A brand-new anime film is hitting Netflix soon, inspired by Osamu Tezuka’s 1953 manga, Princess Knight. This enduring tale of a lone heroine sparked the idea for The Ribbon Hero, directed by Yûki Igarashi (Star Wars: Visions), which recently celebrated an early preview at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, as part of Netflix’s anime showcase. There, Collider’s Steven Weintraub caught up with Igarashi to chat about why now is the perfect time to reimagine this story.

In the movie, Princess Saphire’s (Saya) kingdom in Shiverland is completely decimated by a catastrophe known as “Nergal.” Instead of giving in to her despair, however, Sapphire defies the bleak destiny her course was set on, “fighting different monsters” to determine her own fate.

During their interview at Annecy, Igarashi discusses carrying on the legacy of Tezuka’s Princess Knight through a modern-day reinterpretation he believes “will really speak to people of this generation.” He talks about how his work on the Disney+ series Star Wars: Visions helped tackle a long-standing IP and what he hopes his feature directorial debut, The Ribbon Hero, says about the identity of his animation studio, Outline, as their first major feature release.

‘The Ribbon Hero’ Director Reveals Their Favorite Hayao Miyazaki Movie

Two come to mind for Yûki Igarashi.

Image via Toei Company

COLLIDER: I will start with the most important question. I ask this of a lot of people who work in animation: What is your favorite Hayao Miyazaki movie?

YÛKI IGARASHI: When I was young, my favorite was Princess Mononoke, and now it’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

Thank you for indulging me. With the film premiering here at Annecy ahead of its Netflix release, how do you think international audiences will connect with a story so deeply rooted in the history of Japanese manga?

IGARASHI: Actually, the way I’ve directed and made the film, I think thematically and story-wise, it’s more inspired by. So, it’s been arranged in a way that we kind of tap into different themes, COVID, disasters, and it’s been put through almost a fantasy lens. I think it’ll be much more resonant with a lot of modern audiences.

Your work is often praised for dynamic movement and emotional action. How did you approach action in The Ribbon Hero so that it expressed character rather than just spectacle?

IGARASHI: In the film, our protagonist is fighting different monsters, kaiju, if you will, and there’s a spectacle between kaiju versus the human. But in certain moments, there are ribbons that scatter, and the ribbons that scatter, when our hero, Sapphire, attacks the kaiju, it almost carries an emotion of its own, which I think is reflective of what’s going on in Sapphire’s mind.

‘Star Wars: Visions’ Played a Key Role in ‘The Ribbon Hero’s Development

Yûki Igarashi directed the Season 1 short, “Lop & Ochô.”

How did your experience directing Star Wars: Visions influence the way you approached a legacy property like Princess Knight?

IGARASHI: Absolutely, my experience with Star Wars, taking such an idea that has so much history and that influenced so many other IPs and different franchises that spawned after it… I would say Tezuka Osamu’s work has also inspired so many other works. So, just that idea of how it’s been interpreted, reinterpreted, is something that I’ve learned by working on Star Wars, and I try to put that influence into my own, The Ribbon Hero, as well.

The Ribbon Hero is inspired by Osamu Tezuka’s Princess Knight, one of manga’s foundational works. What was the first image, emotion, or idea that made you feel this story needed to be reimagined now?

IGARASHI: Princess Knight, of course, is a very old franchise, and it’s influenced so many works after it, but it’s hard to see that link anymore because it’s been reimagined and reinterpreted so many times. This idea of a fighting woman, a fighting heroine, the protagonist, it’s its own genre, the heroine, but I would argue that Princess Knight was the first that really did that. I think that by translating that into a format that people can absorb and consume now helps bridge that gap between modern-day media and its origins in the past. I think it’s been done in an interesting way that audiences will be receptive to.

Sapphire has meant different things to different generations of readers. What did you want this modern audience to feel when they meet her in this version?

IGARASHI: The world setting that we’re thrown into is a very harsh world that she has to navigate, and despite all that, you see her grit and her trying. She keeps a very bright attitude throughout all of it, and she doesn’t get dark. She keeps humor throughout the entire film despite what might be happening. So, I hope that that brightness and that sort of attitude, that way you approach the world, is something that will really speak to people of this generation.

In America, a lot of animated movies will go through very big changes during the development process. Sometimes not much, but other times they could screen the movie and realize things are really not working, and then redo a lot of things. When you make a movie with other people in Asia, does it change a lot when you’re making it, or is it very close to what you set out to make?

IGARASHI: I would say the fundamentals or the foundation haven’t changed or shifted much from development to final cut, but there were a lot of changes or differences over the course corrections, if you will, during production. It wasn’t something like we did a focus group or showed the client, and then we got notes and changed it as much as the team themselves. All the changes came from them. Animators would make suggestions, and we would have discussions that would shift the project over time. So, it wasn’t that there wasn’t any change, but a lot of it came from that.

‘The Ribbon Hero’ Hopes To Appeal to Hardcore Fans and Eager Newcomers

“That was a very strong perspective.”

What conversations did you have with the team about balancing nostalgia for longtime Tezuka fans with accessibility for viewers who have never heard of Princess Night?

IGARASHI: I don’t know how much of this I should be saying. [Laughs] A lot of the team, the animators that worked on this project, didn’t read much or know about the Princess Knight until they got involved. So I guess you could say they were almost looking at this project, too, with a similar lens that a lot of present-day or modern-day audiences would. So, that was a very strong perspective. They did a lot of research, of course, starting with this project, and I myself, of course, had done a lot of research to service that backbone of what the theme is that we’re trying to depict.

I meet people all the time who’ve never seen an Alfred Hitchcock movie or a Stanley Kubrick movie. You have to start somewhere.

IGARASHI: [Laughs] But I have seen Hitchcock and Kubrick.

This is the first major feature film produced by your animation studio, Outline. What kind of studio identity did you want this film to announce?

IGARASHI: I personally like old stuff. In this film and everything I do, I try to pay a lot of respect to the works that have come before me, and I think that translates to this film. I hope that also extends to the studio’s identity and ultimately to the audience, so that they can feel that’s where we come from.

The Ribbon Hero premieres worldwide exclusively on Netflix on August 8.

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Release Date

August 7, 2026

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Runtime

109 minutes

Director

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Yuki Igarashi

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Cast

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  Seiran Kobayashi

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  Pine (voice)

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  Saaya

  Sapphire / Princess Knight (voice)

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  Koki Uchiyama

  Velvet (voice)

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  Mayumi Shintani

  Zirco (voice)

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Kristin Cavallari opened up about the division of monetary assets in her divorce from Jay Cutler, saying he walked away with “half the value” of her company Uncommon James.

“I will tell you that what ultimately gave me the confidence to leave my marriage was the success of Uncommon James,” Cavallari, 39, shared on the Tuesday, July 7, episode of the “Aspire” podcast.

Cavallari recalled finding “confidence” from having her own business, adding, “Which is interesting because if I didn’t have Uncommon James, I could have taken half of his money, right?”

Uncommon James was ultimately “a really large asset” on their balance sheet.

Related: Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler’s Honest Quotes About Their Divorce

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler haven’t been shy when it comes to sharing details about their split. The former couple announced their breakup in April 2020, after 10 years together. “We have nothing but love and respect for one another and are deeply grateful for the years shared, memories made, and the children we are […]

“I didn’t get anything, which I’m so happy about now. But I don’t get any money from my ex-husband,” she continued. “I had to give him half the value of Uncommon James in cash and properties and everything else.”

Cavallari admitted she was “really pissed” at the time, but her feelings have since changed.

“Now, I’m so thankful, because I think — for me — I’ve needed these things in my life to keep going,” she explained. “I have found that that is an instance where I was like, ‘I’m going to fight harder.’ Those little moments push me, and I actually come out the other side stronger.”

Cavallari and Cutler, 43, began dating in 2010 and got married three years later. They expanded their family with sons Camden, 13, and Jaxon, 12, and daughter Saylor, 10, before announcing their divorce in 2020 after seven years of marriage.

Cavallari has since shut down the assumption that Cutler funded her jewelry brand Uncommon James — and insisted she got nothing after they separated.

“I would say that’s one of the bigger misconceptions I see about me,” Cavallari exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2025, referring to claims that Cutler helped her finance her brand. “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished on my own.”

Cutler, however, has disagreed with Cavallari’s version of events when it comes to their finances.

Related: Kristin Cavallari and Ex Jay Cutler’s Ups and Downs Through the Years

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler’s relationship had its share of ups and downs before ultimately coming to an end in April 2020. The Uncommon James founder and the former NFL star began their whirlwind romance in 2010, meeting through mutual friend Giuliana Rancic. “Jay is a good Midwestern boy; he’s a gentleman,” Cavallari exclusively told […]

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“Let’s think about this logically. ‘Not a penny,’ OK. Married for, I don’t know, seven years or so, three kids,” Cutler said during an August 2025 episode of his “Take It Outside” podcast. “You can go and see how much I made in the NFL. It’s online. You can see the contract from year to year and the total amount at the end of 12 years. So, you go to divorce and each side gets a lawyer and then you go to court and there’s a judge.”

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Cutler argued there’s “not a judge in the state of Tennessee” that would have signed an agreement stating that he would “keep every single dollar” he made throughout their marriage.

The former professional football player referred to Uncommon James as a “marital asset” because Cavallari funded the company while they were together. He also called Cavallari’s comments “irresponsible” and said the Laguna Beach alum “didn’t get a penny” — but got “a lot of bills” — during the divorce.

“I think it’s reckless. I think it’s borderline slander to insinuate that there was zero dollars split during the marriage that each side got,” he added. “It’s insanity. It’s completely false, completely untrue. It is, it just is. I’ve got a divorce decree. I’ve got something that’s signed by the judge — it’s, like, 67 pages — it says the number breakdown.”

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 21 seconds ago

Obsession is an amazing film for many reasons. This includes director Curry Barker, who parlayed his experience as a YouTube filmmaker into becoming one of Hollywood’s hottest new directors. It also includes Michael Johnston, whose performance as Bear helps him fully straddle the line between sympathetic protagonist and not-so-secret villain. However, it’s an open secret that the best part of Obsession is breakout star Inde Navarette, who plays Nikki. She can delight and terrify with a single change of her facial expression in a performance that might as well be a magic trick. One moment, she’s the cute girl next door; the next moment, she’s the scariest thing you’ve ever seen.

After Obsession became a massive hit (one that beat heavy hitters like The Mandalorian and Grogu and Supergirl at the box office), everyone had the same question: “what will Navarette do next?” Now, we may have the answer, and it’s more frightening than anything in her hit horror film. In a recent interview, she indicated that she’d like to star in a Marvel movie, and she even met with Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier, who is working on his upcoming X-Men film. For a young actor, becoming a Marvel mainstay is the opportunity of a lifetime. Realistically, though, this would ruin her career by tying her to a decade or more of making superhero slop.

A Scar Is Born

Recently, Obsession star Inde Navarette gave an interview to Nylon, one which covered much of the actor’s career. Eventually, they spoke about her future ambitions, and the outlet asked the actor if she’d like to star in a Marvel film. Her response? “I would.” When the outlet asked about dream directors she’d love to work with, Navarette mentioned Jake Schreier, who is poised to become one of Marvel’s biggest movers and shakers. He has already made the critically beloved The Thunderbolts, and he’s going to be directing the first X-Men movie for the MCU.

To be clear, Inde Navarette has not been officially offered any contract with Marvel, and it may simply be a coincidence that she wants to star in this cinematic universe and met one of its biggest directors. However, nobody can deny that getting this Obsession star into his X-Men movie would be a major coup for Schreier. Previously, MCU guru Kevin Feige confirmed that the X-Men movie will have a young cast to appeal to “a younger demographic.” At 25 years old and insanely popular, Navarrette would be the perfect addition to this upcoming mutant movie. Unfortunately, that might very well sabotage her career in the long term.

Marvel’s Latest Heroine?

Why is that? In that same Nylon interview, she discussed her desire to prove that she’s not some one-hit wonder. “I really want to prove that Obsession wasn’t just lightning in a bottle,” she said. “This is something that I really love and want to continue doing, but of course that’s going to take time. I want people to take that time to trust that I have that capability.” In other words, she wants to take on more challenging roles and prove she can keep rising to the occasion. But that will never happen if she signs a contract with Marvel.

That’s because, for bigger actors taking on bigger roles, Marvel Studios notoriously makes these performers sign 10-year contracts. That’s enough time, the thinking goes, to have them headline at least three of their own films and appear in any number of Avengers-style crossovers. Right now, Inde Navarrette is riding high from the insane success of Obsession, and she’s eager to take on meatier roles (case in point, she also met recently with Heat director Michael Mann). But she won’t really have time to star in other breakout indie hits or explosive dramas if she is tied down to at least a decade of making superhero slop.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Even if you’re a huge Marvel fan (got your tickets for Spider-Man: Brand New Day yet, true believer?), it’s an open secret that audiences will always see these tights-and-flights actors as their characters, keeping them from landing great future gigs. For example, the biggest thing Chris Evans has been in since Avengers: Endgame is Knives Out, and the only notable thing Robert Downey Jr. has been in since then is Oppenheimer. Sure, they’re both richer than God, but they’re not getting very many good roles, forcing them to reluctantly crawl back to the franchise that turned them into the most popular actors of the modern age.

That’s my big message to Inde Navarrette (you are reading this, right?): for all intents and purposes, you now have a One Wish Willow in your hand, and you’re in danger of experiencing how bad this monkey’s paw can get. Yes, becoming a Marvel star will make you richer and more famous than ever before, but it comes at the expense of ever acting in anything remotely interesting ever again. Navarrette became an internationally cherished actor thanks to a movie about a toy purchase gone wrong; only time will tell if she’s going to throw all that away just so she can become an action figure.

Heidi Klum is revealing her secret tips and tricks for looking and feeling her best.

“I love cooking and eating healthy,” Klum, 53, shared in the latest Us Weekly cover story. “And I like that my children are seeing that. I mean, they’ve seen it over the years and some practice it more than others.”

Klum — a mom of four — shared that she and her eldest daughter are similar when it comes to their palate. (Klum welcomed Leni with ex Flavio Briatore after she had moved on with Seal, who adopted her daughter. Klum and Seal, who split in 2012, are also the parents of kids Henry, 20, Johan, 19, and Lou, 16. Klum is now married to Tom Kaulitz.)

“We always say we have garlic with salad instead of salad with garlic,” she said of Leni. “She’s very much like me in that sense. She just loves healthy things. We don’t love everything overcooked and fried and dead and killed.”

Related: Heidi Klum Reveals Her Weight and Go-To Breakfast Food

Heidi Klum nonchalantly revealed how much she weighs during a recent q&a with fans on social media. Klum, 50, hosted a now-expired Q&A session on her Instagram Story Sunday, August 20, according to the Daily Mail. One follower asked her weight and Klum grabbed a scale to find out. “It must have gotten completely dusty,” […]

Klum also explained that she stays away from raw foods, sharing that it’s “harder for your body to digest.”

“If you want to have fruit, blanch them in the frying pan with a bit of water,” she said, noting that she believes digestion begins when you take a bite of food. “Chew enough and don’t drink too many fluids while you eat because the stomach acids can’t break it all down.”

Klum shared that she spent time at Lanserhof Lans health spa in Austria.

“It’s kind of a very chic hospital, where they feed you, they take your blood and you can do colonoscopies,” she explained. “I mean, it’s like a whole thing where they turn you upside down, inside out. I think it is definitely something worth doing, because you want to make sure your body is in tip top shape and especially when you get older we need to know, is there something that’s missing? Like, what do I need to eat more of?”

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Related: Heidi Klum Clarifies She Doesn’t ‘Count Calories’ as Diet Draws Backlash

Heidi Klum is correcting a “crap” narrative about her eating habits. Klum, 50, addressed headlines about her supposed restrictive diet via her Instagram Story on Tuesday, August 22, sharing screenshots of articles from earlier that day. She asserted that she doesn’t “only take in 900 calories” daily, despite reports otherwise. “One, I want to say, […]

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Klum shared that she maintains an active lifestyle, noting that she’s “always schlepped my own bags up and down the stairs, and I had four kids so I’ve always been mobile.” Klum also believes that people can get what they need via food and lifestyle choices, sharing that she limits supplements.

“To me, it doesn’t make sense to eat badly and then shove 50 pills inside of you,” she said. “To me this doesn’t make sense. I think that’s important, bringing it back to the basics and trying to be as natural with everything as you possibly can, I think is the way to go.”

For more on Klum, pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly – on newsstands now.

Jennifer Grey announced that her mom, Jo Wilder, died at age 94 on Saturday, July 4.

In an emotional Instagram tribute shared Wednesday, July 8, Grey, 66, wrote that Wilder died “by her own choosing, on her own terms, exactly as she lived,” one week after receiving a lung cancer diagnosis.

“True to who she was, she chose grace over fear, understanding that leaving this world with dignity is an honor, not a tragedy,” Grey continued. “She was gorgeous and talented — a promising young actress on the New York stage in her youth. She used to say she never fully answered that calling; she became a mother instead.”

Wilder shared kids Jennifer and James Katz with ex-husband Joel Grey.

“If she’d chosen ambition over my brother and me, we never would have had the mother we had,” Jennifer’s caption continued. “Her passion found other outlets: she was a lifelong activist, fiercely attuned to right and wrong. And for years, many people discovered her extraordinary eye through Wilder Place, her store on Melrose.”

Related: Celebrity Deaths of 2026

Hollywood mourned the deaths of some of its most legendary stars in 2026. The year started off with Broadway performer and influencer Bret Hanna-Shuford’s death at age 46. At the end of the month, comedy acting icon Catherine O’Hara died at age 71. In February, Dawson’s Creek actor James Van Der Beek died at age […]

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The Dirty Dancing star concluded, “She was brave and deep. I love you, Mom. Thank you for showing me how to do it all, even this, with grace.”

Wilder was a singer and actress, known for her role as Polly in The Threepenny Opera national tour, which took place in 1960. Wilder also snagged stage roles in Peter Pan and Gypsy during her time as a regional theater actress.

Several stars took to the comments section of Jennifer’s post to share their condolences.

“I have been thinking of you so much. I am lucky to have known your beautiful mother through the years of our friendship,” Maggie Wheeler, known for her role as Janice on Friends, wrote. “She was fierce and kind and curious.. and .. she was deeply blessed with a daughter who showed her the most unwavering love [and] unwavering support.”

Julianne Moore and Josh Gad were among other notable names who shared their love. Rachel Zegler also commented with a red heart emoji.

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“So sorry for your loss,” Moore wrote. Gad added, “Sending you so much love.”

Lea Thompson also remembered Jennifer’s mom, writing, “A beautiful tribute. I love you so much. Your mom was the best.”

Jennifer’s ex-husband, Clark Gregg, commented three red heart emojis as well. They were married for 19 years before finalizing their divorce in February 2021. The former couple share daughter Stella, 24.

After an offseason of major change in Buffalo, quarterback Josh Allen isn’t getting distracted by any outside noise. 

In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Allen, 30, was asked how much weight he feels on his shoulders to finally get the Bills to a Super Bowl in his ninth season with the franchise. 

“Not a whole lot of pressure,” Allen said, while promoting his partnership with Natrol, the No. 1 drug-free sleep aid brand. “It’s always been my dream. It’s been my goal from day one, since I set foot in Buffalo, to bring a Lombardi Trophy to western New York. And that’s not going to change. But again, just making sure I’m falling in love with the process of what it takes to get there, enjoying the game that I love and being the best person, player, father that I can be while doing it.”

Allen and his wife, actress Hailee Steinfeld, welcomed their first child, daughter Harper, in April. 

Related: Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen’s Relationship Timeline

Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen kept their romance quiet to start before getting engaged in November 2024 and tying the knot the following spring. Allen was linked to Steinfeld just weeks after eagle-eyed fans noticed in April 2023 that his longtime girlfriend Brittany Williams unfollowed him on social media.Although the Buffalo Bills quarterback was spotted […]

Prior to the 2026 season, the Bills made four consecutive Super Bowls between 1991 to 1994, but lost all four times.

In January, the Bills hired the team’s former offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, to take over as head coach after parting ways with Sean McDermott after nine seasons. 

“I’ve had Joe in the room with me for the last couple years, so you know it’s not anything new,” Allen said of their relationship. “We’re very much in lockstep and aligned in what we want to accomplish and what it’s going to take to get there. So, obviously, very excited for this year, new stadium. A lot of firsts.”

The Bills will christen the brand-new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park when the NFL season opens this fall. The fancy new digs cost over $2.1 billion and, amongst other amenities, features  the world’s largest stadium snow-melt system.

Allen and the Bills welcome the Detroit Lions for the Highmark home opener on September 17. 

In the meantime, the quarterback has been utilizing Natrol’s new Ultra Sleep and Ultra Energy supplements into his daily routine. Together, the products help him fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and maintain sustained energy throughout the demanding offseason. 

“It’’s been life-changing because I understand what it’s like to have good sleep, and now what it’s like to not have such great sleep,” Allen explained. 

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The NFL superstar said the Natrol supplements help “in falling asleep and keeping you asleep, so you can wake up feeling refreshed, and then on top of that, you have the energy that fills your body with what it needs and really good nutrients to keep you feeling great throughout the day.”

Allen added, “Sleep happens throughout the entire day too, so right when you wake up determines what you’re going to sleep like that night.”

For more information about Natrol’s new Ultra Sleep and Ultra Energy supplements, click here.

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

Former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Lisa Rinna has inserted herself into one of the internet’s most controversial political conversations, publicly suggesting that Senator Mitch McConnell is secretly dead despite repeated assurances from Republican leaders that he remains alive and engaged in Senate business.

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The actress and reality television personality made the eyebrow-raising claim in a TikTok video Tuesday night as speculation surrounding McConnell’s health continues to intensify following his hospitalization last month. “I mean, come on, Mitch McConnell’s dead. He’s dead,” Rinna said in the clip. “They’re keeping him alive like ‘Weekend at Bernie’s.’”

McConnell has been hospitalized for more than three weeks after suffering a medical emergency at his Washington, D.C., home on June 14. According to CBS, emergency responders were dispatched after receiving a call regarding an unconscious individual who may have suffered a cardiac arrest. A medic reportedly noted that CPR was in progress when first responders arrived.

Since then, McConnell’s office has released only limited information about his condition, saying he is receiving “excellent care” while recovering in the hospital. The lack of detailed updates has fueled widespread speculation about the Kentucky senator’s health and future in office.

Rinna’s TikTok came just hours after GOP strategist Scott Jennings attempted to push back against the growing rumors by publicly revealing that he had spoken directly with McConnell. “I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky,” Jennings wrote on X. “He’s still recovering in the hospital.”

Jennings added that the pair discussed topics including Iran, Ukraine, developments in Maine, and Senate history during a conversation that lasted nearly 20 minutes.

Republican Leaders Continue To Insist McConnell Is Working

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Rinna’s comments also arrived shortly after Senate Majority Leader John Thune reportedly held what was described as a “lengthy and substantive” phone call with McConnell. According to NOTUS, the two discussed national security matters and other Senate business while McConnell remains hospitalized.

A spokesman for the longtime senator similarly attempted to quell the speculation in a statement provided to the Daily Mail. “Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” the spokesman said. “The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”

Despite those assurances, questions continue to circulate online as critics demand more concrete proof of McConnell’s condition.

Why The Mitch McConnell Rumors Have Grown So Quickly

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Rinna’s remarks are notable because they reflect how speculation surrounding McConnell’s health has expanded far beyond Washington political circles. What began as questions about the senator’s condition after his June hospitalization has evolved into a full-blown online conspiracy theory fueled by influencers, political commentators, independent journalists, and now celebrities.

The lack of detailed public updates from McConnell’s office has created an information vacuum that supporters and critics alike have attempted to fill with their own theories. Far-right activist Laura Loomer recently claimed that an unnamed White House source told her McConnell was either in a vegetative state or brain dead and would not return to work. Independent journalist Desiréee Townsend later claimed she had heard similar information from her own sources.

Meanwhile, several prominent conservative voices have publicly called for McConnell’s staff to provide additional evidence that he is capable of returning to the Senate, including Breitbart editor Matthew Boyle, who wrote on X that McConnell’s aides should “produce proof of the senator’s condition one way or another right now.”

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The rumors gained additional momentum after The Hill accidentally published what appeared to be an obituary-style retrospective examining McConnell’s political career.

Although the article was quickly deleted, screenshots circulated widely online and became further ammunition for conspiracy theorists already questioning the senator’s condition. At the same time, McConnell’s eldest daughter, Porter McConnell, quietly deactivated her X account.

There is no evidence connecting the move to her father’s hospitalization, and it remains unclear when exactly the account was deleted. Nevertheless, the timing quickly became another subject of speculation among social media users.

Why McConnell’s Health Matters Beyond The Rumors

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The intense interest in McConnell’s condition is not solely driven by political gossip. As one of the most influential Republicans of the modern era, McConnell’s future carries significant implications for the balance of power in Washington.

The Kentucky Republican served as Senate Majority Leader from 2015 until 2021 and remains one of the GOP’s most powerful voices in Congress. Republicans currently hold a narrow Senate majority, meaning any prolonged absence could complicate legislative efforts heading into a crucial election cycle.

If McConnell were unable to resume his duties or vacate his seat before August 3, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear would be required to call a special election to fill the vacancy.

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

Marvel is having quite the day in terms of Emmy nominations. After a strong recent run, including the second season of Daredevil: Born Again and animated event series Eyes of Wakanda and Marvel Zombies, the MCU is officially back in the win column thanks to Wonder Man. Series lead Yahya Abdul-Mateen II earned a nod for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the superhero showbiz satire, marking Marvel Television’s first acting Emmy nomination in five years. However, that only accounted for one of 12 awards the comic giant’s shows are up for, with the other 11 going towards a title that isn’t even on Disney+.

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In the end, the real big winner was Spider-Noir, from the trio of Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios, and Marvel Studios. The Nicolas Cage-led superhero crime hit premiered on Prime Video to rave reviews back in May, and that’s now been reflected in the 78th Emmy Award nominations, with recognition for everything from production design and music to prosthetic makeup, cinematography, stunt performance, and more. While none of the performances received nominations, nor did the show make the cut for Outstanding Drama, the awards the show is up for recognize its greatest strength — the campy, gorgeously crafted classic noir presentation. The series now has the second-most nominations of any Marvel television title to date, behind only WandaVision‘s staggering 23 in 2021.

Created by Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot, Spider-Noir‘s first season introduced Ben Reilly (Cage), a familiarly black-clad superhero detective who’s a bit different from his Spider-Verse counterpart. Living in 1930s New York, he’s haunted by a personal tragedy and his own past as The Spider, the city’s only superhero. Soon, however, the drunken, down-on-his-luck private eye is pulled back into business when a new case comes across his desk that he can’t ignore, forcing him to suit up once more and stop the villains plaguing the Big Apple. He’s not alone in his fight, joined by his friend and journalist Robbie Robertson (Lamorne Morris), his ever-loyal assistant Janet Ruiz (Karen Rodriguez), and femme fatale nightclub singer Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li).

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Release Date

May 27, 2026

Network

MGM+

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Showrunner

Oren Uziel, Steve Lightfoot

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Directors

Harry Bradbeer

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This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 15 seconds ago

Right now, X-Men ‘97 Season 2 is absolutely killing it, maintaining the almost impossibly high standard created by Season 1. Understandably, fans are wondering exactly how much of this awesome animated revival we are going to get. The exact answer to that question is something of a moving target. Previously, executive producer Larry Houston said that Marvel Animation is currently working on Seasons 3 and 4 and that the goal is to hit at least five seasons, which would match the original X-Men: The Animated Series. While that’s already an ambitious goal, one power player at Marvel is dreaming even bigger.

In a recent interview with POC Culture, Houston confirmed that Brad Winderbaum, the Head of Streaming, Television and Animation at Marvel Studios, would love to do 10 seasons. Unsurprisingly, the writers, producers, and voice actors support this goal, as that means we’d be getting more of this hit series for the better part of a decade. However, there’s one potential downside that none of the movers and shakers at Marvel have considered. If X-Men ‘97 can maintain this same level of quality for 10 seasons, it may effectively kill the MCU by forcing fans to ask the obvious question about live-action Marvel movies: “why can’t they be as good as the cartoon?”

Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy

It’s an open secret that, after Avengers: Endgame, Marvel really fell off, both creatively and commercially. Once, this franchise regularly pumped out billion-dollar movies; however, that became a rarity (last year, neither The Thunderbolts nor The Fantastic Four: First Steps came anywhere close). Major warning bells began to sound when The Marvels, a direct sequel to one of those billion-dollar films, actually lost the studio money. Because of this, MCU guru Kevin Feige created a daring strategy. With Avengers: Doomsday and the return of Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., he hopes to channel Endgame. And with Avengers: Secret Wars, he’d reboot the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

That reboot will allow for recasting popular characters like Captain America and Iron Man while adding some major players (like the X-Men) to the MCU. Because the mutants are headed to the big screen, you might think that X-Men ‘97 lasting for a decade would be a good thing because it creates synergy across multiple platforms and media. However, this cartoon knocking it out of the park year after year could be a problem because it naturally invites fan comparisons to the MCU. No matter how good the X-Men movie is, its two hours will be compared to entire seasons of X-Men ‘97. If the movie is bad, fans may cry for yet another cinematic reboot. 

It’s Not Just In Our Heads

The decline of the MCU had already happened long before the premiere of X-Men ‘97 Season 1. Media outlets began tossing around the term “superhero fatigue” to pretend this decline was out of Marvel’s control and that millions of people suddenly lost their appetite for tights-and-flights movies overnight. In reality, these movies stopped making as much money because so many of them weren’t as good as earlier films. All it took was a handful of lukewarm Marvel movies to nearly destroy the franchise because all of us remembered how, not that many years ago (there were only four years between Endgame and The Marvels!), the studio knew how to make good films. 

Now, maybe Kevin Feige’s dream comes true and both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars provide Endgame-level quality and revive major public interest in the franchise. But what happens if the subsequent movies suffer a major dip in quality like so many of the post-Endgame movies? We’ll just be in for “superhero fatigue” 2.0, which will be accelerated because X-Men ‘97 will constantly remind us how good these films could be. It was bad enough when we were simply comparing new, mediocre movies to excellent ones from the past. How much worse will future flops be when we know Marvel has killer writers and they are simply working on another project?

When You’re Destined To Die

Obviously, this isn’t to blame X-Men ‘97; the show is perfect, and if we get eight more seasons after this, this ‘80s kid’s heart will fill with joy. But as far back as Season 1, fans were comparing this show to the live-action films and actively questioning why Marvel could create a consistently awesome series but kept dropping the ball with feature films. If the MCU experiences a similar post-Secret Wars decline in film quality while X-Men ‘97 keeps knocking it out of the park, the box office for these movies will shrivel up and die. Why spend a small fortune to see a mediocre movie when better superhero stories are streaming on demand?

In the end, the perfect cartoon might kill the most ambitious cinematic franchise ever created. Should the MCU die, though, they could always take their cue from X-Men ‘97: just wait nearly three decades and pick up right where they left off!