PETE Davidson and Colin Jost’s Staten Island Ferry wreaked havoc on the New York City Marathon and caused major delays for runners, a source has said.
The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal that the massive ship’s trip through the waters between Staten Island and Brooklyn to display a Nike ad during the New York Marathon created issues for anxious racers on Sunday, November 2.
Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter
Thank you!
Colin Jost and Pete Davidson’s JFK Staten Island Ferry caused delays for anxious marathon runners waiting to get to the start of the big race on Sunday, The U.S. Sun learnedCredit: GettyThe JFK Ferry was tugged into the waters near the Verrazano Bridge from its slip in Staten IslandCredit: Courtesy of Weiden + Kennedy
“Pete and Colin’s ferry caused a delay for runners taking the ferry to Staten Island for the start of the marathon,” a source claimed.
“Some people thought it was a joke but it wasn’t,” the insider continued.
Runners waiting at Pier 79 in Manhattan to get to Colin and Pete’s native Staten Island for the start of the marathon grew irritated as workers told them they were delayed due to the JFK Staten Island Ferry’s troubles in the harbor.
The Saturday Night Live co-stars ferry, which had been painted bright pink for the Nike advertisement, was tugged from its dock in Staten Island.
“The runners’ ferries were leaving about 20 minutes later than they should’ve, and they were told there were issues with Staten Island helping the guys out with the ferry. It was causing a backup on the river.
“Everyone was already anxious so it was a bit frustrating.”
The U.S. Sun reached out to a rep for the JFK Ferry for comment.
ROUGH RIDE
In photos exclusively obtained by The U.S. Sun last month, the ferry was seen painted bright pink with a hint of the Nike logo in its dock in Staten Island.
The massive vessel looked rusted and rotted in its slip, appearing far from the upscale entertainment venue the Saturday Night Live stars had envisioned.
From one vantage point, the famous ferry’s orange paint had faded to a faint pink after being left unattended on the salty water under the hot sun.
The ship’s sides showed extensive rusting and what seem to be saltwater stains beneath the windows.
In photos previously obtained by The U.S. Sun, the JFK Staten Island Ferry looked worse for wear last month, with its hull covered in rust and its once orange paint job a faded pinkCredit: Abesea Images for The U.S. SunIn the photos, the ferry seemed to have a paint mullet job, as one side looked decrepit and the other was painted bright pink with the Nike ad peeping out from behind tarpsCredit: Abesea Images for The U.S. Sun
The opposite side of the decommissioned New York City Department of Transportation vessel showed the bright pink paint job with the Nike logo peeking out from behind giant tarps.
The comedians have been racking up huge docking fees for the boat they hoped to transform, but they also have unpaid legal bills, according to a lawsuit filed in New York against their company, Titanic 2.
The suit claims an outstanding bill of $13,000 is owed to the law firm Nicoletti, Hornig, Namazi, Eckert & Sheehan.
The ship’s last public sighting before the marathon was when it was used for the Tommy Hilfiger show during New York Fashion Week in September 2024.
A video posted to the fashion house’s Instagram showed the ferry wrapped in their signature red, white, and blue logo, docked in New York’s harbor with the Statue of Liberty in the background, before it was docked for the event.
“We do have, believe it or not, an in-depth plan,” Pete told the Wall Street Journal at the time. “Every day I get asked about this f***ing boat, and we’re raising the funds.
“We’re going to do a floor at a time. There’s a full plan in motion, and meanwhile, people are renting it out.”
The ferry was indeed rented for the Tommy Hilfiger show (which Colin Jost attended, though Pete did not) and also served as the set for a horror film, Steamboat Willie.
The ship’s planned renovation has faced numerous delays over the last three years.
FRIENDSHIP ON THE ROCKS
Once close friends and SNL castmates, Pete and Colin’s relationship soured in 2024 amid Pete’s personal struggles.
“Something big happened and Colin is now refusing to be in the same building, let alone the same room as Pete,” an insider exclusively told The U.S. Sun at the time.
“Colin doesn’t want to be associated with Pete.”
The pair were seen shaking hands when Pete made a cameo on SNL in November 2024, but the interaction was visibly tense.
Pete seemed to hint at his rumored rift with Colin when discussing his friend and fellow comedian, John Mulaney, and the few friends who have remained loyal.
“I watched him as he took it on the chin a couple of years ago and had to completely revamp his life,” Pete said in the WSJ interview.
“I’m kind of in the midst of that now, and he’s been helping me so much. It was so inspiring to watch him beat his addiction, become an even bigger comedian, go on an arena tour, start a family.
“He’s so happy now and it looks effortless, but it’s not.”
He concluded by naming his closest confidants: “And I’ve got to say, he’s always had my back and he’s always there, and not a lot of people are for me. I would say it’s just him, Lorne [Michaels] and Machine Gun Kelly.”
The ferry’s voyage to display a massive Nike ad caused delays for anxious runners at the NYC Marathon on SundayCredit: Courtesy of Weiden + KennedyColin was on the ferry for NYFW in 2024, Pete was notably absent from the eventCredit: Getty
Oct. 24 (UPI) — The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is headed to the Caribbean Sea to escalate the nation’s military presence amid strikes on alleged drug-running vessels.
The carrier strike group currently is in the Mediterranean Sea and includes three destroyers, in addition to the aircraft carrier, NBC News reported.
“The enhanced U.S. force presence in the [Southern Command area] will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a social media post.
“These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle [transnational criminal organizations],” he added.
The strike group will take about a week to cross the Atlantic Ocean to reach the Caribbean for its new deployment, where it will nearly double the number of vessels already deployed there.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the strike group to the Caribbean, where the U.S. military conducted its first nighttime strike on a vessel allegedly running drugs, he announced on Friday.
“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transitioning along a known narco-trafficking route and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth said in a post on X.
“Six male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters,” Hegseth said. “All six terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed.”
The nighttime strike was the third conducted this week, including one in the Pacific Ocean near Central America.
The strike also was the 10th conducted by the U.S. military against alleged drug runners, during which 43 reportedly have been killed while in international waters.
The United States has eight surface vessels, a submarine and about 6,000 sailors deployed in the Caribbean as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on drug running to the United States.
President Donald Trump previously notified Congress that the United States is engaged in conflict with drug cartels that send fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and other potentially deadly and illicit drugs to the nation.
The president also has designated several transnational gangs as terrorist organizations, including the Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua.
Trump also has authorized the CIA to operate in Venezuela, where it is gathering intelligence on what the administration says is planned drug-smuggling to the United States.
The president is considering allowing strikes inside Venezuela to weaken President Nicolas Maduro‘s administration.
Trump has accused Maduro of profiting from Venezuelan drug smuggling to the United States and flooding the nation with deadly fentanyl and other narcotics.
The Trump administration recently raised to $50 million its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.
On the latest episode of Gogglebox, viewers tuned in to some exciting news as two different Channel 4 stars shared their engagement
21:57, 24 Oct 2025Updated 22:15, 24 Oct 2025
On Friday night, Gogglebox sibling duo Sophie and Pete Sandiford opened the Channel 4 show with some exciting news.
Sophie, who has been part of the series with her brother since 2017, announced her engagement on social media ahead of the show’s airing, with many fans quick to send their congratulations.
However, it seems her engagement bubble may be getting to her brother Pete. As the episode began, Sophie got her phone out to play a special song.
She said: “I’ll play a little tune for you now, if you know it, sing along.” The Channel 4 star then played the song Chapel of Love by The Dixie Cups.
Sophie started to giggle as her brother looked fed up with the mention of her big news as he joked: “I won’t have anyone say that you’re milking this.”
She replied: “Well, it’s not everyday you get engaged” He added: “That’s the idea!”
The Channel 4 star shared that her partner Ben McKeown had proposed on Instagram, showcasing her ring to her followers. She captioned the post: “WE’RE ENGAGED.”
Although it looks as though Pete gave his brother in law to be a warm welcome into the family as he replied: “The three amigo’s have officially become 4”, adding in a five-word response: “Welcome to the wolf pack.”
Her co-star Izzi Warner added: “Congratulations to you both, gorgeous! And aren’t you buzzing you had the perfect engagement nails.”
Content cannot be displayed without consent
While TOWIE star Amy Childs commented: “So happy for you.” Soap star Natalie Ann Jamieson, wrote: “Ahhhh congrats gorgeous girl!”
As Jenny And Lee wrote: “Congratulations to you both much love to ya Jenny and Lee x.”
It wasn’t only Sophie who was celebrating a proposal as Georgia spoke about her engagement with her best friend, Abbie.
Admiring her ring, she asked: “Isn’t it stunning?” as Abbie told her the ring was beautiful, she asked how it felt to be engaged. Georgia replied: “It feels phenomenal, I’m actually a fiancé!”
Georgia and Abbie joined the series back in 2018 and quickly became fan-favourites.
Throughout their time on the show, viewers have seen Georgia become a mum to two boys, Hugh and Ralphie, whom she shares with partner Josh Newby.
The Channel 4 star announced this month that Josh proposed to her while on holiday in Dubai.
And when Marcus Skeet, the record-breaking charity runner and mental health champion received his Special Recognition Award, he got an extra surprise. After handing Marcus his trophy, pop star Anne-Marie, and podcast duo Pete Wicks and Sam Thompson revealed Pride of Britain had launched a special GoFundMe for mental health charity Mind in Marcus’s honour.
Money raised will pay for special mental health walking and running groups all over the country called Marcus’s Movers. The groups, which include mental health practitioners, cost £2,500 to set up.
Sam and Pete kicked things off with a £5,000 donation on stage, and then Pub Landlord Al Murray took to the floor to persuade some other famous faces to chip in too.
Dragons Den tycoon Duncan Bannatyne donated £20,000, bringing the total raised on the night to £50,000, enough to fund 20 potentially lifesaving Marcus’s Movers groups. A stunned Marcus told Ashley Banjo: “From the bottom of my heart, that means the absolute world. I’m lost for words.”
Now you can help by donating to the GoFundMe to help Mind set up even more Marcus’s Movers groups in communities all over Britain. The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises celebrate unsung heroes like Marcus. His own life was transformed by walking and running – the teenager went from the lowest possible ebb to becoming a record-breaking charity fundraiser and Pride of Britain winner.
He was 12 when his dad was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Marcus’s physical and mental health rapidly declined and he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and intrusive thoughts which dramatically impacted his life.
At 15 he was in “one of the darkest places”, and attempted suicide after spending months alone in his room with no contact with the outside world. Desperate to turn his life around, Marcus, now 17, started walking short distances at first, before building up distance and speed until he was jogging longer routes. He says: “My mental health was at an all time low so I decided to run, not just for mental health but to raise awareness. Running pushed my body and mind and the feeling after a run was like nothing else.”
Since then, Marcus has raised more than £200,000 for Mind through running, including a run from Land’s End to John O’Groats. The gruelling 874 mile challenge saw him become the youngest person ever – and the first under 18 – to run the entire length of the UK.
Marcus has documented his journey on social media in the hopes of inspiring others who are struggling with their mental health. He says: “Life is brutal, sometimes you feel like you’re in a place you can’t get out of. But I promise you, every road may have speed bumps but you’ll get over them. Mental health is such a big thing, everyone is different but I find running helps mine.”
Brad and Olivia are said to have been working on a plan to save their marriageCredit: Getty Images for Black TapShe consulted a psychic to ask if things ‘will get better’Credit: Getty Images for the NTA’sOlivia admitted this week that she and Brad are going through a rough patchCredit: ITV/REX/Shutterstock
Now it’s been reported Olivia and footballer Bradley, 31, are determined to start putting each other first.
A source said: “Olivia and Bradley have grown up together, it’s been 10 years since they first started dating.
“She will be the first to admit that this year she has put her career first, which Bradley completely supports.
“But for the first time in years, Olivia asked for a week off work, giving her the chance to catch up with her personal life and spend anytime she can, when he’s not training, with Bradley.”
The insider added to the MailOnline: “They’re looking forward to the future and are house hunting for a place closer to London, which should help give them more stability.”
During an episode of her Sunday Roast Reheated podcast, Olivia asked psychic Deborah: “What’s coming in my love life this year, are things going to get better?”
Deborah replied: “It does feel slightly unsettled at the moment but mostly okay for you, a little bit up and downy but it will settle.”
Olivia also had a cryptic response when the psychic predicted children in the “near future”, asking: “Who’s the dad?”
It comes after she confessed that she and Brad are going through a rough period right now.
During an Instagram Q&A, Olivia was asked by a fan why she hadn’t been posting much of him.
She replied: “He’s alive I swear.
“Ten years of us. A lot has changed. Marriage is frikinnn hard (no one wants to say that part out loud) and I’m just not a faker.
“I’m not posting pictures if they don’t reflect our reality. We are doing our thing and if there are any more updates you will be the first to know.”
Oct. 10 (UPI) — The Qatari Emiri Air Force will base several F-15 fighters and their pilots at a base in Idaho, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday.
The Qatari fighter jets and pilots will be hosted at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in southwestern Idaho, which Hegseth said will enable training exercises with the U.S. military to make joint operations more effective, according to The Hill.
Hegseth announced the Qatari base agreement while meeting with Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Pentagon on Friday.
“The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality [and] interoperability,” Hegseth said, as reported by CBS News.
Hegseth and Al Thani signed a letter of acceptance to build the Qatari air force facility at the Idaho base, which also is home to a Singapore Air Force unit.
Qatar will build its base at the Idaho facility, but the dates of the planned construction and when the base would be operational were not announced.
Qatar has been instrumental in helping to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and potentially bring a lasting peace in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East, Hegseth added.
Al Thani called the Gaza peace effort a “historic achievement” that shows “what can be accomplished when our nations work together,” Fox News reported.
Hegseth and Al Thani referred to the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas that President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday.
The president credited Qatar, Turkey and Egypt with mediating the negotiations that resulted in what Trump said will ensure peace throughout the Middle East.
While Qatar will have an air force training base in Idaho, the United States likewise has a military base at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which is the largest U.S. base in the Middle East, according to Grey Dynamics.
The U.S. has used the Qatar base since 2000, hosted coalition forces and served as the U.S. military’s headquarters for its operations in Iraq.
A 2002 agreement formally made the U.S. military the manager of the Al Udeid base in Qatar.
Oct. 4 (UPI) — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Friday fired U.S. Navy Chief of Staff Jon Harrison after the Senate earlier in the week confirmed Hung Cao as the Navy’s undersecretary.
Harrison had no military experience prior to being nominated and confirmed as the Navy’s chief of staff and oversaw the War Department’s realignment of the U.S. Navy’s budgeting and policy wings, in addition to minimizing the influence of the Navy undersecretary, Politico reported.
“Jon Harrison will no longer serve as chief of staff to the Secretary of the Navy,” the Department of Defense told the New York Post in a statement. “We are grateful for his service to the department.”
Harrison worked with Navy Sec. John Phelan while implementing the administrative and leadership changes, which included changing those who were to assist Cao as the Navy’s new undersecretary.
The pair also sought to influence the hiring of Cao’s military aides to ensure the Naval secretary’s office made all final decisions, Politico reported.
Like Harrison, Phelan had no military experience prior to becoming the Navy secretary.
Harrison’s departure also occurred after Hegseth in May told the U.S. military to remove a fifth of its four-star generals and admirals.
Hegseth also had fired several high-ranking generals, two of whom were the only women to hold four-star rankings in the U.S. military, according to The Guardian.
Hegseth on Tuesday addressed a gathering of the military’s top-ranking generals and admirals in Quantico, Va.
During the meeting, he criticized the military’s adoption of what he called “woke” policies and aired his opposition to its former diversity and inclusion policies.
Ukraine and Gaza. China and North Korea. Iran and Russia. There was so much to address Tuesday when 800 generals, admirals and their senior enlisted leaders in the U.S. military were ordered into one location from around the world on short notice.
The sudden meeting in Quantico, Va., was called by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. And it was an unprecedented event for unprecedented times, but not in the way that anyone imagined. Hegseth took aim at the packed room’s waistlines, proclaiming that he no longer wanted to see “fat generals and admirals,” or overweight troops.
“Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops,” he said to the 800 likely stunned souls in the room. “Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon leading commands around the country and the world.”
Flanked by a portly President Trump, he proclaimed, “It’s a bad look. It is bad, and it’s not who we are.”
President Trump joined his Defense secretary in urging his top military brass to shape up.
(Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)
Like a sugary doughnut, the hypocrisy was too tempting to pass up. California Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s X account posted, “I guess the Commander in Chief needs to go!” Newsom also juxtaposed a clip of Hegseth’s speech with a photo of Trump in a McDonald’s restaurant, the president’s stomach protruding over the belt line of his slacks.
The former Fox News personality turned secretary of Defense initially gave no reason last month when he summoned leaders stationed across the globe to attend the meeting, causing concern and conjecture among military and congressional officials about the purpose of the gathering. Trump told NBC that they would deliver a “good message” about “being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things.”
That new “positive” messaging? Terminating restrictions on hazing for boot-camp recruits, toughening grooming standards (no more “beardos”), doing away with racial quotas and raising physical standards for everyone in uniform to a “male level.”
“I don’t want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape, or in a combat unit with females who can’t meet the same combat-arms physical standards as men, or troops who are not fully proficient on their assigned weapons, platform or task, or under a leader who was the first but not the best,” Hegseth said Tuesday.
He added that troops will have to meet “gender-neutral, age-normed, male standard, scored 70% ” fitness levels. “If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it,” he said. But all will be fat-shamed on an equal basis.
“Today, at my direction, every member of the joint force, at every rank, is required to take a PT [physical training] test twice a year, as well as meet height and weight requirements twice a year, every year of service,” he said.
Hegseth’s obsession with appearing ripped and manly is nothing new. The 45-year-old has challenged 71-year-old Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to fitness tests in which the men do 50 pull-ups and 100 push-ups in 10 minutes or less.
The “Pete and Bobby Challenge,” as Hegseth calls it, was posted on the official HHS YouTube account and circulated widely on social media.
Hegseth’s deep message to the troops keeping America safe: “It all starts with physical fitness and appearance. If the secretary of war can do regular, hard PT, so can every member of our joint force.”
Hegseth has repeatedly emphasized that the updated fitness requirements for troops are part of a larger effort to achieve a “warrior ethos” in the U.S. military. Uncle Sam wants YOU! But not until you drop that BMI below 24.9.
Sept. 25 (UPI) — War Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the nation’s military leaders from around the world to meet at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va., for an unspecified reason on Tuesday.
The number of generals and admirals called to the meeting is the most summoned for a meeting in many years, according to The New York Times.
Other media outlets reporting the meeting include The Hill and CNN, which said hundreds of military leaders are expected to attend the high-level meeting.
“The secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,” War Department spokesman Sean Parnell told The Hill in a prepared statement.
He did not elaborate on the meeting’s primary purpose.
“It’s being referred to as the general squid games,” an unnamed military official told CNN.
Many in the military have suggested the meeting might regard conditions with the Defense Department, a widespread purge of military officers or possibly a major military campaign that might be in the works.
Hegseth’s directive to attend the meeting went to all senior officers holding the rank of brigadier general and higher and their counterparts in the U.S. Navy.
More than 800 generals and admirals could heed the call and arrive at the meeting, which has raised security concerns regarding having that many senior military officials gathered at the same place at the same time.
An unnamed congressional aide suggested the meeting might involve overhauling the U.S. military command structure or possibly a pending major military campaign.
When Hegseth was being vetted for his current position, he criticized the large number of four-star generals and admirals in the U.S. military and said the nation won World War II with far fewer.
After a week of partying pictures emerged of radio co-hosts Olivia and Pete looking cosy onboard a yacht in Ibiza.
Olivia’s husband Bradley was said to be “livid” after seeing his wife sitting in between best pal Pete’s legs on a yacht off the coast of the party island.
The Sun later revealed how Bradley’s Gillingham FC’s teammates then shared the pics of Pete and Olivia on the team’s WhatsApp group.
Appearing on Loose Women last week, Pete insisted that he no longer lives with regrets.
He said: “I think years ago, I mean I have a lot of regrets and things I’m not proud of but I think a couple of years ago it kind of changed for me when I realised life is too short for regrets.
“You only get as far as we know only one chance at this and you may as well live your life for yourself rather than other people.”
9
Pete and his pal Olivia Attwood raised eyebrows during their recent trip to IbizaCredit: Instagram/Olivia_attwood
AFTER a roller coaster few weeks, which saw her publicly battle her ex-husband while enjoying unexpected chart success, Katie Price has found comfort in her large entourage of friends.
Amid her devastating feud with Peter Andre over the welfare of their children, Junior and Princess, she’s continued to tour with pal Kerry Katona, partied with Chloe Ferry and celebrated her single, I Got You, topping the charts with a young group of up-and-coming collaborators. But there’s one person Katie secretly relies upon more than anyone else.
9
Katie Price hit the headlines over her children, Princess and Junior, which she shares with ex Peter Andre
9
Princess, pictured with Junior, launched a new reality TV show in August but it didn’t feature KatieCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
9
Katie with Lou (right) and Olivia Attwood (left) recentlyCredit: Instagram
And that’s her best pal of over twenty years and the woman whose influence in Katie’s life is slowly but steadily becoming more apparent.
Despite referring to Louisa Anderson-Roy as “extended family”, not a lot of people are aware of just how inseparable the ladies are. And in recent times, fiercely loyal Lou, an aesthetics practitioner and CEO of the LA Hair Skin and Beauty salon, has been working closely with Katie in a bid to overhaul her image and get her public persona back on track.
Not only has she styled Katie in a series of “classy” ensembles for Katie and Kerry’s ‘Evening With’ tour, Lou was also responsible for connecting Katie with SHAYE, a producer who’s working with her on brand new music. She’s also been attending professional jobs with Katie, including a recent recording alongside Olivia Attwood.
Kate and Lou have been friends forever, and while a lot of people have betrayed her, Kate knows Lou genuinely has her back
Lou’s efforts come after Peter, 52, publicly slated Katie, accusing her of telling “lies and baseless accusations” and claiming their children were placed in his care “for their safety” years before.
Katie, 47, hit back, saying she “refused to be gaslit” by her former husband – but the damage was done and the former glamour model didn’t come out of the public slanging match very well.
Now sources have revealed just how much of a “secret weapon” mum-of-six Lou is, and why she’s one of only a few people that Katie genuinely listens to.
“Kate and Lou have been friends forever, and while a lot of people have betrayed her, Kate knows Lou genuinely has her back,” a pal revealed.
9
Peter has accused Katie of telling “lies and baseless accusations”Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
9
Katie, dressed in a pink jumpsuit covered in pictures of her own face, and pal LouCredit: instagram/lou_andersonroy
9
Katie pictured with pal Lou and daughter PrincessCredit: Instagram
“But more than anything, Kate trusts Lou’s opinions and judgement. Lou is incredibly influential. She’s been there for all the drama in Kate’s life and she seems to have an instinct for what’s right for Kate.
“Obviously the Pete stuff really p**sed Lou off – she immediately felt protective over Kate and has vowed to step up and help her friend shine. Kate really does see her as a secret weapon – somehow she’s stronger when Lou’s around.”
Indeed Lou has been extremely defensive of her bestie of late. After sharing a picture of them together on social media, a handful of Lou’s followers bodyshamed Katie for her recent weight loss, which some assume to be the result of Ozempic.
It led Lou to clap back in a lengthy rant.
“Anyone commenting on any of my posts or pictures with my friend re weight.. Whether it be about someone gaining or losing weight, I really don’t care, but you will be removed..,” she wrote. “You do not know reasons as to why anyone may lose or gain or what’s going on in people’s worlds so don’t be so nasty to point out weight changes! Women should support women.”
Lou is incredibly loyal…Kate will be grateful for the support.
Our source explained why a message like this would be so important for Katie.
“Lou is incredibly loyal and won’t stand for any hate on her socials, but more than anything she’s trying to protect Kate,” they said. “And it won’t go unnoticed. Kate will be grateful for the support. Especially when she’s trying so hard to turn public opinion around in the wake of the Pete mess.”
Last week Lou reassured Katie’s fans that she would “never do anything for my mate for any kind of recognition or financial gain – never have and never will” and gave a telling insight into their friendship.
“Its one that’s always been based on total honesty and loyalty to one another and realness throughout some of the toughest moments we have equally both faced in our lives,” she shared on Instagram. “I’ll always support people I love, especially when I see they don’t deserve hate.”
When a follower replied, “I know you have a deep fondness and love for Katie”, Lou responded, “I really do care for those I love.”
9
Katie and Lou have been friends for many years, and Lou fiercely defends herCredit: instagram/lou_andersonroy
In response to another comment Lou admitted she got “a fair bit of hate” for supporting Katie but added, “I let it go over my head.”
One infamous moment in 2020 saw Katie coughing on a pizza to stop Lou from having any of it. Following backlash from disgusted fans, a spokesperson for Katie insisted at the time, “Lou is deemed as extended family – Katie pretending to cough on her pizza is simply making light of life and highlights the sisterhood shared between the pair. It’s not uncommon behaviour when they’re larking about.”
While claiming she was too busy ‘filming’ to attend Milton Keynes Pride last Saturday, the mum of five was instead seen living it up in Newcastle where she was filmed dancing with Chloe and pals.
Everything you need to know about Katie Price
Step inside the life of former glamour model Katie Price
9
Kerry Katona and Katie Price on their tour recentlyCredit: Instagram
9
Peter is now married to wife Emily, pictured with his kids Junior and PrincessCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
The blow comes after a spell of good news for Katie. Not only did her single end up at number one in the iTunes charts following a fan campaign, it’s also been reported that her two youngest children, Jett and Bunny, will move back in with her in November. The pair had been living with their father, Katie’s third husband Kieran Hayler, since 2022.
As well as that, Katie’s been getting decent reviews for her tour with Kerry, with one punter saying they “loved every minute of the show”.
This, despite several hiccups, including backlash for vaping on stage, reportedly missing the first half of one show last week and landing herself in hospital after she “accidentally stabbed” herself with a knife while making a curry.
But one thing is certain, despite all the ups and downs, loyal Lou will be at Katie’s side regardless.
But The Sun can reveal the real reason Pete was forced to skip the party.
A spokesman for Pete confirmed: “Pete had to travel up north to film for his TV series.
“He goes weekly and has been for months. There is a Dogs Trust Centre there and he was staying overnight on Monday to film all day today.”
Pete presents the Dogs Trust documentary For Dogs’ Sake which airs on channel U&W.
Former Towie star Pete has opened up about going “off radar” during the trip, which Olivia has described as “feral”.
Speaking on their Sunday Roast Reheated podcast, he said: “Do you know what I think it’s to do with?
“Obviously we were out there working for a couple of days and then we had a couple of days off.
“It was… the people we were with made it such an amazing trip but also, we don’t get a lot of time off, and it was nice to go off radar a little bit and just be present in the moment with the people we were with.”
He added: “Every day was just f****** great.”
Watch as Pete Wicks gushes about going ‘off radar’ with Olivia Attwood on THAT cosy Ibiza trip
Pete quipped: “This podcast isn’t long enough to go through them all.”
Olivia continued: “I’m not going to lie, it was very feral. There’s a lot that happened that we can’t even discuss on this podcast.”
Confessing their holiday was so wild that she ran out of clothes and was forced to buy a dress from a local store for their final night, Olivia added: “I went with six hats and I returned with one.”
Hey, hey, they’re the Runarounds, the latest Pinocchio band to straddle the line between fiction and fact. Meet Charlie (William Lipton), guitar! He’s a romantic! Neil (Axel Ellis), also guitar! Not just a pothead! (He reads Ferlinghetti.) Topher (Jeremy Yun), lead guitar! The quiet one! Wyatt (Jesse Golliher), bass! The even quieter one! And Bez (Zendé Murdock), drums, replacing Pete (Maximo Salas), henceforth the “manager,” who surely has been named for Pete Best, or I will eat my Beatles fan club card.
They have been assembled for your fist-pumping adulation from a reported 5,000-plus hopefuls responding to an open call for musicians and dropped into the center of a teenage musical soap opera, also called “The Runarounds,” premiering Monday on Prime Video.
This rockin’ concoction comes to you courtesy of Jonas Pate, creator of the Netflix teenage treasure-hunt series “Outer Banks,” and like that show, it is a wish-fulfilling fantasy set in Pate’s native North Carolina, specifically the seaside city of Wilmington, which offers a lot of lovely scenery and adorable domestic architecture. And like that show, it is all about being young and wanting to be free, like the bluebirds. Unlike that show, everybody here keeps their shirts on, in the actual sense (though not at all in the metaphorical).
The eight-episode season begins just as high school is ending, which in dramatic terms means parties and a scene in which someone makes a graduation speech. (That will be Sophia, played by Lilah Pate, daughter of Jonas.) Charlie, who has just turned 18, is avoiding telling his parents that he’s not going to go to college, even though he’s been accepted to one. (To just one is the perhaps unintended implication.) His entire future, in his head at least, depends on “getting signed” by the summer’s end — which, in music business terms, is 20th century thinking, but like a lot of music being made today, this is an old-fashioned show. That, and getting Sophia, the beautiful, overachieving sad girl he’s been crushing on for four years, to notice him.
Charlie, Toph, Neil and Pete have been playing unspecified gigs under an unfortunate name I’ll not repeat, and they feel pretty good about the band, although strangely it takes until the pilot for them to realize that Pete is a terrible drummer. After some group soul-searching and flyer-posting, they pick up Bez, who drums so well one wonders why he isn’t in three other bands already — or why there seems to be no other groups around, or any sort of music scene. He brings along his friend Wyatt, who picks up a bass, and a new band is born. Wyatt’s interiority, shy smile and young Jeff Tweedy vibe makes him immediately the most intriguing Runaround.
Charlie (William Lipton), Wyatt (Jesse Golliher) and Bez (Zendé Murdock) in a scene from “The Runarounds,” which is set in Wilmington, N.C.
(Jackson Lee Davis / Prime Video)
Along with Sophia, who writes poems that might be lyrics, the female element is filled out by Amanda (Kelley Pereira), Topher’s controlling, capable girlfriend, who will prove a secret weapon for the band, and Bender (Marley Aliah), who goes about with cameras, likes Neil and wholly embodies a somewhat scary, casually cool, not-at-all pixieish dream girl. They don’t get to be in the band, but as actors, they do a lot to support their nonprofessional castmates. (Lipton, the only professional actor in the band — including in 328 episodes of “General Hospital” — comes across as less authentic than the untrained others, though that may be in part because he’s saddled with the heaviest storylines and has to say things like, “I want to write love songs that change the world.”)
As in “Outer Banks,” and two out of every three teen shows ever, most are at odds with their parents, catnip to young viewers who are even occasionally at odds with their own parents, over even minor things because — parents! Charlie’s are played by Brooklyn Decker, whose character teaches film, and Hayes MacArthur, whose character has spent 12 years working on a novel — that is, only working on a novel, which is to say not working; somehow they are not divorced. (And money is becoming an issue, and there is a Big Secret that will shake the family.) “What kind of work is done in a bathrobe, father?” says Charlie’s mouthy little sister, Tatum (Willa Dunn).
Neil’s father, who has health problems, assumes his son will join him in his painting business; Topher’s are conservative stuck-up pills who, like Amanda, have him slated for a career in finance. Bez’s father is also a musician but thinks his son is wasting his time with the Runarounds. Wyatt’s mother is some sort of addict, who hates him. Sophia’s father is self-medicating after the death of her mother some years before, leaving her to pick up the pieces. (“I’m doing everything right on paper but I don’t feel alive,” she says.) Wouldn’t you rather be with your friends, playing in a band?
Wyatt will find a job and a refuge, and the band a rehearsal space in a music store run by nonparental adult Catesby (Mark Wystrach), who spent 18 years in Nashville experiencing success and failure and knew Charlie’s mother once upon a time — so that’ll be a thing. (The store apparently does no business at all.) For inspiration he sends the kids way out in the country to a secret show by his old friend Dexter Romweber (a real person, now deceased, played by Brad Carter), who will shake their nerves and rattle their brains and leave them with words of encouraging and discouraging wisdom before disappearing into the night and a fictionalized fate.
Every so often, we get a performance — at a graduation party, a county fair, a wedding, a roadhouse, a prestigious opening slot, where the crowds react as if they’re extras in a TV show. (The kids can play, and the songs aren’t bad.) As they struggle toward their goal, they’ll meet disaster and resistance. They’ll fuss, they’ll feud. They’ll make mistakes, they’ll make sacrifices, they’ll make trouble, though no trouble that can’t be fixed with an apology or checkbook or someone to bail them out. (I am pretty sure in the long history of underage kids sneaking into clubs, none has ever been arrested and put in jail, but maybe things are different in Wilmington.) They’ll get high and stay out all night, talking heart to heart, which does seem authentically teenage. (The “Wizard of Oz” costumes less so.)
There are niche references for the pop-musically informed: Catesby telling Wyatt to put a couple of P13 pickups into a ’68 Silvertone guitar; moving from the two to the five chord; name-dropping storied rock clubs (the 40 Watt, the 9:30). “This isn’t some f— Squier I got for Christmas,” Neil wails when his Gretsch White Falcon disappears. When Charlie rides his bike off a roof into a swimming pool in the midst of Pete’s party, that is almost certainly in homage to the “I am a golden god” scene from “Almost Famous”; later, they’ll nick an idea from the Beatles.
As with other manufactured bands before them, the line between what’s real and what’s retail is blurred. You can buy Runarounds-branded merch (T-shirts and hoodies, a beach towel, a sweatband, lighters). You can stream their “album,” co-produced by the Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison, and released by actual major label Arista, from all the usual musical platforms. They’ve got dates scheduled from mid-September to late October in the South, mid-Atlantic and Northeast in legit rock halls, though whether they will identify themselves by their character names, I don’t know. (That wasn’t a problem for the Monkees, who just used their own.) I doubt they’ll be sleeping on floors or tripled up at a Motel 6, unless things are worse than I know at Amazon. If they split the driving, I hope they’re more responsible with that than the characters they play.
It’s a fluffy show, sometimes catching something real, frequently improbable, never completely ridiculous. But the audience at which it’s aimed may be happy enough with an aspirational fairy tale that reflects their own feelings about their own feelings, for which the music itself is a megaphone and a metaphor.
“All good pop songs are a little corny,” says Charlie.
“Maybe,” replies Sophia, which is the right answer.
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a tie-breaking homer in the ninth inning and Kyle Tucker went deep for the first time in more than a month as the Chicago Cubs beat the Angels 3-2 on Friday night to open a nine-game trip.
Crow-Armstrong connected for a solo shot off Kenley Jansen (5-4) with one out, his 28th home run this season and first in his last 25 games.
Tucker also ended a 25-game drought with a solo drive off Tyler Anderson in the first — his first longball since July 19.
Yoán Moncada homered twice for the Angels, including a tying shot in the seventh. It was his first multihomer game with the Angels (61-67).
Javier Assad allowed one run in six innings for the Cubs (74-55) after being recalled from triple-A Iowa before the game. He took a no-hitter into the fifth before Moncada homered.
Brad Keller (4-1) pitched a perfect eighth and Daniel Palencia struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his 19th save.
Anderson permitted two runs and three hits in five innings with five strikeouts and two walks. He’s gone 21 straight starts without a win.
Key moment: Crow-Armstrong was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts when he stepped to the plate in the ninth, but he got a 92 mph cutter over the heart of the plate from Jansen and sent it 396 feet into the right-field stands.
Key stat: Tucker’s 25-game home-run drought was his longest since his rookie season in 2018.
Up next: Angels RHP Victor Mederos (0-1, 5.54 ERA) faces Cubs RHP Cade Horton (7-4, 3.08) on Saturday in a matchup of rookie starters.
WASHINGTON — Bringing prominent White House support to the streets of Washington, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday visited with National Guard troops at the city’s main train station as protesters chanted “free D.C.” — the latest tense interlude from President Trump’s crackdown in the nation’s capital. “We brought some law and order back,” the vice president asserted.
“We appreciate everything you’re doing,” Vance said as he presented burgers to the troops. Citing the protesters whose shouts echoed through the station, Vance said “they appear to hate the idea that Americans can enjoy their communities.”
The appearance, which also included White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, was a striking scene that illustrated the Republican administration’s intense focus on the situation in Washington and its willingness to promote an initiative that has polarized the Democrat-led city.
An estimated 1,900 troops are being deployed in D.C. More than half are coming from Republican-led states. Besides Union Station, they have mostly been spotted around downtown areas, including the National Mall and Metro stops.
An early morning accident involved an armored vehicle
The intersection of life in the city and a military presence produced another striking scene early Wednesday when an armored vehicle collided with a civilian car less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol. One person was trapped inside the car after the accident and had to be extricated by emergency responders, according to D.C. fire department spokesman Vito Maggiolo. The person was taken to a hospital because of minor injuries.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. A video posted online showed the aftermath of the collision, with a tan-colored armored vehicle twice the height of the civilian car with a crushed side.
“You come to our city and this is what you do? Seriously?” a woman yelled at the troops in the video.
Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi said more than 550 people have been arrested so far, and the U.S. Marshals are offering $500 rewards for information leading to additional arrests. “Together, we will make DC safe again!” Bondi wrote on social media.
City officials work to navigate the situation
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, trying to balance the constituency that elected her and the reality in front of her, acknowledged the changing situation in the city as she attended a back-to-school event with teachers and staff.
“This is not the same time, is it, that we experienced in opening school last year,” she said. Bowser said she would worry about the politics and told school employees that “your job is to love on the kids, teach them and make sure that they are prepared and to trust that I’m going to do the right thing for all of us.”
Despite the militarized backdrop, Bowser said it’s important that children “have joy when they approach this school year.” Public schools around Washington reconvene Monday.
The skewer-everyone cartoon TV show “ South Park,” which has leaned into near-real-time satire in recent years, this week made the federal crackdown fodder for a new episode. A 20-second promo released by Comedy Central depicts the character “Towelie” — a walking towel — riding in a bus past the U.S. Supreme Court building and White House, where armed troops are patrolling. A tank rolls by in front of the White House.
“This seems like a perfect place for a towel,” the character says upon disembarking the bus.
“South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone recently signed a reported $1.5-billion, five-year deal with Paramount for new episodes and streaming rights to their series, which began its 27th season this summer.
The season premiere mocked the president’s body in a raunchy manner and depicted him sharing a bed with Satan.
Whitehurst, Brown and Megerian write for the Associated Press. AP writers David Bauder and Michelle Price contributed to this report.
Pete Hegseth, widely considered the least qualified Defense secretary in American history, is hardly anyone’s version of the ideal Christian husband and father.
Only 45 years old, he’s been married three times.
His first marriage — to his high school sweetheart — lasted a mere four years, deteriorating after Hegseth admitted to multiple extramarital affairs.
A couple of years later, he married his second wife, with whom he had three children. During that marriage, he fathered a child with a Fox News producer who eventually became his third wife.
He paid off a woman who accused him of sexual assault (he denies the assault). He routinely passed out drunk at family gatherings and misbehaved in public when inebriated, according to numerous witnesses. His own mother once accused him of being “an abuser of women,” though she later retracted her claims when Hegseth was facing Senate confirmation.
Still, the Senate’s Republican majority, cowed by President Trump, confirmed his appointment. Hegseth has two qualities that Trump prizes above all others. He is blindly loyal to the president, and he looks good on TV.
In March, he shared classified information about an impending American airstrike in Yemen on an unsecured Signal group chat that included his wife, on purpose, and the editor of the Atlantic, by accident.
He is, in short, the least serious man ever to lead this nation’s armed forces.
As if all that weren’t dispiriting enough, Hegseth is now in bed (metaphorically) with a crusading Christian nationalist.
In the interview, Wilson expounded on his patriarchal, misogynistic, authoritarian and homophobic views.
Women, he said, should serve as “chief executive of the home” and should not have the right to vote. (Their men can do that for them.) Gay marriage and gay sex should be outlawed once again. “We know that sodomy is worse than slavery by how God responds to it,” he told CNN’s Pamela Brown. (Slavery is “unbiblical,” he avowed, though he did bizarrely defend it once, writing in 1990 a pamphlet that “slavery produced in the South a genuine affection between the races that we believe we can say has never existed in any nation before the War or since.”)
When a new outpost of his church opened in Washington, D.C ., in July, Hegseth and his family were among the worshippers. CNN described Hegseth’s presence as “a major achievement” for Wilson.
“All of Christ for All of Life,” wrote Hegseth as he endorsed and reposted the interview. That is the motto of Wilson’s expanding universe, which includes his Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, the center of his Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a network of more than 100 churches on four continents, parochial schools, a college, a publishing house and media platforms. “All of Christ for All of Life” is a shorthand for the belief that Christian doctrines should shape every part of life — including government, culture and education.
Wilson is a prolific author of books with titles such as “Her Hand in Marriage,” “Federal Husband,” and “Reforming Marriage.” His book “Fidelity” teaches “what it means to be a one-woman man.” Doubtful it has crossed Hegseth’s desk.
“God hates divorce,” writes Wilson in one of his books.
Given the way sexual pleasure is celebrated in the Old and New Testaments, Wilson has a peculiarly dim view of sex. I mean, how many weddings have been graced with recitations from the Song of Solomon, with its thinly disguised allusions to pleasurable sexual intimacy? (“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine.”)
Wilson’s world is considerably less sensual.
“A man penetrates, conquers, colonizes, plants,” he writes in “Fidelity.” “A woman receives, surrenders, accepts.” Mutual sexual pleasure seems out of the question: “The sexual act cannot be made into an egalitarian pleasuring party.” Ugh.
There is nothing particularly new here; Wilson’s ideology is just another version of patriarchal figures using religion to fight back against the equality movements of the late 19th and 20th centuries. They are basically the hatemongers of the Westboro Baptist Church dressed up in respectable clothing.
“Some people may conflate Christian nationalism and Christianity because they both use the symbols and language of Christianity, such as a Bible, a cross and worship songs,” says the group Christians Against Christian Nationalism on its website. “But Christian nationalism uses the veneer of Christianity to advance its own aims — to point to a political figure, party or ideology instead of Jesus.”
What you have in people like Hegseth and Wilson are authoritarian men who hide behind their religion to execute the most unchristian of agendas.
God may hate divorce, but from my reading of the Bible, God hates hypocrisy even more.
It turns out the amount of objectifying Pete Davidson received from the tabloids took a toll on his “BDE.”
The “Saturday Night Live” alumnus told “The Breakfast Club” on Wednesday that he was “embarrassed” by the way his personal life crowded out his work.
“I brought a lot of pop culture into [SNL], like, I made it sort of like tabloid-y, like trendy thing unintentionally. … No one talked about any work I was doing,” the 31-year-old father-to-be said. “They were just like, ‘Oh, that’s the f— stick.”
The “Bupkis” star began his “SNL” career in 2014, when he was only 20, then spent eight seasons on the late-night sketch comedy show. After leaving in 2022, he came back a year later to host the show.
His dating life dominated the headlines during his time on “SNL.” Davidson dated singer Ariana Grande, actor Kate Beckinsale, model Kaia Gerber, actor Madelyn Cline and reality TV star Kim Kardashian.
“I don’t want to victimize myself in any way because I’m cool, but the sexualization of me, if that was a girl, you know, [there would] be a march for it,” Davidson said.
He said the attention his track record brought affected his dating life and made him “sad.”
In July, the “King of Staten Island” star revealed that his current girlfriend, British model and actor Elsie Hewitt, is expecting their first child. She posted a series of pictures of the two of them on social media, including a shot of an ultrasound and video of her getting the scan done.
Her caption: “welp now everyone knows we had sex.”
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he’s proud to be part of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, an archconservative network of Christian congregations.
Hegseth recently made headlines when he shared a CNN video on social media about CREC, showing its pastors arguing women should not have the right to vote.
Pastor Doug Wilson, a CREC co-founder, leads Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, the network’s flagship location. Jovial and media-friendly, Wilson is no stranger to stirring controversy with his church’s hard-line theology and its embrace of patriarchy and Christian nationalism.
Wilson told the Associated Press on Monday he was grateful Hegseth shared the video. He noted Hegseth’s post was labeled with Christ Church’s motto: “All of Christ for All of Life.”
“He was, in effect, reposting it and saying, ‘Amen,’ at some level,” Wilson said.
Hegseth, among President Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks, attends Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, a CREC member church in a suburb outside Nashville, Tennessee. His pastor, Brooks Potteiger, prayed at a service Hegseth hosted at the Pentagon.
CREC recently opened a new outpost in the nation’s capital, Christ Church DC, with Hegseth attending its first Sunday service.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed Hegseth’s CREC affiliation and told the AP that Hegseth “very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings.”
Here are other things to know about the church network:
What does Wilson’s church say about women?
Wilson’s church and wider denomination practice complementarianism, the patriarchal idea that men and women have different God-given roles. Women within CREC churches cannot hold church leadership positions, and married women are to submit to their husbands.
Wilson told the AP he believes the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote “was a bad idea.” Still, he said his wife and daughters vote.
He would prefer the United States follow his church’s example, which allows heads of households to vote in church elections. Unmarried women qualify as voting members in his church.
“Ordinarily, the vote is cast by the head of the household, the husband and father, because we’re patriarchal and not egalitarian,” Wilson said. He added that repealing the 19th Amendment is not high on his list of priorities.
Hegseth’s views on women have been in the spotlight, especially after he faced sexual assault allegations, for which no charges were filed. Before his nomination to lead the Defense Department, Hegseth had questioned women serving in combat roles in the military.
Wilson, a Navy veteran who served on submarines, also questions women serving in some military roles.
“I think we ought to find out the name of the person who suggested that we put women on those submarines and have that man committed,” Wilson said. “It’s like having a playpen that you put 50 cats in and then drop catnip in the middle of it. Whatever happens is going to be ugly. And if you think it’s going to advance the cause of women and make sailors start treating women less like objects, then you haven’t been around the block very many times.”
What is the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches?
Founded in 1998, CREC is a network of more than 130 churches in the United States and around the world.
CREC ascribes to a strict version of Reformed theology — rooted in the tradition of 16th-century Protestant reformer John Calvin — that puts a heavy emphasis on an all-powerful God who has dominion over all of society.
Wilson and CREC are also strongly influenced by a 20th-century Reformed movement called Christian Reconstructionism, according to Julie Ingersoll, a religion professor at the University of North Florida who wrote about it in her 2015 book “Building God’s Kingdom.”
She sees that theology reflected in the Wilson slogan Hegseth repeated on social media.
“When he says, ‘All of life,’ he’s referencing the idea that it’s the job of Christians to exercise dominion over the whole world,” Ingersoll said.
Since the 1970s, Wilson’s ministry and influence have grown to include the Association of Christian Classical Schools and New Saint Andrew’s College in Moscow, Idaho.
The ministry has a robust media presence, including Canon Press, publisher of books like “The Case for Christian Nationalism” and “It’s Good to Be a Man: A Handbook for Godly Masculinity.”
What is the connection to Christian nationalism?
Wilson wants the United States to be a Christian nation. He does not mind being called a Christian nationalist.
“I am more than happy to work with that label because it’s a better label than what I usually get called,” Wilson said.
“If I get called a white nationalist or a theo-fascist or a racist bigot, misogynist thug, I can’t work with them except to deny them,” he said. “I’m a Christian, and I’m a patriot who loves my country. How do I combine those two things? How do they work together?”
U.S. Christian nationalism is a fusion of American and Christian identity, principles and symbols that typically seeks a privileged place for Christian people and ideas. Wilson contends that early America was Christian, a notion historians dispute.
“If we succeed, this will be Christian America 2.0,” Wilson wrote in 2022.
American Christian nationalism involves overlapping movements. Among them are evangelicals who view Trump, a Republican, as a champion, some of whom are influenced by Christian Reconstructionist ideas; a charismatic movement that sees politics as part of a larger spiritual war; and a Catholic postliberal movement envisioning a muscular government promoting traditional morality.
CREC now has a closer relationship to the upper echelons of government. This has renewed scrutiny of Wilson’s other controversial views, including his downplaying of the horrors of Southern slavery in the U.S. But it’s also given Wilson a bigger stage.
Hegseth and Wilson have spoken approvingly of each other. Wilson said they have only met in person once, when they talked informally after Wilson preached at Hegseth’s home church in Tennessee this year.
Wilson said CREC’s new Washington church began as a way to serve church members who relocated to work in the Trump administration.
“This is the first time we’ve had connections with as many people in national government as we do now,” Wilson said. “But this is not an ecclesiastical lobbying effort where we’re trying to meet important people. We’re trying to give some of these people an opportunity to meet with God.”
Stanley and Smith write for the Associated Press. Smith reported from Pittsburgh.
The “Saturday Night Live” alum’s girlfriend, British model and actor Elsie Hewitt, confirmed the news Wednesday with a cheeky Instagram post.
“Welp now everyone knows we had sex,” the model captioned a carousel of pregnancy photos, images of the pair and memes (including the viral “Love Island” “mamacita” moment).
Davidson, who famously avoids social media and does not have a public Instagram account, has not yet commented on the news.
Hewitt, 29, and Davidson, 31, first sparked dating rumors in March when they were spotted kissing in Palm Beach, Fla., and they’ve reportedly been living together in Brooklyn and Upstate New York. They made their red carpet debut in May at the Blossom Ball in New York City.
Hewitt, who previously dated Jason Sudeikis and Benny Blanco, has modeled for Guess and was a Playboy Playmate. She landed her first television role in 2018 on the series “Turnt” and has since made appearances on rapper Lil Dicky’s sitcom “Dave.”
Since Davidson left “SNL” in 2022, he has pivoted to focus more on stand-up and movies. The comedian — whose high-profile exes include Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian, Madelyn Cline, Kate Beckinsale, Margaret Qualley, Kaia Gerber and Phoebe Dynevor — has a few projects lined up this year, including a starring role in the horror movie “The Home,” out July 25.
Davidson spent eight seasons on “SNL,” where he served as the show’s “resident young person,” developed his popular recurring character “Chad” and even bought a boat (the Staten Island Ferry) with co-star Colin Jost. He returned to host in 2023 and participated in the 50th anniversary special in February.
