introduced to Snow’s wife, who joins the renowned journalist on his journey to Zambia as he “rediscovers his purpose”.
Who is Jon Snow’s wife?
Former Channel 4 presenter Jon Snow is married to Dr Precious Lunga, a Zimbabwean epidemiologist and neuroscientist.
Born in Rhodesia, she pursued her studies in the UK, obtaining a PhD from the University of Cambridge.
Currently, she serves as CEO and co-founder of Baobab Circle, an award-winning health technology firm utilising AI to tackle the rising challenge of chronic diseases such as diabetes throughout Africa.
Jon, 78, and Precious, 51, first crossed paths on the Caribbean island of Mustique in 2001, tying the knot nine years later in 2010.
The couple went on to welcome a son via surrogacy in March 2021, marking the third time Jon has become a father, having previously had two daughters with his former partner of 35 years, human rights lawyer Madeleine Colvin.
Prior to Jon Snow: A Last Big Story, Precious described how her husband fell into a “deep depression” for six months following his retirement.
Speaking candidly with Anita Rai on Woman’s House, she revealed why Jon has chosen to go public about his condition.
“He said ‘if I don’t speak out who will?'”, Precious began.
“It is something that affected his own mother and affects so many people.
“He felt that when someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s they are written off, but it’s not like you fall off a cliff.
“It’s a gradual degradation of the brain. It doesn’t mean you still can’t contribute to the world and he felt he still had so much to give, which is why he decided to make this documentary.”
Precious also revealed that she was initially hesitant about appearing in the Channel 4 documentary, but quickly had a change of heart.
She said: “What helped me overcome it was the fact I am one of over one million people affected by dementia.
“That helped me get over the nervousness of telling our story. It is not the end and we are looking for opportunities to enjoy our life.”
Jon Snow: A Last Big Story airs tonight, Sunday, June 21, at 8pm, on Channel 4.
ASHLEY Cain was secretly sacked from a BBC job last year for being ‘drunk on set’.
The star, 35, has come under-fire this week after historic tweets were exposed in which Ashley made degrading comments about women and suggested blurring the lines of consent during sex in worrying messages.
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Ashley Cain was secretly sacked by the BBC for being ‘drunk on set’Credit: BBCConcerns were raised last year when he was hand-picked to front a BBC programme in Las VegasCredit: BBC
The posts were made by Ashley between 2013 and 2015 after he first rose to fame in footballing and his appearances on MTV show Ex On The Beach.
The Guardian has compiled a range of messages, posts and concerns relating to Ashley’s behaviour in the past – which has since led to him being dropped by the BBC.
Last night, the publication detailed new allegations that Ashley was secretly sacked from filming a BBC documentary in June of last year for being ‘drunk on set’.
The TV personality, who had already begun to work with the BBC on their documenary series, Into The Danger Zone, had been picked to host, Sin City: The Real Las Vegas.
Ashley has worked extensively with the BBC but has now been axed for good by the channelCredit: BBCThe BBC admitted their vetting process on the star had ‘failed’Credit: Instagram
He was flown out to Nevada to film the show but concerns were raised about his conduct.
Appearing to be drunk during filming of the show, the production was suspended and Ashley was ultimately dropped from the project.
Another presenter was then chosen to front the programme instead.
Nonetheless, the incident went largely ignored as Ashley returned to filming with the BBC earlier this year for the second series of his Into The Danger Zone series.
However, following The Guardian’s reports, that series has now been axed and won’t be making it to air.
The BBC revealed they had no plans to work with Ashley again in the future after admitting that their “vetting” process before hiring talent had “failed”.
A BBC spokesperson told The Sun: “The posts by Ashley Cain, albeit from many years ago, are completely unacceptable.”
“The BBC has clear requirements around vetting and social media checks, which are undertaken by the production company. In this instance, the process clearly failed and we are investigating why. We are continuing to strengthen our processes to ensure everyone working for, and on behalf of, the BBC meets our values and standards.”
“We have no plans to broadcast the new series of ‘Into the Danger Zone’, and no future projects with Ashley Cain.”
The Sun has contacted a representative for Ashley Cain for comment.
Ashley’s comments and behaviour – which largely took place over 10 years ago – first began to emerge after he took part in the very succesful first series of MTV show Ex On The Beach which propelled him to national fame.
Derogatory terms allegedly written in 2014 and 2015 include “sl**s”, “b***hes” and “psychos”, while he said he’d like to “choke slam” and “spit in the face” of Love Island star Jessica Hayes while commenting on the ITV2 reality show.
The Guardian reports that other misogynistic tweets saw him say he wanted to “talcum powder pimp slap these b***es already!” while watching a Channel 4 documentary and demean women by writing: “I DO NOT.. I repeat I DO NOT think EVERY girl is a slag! There are some absolute PHENOMENAL women out there.. They’re just a rare commodity.”
In 2015, Cain was accused of recording Rachel Roftis, 33, during sex and sharing clips to Snapchat without her consent — something he strongly denied.
The pair met at a club in Bexleyheath before spending the night together in a hotel.
Roftis told The Guardian she “screamed” at Cain when she realised the footage had been shared publicly and the incident has “massively affected her relationships with men. She doesn’t trust anybody really now.”
The notoriety from the posts, which saw Cain brand himself the “Snapchat King” and rack up 60,000 views, led to an appearance on short-lived ITV Daytime show O’Brien where he boasted of being a “play boy” and sleeping with 15 girls a week.
Of his attitude towards women, he said: “If you are a lady, I respect you. But if you don’t respect yourself, how can you expect me to respect you?”
KATIE Price has said that nobody knew just how bad things were for her when she experienced some very ‘dark moments’ in her life.
The TV star, 48, is gearing up for the release of her upcoming tell-all docuseries,Katie Price: Nothing to Hide – in which she will recount her 2018 and 2021 breakdowns.
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Katie Price is gearing up for her new tell-all docuseries to drop next monthCredit: Dan CharityKatie has opened up about her 2018 breakdown ahead of her new docuseriesCredit: YouTube/@WeNeedToTalk-Podcast
Her candid and unfiltered account of three decades in the spotlight is coming to Sky and NOW on July 8.
This week, Katie attended the Sheffield DocFest where she revealed that during her darkest moments and confessed ‘no-one knew how bad it was’, with this set to play out in her new series.
Katie suffered a major mental breakdown in around 2018 following a build-up of traumatic events in her life, she then suffered another in 2021.
Speaking about this at the DocFest event ahead of her Sky show dropping next month, Katie got candid and confessed: “When I had my breakdown, I don’t think people really knew how bad it was, and how it affected people in my life.
“To hear that my loved ones cried and how much they loved me is like a wake-up call for me.
“There are some really dark moments [in the series] but at the same time, uplifting.
“People have to remember that it’s actually my life, so if you’re exhausted just watching it, imagine how exhausting it is for my little pea brain.
“But I really enjoyed doing it.
“I said they should do 10 parts and they wanted to, but we were lucky to push it to four [episodes].
“There’s still so much you could put in it. Even from what you’re reading today.”
Elsewhere at the event, Katie said: “I’m an open book.
“When [the team] came to me about the documentary, I got excited because something about me and my life is perfect.
“The media narrative is so different to what I’m really like but as you say, every day, even now, there’s always something.
“My life could actually be a soap story – it just doesn’t stop. I’m normal but it’s a weird world I live in. I can’t explain it.”
She also touched on being authentic.
“I have nothing to hide, and when they asked me, ‘are there any areas you don’t want us to go?’, I said, no! You can talk to absolutely anyone you want and you can talk to me about anything you want,” she confessed.
“Luckily the duty of care was amazing. Sometimes after two hours [of interviews], I couldn’t do any more.
“There are moments where I’ve had therapy to get over some of the things in my life, and I had to relive them.
“But I think this is what makes a good show, and I love watching documentaries.
“So many people are so manufactured and they’re in on the edits, so they look like a polished turd, basically. I am not that!
“Even I’m cringing at some of the stuff in the first episode! I haven’t had time to reflect on anything in my life because there’s always the next thing, and the next thing.”
Earth Wind & Fire’s “September,” with its nonsensical phrase “ba-dee-ya,” has been streamed more than 2.3 billion times on Spotify, more than the band’s next five songs combined (including “Let’s Groove,” “Boogie Wonderland” and “Shining Star”).
With networks and streamers seeking to create compelling content, many have found the answer in true stories. But with the surge in documentaries, it can be hard to sift through what’s worth your time. Each month, we provide an inside look at a documentary and others you should add to your queue.
But he also explores, in depth, the complexities of the band’s central figure, Maurice White. A self-affirming visionary who wanted to bring hope to people, White mixed journaling with talk of spaceships and metaphysics. However, he was also traumatized by a childhood in which his mother moved to Chicago for more opportunities, leaving White in Memphis, where he was once brutally beaten by white policemen. Those scars created a man who was a distant father and equally remote with his band members at the peak, mistreating them with casual disdain until everything fell apart.
Questlove recently spoke by video call about the film, now streaming on HBO Max, which features interviews with family, surviving band members, childhood friend Booker T. Jones and a couple of fans named Barack and Michelle Obama. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What drew you to this story?
In 2020, I was DJing on the internet, live streaming and I was DJing to calm people down from thinking they’re going to die in the apocalypse. One day I did an Earth, Wind & Fire set and when I got to the fourth hour, I thought, “Yo, is this one of the most relentlessly positive groups of all time?”
I started researching the lyrics and realized this band tricked us into positivity, like getting us to eat our vegetables. I started wondering how a band like that got past the velvet rope and realized that none of it was by accident, it was all by design. Their music was so good and you start singing the lyrics and there’s an osmosis effect of positivity that gets you.
When I started this in 2023, I had a spooky feeling that the turmoil of 2020 was going to visit us again, so I thought people would want something to watch that will help them plant seeds of what to do.
Maurice White, the band’s central figure.
(Henry Diltz / HBO)
You save “September” to the end. Was it so people would see the band was more than their biggest hit or to send audiences off humming and happy?
It’s an unlikely legacy song. They have so many meaningful songs like “Shining Star,” while “September” is a leftover that was a filler song from a greatest hits album that became a career-defining song.
Initially, I was coming out the gate with “September,” just, “Let’s get this out the way.”
It took a while. Early on the Obamas weren’t part of the project. I interviewed them the morning after the 2024 elections; they were so professional and so in the moment and also helped us process the day.
We’d never gotten to see them sit next to each other and be playful and dance. And I didn’t say, “OK, let’s see how you move, dance for 12 seconds,” I was just playing something and they started dancing and the camera happened to be running.
But they put the song in context. In 2009, they said, “What’s the statement we want to make to America to show this is a new era at the White House?” And Earth, Wind & Fire was chosen to be one of the bands at the inauguration and it was that song. So my producer said, “Now we can treat ‘September’ like an encore.” We used that story to show how that song grew on its own organically.
White is a complicated guy. Was it challenging to balance everything in your narrative?
Oftentimes Black artists are seen as caricatures or one-dimensional. It’s easy to do the gotcha of “You’re so positive and metaphysical, what about this or that?” My goal is always to find a human element that you see yourself in. In Maurice’s case with his career, he did drink the Kool-Aid. But his personal life stemmed from not ever forgiving his mother for leaving him behind when he was little. When we hold anger and other emotions in, when we refuse to talk to our partners or friends — and you want people to read your minds — that’s when it becomes a problem. But I wanted to show that in a way where I don’t spell it all out. Hopefully people will make the connection of the importance of dreaming and planning and affirmations but also the importance of letting things go, like forgiving people.
However, the bizarre case takes an unexpected turn, and the series about his extraordinary life has left viewers stunned.
The synopsis on Netflix reads: “Henry Lee Lucas rose to infamy when he confessed to hundreds of unsolved murders. =
“This documentary series examines the truth – and horrific consequences.”
Titled The Confession Killer, the Netflix series was a hit when it first came out, earning a rare 100% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Audiences took to the review section to share their thoughts on the mini-series, with many praising its detail and calling it a “must watch”.
“Superb, my mind was blown as the story unfolded,” one person wrote, as another agreed: “This is amazing. One of the best, if not the best, true crime doc series of late.”
“Very well described in terms of details and information. Very little bias,” another praised, as a fourth person said: “Henry Lee Lucas is a tragic story where everyone involved was surprised in the end. It’s heartbreaking. You must watch it.”
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Another person reflected: “As someone as complicated as Henry Lee Lucas, this is probably the best and most well put together documentary about him that has ever been made.”
One more viewer observed: “This was fascinating and SO well done. The old footage was terrific as were the interviews with people who are still alive to tell their versions of the story. I was hooked.
“I thought I was just watching a good profile of a serial killer and then everything took a completely different turn. Anyone interested in true crime will find this a compelling documentary. Highly recommended.”
Critics also applauded the documentary, with Mashable noting: For true crime devotees, watching the five-part series will do more than hit the spot.”
The Confession Killer is available to stream now on Netflix.
Kylie Minogue tried to have children via IVF and battled breast cancer for a second time in 2021Credit: GettyThe pop star uses her docuseries to speak about struggling to conceive after her fight with cancer in 2005Credit: Netflix
Kylie, 57, says in the show, which is out today: “It was always with such a thread of hope but I couldn’t not try.
“I did try IVF a number of times. If it had happened it would have been just shy of a miracle. But it didn’t work out that way.”
Poignantly, she adds: “One can’t help but wonder what it would have been like.”
Kylie’s singer sister Dannii, 54, has one son, as does her brother Brendan, 55.
Dannii said of Kylie: “She is amazing with kids. Just naturally incredible. She is amazing with her nephews.
“I never saw myself being a parent and she always did. And that is heartbreaking.”
The lyrics of Kylie’s 2012 song Flower dealt with the pain of not having children.
It includes the line: “Distant child my flower, are you blowing in the breeze?”
Brave Kylie, 57, pictured with her singer sister Dannii, 54Credit: GettyKylie, above on stage in 2025, now has the all-clear and hopes to encourage women to go for early screeningsCredit: Getty
In another revelation, Kylie said she secretly battled cancer for a second time after being diagnosed with primary breast cancer in early 2021.
Kylie said: “I was able to keep it to myself and go through that year.
“I didn’t feel obliged to tell the world and actually I just couldn’t at the time as I was just a shell of a person.
“I didn’t want to leave the house again at one point.
“Thankfully I got through it again, and all is well.”
Kylie now has the all-clear and hopes that speaking out will encourage women to go for early screenings.
She said: “I know there will be someone out there who will benefit from a gentle reminder to do their check-ups.”
On one of her previous visits to Los Angeles, Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel found herself having a smoke on Hollywood Boulevard.
There, while she stepped over the famous concrete-embedded stars, an unhoused man struck up a conversation with her.
“He kept explaining to me that he was poorly dressed because he was currently living on the street after someone robbed him, but he had written a screenplay,” Martel, 59, recalls in Spanish over coffee on a morning in April at a West Hollywood hotel.
“He told me they had stolen a watch from him — not a Rolex but a known brand,” she continues. “The whole time he was trying to convince me he was a millionaire who just so happened to be on the street because of random circumstances.”
One of Latin America’s most indispensable storytellers, Martel is fascinated by how prevalent that dream still is in L.A. — that movies can change your life overnight.
“That particular fantasy is par for the course in this city,” she says, though she’s not above it. It’s the reason she’s back to promote her first documentary, “Our Land,” out Friday.
Unhurried when it comes to her output, Martel has only made four fiction features, among them 2001’s “La Cienaga” and 2008’s “The Headless Woman” (returning to theaters this month in a new 4K restoration). Her biting and formally audacious narratives examine class, politics and — a speciality — the interiority of women through enigmatic portraits of psychologically complex individuals.
“Our Land,” a piercing indictment of the enduring wounds of colonialism, chronicles the murder of Indigenous Argentine activist Javier Chocobar in 2009 and the prolonged trial of the perpetrators in 2018.
Chocobar was shot during a confrontation with armed men over land in the Tucumán province of Argentina where the Chuschagasta Indigenous community has lived for many generations. Martel explores the killing not as an isolated event in her country’s recent past but as part of a long history of dispossession.
“Racism is a foundational element,” she says of her homeland. “The only consistent thing in Argentina, from the country’s birth to the present day, is the rejection of Indigenous people.”
In Argentina, Martel explains, public education has indoctrinated the population into believing Indigenous people no longer exist. Yet many Argentines proudly claim a connection to the Europeans, Italians in particular, who arrived in the country in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
“When giving speeches, our presidents always say, ‘We are a country of immigrants,’ or ‘We came from the boats,’” says Martel. “They use metaphors like these because deep down Argentines feel much more indebted to European immigration than to our Indigenous population. But more than half of the people in Argentina have Indigenous ancestors.”
In 2020, Chocobar’s three convicted murderers appealed their guilty verdicts and were set free. “Our Land” premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2025, which brought renewed attention to the case. A month later, the sentence was upheld and two of the men returned to prison (one died in the interim).
Martel believes that outcome was a response to her film. “Communities wage the fight but cinema helps,” she says.
“I believe that we must use cinema for its enormous power to alter perception and not soothe the rich,” Martel says. “It’s not about delivering a message but rather about showing how an idea functions.”
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
For over 14 years, Martel worked on “Our Land” on and off. This time included periods when she focused on 2017’s “Zama,” her masterful period piece following a Spanish official in 18th century Argentina “who doesn’t want to be American,” she says, referring to the continent. In her mind, both “Zama” and “Our Land” come from the same impulse to dissect colonialism.
As part of her research process, Martel and her team created a detailed archive of documents related to the case that the Chuschagasta community now has at its disposal. Over the years, Delfín Cata, one of the Indigenous men present during the attack, would call Martel. He never asked about how her film was going, but the director sensed he was tacitly checking in on her progress, hoping that she was not losing faith.
“That was a confirmation that, beyond my own interest, there were people who needed this film,” she says. “I felt the immense satisfaction of knowing I was doing something that would be concretely useful.”
For Martel, the question of whether she was the right person to make this film (one she got in Venice) seems unfair. “It’s wrong to prevent a human being from speaking about their own history because they are not a woman, because they are not Black, or because they are not Indigenous,” she says. “It’s better to make mistakes trying to understand something than not to try at all. The chances of making a mistake are enormous in a film, no matter how good your intentions are.”
A key piece of evidence in the Chocobar case, prominent in the film, is a video that one of the attackers filmed, presumably expecting the Indigenous community to react violently, to justify firing his gun at them. The Chuschagasta men that faced them weren’t armed. As used by their aggressors, the camera functioned as a weapon.
Hollywood feels incompatible with Martel’s sophisticated, confrontational movies rooted in her country’s troubles. By Martel’s own admission, it doesn’t feel like a fit for her.
“I would have to force myself to create something outside my own country, outside my own language,” she says. “And that doesn’t really appeal to me.”
Still, Marvel Studios famously asked to meet with her when seeking a director for 2021’s “Black Widow.” Martel says she was among many directors they contacted, but she was curious to take the meeting even if she knew nothing would come of it.
“They wanted to do it over Zoom and I happened to be here in Los Angeles,” she remembers. “I told them I could come in, because I wanted to see what the whole process was like.”
Martel describes the month she spent in L.A. — an eye injury prevented her from flying home sooner — as a “lot of fun in the end,” even if no blockbuster emerged from it. More recently, another Hollywood offer did tempt her, but she ultimately passed.
“It was a good book suggested to me by an actress of undoubted talent,” Martel shares, careful to avoid names. “I considered it, but you very quickly have to picture yourself spending three years or at least a year and a half living in the United States making a movie. I have a thousand things in Argentina to worry about.”
Still, Hollywood, and its significance to moviemaking, has a singular, unnerving allure on her. Two of Martel’s favorite movies set in L.A. are David Lynch’s nightmarish “Mulholland Drive” and Robert Aldrich’s psychodrama “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”
“There is something ruthless and utterly devoid of sanity at the heart of this film industry, and I’ve never felt that darkness as clear as in ‘Mulholland Drive,’” she says. “How can an industry that handles so many millions [of dollars] and such impeccably dressed famous people be so full of lunatics? That film captures that perfectly.”
And occasionally, she thinks, a big production breaks the mold, such as Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 when Martel served as jury president — a controversial choice.
“It certainly had an impact on me,” says Martel. “I didn’t vote for it, though. I had another favorite, a Chinese film that stood no chance of winning.”
Phillips, she thinks, created a premonition for what was to come. “For me, the real killer clowns are Trump, Milei or Orbán,” Martel says, referring to polarizing leaders. “They expose themselves to ridicule and spout all sorts of nonsense. Those are clowns. And I think that movie captured that.”
Not one to mince words, Martel elaborates on the relation of Joaquin Phoenix’s social outcast turned supervillain and President Trump.
“The origin of the Joker is social resentment,” she says. “Trump holds no resentment toward society because the system gave him everything. But he has exploited the people who do harbor resentment. That is where you see the kind of clown he is, one who knows how to use people.”
Artificial intelligence, far-right ideologies, voracious capitalism — all of it makes Martel alarmed, seeing it as pushing us collectively to the brink of collapse. But there is hope, she thinks.
“What we have invented is very dangerous but we can dismantle it,” she says. “That is the only thing I’m betting on, that, at some point, a consensus will emerge and we’ll go, ‘Let’s not do this.’”
“I believe that we must use cinema for its enormous power to alter perception and not soothe the rich,” she says. “It’s not about delivering a message but rather about showing how an idea functions.”
She points to one of her subjects in “Our Land,” an Indigenous man who told her he loves the 1959 Charlton Heston epic “Ben-Hur,” a passion she does not share but understands.
“That’s a blow for all of us who make auteur cinema,” Martel says with a laugh. “That feeling that ‘Ben-Hur’ evoked gave him the strength to continue fighting for his community’s territory.”
The night before our interview, Martel rode around L.A. on a scooter holding onto a friend. These days she uses a cane to help her with mobility. “The city has great light,” she says, still open to being surprised by it.
