It was a cold November morning, and I had travelled with my family to our ancestral temple in a village in Tamil Nadu. My sister’s 11-month-old baby was to be tonsured for the first time – a religious head-shaving that in Hinduism is a way of discarding the evil eye and removing any negativity from past lives; a new start.
My wife drove, but asked me to park the car while she went inside with our son and her parents. I walked around the front of the vehicle and slid into the passenger seat. But when I tried to park, I felt resistance. As I pressed down on the accelerator, I noticed a middle-aged man running towards me, waving his arms frantically as he yelled for me to move the car backwards.
My mind raced as I reversed. I prayed silently that I hadn’t hurt anyone.
It was only when I got out of the car that I saw her. The thin, frail woman who now lay on the ground, shaking and murmuring. Panicked, my mind tried to make sense of how she’d come to be there – she must have sat down, assuming I’d already parked – and how badly injured she was. She curled into a foetal position as I sat down beside her and gently placed her head on my lap.
“Does it hurt anywhere, paati (granny)?” I asked.
She nodded, pointing to her leg.
I slowly pulled back the torn sari near her knee. The flesh was missing.
“You’ve been hurt, but we’ll take care of it,” I promised.
“No one will take care of me … just let me sit,” she pleaded.
Villagers started to gather, but kept their distance. One man said the woman slept on the streets near the temple and was often seen begging. A woman chided her for always sitting too close to cars. “If you don’t do something now, no one will take care of her, and she’ll die,” a man muttered before leaving.
Between groans, the woman told me her name: Chinnammal.
“Can you find my bag, thangam?” she asked, using a Tamil term for a loved one that translates to “gold”. She was in pain, but speaking to me, the person who had caused it, with such kindness.
I looked around and found her old cotton bag. It was stuffed to the brim with an open packet of chips, a half-eaten bun, a few 10-rupee notes, and some clothes.
The ambulance arrived, but there was only the driver, and it would take at least three people to lift her safely; we needed another pair of hands. There were close to 25 people around us, but no one moved.
“No one will come to lift her. She’s from a different caste. I have come to do temple rituals – otherwise, I would help,” a priest explained before hurrying away.
My wife, who had by now seen the commotion and approached, stepped forward to help, and together, we lifted Chinnammal into the ambulance. I climbed in with her.
[Jawahir Al-Naimi/Al Jazeera]
I could see from her face that the pain came in waves. I sat next to her, one arm under her shoulders, in a kind of half-hug.
“My bag?” she asked, looking relieved when I placed it beside her hand.
“You are the first person to take me in a car,” she told me, her voice trembling.
She called me saami, a Tamil term that translates to God. I couldn’t understand how she could show me such love and respect. I asked for her forgiveness, but she simply asked me to help her sit up.
When we pulled into the hospital, two nurses in neatly pressed white uniforms appeared with a stretcher. I helped the ambulance driver lift Chinnammal onto it and wheeled her into the hospital. I told the nurses what I knew of her injuries, while they exchanged uneasy glances. When Chinnammal lurched forward and vomited, the nurses scolded her and backed away in disgust.
Inside the emergency room, the nursing manager explained that Chinnammal’s blood pressure and heart rate were high, but she was stable. She had two major injuries – a broken hip and severe grazing that would require skin grafts. Her leg, he said, was not so serious and would heal quickly.
Chinnammal reached for my hands. Hers were small and bony, but her grip was firm. Her eyes flickered, drifting in and out of focus. A soft-spoken doctor told me it was a miracle she was stable after sustaining such serious injuries.
She quietly listened to the doctor speak, but when he mentioned it would take three months for her hip to heal, Chinnammal started to wail.
“I will visit you every weekend, paati,” I reassured her.
The hospital staff took Chinnammal for an electrocardiogram, and when she returned, now hooked up to a heartbeat monitor, she grasped my hands again. She tugged on one. I leaned in. “Ask them to give me medicine to die,” she said.
I assured her that the doctors would take good care of her and that I would be there to make sure of it.
“They won’t,” she replied.
Then she looked into my eyes and lost consciousness.
I grabbed hold of her hand, but it was limp. I fell to the floor, sobbing.
Chinnammal was pronounced dead at 8.30 am on November 20, 2022. She was about 75 years old.
[Jawahir Al-Naimi/Al Jazeera]
Chinnammal’s story
Chinnammal didn’t always live on the streets. As a younger woman, she was impeccably dressed, with flowers woven into her neatly plaited hair.
She hadn’t always begged for handouts either. She worked hard to farm a piece of land for her family, but her married life was difficult. Her husband was an alcoholic, and Chinnammal had to raise her daughter, run the house, and farm their land with little help.
She doted on her daughter and was happy when she married a man from a nearby village. A few years after her daughter married, Chinnammal’s husband died. Chinnammal adapted easily to life as a widow. She enjoyed visiting her daughter and son-in-law and would take them homemade sweets. When they struggled to conceive, Chinnammal worried, but she was overjoyed when they decided to adopt. She loved watching her grandson grow. He became her “everything”.
That joy was short-lived. Chinnammal’s daughter fell ill with a severe form of diabetes. When Chinnammal wasn’t at her daughter’s bedside, she was at the temple, praying for her, or concocting various treatments from herbs that she hoped would help.
But nothing worked, and Chinnammal watched her daughter slowly die.
That was the moment Chinnammal’s life changed. She stopped interacting with people. Some villagers started to harass and steal from her. She once filed a police complaint against a drunk neighbour who harassed her, but the police refused to help. Late one night, when she caught the man near her home, she threatened him with a sickle.
In her grief, Chinnammal no longer cared where she slept, what she ate, or how she dressed. She started to sleep by the temple, clutching her cloth bag close to her.
[Jawahir Al-Naimi/Al Jazeera]
After Chinnammal’s death
A few hours after Chinnammal’s death, I went to the local police station and handed myself in.
A police officer contacted Chinnammal’s son-in-law to release her body and begin the family’s settlement case against me.
Her son-in-law initially refused to claim her body. The investigating officer told me he’d said, “She should have died a long time ago. She was just a burden … You can ask them to bury her and move on.”
But the officer insisted, and the man reluctantly came to the station.
When he arrived, I gave Chinnammal’s bag to the police officer, who inventoried its contents and shared the details with her son-in-law. His demeanour changed. He wanted to claim the body and register himself as her closest living relative, he explained.
“There was close to two lakhs ($2,250) in the bag you surrendered, and now this guy is trying to claim it and the compensation that the government might pay,” the police officer told me.
Chinnammal’s death felt like losing a loved one. I knew I had caused it. But she had shown no anger or animosity towards me. In her final hours, she had treated me with kindness and compassion. She had shared her love for her daughter and grandson with me, held my hand, and spoken tenderly to me despite her pain.
At the hospital, a doctor had tried to console me. “What if you had hit a child?” he’d asked. “Could you live with yourself?”
“She had lived her life,” he reasoned. But his reasoning made no sense to me.
The following day, I went to the temple to help the police with their investigation. As I stared at the spot where my life had changed, a priest interrupted my thoughts.
“You did a good job,” he said. Thinking he was chastising me, I apologised.
“No, I mean it,” he responded. “Nobody used to go near her. Local drunks used to steal the money she collected. So she used to cuss and throw stones at anyone who came near her. She had absolutely no one in this world.”
Even the temple staff used to chase her away, he explained.
“I think she chose to go through you. Through you, she died with dignity, the dignity that was denied to her in life,” he said, urging me to be at peace.
But nothing could give me peace.
I stopped driving. For a year, I withdrew from friends and family. I couldn’t sleep and, when I did, I’d see Chinnammal in my dreams. Whenever I was alone, I would think about her, replaying that day in my mind and wondering what might have happened had I done something differently.
Nearly a month after her death, I was able to track down the contact information for Chinnammal’s 19-year-old grandson. I called to ask for his forgiveness, and he asked me about the last moments I spent with her.
Three months later, at the court hearing, I was found negligent and ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 rupees ($115) to the court. At the hearing, I met Chinnammal’s grandson. I hugged him, and though he barely spoke, I could feel the warmth of his forgiveness – just like that of his paati’s.
In her dying moments, Chinnammal taught me the value of life – every life.
Chinnammal means “small mother”.
A neighbour who had known her said, “She spent her whole life caring for her daughter, and, even in death, she ensured that her family was taken care of [with her savings]. Her mind and body may have given in, but she never stopped being a mother.”
[Jawahir Al-Naimi/Al Jazeera]
This story was told to Catherine Gilon by Maverick Prem. Information about Chinnammal’s life was gathered from interviews with her former neighbours, who asked not to be named. Her family declined to be interviewed for this story.
Maverick continues to pay his respects to Chinnammal at the temple grounds where she spent her final years. In addition to the court fine, he made a voluntary donation to Chinnammal’s grandson.
JoJo Siwa stripped to a bikini as she shared an embrace with boyfriend Chris Hughes on the beachCredit: InstagramThe couple appear to have enjoyed a beach getaway together, which she described as a “beautiful week”Credit: Snapchat
She hinted at “hard moments” in the caption, while heaping praise on her boyfriend Chris, describing herself as a “lucky girl”.
In the caption, she wrote: “In the last week I’ve realized more than ever that I’m a lucky girl who is in love with the one who I laugh the loudest with, have the most fun with, and enjoy time the most with.
“Beautiful days are here and they are gorgeous [Chris Hughes] thank you for this beautiful week, and for every day since we’ve met continuing to make me smile through even the hard moments.
The CBB star can be seen sharing an embrace with Chris in one sun-soaked beach snap as the pair both don swimwear.
The couple are also seen enjoying a dance in a sweet video shared within the post, which included a series of highlights from their trip.
The post has already clocked over 100,000 likes, with fans quick to show support for the couple in the comments section.
One wrote: “You both deserved a love like this. I’m so happy you both chose to do big brother”.
Another added: “We are all so happy you’ve found love with Chris. You deserve someone who sees your heart the way he does. You’ve been through so much, and it’s beautiful to see you finally loved the way you deserve.”
JoJo and Chris – who are already discussing marriage plans – first became incredibly close during their 19-day stint in ITV‘s spy house back in April.
Viewers were continually left confused over Chris’ seemingly “flirty” behaviour towards JoJo – who had a partner, Kath Ebbs, at the time – before the pair secretly held hands in the bedroom.
But last week, Chris revealed that just weeks after the interview, during their Mexico trip in May, they made things official.
He spoke openly about their connection on the Question The Default podcast with Harry Corin, in which he shared “nothing was rushed or forced, it just happened.”
JoJo and Chris beamed in a selfie included in the series of snaps, which included footage of the pair dancing togetherCredit: Instagram
He then confirmed it was when he flew to Mexico to surprise her at a festival she was playing at which happened few weeks after CBB – with her family there – where they became an item.
Chris said they “rekindled and met up in Mexico” and said: “I flew out to surprise her, which was nice.
“I spent a few days with her and her family in Orlando as well before flying home and that’s where it all started.”
Later in the chat, he said: “I went to Mexico and met up with her which is where the whole feelings developed and things changed.
Tonight millions of viewers will be able to celebrate those honoured at The Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises as it airs on ITV. But what were Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo’s best bits?
Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo at the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards 2025.(Image: Steve Bainbridge)
Millions of people across the UK will be tuning in tonight to the most uplifting show in the TV calendar, as The Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises unfolds in a two hour extravaganza.
Seldom is an event this packed with A list celebrities. But, despite the dazzling outfits and wall-to-wall glamour, it is the ordinary people with the extraordinary stories who take centre stage for this truly incredible occasion.
Co-hosts Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo host the event brilliantly – totally engaging with the amazing winners, who win everyone’s hearts … including our Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who describes them as “the very best of our country.”
Here, Carol and Ashley each share their five most magical moments from the unforgettable night..
Carol’s Moments – Maja surprising Sally Becker
Known as The Angel of Mostar, humanitarian aid hero, Sally Becker, who received the Lifetime Achievement award – after evacuating hundreds of children from war zones all across the globe over a 30 year career – was joined on stage by one of the children she had saved.
Carol said: “Sally had referenced Maja when I asked about when she first went into Bosnia, this girl who had lost her leg and was in critical pain and how she brought her out. We got Maja to send a fake message from Florida to thank her, and then, of course, the big surprise was that Maja came out with her award. Sally is one of the most loving people you could ever possibly wish to meet. She’s so brave. I don’t think she realises just how brave she is. She’s quite extraordinary. That really made me cry, to be honest.”
The Rock Surprising Luke
Luke Mortimer, 12, who had all four of his limbs amputated after contracting meningitis and septicemia, was shown being surprised by movie star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who told him he would be receiving the Child of Courage award.
The young fundraiser was stunned into virtual silence when the star of Jumanjii and The Smashing Machine walked into his hotel room with his room service order. Johnson, who stands at a remarkable 6ft 5in, commended Luke on the incredible physical challenges he has completed to raise money for other children with amputations. Carol said: “All of us were going to Luke, ‘How big is The Rock? Is he as big as we think he is?’ That was really funny.”
Margot Robbie surprising Georgie
Georgie Hyslop, 17, received the Good Morning Britain Young Fundraiser award for her incredible efforts to brighten-up the lives of others, despite being treated for an extremely rare form of bone cancer herself. The brave youngster, who has raised over £55,000 for charity through a series of balls and events, was surprised by Margot Robbie, who played Barbie in the movie, and who revealed that she had won a Pride of Britain.
The Hollywood star of blockbusters like Wolf of Wallstreet and I, Tonya, also invited Georgie – an aspiring actor – and her family to attend the premiere of her latest film, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. Carol said: “We’d lied to Georgie, obviously. We said we were filming a documentary and that we were going to take the family out for dinner, so they should bring some nice clothes. But actually, of course, they were bringing clothes to go to Margot Robbie’s premiere which was quite remarkable. It was just lovely, absolutely lovely.”
Ruth Jones as Nessa with Joanne Harris
Joanne Harris was handed the ITV Fundraiser award for her mission to provide knitted breast prosthetics for women who have had mastectomies due to breast cancer. Inspired by her own friend’s struggle with the disease, which made her aware of the uncomfortable silicon prosthetics provided by the NHS, Joanne set up Knitted Knockers Northern Ireland which now provides 5,000 soft, breathable knitted breast prosthetics to cancer patients free of charge every year.
On stage, Gavin and Stacey stars Ruth Jones and Joanna Page, presented her award, paying tribute to her tireless charity work. Carol said: “Ruth, never ever does the Nessa impression, you know? But she did it all as Nessa from Gavin and Stacey and it was just wonderful. It was like Nessa was on stage!”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mary Earps surprising Asha
Asha Rage was recognised for starting the Dream Chasers, a football club turned youth centre to help support local children in Birmingham and keep them away from antisocial behaviour. Presented with the Special Recognition award, Asha was surprised on stage by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and former England’s Lionesses’ goal keeper Mary Earps. The PM commended Asha for her tireless work supporting the young people of her community.
Carol said: “I could get over the fact that here is a Muslim woman who doesn’t know anything about football and then decides that she’s going to set up a football club for teenagers. She trained herself and now she’s got three and a half thousand members of the club. It’s quite extraordinary.”
Ashley’s Moments – Westlife on stage with Ups & Downs
The Ups & Downs group, a theatre club for children and young people with Down’s syndrome and their siblings, was awarded the This Morning’s Local Heroes award. The group, formed in 1995 by three music teachers who worked at an additional needs school, provides a safe space for people of all ages with Down’s Syndrome to be themselves and share the joy of theatre.
Thirty of its members took to the Pride of Britain stage to receive the award and at the end of the ceremony, joined the legendary Westlife to celebrate the wonderful evening. Ashley said: “It was such a joy to see the Ups & Downs group so excited to receive their Pride of Britain award – they brought such an unmatched energy to the room and put a smile on everyone’s faces. Seeing them dance with Westlife and the other incredible winners was just the best ending to the ceremony.”
Al Murray helping Marcus inhis fundraising efforts and revealing the total donated
Marcus Skeet, 17, better known as the Hull Boy by his hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, was given the Special Recognition award for his incredible fundraising efforts and tireless advocating for mental health awareness. The campaigner, who earlier this year became the youngest person ever to run the length of the country between Land’s end and John O’Groats, took to running after struggling with his mental health.
Ashley said: “You don’t meet many people like Marcus who are able to bring themselves out of such a dark place in the way he has. But not only that, to go on to help others through their own dark times as well, it’s just incredible and so inspiring. One of my highlights was seeing the room come together to help him reach his fundraising goal to start Marcus Movers clubs all over the country – lead of course by the legendary Al Murray who made the whole thing hilarious.”
Hainault police officers
The three police officers who were the first responders at the scene of the brutal Hainault attack last year, which saw 14-year old Daniel Anjorin murdered by psychotic killer Marcus Arduini-Monzo, received the Outstanding Bravery Award. Despite suffering injuries and having no weapons to hand, their decisive actions helped bring the situation under control and ensured the safety of the community.
Ashley said: “This was one of the most hard hitting moments of the evening. As a father, it just amazes me that there are people out there like these police officers who are willing to put themselves in such danger to protect others. Any of us could be in that position one day but with people like that around to step in, we are all that bit safer. It made me really emotional, yeah, but I am so glad they got the recognition they deserved.”
Javeno receiving his award
For more than two decades, Javeno McClean has used his skills as an exercise and health specialist to improve the lives of the elderly and people with disabilities. Setting up his own free gym in his hometown of Manchester, he has created a friendly environment for everyone to work on their physical and mental health and welcomes people of all abilities through his doors.
He was awarded the brand new P&O Cruises Inspiration award for his tireless work and was joined on stage by boxing champion David Haye. Ashley said: “Javeno is one of the coolest and most positive guys I have ever met. His muscles really put us all to shame but the way he is so dedicated to helping the most vulnerable members of our community is so inspiring.”
Ronnie Wood surprising Harry Byrne
Harry Byrne was awarded the King’s Trust Young Achiever award after overcoming loss, addiction and homelessness to become an inspirational mentor and coach helping to give other young people a brighter future. The 24-year-old was presented his award by Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood.
Ashley said: “Ronnie Wood is a god of rock and roll, isn’t he? The moment he was on stage with Harry was amazing and such a great representation of what the awards are all about. I mean, Harry has completely transformed his life after a pretty rough start and is now helping other young people to do the same. The way the King’s Trust has helped him and others is remarkable and Harry deserved all the glory – and the praise that Ronnie gave him – for his hard work.”
Watch Pride of Britain on Thursday 23rd October, ITV at 8PM.
England midfielder Jordan Henderson says he has had “tough moments” since leaving Liverpool for Saudi Arabia and could “have made different decisions”.
The 35-year-old was roundly criticised for leaving Liverpool in 2023 to play for Al-Ettifaq in a country where same sex-relationships are illegal.
Henderson had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and apologised for letting down or hurting anyone in the community when he left Saudi Arabia to join Ajax six months later.
Henderson missed out on Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad but is back in the Premier League with Brentford and the England squad under Thomas Tuchel.
“I don’t think it was the reason why I missed the Euros,” Henderson said. “When I was in Saudi I think I was in every camp prior to the Euros.
“Timing, with everything in hindsight, yes – maybe I would have made different decisions.
“But at the time that’s how I felt and the decision I made was for many different reasons and only I know them reasons.
“I am not going to lie, over the past couple of years I have had some tough moments. It felt like a break-up when I left Liverpool.
“Of course I’m not perfect and I’ve made mistakes in the past. Of course I will have throughout my career.
“But all I’ve ever tried to do is the right thing.”
He is in Tuchel’s squad to play Wales and Latvia this week and feels he still has plenty to offer on the pitch.
“The most important people are the manager, the coaching staff and the players and what they think,” said Henderson.
“Ask them what they think, if I am a cheerleader when I am here. I don’t think one of the best managers in Europe would be choosing me just to do that.”
The late night circuit got its version of a unique crossover event Tuesday night as Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert appeared as guests on each other’s shows.
It was a fitting stunt considering both talk show hosts have been at the center of noteworthy professional situations shrouded in political and national significance, and both orbit in the same universe of President Trump’s contempt. The two hosts, who have vocally supported each other through the respective ordeals on their shows, were now able to continue the mutual backing in full force, face-to-face.
In the wake of the fallout of Kimmel’s suspension earlier this month over comments he made related to the death of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, the recently reinstated host charged ahead with moving his L.A.-based show to Brooklyn for a week as planned, with Colbert among the star-studded list of guests. Colbert was effusive in his support of Kimmel after ABC pre-empted his talk show, criticizing the decision as “blatant censorship.”
Kimmel, meanwhile, appeared on “The Late Show,” alongside pop star Sam Smith. Earlier this year, CBS announced it was canceling “The Late Show” and would end after the season wraps in May 2026 — marking not only the end of Colbert’s run at the helm, but also bringing the late night institution to a close after a 30-year run. The decision, the company said, was due to financial reasons and not — as many have speculated — because of Colbert’s criticism of a deal between the Trump administration and Paramount, the parent company of CBS, the network that airs “The Late Show,” over.a 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Kimmel was one of the many who expressed disdain over the decision, even campaigning for Colbert to win an Emmy though Kimmel was on the same ballot. (Colbert ultimately won.)
Ahead of Kimmel’s appearance on “The Late Show,” Colbert hosted another late-night host, Conan O’Brien, who appeared as a guest Monday, opening the conversation with, “Stephen, how’s late night? What’s going on? I’ve been out of it for a little bit — catch me up on what’s happening.”
“I’ll send you the obituary,” Colbert replied.
Here are five standout moments from the night of shared grievances.
Stephen Colbert, left, and Jimmy Kimmel backstage at “The Late Show.”
(Scott Kowalchyk/CBS)
Colbert says he ‘sweat through his shirt’ the day he told his staff ’The Late Show’ was canceled
In his first sit-down interview since the “The Late Show” was canceled, Colbert walked Kimmel through the timeline of his show’s cancellation. He said he received the news from their mutual manager, James Dixon, after the taping of his show on July 16. He got home to his wife, Evie McGee-Colbert, two and a half hours later. As he walked into the apartment, according to Colbert, his wife said, “What happened? You get canceled?”
Dixon knew for a week but had been hesitant to relay the news to Colbert, who was on vacation. Once he learned the show’s fate, Colbert said he was unsure about when he should break the news to his staff, debating whether to wait until after the summer break or in September. His wife, though, said he would tell them the following day.
“We get into the building,” he said, “I go up the elevator, I walk through the offices. By time I get to my offices, I have sweat through my shirt because I didn’t want to know anything my staff didn’t know. And I said, ‘I’m going to tell my staff today,’ but then we couldn’t do a show if I told them because everybody would be bummed out and I would be bummed out.”
He only told executive producer Tom Purcell at first. He got through the whole show. And then he asked the audience and staff to stick around for one more act so he could record the announcement.
“My stage manager goes, ‘Oh no, we’re done, Steve, we’re done.’ And I said, ‘nope, there’s one more act of the show. Please don’t let the audience leave.’ And he goes, ‘No, boss, no. Boss. I got that. I got the thing here. We’ve done everything.’ And I said, ‘I’m aware of that. And I’m here to tell you there’s one more act of the show,’” he explained. “So I went backstage, I said, ‘Everybody, get on Zoom.’ I told everybody as briefly as I could so they wouldn’t find out about it on air. And then I went back out on stage to tell everybody. And I was so nervous about doing it right — because there was nothing in the prompter, I was just speaking off the cuff — that I f— up twice. And I had to restart and the audience thought it was a bit and they started going, ‘Steve, you can do it.’ Because I always messed up on the sentence that told them what was happening. And then I got to the sentence that actually told them was happening, and they didn’t laugh.”
Kimmel, in turn, shared that he found out about “The Late Show’s” cancellation while attending a No Kings protest march.
Kimmel says he took the call from ABC about his suspension from the bathroom
Jimmy Kimmel on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Tuesday.
(Scott Kowalchyk/CBS)
Like Colbert, Tuesday marked the first time Kimmel had been interviewed since his suspension earlier this month, and he detailed the day he got the news he was being pulled from the air.
Kimmel’s office is busy — there’s roughly five other people working in there with him at all times, he told Colbert. So when ABC executives wanted to speak with him less than two hours before he was set to tape that night’s episode, Kimmel resorted to the bathroom to take the call in private.
“I’m on the phone with the ABC executives, and they say, ‘Listen, we want to take the temperature down. We’re concerned about what you’re gonna say tonight, and we decided that the best route is to take the show off the air,’” Kimmel said before the audience interjected with boos.
“There was a vote, and I lost the vote, and so I put my pants back on and I walked out to my office,” before telling some of his producing team the news, he said. “My wife said I was whiter than Jim Gaffigan when I came out.”
The decision on Kimmel’s suspension came so late in the day that the audience was already in their seats and had to be sent home, Kimmel told Colbert.
A sign of the times?
While touting the crossover event in his monologue (“We thought it might be a fun way to drive the President nuts so…”), Kimmel took time to stress the groundswell of support Colbert has both in New York, where he does his show, and in Kimmel’s homebase of L.A. To prove it, the camera cut to a photo showing signs that were displayed over the 101 freeway in L.A. when Kimmel went back on the air following his suspension. They read: “Public pressure works — Kimmel is back!”
“And this is the sign that is up now,” Kimmel continued, cutting to video of more recent signage over the freeway. “It says, “Now do Colbert.”
Gavin Newsom traveled to Brooklyn. Or did he?
Seth Meyers, left, Josh Meyers as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
(Randy Holmes/ABC)
The California governor — who also moonlights (by proxy of his social media team) as the unofficial No. 1 Trump troll — made the cross-country trip to Brooklyn to surprise Kimmel on stage. Or did he? As the host mentioned the politician’s latest jab at Trump during his monologue, Newsom barreled onto the stage on a bike before finding his place next to Kimmel for a roughly six-minute spiel, delivered in his best California bro speak, on his mission to bring people together.
“L.A and N.Y.C., we’re not so different,” Newsom said. “I mean, we both just want to be free to smoke weed while riding our electric scooters to a drag queen brunch.”
As Kimmel pressed how exactly they can succeed in coming together, a blustering Newsom responded: “We already started, dog. These people get it. They have their own great late night hosts here in NYC, but tonight they chose my homie from L.A. They could be partying with my dude, J-Fall and The Roots crew — they’re a rap band … because you did look confused. Anyway, these Brooklyn-istas came to see you instead of checking out the political commentary of John Oliver or J-Stew or pay their respects to Colbert before he shipped off to Guantanamo Gay, or they could have gone and watched whatever that little creep Seth Meyers is doing … dude dresses like a substitute Montessori teacher. I mean, do you know why he sits down for his jokes? Same reason yo’ mama sits down to pee.”
Cue a special appearance from Seth Meyers, Kimmel’s friend and fellow late night host to rein in … his brother? For the non-late night connoisseurs reading this: Meyers’ brother, Josh, played the “Covid bro” version of Newsom during the pandemic in sketches that aired on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Newsom took the gag further on Tuesday, impersonating Josh impersonating himself on Kimmel’s stage.
“We’re bros, but no, we’re not,” Newsom as Josh said. “Look, I get this all the time, probably because we’re both so hot.”
Meanwhile, keeping the planned awkwardness going, Kimmel took the opportunity to mention to Meyers that he was in town if he wanted to get dinner. Meyers responded: “What happened with your show? I thought this whole thing was, you know … “
“We’re back on the air,” Kimmel said. “We’re back on now.”
It should also be noted that Kimmel, Colbert and Meyers later posed for a photo onstage and uploaded it to their respective social media accounts with the caption, “Hi Donald!”
Guillermo brings the fun (and the tequila)
Guillermo Rodriguez, left, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert taking a round of shots on “The Late Show.”
(Scott Kowalchyk/CBS)
Looking ahead at the remaining months Colbert will be on the air, Kimmel asked the host when he was going to “go nuts,” and suggested he lose his glasses and “maybe do some ayahuasca on set.” Kimmel then gifted him a bong with a Statue of Liberty design, which he called a “chemistry set.”
Colbert started playing along by unbuttoning his blazer and saying “f— that” to a signal that he only had a minute left in the segment. (“What are they gonna do, cancel me?” Colbert asked). Then, as if right on cue, Guillermo Rodriguez, Kimmel’s friend and sidekick on his show, came onto the stage with tequila (and three shot glasses) in hand.
On the first round of Don Julio, Colbert made a toast: “To good friends, great jobs and late-night TV.”
Colbert then poured another round and Kimmel pulled out the bong he had gifted the host. The group then took one more shot together and Kimmel toasted to Colbert.
Guillermo, who got a round of hearty cheers from the crowd, is known for giving out shots and toasting with A-Listers at awards shows and other Hollywood events.
When the cast and crew of “Bob’s Burgers” gathered to celebrate the show’s milestone 300th episode earlier this month, two key figures were missing.
Creator Loren Bouchard and actor H. Jon Benjamin — who voices the “Bob” of the title — were unexpectedly waylaid by illness and travel troubles, respectively. It was a scenario that could have been an episode of the long-running adult animated series, down to the celebration’s setting, which took place in a room resembling the inside of the show’s titular hamburger joint.
The only thing missing was a musical interlude.
Centering a family that runs a restaurant, “Bob’s Burgers” kicks off its 16th season Sunday on Fox with its 300th episode titled “Grand Pre-Pre-Pre-Opening.” The milestone episode will take things back to before the Belcher’s opened their family eatery.
According to Bouchard, one of the questions the writers wanted to explore in this episode was “Why is Linda doing this?”
“Bob’s Burgers [the restaurant], it’s got his name in it, but we sense that he can’t do it without her,” Bouchard says. “[Bob] says that in the show, but what do we mean when we say that?”
The look to the past also shows Bob (Benjamin) and Linda (John Roberts) preparing to welcome their first child, Tina (Dan Mintz). The Belcher clan also includes Tina’s younger siblings Gene (Eugene Mirman) and Louise (Kristen Schaal).
“Grand Pre-Pre-Pre-Opening” is the 300th episode of “Bob’s Burgers.”
(20th Television / Fox)
Bouchard admits he is usually not one for celebrating episode counts — “It starts to feel a little bit like bulk pricing,” he jokes — but he recognizes that the longevity of the series is something special. “Bob’s Burgers” premiered in 2011.
“What you get with a show that lasts this long and has this many episodes is a different relationship with the fans,” Bouchard says. “You get to have a 15-year relationship. That’s like family. There are marriages that don’t last that long.”
Over the years, the show’s dedicated audience has seen “Bob’s Burgers” expand beyond television with the release of “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” in 2022 as well as a touring live show of comedy and music.
Bouchard explains that the show’s approach to these milestone episodes have been to “go small and deep” to avoid overstuffing them with fan service. They’ve treated the 100th, 200th and 300th episodes like a new pilot that centers the restaurant and family “in a very basic way” as if it were someone’s introduction to the series.
The 300th episode, written by Bouchard and Nora Smith, digs into the show’s core premise to reveal how Bob and Linda came to juggle a restaurant and a family at the same time.
“I started my family when I started ‘Bob’s,’ so it’s very personal to me,” Bouchard says. “I like the chaos and just audacious optimism that you could have children and start a doomed-to-fail, Hail Mary of a creative project at the same time. It’s why I like this family, that they did this too.”
To commemorate the milestone, Bouchard and the cast discussed, in their own words edited for clarity and length, “Bob’s Burgers’” status as a “comfort show,” the Belcher family dynamics, memorable episodes and more.
A comfort food
“Bob’s Burgers” cast members Larry Murphy, left, Dan Mintz, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman and John Roberts at the Bento Box offices.
(Frank Micelotta / Fox)
It’s not rare for “Bob’s Burgers” to be described as a “comfort show” — something fans can turn on to unwind or fall asleep to. The cast attributes this to the show having real emotions that come from the heart.
“The sweetness of [their affection] being genuine, that’s the thing,” Mirman says. “It’s just a mix of warmhearted and funny and sort of grounded.”
“The jokes aren’t taking people down a notch,” Schaal says. “The show has always been in a lane that people are realizing they should come over to — the kind lane.”
Bouchard says that “it’s very touching and affecting” that audiences turn to the show for comfort but acknowledges it’s something he can’t focus on while the show’s in production.
Bouchard: I definitely don’t take it lightly. I don’t want to think about it while we’re making “Bob’s.” If I thought about it while we’re making it, I would I feel like there’s a scenario where I could mess it up. You don’t want to shoot for comfort show, you want to shoot for edgy, attention-grabbing. [Episodes with] act breaks and big closing numbers. I know people don’t mean, “I fall asleep when I see it for the first time.” They mean, “I put on episodes I’ve seen before and it’s comforting in a profoundly, sleepy way.” I think being an adult by definition means at the end of the day you need something to just transition so that you can fall asleep. I’m glad that “Bob’s” does that for people.
Roberts: We love how much comfort this brings to the world. We like being light and having a job in entertainment that makes people feel good — it makes the world a better place. That’s rare and we’re blessed and we’re grateful.
Dinner (musical) theater
Tina, left, Louise and Gene in an episode of “Bob’s Burgers.”
(20th Television / Fox)
According to Bouchard, the music on the show was ”a ’dare we dream’ type thing in the beginning.” But the reception to the show’s catchy ukelele-driven theme song made him feel like there was room to push the musical elements further, like having a unique end credits and outro song for each episode.
“This sort of flea market find, slightly childlike music felt to us like of the show, but the audience had to give us permission,” Bouchard says. “We had to go slowly to get that.”
Once they saw the audience was on board, he felt like the show had the go ahead to hit the ground running from putting musical moments within the stories to eventually having musical episodes. While it’s still something they take “moment by moment,” Bouchard says he’s “so glad that [the music is] part of what people seem to want from the show.”
Roberts: I think in the earlier seasons, we were more improvising and things like that. But now it’s very professional big songs. It’s fun. I’m impressed by everybody.
Mirman: I’m truly incapable of singing. So the way we do it for me is that the person who’s in charge of the music will sing one line and I will mimic it like nine times to the best of my ability. [Then] they splice together a child singing poorly that is still much better than me in real life. But it’s still very fun. It’s very fun to be challenged.
Mintz: I’m kind of in Eugene’s boat. I can’t remember pitch for very long after I hear it, so I do have to immediately hear it and immediately repeat it. But I’ve been surprised at how much I do enjoy it. You do it again and again, and then the final ones are like, “Now do it and don’t hold back.” And you feel a real singer for, like, one line. There’s also the no pressure of it because I’m singing as a person, as a character, who’s not a professional singer, so it doesn’t have to be that good.
Where’s the beef? Belcher family dynamics
The Belchers inside their restaurant.
(20th Television / Fox)
One thing that comes through in every episode of “Bob’s Burgers” is just how much the Belchers love each other.
“[Linda] is a mom that pays attention and is present and shows up for her children,” says Roberts, who draws from his own mother for his performance. “There’s a realness there and it’s very grounding for the show. … Linda’s gone a little crazy sometimes, but for the most part, it’s all very much stuff that you can relate to.”
Perpetually in the Belchers’ orbit is Teddy — handyman, loyal customer and Bob’s best friend.
“I think of Teddy as constantly trying to inject himself into the lives of the family that he doesn’t have,” says Larry Murphy, who voices Teddy. “The best part about that is that they might shake their heads [at him], but they always rise to the occasion and are supportive of the character.”
And as much as the Belcher children can tease or annoy each other at times, there is no doubt that they all genuinely care for one another too.
“There’s a sibling camaraderie that is really lovely,” Mirman says. “It reminds me of the camaraderie on TV and movies in the ‘80s. That era of the stuff I grew up watching.”
Schaal: I love how they enjoy each other’s company. They’re usually not trying to lose the other one. I mean, in some episodes, Louise is bothering Tina and we explore that. But in general, they hang out together, they play together. They’re not on their f— iPads, separate in their own worlds. They’re going on adventures. And at the end of the day, Louise has their back like no one else and she’ll fight for them.
Mintz: I think it’s great for Tina to be pulled out of her comfort zone by her siblings, even though she’s supposed to be the leader as the oldest. Those are some of the most fun episodes for me when Gene and Louise want to do something dangerous or against the rules or whatever. Tina’s anxious for some reason and keeps being like, “Well, we shouldn’t,” but she gets dragged along. There’s always some moment in every one of those where it’s like, ‘Wait, Jimmy Jr. will be there. OK, maybe I’m fine with this.’ I think Tina’s life would be a lot more boring if she didn’t have someone make her break the rules all the time.
Favorite flavors
Tina and Linda in “Bob’s Burgers.”
(20th Television/Fox)
Over the years, “Bob’s Burgers” has come to be known for its various holiday episodes for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas that often rank among viewers’ favorites.
“I love on Thanksgiving when they play the marathon of stuff,” Roberts says.
But holidays aren’t the only flavor of memorable episodes. And even after 16 seasons, the cast says they are just as excited to flip through new scripts and record episodes together as they were when they started.
As for their favorites, Mintz says he enjoys “all the fantasy ones.” Murphy agrees.
Murphy: I like those episodes where the kids are each telling their own story — and it might not have happened. It just gets to not exist in the world of “Bob’s Burgers,” but it’s someone’s point of view telling a story, like when they built that giant robot [“The Handyman Can”]. Kind of a “Rashomon”-type idea.
Schaal: I like anything that’s emotional. If Louise ever gets to be emotional, I get excited. Even like the one where they’re looking for Bob’s mom’s grave [“Show Mama From the Grave”]. They’re going for something that is really sad, but doing it so well. I love those episodes.
Roberts: I think what’s really awesome is that there’s an individual episode for each character that’s genius. For me, I think “Lindapendent Woman” was an incredible episode. I just did an episode Holly Schlesinger wrote where it’s more about Linda and her past. We all got our turn at having incredible episodes.
Mirman: I agree with Kristen about the ones that have an emotional arc. There is a Christmas one [“The Plight Before Christmas”], where all three kids have an event and the parents understand they can’t make it to everything. Eventually Tina makes it to Louise’s poetry reading where she wrote two poems and one is really sweet and about the family. I’ve watched that episode a bunch.
Schaal: Going back to the story ones. The one about the chores [“Fight at the Not Okay Chore-ral”], where Louise is butting heads with Linda about doing chores and then they tell stories about being in a wild west town. That one I love because it was about this real conflict. And the funny thing is, my daughter has requested to watch that one several times. I think it’s because Linda breaks down and says, “I’m wrong, I give up,” and my kid is thrilled to see the mom say that.
We’re here, we’re gruyere, get used it
Teddy and Linda in an episode of “Bob’s Burgers.”
(20th Television / Fox)
“Bob’s Burgers” has often been hailed for its inclusivity. As a series living in “the kind lane,” the characters are accepted for who they are — even if there’s gentle ribbing at times.
“Nobody’s trying to change anyone,” Roberts says. “They’re just trying to make them better human beings.”
“And they don’t have to defend who they are,” adds Schaal. “There’s complete acceptance.”
At a time when trans and queer people are increasingly targeted by ring-wing politicians and activists through legislation and dehumanizing rhetoric — LGBTQ+-friendly shows such as “Bob’s Burgers” can, for some, feel like a refuge. Bouchard explains how the show’s approach to being inclusive is intentional.
Bouchard: One of the simple tricks that we do is you just do it. You don’t have to shine a light on it. What I think is interesting about acceptance and tolerance and inclusivity — all those things have become capitalized words, and they almost lose their value when they’re not just part of your daily life. Your storytelling has to be about something other than that. That’s not going to be as satisfying as just put it in the character and let it be their daily. They get up feeling accepting and inclusive and normalizing, and they go to bed that way. They don’t learn that f— lesson in the middle of a half-hour show. That’s fine that it exists. Maybe sometimes, as a culture, we need to all come together and learn a lesson. [But] “Bob’s” is in the business of not writing those episodes. We’re in the business of writing those characters without fanfare.
And I give credit to my parents. I think my sister and I were weird in the normal weird way — weird kids are normal. A lot of parents make room for that, and love their kids no matter how they express themselves as little kids. I guess some don’t, but I am glad to have come up in that. To me, it feels natural. To me, it’s not a stretch. The way to do it is to just live it, just be it, and assume that when it’s on paper and it seems normal to you, hopefully it’ll feel reassuring and comforting to other folks too.
In the Emmy-season finale of The Envelope video podcast, Tramell Tillman opens up about the jobs that made him “miserable” before acting — and how they informed his performance as Mr. Milchick in “Severance.” Then, Katherine LaNasa explains what her Emmy nomination for “The Pitt” means to her as a self-described “character actress.”
Kelvin Washington: Hello, everyone, and welcome to The Envelope. I’m Kelvin Washington, alongside folks you are used to seeing at this point: Yvonne Villarreal, Mark Olsen. And we are excited about this episode because it’s Emmy season. Mark, I even wanna start with you. What sticks out to you? Maybe it’s just someone you think’s gonna win or something you’re expecting, maybe a trend with the theme of the show as well. What jumps out?
Mark Olsen: Well, I’m looking at the category of supporting actress in a drama, where all the ladies from “The White Lotus” were nominated, and people are really thinking that Carrie Coon will probably be winning in that category. Also, she’s just kind of on such a hot streak right now with “The Gilded Age” as well. But I have to say, I am so excited, my indie film queen, Parker Posey — who played, of course, the matriarch of the Ratliff family on the show — I’ve seen her give some award speeches before, and we would be in for a real doozy if they would pick Parker Posey. I don’t know if that’s gonna happen, but I think that category just in general is gonna be sort of a fun category to watch.
Yvonne Villarreal: Do you think she’ll thank Lorazepam? She mentions it so much as her character.
Washington: We didn’t even get an answer. Just a laugh.
Olsen: Well, mine just kicked in.
Washington: OK, copy that. So I go to you now, Yvonne. What about you? So we got a whole “White Lotus” phenomenon, as you mentioned, Mark. If you’re on the show, you’re nominated. What about you, Yvonne?
Villarreal: I’m really curious to see how the drama category shakes out. This idea of “Severance,” that was gone for so long, is really dominating, but then you have a breakout like “The Pitt” that’s really strong, and it’ll be interesting to see how that shakes out. I’ll be happy either way. If they miss the opportunity to stage an emergency with “The Pitt” people there, c’mon.
Washington: That makes sense. And plus, I like how you did that, kind of foreshadowing this episode with the two shows that you picked. Mark, I want to go to you. You had a chance to talk with Tramell Tillman, speaking of “Severance.” By the way, before you go, I brought this up one time. We talked about this. I did something on the morning news that I anchor. I came out with a marching band from the Palisades. We had the fires in Los Angeles in January, and we had a marching band bring us in the show. And everyone was saying that I was his character. That’s all it was. That’s literally all my entire timeline was about. And I think it dropped just a Sunday prior to me posting that.
Villarreal: You’ve got your Halloween costume ready.
Washington: Yes. So tell me more about your chat, Mark.
Olsen: Tramell plays what’s become a real fan-favorite character on the show, Mr. Milchick, who is the middle manager in the office there. And as much as this has been a huge breakout role for Tramell, it’s really fascinating the road that he’s had to get here. He didn’t really start acting professionally until he was into his 30s. He had originally studied medicine, then he had finally gone back to school, studied acting, and then kind of was outside the business for a while, and then really has sort of hit a stride, and it’s just exciting to see that happen for him. And then, of course, he has the marching band sequence this year, which became such a huge, popular thing; sort of a viral moment. And on top of that, he also had just an absolute scene-stealing performance in “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” and so this has just been a huge year for him so far.
Washington: We see those moments happen, right? Where someone has that role that finally [breaks through], and then you look at it and you realize, “Oh, I’ve seen him or her in a million other movies.” You just didn’t notice him until they finally had that role. And so it’s awesome to see when that happens for folks. I go to you, Yvonne. Tell us a bit more about Katherine LaNasa. You just mentioned “The Pitt.” Tell us about your conversation.
Villarreal: Well, it fits perfectly, because Katherine LaNasa is having a moment too on this show. You know, she’s been a working actor for a long time, but she’s really had this breakout moment on “The Pitt.” The medical drama really took off when it launched in January, just because of the format. You just want to keep going. It covers a 15-hour shift, and it just felt revelatory. And she plays Dana, the charge nurse at this hospital. And you really get a sense early on that she’s the one that makes this place work. She’s the one that knows everything. And she knows how to deal with all the personalities. And she really has, over this 15-hour shift, an existential moment where she experiences violence on the job. And it really rattles her. And she is grappling with, “This job that I’ve had for so long, is this still where I need to be? Is it time to go?” And that’s how the season sort of ends with her, of her having this reckoning of, “Is this over for me? Or am I going to keep going?” And it was really just great to talk to her about having this moment at this point in her career.
Washington: And that’s what we’re talking about. Folks get their moment. Whenever it comes, obviously, I’m sure very appreciated. All right, let’s get to Tramell Tillman and Mark’s conversation. Here it is.
Tramell Tillman in “Severance.”
(Apple TV+)
Mark Olsen: Before we start talking about “Severance,” I want to go back to talk about — and please correct me if I’m wrong, but as I understand it, you didn’t really start acting professionally until you were in your 30s. You’d been in school and working. And I’m always so curious about when people aren’t a prodigy, aren’t a success right out of the gate. For you, what was that road like? What was it like for you getting to be able to say, I’m going be an actor?
Tramell Tillman: It’s more like a cul-de-sac. I was kind of going in and out, going in circles a bit. It was not a straight journey for me at all. I had made the commitment that I wanted to be an actor when I was 10 and was really shy about pursuing it because I didn’t have a lot of mentors around that were doing the work that I wanted to do at that level. So I leaned on the academic side, more so in the sciences and studying medicine. And I told myself I was going to become an orthopedic surgeon and was going down that route. But performing was always a part of my life. I would perform for my family, especially the adults in the house. When they were bored and didn’t want to watch TV, they put all the cousins, the babies and the grandkids up in front of them. We had to do little talent shows. And my first performance in front of a live audience of strangers, if you will, was at the church when I was 10. But there was something that clicked, and I wanted to follow that spark and it never went away. Even when I was studying medicine or selling knives door-to-door in Maryland or teaching about abstinence in Mississippi or rallying and pushing kids about the importance of education here and there.
Olsen: So you always had the goal of becoming an actor. In your mind, you were on your path.
Tillman: Well, I didn’t commit to the path until I felt like life had just beat me down, and only in the sense that I was miserable doing everything else and had to tap back into myself. And I was fortunate to have a wonderful mentor, Dr. Mark G. Henderson, who basically inspired me to do a lot of soul-searching and figure out what was that thing that lit my fire, and it was performing. And it was he that inspired me to go to grad school to get the tools. He saw that I had the talent, but I needed to learn the craft. And I’m grateful I made that decision.
Olsen: Was there a movie or a performance, a play, some other actor that you saw that felt like a possibility model for you, like, “Oh, I want to do that. I could do that too.”
Tillman: Honestly, there were so many, so many actors. Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, Meryl Streep, Gene Hackman. I was watching so many films as a kid growing up, and I loved what they were doing. I loved the stories that they were telling. And so they were all examples of what could be. I just didn’t know how they went about their journey. And then, if you look at all of their stories, it’s very different. So there’s no one way to get to where you wanna be. Specifically in this industry. But you just gotta keep trying.
Olsen: Even after you went to graduate school, I think there were a few years after school before you really sort of got your career going. What were those years like for you?
Tillman: They were tough. After graduate school, I had four jobs. I was living in New York and I was determined not to be a starving artist. So I had two jobs working at a nonprofit. I had a job working in catering. And then, of course, I have my acting gig. And so that kept me incredibly busy. But it’s a grind. The acting itself, the business of it is a grind, and then New York City is a hustle. So you’re always going, you’re always moving and learning, and you’ve got to move quick and learn quicker. But it really prepared me for “Severance,” in a way. I’d had all these corporate jobs, which who’d have thought would come in handy? These were just survival gigs, but it all fueled me to where I am now.
Olsen: With “Severance,” the first season was well received, but this second season has just seemed like a phenomenon. It just seems like the show has really skyrocketed. What do you think it is that audiences are really responding to?
Tillman: Definitely the mystery. We want to know what is going on at Lumon. But it’s also — there’s a human story there. We give so much of ourselves at work. And a lot of times, we are not who we are at work versus home. And so this show really speaks to that. It speaks to the human condition, the investments that we have within ourselves and the relationships. And it begs the question, why are we doing this and who is it for?
Olsen: Do you find that those are the same things that you responded to when you first read the script, when you first were approached about the project?
Tillman: I was very curious about what this show was. So I got the sides, and my audition sides were the red ball scene and the scene with Milchick and — we learned later — Helena in the stairwell where he’s encouraging her that she’s doing the right thing, go back into the wall and finish her work. So I didn’t really have a concept of what this thing was. I just knew that this guy was a motivator. He was a leader. He was a teacher. He was someone that you can trust, but he was also someone that you didn’t want to mess with. So I just really leaned into trying to find who this guy was and make him a whole human. And I really had fun with the process.
Olsen: There are so many wild fan theories around the show. I don’t know how much you even engage with all that or are aware of it, but does that inform your own understanding of the show at all?
Tillman: I had to kind of avoid it. First of all, it’s very addictive. You’re reading the comments, you’re reading the Reddit threads, and the contributions, the thoughts behind it are so intoxicating, and they’re really well thought out. And it makes me think as an actor, “But is that what we were doing? Is that the story we’re telling?” And then I’ll call Dan [Erickson] or Ben [Stiller] and [say], “Wait, but someone said this, and this is kind of a little spot-on.” And they’re like, “No, that’s not what’s happening at all.” But it’s just this whole journey. And I think it’s a testament to how great the show is. It also speaks to the intelligence of our fans and the passion behind the show. It’s enriching, it’s empowering as well.
Olsen: But is it challenging with this show in particular — how do you play to the enigma? How do you grapple with all the unknown factors to this world, to your character? Are you having to answer all those questions for yourself before you perform a scene, or can you somehow embrace the mystery and know that there are going to be unknowns?
Tillman: Well, with this character, he’s really special because this is one of the rare instances where the character knows more than the actor. And so that gets really tricky as well. And so there are things that you’re just not going to know and you have to let go to that, I found. And there are constant conversations that I have, with Dan and Ben and with the fellow directors, of trying to figure out what this world is. And so because the world itself is an enigma, you don’t have to play the enigma. You just lean into the circumstances that have been set up and trust that it will reveal itself in the process.
Olsen: The idea that the character knows more than the actor playing the character, does that make you feel wrong-footed? At any point, do you learn something about the character down the line and maybe wish you’d played an earlier scene a little different?
Tillman: Oh, yeah. All the time, all the time. But you know, that’s where the trust comes in. You’re trusting that you have a team of people that will lead you in the right direction, that there are people that have vision. That you have great writers and cinematographers and directors that really understand the journey. And while I might not get it, I can lean on them to help me get there. And they’re very vocal. If I’m off, they’ll tell me.
Olsen: Especially in this second season, it’s been so exciting in that your character of Milchick is very much a company man, but also there seems to be a growing sense of conflict inside of him. And so for you, how do you interpret that? What’s going on with him?
Tillman: We started in chaos from Season 1, Day 1. And Season 2 really ups the ante because now he’s in a position of leadership and no one is helping him navigate this new space. And he’s being thrust in[to] all these different situations and circumstances and the Innies are not helping him by any means. They’re making his job a lot harder. And he’s learning the lessons of what it is to move up in corporate America, that it’s not so much easier just because you have this leadership title. And I think that’s what the audience is experiencing. We’re starting to see the cracks beneath the veneer.
Olsen: Are you approaching him in a sense as a prison guard who’s suddenly becoming too sympathetic to his charges?
Tillman: I wouldn’t say a prison guard who’s too sympathetic. I’ve approached him as a man who is committed to the job. He’s a person of duty, by any means necessary. And we see the differences in how Cobel leads, which is very much old school, versus Milchick, which is, “Let’s do kindness reforms. Let’s give them what they want. Let’s kind of help them along, and maybe that will bring about positive results.” But we see it doesn’t.
Olsen: I think audiences have been really surprised by how empathetic they are feeling towards Milchick. I don’t think people expected that. And one way to put that as a question is simply, do you see him as one of the villains of the story?
Tillman: My tendency was to think he was a villain in Season 1, but as I stepped further into the script, I think there’s something more interesting about this story. And to categorize him as a villain, I think it’s a bit shortsighted. It’s easy to go that route. And so what I really enjoy is the conversation where people are discussing if he is a villain because I think that there is more to mine. There’s more to understand.
Olsen: How have you been exploring that for yourself? As you get a script for each episode, how are you sort of continuing to evolve your own understanding of who Milchick is?
Tillman: I really just allow the page to inform me, you know, try not to have any preconceived notions of where you think it’s going to go and just lean into the circumstances. And you know, Dan Erickson and his writing team do such a great job in presenting a wonderful road map to get you from point A to point B, and then C and then D. And if you don’t anticipate, it’s really quite a fascinating journey.
Olsen: How have your own experiences with office culture informed your performance as the character and your understanding of this world?
Tillman: One of the jobs I had, I was an assistant to the vice president of accounting and controls for a finance company, a world I knew nothing about. But essentially, my job was to file financial reports, do travel and scheduling and so forth. But on top of that, I was in charge of office culture. So I had to come up with these innovative ideas to keep positive morale in the office. Sound familiar? So that was a wonderful exercise that really helped me fuel building and constructing Milchick. I spent years as a cater waiter. So customer service was really important. I used to sell, I was in retail. So being [able] to anticipate a need, being able to offer a product or an idea, like we see in Season 2, where Milchick visits Mark’s Outie, he gives him all of these incentives, being able to construct that in such a way that is pleasant and not threatening was really important. So this guy, he’s having to go from being an administrator to the Innies to being almost a customer service rep to the Outies. And that was really intriguing to me.
Olsen: This season, we’ve seen Milchick suffer a lot of micro- and some not-so-micro-aggressions, many of them based around race. Was that something that was familiar to you from your own time in office culture?
Tillman: I think it’s just familiar to me, period. Just living and being in various circumstances, living in the South, being in the Midwest at times, just kind of a symptom of existing, unfortunately.
Olsen: I’ve seen you describe yourself as a reformed people pleaser. Would you say that Milchick is on that same trajectory?
Tillman: I was 100% a people pleaser. I don’t know, he’s definitely not reformed. He’s definitely not. When we see him at the end of the second season, we don’t know what to think. We don’t know where he’s gonna go next. And that’s exciting to me.
Olsen: But what made you change that in yourself?
Tillman: Being a reformed people pleaser? It’s exhausting. It’s 100% exhausting. And it’s impossible. Someone’s always gonna be upset about something or find fault in anything. So once I started following my bliss and going after the things that I wanted to do, there was a sense of freedom there. It was a liberation, and at a certain point you just realized that, you know what, I don’t have to prove myself to people. I can just be, I can just exist.
Olsen: I know there’s one line in particular in this past season, “devour feculence,” which turns into a real turning point for the character. He is standing up to one of his superiors, who had reprimanded him for the language that he uses. Can you tell me a little bit about what that moment meant to you and for the character?
Tillman: I felt it was a defining moment. Just like you said. We don’t see him talking back to administration at any point, even in Season 1. He’s always been respectful, always played by the rules. And so again, just like I talked about the road map earlier, what the writers have done is create a series of circumstances where it would make sense for him to respond in such a way that could jeopardize his job. And if you really think about it, this man has gone through a lot in a short period of time. So there really is no way for him to process any of this information. This company has been turned upside down, seemingly overnight, and he’s had to bear it all. And even though he’s keeping things on the track as best as he can, he still doesn’t get the respect that he deserves. So yeah, he would tell him, “devour feculance.” Just like, get off my back, dude. I’m doing what I can.
Olsen: But when you see that moment in the script, in particular that very distinctive two-word phrase — your delivery of it is so fantastic because you don’t oversell the line. Can you tell me how you decide on how to deliver that phrase? Because it could obviously go in many different directions.
Tillman: Sure. So first I had to look up the word. I was like, “What is that? Wait, what?” I didn’t know what this was. And I said, “OK, this is what we’re doing.” He’s telling him what to do. And this felt like such an empowering moment for him because this is the one moment we see him stand up for himself. And I said, “OK, you gotta sell this, but you have to sell it in only the way that Milchick would sell it.” And this man is very measured. He doesn’t need to raise his voice a lot to get a point across. I believe he knows his power. He’s able to manipulate people very easily and very quickly. So for him to deliver that line in that monotone and that simple delivery speaks to his power and the knowledge that he has of himself. And also it makes it so much more effective because if you yell it at somebody, you know, they’ll kind of overlook it. They don’t hear it as well. But to just like whisper it, it lands.
Olsen: And then I, of course, I have to ask you about the drumline sequence this season. It takes the kind of the “Music Dance Experience” from Season 1 to a whole new place. And I’m just so curious about the origins of that performance. When was it first just presented to you, “Oh, and by the way, we want you to lead a a marching band drumline through the office.”
Tillman: I believe we were in the middle of filming Season 2, and I was approached about this marching band idea. And I was reticent about it because I did not want to replicate what we did in the Music Dance Experience, because that’s iconic of itself. But we continued having [a] conversation with the creative team and trying to explore ways of making sense of the moment so it didn’t feel like just a one-off, like, “Oh, this man just has a band” and whatever. So we tried to find purpose behind it. And so knowing that this man was at a breaking point with Lumon and at this mysterious moment of where his next moves were, I felt that it was really important to infuse his own identity in this. Because in the second season, we start to see that race becomes a thing in the world of Lumon. So it’s how can we dovetail the microaggressions that you had mentioned before, his journey, his role in leadership, and also the showmanship this man has. If he’s gonna do anything, it’s gonna be big. It’s gonna be massive. And it was a wonderful marriage.
Olsen: Already, at PaleyFest, you did a live performance with a band and you’re going to be doing another one coming up soon. How are you finding that? Like, how are you preparing for these live performances leading a marching band?
Tillman: It’s a dream. Coming from a historically Black college and university, I would see the marching bands and I was in awe. I was in marching band when I was in high school, I played the alto saxophone. And to be able to serve as bandleader and drum leader, or drum major, for a group of incredible musicians is an absolute dream.
Olsen: But now is there a part of you that’s kind of like, “What exactly did I sign up for here?” Are you concerned you’re going to be asked to lead marching bands for the rest of your career?
Tillman: When I signed up to join the cast of “Severance,” and we had to pause for the pandemic, and I was reading through the rest of the script. It was at that point I realized, “Oh, this is something different. I signed up for something that is insane.” And every addition ever since in Season 2, I said, “Yep, that’s insane. That’s insane, this is insane. But you know what, it makes sense.”
Olsen: Are you enjoying that surprise aspect of it? That every time you get a script, you kind of genuinely have no idea what could be coming next?
Tillman: I am leaning into that now. More and more. Just allowing life to take its course.
Olsen: There was a big time gap just between Season 1 and Season 2. And there’s been a lot of talk that it’s not gonna take as long to make Season 3. How is that for you? Schedule-wise, are you able to take on other projects, do other things? In a way I’m asking if you are able to take advantage of this moment that you’re having, the great attention and success that it seems the show has brought you.
Tillman: Oh, absolutely. I filmed “Mission: Impossible” right after I had wrapped my portion of Season 2. I filmed a project with Mahershala Ali, “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.” I just wrapped a project with Lena Dunham and Natalie Portman. So I’ve been staying busy and staying active. And that’s just me, going from a shy kid to being a hustler and grinder and living in New York and just continuing the pace and doing more and more.
Olsen: And tell me about the Lena Dunham project, her new film, “Good Sex.” What was that like?
Tillman: Oh, it was fantastic. It’s a wonderful crew. Cast is beautiful. It’s a really lovely rom-com. And Natalie is a queen. And Lena is such a delight. She has a passion for this. She is so supportive. And I can’t wait to see it.
Olsen: And then you also mentioned Bassam Tariq’s “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother,” which has you, Mahershala Ali is in the cast, Giancarlo Esposito is in the cast. And I can only hope that the three of you have scenes together. Like, I would love to see the three of you onscreen together.
Tillman: Yeah, I would like that too.
Olsen: And I want to be sure to ask you about the “Mission: Impossible” film, “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.” I have to tell you, I saw the film at a public screening and simply when you came onscreen, the crowd burst into cheers, like people were very excited. And I think it really has been one of the scene-stealing performances of the year.
Tillman: Oh, wonderful. I have seen this movie about four times, and every time I came onscreen, it was quiet. So it’s nice to know that people were excited to see me in this movie.
Olsen: You have this one line, the word “Mister,” that you say throughout your screen time, and you just deliver it with such like verve and gusto. It’s really exciting. And again, like I don’t even know if that line was specifically in the script that you were referring to him like that —
Tillman: It was.
Olsen: But how do you come to decide just how much sort of spin to put on the ball there?
Tillman: How do I come to decide? I don’t know, you just feel it in the moment. And again, like when you’re in a position of power, I feel that these roles like Captain Bledsoe and Seth Milchick, they know that they’re in a position of power, and when you know it, you don’t have to do too much. It’s just, you command the room, you own it.
Olsen: Because the world of that submarine that you’re a part of, like yourself, Katy O’Brian, some of the other actors there, there’s just like a really specific and exciting energy among the people on that submarine. How did that come to be? Like, were you having conversations among the cast or with the director, Christopher McQuarrie, as far as what the world of that submarine was gonna seem like?
Tillman: The conversations were very much present, but a lot of it was really in the moment. We just dove in, and what all of those actors did beautifully was create these characters that were real. They weren’t playing at being in a submarine or playing being in military forces. They were just themselves and just allowed things to blossom as it is.
Olsen: And was it exciting for you to be a part of a movie at that that scale?
Tillman: Absolutely. I remember. Watching “Mission: Impossible” as a kid. You know, I never thought I’d be in it. And then working alongside Tom Cruise, I mean, that’s a big deal. That’s kind of huge.
Olsen: But in particular, again, you more than almost any other character in this movie in particular, you’re kind of putting him in his place, and there’s something that’s really — I think that’s part of the reason why audiences got such a kick out of your character, is you’re sort of dressing him down in a way that people aren’t used to seeing.
Tillman: Yeah, I don’t know how that happened. No, it was a lot of fun. It was so much fun. And Tom and Chris were so game and really allowed me the space to fly and have fun with it. It was a delight.
Olsen: And now with moving forward to Season 3 of “Severance,” have you seen any scripts yet? Like, do you know anything that’s gonna be happening?
Tillman: I haven’t seen anything, I don’t know anything. I know nothing.
Olsen: One of the ways you’ve described Milchick is as an iceberg, meaning that there’s a lot that we haven’t seen yet. Are there specific things about him that you would like to see revealed?
Tillman: I am interested in knowing how the man grew up, his background. I’m always interested in history, how people — their origin story, right? And I think he has a very compelling story. As an actor, I built my own idea of what the origin story is because that, for me, helps fuel the character or fuel my performance into the character. But we’ll see.
Olsen: For you as a performer, have you already conceived of what that backstory is? Do you have an idea of what you think his previous life was like?
Tillman: Yeah, I do.
Olsen: Anything you care to share?
Olsen: It’s probably invalid because it’s all wrong. That’s another thing I’ve learned about working on this show. Everything you think is going to happen, nope.
Olsen: And how do you grapple with that? Especially for you as a performer, you have ideas about the character, where he’s from, maybe where he is heading, and then the script takes him in a totally different direction. What do you do with that?
Tillman: There was a point it would make me break out in hives because it felt like I had no control over it. But then you realize how that bleeds into the state of the character. This man, Milchick, who thinks he has control every day, is shown that he has very little control. So being in that environment, while it’s not fun, to a certain extent, for someone who likes to have all of the answers, it really does fuel the performance in a whole other way.
Olsen: And now for you, with the attention, the acclaim that the role has brought you, your Emmy nomination, is this the acting life that you envisioned for yourself? Like, those times when you wanted to be an actor and you were trying to get your career going, is this what you were dreaming of for yourself?
Tillman: Did I dream that I would be on a show with Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro? It wasn’t that specific, no. I did have dreams of performing and being proud of the work that I did. I did dream of being in movies and television. The vision was not clear, but the desire was there.
Olsen: And do you feel like, as you’ve been moving forward and gaining some success, has the dream changed at all? Like, what what are your goals now?
Tillman: What are my goals now? I definitely want to continue telling stories and narratives that I believe in. Stories we haven’t heard before or perspectives that we’re not familiar with. I want to keep working with quality actors and expanding in a whole different way. And it’s not just in front of the camera. I’m also interested in producing and directing as well.
Olsen: Do you have any specific projects you want to make?
Tillman: I’m really interested in African folktales. I really want to tell, retell, those stories. And I think there’s an avenue for it. So I’m trying to figure that out.
Katherine LaNasa in “The Pitt.”
(Warrick Page / HBO Max)
Villarreal: Katherine, thanks so much for being here. I don’t want to alarm you but before this interview is over, we’re going to have a patient roll through and we’re not gonna tell you what’s wrong. You’re going to have to figure it out.
LaNasa: That patient better pray! They better have a god they pray to because I don’t know anything about medicine — literally, even the fake stuff grosses me out so much.
Villarreal: Really, you don’t have the stomach for it?
LaNasa: Yeah, you’ll see. There’s some stuff in [Season 2]. I actually told the producer, “I think I need some jewelry for that.” I need a gift for dealing with it. It’s so disgusting. It’s so disgusting that I had to process that it was going to happen, and when [it] happened, I had kind of detach from my body and get through it.
Villarreal: OK, so Hour 4 in Season 2, we’re going to know what you’re talking about?
LaNasa: Oh no, I think it’s in [Episode 2].
Villarreal: What part of the body are you dealing with? Can you share that?
LaNasa: No. It’s gross, though. It is gross! It was a lot in [Episode 2]. It was a lot had to deal with in [Episode 2]. I was like, “Wow, OK, guys.”
Villarreal: Oh, my gosh, I can’t wait. Well, congratulations — Emmy nominee! You guys were in production on Season 2 when the news hit. Put me in that moment.
LaNasa: Well, my husband [actor Grant Show] and daughter came. They were in my dressing room, and I knew it was [time for the nominations announcement]. At that moment, Noah [Wyle, star and executive producer] ran up and he says, “I need a bathroom break.” So they gave us a break and I ran up to my room and they announced everybody — and somebody that they announced in some category that wasn’t mine, it was like a [last name that began with an S] or something, and my husband’s like, “Oh, no, it’s in alphabetical order. Oh, no!” He got so upset. I go, “Honey, it’s not my category.” But then they didn’t announce it. They didn’t announce it [in the live segment], and [Grant] couldn’t get [the online list] up in time. I said, “I have to go back to work.” I was waiting outside the trauma room [set], and [Myriam Arougheti, the show’s head of makeup] came and she’s like [makes excited facial expression], and I looked at her, and we went in a little hallway, and I posted those pictures of us. And she got nominated too. Then I went out and my husband was there and then [R.] Scott Gemmill [the show’s creator] came up and my daughter and the head writers. It was just a really neat moment. Then when we went in, they announced, and Noah came walking in. I hadn’t seen him. And that was just his response — that hug. It was surreal.
Villarreal: We’re very thankful you put that on Instagram so we could live in that moment. What do you shoot after something like that?
LaNasa: I don’t even know. I think we had a moment. We kind of hung around for a while. They had to take Noah to do press, so we had some time to kind of decompress for the excitement and stuff. We actually shoot short, so we had time; we had space [for a break].
Villarreal: Have you fully processed it? Is there processing of something like that?
LaNasa: I’m going to start crying. I’m trying to just live in the power of it; live in the blessing of it, because I didn’t know this was going to happen, and it doesn’t matter how good of an actress I might have been, if you don’t get the opportunity, if [executive producer] John Wells didn’t give me that shot, it wouldn’t have happened and, so, I’m so blessed by it. A friend is having a dinner for me, and it really was hard for me to say, “Will you come to this dinner for me?” It doesn’t matter that these wonderful people that I’ve worked with have written me [their congratulations] and they’re so excited, but it’s really hard to say, “Will you come celebrate me?” It’s hard to believe that it’s me. I’ve loved my career. I’ve always, at heart, been a character actress, and I’ve always been a supporting actress, and I think I know how to push on the story and push on the lead actor and make them look great, and I think I shine in that too, but it’s just — I’m not used to being in the spotlight.
Villarreal: You’ve been part of medical dramas before — “The Night Shift,” you’re on “ER” as the mother of a patient who has a little dalliance with with one of the doctors, and then you were on “Grey’s Anatomy.” What do you remember about those moments, just being like a small part of the thing and now to be at the center?
LaNasa: There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t remember all the years of struggle and all the auditions and the hallowed corridors of Warner Bros., where we [shoot] now, they’ve always just held a magic for me. I just was thinking this morning: “Here I am; I’m a series regular in in a hit show at Warner Bros.” It doesn’t pass me by. Doesn’t matter how many shows I do, it’s always so hard to get that next job. To be on one that’s a hit, that really sings, that you love — I’m so lucky.
I have a funny story about “ER.” So, my dad’s a surgeon. He hates every medical drama that’s ever been made, except “The Pitt.” And I was telling this to John Wells. We were at a cast lunch, and he says, “Yeah, we don’t have people making out in broom closets.” And I said, “[My ‘ER’ character] made out in the broom closet with Goran [Višnjić, who played Dr. Luka Kovač].” And he goes, “Well, it was like the seventh season or something. We jumped the shark already.” It was a very funny moment. What I remember about “Grey’s” — I was that girl that people would say, “Can you play like a witch doctor on Monday?” or “Can you have this weird disease?” I had Munchausen [syndrome] — not Munchausen [syndrome] by proxy — that was offered to me on a Friday to do on Monday. I was always that girl: “LaNasa will do it. She’ll try anything!” Like [Little] Mikey with the [Life] cereal. I was a vegetarian for about 35 years, and during that period I find myself on that show and, without any warning, they put a huge raw piece of steak on top of me that I guess is what they used to cauterize and look real in the TV operations. We don’t use steak on “The Pitt.” With “The Night Shift,” I was actually pregnant.
Villarreal: What do you remember about the audition for “The Pitt”? Noah wrote a note to people auditioning, right?
LaNasa: He wrote a note, and he talked about top-to-toe immersion. And I had this feeling — in the first episode, they write about how he [Dr. Robby] is outside, and when he comes through into the ER, that it’s just this whole vibe all of a sudden. Ever since I did “Judging Amy” — it sounds like a very weird thing — but I was left alone [as] a [district attorney] on “Judging Amy” for hours on end, and I figured out during that show how to create my own life and to have an inner life and have my business going all the time. And I thought, “I’ll use all this time just to [think about]: ‘What would I do now? And then what would I do? What does a lawyer do?’” Figuring all that out. So, it’s become a part of my craft that I find very grounding. I always like to be fully alive in my body, in the imaginary life of the character at all times. So when he [Noah] wrote that, I was like, “That’s what I’m into.” I got it. He also said, “Leave your ego and bring your creativity.” And, for some reason, that just spoke to me — that I could be as offbeat as I am; that I didn’t have to be, “Oh, now you’re the strict boss” or “Now you’re this” or “Now you’re the pretty lady” or something that was all constricted. I had this little feeling in the back of my head, even though I hadn’t gotten a good job in a couple of years, I thought, “I think if I can get in front of them, I think they would want me. I think they’d be happy with me. I think I’m the kind of actor they want in that job.” I didn’t really seem like the prototype for it, but then, lo and behold, the tape made it up there. I had a Zoom [meeting] with John Wells. I was out in L.A. and not prepared for an audition. [I] didn’t have any Dana clothes; had to rush to Target and get a sweatsuit. And the Zoom camera, when they came on, it was all upside down. It was just all kind of wonky, but it worked. Then they sent me another scene — the scene when I tell them I’m going to quit, which was a different scene than ended up in the show, but it was a dramatic scene, and I sent that to them and then I found out [I got it].
Villarreal: Did you have the accent all along?
LaNasa: I had done something vaguely East Coast for my first tape, and they told me to take it down a little bit for the second audition, so I took it down a little bit and I asked him, “Was it OK?” He’s like, “Don’t worry about it now.” I was like, “OK.” So I just let it go. But I knew that if I didn’t learn a Pittsburgh accent I would sound vaguely East Coast or like I was from New Jersey in the show. And being from Louisiana and being a Southerner, and having people get that wrong so much, I didn’t want to offend the people of Pittsburgh, and I thought I would try it, and it went actually quite terribly. It was really bad, and I cried a lot and I told my acting coach, “Why am I doing this? Why can’t I just be like a normal actor and not have to always be so extra?” She said, “Is there any way in hell you would play this character onstage and not do this accent?” And I said, “No.” She said, “Keep going.” And then I was watching “Mare of Easttown” so much that it was on in my bathtub and then it rolled out, and the [behind-the-scenes footage] came on and they started talking about the accent and the dialect coach came on. And I contacted her on IMDB Pro; I figured out how to find her, and she hooked me up with Susanne Sulby, who put my accent into shape in time to do the show.
Villarreal: Not even three minutes into Hour 1, we really get a sense of Dana and how crucial she is to this ecosystem. And it’s not only how crucial she is to the place of where she works but how crucial [she] is to us as viewers. It’s through her that we learn that Collins is pregnant. It’s through her that we realize why Dr. Robby is going to have a rough day. What did that unlock for you about who she is and how she moves through this space and interacts with her co-workers?
LaNasa: I think I was just at a place in my life where I’ve been through a lot, so I think I had a great understanding of a human condition, just as a person, and I think that I’m the kind of person, for whatever reason, strangers tell me a lot of stuff, so I have some of that. I think John Wells is good at casting and Cathy Sandrich [“The Pitt’s casting director] is good casting people a little bit close to who they are. I also think that I’m a very take-charge person — some people that are married to me might think I’m bossy — but I think I had a lot of the qualities of Dana. I think playing the role and dealing with people that are in such traumatic situations and having to focus on that in my imagination, like believe that this is what’s going on with them, it really did soften me up as a person. It’s a lesson every day in, you don’t know what people are going through. And how much a soft hand matters; how much empathy and compassion matters.
Villarreal: Dig into that a little bit more. You wrote a really lovely and touching essay for Women’s Health magazine about how this role was a love letter to the nurses who cared for you during your breast cancer treatment. Talk to me a little about how that formed or shaped what you brought to Dana and what do you remember about that time, in terms of the little details that really do, like, make a day or break a day for a patient?
LaNasa: I was pretty stoic during the process, but I have to say that at Piedmont [Hospital] in Atlanta, the nursing staff was incredibly kind. It was not like I’d experienced maybe in other places where I’d had babies. I was like, “I don’t know if everyone’s just nice to you because you have cancer; I don’t know what’s going on, but these people are really nice.” And it really mattered. The warm blankets really mattered a lot. It’s just so thoughtful. When you have to constantly be going in an MRI or these different machines, the radiation machines — that’s a head trip, to go get radiated every day. When someone is caring and offers you a warm blanket or offers you something like that, it really matters.
After my cancer treatment, I went through a rough period of a few months where we weren’t sure if there was some other things wrong with me, and I had to keep going back to the ER, and that was the part that kind of broke me because I had been very healthy and then, now, I never stopped going to the hospital. “Do I have this? Do I have that?” There was a lot of scans and a lot of stuff, and I broke down in the ER and the triage nurse just took me aside, and she basically wrapped me in her arms and was like, “The first six months after cancer are really bumpy. It’s not going to stay like this. Do you need an Ativan?” [Laughs.] And I was like, “No.” My husband’s like, “Are you sure?” But just the way that she was — and she said that, I think it was her sister-in-law, was just going through the same thing. Just taking that time [with me], it was so human. There’s just something about nurses; good nurses are so capable and yet they’re so human. They’re not coming down from the ivory tower like the doctors. They’re right there with you. They are in it with you. It really mattered, and so that’s what I wanted to show. But I think that tired, old working women everywhere relate to Dana. You don’t have to be a nurse. It’s like, “Oh, that’s me. I know her. That’s me or that’s my mom or that’s my aunt.” Everybody tells me: “My mom, my aunt — you’re their favorite character.” It’s always some tired, old lady and I get it. I see you, tired, old, working women.
Villarreal: She [Dana] covers the feet.
LaNasa: Yes, that was so sweet. They wrote that after I told them about the blankets. I’ll do anything for a warm blanket. If you ever have bad news, just bring me a warm blanket.
Villarreal: Dana is also loosely based on Kathy Garvin, a nurse at L.A. General [Medical Center]. What do you remember about shadowing her? What impressed you about what this job entails? What did it illuminate for you?
LaNasa: I think the two most impressive things were one, that she told me that she wouldn’t do this job if it wasn’t at a public hospital. She wanted to work for people who needed her — they kind of put that into the story — and that was really impressive. Also they had a [patient] there that was one of their regulars like we have our regulars and she knew him, and I couldn’t see him but I could see his feet and there were some guards there — because he was having a psychotic episode of some sort and they have to just be on guard — but no one was touching him or anything. And she was like, “He’s probably going to die soon. He’s lost this many pounds. He really comes [in] for attention.” And [listed] all the things that she knew about him. It was just so matter-of-fact, but there was a lot of compassion in it as well.
The other thing was about the sandwiches. They cut my line with Earl — I had a whole bit with Earl in Episode 1 about sandwiches and they ended up cutting it. Earl of Sandwich — inside joke. I wanted to know what’s the deal with the sandwiches, and she said, “Technically we’re supposed to write down if we give patients food, but if they’re hungry, I just give them a sandwich.” And I wanted see where the sandwiches were and everything. I also asked her: “If people are jerks — if they are Doug Driscolls [“The Pitt’s” agitated patient fed up with his wait time] — do you give them less preferable treatment?” And she said, “No, because it’s so serious whatever people are going through, if they’re here. But I might not give them a sandwich.” So, I understood the power.
Villarreal: Well, let’s talk about Doug Driscoll. Episode 9 is a big turning point for Dana. She’s attacked by Doug at the end and it’s a shocking moment that’s been building. And this episode was written by Noah, right?
LaNasa: Yes.
Villarreal: What do you remember about shooting that moment?
LaNasa: That was such a fun episode for me. That was the first episode where I really got to do a lot [to] showcase Dana, and I think he [Wyle] wanted just to showcase what a nurse in the ER might do and what it might look like to somebody that doesn’t know what she’s doing. You see both [sides] — his [Driscoll’s] frustration building and her exhaustion building — in a way that she needs a smoke break. He punches her — I think that I read it and I was detached from it. I thought, “Oh, and there’s a stunt. I do all of this fun stuff and I go out for a cigarette and stunt.” And I didn’t think about how I would have to process it until we did it and that was like, “Oh, this is a thing. I’m getting hit right now,” which I think was good. I trust my own instrument. But the journey after that was just so beautiful; to get that opportunity to play that and to think about her in a deeper way. It’s a person whose mother died when she was in high school — that’s what they told me — and then she’s worked there since she was in high school, and so you have to think: If you’re working with trauma every day, it’s convenient to not feel your feelings. I think that punch just brought a lot crashing down for Dana, and I think she’s going through an existential crisis in like [Episodes] 11 and 12 and there’s trauma [patients], so she’s taken out of her own feelings and sets it aside to keep working and keep saving lives. It was beautiful to get to consider all of that.
Villarreal: What did that do for you — did it make you think about [what you observed growing up] with your dad and what he brought home as a surgeon? When you reach a certain age and you look back at your parents, things sort of click into place or you understand things differently when you consider what they’re carrying into their role as parent.
LaNasa: My dad was a flight surgeon in Vietnam. I asked him once: What was the worst thing you ever saw? He’s there when he’s like 24 years old. He said that he had to tag and bag a gymnasium full of dead boys his own age. So, that’s a lot. I think he rubs really high, and I’m not sure if that’s not from the war.
Villarreal: In the final episode, it’s sort of unclear if Dana’s saying goodbye. It feels like a goodbye, but it also doesn’t feel like a goodbye. We know you’re in Season 2, but with the format of the show [covering one shift], I imagine you end with uncertainty — am I coming back? Am I not? And she hasn’t wanted to go home because, if she goes home, she has to confront everything. How were you thinking her journey, and how soon did sort of John and Scott fill in things for you about where she’s headed?
LaNasa: I really relax into the writing a lot in and just trust it. Scott Gemmill is really such a great architect. I thought it was so beautiful. Everyone’s stories paid off and everything. They told me when we got picked up that I was part of [the new season], so I knew pretty soon, but I think I’m still — even though we’re in shooting right now — just now coming into focus of where she is.
Villarreal: What can you tease about where she’s at?
LaNasa: I think that she’s changed. It’s funny because it’s not a broad stroke; they write in such subtleties. I think there’s definitely less porousness in Dana and less willingness to give her whole self over to situations the way that she did — to always put herself last. I think she’s trying to find some healthy balance. I filled in for myself that she wasn’t doing well, at all, and that one of her daughters confronted her and said, “This is not working — this white-knuckling of this situation; I think you need to get help.” And that I have gone and gotten some grief counseling for myself, going all the way back to dealing with my mother, [to] help me deal with this situation that happened. I think I view her as someone that’s now doing more self-care and taking care of herself like that. She’s got her meeting, she’s got her stuff, maybe she even has her impact classes — like, her self-defense classes. She’s got some stuff to fortify herself so that she could come back. A lot of people that go through [an act of violence like that] need to counterbalance that in a way that they feel like they can protect themselves should that incident come into their life again so that they’d feel safe enough to go back into the world. So I imagined something like that for her.
Villarreal: What do you think her husband thought when he saw the black eye?
LaNasa: I think he was probably pretty ticked. As they wrote it, I probably stayed out for a while. So I think he got what he wanted.
Villarreal: I know there’s the boot camp that happens. What can you share with me about the boot camp? Who’s the star student of the boot camp?
LaNasa: I think Taylor Dearden [who plays Dr. Melissa “Mel” King] would be the star student of the boot camp. I bet you she’s the star student wherever she goes.
Villarreal: And where do you fall?
LaNasa: I’m still the class clown, as I’ve been my whole life. I remember one time they had this video — a woman had an earring in her throat because she had scooped up a handful of pills and scooped up the earrings with a handful pills. I’m like, “I’m sorry, Mary, do you just have a pile of pills all over the table and are just like, ‘Oh, let me grab some of these!’” What happens when you accidentally get an earring in your handful of pills?
Villarreal: Wait, but was this an actual person?
LaNasa: An actual person in a video, and we had to watch [a doctor] going in with an instrument and get it out of the throat. There’s a lot videos.
Villarreal: How do you do in emergency situations? Are you calm?
LaNasa: Definitely calm. I get stuff done. I can remember when my son — I’d heard him fall and my ex-husband went up the stairs. It was such a crash, and I was freaked out when it was my own kid. I wasn’t sure if he had cut up his whole face or whatever. He did have an arm where he broke both bones and the arm was like a twisted snake, and that was kind hard.
I hate dead animals, dead birds. They’re very upsetting to me. But I’m super face-forward into death. I’ve been with a few people when they died, and I can handle that. I can handle a very scary-looking dying person and what they’re going through. People hallucinate a lot when they’re super sick and they look like a skeleton. And for some reason, I’m like, “Y’all can go home, I got it.” I don’t know what it is about it. I’m really happy that I’m able to do it. I don’t feel afraid of it, let’s put it that way. And I know that it’s scary for most people. I feel like I can just show up and be present with people when they’re dying and be in it with them for some reason. I didn’t know I could do it until my ex-husband [actor Dennis Hopper] was dying. And then I was like, “OK, I can do this.” And I could do it when my grandmother was dying. It’s not earned. I feel like it just came down from something. In other words, I don’t think I’m a virtuous person because of it. I just think it’s some part of my psychology, I can be present in that.
Villarreal: Before we wrap, Dr. Robby listens to [Baby” by Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise], as he starts and ends his day of work. Tell me what you think that song is for Dana.
LaNasa: Rema, “Calm Down.” I love that song. It’s also a little bit sad. Something about it has a lot of longing in it. I listened to that song when I was going through some of that stuff with Dana.
Villarreal: As we leave you, you’re taking a break from production, but what gory thing is coming up?
LaNasa: I’m going to have some stuff that I just talked about coming up. I’m going to have to deal with some death.
Villarreal: Well, I’m sorry in advance.
LaNasa: They picked the right actor.
Villarreal: Is there anyone you’re excited to see on Emmys night?
LaNasa: Oh, my gosh, I am just a fan of so many people. I’m a big fan of Jessica Williams [“Shrinking”]. I’m a big fan of Julianne Nicholson [“Paradise”]. I’m a huge fan of Jean Smart [“Hacks”]. Sharon Horgan [“Bad Sisters”]. It’s going to be a great night. I’m a fan of all of our competitors. Sterling K. Brown. It’s an honor to be nominated because there’s some really great work out there. And I kind of hate that both of my comedies are up against each other. Because I love “Shrinking” and I love Paul [W.] Downs [of “Hacks”]. That’s a deep bench over there. I feel like “Shrinking” and “Hacks” should not be on at the same time. I don’t like them competing. I love those shows.
Almost 10 years to the day after a show at the Troubadour that marked the release of her album “Emotion,” Carly Rae Jepsen brought the 2015 LP back to the same West Hollywood club on Tuesday night for a sold-out one-off gig in which she played “Emotion” from beginning to end. The follow-up to Jepsen’s un-follow-uppable 2012 smash “Call Me Maybe,” “Emotion” wasn’t exactly the hit the singer and her team were hoping for. Yet over time, the album — which Jepsen made with a host of hip producers and songwriters including Rostam, Ariel Rechtshaid and Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes — became a cult favorite beloved for its squirmy ’80s R&B grooves and its tone of unabashed yearning. “We are blown away,” Jepsen, 39, said as the crowd loudly welcomed her and her band to the stage. Here are nine highlights from the show:
1. You knew the audience was in Jepsen’s pocket when, even before she came out, fans cheered the sight of a stagehand gripping a saxophone — the instrument whose silky wail opens “Emotion” like a siren call for unrequited lovers.
2. One of Jepsen’s most effective tricks as a pop sort-of-star is the modesty of her presentation, which lends a crucial believability to her many songs about feeling overwhelmed. Here, for instance, she used an electric fan — but a very small one — to blow her hair around just a little during “I Really Like You.”
3. After “Making the Most of the Night” — which, according to the internet, she hadn’t played live since 2018 — Jepsen talked about moving to Los Angeles from her native Canada when she was 26. “I had brought a little suitcase, and I kept calling my parents and saying, ‘Send more clothes!’” she said. “Five years later, I was like, I think I live here now. I’m very happy to say L.A. has become my home.”
Carly Rae Jepsen sang her 2015 album “Emotion” from beginning to end.
(Jasmine Safaeian)
4. In 2015, Jepsen’s celebrity guests at the Troubadour included Lorde and Tom Hanks, the latter of whom starred for some reason in the video for “I Really Like You.” This time, her mom and dad sat proudly in the balcony, shooting videos on their phones.
5. Can we give the bass player some love? Bobby Wooten III might have been Jepsen’s secret weapon on Tuesday, not least in the stretch from “Gimmie Love” to “All That” to “Boy Problems,” where his chewy pop-funk licks gave the music real bite.
6. “When I Needed You” climaxed with a moving a cappella singalong that had virtually the entire crowd belting Jepsen’s lines about discovering how far is too far to go to accommodate a selfish partner. (Say this for Jepsen’s faithful: They’ve got impeccable pitch.) The moment had big Robyn-fans-in-the-subway energy.
7. Jepsen famously said at the time of “Emotion’s” release that she’d written something like 200 songs for the album. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so for me the only solution was to keep writing, and hopefully that would lead to something,” she told me that year. “It was a purpose, a hunger.” In 2016, she dropped eight of her outtakes on an EP called “Emotion: Side B,” and here she revealed that she’ll release half a dozen more — “C-sides,” she called them — on a 10th anniversary reissue of “Emotion” due in October. It’s hard to think of another artist who’s made such a deep vault of a single LP.
8. The strangest song Jepsen has ever written, according to Jepsen: “Store,” the improbably exuberant bop about grocery shopping that she sang at the Troubadour while two-stepping down an imaginary frozen foods aisle.
9. Tuesday’s show ended with Jepsen’s traditional closer, “Cut to the Feeling,” yet another “Emotion” outtake that’s taken on a second life as the subject of a durable internet joke about swords. (Say this for Jepsen’s faithful: They have memes.) Before that, though, she inevitably reached back for “Call Me Maybe,” delivering the song while pulling daffy faces that made her look like the star of some forgotten ’30s screwball comedy. “Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad,” she sang — still an all-timer of a pop lyric.
LIFE’S biggest moments you’ll never forget include holding your newborn, seeing your child’s first steps – and getting the keys to your first home, according to new research.
The study, conducted across the UK, revealed the memories Brits treasure most – with events like driving solo, falling in love, and a child’s first day at school all ranking high.
4
Saying goodbye to a loved one and hearing a child say their first words also made the top 25Credit: via PinPep/PinPep
4
Whether it’s to lift their mood, reflect on happy times, or share with loved ones, phones have become the modern memory boxCredit: via PinPep/PinPep
4
Whether it’s to lift their mood, reflect on happy times, or share with loved ones, phones have become the modern memory boxCredit: Simon Jacobs/PinPep
The poll of 2,000 adults also found people in the UK experience around five unforgettable moments each year.
Saying goodbye to a loved one and hearing a child say their first words also made the top 25.
Other standout moments include passing exams, learning to ride a bike, and being told “I love you” for the very first time.
“These simple yet powerful experiences often stay with us for life.
The research was commissioned by Samsung to celebrate the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold7 – its slimmest foldable phone yet, built for capturing life’s biggest (and smallest) memories.
As part of the campaign, the tech giant released a touching poem, Life Unfolds Fast, written by Georgie Jones and narrated by Martin Kemp.
The accompanying film showcases real-life moments from people of all walks of life – and intimate snapshots from Martin’s own family history.
Martin Kemp said: “Some of my life’s greatest memories are those simple moments at home – playing with my kids in the garden, holding Harley and Roman as babies, and singing with my wife in the car.
“These are moments that truly define our lives.
“Sharing these personal glimpses allows people to see how small, intimate moments become the big memories we want to go back to over again.”
/
The majority of adults (76 per cent) said unforgettable experiences shape who we are, while 85 per cent regularly look back at special memories on their phones.
Whether it’s to lift their mood, reflect on happy times, or share with loved ones, phones have become the modern memory box.
In fact, 60 per cent said their digital memories are just as precious as physical keepsakes like photo albums or letters.
But it’s not all picture-perfect. Nearly half of those surveyed admitted they worry about forgetting key life events.
For 46 per cent, the biggest concern is losing memories involving loved ones – such as family milestones or meaningful conversations.
That’s why so many turn to their phones, with 41 per cent using photos and videos to hold onto those treasured experiences.
However, 49 per cent confessed they feel anxious when their phone storage gets full, fearing they might miss capturing something important.
The average Brit replays special videos or looks at meaningful photos about four times a month.
And some are proper memory collectors – with one in eight claiming to have more than 10 hours of footage saved on their phone.
Looking ahead, the most anticipated future milestone is seeing someone close to them achieve something they’ve worked hard for – from graduating to landing a dream job.
Annika Bizon from Samsung said: “Our research shows that over 40 per cent of us take photos and videos for the sole purpose to not forget our best memories.
“It allows you to capture and revisit the memories you never want to forget, feeling their warmth and emotion time and time again.”
The campaign encourages people to reflect on their own milestones – big or small – and not to let life’s most precious moments pass unnoticed.
Because sometimes, it’s not just the big wins we remember most – but the quiet, everyday moments that unfold in between.
TOP 25 UNMISSABLE MOMENTS:
1. Holding your newborn baby for the first time 2. Watching your baby take their first steps 3. Holding the keys to your first home for the first time 4. The last goodbye to a loved one 5. Your child’s first day of school 6. Falling in love for the first time 7. Witnessing a child’s first words 8. Driving a car on your own for the first time 9. Being told “I love you” and saying it back 10. Being proposed to – or proposing to someone 11. Seeing your family all together in one place 12. Listening to your baby’s heartbeat during a pregnancy scan 13. Watching someone you love achieve something they’ve worked hard for 14. Seeing the Northern Lights or witnessing a rare natural phenomenon 15. Graduating from school or university 16. Reaching a goal you’ve worked towards for years 17. Watching a child in your life perform in a school play 18. Hugging / being reunited with someone you haven’t seen in years 19. Seeing a loved one return home safely after time away 20. Getting your first job offer 21. Walking out of work on your last day before retirement 22. Bringing a new pet home and welcoming it into the family 23. Watching your favourite sports team win in a big match 24. Completing something you never thought you could do (e.g. a marathon) 25. Saying goodbye to your pet
4
The average Brit replays special videos or looks at meaningful photos about four times a monthCredit: Simon Jacobs/PinPep
Diana Ross returned to the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night for the first of two weekend concerts — her fifth engagement at the hillside amphitheater since 2013 and her second gig in her adopted hometown of Los Angeles in less than a year (following her performance at last August’s old-school Fool in Love festival). In other words, it’s not exactly hard to catch the 81-year-old pop legend onstage these days — which isn’t to say that it’s not worth doing. Here are nine moments that made me glad I showed up Friday:
1. After coming out to — what else? — “I’m Coming Out,” Ross zipped through a frisky Motown medley linking some of the 12 No. 1 hits she and the Supremes scored in the 1960s. Would I have liked to have heard full versions of “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Baby Love” and “Stop! In the Name of Love”? Sure. But hearing these all-timers stacked up in rapid succession was a thrill of its own — a reminder of the blend of efficiency and ingenuity attained on a daily basis at Hitsville, U.S.A.
2. Ross was backed by more than a dozen musicians at the Bowl, including four horn players and four backing vocalists, and they were cooking from the get-go: crisply propulsive in the Motown stuff; tight and gliding in “Upside Down”; lush yet down-home in Ross’ take on Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain,” from her 1972 Holiday biopic “Lady Sings the Blues.”
3. Two wardrobe changes meant that we beheld three glittering gowns in all, beginning with the fluffy canary-yellow number she emerged in. About halfway through the show, Ross slipped into a pipe-and-drape dressing room at the rear of the stage then slipped back out wearing bedazzled ruby red; later, she changed into a shimmering gold look. Each dress came accompanied by a matching shawl that Ross would eventually toss to the stage to be retrieved by a waiting assistant who seemed to know precisely when it would happen.
4. Each dress also came with a bulky mic pack that — in an endearingly peculiar costuming choice — Ross opted to wear on her waist instead of hiding it around back.
5. “I have an album out, a current album — the title of the album is called ‘Thank You,’” Ross told the crowd as she began to introduce a tune from her not-bad 2021 LP. Then she turned her head stage-left toward a sound engineer in the wings: “Who’s talking in the mic? I can hear a mic.” She returned to the audience. “Anyway, the title of the album is called ‘Thank You.’ Each song was specially written so that I could say ‘thank you’ to you for all the wonderful years, all the…” Another glance left. “Somebody’s talking in the microphone.” Another turn back. “We’re gonna start with this one — ‘Tomorrow,’ OK? We’ll start that if I can out-talk whoever’s talking over here.”
6. Ross’ daughter Rhonda joined her mom to sing another new-ish tune, “Count on Me” — “She’s been practicing,” Diana said proudly (if somewhat shadily) — then stuck around to do a mini-set of her own self-help-ish soul-folk songs, one of which beseeched us all to “stop gaslighting ourselves.”
7. Half a century after “The Wiz” debuted on Broadway in 1975, Ross sang her two big numbers from the Black retelling of the “The Wizard of Oz,” which she helped cement as a cultural landmark with her role as Dorothy in a fondly remembered movie adaptation. Here, “Home” was wistful yet determined, while “Ease on Down the Road” got even the high-rollers in the Bowl’s box seats moving.
8. During “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” Ross led the crowd in a call-and-response recitation of what she called “my mantra”: ”I’m so grateful / For all the blessings in my life / For there are many / All is well / I’m resilient / Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
9. More of Ross’ children appeared onstage at the end of the show to join her for a rowdy “I Will Survive” — and to plug their latest commercial endeavors. “Can I say one thing?” Tracee Ellis Ross asked. “‘Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross’ on Roku streams today, so check out the show.” Diana Ross reclaimed the microphone and gestured toward her son Ross Naess. “This is my son — he’s doing a line of caviar called Arne Reserve.” She looked around. “Chudney, what’s happening with you?”
One of the biggest moments from the game, however, actually occurred 51 years, three months and one week earlier. That’s when the legendary Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth‘s longstanding MLB record with his 715th home run — a milestone event that was re-created in dramatic fashion after the sixth inning Tuesday night (July 15, a.k.a, 7/15) at Truist Park in Atlanta.
The actual milestone event took place about 10 miles from there on April 8, 1974, when Aaron and the Atlanta Braves hosted the Dodgers at the since-demolished Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. A crowd of 53,775 was on hand, with millions more watching on national TV, when Aaron launched a fourth-inning pitch by Al Downing over the left-center-field wall to make baseball history.
This week, a crowd of 41,176 — again with millions more watching on TV or streaming — witnessed the moment come back to life through video and audio clips (yep, that’s legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully you hear, along with Braves announcer Milo Hamilton), pyrotechnics and lots of modern technology.
It was really a sight to behold as Aaron and the others somehow appeared on the field as the events unfolded just like they did more than a half-century ago. A firework was launched from home plate and scorched through the air marking the trajectory of Aaron’s landmark blast. Lighted footprints traced the Hall of Famer’s every step around the basepath.
The tribute included part of Scully’s call from that day. “What a marvelous moment for baseball,” he said, “what a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia, what a marvelous moment for the country and the world.”
(Although it wasn’t included in the tribute, Scully went on to explain one of the reasons the moment was so significant: “A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron.”)
Hank Aaron’s historic 715th home run.
Aaron died in 2021 at age 86, but his wife Billye Aaron was on hand for the festivities.
“I think people can look at me and say, ‘He was a great baseball player, but he was even a greater human being,’” Aaron said in a clip that played at the end of the tribute.
New Delhi, India – Just moments before a fatal Air India crash on June 12, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s fuel-control switches in the cockpit mysteriously moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position, an early investigation into the disaster has revealed.
Flipping to cutoff almost immediately cuts the engines. The investigation’s report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) early on Saturday, found that both engines shut down within the space of one second, leading to immediate loss of altitude.
The report does not conclude any reason for the switches moving or apportion blame for the crash of Air India’s Flight 171, which had been bound for London’s Gatwick Airport.
Rather, the new details emerging from the report, including voice recordings from the cockpit, appear to have compounded the mystery about what caused the crash.
This is what the report has found and what we know about the final minute before the plane crashed.
What happened on June 12?
At 13:38 [08:08 GMT] on the afternoon of June 12, the Dreamliner departed Ahmedabad for London Gatwick with 230 passengers, 10 cabin crew and 2 pilots on board.
Less than 40 seconds later, the aircraft lost both engines during its initial climb.
In the first such incident for a 787 Dreamliner, the plane crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel and adjoining structures in a densely populated suburb of the city, just under a nautical mile (equivalent to about 1.85km) from the runway.
The aircraft broke apart on impact, igniting a fire that destroyed parts of five buildings. All but one of the people on board the plane were killed. The sole survivor was Vishwaskumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national of Indian origin.
Some 19 people on the ground were also killed and 67 were injured.
A journalist stands next to the wreckage of the landing gear of the Air India aircraft, bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, which crashed during takeoff from the airport in Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, 2025 [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
What has the investigation revealed?
The AAIB, an office under India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, is leading the probe into the world’s deadliest aviation accident in a decade. The probe is also joined by experts from Boeing and participants from the United States and United Kingdom.
According to the preliminary report, the aircraft was deemed airworthy, with its Airworthiness Review Certificate valid until May 2026. Routine maintenance had been carried out, and no dangerous goods were on board.
However, investigators noted a previous US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory from December 2018 regarding a potential flaw in the aircraft’s fuel-control switch system – highlighting the potential disengagement of the locking feature.
The report on the Air India crash noted that this advisory had been prompted by reports from operators of Boeing 737 aircraft, highlighting that fuel-control switches had been found to have been installed with their locking mechanisms disengaged.
Air India told the investigators that no inspection had been made in response to this SAIB, since compliance was not mandatory.
The report noted that the throttle control module on the aircraft had been replaced in 2019 and again in 2023. However, these replacements were not related to the fuel-control switch, and no defects concerning the switch have been reported since 2023, the report highlighted.
Key systems such as the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) and Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) were engaged and attempted automatic recovery, but only partial engine relight was achieved before the aircraft crashed.
(Al Jazeera)
What does the audio recording from the cockpit reveal?
Shortly after takeoff, both engines shut down almost simultaneously, as the fuel control switches inexplicably moved from “run” to “cutoff”.
Cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot questioning the other, “Why did you cut off?”
The other pilot replied that he had not done so.
The pilots quickly attempted to recover control: the fuel switches were returned to “run”; the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed; and the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) auto-started.
According to the report, Engine 1 began relighting, but Engine 2 failed to regain thrust. Just seconds before impact, a panicked “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” call was transmitted.
What did air traffic control observe?
The Air Traffic Control Officer at Ahmedabad received no response at all following the Mayday call sign but observed the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary.
CCTV footage from the airport showed the aircraft’s Ram Air Turbine (RAT) being deployed during the initial climb immediately after lift-off. The aircraft then started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall.
The report has not determined whether the fuel-switch shutdown was mechanical or accidental. The investigators have also not “speaker-stamped” the voice recording – identified who is speaking – from the cockpit yet.
Who were the pilots?
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the 56-year-old pilot-in-command (PIC), had extensive experience with 15,638 total flying hours, including 8,596 hours on the Boeing 787, of which 8,260 hours were as PIC.
The co-pilot, or first officer, was Clive Kunder. The 32-year-old had accumulated 3,403 flying hours, including 1,128 hours on the B787, all as co-pilot. His endorsements included C172 and PA-34 as PIC and A320 and B787 as co-pilot.
On the day of the accident, Kunder was the pilot flying the Dreamliner while Sabharwal acted as the pilot monitoring, responsible for supporting the flight through communication with air traffic control and system monitoring.
Rescue officials work at the site where Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The London-bound passenger plane crashed in India’s western city of Ahmedabad with 242 on board, aviation officials said, in what the airline called a ‘tragic accident’ [Sam Panthaky/AFP]
This is a second-by-second timeline of Flight 171’s last moments:
08:07:33 [GMT]: Cleared for takeoff from Ahmedabad’s runway 23.
08:07:37: Aircraft begins takeoff roll.
08:08:33: Aircraft reaches V1 (153 knots).
08:08:35: Aircraft achieves Vr (155 knots) for rotation.
08:08:39: Lift-off registered.
08:08:42: Aircraft peaks at its maximum recorded speed of 180 knots; both engine-fuel switches abruptly transition to “cutoff”.
08:08:47: Engines lose power; RAT deploys to provide emergency hydraulics.
08:08:52: Engine 1 fuel switch is returned to “run”.
08:08:54: APU inlet door begins to open (auto-start initiates).
08:08:56: Engine 2 fuel switch also moved to “run”.
08:09:05: Pilot transmits “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY”.
08:09:11: Final data recorded; aircraft hits the ground.
According to Saturday’s report, at this stage of the investigation, there is no need for airlines or engine makers to take any action regarding the Boeing 787-8 planes or GE GEnx-1B engines. Further investigation is under way.
Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor has said he feared the club’s participation in Europe would be in doubt moments after they won the FA Cup in May.
Textor’s involvement with both Palace and French club Lyon looks set to cost the Eagles a spot in the Europa League under Uefa’s rules governing multi-club ownership.
Textor has agreed to sell his 43% stake in Palace to fellow American Woody Johnson, who owns NFL team the New York Jets.
Asked what he went through his mind after Palace beat Manchester City at Wembley, Textor told Talksport: “I was very happy, but I felt the gravity of it. And I was concerned on the same day holding the cup next to the Prince [William].
“It was a great moment and I couldn’t have been happier for the fans, but yeah, I was worried about what was coming.”
This week Lyon won an appeal against their relegation from Ligue 1 because of the club’s poor financial state.
French football authorities demoted the seven-time champions into Ligue 2 last month, but that decision has been overturned.
It could affect Palace’s chances of playing in the Europa League next season as Lyon have also qualified for the competition, with Uefa set to rule on the situation at the end of the week.
Textor stressed that while he has “helped” the club, his role at Selhurst Park has not been a majorly active one.
“I help a lot. I showed up during Covid and paid off Covid debt. I helped finish the academy,” he added.
“I am sitting there on the board with four other guys. Steve Parish is making the decisions and bringing us players. He involves us but he doesn’t really listen to us.
“A suggestion from time to time is not the same as decisive influence.”
The star shot to fame later in life but made the most of her time in the spotlight with her unfiltered, outspoken attitude. Here are five times Kim ruffled feathers
Kim was never one to hold back, even when live on air(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The sad news has emerged today that presenter-turned-reality star Kim Woodburn has died at the age of 83. The firebrand, who shot to fame on Channel 4’s How Clean Is Your House with Aggie MacKenzie, passed away on Monday.
Kim had been married to her husband Peter for 46 years, living with her ‘soulmate’ in Nantwich, Cheshire. In a statement, her representative said: “Kim was an incredibly kind, caring, charismatic and strong person. Her husband Peter is heartbroken at the loss of his soulmate.”
From being at the heart of the most explosive row in the history of Celebrity Big Brother to taking on one of the nation’s best-known TV presenters, the star was never one to back down. We take a look back at five of Kim’s most memorable moments…
Kim and Aggie made a dream presenting duo but weren’t as compatible behind the scenes(Image: Channel 4)
Tensions with Aggie
C4’s How Clean Is Your House? made household names out of Kim and Aggie but the duo famously didn’t get on all that well during the six seasons of the show. Aggie later spilled the beans on their fallout, saying that while the “friction” between the pair had made for good television, appearing on stage together was the final straw.
“We were doing panto in Brighton,” she said. “I was so shocked and upset and angry. I lost my rag with her.” Aggie revealed the pair didn’t speak for the last two series of the show and even said: “Kim was such a big, damaging part of my life. I feel she almost destroyed me”.
Kim, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically silent on the controversy. The star simply said she “never said anything derogatory about Aggie” and was “not going to start now”.
Celebrity Big Brother storm
Security intervened to calm the star down on the reality TV show(Image: Channel 5)
Kim made a memorable appearance on C4’s Celebrity Big Brother in 2017, when she became embroiled in a heated argument with some of her fellow contestants, including ex-glamour models Nicola McLean and Bianca Gascoigne and former footballer Jamie O’Hara.
Never one to back down, the star warned them: “I’ll cross you so badly and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!” before famously screaming at Jamie: “You’re an adulterer… you two-timed your wife and she’s got three kids!”.
Kim was removed by the show’s security to calm down the situation and spent the night in the spare room before returning the next day. She finished in a respectable third place in the contest, during the course of which she branded fellow housemates “filthy, dirty scum” and a “chicken livered bunch”.
Loose Women walk-off
Thousands of complaints were made after Kim’s Loose Women appearance(Image: TV Grab)
Another show to face Kim’s wrath was ITV’s Loose Women. She had fallen out with Coleen Nolan on Celebrity Big Brother after accusing the star and several other housemates of bullying and had been invited on the daytime show with executives hoping for a reconciliation.
Instead, Coleen told her: “You’re a horrible, self-centred, publicity-seeking witch”. Kim branded Coleen “lying trash”, raised her voice and stormed off.
There were a total of 3,000 complaints made to Ofcom accusing the show of picking on Kim. They included model Jodie Marsh, who wrote: “Having watched the Kim Woodburn interview I couldn’t not make a complaint! It was bullying, pure & simple.”
Kim vs Phillip
The star later called Phillip a “horrible” and “obnoxious” man(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The TV icon had several on-air spats with presenter Phillip Schofield, who fronted ITV daytime stalwart This Morning for 21 years. At one point, she famously branded Phil a “big phoney” during a heated interview on the show.
The reality TV contestant had taken offence when questioned about her Celebrity Big Brother appearance, insisting to Phil that watching the 45-minute TV edit of the contest was not the same as living it for 24 hours a day. “Don’t think you are going to bully me, I have been around too long,” she told him, with viewers calling their chat “car-crash TV” and the “most awkward TV interview I’ve ever witnessed on This Morning”.
When the presenter wrapped up the chat by telling Kim it had been a delight to interview her she branded him a “phoney”. Six years later, when Phillip left This Morning in disgrace after admitting to an affair with a young colleague on the show, Kim called him “an obnoxious, horrible man”, saying “I don’t know why he’s still on television”.
‘Transphobia’ row
Known for being a gay icon, Kim was accused of transphobia in 2022 when she was interviewed on GB News and asked about unisex changing rooms. Her reply of “a man’s a man, a woman’s a woman” led to accusations of transphobia.
But the outspoken star hit back on social media, insisting her words had been deliberately misinterpreted. “During the show, we never discussed trans people,” said Kim.
“I have always supported the LGTBQ+ community, as you are all aware, and I count each and every single one of you, my friends. I will always be an ally to the community and would never say a bad word about any of you.”
Kim Woodburn has sadly died at the age of 83, but her iconic Celebrity Big Brother moments will always be remembered by fans
09:31, 17 Jun 2025Updated 09:33, 17 Jun 2025
Kim was an iconic housemate(Image: Channel 5)
Kim Woodburn was an icon but she has sadly died at the age of 83. As well as her role on Channel 4’s How Clean Is Your House, she was one of the most iconic Celebrity Big Brother contestants.
A statement released by her family confirmed she had died after a short illness. They said: “It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved Kim Woodburn passed away yesterday following a short illness.
“Kim was an incredibly kind, caring, charismatic and strong person. Her husband Peter is heartbroken at the loss of his soulmate. We are so proud of the amazing things Kim achieved in her life and career. We kindly ask that Kim’s husband and close friends are given the time and privacy they need to grieve. We will not be releasing any further details.”
Adulterer spat with Jamie
Kim found herself temporarily removed from the Celebrity Big Brother house as a row broke out over who had the toughest life to date. Nicola and Kim already didn’t see eye to eye and as the discussions continued, tensions rose.
Kim was one of Celebrity Big Brother’s most controversial housemates(Image: Channel 5)
“You are the most two-faced people!” Kim shouted at them, with Nicola then responding: “When I’m your age and when I’m a grandmother, I will be so disappointed if I ever behave like you! Go to the Diary Room and don’t ever come back!'”
Kim did go to the diary room when she said: “I haven’t got a clue what this is all about. She [Nicola] is the mafia! The mafia won’t break me dear. They’re being nasty for no reason and they’re picking on me.”
Later, she headed back out to the house where the fight broke out again. She told Nicola and Bianca Gascoigne: “I’ll cross you so badly and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life! You want trouble and you’ll get it!
“You will never get the better of me! Give up, you horrible horrible girl!” Jamie then got involved and that was when she told them all: “You’re an absolute disgrace! You’re a bunch of chinless wonders!”
Jamie told her: “You’ve come in here and you’ve picked on young girls! I wouldn’t p**s on you if you were on fire!” to which she replied: “Well I wouldn’t s**t on you, if you were on fire! You’re an adulterer… you two-timed your wife and she’s got three kids!”
Nicola McClean row
It was always fireworks between the pair during their joint time in the house. During one argument, Kim did try and apologise to Nicola, saying she was “one of these people” who will say if something annoys her but Nicola was unconvinced and said that Kim had come to argue and called her deluded as their bitter war of words continued.
Kim rowed with Nicola McClean on several ocassions(Image: mirror.co.uk)
In one huge row, Kim called Nicola “Miss Insecure”. She fumed at her: “Shut up big gob! Miss Insecure. Don’t start with me… You’re a vile creature, who is jealous of everything and everybody.”
Speaking a few years later, Nicola was asked if she had ever made up with Kim and she said: “No absolutely not. It shouldn’t have been allowed the way she treated me in there… I swear I’ve still got Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from hearing her stomping around.”
Kim’s own words
Speaking of her experience on the show, Kim described her housemates as “filthy dirty scum”.
“If I were told I was going on a show with any of them, I’d refuse to go. I don’t care how much they’d pay me. If any of them were on there, I couldn’t sit in the same room as them. They know who they are filthy, dirty scum. Sorry, no,” she said.
“I may have been shouting and mouthy because I was terribly upset. They were horrible to me; six or seven of them were nasty people. I don’t know why they did it. They’ve got nothing to be proud of.”
She added: “You see these celebrities saying, ‘I’ve come in here for the experience’ – absolutely not, they’re not in there for the experience, what to get filthy, stinking and dirty in the jungle? No, no. I wish one of them… would just turn around and say, ‘I’m here for the money!’ other than me. What’s the shame in it? You work for the money!”
