Taylor

A sparkly pink electric guitar hangs on a wall of the recording studio where Hilary Duff made her new album. The cozy, gear-filled joint near the Van Nuys Airport belongs to her husband, Matthew Koma, who produced “Luck… or Something,” the singer and actor’s first LP in more than a decade. But as Duff points out on a recent afternoon, the paisley-print guitar is all hers.

“I got it for my 16th birthday,” she says proudly — a gift from the Fender company. “I found it in the storage unit and Matt was like, ‘Oh, that’s going up there.’”

Before Miley Cyrus, before Sabrina Carpenter, before Olivia Rodrigo, Duff arrived in the early 2000s as a Disney kid with pop-idol ambitions. She broke out in the endearingly awkward title role of the Disney Channel’s “Lizzie McGuire” then went on to star in family-friendly movies like “Agent Cody Banks” and “Cheaper by the Dozen.” By the time she received that guitar, she’d topped the Billboard 200 with her album “Metamorphosis,” which sold 4 million copies and spawned hit singles like “So Yesterday” and “Come Clean.”

Duff stepped away from music for most of her 20s to focus on acting and starting a family. (An attempted comeback album in 2015, “Breathe In. Breathe Out.,” didn’t really go anywhere.) Now, at 38, she’s returned with a bracingly honest record full of the texture and detail of her life as a wife, sister and mother of four.

In frank yet wordy songs that layer guitars and synths over shimmering grooves, Duff sings about trying to overcome old habits and about her fear that her best times are behind her. “We Don’t Talk” appears to address her estrangement from her older sister, Haylie, while “Weather for Tennis” describes her tendency to keep the peace as a child of divorce. In “Holiday Party,” she recounts a recurring dream in which Koma cheats on her with her friends.

“I wake up in a rage and he’s like, ‘I didn’t do anything!’” she says with a laugh. “And I’m like, ‘But you want to.’ A lot of this stuff came out of the hormonal boom of: I’ve just had a baby and I’m nursing and I’m trying to get my two feet back on the ground again.” (Duff and Koma have three daughters aged 7, 4 and 1, while Duff shares a 13-year-old son with her ex-husband, former hockey player Mike Comrie.)

Asked how he hopes the album fares commercially, Koma says, “I don’t [care]. Public perception or sales, that’s all cool, but it’s a separate experience from why we did it.” The producer, who’s known for his work with Zedd and Shania Twain, adds, “The whole purpose was to make something that Hilary could feel good about stepping into.”

Yet early-2000s nostalgia led to a recent run of sold-out theater gigs, and this summer it’ll carry her into arenas around the world, including Inglewood’s Kia Forum on July 8 and 9. (Less happily for Duff, it also made a viral sensation of an essay in the Cut by her fellow millennial Ashley Tisdale in which Tisdale wrote about leaving a “toxic mom group” that allegedly included Duff and Mandy Moore.)

Curled on a sofa in the studio’s control room, Duff says, “I’m finally at this place where I’m zero percent ashamed of my past and any of the things that used to embarrass me” — one reason she made the bold choice to open her set at the Wiltern last month with two of her biggest hits, “Wake Up” and “So Yesterday.”

After those songs came “Roommates,” perhaps the most vulnerable track on Duff’s new album. It’s about navigating a dry patch in a marriage, and the language is as vivid as it is unsparing: “I only want the beginning / I don’t want the end,” she sings, adding that she longs to be in the “back of a dive bar, giving you h—.”

A surprising word choice.
How would you have said it? Sometimes you need to make the lyrics fit — you need it to rhyme with something. [Laughs] It’s meant to be polarizing because it’s such a desperate plea. I can say I haven’t actually given h— in the back of a dive bar. But it’s just trying to capture the feeling of a time when you felt alive.

Like all teen stars, you had to figure out how to grow up and talk about sex as a public figure. Now there’s the idea that it’s better left to the young.
I finally feel like I know a lot about sex. My whole 20s, sex was not always enjoyable — it was so much to figure out. Now I finally understand it. Maybe that’s a female thing, but I’m not ready to be put out to pasture. People come up to me all the time and they’re like, “Wow, you aged really well.” I’m like, “I’m only 38! Just because you’ve known me since I was 9…”

You’re handling senior citizenship well.
When do I start getting the discounts? I feel like 38 is not old, although when I thought about my parents at 40, they looked so different than we look now.

I always stop at those TikToks where it shows what 35 looked like in 1982.
I don’t think anyone drank water back then. They were, like, dusty-crusty.

Hilary Duff, left, and Matthew Koma at Apple Music Studios in Los Angeles in December.

(Amy Sussman / Getty Images for Apple Music)

You borrow the chorus of Blink-182’s “Dammit” for your song “Growing Up.” Why?
Blink is one of my favorite bands. I remember getting my driver’s license, and that was what was playing on my iPod. “Growing Up” is such a deeply personal song to me, talking about sitting in the backyard with one of my best friends and just needing to drink too much wine and unload about life. But it also feels like a love letter to my fans. I don’t like saying that word, but I genuinely feel like I’ve had fans for 25 years, and getting to see them now in adulthood — I didn’t know I was going to have this opportunity.

What’s the problem with “fan”?
It puts me on a pedestal that makes me feel uncomfortable. If you were to talk to Matt or someone close to me, they’d probably say, “Hilary doesn’t understand what she’s meant to some people.” And I think that’s true. When I think of myself, I’m not like a grand pop star — I feel more like a woman of the people.

A woman of the people?
Am I allowed to say that? [Laughs] Is that offensive in any way? My feet hit the ground in the morning, and I’ve got a million things to do. Sometimes my baby’s still sleeping. And I have a teenager to get ready for school that we’re always all waiting on.

Why do you have four children?
I know — we’re sick.

Did you expect to have four?
I thought I would have at least three. I always wanted a big family because I come from a super small family and I always wanted more siblings. I had Luca obviously pre-Matt, and then we had Banks before we got married. Then the pandemic hit — we had a pandemic baby like everybody else. The fourth was just a crazy-a— decision. Matt was like, “Everybody’s gonna think we’re really Christ-y if we go for No. 4.” We also have three dogs, two cats and eight chickens.

As two artists, how do you sort out the work of child-rearing?
I don’t know if I’ve actually said this out loud — to Matt I have for sure — but I think that part of my wanting to make a record was coming out of having my fourth child. I love motherhood, obviously — I wouldn’t have four kids if I didn’t. But I think I felt really jealous that he got to go to work every day and just be alone with his thoughts. I was like, I need to stretch. That’s what it felt like after the fourth baby: I’m either gonna lose myself completely and just become a stay-at-home mom and wait for the phone to ring, or I’m gonna go make something that moves me.

You don’t need me to tell you that our culture is always happy to make moms feel guilty. Was it a journey to accept that it’s OK to do something for yourself?
That’s what the healthy part of the brain says. But the other part that’s wired to be with the children you birthed — sometimes that part overshadows it. And it’s very hard to fight that. I could probably cry right now thinking about all the things I’m gonna miss this year.

Hilary Duff in the studio where she recorded her new album.

(Jay L Clendenin / For The Times)

You’ve got a line in “Roommates” where you say, “Life is life-ing and pressure is pressuring me.” At the shows you just played, did you think of your audience as being at the same place in life as you?
For sure. When they were scream-singing it back to me, I was like, “Oh, you know.” That doesn’t mean you have to be a parent. “Life is life-ing” is the bills and the monotony and the traffic and the family — it’s all the things. I knew that if it’s bumping around inside my head, and I’ve been living a pretty normal life for 10 years — normal as I can get — then people would see themselves in it.

Twenty-five years ago, you were playing to 10-year-olds. Would a 10-year-old today be interested in your new songs?
I don’t think so. But I mean, I used to sing Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” all the time, and I had no idea what it was about.

The last decade has been a golden age for young female songwriters: Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo.
You forgot Chappell Roan.

“Luck… or Something” feels aligned with that deepening craft. But maybe your early stuff felt sophisticated to you.
I don’t think the intent back then was sophisticated songwriting. There was no Taylor Swift yet — it’s like before Christ and after Christ.

She changed the game?
On all the levels.

How’d you end up on Atlantic Records? I wondered whether this was a product of personal friendships — the Elliot Grainge and Sofia Richie and Good Charlotte of it all.
We’re more personally friends with them now. I finished making the record and for the first time ever was like, “It’s done — do you like it?”

You weren’t looking for notes from the label.
I’m not saying I didn’t have meetings with A&R. But pretty much the record was created, and that was that. I didn’t go shopping anywhere else, which was fantastic because I hate a dog-and-pony show.

Did you feel like you’d been chewed up by the record industry in any way?
After “Breathe In. Breathe Out.,” it was very easy to be like, “RCA forced me to lead with this song when I knew it should’ve been this song.” But that was me not having [courage], you know what I mean? It was a joint effort of [messing] it up. But I learned a lot from that. I don’t think I would’ve made this record if I hadn’t fumbled the ball a little.

The story about the toxic mom group blew up just as you were launching this album. Did that experience give you pause about reentering the pop world?
I mean, this is not new for me. I’ve had this since I was maybe 15 and starting to get followed around by paparazzi. Everything starts getting documented and everyone knows my life and all the players in it. So the stories that get news pickup — it’s not what happens to a normal person who maybe became an actor as an adult. And now it’s escalated by the talking heads on TikTok that need clickbait. It’s hard because you’re like, “Wait, whoa, that person kind of got it right,” and “Whoa that person doesn’t know what they’re talking about.” I saw something that was like, “None of the moms at school actually like her and neither do the teachers,” and I was like, “First of all…”

Is it hard or easy for you to tune out —
By the way, the women at school are lovely and I’m obsessed with all of them.

But can you ignore the chatter about you on social media?
It just depends on the day. Knowing that I get to open up the backdoors and play soccer as a family and take a hot tub and go get our chicken eggs — that’s the purpose of life. On the days when crazy s— happens, I go home and quiet the noise.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — In some families, children are expected to attend the same college as their parents or root for mom or dad’s favorite team.

In Azaria Hill’s family, the children were encouraged to go to the Olympics. Not to watch, but to compete.

Hill’s father Virgil, a boxer, earned a silver medal at the 1984 Summer Games. Hill’s mother, Denean Howard, met Virgil at the 1984 Games and won Olympic gold that year running with her sister, Sherri Howard, in the 4×400-meter relay. The sisters won silver medals in the 4×400 at the 1988 Olympics before Denean earned another silver at the 1992 Games.

“At a very young age, since I could understand what the Olympics were and knew what my family did as Olympians, I knew that’s something that I wanted to do and wanted to experience,” Hill said.

But her top marks of 11.70 seconds in the 100 meters and 23.93 in the 200 didn’t rank in the top 100 for U.S. women in 2021, her senior year at Nevada Las Vegas. So if she was going to continue the family tradition, she knew she’d have to find another sport.

Jadin O’Brien was in a similar fix. She won two NCAA titles in the pentathlon but finished seventh at the U.S. trials ahead of the 2024 Games. To realize her Olympic dream, she’d have to change sports too.

Luckily for both women, there was a well-worn path from the track to the Winter Olympics: Just hop onto a sled. On Friday, Hill and O’Brien will complete their journeys when the two-woman bobsled competition gets underway at the Cortina Sliding Centre.

“I never thought that this would even be a possibility or an opportunity,” Hill said. “It just kind of fell into my lap and I was really good at it. I stuck it out and worked hard and here I am a Winter Olympian.”

She has Kaysha Love, a UNLV teammate, to thank for that. An 11-time high school track champion in Utah, Love was encouraged by her college coach to take part in a 12-day bobsled rookie camp after COVID shortened the track season her senior year. That led to more auditions and 14 months later she and pilot Kaillie Humphries won a World Cup race.

U.S. bobsledders Azaria Hill, left, and Kaysha Love take part in a training run Wednesday in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

(Aijaz Rahi / Associated Press)

After just six races, Love made the 2022 U.S. Olympic team as a brakewoman. She then tried to sell Hill on the sport.

“She was like ‘I think you should try it. Let’s see if you can do it,’” Hill remembered. “I went to my first rookie camp and I did really well, got invited back to some more camps, and ended up making my first World Cup team.”

That was in December 2023. Two years later she made it to the Olympics as the brakewoman for Love, who is now a driver.

“That’s completely opposite of what I thought I’d be doing,” Hill said. “The first time it is definitely scary. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I even want to do this.’ It is an acquired taste.

“But Keisha Love was just super positive.”

O’Brien’s rise to Olympian in the two-person bobsled, the second-fastest sliding sport of the Winter Games, has been even swifter. Elana Meyers Taylor, a five-time Olympian and five-time medalist, began recruiting O’Brien to be her brakewoman after the Beijing Games. At first she resisted, but last summer O’Brien decided she needed a rest from track “and bobsled seemed like a good alternative, so I took it up.”

Jadin O’Brien, left, and Elana Meyers Taylor prepare for a bobsled training run at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games on Wednesday.

(Aijaz Rahi / Associated Press)

In her World Cup debut four months later, O’Brien pushed Taylor to a fourth-place finish, earning a spot on the Olympic team.

“There was so much I needed to learn,” she said. “Luckily there were quite a few girls who were very patient with me, who helped me understand the sport, understand form.”

One of the most important things she had to learn is when to pull the brake.

“If you do it too early, then you’re going to drastically hurt your time. If you do it too late, there’s a chance you’re going to ruin the runners because the track ends at a certain point,” O’Brien said.

And that decision has to be made in a heartbeat at the end of a mile-long ice chute covered at speeds exceeding 90 mph.

“It’s terrifying. You’re going super, super fast. As a brakeman you can’t see what’s going on because your head is down,” she said. “But at the same time it’s very thrilling. You feel like you’re flying if the run is done right. It’s almost addicting.”

Track athletes like Hill, 27, and O’Brien, 23, have a long history of success in bobsled, where speed and power at the start are important. Lauryn Williams won a gold medal on the track in the 2012 London Games and a silver on the back of Taylor’s sled two years later in Sochi. Lolo Jones won three world championships on the track and two in a bobsled. Most of the Jamaican team in Cortina is made up of sprinters who couldn’t catch Usain Bolt, so they climbed in a bobsled instead.

“They’ve got just an athleticism that is very applicable to pushing sleds,” said Curtis Tomasevicz, a former football player at Nebraska who won gold and silver Olympic medals in the four-man bobsled before becoming a coach with the U.S. team. “We’re recruiting athletes that have a sprinting ability and we feel like we can teach them to be bobsledders in a short amount of time.”

For Hill, that transition from the sprints to a sled has allowed her to carry on a family tradition. And she’ll have 11 relatives — including two Olympic medalists — at the Cortina Sliding Centre on Friday when she creates her own memories as the first Hill to compete in the Winter Games.

“They’re super excited seeing me on this journey, being that I’ve been able to kind of follow my own mission, create something for myself,” she said. “It’s almost like they’re kind of experiencing it again, but just in a different way.

“This has definitely exceeded my expectations of what I thought being an Olympian would be. It’s so much fun.”

SWIFTIES assemble! Your favourite superstar Taylor could be in line to make a very special surprise appearance at next week’s Brit Awards.

Right now, there is a bit of a blank space when it comes to the exact details of her possible attendance at the celebrations.

In fact, no one seems to know what will happen on the night.

I can exclusively reveal, though, that Tay, along with an enormous entourage of more than 20 people, secretly landed in the UK this week.

I’m told they’re going to be visiting Manchester next week — the location for this year’s Brits.

Their schedule then sees them leaving the UK a week on Monday — just a couple of days after the ceremony.

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My music industry mole said: “Taylor is hiding out in London at the moment and is scheduled to visit Manchester, which seems like she could be lined up for a surprise appearance at the Brit Awards.

“Taylor was handed the Global Icon Award at the ceremony back in 2021 and has a huge amount of respect for the Brits. She loves it.

“Brits bosses are trying to keep everything under lock and key, but it feels too much like a coincidence that Taylor is secretly in the UK at the exact time of the Brits.

“The fact her team are all heading home the Monday after the ceremony is fishy. Manchester is an amazing city, but Taylor wouldn’t just be coming to look at the cathedral and the Etihad, would she?”

As lovely as those landmarks are, I doubt it.

If Tay is at the city’s Co-op Live arena on February 28, I think it could be the greatest coup for the Brits. She always delivers a show, on and off the stage.

In 2015, when I was working for Heat magazine, I exclusively revealed that Taylor had hooked up with Calvin Harris at an after-party, with the pair dating for a year.

And in 2021, when she received the Global Icon Award while we were mired in Covid restrictions, she had a very safe knees-up with pals including Haim and Olivia Rodrigo.

This time around, I know Manchester is ready for one massive party and having Taylor front and centre would be phenomenal.

And given her ex Harry Styles is also on the bill, I think it could be a very exciting night.

…AND SHE’S No1 AGAIN

TAYLOR has been named the biggest-selling artist globally of 2025 – the fourth year in a row that she’s topped the list.

The singer, who also took the title in 2014, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024, triumphed thanks to the release of her 12th album, The Life Of A Showgirl, in October.

She is just ahead of K-pop group Stray Kids, who have become megastars around the world, despite not having chart success in the UK.

The list has been compiled by the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry, which compiles streaming, downloads and physical formats in every country for its global artist chart.

The biggest gainer was Super Bowl headliner Bad Bunny, who hopped up from No20 in 2024 to No5, while country star Morgan Wallen rose from No13 to No7.

And there was good news for Lady Gaga.

She has re-entered the list at No10 for the first time since 2020, following the release of her album Mayhem.

JADE HAS A LITTLE HELPER IN GROOT

JADE THIRLWALL got comfort from a surprising source after stepping away from her musical roots when Little Mix went on hiatus in 2021.

She admitted walking around with a teddy version of Groot – the tree-like character from Guardians Of The Galaxy – on her shoulder as she pined for her girlband pals.

On new podcast By The Way  . . . With Harriet Rose, out today, Jade said: “Little Mix, that was my life. I’m very career driven and poured everything into Little Mix.

“So when that kind of stopped, that was a massive shock to the system. I had a little bit of a mini menty-b [mental breakdown].

“I had a little teddy of Groot and started wearing it on my shoulder all the time. It was really weird.

“After Little Mix, I went on holiday with my friends and they were like, ‘Why do you keep wearing Groot on your shoulder?’. I think I was replacing the girls with Groot.

“My friends were like, ‘I think it’s time to stop wearing Groot’.”

MILEY CYRUS will take part in a special for Disney+ to mark the 20th anniversary of her breakout show Hannah Montana.

In the one-off, which is to be screened on March 24, she will be interviewed by podcaster Alex Cooper in front of a live studio audience to look back at the series.

Miley said: “This ‘Hannahversary’ is my way of celebrating and thanking the fans who’ve stood by me for 20 years.”

YELL OF A LOOK, PRIYANKA

PRIYANKA CHOPRA spread some joy in this bright yellow outfit ahead of the premiere for her new movie The Bluff.

She wore the thigh-high dress at a photocall before changing into a leather look for the Los Angeles launch of the action thriller on Tuesday night.

The actress was supported on the red carpet by her husband Nick Jonas, who she grabbed by the cheeks while leaning in for a kiss, inset.

Nick released his fifth solo album Sunday Best earlier this month, but it failed to crack the charts.

Here’s hoping her movie fares better.

SHAUN BLASTS TRUMP

US President Donald Trump winds up many people – and Shaun Ryder is no exception.

The Happy Mondays frontman has channelled that into music and written his angriest ever song about Donald, who he branded “orange, fat and bloated”.

In an exclusive chat about their new album, Shaun told me: “Trump keeps popping up.

“There’s plenty on that f***ing orange, motherf***ing waste of space.

“Although I’ve not been mentioning his name, some songs are definitely influenced by that w***er. I f***ing hate him.

“He’s just a p**ck. You might as well have me and Bez up there saying s**t. We have probably got more of a clue than he has.

“I just can’t stand the f***ing man. You can see how it’s affecting me lyrically. I wrote one song that goes, ‘You orange, fat, bloated ****! You f***ing lying, f***ing delusional t**t!’ How’s that for a chorus?”

Brilliant, Shaun.

He also takes a pop at Nigel Farage on the record and said: “Reform, f*** me.

“Every time it gets a bit tough and people haven’t got jobs, it’s ‘blame f***ing immigrants, blame this’,’ it never changes. “That’s the f***ing world, the world is on a loop.

“We never seem to learn f*** all about wars or anything.”

RITA’S TIPS TO BRUSH OFF TROLLS

RITA ORA has advice for ignoring online trolls who target her and other celebs.

The Anywhere singer recites mantras to get into a good headspace.

Rita has teamed up with tech company Meta for a video series on Instagram in a bid to help others.

She said: “You can’t be afraid of something you can’t control.

“You can’t control it, stop thinking about it. These are the mantras I say to myself every day in the mirror.”

Rita added: “Comments can cut. Every tiny thing gets magnified and everyone can see through the walls.

“Someone in the public eye may have more people looking at them but the walls are just as fragile. The doubts are really what helps me make great songs though.”

Personally, I just like to laugh at the trolls, who are always sad, decrepit nobodies, who should get off the internet and find a job.

ACTOR Daniel Radcliffe does not want the cast of the new Harry Potter HBO TV show to be compared to those in the original movies.

He was boy wizard Harry on film, but that role is now Dominic McLaughlin’s.

Daniel said: “Just let them get on with it, it’s going to be a new, different thing.

“I’m sure Dominic is going to be better than me.”

ROB HITS WIG TIME

ROBERT PATTINSON is unrecognisable in this blond wig as he sits on the floor holding a ciggie.

The actor posed for Interview magazine, in which he and his The Drama co-star Zendaya interviewed each other.

Even she was puzzled about the snaps, saying: “The theme was, I don’t know.”

Rob revealed he doesn’t feel welcome in Hollywood, admitting: “I’m never really allowed in. I’m always knocking at the door, like, ‘Hey, guys. Where the party at?’

“And everyone just gets younger and younger.”

MILLIE MACKINTOSH has admitted she spent Valentine’s weekend “sobbing” following her split from husband Hugo Taylor.

It was revealed earlier this month that the couple had parted ways after seven years of marriage.

As she celebrated Valentine’s Day as a newly-single woman, it turned out to be an emotional one for the 36-year-old mum-of-two.

She went to watch the new romantic drama Wuthering Heights in cinemas before coming home and reviewing the Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi film in a video.

The movie follows the love story between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, a woman from a wealthy family in 18th-century England.

Millie said: “So I saw Wuthering Heights over the weekend, it was very spicy. The way Heathcliff loved her ah! Everyone in the cinema was just sobbing.

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“I would definitely recommend to go and see it. They had great chemistry and the costumes were so good.”

It comes after she opened up about having an “alternative” Valentine’s Day this year as she nurses her heartbreak over the end of her marriage.

She took to Instagram on Friday to share a photo of a London Underground board titled: “Valentine’s Day Alternatives.”

The suggestions included: “Galentine’s Day” with the girls, “Malentine’s Day” with the lads, and “Palentine’s Day” with friends.

According to the Daily Mail, Millie and Hugo, 39 – who share two daughters – went their separate ways after a series of discussions in the New Year.

An insider told the publication: “Millie and Hugo are currently going through a separation and have sadly decided to split.

“They have known each other for many years, and in recent weeks, have had serious conversations about their future, ultimately deciding it’s better for them both to part ways.

“Their main priority remains their children and family life, and separating is not something they ever hoped would happen.”

The source added they are living a part and figuring out how best to co-parent.

The pair got married in 2018, seven years after initially dating on Made in Chelsea.

However, they ended up parting ways, with Millie marrying rapper Professor Green in 2013.

But, following their divorce in 2016, Millie and Hugo got back together before tying the knot themselves two years later at Whithurst Park in West Sussex.

Millie said at the time: “Even in my wildest dreams I didn’t imagine it would be this ­perfect. I am so excited to finally be married to Hugo — he’s the love of my life.”

They had their first daughter, Sienna, in 2020 and second daughter, Aurelia, in 2021.

After the news broke of their split, Hugo was pictured still wearing his wedding ring while Millie was seen without hers.

TRAVIS Kelce showered Taylor Swift with gifts from the heart at the weekend – but that’s just the start of something special, insiders have told The U.S. Sun.

Loving Travis wanted to commemorate their last Valentine’s Day together before their blockbuster wedding this summer with a string of surprises.

A source close to the A-list pair said the Cruel Summer star was treated to three stunning Louis Vuitton items, a beautiful Hermes caftan and two classy, stylish watches costing in excess of $100,000.

The insider says NFL legend Travis wanted to make their last Valentine’s Day as an engaged couple “unique and special” and ended up spending $141,000 in total.

But The U.S. Sun understands in the build up to the big day, which is slated for June, the romantic three-time Super Bowl winner, who has a strong track record of beautiful gift surprises, has something very loving in the works. 

“Starting 100 days before the big day — then again at 50 days, 30 days, and every day during the final month — he will have flower bouquets delivered to her,” claimed the well-placed insider.

“She’ll receive all her favorite flowers: roses in many colors, hydrangeas, and orchids. He wants her to feel overwhelmed in the best possible way — surrounded by one of the things she loves most in life: flowers and their sweet scent.”

The U.S. Sun revealed last year that Taylor wants to turn the proposed wedding venue – her sumptuous $32 million pad in Rhode Island – into a floral wonderland. 

There are plans to reportedly spend a whopping $1.2 million on the landscaping, including hiring specialist gardeners to ensure their dreams are transformed into a stunning reality.

But as our insider revealed, Taylor will have fallen further in love after Travis’ super thoughtful Valentine’s day surprises.

The couple love keeping up with the latest trends – it’s claimed they regularly text each other with pieces they are interested in.

So Travis, knowing Taylor had mentioned the Louis Vuitton pieces recently, snapped up a $3,900 knit jacket, a $2,330 skirt and a signature patch varsity jacket. 

“Travis had them very high on his list of gifts for his fiancée,” said the source.

According to the official description, the Denim-Effect Knit Jacket looks like classic denim but feels far more luxurious. 

It’s tailored and polished, and effortlessly cool – perfect to throw on for a casual day out or dress up for a night in the city. 

Ever the fashionista, Travis paired it with the matching Denim-Effect Knit Skirt, while the Varsity Jacket is described as a “statement piece.”

THOUGHTFUL GIFTS

The Hermès caftan was spotted in a magazine recently and Travis reportedly “immediately thought” of his superstar singer partner. 

The source said Travis felt it was the kind of piece she would love wearing on upcoming trips — especially with trips to warmer destinations in the coming weeks and for their honeymoon.

“They fit her style perfectly,” added the insider. 

It’s a wonderful haul – but Travis wasn’t finished there. 

He also bought her an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch costing a cool $91,600.

The couple noticed the shiny, extremely luxurious piece on someone’s wrist a couple of weeks ago. 

Travis, says the source, loves watches and wants his wife-to-be to build a strong collection too.

On top of that, there was also a classy, $33,600 Rolex 1908 — a more masculine model, which fits her taste. 

“She likes incorporating slightly masculine pieces into her style, whether it’s jackets, vests, or watches, to add edge to her outfits. He enjoys spoiling her with beautiful, high-end items like that.”

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — It’s all downhill after 40.

Downhill at screaming speeds, that is, fast enough to capture Olympic gold, which is precisely what 41-year-old Elana Meyers Taylor did Monday night in the women’s monobob.

America’s most successful female bobsledder finally got her gold medal. She was four one-hundredths of a second faster than Germany’s Laura Nolte — compiled over four heats — netting her sixth Olympic medal.

Those prizes — a gold, three silvers and two bronzes — tied Meyers Taylor with speedskater Bonnie Blair as the most decorated U.S. woman in Winter Olympic history.

“I still can’t even put into words what this means having the gold medal,” Meyers Taylor said. “It’s still surreal.”

She became the oldest American woman to win a gold medal at the Winter Games, having covered the winding course four times in two days in a total of 3 minutes, 57.93 seconds.

American gold medalist Elana Meyers Taylor and bronze medalist Kaillie Humphries pose for a photo during the medal ceremony for monbob bobsled in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Monday.

(Julian Finney / Getty Images)

Monobob is a women’s event that made its debut at the Beijing Olympics four years ago. Only one person competes, pushing the sled at the start and piloting down the course at speeds of 70 to 80 mph. There were 20 competitors in the inaugural event, and American Kaillie Humphries — who claimed the bronze Monday — won the first gold medal in the event.

The triumph came after Meyers Taylor went a whole World Cup season without standing on a podium, finishing 10th in the standings.

“The season was miserable,” she said, noting she has suffered back problems for months.

Her husband and two young children were waiting for her at the finish line, and Meyers Taylor is about as down-to-earth as an elite athlete can get. Both of their children have special needs and are deaf.

American Elana Meyers Taylor celebrates after winning the monobob bobsled competition in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Monday.

(Al Bello / Getty Images)

She taught them some new words in sign language in the days leading up to the race.

“We went over what ‘champion’ is,” she said, adding she also taught them to sign “bobsled race” and “gold.”

Asked about her pre-race assessment that a gold medal would mean everything and nothing to her, she smiled and said: “It still is everything, and it still is nothing. Because at the end of the day, in six days I’ve got school pickups and dropoffs in the middle of Texas.”

Humphries — who has three golds and two bronzes in her career — was tied with Meyers Taylor heading into the fourth and final heat. They are both mothers who split time between intense training and all the challenges of parenthood.

“I hope it inspires other people to go out and chase it, whatever it may be,” said Humphries, 40.

“I grew up in a sport where if you have kids once you get to 40, it’s all downhill and alumni … I get to be proof that that’s not true.”

American gold medalist Elana Meyers Taylor and bronze medalist Kaillie Humphries celebrate with Humphries’ son after the monobob competition at the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Monday.

(Julian Finney / Getty Images)

Meyers Taylor, who was born Oct. 10, 1984, is eight days older than American ski racing legend Lindsey Vonn, who is recovering from a violent crash in the women’s downhill and has undergone multiple operations in the last week.

“I was at the Alpine race when she went down, and that was heartbreaking,” Meyers Taylor said.

“To do that at 41, she’s incredible.”

Humphries said staying atop the sport will be quite a challenge for the monobob medalists.

“These girls are young,” she said. “They’re putting up a good fight. I won’t lie, the starts are challenging, so we’ve got some work to do.”

Derrick Taylor won four City Section titles coaching basketball at Taft High. He won a Southern Section 3A title coaching at St. John Bosco and a Division II state championship with the Braves. So when he decided to come out of retirement and coach at Blair this season, you knew something good might happen.

On Friday night, Blair continued its run in the Southern Section Division 4 playoffs by upsetting No. 1-seeded Bonita 79-71. Jaleel Hunter had 14 points and 20 rebounds.

Blair lost its top player, Tim Anderson, who transferred to Pasadena. The team started 0-4. Now the Vikings are 21-9 and playing in the Division 4 quarterfinals on the road against Trabuco Hills on Tuesday.

Taylor lost his job at Taft in 2023 after guiding the Toreadors to an Open Division title. He briefly was going to coach at Gardena Serra, then stepped down for health reasons.

Things quickly have turned around for Blair, but it comes as no surprise to those who’ve seen what Taylor can do.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

In this episode of The Envelope video podcast, Teyana Taylor describes the “slingshot” of success that’s come with “One Battle After Another” and shares her insights as to why fictional revolutionary Perfidia Beverly Hills does what she does in the film.

Kelvin Washington: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to The Envelope. Kelvin Washington, Yvonne Villarreal, we have Mark Olsen as well. Hopefully you all have been great since the last time I saw you. Everybody been good?

Mark Olsen: Of course.

Washington: Well, I tell you what, there’s a list of folks who’ve been very good because they’ve been nominated for an Oscar. And obviously, you kind of get the usual suspects, if you will. And then you get some surprises out there. Some folks you go, “Whoa!” So I want to start with you. Either of you can jump in on this. Is there someone that maybe surprised you, a film or something that you were just excited about or maybe someone said, “Them again?” or “That film again?”

Olsen: I think it was very exciting that “Sinners” got the most nominations of any film ever with 16 nominations. It was nominated in every category that it was eligible for. To see a movie that has had commercial success and felt like a cultural moment now being recognized somewhere like the Academy Awards, it’s just exciting to see that all coming together and rolling along for that film, regardless of how it turns out at the show.

Villarreal: I was very excited to see Rose Byrne get acknowledged for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” Because I was worried about that movie losing steam after all the raves it got at Sundance [in 2025] and it’s a smaller movie. I wasn’t sure, “Are people going to remember it?” But I just think she’s so great in that film.

I was sort of surprised that Chase Infiniti didn’t get nominated.

Olsen: Because of the nature of the movie, the whole lead/supporting business was tough, and also it being her first movie, it’s a little harder to get that nomination — especially in lead actress, faced with, say, Kate Hudson, someone who’s been in the business for a long time, is much beloved in the industry, has obviously family historical ties to Hollywood. It’s interesting to see even in the nominations this sort of alchemy of like, “a little of this, a little bit of that” as far as who the academy was choosing to recognize.

Washington: You know, I go back to something you said, Mark, when you go to “Sinners.” You mentioned the blockbuster feel of it, getting people’s butts to the theaters, spending money. And also kind of original. We’ve had vampire movies before, but, you know, you get the “Transformer 12’s” and “Expendable 32’s.” I think a lot of folks were excited to see something original that also had commercial success as well.

Another film that had a bunch of success is “One Battle After Another.” You had a chance to speak with a star from that film, who’s been a star in her own right musically, but now into the film world, with Teyana Taylor.

Olsen: That’s right. It’s so exciting. She’s nominated for best supporting actress. This is a long movie, it’s over two and a half hours long. She more or less exits the picture about 30 minutes in. So I think it says something about the strength of her performance that her character kind of hovers over the rest of that movie. You feel her in the movie, even though she’s actually not onscreen. So at the Oscar nominees luncheon recently, we had a chance to sit down with Teyana and she was just so vibrant, so full of energy, really has a great attitude about this moment for herself. I mean, she just recently won a Golden Globe, she hosted “Saturday Night Live.” So much is like happening for her, seemingly right now and she’s just got this real like, taking it all in, very open to it [attitude]. It was really an exciting conversation.

Washington: A culmination of all her hard work. Here is Mark’s conversation with Teyana Taylor.

Teyana Taylor.

(Ian Spanier / For The Times)

Mark Olsen: You were just at the Super Bowl. About a week before that, you were a nominee at the Grammys. About a week before that you hosted “Saturday Night Live.” About a week before that you won a Golden Globe. And you’re here today as an Academy Award nominee. I’m sure I’m leaving some things out. I would say what’s the last year been like for you, but I feel like, what’s the last month or two been like for you? It feels like the rocket ship has really taken off.

Teyana Taylor: Yeah, it’s really taken off. I’m so blessed and I’m so honored and I’m filled with so much gratitude to just see so many prayers get answered all at once, where I’m also OK with one at a time. But it’s all happening, you know? And I’m just beyond blessed. And like we were talking about earlier, just how much fun I’m having with it. I’m really having a good time and I’m taking it all in because life is short and life is so fragile. So I just try and take time to enjoy life and enjoy my blessings and enjoy just being alive and well.

Olsen: Has there been a moment that felt the most surreal, like a “What is happening to me right now” moment?

Taylor: Honestly, all of it, because it reminds me of a slingshot, you know what I’m saying? It’s just like, here’s the way, here’s the way, here’s the way, here’s the way, here’s the work, here’s the prayers, here’s the tears, just here, here, here, here, here. And then whoosh — whatever the ball hit, it knocked down everything at once. And that’s what this feels like. It feels really good because literally everything is happening at the same time. So it’s not like only one moment or only two moments that’s making me feel this way. It’s everything. The small wins, the big wins, the medium wins. Every single win and every single blessing is a big deal to me. You know what I’m saying? Even my Ls. I’m not gonna win everything and I’m not gonna get everything, and some things are not even meant for me. But even those are blessings. It’s preparation for something that is in store for me and something that is meant for me, because all of this is already written. What’s for you is for you and will be for you, because that’s just what’s written. So I have that mindset.

Olsen: You’ve been doing this since you were a teenager, at first as a choreographer and a dancer, a singer, an actor, you’re going to direct your first feature soon. What keeps you moving through all of this, through these different disciplines and pursuits?

Taylor: My babies. My support system. My village. My community. I love to make my people proud. I love to make my peers proud, my family. I just love to make everybody proud and that’s what keeps me going. Even right now, I’m also in culinary school. So it’s just juggling that, but taking out the little moments to just be quiet and cook and feed my people. So it’s a push. It’s understanding it’s a marathon and that it’s not a sprint. It’s a part of the faith walk. And I think that’s what keeps me going, to wake up and feel so blessed, how could I ever complain? How could I ever be like, “Oh, this is too much”? It is everything I’ve ever asked for. I’m never going to complain about answered prayers. What pushes me is just the reassurance from my support system, the reassurance from Father God himself, the reassurance for my babies. They keep me going. That’s who I do it for. I want to create generational wealth. So them babies are my reason. They are my why.

Olsen: To start asking you about “One Battle After Another,” your character, Perfidia Beverly Hills, she’s inspired a lot of conversation and some controversy. For you, was there something about that character that you felt you hadn’t seen on screen before?

Taylor: Yes. Perfidia is complex and she is also misunderstood. This is a woman who has been in survival mode, who has been fetishized, who has been ignored, not seen. We’re seeing this woman deal with that, where in movies we’re used to seeing us women have to be in capes all day and you see this woman rip this cape away and it’s just unapologetically herself — even in her weakness. And even like you said, with the controversy of her sexuality, I think her sexuality is her armor. It is also her power. She’ll give somebody what they want to get what she wants. And literally in the movie, she’s made selfish decisions. But if you think about her spirit and mentally and emotionally as a woman, it felt good to see a woman actually be selfish and put her[self] first, which we never really get to do because we have to be super this, super this, super this. Super mom, super wife, super woman, super chef; everything is always with a super in front of it. And you see this woman not really caring about what people think. Nobody can quiet her. And in this space of, “OK, you’re too loud, quiet down; you stand too tall, have a seat,” Perfidia is all of the things that they can’t make her do. She’s like, “I’m gonna stand tall, I’m gonna use my voice, I’m gonna use whatever I need to use to get what I want.” And she makes decisions that we don’t agree with, but I think one thing we all can agree on is that she’s a badass. And I can always respect anybody that’s unapologetically themselves.

Another thing that I feel like the controversy is proof of is how much of a nonfactor postpartum depression is. Half of the mistakes we see Perfidia make is her dealing with postpartum depression. You see the moment where they say, “Perfida, she’s a runner. She comes from a long line of revolutionaries.” That in itself is a pressure on her to feel like she gotta keep that going. The revolution is instilled in her. It’s a part of her identity. So imagine getting pregnant and you’re feeling like, “Oh, my God, does this slow down the revolution? Am I gonna play house with a person that’s ignoring me?” Nobody is really taking the time to think about what’s happening in her mind. We can’t control how a person handles postpartum depression. We hear her, through the door, cry, and then we see Bob put his ear to the door — and instead of him walking in, he walked away. And then what was the result of that? Her walking away. Even if it had to be walking away from Baby Willa, it’s something that she felt like she needed to do, and that’s what postpartum make you do sometime. And every mother handles postpartrum depression differently. But I think that’s what I love about her character, because you get to see a harsh reality that I know is hard to take in. But when you watch it a few times you understand exactly what’s happening. … I think that’s what makes the letter at the end so important. Because you hear the pain, you hear the hurt, you hear the regret, you hear the accountability, “Do you have love? Are you happy? Will you try and change the world like we did? We failed, but maybe you will not.”

And that’s another thing. This is a story that Paul Thomas Anderson wanted to tell. It was Perfidia’s job to go and anchor this boat and stay there and create the path for Willa to take on these battles, because her past haunted Willa and Bob. That’s a part of Perfidia being supporting — supporting the next steps of what is for Willa. It’s for Willa to go on and to rise. So you see Perfidia in the beginning of the movie, you see her drive this boat, you see her get to the middle of the sea and you see her anchor herself. And from there, we have to continue the story. So I’m happy that the controversy around her can create dialogue like this, can create healthy dialogue or even uncomfortable dialogue. As long as it’s dialogue and we’re conversing and we are speaking and people are speaking from their point of views, I can absolutely respect that.

Olsen: Is that a conversation you expected to have? When you were making the film, were you and Paul, or you and your co-stars talking about the depiction of Black women in the movie? Or have you been surprised that’s been such a talking point now that the movie’s out in the world?

Taylor: Honestly, I’m not surprised of any of the talking. I think one thing that I said before the movie even dropped and we were doing our press junkets, I was always very boisterous about the fact that this movie, period, not just the character, would definitely shake the table, and it would definitely spark, whether it was great debates or — I love conversation and I like when we can converse. Get it off your chest, tell me how you feel. And I’m open to receive that. So I knew that it would shake the table. I also knew that it needed to be done. Postpartum depression is a big thing for me that I feel like it needs more light. It needs light around it. We need more solutions for it. And like I said, you see this person, this woman in survival mode. You see this woman be ignored. You see this woman be fetishized. And is that not the truth? Is that not what happens, especially in this place of a Black woman feeling the least protected? So I’m really happy that Paul put wings on that to be able to spread and fly with that. And like I said, I know it’s probably tough to take in, but that’s what we got to see because everybody is not wearing capes. Everybody is not handling things the way you may handle things, I may handle the things, the way that person or this person may handle things. So we all just got to give grace and take in the film. It’s a story that’s being told.

Olsen: To me, one of the biggest surprises about the movie is considering how cohesive and complete it feels, to learn how improvisatory and collaborative the process of making the movie was. Were you surprised by that? What was it like for you entering into the process of making this movie with Paul?

Taylor: I was shocked at how collaborative it was. And I loved every bit of it because one thing about it is, again, when you are telling a story that someone wrote — he’s been working on this project for 20 years. This is something that I consider to be his baby. And when you’re trusting me to take on a job like this, I don’t ever wanna walk into any set and feel like I’m doing what I want to do. I just want to be of good support. If you tell me, “Hey, let’s find this together,” I’m gonna find it together. If you say, “This is my vision of what that is and this is how I want it to be,” it’s my job to give you that vision of what you want it be, and then add my little sauce on top of it. But to be fully collaborative, I thought it was really dope. We found Perfidia’s layers and we color-coordinated those layers. And I’m really happy that he let me be a part of that.

Olsen: What do you feel you brought to Perfidia or you were able to add to the character?

Taylor: I was able to add a lot. Paul was very, very collaborative. And again, we found her layers, which was the most important, especially with such a complex character. And you know, I just came from “A Thousand and One.” So I came from being another complex character, but this one was complex to a whole other level, where we almost didn’t understand why we never see Perfidia cry. But you see these little moments, like little details, in her face that’s just like, it’s this strength, but the strength — because I also don’t really love the term “strong Black woman” — it’s this strength that you feel like she has to have because the strength is really survival mode. And again, like I said, you hear her crack down and you hear her vulnerable, and nobody stepped through that door. So when you see a strong Black woman, there is no grace, it’s, “Oh, she’s OK, she fine, she got it all figured out.” And then you hear her vulnerable and you still feel like even at her most vulnerable, she got this, she’s strong. And it’s just like, “Step through the door. Step in early. Step in the first time. Hear me the first time, see me [this] time, wipe the first tear away. Would she have walked out that door on Baby Willa and Bob, had he walked through that door when he heard her cry?

Olsen: I’ve heard you a number of times when you’re talking about Paul, you always call him Paul “Let Him Cook” Thomas Anderson. What does that mean?

Taylor: Let him cook! Listen, because he to me is a master chef. And honestly, I’m very, very big on leadership. I respect the person that is a leader. What makes it so dope is because, with being in culinary school, I originally signed up for culinary school, of course, to learn the art of culinary, but to just cook, I love to cook and I wanted to learn the art of that. With being enrolled in culinary school, it’s a lot of writing work and a lot of discussion forums and a lot of quizzes and stuff like that. So you’re not only learning to cook, but you’re learning how to run a business. You’re learning how to navigate your staff, front of house, back of house, in the kitchen. You have to understand it’s a whole system in how you handle people in general. In the kitchen they call it like a “servant leader,” where your leader is in the kitchen with you, they’re cooking with you. They’re your mentor, they are your guidance, but they’re cooking with you. They’re not just pointing, “Do this, do that, boom, boom, boom.” And it’s just, like, his gentle servant leadership is something that I respect so much and something that inspires me as an upcoming movie director on how to handle and navigate my staff.

So it’s like the best of both worlds because I have PTA and then I have culinary school who’s teaching me how to be the best leader. Even in how we handle people, it’s bigger than just the people that work for us or with us. It’s also the people that come into this restaurant. It’s your customers. It’s just the hospitality of it all and the hospitality that he gives, it’s really amazing to see. I’m also a big sports girl. So even in regards to him being our quarterback, you know, he’s not on the side, pointing at what to do. He’s on the field with you. But he has an even bigger job because now he’s trusting that he’s going to throw this ball to you and you’re going to receive that ball. So we’re his receivers, we’re his wide receivers to take it to the touchdown. It’s all about being present. And that’s what I learned in culinary, it’s what I learned in sports, it’s just everything about being a leader as I prepare to lead my village and lead my community. That’s just so important to me. So I always respect people that are in the field with you. I become a warrior for you. You see Paul, you’re running in the battlefield, you look to your left, he’s with you. He’s not on a horse, he’s not on his high horse. He’s in the field with you. Let’s go, we got this! And it just makes you want to you want to go so hard for him. And that’s how I look at it. So I am a student. I am a teammate. I am a soldier. I am a warrior. That’s what I am with people that are great leaders.

Olsen: When you won the Golden Globe, your speech was so moving and you specifically spoke to your “brown sisters and little brown girls” and said that their light does not need permission to shine. Can you talk more about that? What was it that made you want to say that in that moment, specifically talking about this movie?

Taylor: I thought it was a very important moment on a very important stage. I wanted to use my voice and I wanted to use my platform. And in that moment, I had the voice and the platform to say just that. It’s nothing less than that. There’s nothing beyond that. Exactly what I said. We deserve space. What that night showed was that here’s the space. And I appreciated that. I was filled with so much gratitude. That moment hit hard for me because I was that little girl that sat on the floor on a TV watching the other queens onstage accept their awards. Like, “You can do it too, you can do it too.” And I knew that one day when it was my turn, I would tell my little queens, “You can do it too — all the little queens that look like me, you can do it too, you deserve space.” To know that also my daughters were watching as well, it’s everything to me. It’s everything for me to know that they embrace that as well. It’s so important. I’ve gotten so many women come up to me like, “Wow, that speech was just everything.” And that’s what it’s all about. That’s what is all about: to inspire, uplift and remind us that there is space.

Olsen: Before I let you go, you just bring it on red carpets time and time again. And the one thing I like is that you wear these really bold outfits, and it never looks like the clothes are wearing you. Do you have tips for people? What do you do for confident personal style?

Taylor: Honestly, follow your heart. Follow your heart. If you see it and you like it, put it together. You might put it together and be like, “That didn’t work the way I [intended].” Practice. Play in clothes. I love to play in clothes — but also will walk in the store and redress a whole mannequin. I’ll also be like, “I like that tie, I think it should be a little bit tighter.” I dream about certain outfits. I dream of certain moments where I’m like, “Oooh. I already know what I feel like I want my Oscar dress to look like. I already know what I want my Golden Globes dress to look like.” It’s always a vision. Or sometimes you might have a base. You might see something and be like, “I like this, but I feel it could use this.” Add it. If you feel like something can use something, add it. Because before you know it, now you done created your own thing. So don’t hesitate. When I was younger, I used to hesitate and be like, “This looked pretty cool, but now I’m not gonna do it.” And then later on, I see somebody try it, and I’m like, “Oh, I should have just…” Always follow your gut and always follow you heart.

The adage that records are made to be broken definitely applies to the TV ratings for the Super Bowl.

For three straight years, the game deciding the champion for the NFL season has set new viewing records, including last year’s Philadelphia Eagles crushing victory over the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 that scored an average audience of 127.7 million viewers on Fox.

Both the 2024 and 2025 games had the benefit of the pop culture sizzle generated by Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s romance with pop superstar Taylor Swift, bringing in more casual fans.

This season, the Chiefs won’t be in the game for the first time in three years as NBC will have the Seattle Seahawks facing off Sunday against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, not the match-up experts predicted for this year.

But that doesn’t mean it can’t set another ratings record.

Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift celebrate the Chiefs’ victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship on Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo.

(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

“I believe it can,” said Lee Berke, president of LHB Sports, Entertainment & Media, noting the lift the NFL ratings have seen this season as viewing information from set-top devices and internet connected televisions in 45 million households are now included in Nielsen’s audience measurement.

“It’s definitely showing up and bumping up ratings throughout the year for the NFL,” Berke said.

A recent report from the Video Advertising Bureau found that the new measurement from Nielsen has boosted ratings for prime time NFL games in the mid-to-high single digit percentages.

Other changes to Nielsen’s measurement in recent years have given the Super Bowl a boost. While surpassing 100 million was once a reasonable goal, the numbers started climbing above that threshold since out-of-home viewing was added in 2021.

History is on the side of a robust audience number this year. The last time the Patriots faced the Seahawks in 2015, the NBC telecast set a viewership record at the time of 114.4 million. Fans watching Sunday can expect to see clips of Malcolm Butler’s interception at the goal line that helped give Tom Brady’s Patriots the win that year.

But NBC doesn’t need a record audience number for the Super Bowl to be a financial success. A robust TV advertising marketplace helped the network sell out the game at a record average of $8 million per 30-second spot, with some going for $10 million.

NBC has also sold spots that will air only on its Peacock streaming platform. The network pulled in the range of $3 million a spot, significantly above the $2 million Fox took in for ads last year when the game was streamed on its Tubi service.

This year NBC was able to use Super Bowl LX to drive ad sales for its coverage of the Winter Olympic Games in Milan that begin Friday and run through Feb. 22, (which is also sold out). The network also has the NBA All-Star Game at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Feb. 14, which is why Mike Cavanaugh, co-chief executive of NBCU parent Comcast, recently described February as “the most consequential month in live sports history.”

In 2022, NBC’s combination of both the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl, accounted for $1.5 billion in revenue according to Comcast’s earnings report, a number the company will likely surpass this year. The company isn’t commenting on revenue but has said it expects to set a record for Super Bowl ad revenue.

Mark Marshall, chairman of global advertising sales and partnerships for NBCUniversal, said 70% of the companies in the Super Bowl are also running commercials in the Olympics.

In previous decades, a Super Bowl commercial was an event in itself with the reveal happening on the telecast. But Marshall noted that, as part of a larger marketing effort, advertising campaigns are now introduced with teasers ahead of the telecast and many get a full preview online.

This year, NBCU was able to offer the Olympics to help marketers connect with more consumers.

“We told advertisers ‘you’re going to spend eight figures (on producing a commercial) — extend the reach of that,” Marshall said.

Technology companies make up the largest share of advertisers. Several AI companies, including Anthropic and Genspark, will be first-time Super Bowl ad buyers. Viewers will also see returning entries from Google, Meta, Wix and Amazon, which will air a spot for its Alexa device.

While there are the usual array of snack food and soft drink companies that will appearin the commercial breaks, viewers will also see a spurt in pharmaceutical ads. Marshall said the category has increased its presence on NFL games. The Super Bowl spots will focus on a message of “wellness,” rather than straight ahead product spots with disclaimers listing unpleasant drug side effects.

Marshall said NBCU does not expect the announced alternative halftime show presented by Turning Point USA to have an impact on the ratings. A concert featuring Kid Rock and lesser known country artists Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett, will stream on YouTube, X, Rumble and several right-wing TV channels.

The concert promoted by the right-wing group founded by the late Charlie Kirk and now run by his widow Erika is in response to conservatives outraged over the NFL’s selection of Grammy-winning music superstar Bad Bunny, who sings primarily in Spanish, as the halftime act. (President Trump called the decision “terrible” and is skipping the game.)

But the league has not wavered for a moment amid the blowback, as it seeks to expand its global reach by having the most streamed artist in the world on the stage of its marquee event.

The only effective counter-programming gimmick against the Super Bowl halftime show came in 1992. Fox, still an upstart network, ran a live edition of its sketch comedy show “In Living Color” against the halftime of the CBS telecast of Super Bowl XXVI, which featured ice skaters Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano.

The pronounced dip in viewership prompted the NFL to sign Michael Jackson as the halftime act in 1993. The game saw a significant ratings boost and the league has booked contemporary music acts for the game ever since.

MILLIE Mackintosh got in contact with her ex-husband Professor Green before splitting from Hugo Taylor, the rapper has revealed.

Yesterday, it was reported that Millie, 36, and her husband Hugo Taylor have split following seven years of marriage.

While it’s been a decade since their split, Professor Green – real name Stephen Manderson – admitted that the pair have recently been in contact.

Appearing on Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast in October, he dubbed Millie “beautiful” while sharing that the pair have bonded over both being diagnosed with ADHD in recent years.

“It was really recently that we spoke actually about our mutual diagnosis and, you know, our kids,” said the music star, 42.

He added that the pair were toxic for one another at the time of their marriage, describing it as a “trauma bond”.

FORMER FLAMES

All the signs Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor had split up

it’s over

Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor SPLIT after seven years of marriage

Back in October, a source told The Sun that Millie and her ex were on good terms, sharing: “They have started speaking again, and they are on better terms than they have been in a decade.

“Both being parents has played a huge part, and they have both grown up a lot. They have also both given up booze, which was a huge issue when they were together.”

Millie shares two daughters with Hugo; Sienna and Aurelia.

Professor Green has been single since he split from fiancée Karima McAdams in 2024 after welcoming son Slimane three years prior.

The rapper is set to appear on this year’s Celebs Go Dating alongside the likes of Coleen Nolan and Love Island’s Gabby Allen.

Millie married Professor Green in 2013 after a failed relationship with Hugo.

But, following their divorce in 2016, Millie and Hugo got back together before tying the knot themselves two years later.

According to the Daily Mail, Millie and Hugo, 39, went their separate ways after a series of discussions in the New Year.

An insider told the publication: “Millie and Hugo are currently going through a separation and have sadly decided to split. 

“They have known each other for many years, and in recent weeks, have had serious conversations about their future, ultimately deciding it’s better for them both to part ways.

“Their main priority remains their children and family life, and separating is not something they ever hoped would happen.

“At present, they are considering what living apart might look like and how they plan to navigate co-parenting their young children.

“It’s been an incredibly difficult start to the year, and one they hope to continue managing in private.”

MILLIE Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor have called it quits after seven years of marriage.

Though it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Made In Chelsea stars, who reportedly split following a “difficult start to the year.”

Looking back over the end of the couple’s relationship, there were indicators of trouble brewing in paradise.

Here are all the signs that Millie and Hugo were preparing to part ways, or had already parted ways prior to making the announcement public.

DWINDLING SOCIAL POSTS

In the months prior to the split there was a notable lack of posts online featuring the couple together.

The last one appeared on Millie’s Instagram account on Boxing Day, where she wished all of her followers a happy Christmas and posted snippets from what she described as “a wonderful few days”.

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Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor SPLIT after seven years of marriage

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The primary photo in the carousel shows Millie holding hands with her daughter, with no mention of Hugo.

It isn’t actually until the ninth photo in that Hugo makes an appearance at all, smiling at the camera while Millie looks away from him.

They’re both dressed up smartly for the holidays, a daughter in each of their arms by a neatly placed dinner table.

MILLIE’S SOLO GETAWAY

Before news of the split broke Millie posted a reel to her Instagram grid from a week long retreat.

She’s at the calming location alone, documenting the journey in a day-in-the-life style.

Millie captioned the content: “My schedule this week. Yoga, Massage. Eating. Resting. Repeat. I’m taking this feeling home with me.”

Her followers wished her a wonderful time in the post’s comments section.

MILLIE’S SPILLS THAT SHE’S STRESSED

Millie shared via Instagram that she’s been feeling stressed and dysregulated, though she didn’t disclose why.

Sharing snippets of herself at the spa enjoying skin treatments and soothing massages, the star penned: “I didn’t realise how much my nervous system had been carrying until I finally stopped.

“This week isn’t about doing more, it’s about unwinding. Listening. Letting my body feel safe enough to rest.

“I’ll share this experience gently, day by day…

“Have you ever felt like your body needed a pause before your mind did?“.

Only a matter of days after the post went live the couple announced they had parted ways.

THE BREAK UP

News of the break up flooded the internet today, despite it sounding like the pair’s relationship had been rocky for a while towards the end.

An insider speaking on the split told the Daily Mail: “Millie and Hugo are currently going through a separation and have sadly decided to split. 

“They have known each other for many years, and in recent weeks, have had serious conversations about their future, ultimately deciding it’s better for them both to part ways.

“Their main priority remains their children and family life, and separating is not something they ever hoped would happen.

“At present, they are considering what living apart might look like and how they plan to navigate co-parenting their young children.

“It’s been an incredibly difficult start to the year, and one they hope to continue managing in private.”

Millie and Hugo started dating in 2011 following their debut on E4 programme Made In Chelsea.

Though they split up not long after, and Millie went on to marry singer Professor Green in 2013.

After divorcing Professor Green in 2016, Millie and Hugo rekindled and wed in 2018, going on to welcome their two daughters.

ACTRESS Margot Robbie hits a Hollywood height at her new film’s premiere — wearing a £6million necklace once owned by Elizabeth Taylor. 

The Taj Mahal diamond is a heart-shaped gold pendant set in jade and hanging from a gold, ruby and diamond chain made by Cartier. 

It was given to Elizabeth by fifth hubby Richard Burton for her 40th in 1972. 

Margot wore it to the world ­premiere of Wuthering Heights in Los Angeles, where she was earlier joined by co-star Jacob Elordi and singer Charli XCX, who recorded the film’s soundtrack. 

The actress, Cathy in the adaptation of Emily Bronte’s 1847 novel, said the necklace was poignant as it had “a lot of romantic history”. 

She said: “It’s our big Hollywood world premiere — we’ve got to go all out. 

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“This is Elizabeth Taylor’s necklace. It’s the Taj Mahal diamond that Richard ­Burton gave to her. 

“There’s something kind of Cathy and Heathcliff about ­Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in my mind, so it felt appropriate.” 

The diamond was created for a 17th century Mughal emperor who ­commissioned the Taj Mahal.

It was later acquired by Cartier, with Burton buying it from them to give to Elizabeth. 

Following her death in 2011, it was sold at ­auction for £6million to an anonymous buyer.