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THE Golden Globes are set to bring the drama this year.

This year’s ceremony, which will happen on Sunday, January 11th, promises big names and some seating surprises.

Fans are excited about the Golden Globes seating chart, which was exposed in some sneak peak photos by celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

The thoughtful seating arrangements might create some drama of its own.

Attendees include pop star Charli XCX, who is seated next to Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams.

A Reddit thread was quickly created, with fan theories dropping.

One commenter said, “Charlie XCX is so lucky.”

Another fan replied, “I just know she’s gonna love those boys.”

Their dynamic interactions are highly anticipated around the room, with notable presenters including close friends and co-stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

The Hollywood favorites will be joined by other presenters like Snoop Dogg, Colman Domingo, Amanda Seyfried, Ayo Edebiri, Miley Cyrus, Macaulay Culkin, and Kevin Hart.

Their seating will create exciting connections and conversations.

At George Clooney’s table will also be Jean Smart, Miley Cyrus, Chris Pine, and Queen Latifah.

“Miley Cyrus and Leonardo DiCaprio are sat at the table next to theirs,” one Reddit commenter stated.

Another fan replied: “Omg Connor can talk to her about dressing up as her in middle school!”

An A-list comedy table will seat Seth Rogen, Jeremy Allen White, and Kevin Hart.

A third table had a strange twist.

Famous redheads Emma Stone and Sarah Snook are seated directly next to each other.

Comedian Nikki Glaser is set to lead the event as host, and many think the star will also bring some heat to the night.

Between Nikki, the comedy table, and the steamy duo of Connor and Hudson, fans think this will be a dream team pairing at tables.

As the event approaches, memorable interactions and funny moments are expected.

This year’s ceremony is shaping up to be memorable, with many funny moments expected and some intriguing rivalries, too.

There was no mention of Timothée Chalamet or a certain Jenner sister.

The Golden Globe Awards are renowned for recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign.

Organized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), this awards show stands out because it celebrates both cinematic achievements and television programming in one event, unlike many other awards that focus solely on one medium.

The Globes are famous for their relaxed atmosphere, where winners often share heartfelt and humorous speeches, fostering a sense of camaraderie among stars.

Additionally, the Golden Globes often serve as a precursor to the Oscars, helping to shape the conversation around movies during awards season.

The Golden Globes have hosted some unforgettable celebrity moments over the years.

Besties Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift had fans running to lip-reading experts when they were caught whispering at their table in 2024.

In 2015, Jeremy Renner famously spent a little too much time “reading” the cue cards near Jennifer Lopez’s cleavage while they presented on stage.

A standout memory was Jennifer Lawrence tripping on her way to accept her award in 2013, showcasing her relatable, down-to-earth persona.

In 2009, host Ricky Gervais made headlines with his sharp humor, poking fun at several celebrities, including Mel Gibson, which led to mixed reactions.

The ceremony also often features fun interactions between stars, such as awkward encounters, playful banter, and heartfelt reunions, adding to its entertainment value.

Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City’s mayor just after midnight in a historic ceremony at a decommissioned Manhattan subway station.

Making history as the first Muslim to lead the United States’ largest city, Mamdani took his oath with his hand placed on a Quran.

“This is truly the honour and the privilege of a lifetime,” Mamdani said in a brief speech.

The private ceremony, conducted by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the architecturally stunning old City Hall station – one of the city’s original subway stops known for its arched ceilings – marked the official transition of power.

In his inaugural remarks, Mamdani highlighted the venue as a “testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health and the legacy of our city” while announcing Mike Flynn as his new Department of Transportation commissioner.

The mayor concluded his brief address saying, “Thank you all so much, now I will see you later,” before ascending the stairs with a smile.

A more elaborate public inauguration will take place at 1pm (18:00 GMT) at City Hall. A public celebration will follow on Broadway’s “Canyon of Heroes”, famous for hosting ticker-tape parades.

As he steps into one of the US’s most demanding political positions, Mamdani breaks multiple barriers. At 34, he becomes the city’s youngest mayor in generations and the first of Muslim faith, South Asian descent, and African birth.

This was not the Christmas that Mariela Gomez would have imagined a year ago.

Or the one that thousands of other Venezuelan immigrants in the United States would have thought. But Donald Trump returned to the White House in January and quickly ended their US dream.

Gomez found herself spending the holiday in northern Venezuela for the first time in eight years. She dressed up, cooked, got her son a scooter and smiled for her in-laws. Hard as she tried, though, she could not ignore the main challenges facing returning migrants: unemployment and poverty.

“We had a modest dinner, not quite what we’d hoped for, but at least we had food on the table,” Gomez said of the lasagne-like dish she shared with her partner and in-laws instead of the traditional Christmas dish of stuffed corn dough hallacas. “Making hallacas here is a bit expensive, and since we’re unemployed, we couldn’t afford to make them.”

Gomez, her two sons and her partner returned to the city of Maracay on October 27 after crossing the US-Mexico border to Texas, where they were quickly swept up by US Border Patrol amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. They were deported to Mexico, from where they began the dangerous journey back to Venezuela.

They crossed Central America by bus, but once in Panama, the family could not afford to continue to Colombia via boat in the Caribbean. Instead, they took the cheaper route along the Pacific’s choppy waters, sitting on top of sloshing petrol tanks in a cargo boat for several hours and then transferring to a fast boat until reaching a jungled area of Colombia. They spent about two weeks there until they were wired money to make it to the border with Venezuela.

Gomez was among the more than 7.7 million Venezuelans who left their home country in the last decade, when its economy came undone as a result of a drop in oil prices, corruption and mismanagement. She lived in Colombia and Peru for years before setting her sights on the US with hopes of building a new life.

Steady deportations

Trump’s second term has dashed the hopes of many like Gomez.

As of September, more than 14,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, had returned to South America since Trump moved to limit migration to the US, according to figures from Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica. In addition, Venezuelans were steadily deported to their home country this year after President Nicolas Maduro, under pressure from the White House, did away with his longstanding policy of not accepting deportees from the US.

Immigrants arrived regularly at the airport outside the capital, Caracas, on flights operated by a US government contractor or Venezuela’s state-owned airline. More than 13,000 migrants returned this year on the chartered flights.

Gomez’s return to Venezuela also allowed her to see the now 20-year-old daughter she left behind when she fled the country’s complex crisis. They talked and drank beer during the holiday, knowing it might be the last time they shared a drink for a while – Gomez’s daughter will migrate to Brazil next month.

Gomez is hoping to make hallacas for New Year’s Eve and is also hoping for a job. But her prayers for next year are mostly for good health.

“I ask God for many things, first and foremost life and health, so we can continue enjoying our family,” she said.

From a design shop in Valencia with “murderous” dolls to a studio in Dublin to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, our photographers have been everywhere this year. They’ve captured key figures in the worlds of music, film and television in somber moments, moments of levity and everything in between. They share behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the shoots and reveal how they got “the” shot.

Britt Lower, Adam Scott and Dichen Lachman (above)

By Jason Armond in Los Angeles

When I received this assignment, my goal was to create a photo that not only mirrored the show’s dystopian surrealness but also captured the intricate relationship triangle between Britt Lower, Adam Scott and Dichen Lachman’s characters.

Initially, it took a little time for everyone on set to see my vision, but once I shared a test image, everyone understood and was excited to collaborate. The entire shoot lasted around eight minutes, but that brief window was all we needed.

After publication, the images quickly went viral. Many viewers assumed the photos were AI-generated or composited, but every detail was achieved in camera.

At the end of the shoot, someone from Lower’s team accidentally stepped on the mirror, shattering it. Someone joked about bad luck, but thankfully, this superstition did not come true, and a few months later, Lower won the lead actress in a drama series Emmy for her role in “Severance.”

Richard Kind

By Christina House at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood

Richard is one of a kind — no pun intended. He was singing and joking with us, telling stories. We were set up outside under the beating sun and he was wearing a vest with a wool coat, so we were trying to work quickly! I always love seeing behind the scenes of how films are made. I decided to pull back and include the lights and my assistant Jonathan’s hands to give it that working set feel.

Cynthia Erivo

By Jason Armond in Los Angeles

Cynthia Erivo’s portrait session took place in a studio near Beverly Hills, where she had recently finished recording her latest album. My initial plan was to photograph her seated beside a vintage piano, but she had a different vision. This is why I always prepare at least three setup options for entertainment portraits. I quickly adapted and moved to my next setup, which featured a striking geometric wooden wall in the studio. As I adjusted the lighting, I noticed her stunning wardrobe with two waist-high slits that revealed her tattoos. At that moment, I understood her preference for standing, as it allowed her to express her style and personality fully. I adjusted the lighting to complement Erivo’s sultry and confident presence. Her choice to stand brought a dynamic quality to the image. The resulting image speaks for itself; Erivo brought the scene to life and needed almost no direction. I simply pressed the camera’s shutter button.

Bella Ramsey

By Bexx Francois at the London in West Hollywood

Rather than chasing an expression, I was interested in stillness and repetition; how a simple gesture could feel amplified when echoed across a frame. I wanted Bella’s profile to be both the anchor and the rhythm of the image. She was immediately open to leaning into something more abstract. It was a real-time compositional gamble, guided by instinct and trust. We made several variations, but it was her side profile that ultimately struck the strongest balance between classic portraiture and interpretation.

Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Dong-hyuk

By Justin Jun Lee at the “Squid Game Experience” in New York

From the moment I walked in, I felt completely immersed in the design of the space. It truly felt like I was stepping onto an actual film set from one of the “Squid Game” challenges. The iconic giant doll Young-hee from the “Red Light, Green Light” game immediately stood out to me. My goal was for the images to carry a sense of tension and intensity that mirrors the tone of the show, and I believe that came through in the mood, expressions and presence of both Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Dong-hyuk.

Yungblud

By Hon Wing Chiu at the Hollywood Palladium

I was limited to photographing only the first three songs at the Hollywood Palladium, so I chose to shoot two songs up close and save the last one for a gamble from the back of the crowd. Most of the time I could barely see past the fans, but I hoped the final song would give me something unexpected.

When Yungblud hit the stage, the whole room exploded. The lights were changing every second, and he never stopped moving — running, jumping, connecting with the crowd like the stage could barely contain him. The fans were screaming, reaching, completely locked into the moment. I captured what I could up front, then switched lenses and waited for one last chance.

During that final song, everything suddenly came together. Yungblud stepped right to the very edge of the stage, almost close enough for the fans to touch him. Their hands shot into the air, trying to reach him, and he threw his arm upward with full force, like he was lifting the whole room with him. For a split second, the lights, the crowd and his energy aligned perfectly. I hit the shutter, hoping I caught it.

It wasn’t the peak of the entire concert, but it was the peak of the moment I was allowed to shoot — and it became the image I had been chasing all night.

Olivia Cooke and Robin Wright

By Jennifer McCord in London

I’d only seen the trailer for “The Girlfriend” at the time of the shoot but knew I wanted something that contained the idea of untrustworthy narrators that seemed to be threaded throughout.

Paul Thomas Anderson

By Christina House at the Aster in Hollywood

I had been made aware that PTA does not love being photographed. I had worked with him once before so I knew he was really nice but a bit camera shy. When he finished up his interview with columnist Glenn Whipp, he came to meet me in the neighboring hotel room where I had a chair positioned next to a window. I shared my idea on framing the image; I was shooting it from the bedroom closet to give some depth and he liked it. We took a few frames, talked about our dogs (his dog is trained to bring him his L.A. Times newspaper every morning) and he apologized for being difficult on his way out, to which I immediately replied that he was the complete opposite of that.

Fernanda Torres (‘I’m Still Here’)

By Annie Noelker in Los Angeles

I remember her just being so classy, elegant and lovely. Her whole team was so kind and we shot out on the balcony of the hotel room for maybe 10 minutes. It was effortless and such a satisfying collaborative experience.

Adrien Morot, Kathy Tse and M3GAN dolls

By Carlin Stiehl in Valencia

It’s always a treat when you step into the creative world of a mastermind, especially when it comes to the magic behind our favorite films. You might expect that seeing the process up close would spoil the mystique, like a magician revealing their tricks, but in the case of Adrien and Kathy, it only deepened the sense of wonder. The “M3GAN” dolls were so lifelike, and the real sell wasn’t their eyes that draw you in, but the skin. The dolls’ lifelike texture and softness, and the rows of faces on worktables waiting to be painted, created a diabolical scene out of a skin-harvesting, flesh-mask horror film. Yet the insanity was where the true genius hid, because in many ways, I could believe it was real. Hence, the inspiration for the photo: a take on the quintessential family-style portrait — the ones you kind of cringe at when you walk into someone’s home, radiating manufactured happiness. The dolls were like their children so I thought, let’s get the kids together with Mom and Dad and show how beautiful their doted-on children are for our guests.

Saagar Shaikh and Asif Ali

By Bexx Francois on the Disney Studios lot in Burbank

I came in with a loose mood board, a few traditional pose ideas alongside some comedic “scenarios” that had a 50/50 chance of making it to my memory cards. Their Hulu series “Deli Boys” was a comedy after all, maybe they’d be down to lean into play. When Saagar and Asif arrived, I showed them my wish list. Instant cosign. Once we nailed the first “scenario,” pure improv took over, with Asif and Sagaar seamlessly falling into the mock-conflict of their on-screen characters; hence, Asif being hoisted 3 feet in the air. By the time we called wrap, everyone was in tears.

Dan Brown

By Cheryl Senter in Rye Beach, N.H.

Two things: I always follow my gut and never wear pink. A few days before the assignment I had this gut feeling that I wanted a portrait of the bestselling author with a wall of mirrors. The day of the assignment I decided to wear a hot pink shirt I had picked up at a thrift store instead of my black-on-black attire. At Dan’s house I spent an hour with his assistant scoping out a few locations — no wall of mirrors. Before I left I asked Dan if he had a wall of mirrors. Dan smiled and led me to a very tiny circular bathroom that had a tall, curved pocket door made of copper. It was a tight space with the door shut. My pink shirt came in handy. I could easily see if I was in any of the mirrors. At one point Dan looked at me and started laughing as I tried to make myself wafer thin. Then I started laughing. Dan’s assistant waiting outside asked softly, “Is everything OK?”

Penn Badgley

By Matt Seidel in Los Angeles

This was a classic celebrity shoot: Our scheduled 30 minutes collapsed into seven so we had to move fast. I shook Penn’s hand and told him I had two goals: Get the shot and get him back on schedule. There was no time to over-direct so I gave him one piece of character direction and let him run. I didn’t want Joe Goldberg from the TV series “You.” I didn’t want Penn Badgley, sexy serial killer. I wanted the real Penn Badgley saying goodbye, closing a chapter, integrating the shadow of the role and stepping into the light of what’s next.

Spike Lee

By Victoria Will in New York

Nothing says Brooklyn like Spike Lee, so it made sense to photograph him where he is most recognized, in Fort Greene near his well-known office. The relationship between Spike and Brooklyn is longstanding and reciprocal, shaped by history, presence and place. That familiarity was evident as nearly every pedestrian waved or said hello, many greeting him like an old friend. And there wasn’t one person that he did not acknowledge. True class.

Sombr

By Evelyn Freja at Pier 17 in New York

The photo was taken on an empty construction floor of the pier where he had a concert that night. I remember it was a very quick session right before he went on because he had gotten a cold and was trying to save his energy to perform. Despite his health, he (and his entire team) was so kind and gracious, which made the shoot go easy. I decided to light the warehouse with a red light to lend the energy of his music to this shoot and a very moody light for Sombr to reflect the ambience of his songs.

Elle Fanning

By Christina House at the Toronto International Film Festival

I had photographed Elle a few years back. She’s a sweetheart and so good at posing so she doesn’t need a lot of direction. For this particular photo, it was taken at our portrait studio at the Toronto International Film Festival. It’s a fast-paced flow of folks coming in and out for portraits, an organized chaos at times, but you would never know that by the calm on her face. She’s a pro.

Lena Dunham and Megan Stalter

By the Tyler Twins in New York

The playlist was ‘90s (Alanis Morissette, the Cranberries, Jewel), and the vibe was easy and celebratory. Megan and Lena have a genuine chemistry and were both very relaxed in front of the camera. Our shared ties to Ohio made for good conversation. It truly felt like we were shooting friends.

Domhnall Gleeson

Jennifer McCord in Dublin

This was shot in a studio in Dublin (studio shoots for assignments always feel super rare!) with just me, Domhnall and his makeup artist Lucy. We played the latest Fontaines D.C. album and the shoot was super chill and lovely. I’m always appreciative when an actor is up for being collaborative and trying different things — this was one of the last shots we took. The rest of the images feel quite energetic, so it was nice to also get this more intimate-feeling frame at the end.

Karol G

By Bexx Francois in El Segundo

When time with an artist is limited, anxiety threatens to grab the wheel. But once Karol G walked on set, everything went quiet. And delicate. She had such a kindness about her. And an effortless beauty. I was inspired by classic Irving Penn; using walls to guide the eyes toward the center. We used a V-flat as our “set.” Even with a wind blower only 6 feet away throwing gusts of drama in her direction, Karol remained in command of her space and performance. And still connected where and how needed — with piercing intention.

Benson Boone and Brian May

By Allen J. Schaben at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Shooting Benson Boone’s trademark leaping acrobatics at his Coachella debut this year gave me the chance to bridge the gap between musical generations. The performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody” was made even more significant by the presence of Queen’s legendary guitarist, Brian May. My challenge was positioning myself to capture the moment while navigating a sea of spectators’ heads, hands, arms and cellphones. I dropped to a low angle to create a fan’s perspective, capture the height of his leap and ensure both artists were in the frame. Then it happened — somewhere between a cymbal crash and a guitar wail. Boone sprinted onto the piano and launched into the air above May, and in a split second, it was over. Moments like this are what make my job rewarding, and this performance by Boone and May will live on as a legendary one in my memory.

Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Mike Leigh (‘Hard Truths’)

By Christina House at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica

Marianne and Mike had such lovely chemistry together. They were chatty so I thought I’d give them an action to follow and this is where we landed. This was taken in a hotel boardroom with a seamless backdrop.

Mariska Hargitay

By Victoria Will in New York

I’ve had the good fortune of photographing Mariska Hargitay many times over the years, which brings a level of trust and collaboration. She gives both generously. On this occasion, she was as she always is: grounded, confident and present, with an easy sense of humor.

Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites of the Lumineers

By Robert Gauthier at the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood

The Lumineers was a memorable shoot for me. To make this photo I crawled into a thicket of ferns at the Sunset Marquis Hotel. As I crouched behind a rippling fountain, stretching and contorting my body to attain the correct angle, I began to wonder, “Do the Lumineers think I’m some kind of a lunatic?”

Luis Guzmán, Jenna Ortega and Catherine Zeta-Jones

By Jennifer McCord in London

I’m such a big fan of “Wednesday” as a show and of all three of these actors, so this was truly a joy. As always with these assignments, we had limited time but thankfully we were shooting at the wonderful Raffles in London and Luis, Catherine and Jenna were so wonderful.

Mark Hoppus of Blink-182

By Robert Gauthier in Los Angeles

Mark Hoppus’ home is a photographer’s dream. A Midcentury Modern with interesting angles, surfaces, colors and light. He was patient and willing to pose wherever I found inspiration. We settled on a few places, including beneath a skylight that streamed natural light into a hallway. It’s a simple image. One might say it was just another one of all the small things.

Stephen Graham

By Sophia Spring in London

This was shot in a little makeshift studio I set up in a boardroom at Netflix HQ in London. We were capturing these portraits of Stephen ahead of the release of “Adolescence.” At the time all I knew about the show was the vague story outline of Stephen’s character as the father of a boy arrested for murder, and so I was keen that the portraits channel the visceral and complex tone of the show. After a quick hello I explained to Stephen what I was after, and for the next 20 minutes he proved why he is the world-class actor we know him as — he brought such an intensity and commitment to our short shoot. I was thrilled to see his well-deserved Emmy win a few months later.

True Whitaker

By Christina House at the London Hotel in West Hollywood

True is a warm and friendly human. She greeted me and my assistant with a hug. I could tell she was feeling a little under the weather that day but she didn’t ask for any special treatment, and kindly and happily took direction. It was a pleasure to meet the “I Love LA” star. I used window light to keep a soft yet moody feel.

Jessie Murph

By Annie Noelker in Los Angeles

We shot Jessie at NeueHouse Venice Beach (rest in peace) and there was this skylight in the backroom, where the sun cast this magnificent glow. The time of day was just perfect and oh so lucky. I had Jessie stand in the glow and look up, with just a little reflector under her chin and we captured this beautiful, still moment of reflection and calm before the insane year the singer-songwriter has had.

Danielle Brooks

By Bexx Francois in Los Angeles

I had just flown in from New York, where only days earlier I was sitting in a movie theater with my nephews, ages 6 and 11, watching “Minecraft” and enjoying their faces light up from the screen. In 2022, I saw Danielle Brooks in the Broadway revival of “The Piano Lesson,” a performance that had me on my feet in applause. And now my nephews were being introduced to her talent in a different context. When the assignment to photograph the actress landed in my inbox soon after, it was an instant yes. Unbeknownst to her, I was quietly geeking out behind the camera. I wanted to capture her in the same bliss she gave my nephews in that theater together.

Laverne Cox and George Wallace

By the Tyler Twins in New York

Laverne Cox arrived fully prepared in vintage Thierry Mugler. We bonded over a shared love of fashion history; she’s an expert! George Wallace, her onscreen father in the Prime Video comedy “Clean Slate,” brought a warmth that was easy to capture. Their father-daughter dynamic unfolded naturally, with Laverne playfully striking poses around him.

Tonatiuh

By Christina House at Hollenbeck Park in Los Angeles

This was a meaningful place for him since he grew up in the area. He seemed at ease and I sensed it felt good to return to a place he called home during what I can imagine is a very busy and surreal time for him — promoting the movie “Kiss of the Spider Woman” with Jennifer Lopez. Grounding yourself is so important. There’s a pond at the center of the park. We headed in that direction and made a few frames with this beautiful, natural sunlight. He mentioned that the scar on the left side of his face is not something he is ashamed of so he was comfortable being photographed on that side.

Laurence Fishburne

By Jason Armond in Los Angeles

When I photographed Laurence Fishburne for his role in the spy thriller “The Amateur,” I approached the session with a storyteller’s mindset. Even in my celebrity portraiture, I aim to capture a narrative. For this shoot, I chose dramatic lighting to reflect the suspenseful tone of the film. Fishburne had recently suffered a broken toe, so he needed to remain seated throughout most of the session. What could have been a limitation became a creative opportunity. I concentrated on close-up portraits, letting Fishburne’s intense expressions and moments of exuberant laughter bring the images to life.

Fujii Kaze

By Jason Armond in El Segundo

During awards season, I photograph many celebrities each week, which challenges me to find new and creative approaches for every session. For me, the key to transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary is always staying open to inspiration wherever it appears. My shoot with J-pop star Fujii Kaze at the L.A. Times offices embodied this idea. On my way to the studio, I noticed a stack of black chairs in the hallway and instantly recognized their potential. Those unassuming chairs became the backdrop for a striking, environmental portrait. Following my instincts allowed me to create something truly unique.

Michael Koman and Greg Daniels

By Jason Armond in El Segundo

When I was assigned to photograph Michael Koman and Greg Daniels, the creators of “The Paper,” I knew I wanted the images to capture the quirkiness of their show. Early on, I decided to build a set entirely out of newspapers. Since our shoot was at the L.A. Times offices, I gathered piles of old papers and envisioned Michael and Greg in a flurry of pages, an energetic and playful nod to their show’s spirit. The idea worked beautifully.

After the session, I led Koman and Daniels on a brief tour of the newsroom. Daniels eagerly asked about every detail of the newsroom’s daily operations and how each area was used. His sincere curiosity stood out, revealing his dedication to his craft.

Before Koman and Daniels left, I jokingly offered my services as a show consultant. I have yet to receive a callback, so for now, I am more than happy to continue my work at the L.A. Times.

Billy Crudup

By Bexx Francois in Los Angeles

We arrived at the Netflix offices and started making our way to our shoot location. Out the corner of my eye, I noticed this teddy bear chair in one of the waiting rooms we were passing by. Its design was charismatic and made me smile. I instantly requested it be brought to set. We tried one to two traditional chairs in its stead before committing to its playfulness. If it made us smile during test shots, hopefully it would do the same once “Jay Kelly” star Billy Crudup arrived on set. And indeed, it did. We spent the most time joking and capturing candid moments with Billy comfortably leaning into that furry hug. It produced one of my favorite photos from our time together.

Cyndi Lauper

By Larsen&Talbert at Jack Studios in New York

From the very beginning, it felt more like a collaboration than an assignment.

Once we knew what she’d be wearing, we gathered around the rolls of seamless paper together, weighing color options like painters choosing a palette. Blue immediately stood out. We agreed, started setting up and everything was moving smoothly — until a few minutes later when Cyndi Lauper came running back into the room.

“We can’t do blue!” she said, laughing. “My hair is blue today.”

She was absolutely right.

Without hesitation, we pivoted to our second choice: orange. Against her blue hair and bold, pink doll-head suit, the orange backdrop crackled with energy — it was perfect.

Some subjects need a lot of coaxing and direction. Not Cyndi. She knows exactly how to move, how to hold a pose and how to communicate with a camera. She doesn’t wait to be told what to do — she gives you something. Our job was simply to stay sharp and ready, capturing whatever magic she sent our way.

It was effortless, intuitive and joyful — the kind of shoot that reminds you why collaboration matters, and why icons become icons in the first place.

Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme

By Dutch Doscher at Blonde Studios in New York

When I got the assignment, I was immediately excited and had this image in my head of placing them inside a colorful candy cane circus. I had no idea how I was going to pull that off until Broderson Backdrops came through with the perfect 25-by-25-foot backdrop. I showed the idea to their publicist and got an immediate, enthusiastic yes. From there, the gold outfits came into focus and everything started to click.

They were incredibly easygoing and completely comfortable playing to the camera. You can sometimes wonder if a duo like that is more of a work relationship, but once you’re in the room with them, it’s clear it’s a deep friendship. That connection made the shoot feel effortless, and I think that’s what ultimately comes through in the photograph.

From Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine war to devastating global weather events – including floods, storms and earthquakes – this year was defined by turmoil and humanitarian crises.

Prolonged violence in Sudan, marked by attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), added to the mounting civilian toll and displacement across the country.

The year also saw heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, a deadly blaze in Hong Kong, United States and Israeli attacks on Iran, revelations from the Epstein files, and waves of “Gen Z” protest movements across multiple regions.

Together, these developments dominated international headlines, reflecting deepening political instability, social unrest and growing humanitarian needs worldwide.

View the gallery below for powerful photographs that documented and encapsulated these pivotal 12 months.

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has released thousands more documents relating to the prosecution of the late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein, including photographs of prominent figures he spent time with. But campaigners behind the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which compelled the Justice Department on Friday to release all files still sealed, say far too much information in them has been redacted.

Furthermore, according to US media, at least 16 of the files – which they said were disclosed late – have since “disappeared” from the website where they were released. The deleted files included a photograph showing President Donald Trump.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed into law after it passed through Congress in November, required the government to release all remaining unclassified material in its possession relating to Epstein’s and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking cases. Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in prison for her part in the scandal.

Despite heavy redaction of many of the documents, which has angered Democrats and some Republicans alike, there is some new information about the powerful people who associated with the disgraced late financier.

The Justice Department said it will release more documents in the coming weeks.

Here’s what we know about what’s been released so far:

What’s new in this tranche of Epstein files?

This is just the latest release of documents relating to the prosecution of Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019. The first tranche of about 950 pages of court documents was made public in early 2024.

One document released this time around confirms that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was tipped off about the convicted sex offender’s crimes nearly a decade before he was first arrested.

In September 1996, Epstein survivor Maria Farmer complained to the FBI that the late financier was involved in child sex abuse. Farmer said officials failed to take steps to investigate.

While the name of the complainant is redacted in the document relating to this complaint to the FBI, Farmer has confirmed it was made by her.

Now in her 50s, Farmer said in a statement via her lawyers after the release on Friday that she feels “redeemed” and this was “one of the best days of my life”.

“I want everyone to know that I am shedding tears of joy for myself but also tears of sorrow for all the other victims that the FBI failed,” she said.

Newly released transcripts of grand jury proceedings also include testimony from FBI agents who described interviews that they conducted with girls and young women describing their experiences of being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein. The youngest interviewee was 14, according to local media.

One woman, then aged 21, told a grand jury that Epstein had hired her when she was 16 to perform a sexual massage and that she had gone on to recruit other girls to do the same.

“For every girl that I brought to the table, he would give me $200,” she said.

They were mostly people she knew from high school, she said, adding that she told them that if they were under age, “just lie about it and tell him that you are 18.”

Much of the material published had already been circulating in the public domain after years of court action and investigations.

However, many of the new photos – some of them heavily blacked out – feature well-known public figures.

Who features in the newly released photos?

Among the documents released on Friday are photographs in a folder labelled “DOJ Disclosures”. Most of the photographs were seized by the FBI during various searches of Epstein’s homes in New York City and the US Virgin Islands.

New photos show the musicians Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross in photographs with Epstein and at times with other people whose faces have been blacked out.

In one image, Jagger can be seen sitting between Epstein and former US President Bill Clinton. Popstar Jackson is also pictured standing next to Clinton and posing for a photo with Epstein in front of a painting in another.

Other famous men featured in the newly released photos include the actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Chris Tucker, billionaire Richard Branson, former UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – formerly known as Britain’s Prince Andrew – and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.

In one black and white image, Andrew can be seen lying across the laps of five people whose faces have all been blacked out while Maxwell stands behind them.

The Justice Department did not include any details about the contents or context of the photos.

Virginia Giuffre, who was one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers and who died by suicide in April aged 41, accused Mountbatten-Windsor of sexual abuse when she was 17. He settled a lawsuit with her in 2022 but continued to deny the allegation.

Another prominent figure among the photos is Clinton. One photo shows him in a swimming pool with Maxwell and another person whose face has been blacked out. Another photo shows the former US president in a hot tub with a woman whose face is also redacted.

While Clinton has never been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s crimes, his spokesperson said the White House was using him as a scapegoat.

“This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Clinton in the past has said he cut ties with Epstein before the late financier pleaded guilty to solicitation of a minor in Florida.

Does Trump appear in the Epstein files?

Trump hardly appears in the files at all. The few photos that do feature him are ones that have been circulating in the public domain for decades.

According to one court document released on Friday, Epstein was alleged to have taken a 14-year-old girl to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and to have introduced her to the president.

While introducing her, Epstein elbowed Trump, asking him – referring to the teenager: “This is a good one, right?” Trump smiled and nodded in agreement, said the document from a case against Epstein’s estate and Maxwell in 2020.

In the court filing, the unnamed plaintiff herself makes no specific accusation against Trump.

In response to media requests for comment about this court document, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the Trump administration was “the most transparent in history” and by “recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, the Trump Administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have,” she added.

Have some of the files disappeared since they were published on Friday?

Apparently, yes. One image, originally labelled File 468, which showed the inside of a desk drawer, included a photograph of Trump alongside Epstein, US first lady Melania Trump and Maxwell.

Other missing photos were images of paintings depicting nude women and one showing a series of photographs on a cupboard and in drawers.

On Saturday, The Associated Press news agency reported that at least 16 files published on Friday had disappeared from the Justice Department’s webpage.

The department has not provided any explanation or statement to the public about this but said in a post on X that “photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information.”

Democrats on the Oversight Committee in the US House of Representatives also released 68 photos, drawn from the 95,000 photos and files the Oversight Committee has so far received from the Epstein estate.

Democrats in the committee said the images, which they released on Thursday, “were selected to provide the public with transparency into a representative sample of the photos” and “to provide insights into Epstein’s network and his extremely disturbing activities”.

Following the Justice Department’s release on Friday, the committee’s Democratic members questioned in a post on X why the image featuring a photo of Trump, a Republican, was missing, stating: “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”

Why has so much been redacted?

Among the thousands of documents published on Friday, at least 550 pages were reportedly fully redacted.

One 119-page document labelled “Grand Jury-NY” is completely redacted as is a set of three consecutive documents totalling 255 pages. Each page is fully blacked out.

Campaigners behind the Epstein Files Transparency Act said they had hoped to obtain more information about how the sex offender had been able to avoid serious federal charges for so many years.

However, many crucial FBI interviews with Epstein’s accusers and internal Justice Department memos on charging decisions are unreadable.

Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, sent a six-page letter to members of Congress laying out the redaction process, noting that the law mandates that the department omit or redact any references to victims and files that could jeopardise pending investigations or litigation.

Blanche explained that he had, therefore, instructed attorneys to redact or withhold material that contained personally identifiable information about victims; depicted or contained child sexual abuse materials; would jeopardise an active investigation or prosecution; or contained classified national defence or foreign policy information.

Without specifying which, Blanche added that in some instances, the department had withheld or redacted information covered by deliberative-process privilege, work-product privilege and attorney-client privilege.

When will the remaining files be released?

The Justice Department has said the publication of thousands more documents concerning investigations into Epstein will be released in the coming days as the year-end holidays approach.

The department missed its original Friday deadline to release all the information it had on Epstein in violation of the law signed by Trump in November ordering a complete release within 30 days.

After the drop on Friday, the department published two much smaller tranches on Saturday, which went beyond the initial redactions and featured identities of prosecutors, FBI case agents and other law enforcement personnel who appeared before two federal grand juries in New York state.

Several US lawmakers expressed anger about the White House’s failure to produce all the documents required under the law within the time limit.

Representatives Ro Khanna, a Democrat, and Thomas Massie, a Republican – the duo who introduced the petition that eventually led to the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act – strongly criticised the partial release on social media.

Massie wrote that it “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law”.

Khanna called the release so far “disappointing” and added: “We’re going to push for the actual documents.”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused the Trump administration of being “hell-bent on hiding the truth” and reiterated that the failure to release all the Epstein documents by Friday’s deadline amounts to “breaking the law”.

Meanwhile, officials from the Trump administration have been publicising the photographs featuring former Democratic President Clinton and hailing the current government as “the most transparent in history”.

Can campaigners take further steps to obtain more of the documents?

In a statement, Schumer said Senate Democrats are working “closely with attorneys for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and with outside legal experts to assess what documents are being withheld and what is being covered up by [US Attorney General] Pam Bondi”.

Representatives Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrats on the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, said they are examining “all legal options” after “the Department of Justice is now making clear it intends to defy Congress itself.”

“Donald Trump and the Department of Justice are now violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epstein’s decades-long, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring,” Garcia and Raskin said in a statement.

Senator Ron Wyden, another top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee who investigated Epstein’s financial ties, said on social media that the failure to release all the files was “a continuation of this administration’s coverup on behalf of a bunch of pedophiles and sex traffickers”.

The Associated Press reported that if Democratic lawmakers so choose, they could go to court to force the Justice Department to comply with the law. However, that would likely be a lengthy process.

Separately, the House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena for the Epstein files, which could give Congress another avenue to force the release of more information to the committee. But that would require Republicans to join them in contempt-of-Congress proceedings against a Republican administration.

Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein victim Haley Robson speaks during a press conference with other victims on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, in November. The House Oversight Committee is investigating as many as 95,000 photos of Epstein with high profile politicians and power brokers. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Dec. 18 (UPI) — Congressional Democrats released 68 photos from the Jeffrey Epstein estate on Thursday, bringing the total number to more than 95,000 that have been turned over to the House Oversight Committee investigating names on a list of prominent people who were associated with the now deceased sex offender.

Epstein, the former financier and friend of the ultra-wealthy and politically powerful, was convicted of sexual behavior with minor girls. He later died by suicide in a Manhattan prison while awaiting trial.

To date, only a small fraction of the photos have been released to the public, but those that have been released featured President Donald Trump, top Republican strategist Steve Bannon, former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and movie mogul Woody Allen, among other high-profile people, in candid shots with Epstein.

While not dyeing their association with the convicted sex offender, all have denied wrongdoing. None have been charged.

The latest trove of photographs was released prior to a Friday deadline, when the Justice Department will be required to release all of the government’s Epstein files with a few exceptions.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said the committee is reviewing materials from the Epstein estate and working with victims shown in the photographs who are not identified or threatened.

“Certainly the most disturbing photos are certainly the ones that are more sexual in nature,” Garcia said during a Thursday briefing on the Capitol steps. “We’re having a conversation about the best way to deal with those and talking to the lawyers and the survivor groups, because we want to be very cautious of the trauma that the survivors are going through.”

The new law says the photos must be published online and in a publicly searchable database.

The White House has accused Garcia and other Democrats of releasing “cherry-picked photos with random reactions to try to create a false narrative” with the intention of putting Trump in a negative light.