Roommates, y’all know the timeline stays ready when somebody shares their opinion on food. And this time, Erica Banks had plenty to say after tasting Tina Knowles’ cooking—sparking a whole debate online.
Erica Banks Keeps It Real About Tina Knowles’ Cooking
On Friday, Erica took to Instagram after pulling up to Tina Knowles’ gumbo booth at the Houston Rodeo and gave her official review. Sharing a clip labeled “Ms. Tina’s Gumbo Review,” she wrote, “Now I did feel like I took 3 Don Julio shots after about 20mins BUT — I give the gumbo a 9/10!”
Rocking a sleek side-part ponytail, layered jewelry, and a brown tie-up corset top, Erica made it clear the gumbo was “good as f*ck,” adding that while she’s not from Louisiana, it doesn’t take that to recognize good food. And whew, when folks started coming for her in the comments, Erica didn’t hold back, hopping in to say, “Omg yall get mad at everything,” letting it be known she said what she said.
Fans Clash Over A Gumbo Review
Folks wasted no time flooding The Shade Room’s Instagram comment section, and you already know they had thoughts. Some questioned why people were so quick to doubt that Tina Knowles could actually throw down in the kitchen, while others said they’ve tried the gumbo themselves and she’s telling the truth. Meanwhile, a whole group chimed in saying if you’re not from Louisiana, you shouldn’t be judging gumbo at all.
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One Instagram user @lexijanay added, “Damnnnn why yall can’t believe that lady Gumbo is actually GOOD????😭😭😭 Wtf“
This Instagram user @whoo.tee said, “I hope yall not saying her gumbo good cause of who her daughter is…“
And, Instagram user @chanel_dl0r commented, “it really is good i had two bowls . I give it a 8.5“
Meanwhile, Instagram user @f_sharp__major wrote, “Somebody NOT from New Orleans can NOT judge gumbo!!“
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While Instagram user @liberated.empress shared, “YOU DONT EAT GUMBO WHEN ITS HOT OUTSIDE😂”
Finally, Instagram user @tripple_d_texas joked, “When people say something good off ONE BITE I know they be lying 🤣🤣🤣”
Mama Tina Serves Up Gumbo Amid Houston Rodeo Hiccup
Roommates, everyone’s talking—why does Tina Knowles’ gumbo keep making waves? Despite a brief hiccup at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Mama Tina is still outside serving up bowls through March 22. Officials temporarily shut down her booth following a complaint investigation, but according to reports, she quickly got things back on track and passed inspection, allowing her to reopen shortly after.
And clearly, the moment didn’t slow her down one bit. Lines have stayed full with fans—and even familiar faces like LeToya Luckett and Bun B—pulling up to show love and co-sign the flavor. Tina even hit Instagram to share clips of folks enjoying her gumbo, proving that despite the chatter, customers are still tapping in heavy for a taste.
“Sister, Sister” alum Tia Mowry has navigated major change over the last several years. During a new interview, the actress opened up about how her boundaries have shifted since her divorce from her ex-husband Cory Hardrict in April 2023.
Tia Mowry Says She Shares What She Feels ‘Secure’ About
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Speaking with PEOPLE at the 2026 Essence Black Women in Hollywood event, Tia, 47, said that since divorcing her ex-husband, she has begun paying close attention to what she shares with the world.
“If I am feeling secure about something, then I’m okay sharing, because everybody wants to say what they want to say. When you are secure with yourself, then you’re like, ‘This is just noise,’” she said.
Tia went on to say that she has chosen not to share the things she is “apprehensive” about or is still mentally working through.
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“I’ll create a boundary until I’m ready to,” she said. “So yeah, it’s all about what I feel secure about, and also just [what I’m] passionate about, that I’m open to talk about.”
Tia Mowry And Cory Hardrict Went Their Seperate Ways 14 Years After Their Marriage
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Tia and Hardrict were married in 2008, according to TODAY. They showcased their marriage during earlier episodes of Tia’s reality show with her sister, “Tia and Tamera.”
Tia announced their split in an Instagram post in October 2022, writing, “These decisions are never easy, and not without sadness. We will maintain a friendship as we co-parent our beautiful children. I am grateful for all the happy times we had together and want to thank my friends, family, and fans for your love and support as we start this new chapter moving forward in our lives.”
While speaking with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush during a “TODAY” episode, Tia said that she felt her marriage to Hardrict, with whom she has two kids, was over when “I really started to focus on my happiness.”
“I feel like women, we tend to focus on everybody else’s happiness, making sure that everybody else is OK — meaning our children, our friends, our family,” she added.
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Tia Mowry Said Dating Was Challenging After Divorce Because Of People’s Obsession With ‘Sister, Sister’
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Tia attempted to put herself out there following her split from Hardrict; however, dating was a bit of a challenge for the actress.
“When it becomes very clear on why someone is dating you through their behaviors, it’s disappointing,” she told Us Weekly, referring to people only wanting to get close to her because of her proximity to fame.
“I’ve realized that some people are attracted because there was some sort of infatuation growing up — you know, ‘Oh, this is the girl from Sister, Sister,’” she said.
“It’s like, ‘Nah. I want you to know me and love me when the makeup comes off.’”
Tia Is ‘In Love’ With A Mystery Man!
Despite the roadblocks, Tia revealed in a new interview with E! News that she’s found her special someone. “I’m in love,” she said. “But that’s all I’m going to say. I’m keeping this close to my heart.”
Recently, Tia sparked conversation after @TheShadeRoom reshared a social media post of hers showcasing two pairs of white shoes. The caption read, “Stopping to smell the roses.”
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Her new mystery man doesn’t mean she is not on good terms with her ex, Hardrict, though!
In a December 2024 Instagram post, the mother of two opened up about co-parenting, calling it a “journey” that can be “challenging and even lonely at times.”
“But over time, I’ve found the beauty in it. It’s an opportunity for my kids to build meaningful relationships with both parents, and for me, it creates space for self-discovery, healing, and rejuvenation,” she wrote.
Tia Opens Up About Relationship With Sister, Tamera
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According to The Blast, social media users believed Tia was feuding with her sister, Tamera Mowry, after she made a statement about their relationship on her reality show, “My Next Act” in 2024.
“I came into this world with a twin, and right after that, I went into a 22-year relationship, so I have never been alone in my life. It has been quite a journey,” Tia said. “Being alone has been the most challenging part of my divorce,” she added. “It’s times like this when I feel and wish that my sister and I were still close, and I could pick up the phone and call her. But that’s just not where we are right now.”
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Tia and Tamera both pushed back against those claims, however, saying things were perfectly fine for the two pop culture icons.
“The world, they’re so used to seeing all of us together, but at the end of the day, we all grow up. We all have our own families,” Tia said, while Tamera said they always make it a priority to stay connected to one another.
Chris Pine on the red carpetDave Starbuck/Future Image/Cover Images
There have been few streaming hits quite as massive as Prime Video’s Reacher — the crowning glory after a decade of programming aimed directly at dads. In the fine tradition of Bosch and Jack Ryan, Reacher delivered massive viewership for the streamer and is set to expand with a spin-off. The show’s success has also cemented Alan Ritchson as one of the biggest streaming-era stars of his generation, as can be seen from the terrific performance of his most recent films — Prime Video’s own Playdate and Netflix’s War Machine. Meanwhile, anything that bears even the faintest whiff of Reacher has been blessed with viewership bumps. Among the best examples of this is a Chris Pine thriller that was released in the same year as Reacher, but truly found an audience years later.
This week, the movie passed a major milestone on the home video charts, four years after its unremarkable run in theaters. The movie served as a Hell or High Water reunion for Pine and his co-star, Ben Foster. It also featured Gillian Jacobs, Eddie Marsan, and Kiefer Sutherland. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that Pine has attempted to appease the dad demographic. He previously starred in the movie Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, which was supposed to spawn a franchise but ended up underperforming at the box office. Instead, the property was rebooted as a Prime Video show starring John Krasinski.
It’s Friday the 13th. What better day to bone up on your knowledge of King Friday XIII and other television royals?
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This ‘Reacher’ Replacement Has Become a Fixture on the Domestic Paramount+ Chart
Pine’s 2022 movie is The Contractor, directed by the Swedish filmmaker Tarik Saleh, who had previously directed episodes of shows such as Westworld and Ray Donovan. The Contractor was released day-and-date in theaters and on PVOD by Paramount, and as a Prime Video original overseas. The movie received mixed reviews, and is now sitting at a 45% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The aggregator’s consensus reads, “The Contractor is caught between message movie and standard-issue action thriller, satisfying neither aim despite strong work from a talented cast.” However, the film’s 72% audience score is perhaps what has helped it become the home video hit that it is. According to FlixPatrol, the movie has spent more than 50 days on the domestic Paramount+ chart, despite competition from bigger titles. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
According to the official synopsis, The Madison follows the Clyburn family from New York City, who “relocate to the Madison River valley of southwest Montana for emotional recovery following a tragedy that shattered the family.”
In addition to Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer, the show stars Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman, Matthew Fox, Beau Garrett, Alaina Pollack, Amiah Miller as members of the Clyburn family, Ben Schnetzer, Kevin Zegers. Rebecca Spence and Danielle Vasinova make up the rest of the cast.
Off screen, meanwhile, the cast has found love as well. Keep scrolling to learn more about the The Madison cast and their respective love lives:
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Michelle Pfeiffer
Emerson Miller /Paramount +
Michelle Pfeiffer has been linked to Peter Horton, John Malkovich and Fisher Stevens. Pfeiffer has been married to David E. Kelley since 1993. They share two kids.
Kurt Russell
Emerson Miller /Paramount +
Kurt Russell has been in a relationship with Goldie Hawn since 1983. They welcomed a son together, Wyatt Russell, in 1986. Hawn has two kids from her previous marriage: Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson. Russell was previously married to Season Hubley, and they share a son, Boston Russell.
Beau Garrett
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Beau Garrett married Shane Richards in 2025 while filming The Madison. The pair share one child.
Patrick J. Adams
Emerson Miller /Paramount +
Patrick J. Adams has been married to Troian Bellisario since 2016. They share three daughters.
Elle Chapman
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Elle Chapman is currently dating actor Patrick Luwis.
Taylor Sheridan has assembled a star-studded cast in his newest hit The Madison — but who does each actor play after numerous shocking onscreen deaths? According to the official synopsis, The Madison follows the Clyburn family from New York City, who “relocate to the Madison River valley of southwest Montana for emotional recovery following a […]
Kevin Zegers
Emerson Miller /Paramount +
Kevin Zegers married Jaime Feld in 2013. The couple welcomed twins in 2015.
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Matthew Fox
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Matthew Fox shares two kids with Margherita Ronchi, whom he married in 1992.
Danielle Vasinova
Emerson Miller /Paramount +
Danielle Vasinova previously dated Robert Herjavec.
Rebecca Spence
Emerson Miller/Paramount+
Rebecca Spence has been married to her husband, Patrick, for nearly 27 years. They share two kids.
“Epic” isn’t just an adjective one can ascribe to a film: It’s a whole genre unto itself, one whose definition tends to be somewhat vague. But, in broad strokes, one can define a cinematic epic as a large-scale film of sweeping scope and grandeur; they’re usually quite long, usually quite expensive, and usually all about spectacle. But spectacle doesn’t need to come exclusively from large set pieces, it can also come from some of the greatest acting performances cinema has ever seen.
Those who love the epic genre are well aware of the fact that it has offered some exceptional performances over the years. From modern Hollywood blockbusters like The Dark Knightto international classics like Seven Samurai, these are films whose actors understood that a large-scale story is the perfect place to offer a large-scale performance.
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‘Titanic’ (1997)
Tied with Ben-Hur and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingfor the most Academy Award wins in history (with a whopping 11), James Cameron‘s Titanicproves why this is seen as one of the most visionary filmmakers working in Hollywood today. It’s far more than just a sweeping romance: It’s one of the biggest, most emotionally riveting period epics ever made.
Titanic is the cinematic epic par excellence, checking off pretty much every box that the genre requires—including absolutely unforgettable larger-than-life performances. There are the turns that made Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet international superstars and household names; Billy Zane‘s exquisitely evil performance as the film’s main antagonist; and Kathy Bates‘ scene-stealing supporting role. It’s a large cast, but Cameron gives everyone their time to shine.
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‘Amadeus’ (1984)
Image via Orion Pictures
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Plenty of drama masterpieces with great acting came out during the ’80s, but only one of them is a rousing epic about jealousy and rivalry focused on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. That’s Miloš Forman‘s Amadeus, a masterpiece that draws a surprisingly long runtime and unexpectedly juicy bits of drama from one of the most mythologized rivalries in modern history.
But the movie wouldn’t have worked half as well if Tom Hulce weren’t so electrifying as Mozart or if F. Murray Abraham’s Oscar-winning turn as Salieri weren’t so emotionally powerful. The film is certainly dominated acting-wise by its central duet, but supporting stars like Elizabeth Berridge and Jeffrey Jones, round out the cast tremendously well, making for an ensemble that one simply can’t take one’s eyes off of.
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‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)
Image via Universal Pictures
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Steven Spielberg is the king of blockbusters, and the man behind several of the greatest and most entertaining pop corn flicks in history, but the best movie he’s ever made is far different from anything else in his filmography. The title has to go to his Best Picture Oscar-winning Schindler’s List, both a harrowing period piece set during the Holocaust and one of the best biopics of all time.
Oskar Schindler was always going to be a very complicated figure to bring to life in a way that felt nuanced enough, but Liam Neeson does a phenomenal job at making the character feel like a complete, complicated individual. Then there’s Ralph Fiennes, whose portrayal of SS functionary Amon Göth was so chillingly realistic that a Holocaust survivor who has brought on the set was visibly terrified of him. Add to that an amazing Sir Ben Kingsley and an equally strong supporting cast, an you get one of the strongest ensembles of any ’90s film.
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‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
Robber clowns in ‘The Dark Knight.’Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
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Plenty of action blockbusters with great acting have come out over the years, but few with performances superior to those in Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight. The elephant in the room every time anyone talks about the most beloved superhero film of all time is Heath Ledger, whose Oscar-winning embodiment of the Joker may just be the greatest villain performance of the 21st century by far.
But while Ledger’s transcendental performance is admittedly one of the main reasons why The Dark Knight is held in such high regard, it’s not the only one. This is the movie where Christian Bale fully came into his own as both Batman and Bruce Wayne, and he shares exceptional chemistry with Maggie Gyllenhaal (who replaced Katie Holmes from Batman Beginsas Rachel Dawes). Aaron Eckhart‘s turn as Two-Face is also criminally underappreciated, nicely rounding out a cast for the history books.
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‘There Will Be Blood’ (2007)
Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano shaking hands in There Will Be Blood.Image via Paramount Vantage
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Paul Thomas Anderson has been one of the greatest filmmakers in Hollywood since the ’90s, and he’s managed to never deliver a single film that could be considered outright bad. But, like all the greats, he also has an undisputed magnum opus: There Will Be Blood, where the legendary Daniel Day-Lewis delivers one of the most undeniable Best Actor Oscar wins in history.
Day-Lewis is far and away one of the most gifted thespians of his generation, and There Will Be Blood is proof enough of that. But the film is also proof that, despite what Quentin Tarantino might foolishly say, Paul Dano deserves to be counted among the best of his generation every bit as much as Day-Lewis does. These two titans would have been enough to qualify this as one of the best-acted films of the 2000s, but then there’s also Dillon Freasier delivering one of the best child performances of all time.
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‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy
Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Samwise, Frodo, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin forming The Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingImage via New Line Cinema
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For a while, no one would have blamed any fans of J. R. R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Ringsbooks for thinking that their favorite series of fantasy masterpieces was impossible to adapt into a film that paid proper respect to the books’ legacy. Along came Peter Jackson and dispersed any doubts that anyone might have had, delivering not just one, not just two, but three of the best fantasy adventure movies of all time.
Every actor in the Fellowship of the Ring, from Viggo Mortensen to Ian McKellen to Sean Astin, carries the whole trilogy on their shoulders effortlessly.
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When talking about these films in general—and about their cast in particular—, it’s impossible not to naturally group them together. Every actor in the Fellowship of the Ring, from Viggo Mortensen to Ian McKellen to Sean Astin, carries the whole trilogy on their shoulders effortlessly; and when you add iconic supporting turns like Bernard Hill‘s, Christopher Lee‘s, and Brad Dourif‘s, it’s impossible not to think of this as the greatest cast ever assembled for a fantasy epic franchise.
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‘Seven Samurai’ (1954)
The Seven Samurai stand assembled in one of the film’s more iconic moments.Image via Toho
Akira Kurosawa is not only the undisputed greatest filmmaker in Japanese history; some even refer to him as the single greatest movie director of all time, and deservedly so. After all, who, if not the most gifted auteur in cinematic history, could have made a masterpiece of Seven Samurai‘s stature? Often imitated but never matched, this action epic shows why Kurosawa would deserve to be at the forefront of a hypothetical Mount Rushmore of action movie directors.
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There are several reasons why this is one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of cinema, such as the thrilling set pieces and Kurosawa’s unforgettable visuals, but there’s also the tremendous cast. Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, and the rest of the incredible cast are all among the greatest Japanese thespians who have ever lived, and their career-best performances here are the stuff of international movie legend.
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‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962)
Image via Columbia Pictures
One of the most ambitious Best Picture Oscar winners of all time, made by a director that most cinephiles would agree was the master of the cinematic epic genre, Lawrence of Arabiais a WWII biopic unlike any other. What David Lean achieved here has never been done quite on this scale since: A war epic of massive scale and sweeping scope, but one balanced with the feeling of a deeply intimate character study, which results in one of the most complete and complex biopics ever made.
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It’s astonishing that this was Peter O’Toole‘s first-ever leading role, since his portrayal of T. E. Lawrence is one of the greatest acting performances in the history of film. Add to that Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, and Omar Sharif, and you get one of the most incredible cast ensembles in the history of cinema. Every performance in Lawrence of Arabia is larger than life, and it makes for a movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat for nearly four hours through its performances alone.
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‘Magnolia’ (1999)
Tom Cruise as Frank T.J. Mackey in MagnoliaImage via New Line Cinema
After talking about There Will Be Blood, no more proof should be needed that Paul Thomas Anderson knows his stuff when it comes to bringing together a legendary cast; but for those still doubtful, there’s also Magnolia. This is an epic not so much in scale, but rather in the intricacy of its enthralling tapestry of characters, all played by some of the biggest and greatest stars that were working in Hollywood in 1999.
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The list is borderline jaw-dropping. Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, and John C. Reilly all deliver turns that deserve to be counted among the best of any ’90s film, and Tom Cruise gives what’s still the best performance of his career. Magnolia works as well as it does not only because PTA directs and writes it in such a taut, emotionally stirring way, but mainly because the cast is so legendarily amazing all across the board.
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‘The Godfather’ (1972) and ‘The Godfather Part II’ (1974)
Marlon Brando and Al Pacino in The Godfather (1972)Image via Paramount Pictures
An admirable number of movie fans would very likely say that never in history have there ever been two films quite like Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Godfatherand The Godfather Part II. One is arguably the greatest of all gangster films, while the other works as the best sequel and best prequel in the history of cinema. Both films are masterclasses in virtually ever department that comes into making a movie, and that most definitely includes acting.
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Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro as Vito, Al Pacino as Michael, Diane Keaton as Kay, James Caan as Sonny, John Cazale as Fredo. These are all names that you’ll very easily find in people’s rankings of the best acting performances in Hollywood history, and very rightfully so. The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are flawless crime epics, but they’re also so much more than that—including, for instance, the best-acted epics in the history of cinema.
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Collider Exclusive · Oscar Best Picture Quiz Which Oscar Best Picture Is Your Perfect Movie? Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country
Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one.
🪜Parasite
🌀Everything Everywhere
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☢️Oppenheimer
🐦Birdman
🪙No Country for Old Men
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01
What kind of film experience do you actually want? The best movies don’t just entertain — they leave something behind.
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02
Which idea grabs you most in a film? Great films are driven by a central obsession. What’s yours?
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03
How do you like your story told? Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means.
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04
What makes a truly great antagonist? The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you?
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05
What do you want from a film’s ending? The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like?
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06
Which setting pulls you in most? Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what’s even possible.
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07
What cinematic craft impresses you most? Every great film has a signature — a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable.
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08
What kind of main character do you root for? The protagonist is the lens. Who you choose to follow says something about you.
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09
How do you feel about a film that takes its time? Pace is a choice. Some films sprint; others let tension accumulate slowly, deliberately.
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What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema? The best films leave a mark. What kind of mark do you want?
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The Academy Has Decided Your Perfect Film Is…
Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others. This is the film that was made for the way your mind works.
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Parasite
You are drawn to films that operate on multiple levels simultaneously — that begin in one genre and quietly, brilliantly migrate into another. Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is a film about class, desire, and the architecture of inequality that manages to be darkly funny, deeply suspenseful, and genuinely shocking across a single extraordinary running time. Your instinct is for cinema that hides its true intentions until the moment it’s ready to reveal them. Parasite is exactly that — a film that rewards close attention and punishes assumptions, right up to its devastating final image.
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Everything Everywhere All at Once
You want it all — and this film gives you all of it. The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most maximalist films ever made: action comedy, multiverse sci-fi, family drama, existential crisis, and a genuinely earned emotional core that sneaks up on you amid the chaos. You are someone who responds to ambition, who doesn’t want cinema to choose between being entertaining and being meaningful. This film refuses that choice entirely. It is overwhelming by design, and its overwhelming nature is precisely the point — because the feeling of being crushed by infinite possibility is exactly what it’s about.
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Oppenheimer
You are drawn to cinema on a grand scale — films that understand history not as a backdrop but as a force, and that place their characters inside that force and watch what happens. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a film about the terrifying gap between what we can do and what we should do, told with the full weight of one of the most consequential moments in human history behind it. You want your films to feel important without feeling self-important — to earn their ambition through sheer craft and the gravity of their subject. Oppenheimer does exactly that. It is enormous, complicated, and refuses easy comfort.
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Birdman
You are drawn to films that foreground their own construction — that make the how of the filmmaking part of the what it’s about. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman, shot to appear as a single continuous take, is cinema examining itself through the cracked mirror of a fading actor’s ego. You respond to formal daring, to the feeling that a film is doing something that probably shouldn’t be possible. Michael Keaton’s performance and Emmanuel Lubezki’s restless camera create something genuinely unlike anything else — a film that is simultaneously about creativity, relevance, self-destruction, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing if your work means anything at all.
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No Country for Old Men
You are drawn to cinema that trusts silence, that refuses to explain itself, and that treats dread as a form of meaning. The Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men is a film about the arrival of a new kind of evil — implacable, arbitrary, and utterly indifferent to the moral frameworks we use to make sense of the world. It is one of the most formally controlled films ever made, and its controlled restraint is what makes it so terrifying. You want your films to haunt you, not comfort you. You are not interested in resolution if resolution would be dishonest. No Country for Old Men is honest in a way that most cinema never dares to be.
The release of Justin Timberlake’s DWI footage has revealed that a friend attempted to use his celebrity status to influence authorities.
The singer was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Sag Harbor, New York, in June 2024, but the footage only recently surfaced following a legal back-and-forth between the singer and law enforcement.
Only a partially redacted version of the video was released after Justin Timberlake’s legal team and the Sag Harbor Police Department reached an agreement.
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Justin Timberlake’s Female Pal Tried To Invoke His Celebrity Status
OConnor-Arroyo / AFF-USA.com / MEGA
In the wake of the release of Justin Timberlake’s DWI video, more light has been shed on the incident, revealing bizarre behavior from a female friend who appeared on the scene.
According to reports, the friend, named Estee Stanley, arrived just as the singer was being escorted to the police car and allegedly tried to influence the officers by invoking Timberlake’s celebrity status.
In one moment, she can be seen asking, “You’re arresting Justin Timberlake right now?!” seemingly in an attempt to intervene or delay the process.
When the officers refused to budge, Stanley asked if she could give Timberlake his phone. Since this was against protocol, the officers initially denied her request.
Undeterred, Stanley pleaded in a playful manner, saying, “Can you guys please just do me a favor ’cause you loved ‘Bye Bye Bye’ or ‘SexyBack’? Do me one favor!”
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Surprisingly, her efforts worked, and the officers accepted her offer before whisking away Timberlake.
The Former NSYNC Band Member Tried To Block The Release Of His DWI Video
Sag Harbor PD/MEGA
The release of the footage comes just weeks after Timberlake sought to prevent it from being made public, following a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request for its disclosure.
The singer filed a petition with the Suffolk County Supreme Court, arguing that the video “contains personally identifying information and private details that are not germane to any law enforcement action of public concern.”
“The footage at issue depicts Petitioner in an acutely vulnerable state during a roadside encounter with law enforcement, capturing intimate details of Petitioner’s physical appearance, demeanor, speech, and conduct during field sobriety testing, the subsequent arrest, and Petitioner’s confinement following arrest over the next several hours,” Timberlake argued further in the document.
At the time, the “Cry Me a River” crooner also complained that the release of the video would cause him “irreparable” harm.
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“The harm from public exposure—stigma, harassment, reputational injury, and the permanent loss of privacy—is immediate and irreparable,” the doc also read.
Justin Timberlake Was Worried The ‘Messy’ Footage Would Ruin His Good-Guy Image
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Before the release of the arrest video, a Timberlake source claimed that the pop singer was especially worried about how the video could impact his good-guy image.
“It’s the tone. The entitlement. The attitude. It’s messy,” an insider told Rob Shuter’s #ShuterScoop. “And it clashes with the image he’s been selling.”
“His brand is polished and controlled,” another source claimed. “If this footage drops, people will see an unfiltered moment that undercuts all of that.”
A third insider pointed out that Timberlake understands how harsh the public can be and hoped to prevent any further damage to his reputation.
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“He knows the internet never forgets,” the source shared. “One viral clip could follow him forever.”
The Singer And Sag Harbor Police Reached An Agreement On DWI Video Release
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When the case was heard in court in an impromptu hearing, the presiding judge, Justice Joseph Farneti, urged Timberlake and the police department to mediate and see if a resolution could be reached.
He also placed an injunction preventing its release until the police department submitted the necessary documents supporting the FOIL request by those who requested the footage be made public.
It appears that Justin’s legal team and the Sag Harbor Police Department were able to reach an agreement, as a partially redacted video was what was released. The released video was almost 20 minutes long, compared to the initial eight hours of footage that had been recorded of the DWI.
Despite the release of the video, Timberlake appears to have had a small victory, as a joint filing with Sag Harbor officials acknowledged that the released footage did not violate privacy laws.
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Justin Timberlake Was Fined For His DWI Incident After Entering A Guilty Plea
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For his DWI incident, Timberlake entered a guilty plea in September 2024. The plea carried minimal punishment, which included a $500 fine, 25 hours of community service, and a three-month suspension of his driver’s license.
The singer also expressed remorse for being involved in the incident, recording a public message in which he acknowledged his mistake and urged citizens to learn from his experience.
“This is a mistake that I’ve made, but I’m hoping whoever’s watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake,” Timberlake said at the time, per Independent.
He added, “I know that I certainly have. And like I said, even one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car.”
Right now, The Pitt is the show of the moment. Every week since early January, millions of viewers have been tuning into the show’s second season to watch the nurses and doctors of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center save lives and cure patients on a very hectic and dramatic Fourth of July. The Pitt is something of an anomaly in today’s television landscape in that, during its first season, it became a hit through positive word-of-mouth and a steadily growing week-to-week audience. It was given the chance to find its footing and reach viewers, and now it’s already one of the biggest shows of the year.
However, there’s also little question that The Pitt got a boost from a show that came before it. Medical dramas are almost as old as television itself, and more often than not, they follow a familiar formula of rotating patients and doctors, high-stakes cases, and plenty of blood. The Pitt found a way to stand out with its real-time format, but it still has a lot in common with its predecessors in the genre — especially ER, which is now seeing a surge in viewership on streaming. Over 30 years after it premiered, the Michael Crichton-created drama is still very much worth a watch.
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‘ER’ Brought Intense Realism to the TV Medical Drama
Before Noah Wyle was The Pitt‘s experienced and traumatized Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, he was ER‘s newbie, Dr. John Carter. The acclaimed drama first began in 1994 and tracked both the professional and personal lives of the many doctors and nurses who roamed the halls of Cook County General Hospital. Looking back on ER today, one can see shades of several present-day medical dramas, including Grey’s Anatomy and Chicago Med, though those shows might not have been created without ER paving the way. The series redefined what a primetime medical procedural could be, depicting the intensity of a high-volume emergency room with unflinching realism.
ER was ambitious right from the start, as it was born from a screenplay Crichton wrote that was then translated into a two-hour pilot. It introduced its core cast, led by Anthony Edwards‘ Dr. Mark Greene, and plunged them right into a packed 24 hours within the hospital, expertly combining devastating medical cases and character-driven drama. This would soon become ER‘s defining formula, best exemplified by the County General set itself. In one room, you could find Greene and Carter working to save someone’s life, while the next one over would see Dr. Doug Ross (a pre-big-break George Clooney) sharing a private moment with Nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies).
ER is still considered one of the best medical dramas ever, but for a time, its significance for younger generations seemed overshadowed by the soapier antics of shows like Grey’s Anatomy. However, The Pitt has revived interest in ER, with the two shows occupying opposite ends of HBO Max’s daily Top 10 Series chart — #1 and #10, respectively — at the time of writing. They make good companions, both because of their emergency medicine settings and their creative teams. In addition to Wyle’s onscreen roles on both shows, The Pitt was created by former ER producer R. Scott Gemmill and is produced by John Wells, who served as the showrunner for ER‘s first six seasons and as an executive producer for the whole run.
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Collider Exclusive · TV Medicine Quiz Which Fictional Hospital Would You Work Best In? The Pitt · ER · Grey’s Anatomy · House · Scrubs
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Five hospitals. Five completely different ways medicine goes sideways on television — brutal, chaotic, romantic, brilliant, and ridiculous. Only one of them is the ward your instincts were built for. Ten questions will figure out exactly where you belong.
🚨The Pitt
🏥ER
💉Grey’s Anatomy
🔬House
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🩺Scrubs
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01
A critical patient comes through the door. What’s your first instinct? Medicine under pressure reveals who you actually are.
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02
Why did you go into medicine in the first place? The honest answer says more about you than the one you’d give in an interview.
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03
What do you actually want from the people you work with? Who you want beside you under pressure is who you are.
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04
How do you actually perform under extreme pressure? The worst shifts reveal things about you that the good ones never will.
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05
You lose a patient you fought hard to save. How do you carry it? Every doctor who’s worked a long shift has had to answer this question.
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06
How would your colleagues describe the way you work? Your reputation on the floor is usually more accurate than your self-image.
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07
How do you feel about hospital protocol and procedure? Every institution has rules. What you do with them is a choice.
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08
What kind of medical work do you find most compelling? What draws your attention when you walk through those doors matters.
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09
What does this job cost you personally? Nobody works in medicine without paying a price. What’s yours?
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10
At the end of a long shift, what keeps you coming back? The answer to this question is the most honest thing about you.
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Your Assignment Has Been Made You Belong In…
Your answers have pointed to one fictional hospital above all others. This is the ward your instincts, your temperament, and your particular brand of dysfunction were built for.
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The Pitt
You are built for the most unsparing version of emergency medicine television has ever shown. The Pitt doesn’t romanticise the work — it puts you inside a single fifteen-hour shift and doesn’t let you look away. You are someone who needs their work to be real, who finds meaning not in the drama surrounding medicine but in medicine itself, and who has made peace with the fact that this job will take from you constantly and give back in ways that are harder to name. You don’t need the chaos to be aestheticised. You need it to be honest. Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center is exactly that — and you would not want to be anywhere else.
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ER
You are the person who keeps the whole floor running — not the most brilliant in the room, but possibly the most essential. County General is built on the shoulders of people who show up, do the work, absorb the losses, and come back the next day without requiring the job to be anything other than what it is. You care deeply about patients as individual human beings, you believe in the system even when it fails you, and you understand that emergency medicine at its core is about holding the line between order and chaos for just long enough. ER is television about endurance, and you have it.
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Grey’s Anatomy
You came to medicine with your whole self — your ambition, your emotions, your relationships, your history — and you have never quite managed to leave any of it at the door. Grey Sloan is a hospital where the personal and the professional are permanently, chaotically entangled, and where that entanglement produces both the greatest disasters and the most remarkable saves. You are someone who feels things fully, who forms deep attachments to the people you work with, and who understands that the most extraordinary medicine often happens at the intersection of clinical skill and profound human connection. It’s messy here. You would not have it any other way.
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House
You are drawn to the problem above everything else. Not the patient as a person — though you are capable of caring, even if you’d deny it — but the case as a puzzle, the symptom that doesn’t fit, the diagnosis hiding underneath the obvious one. Princeton-Plainsboro is a hospital that exists to house one extraordinary, impossible mind, and everyone around that mind is there because they are smart enough and stubborn enough to keep up. You work best when the stakes are highest, when the standard answer is wrong, and when the only way forward is to think harder than everyone else in the room. That is exactly what you would do here.
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Scrubs
You understand that medicine is tragic and absurd in almost equal measure, and that the only sane response is to hold both of those things at the same time. Sacred Heart is a hospital where the laughter and the grief are genuinely inseparable — where a terrible joke can get you through a terrible moment, and where the most ridiculous people are also, on their best days, remarkably good doctors. You are warm, self-aware, and funnier than most people in your field. You lean on the people around you and you let them lean back. Scrubs is a show about learning to become someone worthy of the job — and you are still very much in the middle of that process, which is exactly right.
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‘ER’ Takes Its Characters Beyond the Hospital, but Always Keeps Its Heart Intact
Noah Wyle’s John Carter, Sherry Stringfield’s Susan, Anthony Edwards’ Mark, George Clooney’s Doug, and Eriq La Salle’s Peter in a promo shot for ERImage via NBC
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Much has been said about The Pitt‘s similarities to ER — in fact, the Crichton estate has sued over the allegation that it grew from an ER reboot that never came to pass — but there are many things that set the two shows apart. Most notably, ER takes its doctors outside the eponymous department, going up to the surgical wing and into their houses. It stands as a sharp reminder that while these people are everyday heroes capable of saving lives without breaking a sweat, they’re also very human. They face mental health crises — Carol is brought into the hospital after a suicide attempt in the very first episode — and relationship troubles just like anyone else.
Because several characters stick around for multiple seasons, viewers truly get invested in their lives, making their trials and tribulations even more impactful. Greene’s eventual departure after spending years as County General’s most reliable doctor is made all the more emotional thanks to the years spent with him, and Carter’s evolution from baby-faced rookie to hardened ER vet is rewarding. Though ER somewhat suffered from its longevity — when a character both loses a limb via helicopter and then is later killed by one, it’s hard not to feel like the shark has been jumped — it always kept its core values intact.
This meant honoring healthcare workers, giving grace to patients, and delivering non-stop drama. At its best, ER could feature storylines that felt devastatingly real, yet utterly shocking, such as a standout Season 1 episode where Mark makes a fatal error when treating a woman in labor. Above all else, it was a fascinating peek into how an emergency room could function, and one that put equal stock in the tragedy and camaraderie that can thrive there. With The Pitt now reminding viewers how effective the medical drama can be, it’s the perfect time to revisit ER.
‘Love Island USA’ star Nic Vans is celebrating his 25th birthday, and Olandria Carthen made sure to show him some public love. On Friday, she shared a sweet message and several throwback moments together. Fans, however, are now debating whether the pair are just friends or in a real romantic relationship.
Olandria Carthen Wishes Nic Vans A Happy 25th Birthday
On Friday, March 20, Olandria Carthen took to Snapchat to celebrate Nic Vans’ 25th birthday. She shared photos from their Love Island USA days, as well as a video from a recent vacation together. In a collage of candid, cozy moments, Carthen expressed her gratitude to Nic, calling him her biggest “supporter” and highlighting the memories they have shared.
“Happy Birthday Nicky Pooh 🥳 my biggest supporter and the one person I can count on no matter what. Thank you for all the laughs, crazy memories, and for always being there even when I’m being a mess. Year 25 will be the best year yet!! ❤️”
Since appearing on Love Island USA Season 7, Nic and Olandria have remained fan favorites. The duo has attended events, enjoyed vacations, and appeared in interviews, though they have never publicly confirmed a romantic relationship.
Social Media Reacts
Fans took to Instagram to weigh in on the pair’s relationship status following Olandria’s post.
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Instagram user @libvoriann wrote, “Definitely giving friends 😅”
Another Instagram user @taye_babydoll wrote, “Wonder when the contract up, so Ola can find her Mannnsss 😍😍😍 for real”
While @amarionashanti wrote, “y’all literally hate on them for no reason they don’t need to convince y’all.. but my favs 😍”
Instagram user @nappturalbella wrote, “Y’all be wanting people to perform for you, and they’re not going to do that!! They’re together whether y’all want to believe it or not.”
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Another Instagram user @lalaavuitton wrote, “Y’all want them to be friends so bad because the couples yall thought was stronger than them ended up breaking up 😂😂😂 yall hate to see them love each other ?? They go together real bad and yall sooooo mad about that”
While Instagram user @vkeyboo2 wrote, “The best relationships don’t have titles ❤️”
Instagram user @flamessz wrote, “no I love yous? It’s been almost a year of this scam 😂😂”
Another Instagram user @bigrican_mma96 wrote, “Dear lord 😂 what they gotta do… release a tape for yall to believe they together? 😂”
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While Instagram user @kdogan44 wrote, “Nicolandria 4L!”
Nic Vans Posts Birthday Photo Dump On Instagram
Nic also shared a nine-photo Instagram carousel celebrating his 25th birthday. The collection included snapshots from his childhood, his time on Love Island, and a family photo featuring Olandria alongside his mom, dad, and sister.
A man (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship as the only survivor of three. He initially has no memory of who he is, what his mission is, or how far he is from Earth. Through pictures, digging through personal items, and a lot of vodka, the man begins to remember that he is a middle school science teacher named Ryland Grace.
Grace was also a molecular biologist before he was a teacher. He was hired by the government to study Astrophage, a microorganism discovered on the sun’s surface. The Astrophage is beginning to dim the sun, and in 30 years could result in global cooling and the death of much of Earth’s population.
A Journey To Save The World
The Astrophage is infecting all other stars close to the sun except for one, Tau Ceti. A three-person team of scientists is sent into space, on a journey 11.5 light-years away, to investigate and hopefully save mankind. The catch is that there’s no way home and that everyone involved knows that this is a suicide mission. That plan is named Project Hail Mary.
Project Hail Mary is based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Andy Weir, author of The Martian. The film’s script is written by Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods, Bad Times at the El Royale) and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie and Spider-Verse franchises).
The sci-fi adventure film has a budget of nearly $200 million, so it’s visually gorgeous. What makes it special, though, is the relationship between Grace and his alien bro Rocky.
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Project Hail Mary Is A Bump-Fisting Buddy Movie
Once Grace reaches Tau Ceti, he meets up with an alien spacecraft. Through dancing, jazz hands, fist bumps, and Grace learning that Rocky communicates via echolocation and musical tones, he creates a translation device to help them communicate. Grace names Rocky himself after his rock-like appearance.
Ryland Grace has been lost his entire life. He was once a respected scientist, but now teaches at a junior high. He is single with no pets or immediate family, and he doesn’t commit to anything. He hides behind jokes and sarcastic charm. Rocky is a mechanic and also the sole survivor on his spacecraft. He and his now-dead crew came from the planet Eridian, and Rocky was also sent to try to save his sun.
After years of isolation, Grace and Rocky originally bond over the fact that they no longer have to be alone. They also enjoy each other’s company and agree to work together.
What’s interesting is that Grace, as a character, grows solely through his interactions with Rocky. The decisions he makes in the second half of the film can only happen through his growth as a person. Rocky sticks to Grace like glue from the moment they meet, but you can tell Grace is holding back because he knows that Rocky is working towards going back to Eridian, while Grace will never see Earth again.
One Of Ryan Gosling’s Best Performances
Ryan Gosling has delivered many mesmerizing and powerful performances throughout his career. Ryland Grace is one of his best. Gosling is able to bring in so many elements from other roles he’s portrayed, but he’s incredibly funny here, understandably terrified, and perhaps the most emotional he’s ever been in any recent on-screen role.
His take on Grace is subtle at times, but you always seem to know how he feels or what he’s thinking, even though often no one is talking. That makes the film not only more heartbreaking but also more rewarding in the long run.
Andy Weir and Drew Goddard have written Project Hail Mary, which entertains on several levels. The film is surprisingly goofy, which is meant in the most complimentary way. The concept is already intriguing, but the film takes some unexpected turns in its second half. Grace is piecing his memories back together throughout the film, so you’ll see all of the drama of space happening for a bit, and then we’ll get a flashback of how Grace got to be the final member of the Project Hail Mary scientist team.
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The Most Satisfying Ending Of Any Modern Hollywood Movie
It’s Grace’s bond with Rocky that truly hijacks the film and sends it barreling into one of the most satisfying finales of recent memory. This is an adventure that makes you laugh for its first half, cry during its second, and sends you out of the theater with a big ass smile on your face and your heart full. It’s the feel-good film of the year.
Project Hail Mary is a prime example of why cinemaphiles love going to the theater. If popcorn flicks are capable of being intellectually stimulating, incredibly emotional, and monumentally worthwhile, then Project Hail Mary is the ultimate popcorn flick.
Project Hail Mary is now playing in theaters. See it in IMAX if you’re able to.
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