Oh no, it’s that time of year. Or it might be, depending on when you’re reading this. At the time of writing, it’s sort of that time of year, at least. And that time of year is Oscar season. People who get excited about the Oscars like to talk about the Oscars, and then people who don’t like the Oscars get excited about talking smack about the Oscars. And those behind the Oscars are probably happy either way.
The following is an attempt to look at times in Oscar history when there was a clear winner for the award of Best Director, and that director won. It’s not necessarily the best of the best when it comes to Academy Award-winning directors, because some of these examples were standout winners in years that weren’t too competitive. Not every year is like 2023, for example, when Christopher Nolan won for Oppenheimer, but just about everyone else would’ve also been a worthy winner (Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest, Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor Things, Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon, or Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall… big year).
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10
William Wyler
‘Ben-Hur’ (1959)
Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur (1959)Image via Loews, Inc.
If Ben-Hur ain’t perfect, then it’s close enough to it that it might as well be. Or, if you’re still feeling critical, it’s an amazing production (if a little slow in parts), yet not without some of the best sequences in the history of the whole epic genre. Hell, maybe even the best in cinema history. That chariot race is – and always has been – worth the price of admission alone.
Ben-Hur was done on such a massive scale that the fact it didn’t collapse under its own weight was something of a miracle, and William Wyler, as its director, had to have played a naturally important role in keeping it all together, even if only just. Gone with the Wind had been similarly massive 20 years earlier, sure, and Victor Fleming had won for his directing there, though that win was maybe slightly less indisputable, owing to 1939 being a famously strong year for cinema (and hey, what do you know: Wyler was also nominated that year, for directing Wuthering Heights. No, not that one).
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9
James Cameron
‘Titanic’ (1997)
Image via Paramount Pictures
There are complaints that people make about Titanic, since it’s all very broad in some ways, and it also isn’t really the most original movie in the world, but it’s still a wildly impressive technical and directorial achievement, in any event. It’s a tearjerker romance film and a disaster movie, and those two things are combined incredibly well. So, yes, Titanic is well-written (it’s quotable, too), even with some of the clichés and well-worn narrative conventions used.
James Cameron has made plenty of other great movies, so whether Titanic is his absolute best is hard to say, but it feels like the film of his that most deserved to win him a Best Director Oscar. He was king of the world, as he said, on that night in March 1998. That’s a wild thing to say, in most circumstances, yet here, Cameron did honestly earn the right to say it… just.
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8
Lewis Milestone
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ (1930)
Cast members of All Quiet on the Western Front’ (1930) try to encourage a young soldierImage via Universal Pictures
All Quiet on the Western Front was one of the first big Oscar successes, naturally, since it won Best Picture and Best Director at the 3rd Academy Awards. Lewis Milestone won for directing a World War I movie that was, in many regards, quite ahead of its time, in a way that maybe was felt, to some extent, even back then. One can imagine All Quiet on the Western Front succeeding at shocking people, at least.
It’s anti-war in a way that’s been done by plenty of great movies since, and the impact here isn’t going to be as intense if you watch it now, nearly 100 years later, but you can still admire the heaviness of this, by the standards of the early 1930s. As for Milestone’s competition, there were some other directors nominated that year who are fairly well-remembered, at least by those who like older films (like King Vidor and Ernst Lubitsch), but none for helming particularly well-remembered movies, so Milestone and All Quiet on the Western Front felt like the most obvious and deserving picks.
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7
Martin Scorsese
‘The Departed’ (2006)
Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello, smiling widely, in The DepartedImage via Warner Bros. Pictures
Look, Martin Scorsese should’ve won an Oscar for his directing before 2006, or technically before 2007, because that’s the year his 2006 film, The Departed, finally got him an Academy Award, and it was also the first movie of his to win Best Picture (that’s surprising, too). Honestly, movies like Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, and Goodfellas were arguably more deserving of a Best Picture win, and Best Director wins for Scorsese specifically.
So, “deserving” here takes Scorsese’s career into account, and the notion that he was kind of overdue. Also, The Departed is still a pretty great movie, so quality-wise, it wasn’t anywhere near an unworthy winner, for either Best Picture or Best Director. The debatable best movie of that year, though, wasn’t nominated in either of those categories: Pan’s Labyrinth (directed by Guillermo del Toro). And the same goes for Children of Men, especially as far as directing’s concerned, as Alfonso Cuarón not being at least nominated for Best Director feels like an oversight.
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6
Steven Spielberg
‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)
Image via Universal Pictures
In 1993, two of the best movies Steven Spielberg ever directed came out, and both were completely different in tone and genre. Jurassic Park dominated that year box office-wise, and it still holds up as an absolute classic sci-fi/adventure/thriller movie, while Schindler’s List was that year’s biggest success at the Academy Awards, winning seven in total, including Best Picture and a Best Director win for Spielberg.
Spielberg wasn’t as overdue for a win as Scorsese was, in 2006, but still, he’d made some incredible movies in the two decades that preceded Schindler’s List, so it was still a decently long time coming, given that Spielberg had thrived when it came to both quality (for the most part) and quantity. Schindler’s List was a worthy first win for Spielberg, and he won the Best Director Oscar again five years later for another World War II movie: Saving Private Ryan (though that one did lose Best Picture, somewhat infamously, to Shakespeare in Love).
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5
Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins
‘West Side Story’ (1961)
Image via United Artists
West Side Story marked the first time two people were given the Oscar for Best Director in the same year and for the same movie: Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. For a while, they were the only duo (so to speak) to do so, at least until the Coen Brothers won for No Country for Old Men. With West Side Story, you probably know the deal, though, like, narrative-wise. Romeo and Juliet in New York City, and with singing.
It’s not really a fun or wholesome musical, yet it is an amazing one, and is a contender for the best-directed musical released during the genre’s heyday (at least in the U.S., that was the 1950s and then a good chunk of the 1960s). Wise and Robbins do a particularly impressive job at retaining the feel of the stage production they’re adapting, yet without pushing the artificiality or theatricality too far. And Robbins was key to that side of things, since he was credited with producing and directing the original stage production of West Side Story in 1957.
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4
Peter Jackson
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)
Image via New Line Cinema
Peter Jackson’s Best Director win in 2003 wasn’t officially for his work on directing all three movies in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but unofficially… like, it kind of/probably was. He won for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and that was the only one of the three that also won Best Picture, but the whole trilogy was kind of one giant production and story (you can easily watch them back-to-back-to-back, provided you have enough time), and it all obviously culminates with this one.
Whether The Return of the King is the genuine best of the three is up for debate, but the main thing is that the landing was stuck (or landings were stuck), and the destination (or destinations) ended up being as immensely satisfying as the journey. For the 21st century so far, there is also a pretty good argument to be made that The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the best of the Best Picture winners.
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3
Francis Ford Coppola
‘The Godfather Part II’ (1974)
Things were tight in 1972, because Francis Ford Coppola didn’t win the Oscar for Best Director for his work on the original The Godfather. Maybe he should’ve, but also, Bob Fosse’s win for Cabaret was fairly well-deserved, or at least you can understand why that film won. Also, both directors did arguably their best work in 1979, with Fosse’s All That Jazz and Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, yet neither won that year. Best Director went to Robert Benton for Kramer vs. Kramer, instead.
Anyway, Coppola did win in 1974, and even if you don’t like The Godfather Part II quite as much as the first, you can probably agree that it’s on a similar level quality-wise (what with it being one of the most acclaimed sequels of all time and everything). Also, it was a more ambitious – and overall grander in scope – movie than The Godfather, so Coppola managing to oversee it all and keep it so consistent and focused was an impressive filmmaking achievement. Chinatown would’ve also been a deserving winner that year, though The Godfather Part II is probably more impressive overall, and if the award for Coppola was also, in part, acknowledging his nomination without a win for the first movie, then that makes his win further understandable.
2
David Lean
‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962)
Image via Columbia Pictures
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A movie like Lawrence of Arabia inspires hyperbolic things to be said about it, and it’s super obvious that it was an amazing achievement on the part of David Lean, who’d already won Best Director at the Academy Awards before, for The Bridge on the River Kwai. That movie won for 1957, and was also a deserving win, albeit not as clear a winner as was Lawrence of Arabia, since Lean had some tough competition for the award, owing to Sidney Lumet also being nominated that year for 12 Angry Men.
Life’s not too short to experience a film like Lawrence of Arabia a bunch of times, even if it’s an incredibly long watch.
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Also, the award was technically called “Best Directing” back then, so if you wanted to be annoying, you could say Lean didn’t actually ever win an Oscar for Best Director; not by that exact name. But why would you want to be annoying? Life’s too short to be annoying, though it’s not too short to experience a film like Lawrence of Arabia a bunch of times, even if it’s an incredibly long watch (might well be the most rewatchable movie that has a runtime of nearly four hours).
1
Miloš Forman
‘Amadeus’ (1984)
Image via Orion Pictures
Like David Lean, Miloš Forman also won two Oscars for Best Director, with Amadeus being arguably the most deserving win of his two. Funnily enough, when it won in 1984, one of Forman’s competitors was Lean himself, who’d been nominated for directing what ended up being his final film, A Passage to India. Forman’s other win was for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which famously dominated its year when it came to the Academy Awards, winning the big five.
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It’s just that Best Director for 1975 was a stacked category: Federico Fellini for Amarcord, Stanley Kubrick for Barry Lyndon, Sidney Lumet for Dog Day Afternoon, and Robert Altman for Nashville. Like, damn. So, Forman winning in 1984 felt like more of a sure thing, since Amadeus is remarkable in just about every way, and the other nominees for the Directing category didn’t really stand a chance (if Sergio Leone had been nominated as he deserved, though, for directing Once Upon a Time in America… well, that’d be another story).
Margot Robbie on the red carpetDoug Peters/PA Images/INSTARimages
After landing like a hot summer storm, one of the most controversial movies of 2026 made its PVOD debut this week. The movie had a stupendous run in theaters, but it seemed to disappear from the public’s consciousness rather rapidly after generating significant buzz. The film marked a return to form for star and producer Margot Robbie, who needed the win in order to consolidate her success after Barbie. That movie, directed by Greta Gerwig, grossed $1.4 billion worldwide and was a bona fide cultural phenomenon. Robbie’s follow-up project, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, tanked both critically and commercially in 2025. While her 2026 release wasn’t exactly a four-quadrant hit, it still did well enough to put her back on track.
The movie divided critics with its controversial interpretation of a classic text, filtering complex themes for a generation that has grown up online. It also featured Jacob Elordi, one of the stars of perhaps the defining show of the generation, HBO’s Euphoria. He’s set to return in the third season of the series this month, now as an Oscar nominee. Elordi was nominated for his performance as The Creature in Guillermo del Toro‘s critically acclaimed Frankenstein, which was released on Netflix in 2025.
Whether you’re an innie or an outie, you’ve undoubtedly enjoyed the workplace comedies of Adam Scott. Let’s all cater to this state auditor.
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Margot Robbie’s New Movie Is Finding a Larger Audience at Home
The new movie starring Elordi and Robbie is Wuthering Heights, of course. Written and directed by the Oscar-winning Emerald Fennell, the movie grossed around $240 million at the worldwide box office, against a reported budget of $80 million. It now holds a 57% critics’ score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Liberally adapting Emily Brontë’s classic story with a heavy dose of carnality and chic stylization, Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights might not be the stuff of high literature, but it is a visually vibrant pleasure.” The R-rated romantic drama’s significantly higher 76% audience score sets it up for a solid run on the PVOD market. According to FlixPatrol, Wuthering Heights emerged as one of the most-watched movies on the domestic Amazon and Vudu charts immediately after its debut. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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Release Date
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February 13, 2026
Runtime
136 Minutes
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Director
Emerald Fennell
Writers
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Emerald Fennell, Emily Brontë
Producers
Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Emerald Fennell, Josey McNamara
Meghan Markle has responded after her former Suits love interest Patrick J. Adams spoke about her on a recent podcast.
After Adams, 44, shared that he never received any of Duchess of Sussex’s famous As Ever jam while appearing on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat,” podcast on Tuesday, March 31, Meghan responded two days later.
Posting via the comments section of the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” Instagram account, Meghan, 44, said she was rectifying Adam’s lack of jam situation immediately.
“Jams en route for you @patrickjadams & @sleepinthegardn,” Meghan wrote, tagging the actor and his wife, Troian Bellisario.
Patrick J. Adams poked fun at Suits‘ recent success on streaming by giving all the credit to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Eagle-eyed followers noticed on Sunday, September 3, that Adams, 42, updated his Instagram bio to read, “The guy from that show you’re watching on that app because that girl married that prince.” The […]
Meghan also sent well wishes to other members of Adams’ family via the rare public comment.
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“Hugs to those beautiful babies. Send my love to your mom ❤️,” Meghan added, referencing Adam and Bellisario’s three daughters, Aurora, 7, Elliot, 4, and Imogen, 2 months, as well as the actor’s mother.
During the podcast episode, Adam disclosed that he “did not get a jam” when Meghan’s brand, As Ever, was launched despite starring alongside her for years on the legal drama.
“I didn’t get anything,” he joked. “I don’t have enough followers, I don’t think.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for W+P)
Podcast host Amanda Hirsch admitted that she had been one of the recipients of Meghan’s jam but explained she hadn’t tasted it yet as she’s preserving it in the box.
“You’re treating it like a champagne?” Adams asked. “It’s gonna go bad,” he added. “How long do preserves last? It’s going to go bad.”
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Adams played Mike Ross in Suits from 2011 to 2018. His character struck up a romance with colleague Rachel Zane, portrayed by Meghan.
They both left Suits after the show’s seventh season and Meghan quit acting to join the British Royal Family full time. Meghan and her husband Prince Harry married in 2018 and announced they were stepping back from royal duties in January 2020. (The couple also share two children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.)
Meghan Markle still has nothing but love for her former Suits costars. “We are not really in touch. She leads a very different life now for obvious and important reasons,” Patrick J. Adams replied to a fan asking about his and Markle’s relationship via Reddit on Sunday, October 6. “[But] upon hearing about the [Suits […]
During Tuesday’s podcast, Adams also explained why he’s been protective over his former costar amid her romance with Harry.
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“What she’s gone through is insane,” he said. Adams also referenced his Instagram bio — which reads, “The other guy from that show that you’re watching on that app because that girl married that prince.”
“I’ve got to change that,” Adams said. “It’s the sort of thing that wherever Meghan is, if she’s ever read that, she’s going, ‘Patrick, give me a break’.”
Adams added, “I got a lot of eye rolls — that was a constant with Meghan.”
Last week, I started off the Flavor Swap review series with Madison Beer and her Sweet Southern Heat BBQ Cheetos. While I was less than impressed with the results, I had high hopes for the Ruffles potato chips. Potato chips have been used as a vehicle for all sorts of eclectic flavors over the years, and Cool Ranch is one of the most popular Doritos flavors out there. Could combining the two possibly create a flavor variation that was anything but delicious? That’s what I set out to discover.
Inside The Flavor Swap Series
Frito Lay is swapping flavors from chip to chip(real mind bender). The new Flavor Swap remixes fan favorite chip flavors with the help of a few celebs.
🛒Heading to major stores that carry each brand Feb 16th for a limited-time. I’ll update as found!
The Flavor Swap is a 2026 collaboration between PepsiCo Foods and Gen-Z influencers in order to create limited-edition snack mashups. While Madison Beer put Lay’s Sweet Southern Heat BBQ seasoning on Cheetos Crunchy and iShowSpeed put Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream seasoning on Doritos, Dude Perfect’s made a mashup of Doritos Cool Ranch and Ruffles, putting the iconic tangy, herby seasoning of Cool Ranch Doritos on the thick, ridged texture of a Ruffles potato chip.
The chips were first released on the TikTok shop in February 2026 before hitting nationwide grocery store chains like Safeway, Walmart, and Kroger in March 2026. Eager fans have also been scoring them on Amazon, although the price is much higher than you’ll find in an average grocery store.
Dude Perfect Scores Major Points With This Mashup
Instead of breaking down the nutrition facts – they’re basically just potato chips with added seasoning, after all – let’s get straight to the review! The good news is that the Ruffles potato chip texture is spot-on. If you were the kind of kid consuming these chips at backyard barbecues and holiday parties, then you won’t be disappointed. They weren’t greasy. They weren’t flimsy. They had the same kind of structure that you would expect from a Ruffles chip, with textures and ridges that make it great for dipping. To focus on the Flavor Swap aspect of this taste test, I decided not to use any dip for these chips, but the option is there!
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As for the taste itself, I would have told you that these were Sour Cream and Onion potato chips if I had been blindfolded. The Cool Ranch aspect just tastes right on a Dorito, and I’m not sure if the potato chip was the right vehicle for this flavor. I actually think Cool Ranch Cheetos would have been a better way to go, since there would have been a bit more of that classic Cheeto-powder dust (hopefully).
Madison Beer vs. Dude Perfect: Who Made The Better Chip Mashup?
In my last celebrity food taste test, I was disappointed with Madison Beer’s Sweet Heat BBQ Cheetos because I was expecting a little bit of that classic Cheetos cheese flavor with the addition of a sweet BBQ. Unfortunately, as I stated in my review, there was little to no cheese dust on these. The sweet BBQ flavor came through, but the heat did not. Overall, they were a big pass for me.
Looking at the two flavor combinations side by side, I’m going to give the win to the Cool Ranch potato chips. If you can only go to the store and grab one snack, then the potato chips will most certainly have more mass appeal while the subtle Cool Ranch tang will have everyone asking, “What flavor IS that?” People who love Cheetos and the delicious, sticky Cheetos dust will be disappointed by the lack of it and may be put off by the sweet BBQ flavor, which, to me, still reads as a little too sweet.
Who Is Dude Perfect?
Tammie Arroyo / AFF-USA.com / MEGA
If you’ve never heard of Dude Perfect before, you may be about to become a fan! They’re a comedy group that boasts over 60 million subscribers on YouTube. The group consists of Tyler Toner, Coby & Cory Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, and Cody Jones. The five best friends were roommates at Texas A&M University.
They’re best known for “Go Big” stunts, such as trick shots, comedic sketches poking fun at gym and driving stereotypes, competitive stunts with a “Wheel Unfortunate” penalty, and hilarious attempts to break bizarre Guinness World Records.
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The good news is that this isn’t the end of the taste test. Next up, we have Doritos, which are usually a crowd-pleasing favorite. I’ve yet to come across a Dorito flavor I didn’t like, so I have high hopes to try this Flavor Swap variety.
Incumbent mayor Karen Bass currently holds the most support from potential voters at 25 per cent while the reality TV star is right behind her at 11 per cent support.
Per the poll, city council member Nithya Raman is currently in third position, with 9 per cent support.
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Meanwhile, 40 per cent voters are still undecided before the June 2 primary.
“The system in Los Angeles isn’t struggling, it’s fundamentally broken,” Pratt, 42, said at the “They Let Us Burn” public demonstration on January 7, via the New York Post. “It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash. Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action.”
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Spencer Pratt.(Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
Pratt continued, “That’s why I am running for mayor. And let me be clear, this just isn’t a campaign, this is a mission, and we’re gonna expose the system.”
While Pratt has a substantial number of backers according to the new poll, not everyone supports his bid to become mayor.
Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and its Department of Water and Power (LADWP) following the destruction of their home in the Palisades wildfire. Spencer, 41, and Heidi, 38, were among nearly two dozen plaintiffs – which also included Spencer’s mother Janet Pratt – in the lawsuit […]
“Spencer has done great work for the palisades. But LA does not need another unqualified and inexperienced mayor,” Stephanie wrote via X on February 14.
“A vote for him is a vote for stupidity,” Stephanie continued.
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In follow-up posts, Stephanie explained why she wouldn’t be voting for her brother to become the new L.A. mayor.
“He’s just trying to stay famous and sell his memoir don’t be fooled,” she wrote. “In an ideal world the palisades would have their own mayor and police department. I would love [for] him to be mayor of [the] Palisades but not LA with 4 million people. I’d be impressed if a republican could turn LA democrats tbh.”
She added, “At least hire someone with work experience who wasn’t in a cult. I’m WORRIED about LA. I have no problem with Spencer playing government but our city needs help.”
Summer House’sAmanda Batula has been spotted as she faces backlash from her romance with West Wilson – and it appears her ex Kyle Cooke is supporting her through the drama.
In new photos published by Page Six, Batula, 34, was snapped reuniting with Cooke, 43, on Friday, April 4.
During the outing, the pair chatted on the street while walking their dogs. At one point, Cooke hugged Batula.
Batula and her Summer House costar Wilson, 31, confirmed their romance earlier this week after speculation increasingly swirled about the nature of their relationship.
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“We’ve seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity,” read an Instagram statement on Tuesday, March 31. “It was never our intention to purposely hide anything. Given the complicated relationship dynamics involved and the scrutiny that comes with being on a reality show, we needed a little space to process things privately before speaking on it.”
Batula and Wilson continued to address how their relationship changed.
“We’ve shown up for each other as friends over the years, through all the highs and lows, and what’s developed recently was the last thing either of us expected,” they continued. “Our connection grew out of a genuine, longstanding friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.”
West Wilson.(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Both Batula and Wilson have come under fire for the relationship, as Wilson previously dated Batula’s best friend and Summer House costar, Ciara Miller, in 2023.
“I’m good. I appreciate people checking in. I’m actually really worried about Amanda, if I’m being honest,” Cooke told street journalist Adam Glyn in a TikTok video.
Cooke added that he had spoken to Batula, who gave him “a heads-up” about making a statement on her relationship with Wilson.
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“I talked to her last night, and I understand people have all sorts of opinions, and I’m not justifying any behavior, but, like, from what I’m seeing, she’s getting cyberbullied,” he said.
Cooke and Batula announced in January that they had separated after four years of marriage.
“After much reflection, we have mutually and amicably decided to part ways as a couple,” the pair said in a joint statement at the time. “We share this with a heavy heart and kindly ask for your grace and support while we focus on our personal growth and healing.”
Of all the major crime procedurals, Criminal Minds is considered one of the darkest, thanks to its focus on serial killers and their often twisted psyches. But that is also the reason why this show has been around for so long, with its 19th season airing this year and its renewal for a 20th season already confirmed. Serial killers can be heinously creative, which means Criminal Minds still has so much inspiration to draw from and ideas to churn out. Really, the series could go on forever. Apart from pushing the bandwidth of morbid creativity, the show has a legacy that survived a rebranding, one that bodes well for its future.
‘Criminal Minds’ Finds Horror Realism In Even the Most Absurd Ideas
Criminal Minds dug into the niche of serial killers and gave it a psychological twist that makes every episode feel new, even if some of the basics are recycled. We’ve seen countless iterations of sexual sadists, yet by analyzing behavior, each episode feels fresh with different M.O.’s that can be traced back to the perpetrator’s childhood. Other times, there are antagonists whom we can’t help but sympathize with, or ones that chill us to our core, like children who turn out to be sociopaths. As social customs and technology evolve, the show’s capacity for creativity does too, leading to a hauntingly never-ending supply of ways to terrify.
However, the true marker of success in Criminal Minds’ approach to episodes is that the show manages to root out horror realism in every idea. Of course, some are as simple as the awful sentiment of children being stolen from their families and tortured for years, or the terror of just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But even in the most seemingly outrageous ideas, like an underground social media for serial killers or a Norman Bates-styled hallucination or the psychosis of bugs crawling under one’s skin, the show maintains a grounded semblance of horror, as if these things could really happen. They feed on very real concepts of the dark web and mental health, then push it for entertainment value while never losing sight of why it’s so chilling. The formula works, and as long as Criminal Minds sticks to it, the show can continue to churn out grisly episodes while still provoking the same addictive response.
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‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Has Proved the Show’s Ability to Adapt
What really cements Criminal Minds’ longevity is its proven ability to survive and thrive after a rebranding. In 2020, the original show was canceled after Season 15, but only two years later, it returned in full force as Criminal Minds: Evolution. As the subtitle suggests, the show evolved from a crime procedural to something akin to a psychological thriller, where longer overarching storylines are prioritized over episodic ones. However, that doesn’t mean the show has forgotten its roots, as the cases explored during these three seasons are still creepily realistic in the most unexpected ways, even when it dips into bureaucratic conspiracies and schools for budding psychopaths.
Even though the episodic cases aren’t the foundation of the series anymore, it’s actually beneficial for the show. Opting for these longer storylines forces Criminal Minds to be more mindful about the occasional standalone caseinserted into the season, while allowing the team to pace their creativity and offer killers that are more twisted than ever. Since the rebranding, we’ve gotten acid chambers, misogynistic zookeepers, and (shudder) spiders, all proving that Criminal Minds still has a deft handle on what makes them stand out in the world of crime.
Over the years, the show has adapted and pivoted to remain relevant, finding unique ways to inject a bit of terror into our lives while exercising its creative muscles. Serial killers will always hold space in the public imagination, and as long as that’s the case, Criminal Minds does too.
While she did not call out Kendra, 27, directly by name, Amy, 39, appeared to take a swipe at her cousin’s wife in a scathing TikTok video posted on Thursday, April 2.
“How in the hell can she not be so unbelievably distraught and mad and disgusted at him,” Amy said, seemingly referencing how Kendra is responding to Joseph, 31, being arrested last month on child molestation charges.
Amy continued, “Oh, just wait, I’ll tell you why, because women in these really toxic systems, like this one, are taught that anger is a sin.”
Amy Duggar King has taken back her previous support of embattled cousin Joseph Duggar’s wife, Kendra Duggar, following Kendra’s arrest on a child endangerment charge. “I think that was a plot twist that no one saw coming,” Amy, 39, said of Kendra’s arrest during a Saturday, March 21, interview with TMZ. “When I gave that […]
Amy continued to slam the conservative culture that the Duggars were brought up in, claiming it was problematic that they were taught to not express anger.
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“Anger is wrong and you cannot express it, you have to just keep it inside. Stay sweet, keep the peace and don’t create waves,” she continued. “Oh, and the biggest one that just drives me crazy is you have to forgive quickly, very, very quickly. Because heaven forbid, you take time to process what in the world has just happened, that your entire foundation of what you’ve built your life on with your children has now been completely disrupted and it’ll never look the same again.
She added, “But you’re not allowed to take time for yourself in this kind of environment, to even think for yourself. At all. So when you are angry, you can’t express it so you have to smile, talk sweetly and remember that your husband loves you no matter what.”
Amy said that “grace” is encouraged within the Duggar family, which she believes is unhealthy to use for all situations without question.
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“My favorite term that they always use is ‘grace.’ ‘We show them grace. We show the men grace because sins happen and grace covers it,’” Amy said. “Grace does offer repentance. Grace is something that is wonderful. Not in this instance. This isn’t grace, this is suppression. And this is how the cycle continues.”
Amy went on to state that she believes that Kendra is unlikely to be “dealing with the trauma,” and instead is more likely to “defend him, she will smile sweetly, she will talk very kindly to him and she will downplay the situation at hand.”
Joseph and Kendra Duggar/Instagram
Amy explained that she believed the feeling of anger has a crucial role in situations that warrant it.
“The healthy response to being hurt and to being betrayed and being, like, completely like, broken-hearted is anger. Anger is a part of it all. Not in this culture,” she said. “It fires me up because instead what you’re going to see is the most perfect, sweet little angel of a wife who’s right beside him through thick and thin and who does that remind you of? The fact that she is not angry at all should deeply concern you.”
Us Weekly has reached out to the Duggar family for comment.
Amy Duggar King has thanked fans on behalf of her family following the arrests of her cousin Joseph Duggar and his wife, Kendra Duggar. The 19 Kids and Counting alum, 39, shared a message from the “God Lady Talk” Instagram account on Friday, March 27, which read, “Surround yourself with people who pray for you […]
Joseph was arrested in Arkansas on March 19. He was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older after a 14-year-old girl came forward to police accusing Joseph of molesting her when she was 9 during a 2020 vacation to Panama City Beach, Florida.
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Joseph was extradited to Florida earlier this week, where he pleaded not guilty. He was later released on $600,000 bail.
In addition to the molestation case, Joseph and Kendra were both charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of false imprisonment. These charges are unrelated to the molestation allegations.
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If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
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