It’s only right to celebrate the Fourth of July in the great outdoors. And by great outdoors, we really mean the comfort of your backyard. All you need are a few festive essentials to get the party going, and Walmart is the main spot to get everything on sale ahead of the holiday weekend.

Your summer shindig needs a grilling station, comfortable seating and a great ambiance to create the coolest backyard on your block. Thankfully, we found seriously stellar Fourth of July sales that appeal to all of the above. You’ll find legendary Charbroil grills, Ashley Furniture outdoor sofas and even pool floaties that are ideal for both kids and adults. Now, brace yourself — our picks are extremely marked down with the steepest discount listed at a little over $650 off. The Fourth of July is a week away, so don’t wait to shop!

Walmart Fourth of July Sales on Outdoor Home Essentials

1. Our Favorite: For whatever reason, outdoor string lights have a way of making a space feel lively and inviting, which means you need some before sending out those invites. This 100-foot option emits a warm hue and has a vintage-looking appearance that’s so trendy — was $60, now $26!

2. Problem Solver: If you hide inside when the sun is at its peak, this chic outdoor gazebo is for you. It shields you from harmful UV rays while creating a designated spot for outdoor seating. Trust Us, all the rich moms in Nantucket have one of these — was $300, now $125!

3. Low-Key Genius: It’s hard to discern what this Coca-Cola style ‘box’ is at first glance, but after looking closer, we think we hit the jackpot. It’s really a steam cooker that can make up to 20 hot dogs at the same time. Talk about a time saver! The top portion also warms hotdog buns while the sausages are cooking, so you can set your apron down for a few — was $70, now $50!

4. Game Changer: Those who are actually outdoorsy might want to take the camper for a spin. If you do, don’t forget to pack the Coleman propane grill, which is designed specifically for camping trips. It’s compact yet provides a 285-square inch cooking area to grill up fish, burgers, veggies and more — was $260, now $195!

5. Bestseller Alert: With over 8,400 five-star ratings, it’s clear that shoppers adore this Ninja slushie machine. All you have to do is pour in your favorite juice concoction and it magically turns the liquid into a slushie drink. Psst, there’s no ice or blending involved either, giving you the same great results each time — was $299, now $179!

Related: Walmart‘s Summer Sale Has Cute Fourth of July Fashion Deals

We love the fireworks, hot dogs and all the patriotism associated with the Fourth of July. But if we’re being honest, there’s one thing we would undeniably change about the holiday: the fashion. Most Fourth of July-themed clothes can skew tacky with ‘punny’ phrases and purposeful yet cheesy distressing, and that’s why we went on […]

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6. Laid-Back Luxe: Lounge around in style with this pool float lounger that comes with a built-in canopy and a backrest for hours of relaxing fun — was $40, now $23!

7. Year-Round Staple: An outdoor conversation set is a must for anyone who loves to host. This furniture set comes with three pieces, including a lounge-worthy chaise and a little side table for appetizers. We also love the wrap-around wicker paneling that gives the set a bohemian look — was $510, now $236!

8. Popular Pick: Ask any master griller and they’ll tell you that Charbroil is one of the best in the game. This classic 6-burner grill lets you cook burgers, hotdogs, skewers and more like a pro. You can thank the stainless steel grates, gas grilling precision, dual cooking surfaces and prep table — was $600, now $556!

9. Top Seller: Not into slushies? Cuisinart’s ice cream maker might be calling your name instead. The 2-quart ice cream maker does all the mixing and churning for you — no ice needed. Oh, and you’ll ice cream shop-quality results in about 20 minutes — was $101, now $61!

10. Summer Staple: Now you can enjoy the luxury of a pool day, even if you don’t have an actual pool. This inflatable lounger blows up into an outdoor pool, complete with a headrest and two cup holders. Honestly, this thing is kind of genius — was $63, now $33!

11. Rich Mom: You simply can’t go wrong with outdoor pieces from Ashley Furniture. This outdoor sofa exudes elegance and chic style, just like the kinds of furniture displayed in a high-end hotel or the rich mom on your block — was $1,704, now $1,506!

12. Total Reset: Ninja is making our list for the second time with this outdoor grill and smoker. It does the hard work of a large propane grill combo, but just in a compact, more manageable size. The electric grill uses wood pellets and a smoke box to give meats that wood-smoked flavor everyone loves — was $350, now $280!

13. Everyday Ease: Kick your feet up and relax while sitting in this outdoor rocking chair. Unlike your grandpa’s go-to, this one is made with durable high-density polyethylene that won’t fade, rot or chip. Plus, we love the fun color options, like this blue one — was $170, now $81!

14. No Brainer: We always appreciate a versatile item that makes life easier, which is where this patio umbrella comes in. The large 10-foot umbrella will give you some shade while lounging by the pool, and illuminates the area come dusk with the built-in LED lights — was $190, now $70!

15. Last But Not Least: Dining alfresco is easy when you have this seven-piece dining set in your midst. The iron-style dining set comes with cushioned seating and a long table that can house main plates, cutlery, cups and serving platters with ease — was $1,447, now $790!

Related: Walmart‘s Summer Sale Is Almost Over — 13 Rich-Looking Staples Under $30

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There’s something about finding versatile summer staples that look cute, flattering and high-end. What’s even sweeter is nabbing those same items at a discount. Yes, we love a good markdown at Us Weekly, which is why we can’t gatekeep Walmart’s Deals & More sale that’s happening now through June 28. We were curious to see […]

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce continue to fuel fascination about their future together, with everything from family plans to wedding rumors dominating headlines.

A recent exchange on the Chiefs star’s podcast reignited conversations about children, while his fiancée’s own lyrics have offered fans a glimpse into her vision of love and family life.

As speculation around a possible wedding intensifies, bettors are wagering millions on everything from the venue to the guest list, despite Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce confirming very little themselves.

A recent episode of the “New Heights” podcast sparked fresh conversation about Swift and Kelce’s future together after a playful exchange between Travis and his brother, Jason Kelce.

During a sponsored segment for WhatsApp, Jason joked about the prospect of expanding the Kelce family, teasing that future reunions might become more lively once there are more children in the family.

Referencing a lyric from Swift’s music, he teased the idea of a neighborhood full of children who resemble Travis, turning it into a running joke about a “look-alike” family line.

“Do I sense a Kelce family reunion in the works? We really don’t have a big family,” Jason said. “It might be nice to meet some of the Kelce relatives that we don’t know.”

Travis laughed along, replying that he sees it “in our future.” He then noted that he would put it on his “wish list,” though the exchange was clearly lighthearted and not intended as any kind of announcement.

“There you go,” the Chiefs tight end said while laughing, per Us Weekly. “I’ll add it to my wish list.”

Taylor Swift’s ‘Dreamy’ Song Offers Glimpse Into Her Hopes For The Future

The conversation also circled back to Swift’s recent music. On her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” she has a track that explores idealized visions of love, stability, and building a future together.

In the song, Swift sang: “I just want you, huh / Have a couple kids, got the whole block lookin’ like you / We tell the world to leave us the f-ck alone, and they do. Got me dreamin’ ’bout a driveway with a basketball hoop / Boss up, settle down, got a wish.”

Swift has previously described the track as one of her favorites on the album, calling it both “dreamy” and “romantic.” Reflecting on the writing process, she said it felt like the final piece that completed the project.

According to the singer, the song “details all these different things that people aspire to have in their lives and all the wishes that people are making all over the world.”

Taylor Swift Pregnancy Rumors Draw Millions In Bets As Wedding Speculation Grows

The themes in Swift’s song have only fueled public fascination when it comes to her relationship with Travis. Since the pair were first linked in 2023, engagement and wedding rumors have become a constant topic of discussion, inspiring millions of dollars in wagers on prediction markets.

One of the biggest talking points among bettors is whether the mega popstar is expecting a child. Despite persistent online rumors, prediction market data suggests very few people believe that to be the case.

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According to Fox News Digital, on Polymarket, where more than $2 million has reportedly been wagered on the question, only 2% of participants are betting that the singer is currently pregnant.

Wedding-location speculation has generated even more interest. According to betting trends tracked by Kalshi, New York is viewed as the most likely destination for the ceremony.

Many participants have singled out Madison Square Garden as a possible venue, while others believe the couple could opt for a more private celebration at Swift’s Rhode Island property.

The Couple’s Wedding Venue Has Become A Subject Of Heavy Speculation

Rumors intensified after reports emerged that Madison Square Garden had been reserved for a multi-day private event beginning July 2.

According to reports, the gathering could start with a smaller event for close friends and family before expanding into a larger celebration for roughly 1,000 guests the following day.

Sources have suggested live performances may be part of the festivities, though no official confirmation has been provided.

The couple seems to be planning something major as they have also requested permits to shut down streets around the garden from July 2 to July 4.

Who Will Be Attending Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce’s Wedding?

The guessing game extends beyond the venue itself. Fans and bettors have also been speculating about who could be included in the wedding party.

Longtime friend Abigail Anderson is widely considered a leading candidate for a bridesmaid role, while names such as Ashley Avignone, Gigi Hadid, Este Haim, and Kylie Kelce have also been frequently mentioned.

On Travis’s side, many expect his brother Jason to play a prominent role, alongside close friends including Patrick Mahomes and Swift’s brother, Austin.

Whitney Houston‘s hairstylist is clapping back at Oprah after the renowned talk show host claimed the award-winning singer fell off her soundstage because she was high. Oprah’s remarks ignited backlash, prompting Houston’s estate and veteran entertainment journalist Roger Friedman to push back.

According to Page Six, Houston’s former hairstylist, Tiffanie Dixon, said Oprah’s comments about the singer being high during her 2009 appearance on her talk show are flat-out false.

“It’s not true. She fell because they did not rope off the stage… I was standing right there,” Dixon said.

Dixon continued, claiming Oprah made people sign NDAs after the incident and even threatened to fire her staff if the story was leaked to the press.

Despite the precautions Oprah allegedly took, Dixon insisted Houston was “not high.”

Dixon Says Oprah Has ‘A Lot Of Nerve’ To Allegedly Lie About Whitney Houston

Dixon said that she spoke out about Oprah’s comments because they “disturbed” her, adding, “It’s not true. There’s no truth and no validity… It’s a lie… She’s got a lot of nerve.”

Oprah sent a portion of her Cannes Lions press tour talking about the alleged incident, claiming that Houston relapsed on drugs when she arrived at her “Oprah” show set to promote her final studio album in 2009.

“The first interview I did with her when we’d gone behind stage and I asked her about her intention, she was clean, but the day she came to my show then to perform in front of the audience, she was not, and she fell off of the stage,” she said, per Variety.

Opah said she “begged” the audience to keep quiet about the incident, stating that she knew it would ruin Houston’s career if it became public.

Whitney Houston’s Estate Claps Back At Oprah’s Claims About The Singer

Houston’s former hairstylist isn’t the only one to deny the claims that the singer was high during her appearance. Houston’s estate executor, Pat Houston, fired back as well, denying the claims and saying that Houston fell “due to the darkness of the area and unfamiliarity with the stage.”

Elsewhere in the statement, Houston’s estate confirmed that the singer struggled with addiction earlier in her career; however, they said Oprah’s claims about her 2009 mishap were “inaccurate and unfair.” They added, “What the studio audience witnessed on stage was the result of discipline, talent, and commitment—not the assumptions others project.”

Esteemed Journalist Defends Houston Against Oprah’s Claims

Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411 also commented on the headlines and said that Oprah’s claims today were much different than her words in 2021. Friedman went on to say that he was on a Zoom call with Oprah and the late Clive Davis 5 years ago, and during that call, Oprah allegedly said that Houston’s fall was not due to drugs.

Friedman reported on the call live back then, writing that Oprah allegedly said, “It was not drugs.”

In Friedman’s 2026 report, the writer said that they could “produce” the past Zoom call of Oprah’s alleged confession if needed, adding that the TV executive was stretching the truth today “to make headlines.”

Oprah’s comments were met with backlash from Houston fans, many of whom questioned why the talk show host would speak about the story almost 20 years later.

“I feel like we could respect her memory better than talking about this publicly a decade plus after she passed,” someone wrote. Another user added, “Oh, wow, and you thought this was a perfect time to mention this?”

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“Oprah would say anything to protect that nasty man and take the attention away from Clives,” said a third, while a fourth wrote, “This is one lady I do not like.”

“Whitney gone haunt tf outta her,” someone else added. “Oprah contradicted herself saying she didn’t want the puctures to be released to the public but here she is talking about it in detail.”

According to History.com, Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton in California on February 11, 2012. She was 48. PEOPLE reported that the singer’s death was ruled as an “accidental drowning with contributing factors of heart disease and cocaine use.”

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It’s difficult enough to write an excellent book, but it’s an entirely different art unto itself to craft an equally excellent trilogy of them. As long as each book offers a feeling of self-contained satisfaction, and the author also manages to make the whole trilogy feel like an escalating, meaningful, satisfying progression, any trilogy has the potential to be deemed great.

Throughout the 21st century in particular, there have been a few noteworthy book trilogies that haven’t just been great, they’ve been the absolute best of the last 26 years. From YA classics like the Hunger Games series to period pieces like the Wolf Hall trilogy, these have been some truly exceptional sets of novels that have demonstrated why the art of the book trilogy is still alive and well in modern times.

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The Wolf Hall Trilogy

Image via Henry Holt & Company

British writer Hilary Mantel was a great master of the historical fiction genre, and she demonstrated that greatly with the last three novels she ever wrote: Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies, and The Mirror & the Light. Set during the 16th century, this trilogy is a sweeping saga chronicling the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell (which is why this is also known as the Thomas Cromwell trilogy), the son of a blacksmith who became the chief minister to King Henry VIII.

Before it became one of the best miniseries worth watching over and over, Wolf Hall was the greatest historical fiction trilogy of the 21st century. Anchored by Mantel’s beautifully vivid prose and a brilliantly creative reinvention of the Tudor era, the trilogy masterfully strikes the perfect balance between mythologizing Cromwell and also humanizing him with unexpected depth. It’s an entirely unique approach to the genre that makes court politics feel like the most gripping, modern-feeling source of drama imaginable.

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The MaddAddam Trilogy

Image via McClelland and Stewart Ltd.

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Saying that novelist, poet, and literary critic Margaret Atwood is one of the greatest and most important Canadian writers of the 20th and 21st centuries would be quite an understatement. But it’s not all The Handmaid’s Tale with Atwood; there’s also the MaddAddam trilogy, a speculative fiction and adventure romance trilogy (which technically also counts as sci-fi, even if Atwood rejects the label) about a dystopian near-future Earth that’s been decimated by climate collapse.

From Oryx and Crake to The Year of the Flood to the eponymous MaddAddam, the trilogy is a wonderfully human yet bitingly satirical critique of genetic engineering and unchecked capitalist greed. We’re talking about three of the greatest climate-fiction novels of the 21st century, a trio of books bolstered by some exceptional worldbuilding, which present a sense of hope readers don’t often find in the dystopian genre.

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The Infernal Devices Trilogy

Image via Margaret K. McElderry Books

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With the unprecedented success of J. K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter series, the 21st century saw an unprecedented boom in the Young Adult genre across all media, including literature. From this boom came Cassandra Clare‘s The Mortal Instruments series, six of the most widely beloved YA fantasy novels of the last two decades. Before she finished the series, though, Clare wrote the Infernal Devices trilogy, a prequel series to the Mortal Instruments saga.

To this day, many fantasy fans still deem the Infernal Devices series as not just considerably superior to the original saga, but also three of the best YA books of their era. With its tremendous emotional depth, richly atmospheric Victorian setting, and one of the best love triangles in the history of the YA fantasy genre, Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, and Clockwork Princess are worth reading even for adult readers. With a more mature writing style than The Mortal Instruments, as well as an emotionally stirring exploration of themes of grief and sacrifice that should resonate with anyone, every reader should love this trilogy, no matter their age.

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The Hunger Games Trilogy

At this point, with it being such a tremendously successful multimedia franchise, there’s barely any need to even introduce Suzanne Collins‘ Hunger Games trilogy. It should hardly be surprising that the series, which originated and spearheaded the YA dystopia fad of the 2010s, consistently remained the best of the bunch. Still, all that fame and popularity can, at times, make people forget that this is actually a legitimately exceptionally written trilogy.

There’s an argument to be made that the trilogy got slightly weaker as it went on, but Catching Fire and Mockingjay are both still a pair of incredible sequels. There are only a handful of dystopian books better than The Hunger Games, and when it comes to dystopian book trilogies? It doesn’t get much more iconic than this one. With its high-stakes, adrenaline-pumping action, chillingly relevant critiques of authoritarian power and the media’s exploitation of the public, and the profoundly compelling character writing, these three books are essential reading for all those who love the dystopian genre.

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The Remembrance of Earth’s Past Trilogy

Image via Tor Books

It’s not only the English-speaking world that has produced exceptional book trilogies throughout the last 26 years. Case in point: Cixin Liu‘s Chinese series Remembrance of Earth’s Past, consisting of The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death’s End. It was the inspiration for one of the most near-perfect hard sci-fi shows on Netflix, and itself fittingly consists of three books that wonderfully blend hard and soft science fiction elements. Sometimes read as an allegory for China-United States relations, the series is about humanity’s preparation for the invasion of an alien threat.

Alien invasion stories are aplenty, but few reach the awe-inspiring, downright epic cosmic scale that the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy benefits from. Mind-bending, sharply political, and boldly philosophical, it’s a series that perfectly lends itself to some of the most profound analyses that one will get from any 21st-century book trilogy. It’s a must-read for all those who enjoy literary science fiction, and even though its characters may sometimes feel like somewhat shallow vessels for the plot, the plot itself is so deliriously entertaining and emotionally compelling that it’s easy to forgive that as a feature, not necessarily a bug.

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The Broken Earth Trilogy

Image via Orbit

When science fiction meets fantasy in a way that blurs the line between both genres, along the same vein of the kind of magic that Star Wars achieves, it becomes a genre known as science fantasy—and N. K. Jemisin‘s The Broken Earth is one of the best science fantasy book trilogies in history, let alone of the 21st century. It’s an epic post-apocalyptic tale set on a supercontinent called the Stillness, where humanity struggles to survive cataclysmic natural disasters that occur periodically.

The Fifth Season won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, as did its first sequel, The Obelisk Gate. The Stone Sky may not have achieved the same honor, but it is the highest-rated book of the trilogy on Goodreads, and isn’t the favor of the court of public opinion the ultimate award? In any case, these are three of the best sci-fi books of the last 10 years. With Jemisin’s unique eye for breathtaking world-building, instantly captivating imagination, and ambitious narrative structure, it’s no wonder that the Broken Earth series has received so much praise. Jemisin is well-known for her bold artistic choices, and there are plenty of those here (including a particular POV being narrated in second person), making this essential reading for sci-fi fans.

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Era One of Mistborn

Image via Brandon Sanderson / Tor Books

Those who have grown tired of the likes of George R. R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss seeming unable to finish the book series that they’ve been promising for well over a decade ought to take a look at Brandon Sanderson. He is easily one of the greatest fantasy authors of modern times, and few of his works demonstrate that better than the Mistborn series. The books are organized into four eras (only two of which have been completed up to this point) with large time jumps between each other, making it so that each era feels entirely like its own series. Era One of Mistborn is composed of The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages, and it feels like a completely self-contained story as high-quality as any of Sanderson’s previous and future masterpieces.

It’s one of the few fantasy book series better than Harry Potter, the kind that must be read in order to be truly believed. It’s a masterpiece of modern fantasy unlike any other, with one of the best hard magic systems ever written, a powerful subversion of the “Dark Lord” trope, and a mind-blowing ending that recontextualizes the whole thing and makes a re-read instantly tempting. It’s an exquisitely creative work of genre literature that always takes full advantage of its fascinatingly original premise, full of the same kind of slow-building tension and airtight structure that all fans of Sanderson have come to expect. Some have called Sanderson’s prose here overly simplistic, but those who appreciate highly accessible and functional language over unnecessarily flowery styles are bound to find Mistborn irresistible.

Doubling Down With the Derricos alum Deon Derrico is opening up about the aftermath of his split from ex-wife Karen Derrico.

“There was a breakdown at the point that I just told her that I didn’t want a relationship between [her] and I any longer,” Deon, 55, exclusively tells Us Weekly of his dynamic with Karen, 46, after their 2024 split, adding that they chose to coparent their 14 children under the same roof for two years following their divorce.

“We were trying to make it work for the children,” he recalls. “I know I was very dedicated and devoted to that. She appeared to be as well. But we were just having issues and, you know, financial issues, you could name it.”

Though Karen suggested that they try couples therapy to make their coparenting dynamic work, they continued to grow apart. Karen also allegedly pressed Deon on whether he was seeing another woman, which led to a transparent conversation between them.

“[She] just kept asking me that, saying, ‘I can handle it, tell me. I can handle it if it is.’ And I then just said, ‘Yes, my love interest does lie somewhere else, but I don’t want that to factor on you and I with the children,’” he recalls, noting that he’s had a “special friend” in his life for about a year. “And, of course, you know, she had her crying moment. It felt like a kumbaya moment. We were just really transparent. I told her it wasn’t her. We just grew apart. I’m not faulting anyone.”

Karen ultimately decided it was best for her to move out, according to Deon.

“I helped her move out, and that was on April 3, [2026],” he continues. “The very next day, I had discovered a series of untruths that she had been taking part in, and I addressed those issues with her. And everything rapidly declined.”

Though Deon thought he and Karen had been in a good spot, he says he could see “anger and hatred” in his ex after she moved out with seven of their kids.

“I just kept telling her, ‘Hey, look, I want peace.’ I’m a peaceful person by nature,” he explains, recalling a day where Karen allegedly wouldn’t let him visit with one of their sons in her care.

“I went by the house to pick up three boys that were in her care to cut their hair, and then when I brought them back to drop them off, I asked to see one of my sons. She declined me being able to see him, and I then said, ‘Don’t do this, don’t play this game. We’ve never done this before,’ which we hadn’t,” he recalls, adding that they had “always been supportive” of each other as parents despite calling it quits romantically.

Related: Who Is Karen Derrico? TLC Alum Allegedly Threatened to Kill Her Family

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Karen Derrico is known for her role as a TLC star, but she’s also been making headlines for a recent arrest. Karen made her TLC debut in 2020 when Doubling Down With the Derricos premiered. The reality show followed Karen and her then-husband, Deon Derrico, along with their 14 children. Doubling Down With the Derricos […]

The exes share kids Darian, 18, Derrick, 13, twins Denver and Dallas, 12, quintuplets Deniko, Dariz, Deonee, Daician and ​Daiten, 10, Diez and Dior, 6, and triplets Dawsyn, De’Aren and Dyver, 4.

“When she did that, I knew something was up,” he says of her alleged behavior, adding that Karen filed a temporary protective order against Deon the following day.

“After that happened, I couldn’t believe it, ’cause she had done threatening things to me and things that made me question even my life. I had even told my mother, on a couple occasions, maybe back in January, that if something happens to me, look at Karen, because that’s the level of anger and hatred I was feeling from her,” he claims, adding that as far as he was concerned, they were “on the same page” about their relationship.

“My daughters, they saw it too. They started sleeping in the room with me. So she and I were sleeping in separate rooms, and my daughter started staying in my room with me and locking the door,” Deon notes.

Us reached out to reps for Karen and TLC for comment.

Related: TLC’s Karen Derrico Appears to Threaten Child on Phone Call: Report

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TLC personality Karen Derrico seemingly threatened her child while on a contentious phone call amid her recent arrest and legal drama. According to audio obtained by TMZ on Thursday, June 25, the Doubling Down With the Derricos alum, 46, was on the phone with some of the 14 children she shares with ex-husband Deon Derrico. […]

Karen was recently arrested in Las Vegas and charged with harassment, violating a restraining order, preventing a witness from testifying through threat of violence and aggravated stalking, according to online records viewed by Us on Wednesday, June 24. Prosecutors accused her of sending emails to Deon in which she threatened to kill him and their children. She also allegedly tried to prevent Deon from attending a court hearing about a temporary protection order he requested.

Karen was arraigned on the felony charges on Tuesday, June 23, and pleaded not guilty.

“The allegations are completely false,”. “And we will prove they were completely fabricated by Mr. Derrico.”

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“We are in the process of proving that these emails are crude forgeries by the supposed victim and never sent by my client,” her attorney Jess Marchese said in a statement to Us. “We have retained a forensic expert who is uncovering vast inconsistencies in the his story.”

Karen was released from custody on a $2,000 bond and outfitted with an ankle monitor. Her next hearing is scheduled for August 6.

Karen and Deon rose to fame on the TLC reality series Doubling Down With the Derricos, which documented the former couple’s life raising their 14 kids. The show ran for five seasons from 2020 to 2024.

As speculation surrounding Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s upcoming wedding continues to build, new details have emerged about what is reportedly shaping up to be a multi-day celebration in New York City. Just days before the pair are rumored to tie the knot, a fresh report claims Swift and Kelce have planned an intimate rehearsal dinner for their closest friends and family ahead of what could be one of the most star-studded celebrity weddings in recent memory.

According to a new report from Page Six, the superstar couple is planning an intimate rehearsal dinner ahead of their rumored July 3 wedding, giving close friends and family a chance to celebrate before the main event.

Neither Swift nor Kelce has publicly confirmed wedding plans.

Swift And Kelce Reportedly Hosting Rehearsal Dinner For 100 Guests

The latest report claims the couple will host a rehearsal dinner at Madison Square Garden on July 2, one day before their reported wedding celebration.

Sources told the outlet that approximately 100 guests are expected to attend the more intimate gathering, which will reportedly be reserved for close family members and friends. The event is said to serve as a kickoff to a larger wedding weekend celebration expected to draw a significantly bigger crowd the following day.

Reports suggest the main wedding festivities could welcome between 1,000 and 2,000 guests. The New York Times was the first to report details surrounding the alleged Madison Square Garden venue, while Page Six later reported that the pair had opted for a larger New York City celebration after previously considering other locations.

Earlier rumors suggested Swift and Kelce might marry in Rhode Island, where the singer owns a sprawling waterfront estate. However, sources now claim the couple ultimately decided on a venue capable of accommodating a much larger guest list.

If the reports prove accurate, the event would rank among the most high-profile celebrity weddings in recent memory.

Celebrity Wedding Planner Reportedly Helping Coordinate The Event

The couple has also been linked to celebrity wedding planner Mark Seed, who is known for overseeing large-scale, high-profile events. According to Page Six, Seed’s reputation for discretion was a major factor in his reported involvement.

An insider described him as someone capable of creating spectacular events while maintaining strict privacy for celebrity clients. That secrecy has reportedly extended to the guest list as well.

A-List Guests Are Rumored To Be Attending

While no official guest list has been released, reports suggest several of Swift’s closest celebrity friends have secured invitations to the highly anticipated celebration. Among the rumored attendees are Gigi Hadid, Ed Sheeran, Zoë Kravitz, Suki Waterhouse, and the Haim sisters, as well as Selena Gomez, whose recent wedding to Benny Blanco included Swift as one of her bridesmaids.

Meanwhile, Kelce’s NFL friends are also expected to play a major role in the festivities. San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle recently joked that even invited guests remain largely in the dark about the wedding details.

Speaking earlier this week, Kittle revealed that he attempted to get more information directly from Kelce but came away empty-handed. “I actually asked Travis last night and he laughed at me,” Kittle said.

The tight end jokingly added that he’s preparing for a surprise destination wedding. “I’m half expecting there to just be a jumbo jet on a runway and they put us on a plane somewhere,” he said.

Wedding Rumors Have Been Building For Months

Rumors about Swift and Kelce’s future intensified after reports surfaced that the Kansas City Chiefs star proposed in August 2025 following two years of dating. In recent weeks, fans have closely analyzed the couple’s separate celebrations and public appearances for clues about a possible wedding.

Just last week, a woman believed by some fans to be Swift was photographed at her Rhode Island estate alongside a group of friends, while Kelce spent time celebrating with family and friends in Los Angeles. For now, neither star has publicly addressed the wedding reports, leaving fans to piece together the growing number of details emerging from sources close to the alleged event.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated 25 seconds ago

Adventure Time became a pop culture phenomenon, finding a storytelling sweet spot that appealed to children and adults alike. Kids enjoyed the silly humor and larger-than-life characters; adults, meanwhile, enjoyed the show’s brilliant deconstruction of fantasy themes and its surprisingly in-depth character relationships. Arguably, none of those relationships was more complex than the one between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline, the Vampire Queen. Early on, the show teased that they might have once been a gay couple, which freaked out Cartoon Network and the show’s production company. As queer relationships became more mainstream, however, these two characters became a canonical couple and even shared a same-screen kiss in the series finale “Come Along With Me.”

That finale was bittersweet because fans worried they wouldn’t be getting any new Adventure Time stories. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, and HBO Max became the exclusive home of two popular spinoff series: Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake and Adventure Time: Distant Lands. Now, it looks like everyone’s favorite lesbian couple is about to come back in a big way. At the Annecy Animation Film Festival, HBO announced that we’ll be getting Adventure Time: Bubblegum and Marceline, a 10-episode series.

A Little More Than Friends

Right now, the official description for this new spinoff is pretty short on details. The logline for Adventure Time: Bubblegum and Marceline reads as follows: “Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen journey across the farthest reaches of Ooo, encountering familiar faces and new dangers.” That description makes it sound like the spinoff is very episodic in nature; however, it’s designed (like Fionna and Cake before it) to tell a story across multiple seasons. The spinoff should have the classic feel to it: the showrunner is Adam Muto, the Emmy-winning creator who started out as a storyboard artist for Adventure Time before rising up the ranks and becoming showrunner in Season 5.

Right now, it’s fair to say that fans of this franchise are eating quite well. While news of Adventure Time: Bubblegum and Marceline is currently electrifying the fandom, a new show is about to premiere: Adventure Time: Side Quests, which hits Disney+ and Hulu on June 29. On top of that, while Season 3 has not been officially greenlit, Fionna and Cake showrunner Muto has told fans there’s always a chance we’ll get more episodes. All of this and a new Bubbline show? That’s great news for old-school fans who can remember when Bubblegum and Marceline had the most controversial relationship on television! 

Making Things Official

Now, Bubblegum and Marceline are a canonical couple, which took a long time to develop. Originally, they were written as two gals with a mysterious, bitter past. The episode “What Was Missing” implied the two women used to be a couple: Marceline’s song makes her sound like a jilted lover, and the end of the episode reveals the most important thing to Bubblegum is a sweater Marceline once gave her. However, this was back in 2011, and Cartoon Network was very nervous about having openly queer characters. They downplayed any fan suggestions about “Bubbline” (their couple name), and we didn’t get a new episode featuring the pair for two years.

Eventually, Cartoon Network relented: in the wake of queer relationships popping up in other popular cartoons like Legend of Korra and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, they leaned in with episodes like “Varmints,” which followed up on “What Was Calling” while adding more hints about a complex romantic relationship between these two. Still, fans worried the show would be afraid to go beyond giving us some very heavy subtext about this ‘ship. But, not unlike Adora and Catra in the final episode of She-Ra, Marceline and Princess Bubblegum locked lips in the Adventure Time series finale.

Sadly, Adventure Time: Bubblegum and Marceline does not yet have a definitive release date. Therefore, fans of these two will have to content themselves the usual way: by mainlining all their favorite Bubbline episodes, comics, merchandise, and fan content. When the show does drop, it will be interesting to see if it deepens the relationship between these characters while otherwise expanding the crazy world of Ooo. No matter the plot, though, it will be great to see the most fascinating couple in animated history back together again!

By Robert Scucci
| Published 33 seconds ago

As a movie lover, I always feel like I’m playing catch-up with some genuinely great art because there just aren’t enough hours in the day to consume it all. One blind spot for me involves all the movies from 2020 that never got a proper theatrical release, meaning the marketing was light as so many titles silently made their way to streaming with little fanfare. One such film, 2020’s The Lovebirds, currently resides on Netflix, and I’ve never heard anybody talk about how great it is. It’s part rom-com, part action thriller, and one of the most laugh-out-loud funny movies I’ve seen in a while.

Even better, you’re in and out in 87 minutes. Not only does the humor in The Lovebirds never wear out its welcome, it leaves you wanting more thanks to its stars, Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae.

The. Escalations. Never. Stop. 

The Lovebirds kicks off with a murder, and things only get worse for Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) and Leilani (Issa Rae). The two have been dating and living together for about four years, but only really seem to communicate through petty insults while strongly suggesting their relationship has run its course. While breaking up on the way to a friend’s dinner party, Jibran accidentally runs over a bicycle courier (Nicholas X. Parsons), who seems more concerned with fleeing the scene than tending to his injuries.

A panicked Jibran and Leilani, trying to figure out their next move, are then confronted by a man known only as Mustache (Paul Sparks), who informs them that the man on the bike is actually a criminal, but only after repeatedly running him over with their car to make sure he’s dead. They grab his phone and flee the scene, immediately arousing the suspicion of Detective Martin (Andrene Ward-Hammond).

While I don’t want to spoil the entire course of events in The Lovebirds, let’s just say things escalate fast, and never stop escalating. It doesn’t take long before they’re caught in the middle of an insane blackmail conspiracy, where they’re shot at, tied to chairs and threatened with boiling bacon grease or whatever’s behind the mystery door, chased by cops and the courier’s cohorts alike, all while trying to clear their names with Detective Martin, who, in their minds, has them pegged as the primary suspects in the courier’s brutal murder.

The Situational Humor Is Simply The Springboard

Here’s what makes The Lovebirds such an effective comedy thriller, or at least that’s what I’m calling it: Jibran and Leilani seem like a real couple working through their issues. Their banter and insults are always scathing, but they’re the kind you can only dish out and take if you know somebody well enough to really hit them where it hurts. It’s like trading burns with your oldest friends, knowing that nothing is off limits.

When you take this kind of character dynamic and let it rip alongside a crazy murder plot, you get to hang out with these people while they’re on the adventure of a lifetime, all while trying to figure out if they even want to stay together and realizing that maybe this whole situation is the ultimate test.

Some of the best scenes aren’t even the escalations, but the quieter moments, like when Jibran and Leilani sneak into a discount pharmacy for a wardrobe change, settling for the most ridiculous getups they can find before laying low at the dinner party while being wildly underdressed. Then again, they also end up at an Eyes Wide Shut-style gala, and the escalations just keep coming.

I genuinely can’t remember the last time I actually laughed out loud at a comedy while sitting by myself, but I woke my kids up twice last night while watching The Lovebirds. And the thing is, it’s not trying that hard to be funny. It doesn’t feel like a couple of comedians trying to get their yuks out or recycle old schtick. These characters feel lived in, and they’re simply chewing the scenery being thrust upon them, one escalating incident at a time.

The Lovebirds quietly arrived on Netflix back in 2020 in lieu of a theatrical release. I strongly recommend this to anybody who wants a rom com that’s as dangerous as it is hilarious. 

By Robert Scucci
| Published 1 second ago

When it comes to time travel films, I’ll always champion the low-budget, independent movies that focus squarely on the consequences of causality rather than the time travel apparatus itself. Films like Primer (2004), The Infinite Man (2014), and Timecrimes (2007) all have virtually no budget and very little, if any, special effects, but they’re so concerned with the human condition that it doesn’t matter. Another film I’ll add to this list is 2012’s Safety Not Guaranteed, led by Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass.

The film has very little time travel in it, and instead focuses on ideas of arrested development, deferred dreams, missed connections, and letting go of the past. Through its characters’ ordeals, we learn that not everything you see is exactly as it seems, and that finding the truth requires earning someone’s trust. But at its heart, it tells the story of broken people doing what they think they need to do to fix their lives, which on the surface don’t seem all that broken in the first place.

Chasing A Lead To Crazy Town

Safety Not Guaranteed centers on the titular phrase included in a classified ad written by Kenneth Calloway (Mark Duplass), stating, “Wanted: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke … You’ll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before.”

The reason Seattle Magazine writer Jeff Schwensen (Jake Johnson) wants to investigate this advertisement is because it will bring him to the same town as one of his old flames, Liz (Jenica Bergere), who he wants to confess his love to. He brings along Arnau (Karan Soni) and intern Darius Britt (Aubrey Plaza) to locate Kenneth and see if he’s actually the real deal, or some sort of nutjob.

Turns out, he’s kind of both. Blowing his cover almost immediately, Jeff defers to Darius, who earns Kenneth’s trust over the next few days as he reveals his mission: saving the life of his girlfriend, who was killed in a car wreck over a decade ago. Darius reveals that she similarly wants to save the life of her mother, who passed away when she was 14 years old.

As Darius and Kenneth open up to each other, sharing past traumas and future aspirations alike, matters get complicated when two secret agents confront the journalists about Kenneth’s activities, as they have reason to believe he’s been chatting with government officials and stealing classified technology to build his time travel apparatus that very well may work. While Darius has been truthful with Kenneth about everything in her life except how she initially came into contact with him, she now has to worry about him finding out she’s actually a journalist who’s simply looking for a spicy story.

Two Broken People Not Knowing What Needs Fixing

The reason Safety Not Guaranteed works so well is because of how emotionally disarming Mark Duplass is as Kenneth Calloway. He’s certainly off his rocker, but when Darius actually talks to him and gets to know him, you can’t help but fall in love with his earnestness. He’s too smart for his own good, a surprisingly great marksman, trains himself in hand-to-hand combat and other survival tactics, and generally acts like a 12-year-old playing army in his backyard while doing all of the above.

Aubrey Plaza, who had all but perfected the disaffected but sincerely curious vibe by the time she worked on this film, is the perfect person to get Mark to open up, express himself through his art and music, and eventually elaborate on the next phases of his mysterious time travel mission. What you get is two people broken by past tragedies trying to move on with their lives, who realize that maybe the present isn’t so bad so long as they’re in the right company.

Safety Not Guaranteed is not slapstick funny, but it gets its humor through that quirky, Napoleon Dynamite kind of awkwardness. We eventually get some time travel action, but this movie was never about its final destination. It’s about the journey that leads us there.

As of this writing, you can stream Safety Not Guaranteed for free on Tubi.

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