LITTLE MIX star Leigh-Anne Pinnock recently opened up on the ‘betrayal’ from her husband Andre Gray in a heartbreaking confession, admitting ‘he was selfish’.
The couple married in 2023, but their rollercoaster relationship at times appears to have taken its toll on the pop beauty.
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Leigh-Anne Pinnock recently opened up on the ‘betrayal’ from her husband Andre Gray in a heartbreaking confessionCredit: AlamyThe couple married in 2023 but their union has seen bumps along the wayCredit: InstagramThe pop star shares her four-year-old twin daughters with footballer AndreCredit: Instagram
The couple first started dating in 2016 and the pop star, 34, shares her four-year-old twin daughters with footballer Andre.
Leigh-Anne recently shared that the pair are now in a ‘beautiful place’ but their relationship hasn’t always been plain sailing.
Speaking in a candid chat with fellow music star Paloma Faith on her Mad Sad Bad podcast in January, Leigh-Anne detailed a “weird time” in the couple’s relationship which saw her “lose trust”.
She told how her spouse had left her “heartbroken”, she said: “I went through a bit of a weird time with my husband actually and I think that sort of not being totally honest and losing trust and that kind of betrayal.
“I think heartbreak is wild, it’s awful and especially someone that you’re so madly in love with and that they can hurt you.”
She added: “Well, I think that person has to want to change and he did.
“And I think you can go through things in a relationship, but if they aren’t willing to change for you, forget it.”
“They have to do the work and they have to turn it around because again it’s not you, it’s not on you.”
Leigh-Anne had just come out of an on-off three-year relationship with footballer Jordan Kiffin when she met striker Andre.
The couple’s first blip happened after happily navigating their way through relationship milestones, from first holidays as a couple, to meeting each others’ families and moving in together.
Leigh-Anne had just come out of an on-off three-year relationship with footballer Jordan Kiffin when she met Watford striker AndreCredit: GettyAndre had a starring role in the video for Little Mix’s Think About Us videoCredit: Getty
Plus, he even had a starring role in the video for Little Mix’s Think About Us video.
In the beginning, Leigh-Anne would admit he just needed a bit of encouragement to bring out his romantic side.
And then in 2019, the Brit Award-winning artist admitted that she had suffered from repeated nightmares about the football ace that had left her “hating him the next day”.
“I don’t really dream that much but I’ve had the same nightmare a couple of times; that my boyfriend has cheated on me. I wake up hating him the next day,” she said, whilst speaking to Grazia magazine.
Things got even rockier for the pair in 2021, when she confronted Andre on TV after admitting that her other half’s old tweets has made her “feel sick” in her BBC documentary, Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power.
Viewers watched as the hitmaker challenged Andre over colourist tweets he had shared in 2012, in which he compared dark-skinned black women wearing red lipstick to “burnt toast with jam on it”.
Leigh-Anne hit back at her partner, she said: “I will never know what it feels like to be a dark-skinned woman but seeing those tweets really made me feel a bit sick.
“I was really upset because I was just like, ‘Who is this person? This is horrible’. That wasn’t the person I knew.
“When they surfaced, my heart sank. Because I was like, ‘That is not the person I met. It sounds like a child, like a silly child’.”
Andre swiftly responded and put his actions down to becoming a “product of your environment” adding that he had now educated himself and “learned from his mistakes”.
Leigh-Anne, has even detailed the hardships of her relationship through her music.
Most, if not all, of the tracks from her EP No Hard Feelings have been inspired by her rocky relationship with Andre.
During one spoken word interlude, as she got changed off stage, Leigh-Anne made no secret of the hurt he had caused her behind the scenes, as he watched on from the crowd at the show.
She said: “Exciting but dangerous. Six months of bliss and hell. A stolen kiss becoming pure as us together. But how do you say serves me right?
“The images, the thoughts. The phone that once connected us, now a constant reminder. What are you doing? What is going on? Why would you do this to us?”
A year prior, the star made a cryptic admission to Glamour Magazine confessing that Andre “still had a lot of growing up to do” in the beginning of their relationship.
“I think people often think that if something bad happens in a relationship, if you get cheated on or whatever, that it’s automatically done, it’s over, and that’s fair enough, but in my case, I chose to work at it, and I am so happy that I did,” she said.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock revealed that she only sees her husband around three days a monthCredit: Instagram
The striker plays for Turkish club Fatih Karagümrük and spends vast amounts of time away from the family’s UK base.
And back in October, Leigh-Anne told of how “hard” her family dynamic has become since Andre has been away.
On the Sh**ged, Married, Annoyed podcast with Chris and Rosie Ramsey the singer said: “Even now with my husband living abroad… we probably see each other, maybe if we are lucky, three days in a month.
“It’s so s**t.”
She then confirmed that he was living in Turkey and added: “We have been doing that for three years.
“They [the twins] have just turned four.”
Rosie then interjected: “That’s hard, that must be hard for him as well though?” to which Leigh-Anne admitted: “So hard.
“He’s struggling a little bit to be fair.”
On Paloma’s podcast she went on to say how her spouse even went to therapy to seek help.
On Paloma Faith’s podcast Leigh-Anne went on to say how her spouse even went to therapy to seek helpCredit: YouTube/Mad Sad Bad
The My Love songstress said: “He went to therapy and I think what really helped for us, he started playing abroad and he had more time to himself to kind of look and realise that everything that he was doing was not how you make a relationship work, it’s not. It’s selfish.”
Leigh-Anne told how she believes it is “OK to forgive” someone as part of a “healing” process – and that it should not be seen as a sign of weakness.
Leigh-Anne opened up about how she believes it is “OK to forgive” someone as part of a “healing” processCredit: Defined Magazine by Photographer Rachell SmithAndre plays for Turkish club Fatih Karagümrük and spends vast amounts of time away from the family’s UK baseCredit: leighannepinnock/InstagramRecently Leigh-Anne told of how “hard” her family dynamic has become since Andre has been awayCredit: Instagram
Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Chris Redd is ready to be more open and vulnerable in 2026. He committed to the resolution by publicizing revelations about his “pill issues” and his relationship with comedian Kenan Thompson’s ex-wife.
“I saw everything that everybody said. Every single thing everybody said, I saw it,” Redd said in an emotional Instagram video shared Tuesday.
The 40-year-old comedian, whose tenure on the NBC sketch series lasted from 2017 to 2022, spoke candidly about how his “pill problems” during his time on “SNL” led to his relationship with Thompson’s ex-wife, Christina Evangeline, whom he did not name in his video. Redd explained in his video that the personal woes prior to his exit in September 2022 were a “very unique, nuanced thing that happened.”
In addition to struggling with substance abuse, the “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” actor said in his video that he sold pills to fellow “SNL” cast members. He kept their identities concealed, assuring them he wouldn’t “snitch on y’all.”
Redd, who said he suffered panic attacks behind the scenes, claimed his cast mates would talk about him behind his back and showed no concern for his health. “It’s crazy that somebody would watch you destroy yourself,” he said.
Evangeline, Redd simply called her “this lady,” was the only person to encourage him to seek treatment and therapy, he said. Her support and their bonding led to them falling in love.
“I felt bad from the start,” Redd said, adding that the relationship was an “emotional double-edged sword” given his collaborations with Emmy-winning “SNL” fixture Thompson.
He added: “I hate doing something to somebody that I know would hurt them.”
Thompson filed to divorce Evangeline in 2022 after more than a decade of marriage. They share two young daughters. That same year, Redd left “SNL” and celebrity gossip account Deuxmoi posted a blind item speculating on the circumstances of his departure. TMZ also reported on Redd and Evangeline’s romance, noting “there was no overlap or cheating” when the pair got together.
Redd said in his video that he chose love, though it made him “look terrible to people that I love and a lot of my fans.” The comedian spoke about his therapy revelations (“I realized I’m more sad than angry”) and assured followers he doesn’t feel “cool” about dating Thompson’s ex-wife. Still, he said, Evangeline was someone who made him “feel like I didn’t know what love was and I just felt like I couldn’t miss out on it.”
Though Redd acknowledged there was probably another way to balance his friendship with Thompson and his relationship with Evangeline, he said, “I was in love and I was spiraling out.”
Redd was known on “SNL” for his impressions of prominent figures such as former New York City Mayor Eric Adams and rapper Kanye “Ye” West. In recent years, he turned his focus back to stand-up comedy and is promoting an upcoming project set for Jan. 28.
Zara McDermott has shared a rare loved-up snap with Louis Tomlinson after taking a huge step in their relationshipCredit: InstagramZara, 29, uploaded an Instagram grid post of her best bits of 2025Credit: InstagramThe Love Island alum looked glam as she posed in a white dressCredit: InstagramIt came after the pair took a huge step in their relationship and spent Christmas togetherCredit: instagram
The cheery image showed the duo in Costa Rica in what she described as “the most magical trip of my life”.
The lovebirds were seen all smiles as the posed for a selfie in the wing mirror of a safari van.
Zara, 29, could be seen wearing a tan Miu Miu baseball cap and gold earrings while Louis, who was behind the wheel, donned a white T-Shirt and sunglasses.
Following Zara’s recent upload Louis’ sister Lottie – who has previously broken her silence on the pair’s romance – was quick to reply to the upload with red love heart Emoji icons.
One fan then put of the pair: “He’s smiling u make him so happy Zara.’
A second posted: “Oh sob I love seeing him happy.”
A third put: “Louis finally is happy omg.”
Other images included Zara’s work achievements for her BBC Three documentaries and her fashion brand Rise, as well as her posing in stylish dresses and capturing her family travelling on a private jet for their 30th wedding anniversary.
NEXT STEPS
Last month, we told how the couple had progressed their relationship by spending the festive period together.
Zara joined the Night Changes hitmaker, his son Freddie, and his extended family including sister Lottie and twins Phoebe and Daisy, for the special time.
On their new podcast, Tea With The Twins, Phoebe and Daisy said: “This is a big Christmas this year — it might be our biggest Christmas. Everyone is coming.
“The new baby this year is Flossy [Lottie’s second child with fiancé Lewis Burton] as she was born in January, so we already have a new member.
“And we’ve got another new member as our brother’s got a new girlfriend so that will be nice. I think there will be 16 of us in total.”
“Their relationship is serious, it’s not a flash in the pan. It’s going the distance.
“Zara gets on so well with Louis’ family, especially his sisters, so he wanted her to be there with them, celebrating.
“They’ve both had work commitments recently so they’re looking forward to spending proper quality time together.”
Our mole added: “As it’s Louis’ birthday on Christmas Eve, the plan is for Zara to spend that with him and then Christmas Day with the Tomlinsons. After that they will go and see Zara’s family.
“They both love their families so much, it is something that attracted them to each other, so it will be a Christmas to remember.”
Zara said their holiday was ‘the most magical trip of my life’Credit: InstagramSe also shared images with Louis at GlastonburyCredit: Instagram/@louist91Zara split with Sam Thompson last year prior to dating LouisCredit: Getty
“The Princess Bride” star Cary Elwes says he will remain in mourning long after the shocking deaths of beloved friend Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, earlier this month.
“Because my heart still aches every time I think of you, I know the grief of losing you too soon will likely never go away,” Elwes wrote Tuesday in an Instagram tribute to his longtime friends.
Elwes published his heartfelt remembrance of the Reiners more than two weeks after they were found dead in their Brentwood home on Dec. 14. “Enough time has passed that I can finally put my grief into words,” Elwes began his post.
The actor, 63, looked back on his time working with Reiner on 1987’s “The Princess Bride” and their relationship over the years since then, sharing behind-the-scenes footage from filming and a charming snippet from a reunion celebrating the 25th anniversary. He recalled meeting Reiner nearly 40 years ago when he was cast as Westley, the farmboy-turned-hero of the beloved fantasy film.
Elwes, who had been a Reiner fan before working with the filmmaker, wrote that “from that very first meeting I fell in love with him.”
The “When Harry Met Sally…” and “Stand By Me” director was “someone I wanted in my life,” Elwes continued, recalling the filmmaker’s authenticity and efforts to find the best in people. Looking back on his time with Reiner on “The Princess Bride,” Elwes wrote, “I can’t remember a single day without laughter.”
The actor’s social media post also paid tribute to the Reiners’ relationship and their longtime devotion to progressive political causes. “In a town where many talk the talk, they truly walked it,” Elwes wrote.
Elwes celebrated Reiner’s effortless comedy and dedication to “finding the joy.” He also compared making Reiner laugh to winning the lottery.
“His laugh was one of the greatest sounds I’ve ever known,” Elwes wrote, “so heartfelt it still rings in my ears.”
Elwes and Reiner maintained a bond long after “The Princess Bride” and collaborated again in 2015 on “Being Charlie.” Nick Reiner, the filmmaker’s second son, co-wrote the movie about a successful actor with political ambitions and a son addicted to drugs. The younger Reiner, 32, has been charged with murdering his parents after years of struggling with addiction and other issues.
Elwes, the latest Hollywood figure to salute the Reiners, concluded his post channeling a memorable line from his “Princess Bride” character.
“Sure, death cannot stop true love,” he wrote, “but life is pain without you.”
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who is mindlessly scrolling on their phones before the futile New Year’s resolution to curb the habit begins.
In our annual year-end edition, we expand our usual “ICYMI” feature, highlighting 2025’s most-read stories about film and television. It’s a hearty mix of celebrity profiles, insightful criticism and deep dives into the most talked-about pop culture that defined the year.
And we couldn’t do it without the support of our subscribers. We know there’s an endless stream of TikToks, Reels, articles and, ahem, other newsletters competing for your attention in any given minute — not to mention, TV and movies! — so we’re incredibly thankful for the time you choose to give this newsletter each week. We hope to continue guiding you through all the exciting film and television that greets us in 2026.
Until then, happy reading and happy watching! See you in the new year!
Take care,
Yvonne Villarreal
(The writer who tries to pull this whole thing together each week, with the help of my tag-team partner Maira Garcia.)
P.S.: Shout out to my amazing colleagues who never make me grovel for contributions, even with their demanding work loads. And to the copy editors who remain the true heroes of this place.
A look at the scene outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre, where the late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is staged, in the wake of the show getting pulled from ABC.
If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.
Books can be a refuge from (waves arms) all this, even when they take you deeper into the darkness of 2025. There is a grace in the relationship between book and reader, with nothing but your eyes and brain and the words on the page. Thank goodness for the hearts and minds of the authors who imagine and construct these worlds, who ask these rigorous questions, who spend their lives with words. It’s a pleasure to join with a couple of my fellow book critics in selecting some of our favorite books of the year. — Carolyn Kellogg
Our picks for this year’s best in arts and entertainment.
“Audition: A Novel” by Katie Kitamura
(Riverhead)
“Audition” By Katie Kitamura Riverhead: 208 pages, $28
This is one of those books the less explained the better. Kitamura is one of our most exacting novelists, with never a careless word. On its surface, “Audition” is about an actress, her husband and a young man in New York City. As you’d expect with this setup, the ideas of self, performance and identity are in the mix. Every observation, theater visit and glimpse into their apartment becomes quietly important. The marriage’s past spools out with such clarity that what they have for breakfast becomes ominous. Every relationship has secrets, but this one’s are transformative. Elements of this book that cannot be prized apart also cannot cohere. It’s an astonishing accomplishment of form and narrative. It’s a rare book that can surprise like this one does. And it’s a delight to read. — C.K.
“Flesh: A Novel” by David Szalay
(Scribner)
“Flesh” By David Szalay Scribner: 368 pages, $28.99
Emotionally stunted men aren’t particularly hard to find in fiction. But Istvan, the antihero of Szalay’s fifth novel, is an extreme and engrossing case. Born in poverty and surviving an adolescence of sexual violation, wartime PTSD and drug abuse, he enters early adulthood destined to be a casualty if not a menace. But a lucky chance gives him money and a relationship, until his failure to deal with past traumas catches up with him. This novel, winner of the Booker Prize, uses a blunt, clipped style to advantage, exposing Istvan as an exemplar of both toxic masculinity and hinting at what’s required to escape it. — Mark Athitakis
“Flashlight” by Susan Choi
(Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
“Flashlight” By Susan Choi Farrar, Straus & Giroux: 464 pages, $30 Should anyone think controlling metaphors are so 20th century, please pick up Choi’s new novel about family, exile and the different ways the titular humble tool works on literal, figurative, allegorical and visceral levels. When Louisa is 10, she and her Korean-born father go for a walk by the ocean; he’s carrying a flashlight to guide their footsteps. That night he disappears and Louisa is found half-dead in the surf; she has to shine a light onto her past in an effort to heal this loss. However, it’s her father’s past that signals this expansive book’s great theme of loneliness, even in the midst of other human beings. — Bethanne Patrick
“Shadow Ticket” by Thomas Pynchon
(Penguin Press)
“Shadow Ticket” By Thomas Pynchon Penguin Press: 304 pages, $30
That in this his 88th year Thomas Pynchon has published another novel, beginning in 1930s Milwaukee, of all places, packed full of punny names per usual, featuring a lug of a detective, successful with women who flirt as exquisitely as they dance or sing or grift, then shifting to Europe where it can be hard to sort out, from moment to moment, who’s in power, is more than anyone could have hoped for. “Shadow Ticket” is a detective novel that is also an anti-Nazi romp, with improbable motorcycles and flying machines. In The Times, critic David Kipen hailed Pynchon’s classic style as “Olympian, polymathic, erudite, antically funny, often beautiful, at times gross, at others incredibly romantic, never afraid to challenge or even confound.” This book is more accessible than “Gravity’s Rainbow,” more cheerful than “The Crying of Lot 49” and more political than “Inherent Vice.” It’s also still Pynchon, in all his goofy paranoiac glory. Rejoice. — C.K.
“The Director: A Novel” by Daniel Kehlmann
(S&S/Summit Books)
“The Director” By Daniel Kehlmann S&S/Summit Books: 352 pages, $28.99
Kehlmann’s stunning novel about Austrian filmmaker G.W. Pabst makes every reader a collaborator, at least about their level of comfort with fascism. The real-life Pabst, who returned to Europe after a disappointing sojourn in Hollywood, fell in readily with Hitler’s propaganda machine, to include directing “The White Hell of Pitz Palu” starring none other than future Third Reich filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl. History may never know precisely why Pabst played along, and Kehlmann uses this uncertainty to great effect, inventing scenes juxtaposing art versus propaganda, sleekly privileged Nazis against frail prisoners, and historical truth with the chaos of dementia. — B.P.
“The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s” by Paul Elie
Today’s culture wars didn’t start in the ‘80s, but Elie’s rich cultural history shows how the decade ushered them into the mainstream. Sinead O’Connor tore up a photo of the pope on live network TV, Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ” sparked protests, Salman Rushdie’s novel “The Satanic Verses” made him a literal target, and legislators fumed about public art. Religion sat at the center of all of these donnybrooks, and questions of culture and faith had real-world consequences: AIDS victims, especially in the demonized LGBTQ community, took their pleas to religious leaders on the streets and in the pews. It was a vibrant and dispiriting time, and Elie’s history is a sharp cross-cultural study that speaks to the present as well. — M.A.
“One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” by Omar El Akkad
Novelist Omar El Akkad’s despair at the unfolding genocide in Palestine drove him to write this, his first nonfiction book. It’s part cry of anguish, part memoir that examines how the systems we enjoy in the western world are allowing Israel to perpetrate violence in Gaza in real time. The book poured out of El Akkad, though normally a slow writer: “I was writing quite furiously for months on end,” he told Dan Sheehan of Lithub. On Nov. 19, that furious outpouring won the National Book award in nonfiction. “It’s very difficult to think in celebratory terms about a book that was written in response to a genocide,” El Akkad said in his acceptance speech, refusing to let the reason for his book go unspoken. “It’s difficult to think in celebratory terms when I have spent two years seeing what shrapnel does to a child’s body. It is difficult to think in celebratory terms when I know that my tax money is doing this and that many of my elected representatives happily support it.” The book provides a vital moral questioning and point of connection. — C.K.
Perhaps this novel is really a thinly disguised memoir about the author’s mother — but what a brilliant disguise Gish Jen has concocted to give her Chinese-born mother, posthumously, a full voice that speaks to the pain of intergenerational misogyny and abuse. After the mother’s, Loo Shu-hsin’s, childhood story is told, her statements (in the U.S. she was known as Agnes) appear in boldface as stark counterpoint to her daughter’s searching questions. “Bad bad girl! Who says you can write a book like that? I laugh. That’s more like it.” Ultimately this novel-plus-memoir morphs into an artist’s origin story, one in which the artist understands that there is no creative work without origins, no matter how twisted their roots. — B.P.
Taylor is one of the most emotionally perceptive fiction writers working today, and his third novel, set in the New York art world, is his best. Its hero, Wyeth, is a Black painter anxious about being pegged as simply a Black painter; he’s exhausted with what he considers the easy pandering (and bad art) surrounding identity politics. But a budding romance and unusual restoration project prompts him to question his certainties. Covering high and low, the sexual and the intellectual, Taylor’s book is a New York social novel distinct from the swagger of “The Bonfire of the Vanities” or the fevered melodramas of “A Little Life.” — M.A.
“Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson” by Claire Hoffman
This marvelous biography of Aimee Semple McPherson reasserts her vital place in Los Angeles’ history. She was a celebrity, a brilliant performer, an inspiring preacher with a nationwide flock devoted to her writings and radio programs. She was, too, genuinely called to her Pentecostal Christianity, at least at first, which author Claire Hoffman writes about with great sensitivity. Her climb was slow and earned; she spent many years on the road, pitching tents and preaching to diverse audiences. Then to Los Angeles, where her grand church, the Angelus Temple, was built in Echo Park. In 1926, she vanished at Venice Beach and was thought to have drowned. She reappeared — after a memorial service attended by thousands — with stories of a dramatic kidnapping. It was a sensation. Reporters raced to find the kidnappers and, instead, turned up evidence of a tryst. Hoffman unspools the scandal, which included headline-grabbing trials, in page-turning detail. What she shows us is a woman whose spiritualism, stage presence and charisma propelled her into a place of celebrity and fame that became a trap. — C.K.
It’s 2119 when scholar Thomas Metcalfe sets out to find the sole copy of a poem, “A Corona for Vivien,” written by one Francis Blundy in 2014. Much of the speculation about the poem’s whereabouts centers on a dinner party that allows McEwan to flash his tail feathers in describing a late-capitalist tableau of quail and ceps, anchovies and red wine, high-minded conversation and low lamplight. Is it a spoiler to share that a tsunami has wiped out most of Europe, leaving scattered archipelagos as repositories of things once known? Definitely not, in light of who narrates the book’s second half. Don’t miss this, among the author’s best. — B.P.
“Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers” by Caroline Fraser
In the ‘70s and ‘80s, America was overpopulated with notorious serial killers like John Wayne Gacy, BTK and Ted Bundy. By the ‘90s, though, evidence of that brand of savagery declined. What happened? In “Murderland,” Pulitzer winner Caroline Fraser considers the theory that the derangement was tied to smelters that released mind-warping levels of arsenic and lead into the atmosphere until regulations kicked in. Braiding memoir, pop science and true crime, Fraser delivers a remarkable, persuasive narrative about how good-old-fashioned American values — manufacturing might, westward expansion, cheap leaded gas — turned into a literally toxic combination. — M.A.
“Stone Yard Devotional: A Novel” by Charlotte Wood
An atheist walks into a convent. … That’s not the start to a joke but the premise of this 2024 Booker Prize-shortlisted novel. The unnamed narrator leaves Sydney (husband, house, grievances) to live with a rural religious order. Even as she works alongside the nuns, worldly troubles rush in: The bones of a murdered nun are accompanied by famed climate activist Sister Helen Parry, disrupting the quiet. The narrator knows Sister Helen from schooldays and wonders whether our past actions affect our present circumstances, all while the women battle a rodent infestation that might not be out of place in a horror story. In other words, it’s riveting prose about how humans beat back despair. —B.P.
Prophète’s blunt, bracing novel concerns Cécé, a young Haitian woman whose world has fallen out from under her — she’s endured an absent, drug-addicted mother, a recently dead grandmother, and a slum life that leaves her with few options beyond prostitution. An unlikely escape hatch arrives in the form of Instagram, and as her posts about her Haitian life gain traction, she becomes a prize — and a target — for rival gangs. Cécé can be read as a portrait of contemporary Haiti, a parable about influencer culture or a distressing study of exploitation. However it’s read, Prophète’s vision is piercing and memorable. — M.A.
Take your AI-hallucinated definitions and send them in a rocket ship to Mars, baby! The Merriam-Webster dictionary is back in print in a new edition. In its first update since 2003, it’s added 5,000 new words, 20,000 new usage examples, and 1,000 new idioms and phrases (hello, “dad bod”). But that’s not the most important part, which is that this is a beautiful, solid, immutable printed book. It will never randomly serve up some flaky incorrect definition or reference. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary captures language in a moment, with the full history and understanding of the way it evolves. It was crafted by researchers and etymologists who love words (“comes from the Greek word etymon, meaning ‘literal meaning of a word according to its origin’ ”). The Merriam-Webster website is hugely popular — keep using it! — but an actual printed dictionary will never let you down, and be good for another 20 years. — C.K.
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who would rather reflect on the year in pop culture than look at their current bank statement.
Santa wasn’t the only one making lists this year. As the final days of the year come to a close, we’ve gathered several of our key year-end TV and film lists for 2025 in one handy place for easy browsing while you wait in return lines, prepare to board flights or zone out on the couch.
We also threw in some other recent lists, unbound to 2025 but still useful this time of year when our brains need all the help they can get to winnow down viewing choices.
Enjoy!
From left, Tessa Thompson in “Hedda”; Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman in “The Roses”; Michael B. Jordan and Miles Caton in “Sinners.”
(Photo illustration by Josep Prat Sorolla / For The Times; photos from Amazon Prime, Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures )
The 10 best movies of 2025 — and where to find them: The best movies of 2025 include “Sinners,” “Hedda,” “One Battle After Another,” “Eddington” and “The Naked Gun,” according to our critic Amy Nicholson.
The 12 best needle drops of 2025: These songs made their scenes indelible, from classic rock and dance pop to old-timey blues and thrash. There’s even a former Beatle on here.
Best of 2025: Television — from left, Anna Lambe in “North of North,” Ethan Hawke and Michael Hitchcock in “The Lowdown,” “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads.”
(Photo illustration by Josep Prat Sorolla / For The Times; photos by Netflix, FX and Warner Bros.)
The best TV shows of 2025: The TV series on this list delivered real surprises with new directions and original formats, while others just had good old-fashioned storytelling, according to our critic Robert Lloyd.
The 16 best documentaries of 2025: The documentary films and series that captured our attention this year feature famous people and ordinary people, as well as new ideas and perspectives.
The best reality TV of 2025: Scandals, competitions and breakups are par for the course on reality shows, but this year also brought some tender moments that made for must-see TV.
The 33 best comedy specials of 2025: Specials by Frankie Quiñones, Andrew Schulz, Jordan Jensen, Sebastian Maniscalco, Bill Burr, Atsuko Okatsuka and Gabriel Iglesias make our list.
15 must-watch British crime drama series: Whether with an old-fashioned one-case-per-episode or a more sprawling multistrand story, quaint or violent, historic or modern, the birthplace of Agatha Christie understands that we all need stories that make sense of seemingly senseless acts.
Nobody does a jaw-drop reaction like Bobby Berk. It’s only surprising when you assume he’s probably seen it all after eight seasons traveling the world as the interior design expert on Netflix’s reboot of “Queer Eye”; writing his 2023 book, “Right at Home: How Good Design is Good for the Mind”; making many TV appearances (including a Taylor Swift video) and selling pretty much anything to make your home shine on BobbyBerk.com.
But in his new HGTV series “Junk or Jackpot?”, premiering Friday at 9:30 p.m. Pacific, genuine reactions come often from Burke as he enters the homes of Los Angeles collectors and sees not only rooms jam-packed with action figures, pinball machines, puppets, marionettes and more, but also some jackpot items just sitting on a bookshelf. In one episode, for example, a collector shows Berk a trading card he has that is appraised in the $100,000 range. “I’m pretty sure I said, ‘What the f—?’ though I assume it was bleeped because it’s HGTV,” says Berk from his Los Angeles home. “I’m used to Netflix, where I could say whatever I wanted. But, yeah, that was just crazy to me.”
Reactions aside, the real marvel on “Junk or Jackpot?” is watching an enthusiastic Berk swoop into people’s homes to help them learn how to come to terms with a collecting hobby that has grown into something that’s stifling homes and putting a damaging strain on relationships. “Obviously, I’m not a therapist. I’m a designer, even though in our field, we often make the joke that we’re not just designers, we’re marriage counselors,” he says.
But Berk, born in Houston and raised in conservative Mount Vernon, Mo., is a self-taught pro at identifying what isn’t working and doing everything possible to fix it, including in his own life. Case in point: Berk, not feeling safe coming out in Mount Vernon, left home at 15 and bounced around for several years in various cities, never finishing high school. “From 15 to 22, I moved around and can’t even count the amount of places I had to move around to just due to finances and situations going on in life,” he recalls.
Eventually, he landed in New York City and worked for stores like Restoration Hardware, Bed Bath & Beyond and Portico before he opened his first online store in 2006 and first physical store in Soho in 2007. Soon thereafter, Berk was racking up appearances on networks like HGTV and Bravo before “Queer Eye” came calling in 2018 and took him to new heights, including his 2023 Emmy win for structured reality program. He also received an honorary degree from Otis College of Art and Design in 2022.
Now, with “Junk or Jackpot?” about to launch, the 44-year-old Berk spoke about how he was handpicked by pro wrestler and movie star John Cena for the show, the key to helping collectors let go of things that are weighing down their lives, and, after living many places and traveling the globe, where he considers home with husband Dewey Do and their mini Labradoodle, Bimini.
“I’m not a therapist. I’m a designer, even though in our field, we often make the joke that we’re not just designers, we’re marriage counselors,” Berk says.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
What are the origins of “Junk or Jackpot?” and what does John Cena have to do with it all?
I’ve been toying back and forth with HGTV for years, even when I was still on “Queer Eye,” but with my exclusivity with Netflix, I couldn’t do design shows with anybody else. We always just kept that line of communication open, so then when this specific opportunity came about, Loren Ruch, the head of HGTV, who’s unfortunately since passed, reached out. He said, “Hey, John Cena’s created the show for us and you’re the top of his list of who he wants it to host it.” John was a big “Queer Eye” fan, so I said yes. It shot here in L.A., which was really important to me. We were really lacking for entertainment jobs here in the city so that was a big plus for me to be able to bring jobs here to L.A. to all of our amazing crews.
And it’s not your typical design show. Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with a typical design show and they do help people. But coming from “Queer Eye” where everyone we helped was because it was somebody deserving, somebody that was going through something and needed that extra boost in their life. That’s what this was with “Junk or Jackpot?”
Every single collector, as we’re calling them, had a story going on. With Patrick and Roger [in the premiere episode], Roger had moved out and their relationship was on the rocks because there was literally no space for Roger. With Carly and Johnny in another episode, they had a kid that they weren’t expecting to have in their early 40s, so it was a life-changing moment for them. Their priority needed to be their son, J.D.
I love the show because it was helping people at these moments in their life where they’re like, “We have this thing that we love and has brought us joy, but now this thing is actually starting to have negative things happening in our life.” I wanted to come in and really bring back the joyous part of their collection.
HGTV hasn’t given you a huge budget to revamp the homes and the collectors have to work themselves to sell off their collectibles to pay for the renovation. How did that angle come about?
It was a bit of therapy and I wanted the collectors to really realize that, yes, the collection that they have has value but this other thing that is happening in their life because of this collection has value, too. I wanted them to either be able to prove to themselves that what they were wanting to change in their life had more value than those things. Like with Patrick, Roger had a value.
I wanted them to go through the exercise of “You need to start parting with things.” And if you notice, I never pushed them to get rid of the most precious pieces of their collection. I pushed them to get rid of the things that often they had duplicates of but weren’t necessarily something like, “Oh, I got this as a child” or “somebody got this for me.” I wanted them to emotionally disconnect with those things so they could prioritize things better in life and in the future, they would have a lot easier time letting go even if I wasn’t there to push them.
Swatches and mood boards in Berk’s office. The host of “Junk or Jackpot?” says it is not your typical design show.(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
How do you consider budget with the collectors? In one episode, you choose to cover a brick wall instead of tearing it down and building a new one.
The homeowners are the ones footing the bill for this, because again, a portion of this is the exercise of letting go. To your point, if we had just come in at HGTV and said, “Here’s all the money!” They’re like, “All right, I have no motivation to get rid of anything.” I wanted to make sure we made budget-conscious decisions and I think that’s also a really important thing to share with people at home that you don’t always have to go out and knock out a fireplace if you hate the material. You can do a thing like micro cement and you can completely change it for a minimal cost.
What would you say you learned from shooting the first season of “Junk or Jackpot?”
I wouldn’t say I learned anything necessarily new, but it was reaffirmed to me the emotional attachment and mental health aspect that your space and design can have on you, either in a good way or a bad way.
In the bad way, your house becomes so cluttered and overwhelmed with something that used to spark joy for you, but it’s now having an effect on not only your mental health, but your relationships with other people. On the other hand, the difference in your mental health just redoing that space, reorganizing that space, reclaiming that space can have on your mental health and your relationships not only with yourself, but with your family and your friends.
Vivian, who collects Wonder Woman memorabilia, her friends stopped coming over because there was just nowhere to sit. Her best girlfriend used to come in from Vegas all the time, where she lives, and she would spend the night and now she’s like, “I just can’t anymore because I’m surrounded literally. It’s too much and I just can’t do it anymore.” You see how just changing your space really can change your life.
“I wanted to make sure we made budget-conscious decisions and I think that’s also a really important thing to share with people at home, that you don’t always have to go out and knock out a fireplace if you hate the material,” Berk says.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Season 1 is set in Los Angeles but assuming you get more seasons, would you want to do other cities or countries?
I personally would always love just to keep doing L.A. I live there and with “Queer Eye” for eight years, we traveled all over America. That being said, this is a very niche show, so it might be hard to continue doing it in the same city season after season, so we probably will have to go to other cities, and I’d be fine with that. But I would at least like another season or two in L.A. After spending the last eight years filming “Queer Eye,” I like being home.
That said, you have lived in New York, you’re in L.A. now and you also have a place in Portugal. Where do you call home?
L.A. is definitely home for me. Portugal’s great, but L.A. is definitely home. Although the more time we spend in Southeast Asia, specifically Vietnam, since my husband’s originally from there, that also feels like home. I believe in reincarnation, and I was definitely from over there in my last life. Like when I landed in Vietnam, in China, anywhere in Southeast Asia — I just feel very at home.
“Queer Eye” was such a roller coaster for all you guys but what are your reflections now that it is behind you? Were you able to enjoy it at the time?
Yes and no. It was an amazing roller coaster. I enjoyed most of it, but there were times where we were just exhausted. I don’t know if you know the flight app “Flighty,” but it tracks your flights and tells you how many hours you’ve been in planes every year and how many times you’ve been on the exact same plane. I was looking the other day at how much I flew in 2019. Keep in mind in 2019, five months of the year I was filming, so I wasn’t flying anywhere. So this was just seven months, and I flew 200 flights. I flew over 500,000 miles. I don’t miss that. That was a lot. But as much as I can remember of it, I look back with fondness.
WASHINGTON — Tips provided to federal investigators about Donald Trump’s alleged involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s schemes with young women and girls are “sensationalist” and “untrue,” the Justice Department said on Tuesday, after a new tranche of files released from the probe featured multiple references to the president.
The documents include a limousine driver reportedly overhearing Trump discussing a man named Jeffrey “abusing” a girl, and an alleged victim accusing Trump and Epstein of rape. It is unclear whether the FBI followed up on the tips. The alleged rape victim died from a gunshot wound to the head after reporting the incident.
Nowhere in the newly released files do federal law enforcement agents or prosecutors indicate that Trump was suspected of wrongdoing, or that Trump — whose friendship with Epstein lasted through the mid-2000s — was investigated himself.
But one unidentified federal prosecutor noted in a 2020 email that Trump had flown on Epstein’s private jet “many more times than previously has been reported,” including over a time period when Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s top confidante who would ultimately be convicted on five federal counts of sex trafficking and abuse, was being investigated for criminal activity.
The Justice Department released an unusual statement unequivocally defending the president.
“Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,” the Justice Department statement read. “To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.”
“Nevertheless, out of our commitment to the law and transparency, the DOJ is releasing these documents with the legally required protections for Epstein’s victims,” the department added.
The Justice Department files were released with heavy redactions after bipartisan lawmakers in Congress passed a new law compelling it to do so, despite Trump lobbying Republicans aggressively over the summer and fall to oppose the bill. The president ultimately signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law after the legislation passed with veto-proof majorities in both chambers.
One newly released file containing a letter purportedly from Epstein — a notorious child sex offender who died in jail while awaiting federal trial on sex-trafficking charges — drew widespread attention online, but was held up by the Justice Department as an example of faulty or misleading information contained in the files.
The letter appeared to be sent by Epstein to Larry Nassar, another convicted sex offender, shortly before Epstein’s death. The letter’s author suggested that Nassar would learn after receiving the note that Epstein had “taken the ‘short route’ home,” possibly referring to his suicide. It was postmarked from Virginia on Aug. 13, 2019, despite Epstein’s death in a Manhattan jail three days prior.
“Our president shares our love of young, nubile girls,” the letter reads. “When a young beauty walked by he loved to ‘grab snatch,’ whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system. Life is unfair.”
The Justice Department said that the FBI had confirmed that the letter is “FAKE” after it made the rounds on Tuesday.
“This fake letter serves as a reminder that just because a document is released by the Department of Justice does not make the allegations or claims within the document factual,” the department posted on social media. “Nevertheless, the DOJ will continue to release all material required by law.”
The department has faced bipartisan scrutiny since failing to release all of the Epstein files in its possession by Dec. 19, the legal deadline for it to do so, and for redacting material on the vast majority of the documents.
Justice Department officials said they were following the law by protecting victims with the redactions. The Epstein Files Transparency Act also directs the department not to redact images or references to prominent or political figures, and to provide an explanation for each and every redaction in writing.
The latest release, just days before the Christmas holiday, includes roughly 30,000 documents, the department said. Hundreds of thousands more are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a statement in response to the Tuesday release accusing the Justice Department of a “cover-up,” writing on social media, “the new DOJ documents raise serious questions about the relationship between Epstein and Donald Trump.”
Documents from Epstein’s private estate released by the oversight committee earlier this fall had already cast a spotlight on that relationship, revealing Epstein had written in emails to associates that Trump “knew about the girls.”
The latest documents release also includes an email from an individual identified as “A,” claiming to stay at Balmoral Castle, a royal residence in Scotland, asking Maxwell if she had found him “some new inappropriate friends.” Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, has come under intense scrutiny over his ties to Epstein in recent years.
Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday, Trump said the continuing Epstein scandal amounts to a “distraction” from Republican successes, and expressed disapproval over the release of images in the files that reveal associates of Epstein.
“I believe they gave over 100,000 pages of documents, and there’s tremendous backlash,” Trump told reporters. “It’s an interesting question, because a lot of people are very angry that pictures are being released of other people that really had nothing to do with Epstein. But they’re in a picture with him because he was at a party, and you ruin a reputation of somebody. So a lot of people are very angry that this continues.”
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who wants to spend some time revisiting Rob Reiner’s indelible mark on pop culture.
For many of us, it was already that time of year when we pop in our DVD of “When Harry Met Sally…” or figure out which streaming service has it in its library (or digitally rent it, if none do), and passively recite every quotable moment until Harry’s breathless declaration of love on New Year’s Eve necessitated our full performance. It was a comfort watch in the best sense because of how joyous and hopeful it left so many of us, even cynics, feeling. This year, as the tradition now becomes layered with sadness following the tragic deaths of Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, there’s at least comfort in knowing all the Hollywood magic he brought to life (whether he was directing, or starring in a production) that was full of humanity, humor and heart, and accompanied us at different stages of our lives, can continue to do so. Members of our film team took a look at some of Reiner’s best films, many of which can be streamed. And TV critic Robert Lloyd reminded us of Reiner’s contributions to television, particularly through shows like “All in the Family” and “New Girl” (“Lettuce, tomato, lettuce, meat, meat, meat, cheese, lettuce” — iykyk).
But if it’s all too soon, we get it. Maybe our other streaming recommendations can provide an escape — one is a TV drama about a disillusioned Broadway director returning home to his amateur community theater, and the other is a mystery thriller with an unlikely duo teaming up to investigate the case of a missing girl.
Also in this week’s Screen Gab, “Emily in Paris” actor Samuel Arnold stops by Guest Spot to tell us about the behind-the-scenes adventures of the show’s Italian-set fifth season.
ICYMI
Must-read stories you might have missed
Julianne Hough near the Dolby Theatre at the 97th Academy Awards earlier this year. The Oscars are moving to YouTube, sending shock waves through Hollywood.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
What the Oscars moving to YouTube means for broadcast TV: The Academy Awards will stream on YouTube beginning in 2029, ending a more than five-decade run on broadcast television and marking the show’s biggest distribution shift in its history.
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
Harry McNaughton as Charlie Summers, a disillusioned Broadway director returning home to his amateur community theatre in “Happiness.”
(Andi Crown Photography / PBS)
“Happiness” (PBS app, pbs.org)
What could be better, at this festive time of year, or any other time, than a backstage musical comedy set in an amateur theatrical company in New Zealand’s fifth-largest city? Harry McNaughton plays Charlie Summers, whose Broadway dream dies when he’s fired as the director of a “Cats” revival and, losing his work visa, returns home to New Zealand for what he hopes will be only a couple of days. Naturally, it turns out otherwise, with Charlie drawn reluctantly into the production of a new musical, “The Trojan Horse,” at the Pizazz theater, run by his mother (Rebecca Gibney) and stocked with a original twists on classic characters: a dictatorial director, the always-cast leading lady, a talented ingénue, a buff electrician with a great voice and the shy high school music teacher who wrote it, making themselves and their desires quickly felt. (There’s a feminist thrust to the plot.) The songs are tuneful and witty, the performances fun, the atmosphere charged but charming. Presented in six 20-minute episodes as part of “Masterpiece Theater.” — Robert Lloyd
Emma Thompson as private investigator Zoë Boehm and Ruth Wilson as art conservationist Sarah Trafford in “Down Cemetery Road.”
(Matt Towers / Apple TV)
“Down Cemetery Road” (Apple TV)
Nothing says the holidays like a gripping crime drama where everyone’s a suspect! Apple TV’s smart and unvarnished British series follows Zoë Boehm (Emma Thompson), a private investigator who hasn’t the time or bandwidth for social niceties, shows of emotion or combing her hair. She’s thrown together with homemaker and art restorer Sarah Tucker (Ruth Wilson), a passive suburbanite who likes 4 Non Blondes.
Their sparring personalities create the undeniable chemistry that’s at the heart of this eight-part series, while the drama’s unexpected turn of events and fast pacing make it hard to hit pause. The two women are connected when a deadly residential explosion rocks Sarah’s neighborhood. A woman was killed, but her young daughter, who made it out alive, has mysteriously disappeared. The quest to find the girl pulls the odd-couple investigators into a complex and dangerous cover up by the Ministry of Defense, and they discover the explosion was in fact an orchestrated assassination.
Morwenna Banks’ adaptation of Mick Herron’s debut novel of the same name, “Down Cemetery Road” also features the PTSD-plagued Downey (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), the villainous Amos (Fehinti Balogun), bumbling agent Hamza Malik (Adeel Akhtar) and his sociopathic boss, C (Darren Boyd). But it’s Thompson’s gruff character who gets the best lines, such as the one she says to a potential client: “I don’t drink Prosecco and I don’t bond emotionally.” The show has already been renewed for a second season. — Lorraine Ali
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Samuel Arnold as Julien in Season 5 of “Emily in Paris.”
(Netflix)
Every office needs a deliciously snarky employee who is too fabulous to work, but still manages to grace the room with their presence to boost the vibe. In “Emily in Paris,” that person is Julien. The quippy, sharply dressed and gossip-loving character, played by Samuel Arnold, has been a bright spot in the series over its run. Initially the guy who liked to remind Emily she was une ringarde American, he’s softened his stance on his fish-out-of-water colleague. But as the Agence Grateau luxury marketing team ventures to Italy this season, which is now streaming, his side eye shifts focus to a new co-worker. Over email, Arnold shared what it was like shooting outside their usual setting and the animated series he returns to over and over. — Yvonne Villarreal
The Grateau team spent time in Italy this season. Some filming took place in Rome and Venice. What’s a memory or experience that stands out from filming there? Did any place there become a go-to spot for you when you weren’t shooting?
Rome was incredible, both on and off screen. One moment that really stands out is when Ashley Park and her choreographer, Carlye Tamaren, taught us one of Ashley’s dance routines. Everyone did so well — and Bruno Gouery was absolutely hilarious. When we weren’t filming, one of our favorite meeting spots was the rooftop at the Minerva Hotel. It’s stunning. In Venice, we would all gather in Bruno Gouery’s room and play a pirate dice game that Lucien Laviscount introduced us to. The city itself felt like a dream.
The series revolves around Emily and her fish-out-of-water experience of building a new life in Paris. How would this series look if it were titled “Julien in Paris”? Five seasons in, what would a slice of his life look like if you could pitch it to Darren Star?
If the show were called “Julien in Paris,” it probably wouldn’t be very exciting — Julien is a Parisian. He has Paris on lock. I like to think he sees himself as the prince of the city. Now, Julien in New York City — opening his own marketing firm there — that’s a different story. I can already feel the drama.
Julien is very discerning and could spot the games Genevieve was playing. How do you think he handled her, and the position he was in, knowing this secret could damage Emily and Mindy’s friendship?
I think Julien handled it pretty well. It’s not a great position to be in. When one friend hurts another, the right thing to do is to encourage the person at fault to do the right thing. And when someone like Genevieve — played by the absolutely lovely Thalia Besson — tries to stir up trouble, Julien definitely knows how to deal with that in the best possible way.
With all the love triangles (and squares), who would you, Samuel, pick for Emily — Gabriel or Marcello? And for Mindy — Nicolas or Alfie?
I don’t think I should be picking men for those women. What I can say is that they should follow their hearts and embrace whatever comes with that. Honestly, we should all try to do the same.
What have you watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone you know?
I recently watched “Safe House” [Netflix], with Lucien Laviscount as a badass action hero. The casting is great, the ending really catches you off guard, and Lucien does his own stunts — which makes it even more impressive.
What’s your go-to comfort watch — the movie or TV show you always come back to?
“Rick and Morty” [Hulu]. It never gets old. It’s funny, packed with pop-culture references — which I love — and the voice acting is just incredible.
WHEN boxer Jake Paul decided to propose to speed skater Jutta Leerdam on a tropical beach in St Lucia, he secretly flew her parents in as an extra, loving surprise.
In a touching social media video watched by millions of fans, the US influencer can be seen embracing his future in-laws, with his new fiancée jumping for joy in the stunning Caribbean background. But as the couple excitedly plan their wedding, we can reveal the ice queen’s parents Monique and Ruud Leerdam have deep concerns about their future son-in-law’s controversial past – and why their fears could leave the romance in tatters.
Jake Paul decided to propose to speed skater Jutta Leerdam on a tropical beach in St LuciaCredit: InstagramJutta Leerdam is a sporting superstar and began speed skating at the age of 11Credit: GettyJake is said to be close to Jutta’s parents with her dad Ruud Leerdam calling him ‘my son’Credit: Getty
Our insider admits Monique and Ruud have had to adjust to their daughter’s newfound fame, which went stratospheric after she began dating her celebrity fiancé, one of the most recognisable social media personalities in the world.
And it’s the ‘celebrity circus’ surrounding the couple that they fear could distract their daughter from remaining at the very top of her sport.
The insider explained: “They were really surprised when she started dating Jake – she went from being well-known to a huge star overnight.
“Things really changed, she became a celebrity as well as an athlete, which is something they are not used to.
It’s been a bit of an adjustment for them getting used to it all.
An Insider
“The last thing they want is for her to be distracted by him and for it to affect her career.”
“Jutta is incredibly close to her parents,” added the insider of the close-knit relations.
“They are both sport stars as well and are a very ambitious, clean-cut family.”
UNLIKELY MATCH
At first glance Jake, 28, and Jutta, 26, are from completely different worlds.
Born in Ohio, Jake is one of the most infamous YouTubers of his generation, the notorious prankster who became a Disney child star after he gained millions of followers on the now defunct Vine app, thanks to his pranks and sketches with his equally famous big brother Logan Paul.
Today, the multi-millionaire is focused on his boxing career, achieving notable wins against legend Mike Tyson and former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr.
British two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is lined up as Jake’s next opponent, in a lucrative bout which will take place in Miami tonight.
Born in the seaside city of ‘s-Gravenzande which sits in the south of The Netherlands, Jutta’s passion for sport became evident at a much younger age than her fiancé.
The sporting superstar began speed skating on the frozen tracks around her hometown when she was 11 and went on to specialise in long-track sprint events.
Jutta won a speed skating silver medal in the 1,000m at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, a distance in which she holds the Dutch record, and she is a seven times World Champion in her sport.
Monique and Ruud Leerdam, Jutta’s parents, with JakeCredit: GettyJake is set to fight British two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on December 19Credit: YouTube / BS w/ Jake PaulInsiders have revealed that Jake Paul’s and Jutta Leerdam’s family have concerns about their relationshipCredit: GettyJake Paul has turned from YouTube prankster and is now focused on his boxing careerCredit: AFPJake is a larger than life character – and now the whole family is along for the rideCredit: Sportsfile
And with her celebrity on the rise thanks to her engagement to Jake, the talented star this week announced a deal with Nike, SKIMS, the collaboration between the sporting giant and Kim Kardashian.
“Being one of the best speed skaters in the world requires an intense training regimen,” the brand wrote to accompany a polished TikTok video announcing the deal, which sees Jutta follow in the prestigious footsteps of tennis legend Serena Williams.
LOVE AT FIRST DM
Jutta’s career was already riding high when Jake slid into her DMs back in 2023, asking her to appear on his podcast.
The rest was history and no-one was more surprised than the speed skater.
“I never, ever expected to date him, like never,” she said of the unlikely love story in the Netflix documentary series Countdown: Paul vs Tyson.
“Of course, I didn’t know a lot about him.
“I could only scroll on his Instagram and form an opinion like the whole world does.”
Jake was equally smitten, calling Jutta a ‘superwoman’ and the ‘most amazing woman there is’.
And by March this year, he was ready to propose to his ‘gamechanger’ with a diamond ring worth a cool $1 million.
The besotted couple are expected to tie the knot next summer, following the 2026 Winter Olympics and Jake is said to be close to Jutta’s parents, with her dad Ruud calling him ‘my son’ and happily declaring ‘we’re related now’ at the proposal.
Jake Paul secretly flew in Jutta’s parents for the proposal as an extra loving surpriseCredit: Instagram / @jakepaulThe couple are all set to plan their wedding but Jutta’s parent’s are worried the ‘celebrity circus’ could distract her from her sportCredit: Instagram / @jakepaulJutta Leerdam met Jake when he sent her a DM asking her to be on his podcastCredit: Instagram / @juttaleerdam
“I come from a very loving family, with lovely parents, a brother, a sister and a younger sister,” Jutta once told the Masters Expo website, going on to explain the origin of her name.
“I owe my name to my father. He used to be very good at windsurfing.
“In his day, the German Jutta Müller was the It girl of windsurfing; blonde, pretty, a winner…
“Everyone was crazy about her. That’s why my father liked that name so much.”
Jutta’s celebrity has been in ascendance since she met the love of her life, something which has caused her parents concern.
“Jutta has so much potential and while they can see Jake adores her, they are just worried about her getting caught up in the circus of it all,” says our insider.
A TROUBLED PAST
To fully explain the reason for the family’s concern, a look back at Jake’s past is needed, for unlike the Leerdams, the influencer cannot be described as ‘clean-cut’.
Influencer Jake has previously told how his own parents Greg Paul and Pam Stepnick, who are divorced, were ‘very strict’ with their children growing up, alleging his father physically abused him.
Jake is very supportive at Jutta’s sporting events often cheering her on from the crowd alongside her parentsCredit: EPAUnlike the Leerdams influencer Jake cannot be described as ‘clean cut’Credit: Getty
Jake was 16 when he began posting on Vine back in 2013, with his success bagging him a role in the Disney Channel’s series Bizaardvark, which saw him play a character called Dirk who took dare requests.
The teenager, who moved to West Hollywood when he became famous, was fired when a local news station interviewed his less-than-impressed neighbours about his YouTube stunts that included starting a massive fire in his backyard and building a waterslide to shoot people into his pool.
Sued for $2.5 million by the company who owned his house and fired from his TV gig, Jake turned to other business ventures where he quickly got himself into hot water once more.
He launched a series of paid for videos called Edfluence, which promised to give fans the secret to becoming influencers, but this was quickly branded a scam for money by fellow creators.
Brash and outspoken, Jake has previously gotten into trouble for making content branded too sexual and violent for his young followers and in 2015, he was caught using racial slurs in a freestyle rap at music festival Coachella.
Jake was 16 when he began posting on Vine back in 2013 which catapulted him to internet fameCredit: KICK.COM/ ADINROSSJake has previously told how his own parents Greg Paul and Pam Stepnick (pictured) were ‘very strict’ with their children growing upCredit: instagram/pam_stepnickJutta also seems to be close to her future mother-in-lawCredit: Getty
Previous relationships have also proved controversial for the influencer, including two allegedly faked for publicity marriages, the first to his ex Erika Costell and the second to YouTuber Tana Mongeau.
Another fake girlfriend, Alissa Violet, accused Jake of emotional and mental abuse and in April 2021 influencer Justine Paradise and model Railey Lollie both came forward with allegations of sexual assault against Jake, which he vehemently denied in full.
The seemingly unrepentant star threw a huge party in Calabasas, California, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, later branded the deadly virus a ‘hoax’ in an interview with The Daily Beast and urged his followers to back President Donald Trump when he stood for re-election.
“It is a concern,” says our source, referring to Jutta’s parents’ take on Jake’s shocking past behaviour.
“They didn’t know much about Jake but are now very much aware of his past.
“He doesn’t always have the best press and no parent wants their child associated with that.”
Jake could very easily end up being cancelled and they don’t want her going down that path
An Insider
The influencer insists his ice queen has ‘brought the best out of me as a human’ but even if Jake’s bad boy image is firmly behind him, high-profile couples are notorious for struggling to stay the distance.
Jake is based in a stunning $13 million mansion in Puerto Rico, with a private jet and several pricey motors at his disposal, while Jutta’s sports frequently takes her around the globe.
Despite their hectic schedules, the influencer has spoken of his desire to start a family with his future wife on his BS Podcast and she calls her fiancé the ‘man with the best heart’ and ‘the most romantic guy in the world’.
Here’s hoping the unlikely pair have found their happy ever after – and they finally get a unanimous decision.
The influencer insists his ice queen has ‘brought the best out of me as a human’Credit: GettyDespite their hectic schedules Jake Paul has previously spoken of his desire to start a family with his future wife JuttaCredit: InstagramJutta has branded her fiancé ‘the most romantic guy in the world’Credit: Instagram
Charlotte Dawson has stepped down from her podcast, Naughty Corner, which she started in 2024Credit: SplashIt comes after a rocky few weeks for Charlotte and her fiancé, Matt SarsfieldCredit: Instagram/charlottedawsyShe said in a statement that it’s the “right time” to step away from the podcast, which is released weeklyCredit: Instagram/charlottesnaughtycorner
Charlotte began her podcast in 2024 and often shares details from her family life on it.
Taking to Instagram, Charlotte shared a statement which read: “After an incredible year and more than a million downloads, we’ve decided it’s time to pause the podcast for now.
“With life being especially busy at the moment (kids, chaos and everything in between) this feels like the right moment to take a breather.”
She continued: “Naughty corner has been a place where I’ve shared my life and parenting journey, and it’s also been a place where your stories, whether beautiful, bonkers or everything in between, have lifted me up.
“A huge thanks to my partner in crime Janine for being by my side every step of the way and to all the fab guests that have joined me this year!”
The statement ended: “Thank you for being here and for supporting the pod my darlings. CD x”
Earlier this month, The Sun revealed that Charlotte and her partner Matt had split after a blazing row on a night out, but reunited days later.
A friend of Charlotte told The Sun: “Charlotte is extremely apprehensive about marrying Matt.
“They’ve been engaged for five years but their relationship has been far from smooth sailing. Their latest explosive argument has planted further doubts in Charlotte’s mind.
“When they’re good, they’re good – but problems often arise when either one or both of them are out.
“They have blazing rows that, in the moment, make it seem impossible that they’ll make it down the aisle, but then they’ll kiss and make up.”
Charlotte shared a statement to her podcast’s Instagram accountCredit: InstagramShe shares three children with rugby league player MattCredit: charlottedawsy / InstagramShe said that life is “extremely busy” at the momentCredit: Getty
