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Video games as an artistic medium have certainly earned their keep among the likes of novels, film, and the various other methods of storytelling as an exceptional, striking experience, complete with many masterful works of art that make of its use of player control and variance. However, for every truly great game that pushes the medium forward, there are also a handful of notoriously awful games, with some of the very worst being downright shocking in their complete lack of quality.
From awful relics from periods of growth and evolution for the medium to botched games with no budget or direction, several of these games manage to be nearly unplayable in their disastrous executions. The only legacy that they have achieved for themselves is that of downright failure, being arduous to play and completely going against everything that makes video games such a striking and long-lasting medium.
Following the continued success of games like Grand Theft Auto, there were a wide array of games that wanted to try their own hand at a vast open world for the player to explore. While Ride to Hell: Retribution originally had plans of being a vast, open world with grueling roads and biker gangs, the final product abandoned this idea to instead tell a basic, linear story of revenge. Not that an open world would have really done much to save Ride to Hell, as its shoddy execution completely undoes anything that the game was actually trying to achieve.
Plagued by lackluster visuals, bad shooting mechanics, and awful writing and voice acting, Ride to Hell’s only real enjoyment comes from a place of unintentional so-bad-it’s-good comedy. However, with so many disastrous glitches that hinder the player from actually progressing, as well as an array of tasteless, abrupt sex scenes (featuring fully clothed characters), any fun had while playing the game quickly goes away.
Licensed video games based on pre-existing pop culture can vary massively in terms of quality, as while it can result in exceptionally great games like Insomnia’s Spider-Man or Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, it can also result in absolute disasters like The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. While Gollum is far from the only licensed game to appear on this list, it’s a massive outlier in being the only game released within the past 10 years.
Gollum was an idea that seemed effective as a concept, but as release drew closer players came to realize that it’s hard to imagine actually having fun playing as the meek, shifty creature. It didn’t make things better that the actual execution proved to be laughably bad, with terrible visuals worse than the decades-old movies and terrible stealth mechanics. Glitches on release also made the game nearly unplayable, as a buggy mess that constantly crashed and made the entire experience extremely unstable.
While Shaquille O’Neal is still widely celebrated as a beloved celebrity nowadays, his level of dominating star power as an NBA all-star was near inescapable in the 90s. This resulted in him being in a wide array of obnoxious, poorly-made pop culture films, and while films like Steel and Kazaam will forever be infamous as some of the worst 90s movies, Shaq Fu equally stands as one of the worst video games of the 90s.
Especially in an era where fighting games were arguably at their peak with the recent releases of Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat, Shaq Fu is one of the most uncomfortable and sluggish fighting game experiences of all time. It reaches a point where difficulty doesn’t come from any real balancing, but from the pain of actually making sense of the controls and trying to play the game. This doesn’t even go into the chaos of the game itself, where Shaq has to fight a bunch of interdimensional warriors to save a child from an evil mummy.
Bad Rats has an interesting legacy as one of the most infamously well-known and surprisingly successful terrible games of the digital era, finding massive popularity as a gag gift for people to send to each other on Steam. The combination of its overwhelming lack of quality, shocking offensive material and bloody violence, and only costing $2 and frequently going on sale, many people bore witness to the complete failures of Bad Rats.
The game fundamentally fails at the structural elements of its core gameplay, being a physics-based puzzle game where the physics often don’t work at all. Without any actually functioning puzzles, the only thing the game has to fall back on is its visuals and presentation, which ironically manage to be even worse than the non-functional game itself. Between the low-quality 3D visuals and the array of racist caricature rats, Bad Rats is little more than a cheap gag whose comedy wears off quickly.
While the jump from 2D to 3D gaming may have been massively successful for iconic franchises like Mario and Zelda, this massive leap in technological scope and scale wasn’t always met with success, as Bubsy 3D took an already middling platformer franchise and made one of the absolute worst platformers of all time. It features a sluggish, unintuitive method of character and camera control that makes even basic movement an arduous task to overcome.
If it were one of the earliest attempts at platforming in 3D, then maybe the game would have more legs to stand on, but the game is completely blown out of the water by Super Mario 64, which released in North America two months before Bubsy 3D. This direct comparison proved to make the glaring issues of Bubsy 3D all the more apparent, with its tank controls and laughably bad visuals most notably being picked apart by players of the era.
For many players, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is the go-to example of one of the worst video games ever made, being so disastrous in its execution that it nearly killed the entire video game industry. It is often touted as one of the biggest commercial failures in video game history and is the defining cautionary tale of rushed development and studio interference. The failure of the game has proven to be so large-scale and infamous that it inspired its own documentary on the topic, going into how unsold copies of the game were buried in the desert to save space.
It’s so ironic that this notoriously terrible game is an adaptation of a notoriously amazing movie, but it’s this exact excitement and beloved nature of the original movie that made the failure of the game that much more catastrophic. The game was confusing in its execution and far from the traditional, simple fun games that made Atari successful in the first place. With only five weeks of development time and all of the expectations in the world placed on it, the game was destined for failure more than any other game in history.
More commonly known as Superman 64 by gamers, Superman: The New Superman Adventures is one of the most glaring, annoying to play games ever made, almost feeling like it was meticulously made to annoy and enrage the player in its failures. For all of the high-flying action and prowess that Superman is capable of doing in the comics and the animated series this adapts, the overwhelming amount of content in Superman 64 is simply flying through rings in a barren, lifeless city full of fog.
This would be bad enough as is, but with unresponsive controls and overwhelming glitches that make the game near-unplayable at times, Superman 64 becomes a grueling test of patience and the absolute worst licensed video game ever made. It’s a game whose failures are not only overwhelmingly apparent and constantly in the player’s face, but these issues frequently and consistently get in the way of playing the game and actually progressing, making the entire experience a repetitive nightmare.
One of the most classic styles of bootleg and unlicensed video gaming to draw in players throughout 20th century gaming was that of the multicart, a cartridge containing the files for multiple games, oftentimes previously released games, or in the case of unlicensed carts, pirated games. While it’s rare for a multicart in itself to attain notoriety, Action 52 has grown infamous thanks to its absolute failure of function and quality in all 52 of its attempted video games.
At best, games were incredibly generic vertical shooters that were indistinguishable from one another, yet at its worst, many of Action 52’s games were completely unplayable and crashed within minutes of booting them up. Made worse is that even though none of these games were worth even a 52nd of the quality of a traditional NES game, the game cost a staggering $199 when it was released, which was overwhelmingly high in price compared to every other game of the era.
One would hope that, as video games as an art form had grown throughout the 20th century, the style of bare-bones games completely lacking in care or content would be a thing of the past in the 21st century. However, Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing spits in the face of the inherent quality of racing video games in creating one of the cheapest, most non-existent video game experiences possible. Every aspect of the game screams being incomplete, from basic text graphics to a lack of any physics to some of the worst graphics possible.
Initial releases of the game didn’t even have any real racing, as the opponent truck driver didn’t even begin driving to race and left the player to their own devices to drive on the track as they pleased. With no penalty for going out of bounds and no collision detection, the only bit of fun to be had with the game is by abusing its lack of fundamental features. However, by the time players are done having fun reaching infinitely increasing speeds by going backwards, the finish line treats players with the hilariously inept message of “You’re winner”, a message that is emblematic of the entire game.
The go-to example of a terrible video game is usually something with bad graphics and gameplay that is actively unfun to play and interact with as a player. While Custer’s Revenge certainly shares this level of bad, uncompelling gameplay, the real factor that makes it the worst video game of all time is its overwhelming offensive and disgusting content, with the very concept of the game feeling vile to even talk about. This pornographic game sees the player controlling General Armstrong Custer in the nude, with the goal of the game being to dodge obstacles to rape a Native American woman tied to a post.
It’s a clear relic of this early, unfiltered era of video game history that Custer’s Revenge was even allowed to be made, but even for the 80s, this type of gross, offensive content was too much for critics and players of the era to sit through. Some may be quick to write off the game’s content due to it being in seemingly innocuous pixels, but this degrading piece of digital sickness doesn’t deserve to be played by anyone, as its existence helped entirely ban many X-rated video games from many regions across the U.S.
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Jennifer Aniston has a knack for making the simplest vacation outfits feel incredibly chic. During a recent getaway, the actress reminded us that you don’t need designer accessories or over-the-top trends to look polished — sometimes all it takes is a simple pair of black flip-flops. Even better, recreating the look costs just $15.
The Friends alum was recently spotted vacationing in Mallorca, Spain, pairing classic black flip-flops with light-wash loose jeans, a crisp white tank, a black beach hat and a roomy brown tote. The relaxed outfit perfectly reflected her signature laid-back aesthetic, and while we don’t know the exact sandals she packed, recreating the look is surprisingly affordable.
Get the Kidmi Memory Foam Thong Flip Flops for $15 (Was $27) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
The Kidmi Memory Foam Thong Flip Flops deliver the same versatile look as Aniston’s vacation footwear — no celeb budget needed! Available in her exact black shade, along with cream, brown and several other neutral colors, the sandals come in sizes 6 through 11.5. They’re also a customer favorite, with more than 1,000 pairs purchased in the past month alone.
Looks aside, these flip-flops are designed for days when you’re constantly on the move. The cushioned memory foam footbed wrapped in vegan leather helps soften every step, while the non-slip rubber outsole provides extra grip whether you’re strolling a seaside boardwalk, exploring a new city or heading to the neighborhood pool.
The comfort has shoppers raving. One reviewer who packed them for a vacation to Mexico said they walked “around 5,000+ steps a day” with “no worry or blisters.” Another buyer described the memory foam footbed as “cushioned and supportive,” adding it felt like “walking on little clouds.”
If there’s one lesson to take from Aniston’s vacation wardrobe, it’s that the classics rarely disappoint. A comfy pair of black flip-flops goes with practically everything you’ll pack, making these $15 sandals an easy addition to your summer lineup.
Get the Kidmi Memory Foam Thong Flip Flops for $15 (Was $27) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
Looking for something else? Explore more from Kidmi here and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!
UsNow Summer Sale Alert: These Chic Fashion Finds are over 30% off – Plus Free Shipping
Welcome to summer with our biggest sale of the year. This summer’s chicest dresses, tops and swimsuits are all over 30% + free shipping. Inventory is limited so hurry before they’re gone.
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Packing for a Greek vacation is one thing. Finding a dress that can handle sightseeing, long dinners by the water and every photo in between is another. Luckily, Sofia Vergara may have just found the ultimate suitcase staple — and you can steal the look for just $20.
Vergara was recently spotted soaking up the sun in Greece wearing a black spaghetti strap bodycon maxi dress styled with slip-on raffia sandals, a matching raffia shoulder bag and white cat-eye sunglasses. The effortlessly chic look proved you don’t need a complicated outfit to make a statement on vacation. Better yet, we found a nearly identical version that captures the same easygoing elegance for just $20 on Amazon.
Get the Lillusory Bodycon Spaghetti Strap Maxi Dress for $25 (Was $30) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
The Lillusory Bodycon Spaghetti Strap Maxi Dress delivers the same sleek, minimalist vibe as Vergara’s vacation-ready look. Available in classic black along with brown, pink, white and several other colors, it’s the kind of versatile staple you can wear on repeat all season long. It also comes in sizes XS through XL, making it easy to find your perfect fit.
What makes this dress especially worth packing is its versatility. Pair it with raffia sandals and a woven tote for beachside lunches, then swap in a denim jacket and ankle boots once temperatures cool. As one shopper put it, it’s a “versatile” dress with “hundreds of ways to style this,” making it a piece you’ll keep reaching for long after vacation ends.
The soft, stretchy fabric hugs in all the right places without feeling restrictive, while the delicate spaghetti straps and double-lined construction help create a smooth, flattering fit. It’s also earned more than 1,800 five-star ratings from Amazon shoppers. One reviewer called it “buttery soft and comfortable” and “super easy to walk in and wear for hours,” exactly what you want when you’re exploring charming streets or lingering over dinner with an ocean view.
Whether you’re planning a Mediterranean getaway or simply want to bring a little vacation energy to your everyday wardrobe, this easy maxi dress is the kind of timeless piece you’ll wear again and again. At just $20, it’s an effortless way to channel Vergara’s polished vacation style without splurging.
Get the Lillusory Bodycon Spaghetti Strap Maxi Dress for $25 (Was $30) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
Looking for something else? Explore more from Lillusory here and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!
UsNow Summer Sale Alert: These Chic Fashion Finds are over 30% off – Plus Free Shipping
Welcome to summer with our biggest sale of the year. This summer’s chicest dresses, tops and swimsuits are all over 30% + free shipping. Inventory is limited so hurry before they’re gone.
Mike “The Miz” Mizanin has faced John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania, starred in movies, and spent years performing under the bright lights of WWE. However, his next challenge comes with a different kind of pressure and a staggering number of hot dogs. On Saturday, August 1, the Ohio native will team up with Smirnoff Ice in Put-in-Bay to attempt two Guinness World Records: the Largest Display of Hot Dogs and the Largest Hot Dog Party.
Although the concept may sound like a lighthearted way to celebrate summer, The Miz revealed in an exclusive interview with The Blast that there are strict rules behind the attempt. If even one participant fails to follow the instructions, it could jeopardize the entire record-breaking event.

When asked how he was handling the pressure of attempting two records in a single day, The Miz pointed to his lengthy WWE résumé as proof that he knows how to perform when the stakes are high.
“Well, I’m a pressure player. That’s what I like. I thrive on pressure,” he told The Blast. “I beat John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 27 and retained the WWE Championship. So in the lights of the brightest, that’s when I step up to the plate.”
The WWE Superstar will serve as the host of the event, but his responsibilities will go beyond keeping hundreds of attendees entertained. He will also have to make sure everyone understands and follows the requirements necessary for Guinness World Records to recognize both attempts.
“It’s basically me being the host that I can be, Smirnoff Ice being the product that it is, and basically putting on a party of a lifetime, but not only that, everyone needs to follow directions,” The Miz explained. “So I’m gonna make sure that everyone is following the directions, so we can break two records.”
He added very confidently, “If everyone doesn’t come together as a cohesive team, this will not happen, but we’re not talking about that because this is gonna happen.”

The first goal is to create the World’s Largest Display of Hot Dogs, which The Miz was told will be larger than an NFL logo. However, simply arranging a massive number of hot dogs will not be enough to secure the title. According to The Miz, every hot dog must have a condiment, and separate participants will be responsible for adding those toppings.
“Now, it’s weird, because you have to have a condiment on there, and each hot dog will have a different condiment, and a different person has to put that on there,” he shared. “So there’s going to be a lot of direction, a lot of people.”
Once the display is completed and officially recognized, the event will immediately transition into the attempt to hold the world’s Largest Hot Dog Party. “And then right after we break the record for World’s Largest Hot Dog Display, we’re going right into the World’s Largest Hot Dog Party, and it is going to be big,” The Miz declared. “It’s gonna be gigantic.”

The Miz emphasized that Guinness World Records does not simply hand out titles to anyone who gathers enough people and supplies. The organizers held an hour-long meeting ahead of the event to review the requirements and make sure every detail was accounted for.
While The Miz did not want to introduce any negativity, he acknowledged that one person failing to complete their assigned role correctly could affect everyone involved. “There’s a lot of rules in the Guinness Book of World Records. They don’t just give it to everybody,” he told The Blast. “You don’t just throw something together, and it happens.”
“I’m not going to put negativity out there, but if someone doesn’t do what they need to do, they can ruin it for the entire city,” he continued. “And for the entire state of Ohio. And I’m not going to let that happen as host.”
The Miz admitted that the amount of planning behind the event may surprise those who initially viewed it as nothing more than a giant hot dog party. “It sounds like a joke. It sounds funny, but it’s a lot of work. It’s for real,” he said. “We’re gonna break two records, and it’s gonna be the best time ever.”

Beyond the possibility of adding two Guinness World Records to his list of achievements, the event holds personal significance for The Miz because it brings him back to his home state. He grew up visiting the Put-in-Bay and Sandusky areas with his family, making his return especially nostalgic.
“As soon as they said Cleveland, Put-in-Bay, I instantly remembered memories, my family and I, being at the beach, you know, going in that area of Sandusky where you’d go to Cedar Point,” he shared. “It just brought back such fond memories.”
For The Miz, returning to a place tied to his childhood while attempting something unprecedented makes the occasion different from many of the other partnerships he has taken on throughout his career. “When you can go home, to the Cleveland area and go to Put-in-Bay, where I used to go as a kid with my family and break a couple world records. It feels warm in my heart,” he said. “Like I’m giddy about it. I’m excited about it, and I can’t wait to do it.”
His friends have already been reaching out about participating. “My friends are already texting me, going, ‘Hey, we’re doing this. It’s happening,’” The Miz revealed. “And I go, guys, I know. Not every day you get to break two world records in one day.”

The Miz may be willing to oversee hundreds of uniquely topped hot dogs, but his personal order is far less complicated. He named ketchup and mustard as his go-to combination, with relish or cheese occasionally making the cut.
Chili, however, is not welcome anywhere near his hot dog. “Some people like chili. I’m not that guy,” he admitted. “I’m not a chili on my hot dog type of person. It gets too sloppy. Too messy. Not for me.” He is not particularly interested in onions, either, joking that he does not want the bad breath following him around for the rest of the day.
Whether every topping involved in the display meets The Miz’s personal approval will not matter nearly as much as every participant following the official directions. With the supplies secured, hundreds of people registering, and extensive preparations underway, the WWE Superstar is confident Ohio will end the day with two new records.
“With Smirnoff Ice’s help, my help, my friends from Cleveland’s help, and everybody that’s gonna be a part of this event at Put-in-Bay,” he said, “Oh, man, it’s gonna be something special. It’s gonna be something to watch.”
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The Emmy-nominated actor weighed in on Marvel canceling his series after previously ordering a second season.
2026 has been one of the biggest years of Matt Damon’s career — possibly the biggest, which says a lot when you’ve had the career that he has. Damon opened 2026 by reuniting with his long-time friend and collaborator Ben Affleck for The Rip, the Netflix original crime thriller that dropped back in January. The film picked up over 100 million views before it finally lost steam in March. Damon followed his work in The Rip with the most ambitious project of his entire career, The Odyssey, the new historical epic from director Christopher Nolan. The film is already shattering records at the box office on its way to becoming one of the highest-rated movies of all time. Damon may be one of the best actors of all time, but not all of his projects are certified hits.
Back in 2021, when the movie industry and the world as a whole was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, Damon starred in a largely forgotten drama that’s making a comeback on streaming. Damon features alongside Camille Cottin and Abigail Breslin in Stillwater, which earned less than $20 million at the box office due to the social distancing restrictions and theater closings happening at the time. With The Odyssey now out in theaters, fans are naturally curious to check out some of Damon’s recent work, and although Stillwater is not currently on streaming in America, the film is picking up steam on VOD in a handful of countries around the world. It’s quietly becoming one of the biggest VOD hits of the summer.
Stillwater follows a rugged man named Bill, who travels from Oklahoma to France to help his daughter, who is in prison being framed for murder. Bill is the definition of a fish out of water, and he couldn’t be further from the comforts of home in this story, but it forces him to confront how far he’s willing to go to protect those he loves. The film is reminiscent of what fans have seen writer Taylor Sheridan pull off in recent years with his movies and shows, especially with its focus on a grizzled blue-collar worker from Oklahoma. Stillwater earned solid scores of 75% from critics and 71% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Check out Stillwater on VOD platforms like Prime Video and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Matt Damon’s future projects.
July 30, 2021
140 minutes
Tom McCarthy
Chicago Fire is going through some cast changes — which means not everyone is returning for season 15.
The One Chicago franchise has been known for making headlines over the years as cast members often come and go across all three shows: Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. Before Chicago Fire returned for season 15, multiple outlets confirmed that Joe Miñoso was leaving the hit NBC series.
Off screen, showrunner Andrea Newman exited the show after more than a decade.
Newman, who worked on Chicago Fire for its entire 14-season run, confirmed her departure in April, with coexecutive producer Victor Teran taking over the role. Newman joined Chicago Fire after the pilot as coexecutive producer before being promoted to executive producer. She was then named coshowrunner before becoming the sole showrunner in 2023.
“Working at Chicago Fire, with the absolute best cast and crew in the business, has been the highlight of my career,” Newman said in a statement. “Like so many others, I was inspired to get into TV writing because of Dick [Wolf], so what a thrill it’s been to work with him and the amazing Wolf team of Peter Jankowski, Rebecca McGill and Anastasia Puglisi. I’m so grateful to them, Derek Haas and the NBC and Universal execs who have been so supportive of the show all along the way. After 14 years, you really do become a family and working with this group will always feel like home.”
Jankowski, meanwhile, released a separate statement, which read, “We’re sad to say goodbye to Andrea. She’s been at the center of the heart and soul of Chicago Fire since the beginning, and the show thrived under her watch. We’re grateful for her commitment to the development of the next generation and know the show will be in great hands with Victor taking the reins.”
Keep scrolling to see who is — and isn’t — returning in season 15 of Chicago Fire:
While not everyone will remain on Chicago Fire, there is no show without Kinney’s character, Kelly Severide.
Eigenberg is expected to return as Herrmann in season 15.
The expectation for now is that Stolte returns as Mouch.
Miñoso played firefighter Joe Cruz since Chicago Fire premiered in 2012. According to reports, the actor is expected to appear in several episodes during season 15 before his exit.
Since Mayo has played Stella on Chicago Fire since 2016, the expectation is that she sticks around despite the possible shakeups behind the scenes.
Greensmith is expected to remain on the show as Violet.
The assumption is that Hudon will be back as Lizzie again.
Da’Vinchi joined the next season as Marcus Burke, according to Deadline. Da’Vinchi will portray a new firefighter candidate who is described as “roguish and funny with a wry sense of humor, and also a little defiant.”
Mulroney was missing for several episodes in season 14 when he was written off the show with a story line that required him to be off screen. Mulroney appeared on Chicago Fire as Dom Pascal until Rob Morgan took over his position at Firehouse 51. Mulroney returned in the May 2026 finale after his future in the franchise seemed unclear.
He is expected to return in season 15 to wrap up his story line.
Ariana Grande has got fans debating the inspiration behind her latest song!
The sensational singer/actress sent fans into a frenzy after releasing “Bad Thing (Bunny Hop)” on Friday, July 31, as part of her new album, “Petal.”
The steamy lyrics had many believing Ariana Grande wrote the song for Ricky Alvarez, her ex-turned-current boyfriend. The former couple reunited following the end of the entertainer’s romance with Ethan Slater.

The song in question made waves after its Friday release, with the official visualizer and lyrics dropping on YouTube. The track featured what appeared to be Grande’s confessions about a lover she’s head over heels for, with some of the words hinting at Alvarez.
The song’s second verse read: “You know you make a real good boyfriend. In my dreams, and in real life. Meet you by the staircase where we fell in love, let’s do it twice.” There were also lyrics about Grande wasting time with other men while her lover was “a good boy through all of this noise.”
The catchy chorus saw Grande asking if the man has “been this fine the whole damn time,” with another verse noting their chemistry “never used to be like this.” The love confession sent fans spiraling on X, with many theorizing she wrote the song for Alvarez, as it seemingly depicted their situation.

Although Grande’s new song is titled “Bad Thing (Bunny Hop),” the words bunny hop did not appear in the lyrics. Some fans speculated the track’s title was a hard launch of the singer’s rekindled romance with Alvarez, with one X user writing:
“Guys, she was dating Ricky during the time she was cosplaying as a f-cking playboy bunny, like come on.”
The fan’s comment referenced Grande’s 2016 “Dangerous Woman” album cover art, where she posed in a black latex rabbit mask. Another X user agreed with the theory, claiming the singer added “Bunny Hop” to the song’s title to reference her relationship with Alvarez during her “Dangerous Woman” era.
The theories continued, with more fans arguing that the song’s lyrics pointed to Alvarez. An X user pointed out that Grande mentioned the word “twice” and “a staircase” where they fell in love. “It takes me back to the honeymoon tour when he was always there for her by the stage staircase,” they wrote.
A fellow supporter noted the song was about Alvarez and his intimate relationship with the “Sam & Cat” alum. Someone else claimed the lyrics showcased Grande’s regret of not choosing the dancer sooner. When an X user argued the song wasn’t about Alvarez, a fan disagreed, stating:
“In the lyrics she talks about ‘trying a second time.’ And bunny hop is that expression for someone who jumps from one relationship to another. So it makes sense that it’s for Ricky.”

Days before Grande dropped her new song, The Blast reported that her rekindled romance with Alvarez was not something her ex expected. The duo’s relationship began trending months after her separation from her “Wicked” co-star, Ethan Slater, was announced.
An insider claimed Slater learned of their rekindled relationship through mutual friends, while another source noted the couple’s romance was not a rebound. They alleged that Grande and Alvarez had connected during her relationship with Slater, but they never crossed the line.
The source explained that the singer began connecting more with Alvarez as her romance with Slater ended, rekindling their friendship before it became something intimate. Another source claimed the dancer was grateful for a second chance and was “very happy being back in her life.
Grande and Alvarez reportedly first crossed paths in 2014 when the latter joined the entertainer’s backup dancers. They went from performing together at the Radio Disney Music Awards to hitting the road for Grande’s 2015 Honeymoon Tour.
Cosmopolitan reported that they first sparked dating rumors in June 2015 when they shared a kiss onstage during a performance at New York City Pride. The following month, she and Alvarez sparked controversy for the doughnut-licking incident.
In 2016, they attended The Creators Party, presented by Spotify, as a couple, with Grande opening up about their romance in an interview months later. However, their relationship did not survive the rest of the year as they broke up in July.
Did Ariana Grande write “Bad Thing (Bunny Hop)” for Ricky Alvarez?
John Cusack became a bona fide movie star as a teen, but over the years he has opted to live a quieter life.
Cusack made his film debut in 1983’s Class. One year later, he appeared in Sixteen Candles alongside Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. His performance led to him starring in Better Off Dead, The Sure Thing and Say Anything.
While Cusack cemented himself as a teen idol in the ‘80s, the actor started to expand his horizons. He pursued roles in various genres including the crime thriller Grifters, black comedy Grosse Pointe Blank, romantic comedy Serendipity and more.
Cusack has appeared in fewer projects in recent years. His last film credit is for the film Fog of War, which was released in 2025. The following year, Cusack explained why he stepped away from acting during a rare appearance at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2026.
“I wanted to tell a story, but I didn’t want to negotiate telling a story,” he said while explaining his graphic novel Momo. “When you ask somebody to put $20 or $30 million into a bank account [to finance a film], they want to have an opinion and they’re afraid and all that stuff.”
Keep scrolling to see what Cusack has been up to since stepping out of the spotlight:
Every once in a blue moon, Cusack will make an appearance at a screening for one of his previous movies and do a Q&A for fans. In January 2026, the actor showed up for a showing of Serendipity at the Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall in Munhall, Pennsylvania, as well as a screening for Say Anything in El Cajon, California. More recently, he attended a screening for Grosse Pointe Blank in Chicago back in June 2026.
During Comic Con 2026, Cusack proudly shared that he wrote a graphic novel titled Momo.
“I got this beautiful, wonderful artist, Ignacio [Noé], to do the illustrations,” he said at the time, per Variety. “Nobody edited anything I wrote or what he drew, and so, it’s really a piece of work done by two people. … It was just me and Ignacio’s story, and that doesn’t happen today. It’s an anti-algorithm thing, like, there’s no committee and there’s no computer up in Seattle that’s poll-testing it.”
Cusack identifies as a Democratic Socialist. He has been candid about being anti-war and speaking out against President Donald Trump. On his Instagram page, Cusack frequently collaborates with the Freedom of the Press Foundation to advocate for spreading the truth.
The actor candidly shared at a 2025 screening for Say Anything that he doesn’t enjoy how the movie industry has prioritized making sequels or reboots.
“I was lucky that I never had the desire, or no one asked me to do any sequels. There’s one that I think would be interesting to do, which would be 1408,” Cusack quipped, per People. “Just because … I think today, you know, most movies suck. There’s still the horror psychological, you know, that Rod Serling kinda stuff. That’s still pretty pure. If you can pull off something like that, it’s fun.”
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The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman has been accused by 10 women in a new BBC documentary, “Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret.”
Since DeenTheGreat’s arrest in May, the streamer and boxer hasn’t missed a beat with his content or boxing journey. From releasing new music on YouTube with Adrien Broner to participating in the 45-Day Locked-In-Thon, he’s remained active despite his ongoing legal case. Now, there’s a major update as Deen faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted in connection with an alleged yacht incident in Miami. His lawyer is now speaking out on the latest developments.
As previously reported, court documents obtained by TMZ allege the charges stem from a May 27 yacht incident in Miami. Prosecutors claim DeenTheGreat, whose legal name is Nurideen Shabazz, became involved in a physical altercation with a woman aboard the yacht.
According to the alleged victim, Destiny Aleman, Deen became upset after other men tried talking to her aboard the yacht. She claimed Deen grabbed her forearm while she was recording the interaction, leaving a minor scratch before allegedly taking her phone.
The yacht owner reportedly turned over security footage to police, which authorities say showed Deen allegedly grabbing Aleman multiple times. Police were reportedly waiting at the dock when the yacht returned, and authorities say Deen’s account did not match the footage.
If convicted of the felony robbery charge, Deen could face up to 15 years in prison under Florida law. The charges remain allegations, and no conviction has been reported.
DeenTheGreat’s lawyer, Richard L. Cooper, is speaking out after the streamer faces up to 15 years in prison following felony robbery and misdemeanor battery charges in Miami. Cooper says he believes the case will be dismissed and expects it to be resolved soon.
In a statement to TMZ, Cooper said, “On May 27th Deen was arrested and charged with a 2nd degree felony which carries a maximum of 15 years in a Florida prison. This is nothing new. However, we still anticipate that this case will be dismissed by the prosecutors in short order. We look forward to resolving the case next week.”
When the news first surfaced, DeenTheGreat appeared upset during a live.Many supporters flooded his comment section on Kick.. While responding to reports about the case, he shared that he was in contact with his lawyer.
Moments later, after noticing an update to the report, he said, “TMZ weird asf for that. But they just updated it tho, we good. Cuh Free B***tch. 1st it was Free Cuh, now it’s Cuh Free.” He also took to X account writing, “Know the facts #CuhhFree”
Know the facts 🧢☝🏾 #CuhhFree https://t.co/OaHdt7lhjp pic.twitter.com/BfhGT3Pofe
— DeenTheGreat (@DeenTheGreat) July 30, 2026
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