friday morning

The singer D4vd called off a series of upcoming tour dates, including a concert this weekend at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre, as police investigate his connection to the death of a teenage Inland Empire girl whose decomposed body was discovered this month in a car registered to the musician.

A representative for the Greek said the show, which was scheduled for Saturday night, had been canceled. Other tour dates in San Francisco and in Europe had either been removed from or were listed as canceled on Ticketmaster’s website by Friday afternoon.

An event at L.A.’s Grammy Museum scheduled for Wednesday — in which D4vd planned to perform and to take part in a conversation about his work — has also been called off. A representative for D4vd didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last week, D4vd, 20, announced that he would release a deluxe edition of his 2025 album, “Withered,” on Friday, but the project hadn’t appeared on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music by Friday morning.

Police are investigating the singer’s ties to Celeste Rivas, who was reported missing in April 2024 and whose whereabouts were a mystery until this week, when authorities identified her remains after they found a body in the trunk of a Tesla in a Hollywood tow lot on Sept. 8.

President Trump is celebrating the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” on CBS — and calling for even more late-night hosts to be axed.

“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,” Trump wrote Friday morning on Truth Social. “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”

He added that Greg Gutfeld, who has a late-night show and co-hosts “The Five” on Fox News, “is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show,” referring to Jimmy Fallon.

Although “Late Night” is the top-rated late-night broadcast show, “Gutfeld!” draws a bigger audience.

Colbert, 61, has hosted the show for a decade and shared the news of its cancellation Thursday night, noting that he was made aware of the decision only the night before. “The Late Show” will end in May.

“It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS,” Colbert said. “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”

CBS said the decision was “purely financial.” The cancellation comes after Colbert criticized the network’s parent company, Paramount Global, for settling a lawsuit filed by Trump last year over the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. Colbert called the $16-million settlement a “big fat bribe” Monday night, noting that Paramount is awaiting federal approval for its $8-billion merger with Skydance Media.

Both branches of the Writers Guild called on New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James to investigate Paramount.

“Cancelations are part of the business, but a corporation terminating a show in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society,” read a statement released Friday by the union.

Fellow late-night hosts have since criticized the show’s cancellation.

“Love you Stephen. F— you and all your Sheldons CBS,” Kimmel wrote in an Instagram story, referencing the network hits “The Big Bang Theory” and “Young Sheldon.”

“I’m just as shocked as everyone. Stephen is one of the sharpest, funniest hosts to ever do it. I really thought I’d ride this out with him for years to come,” Jimmy Fallon posted in an Instagram story. “I’m sad that my family and friends will need a new show to watch every night at 11:30. But honestly, he’s really been a gentleman and a true friend over the years — going back to The Colbert Report, and I’m sure whatever he does next will be just as brilliant.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who called for an investigation into the Paramount settlement this month, suggested that the move was politically motivated.

“CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump — a deal that looks like bribery,” she wrote Thursday night on X. “America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.”

“If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,” said Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who was a guest on the show Thursday night.

Trump had called for Colbert’s termination in September.

“I briefly watched an interview of Stephen Colbert on highly government subsidized PBS, and found it fascinating for only one reason — Why would they be wasting time and the public’s money on this complete and total loser?” he wrote on Truth Social. “He is not funny, which he gets paid far too much to be, he is not wise, he is VERY BORING, and his show is dying from a complete lack of viewers.

“CBS should terminate his contract and pick almost anyone, right off the street, who would do better, and for FAR LESS MONEY,” he continued. “Or I could recommend someone, much more talented, and smarter, who would do it for FREE! The good news for Stephen is that the two DOPES on NBC & ABC are not much better than him!”

In a Variety interview published Wednesday, Kimmel shared his concerns about the Trump administration targeting him and his competitors.

“Well, you’d have to be naive not to worry a little bit. But that can’t change what you’re doing,” the ABC late-night host told the outlet. “And maybe it is naive, but I have the hope that if and when the day comes that he does start coming after comedians, that even my colleagues on the right will support my right to say what I like. Now, I could be kidding myself, and hopefully we’ll never find out. But if we do, I would hope that the outrage is significant.”

Police in Cincinnati arrested at least 13 people, including two journalists, after demonstrators protesting the immigration detention of a former hospital chaplain blocked a two-lane bridge carrying traffic over the Ohio River.

A reporter and a photography intern who were arrested while covering the protest for CityBeat, a Cincinnati news and entertainment outlet, were among those arraigned Friday morning in a Kentucky court.

Other journalists reporting on protests around the U.S. have been arrested and injured this year. More than two dozen were hurt or roughed up while covering protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles.

A Spanish-language journalist was arrested in June while covering a “No Kings” protest against President Trump near Atlanta. Police initially charged Mario Guevara, a native of El Salvador, with unlawful assembly, obstruction of police and being a pedestrian on or along the roadway.

A prosecutor dropped the charges, but Guevara had already been turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is being held in a south Georgia immigration detention center. His lawyers say he has been authorized to work and remain in the country, but ICE is trying to deport him.

Video from the demonstration in Cincinnati on Thursday night shows several tense moments, including when an officer punches a protester several times as police wrestle him to the ground.

Earlier, a black SUV drove slowly onto the Roebling Bridge while protesters walked along the roadway that connects Cincinnati with Covington, Ky. Another video shows a person in a neon-colored vest pushing against the SUV.

Police in Covington said those arrested had refused to comply with orders to disperse. The department said in a statement that officers who initially attempted to talk with the protest’s organizer were threatened and met with hostility.

Among the charges filed against those arrested were rioting, failing to disperse, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.

Reporter Madeline Fening and photo intern Lucas Griffith were charged with felony rioting and several other charges, said Ashley Moor, the editor in chief of CityBeat.

A judge on Friday set a $2,500 bond for each of those arrested.

The arrests happened during a protest in support of Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He was detained last week after he showed up for a routine check-in with ICE officials at its office near Cincinnati.

Protesters met in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday in support of Soliman, then walked across the bridge carrying a banner that read, “Build Bridges Not Walls.”

Covington police said that “while the department supports the public’s right to peaceful assembly and expression, threatening officers and blocking critical infrastructure, such as a major bridge, presents a danger to all involved.”

Seewer writes for the Associated Press. AP reporters Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

Sometimes you just want a moment back. Just one tiny moment. For example, the moment that a kiss-cam busted you and your head of HR for cheating at a Coldplay concert on Wednesday night.

Andy Byron, chief executive of data-infrastructure company Astronomer Inc., was caught on camera holding human resources chief Kristin Cabot — a woman who is not his wife — tenderly in his arms.

The moment was an instant classic for those attending the concert: “Ohhh, look at these two,” singer Chris Martin said as the cam spotlighted the couple, prompting Byron to suddenly, awkwardly duck out of camera range while Cabot turned her back, covered her face and ultimately fled.

“Wait, what? Either they’re having an affair,” Martin said, “or they’re just very shy.”

Or maybe, just maybe, they were actually really stupid to react that way? No cheating experts here, but if they had simply smiled and continued their loving embrace, the details of their entanglement might have stayed unknown to the 65,000 or so folks packed into Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots.

All they had to do was nothing.

But ooh, they did something.

So much for conscious uncoupling. Nice move, Martin.

But the singer wasn’t really to blame for this week’s hottest story. What happened in Foxborough, Mass., could have stayed in Foxborough, Mass., were it not for one Grace Springer. Springer is reportedly the 28-year-old who posted the clip on TikTok. She told the U.K. Sun she made the video public because she thought the couple’s “something” was “an interesting reaction.”

“A part of me feels bad for turning these people’s lives upside down, but, play stupid games … win stupid prizes,” Springer said before adding that she hoped their partners could “heal” and get a second chance at happiness.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Ouch.

The internet, of course, has been quite happy to mete out those stupid prizes left and right.

There’s now merch to commemorate the moment, including one tee on Etsy that simply reads, “Not Shy. Just Married. #Coldplaygate.”

Another seller is offering a sweatshirt that screams in all-caps, “I TOOK MY SIDEPIECE TO THE COLDPLAY CONCERT AND IT RUINED MY LIFE.” One T-shirt dips its toes into political waters, urging people to MAPA: “Make Affairs Private Again!” The tee with an actual photo of the couple is unlikely to last long, what with copyright and all, but the animated version might hang around a bit longer.

Alas, there are no koozies for sale. Not yet.

Then there are the memes. One shows the couple with the hitchhiking ghosts from the famous finish of Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride. Another shows Miss Piggy in the arms of a tall Fozzie Bear, with a sign in one corner saying “Coldplay’s Caught-in-the-Act Cam.” On X, Elon Musk chuckled at an image of the couple reimagined in the style of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” Then there was the classic MasterCard meme: “Priceless.”

“Coldplay hasn’t made a single in years,” one wit said on X, posting a still from the video. “Last night, they made two.”

“This is outdated,” another account said, commenting on a ChatGPT blurb about a Taylor Swift ticket allegedly selling for $200,000 on the secondary market. “Coldplay now holds the record for most expensive concert ticket ever sold.”

“Uh, it’s time to ‘Kiss It Goodbye,’ ” ESPN’s Randy Scott said as he and “SportsCenter” co-anchor Gary Striewski reenacted the viral moment live Friday morning. “Baseball’s probably not the only thing you could say that about recently.”

And if Andy Byron appeared to be having some really bad days, what about other dudes named Andy Byron? “NOT THE GUY FROM THE COLDPLAY GIG” reads the Threads bio of one such Andy, who apparently hails from Dublin. “The only one having a worse day than Andy Byron is all the other Andy Byrons,” one user snarked.

However, an apology statement attributed to the Astronomer CEO turned out to be fake, according to the company itself.

The real Astronomer Inc. announced Friday that it is looking into the matter and that Alyssa Stoddard, whoever that poor thing is, is not in the video. Um, we were concerned? Turns out Stoddard is the company’s VP of HR, a step or so down from Cabot, and probably doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in this context at all.

“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability,” the company said in a post on LinkedIn. “The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly.”

Additional. Details. Very. Shortly.

Soooooo — the fun won’t be ending any time soon.

Meanwhile, the real Andy Byron’s real wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, nuked the “Byron” from her name on Facebook and then deactivated her account entirely amid an onslaught of comments from the public, according to Newsweek.

Looks like she’s choosing to do something instead of nothing, too.

“Today” show host Sheinelle Jones’ husband, Uche Ojeh, has died of brain cancer at age 45. The two were married for 17 years.

Co-host Savannah Guthrie, surrounded by her colleagues, announced the news “with profound sadness” Friday morning during the show. Ojeh fought “a courageous battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma,” she said.

“There are no words for the pain we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children,” she continued. “Uche was an incredible person. We all loved him.”

Jones posted a photo of her husband on Friday along with video from that broadcast. Her simple caption offered thanks to all who had supported them during Ojeh’s illness.

“Uche was an extraordinary person. Full of light and heart and faith,” Guthrie wrote in comments. “Sheinelle, my dearest, we love you and the kids with all of our hearts. I marvel at your strength. You are surrounded by love now and forever.”

“Love you Sheinelle…we wrap our arms around you now and forever!,” co-host Jenna Hager wrote. Talk-show and former “Today” host Tamron Hall and former “Today” co-host Hoda Kotb offered their condolences.

Meteorologist and third-hour “Today” co-host Dylan Dreyer joined in, writing, “Hoping you can find peace in the love and prayers that surround you and your incredible children. I’m so lucky to have known Uche and his spirit lives on in your family.”

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of brain and spinal cord cancer, the Glioblastoma Foundation says, with a current standard of care that doesn’t help much. The average survival time for people who get treatment is 15 months after diagnosis, according to the foundation, compared with three to six months for those who do not. While research on new treatments has been promising, according to the Mayo Clinic, the condition has no cure.

The Mayo Clinic says the disease is most often diagnosed when people are in their mid-60s. Singer Michael Bolton, 72, announced last month that he has been diagnosed with glioblastoma after initially suffering nausea and balance issues in 2023. His diagnosis and emergency brain surgery came in January 2024.

Jones, who anchors the third hour of “Today” with Dreyer, Craig Melvin and Al Roker, has been absent from the show since mid-December, managing what she called “a family health matter.”

At the time, the 11-year NBC News veteran did not disclose details but acknowledged her support system within and beyond the “Today” studio, saying that it “means so much to me.” People reported in January that the situation was “serious” but didn’t involve Jones or her three children with Ojeh: son Kayin, 15, and twins Clara and Uche, 14.

Ojeh married Jones in September 2007 after meeting during the 1990s on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., when she was walking to class and he was a high school senior visiting campus. She decided to act like a “fake tour guide,” she told her alma mater’s magazine in 2024.

“I told him I would take him around,” Jones said, “because he was cute.”