Days of Our Lives early weekly spoilers for June 15th through the 19th. And we’ll see Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) horrified that she almost killed Alex Kiriakis’s (Robert Scott Wilson) baby mama. Plus, Roman Brady (Josh Taylor) is livid that Kate Roberts (Lauren Koslow) been lying to his face and now she faces huge fallout.

There’s a bunch of consequences coming in these two weeks. So, let’s get into what you’ll see the week of June 15th, and as we always do on early edition day, we start with the rest of this week and then we dive into all the good stuff that is going to be coming up next week.

Days of Our Lives: Wednesday & Thursday – Shocking Incidents and Confessions

So, on Wednesday, June 10th, we have the scene where we’re picking back up from Tuesday. Stephanie just fired off a shot at Joy Wesley (AlexAnn Hopkins). So Stephanie was jet-lagged and popping what I’m guessing was maybe an Ambien and then she laid down to nap fresh off the plane from Asia. She made sure that her unlocked and loaded gun was at hand. So, Stephanie woke up and decided to shoot. No doubt Jada Hunter (Elia Cantu) gets involved.

Because you can’t just fire off a gun in an apartment building and not expect the cops to come. Plus, that bullet might have actually made it across the hall into Jada’s apartment. Stephanie didn’t kill Joy because we’ve got more spoilers for her. But Joy’s going to be shocked and terrified. And that visit where they were planning to have Kelsey come spend time with Alex and Stephanie isn’t going to be happening soon. I thought Alex was moving too fast, giving Joy a key.

And I also thought Alex should have talked to Stephanie privately before he even offered it. So, of course, she’s going to feel bad for firing a gun at Alex’s baby mama, but also Stephanie followed none of her dad, Steve Johnson’s (Stephen Nichols) gun safety rules. If Stephanie had, she wouldn’t have been able to just make a pot shot like that.

DOOL Spoilers: Alex is Horrified

So, Alex is going to be horrified, understandably, because you know what? If Kelsey had been with Joy, what if the bullet hadn’t gone astray? Also, Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart) warns Gwen Rizczech (Emily O’Brien) to be careful. She may report back to Leo what EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) told her about Xander Cook Kiriakis (Paul Telfer) and Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk), but then says, “Oh, it turned out to be innocent.” But since Leo cheated with her husband behind Gwen’s naive back, it could be that Leo is warning Gwen to not be so trusting this time.

Also on Wednesday, Amy Choi (Shi Ne Nielson) has a heart-to-heart with Melinda Trask (Tina Huang). Amy still wants vengeance for Sophia’s death, but I wonder if Melinda will caution her to just focus on your grief. Leave well enough alone. Jada and Shawn Brady (Brandon Beemer) get much closer. They may kiss soon. They have a date this week at Small Bar. And Jada is all cuddled up, getting hands-on with Hunky Shawn.

Tate Donovan Black (Leo Howard) and Holly Jonas (Ashley Puzemis) get romantic, but things are going to go sideways soon for her. In the meantime, Tate is giving Holly some personal training at the dojo. Looks like they are working out some stress with some karate or something.

Thursday, June 11th, Paulina Price (Jackée Harry) goes to extremes for her daughter Chanel Dupree (Raven Bowens). So, this may be about her breast cancer. So, we might see Paulina finding a female oncologist to help Chanel that has a better bedside manner. She and Johnny are both leaving the show this fall, late fall. We’re not sure the exact date since both of the actors were let go. So, we’ll see if Chanel’s cancer is what sends her and her hubby out of Salem.

Days of our Lives Spoilers: Kate Fesses Up

Kate has to fully confess to Roman. So, right now, Kate’s mad at Xander for forcing her hand and dropping the lawsuit. and he advised Kate to tell Roman everything before somebody else does. Kate has been lying to Roman’s face about being involved with the Johnny and Bonnie book debacle.

So now Kate is confessing and Roman is ranting to Kate that he thought they were all done with the lying. And what was worse is Roman even apologized to Kate for wrongly accusing her when he was rightly accusing her. Now Roman’s going to be so mad over all this. His hands over his mouth in absolute shock when Kate starts coming clean.

Days of our Lives Spoilers: Xander Battles EJ

Also, we’ve got Xander sparring with EJ. And we know that Kristen was just griping to Xander about EJ being a total pratt. And since Gwen revealed that EJ told her he saw Xander and Kristen, you know, that could be what starts this. Xander is really enjoying sleeping with Kristen. And I don’t think he wants Gwen’s drama if she finds out.

So he may confront EJ about being a blabbermouth. Clearly Xander hooking up with anybody bothers EJ because he was griping about Gwen having Xander over to the mansion for sleepovers. And EJ was also griping to Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jimenez) about his sister shagging Xander. Maybe EJ’s jealous because nobody’s shagging him right now.

Holly and Ari Horton (Vico Escorcia) get a gift from Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey).

Days of Our Lives: Friday – Gun Violence and Cat’s Deception

And then on Friday, June 12th, Steve Johnson and Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans) are there for Stephanie. So, after she fires the gun at Joy, it looks like Alex brings Stephanie’s parents over because Steve and Kayla are at their apartment this week. They may take Stephanie home with them, and that could be because she’s distraught and doesn’t want to be at the apartment where she did this bad thing.

Steve and Kayla hold a crying Stephanie. Looks like she wakes up from a nightmare, no doubt, about this shooting incident. And honestly, I hope Steve takes that gun back, unless of course, Jada confiscates it when she chastises Stephanie for opening fire on an innocent woman.

Cat Greene (AnnaLynne McCord) tells EJ more lies. He’s asking Cat if this is how she came into contact with Clyde Weston (James Read). Sounds like Cat is feeding him big fibs about false memories of Italy to make sure EJ doesn’t learn about her ISA connection. And then Cat and EJ wind up in a passionate lip lock by the end of this week. And I think this is Cat faking more memories or distracting him because she’s determined to get the goods on EJ.

Days of our Lives Spoilers: Alex Tries to Reason with Joy

Alex tries to get Joy to see reason. She may be packing her bags to take Kelsey back to New York for her safety, for the baby’s safety. I mean, no lie, Stephanie was way too trigger happy. Somebody on Ambien doesn’t need a gun like that. And Joy isn’t going to want her daughter at risk. Even her crush on Alex isn’t worth being shot.

Shawn and Jada talk about their growing feelings likely when they’re out on the date this week. Plus, Chad DiMera (Connor Floyd) takes Belle Black (Martha Madison), Thomas, and Charlotte DiMera (Autumn Gendron) to a Cubs game. Chad and Belle have their first kiss after the baseball game, and the kids look super excited to be out with the two of them.

Days of Our Lives: June 15th-19th – Secrets Unraveling and Danger Ahead

Then, the week of June 15th through the 19th on Days of our Lives, Leo may push Gwen to keep a closer eye on Xander and Kristen because all of this is suspicious. They made that cover story about working together, but if Gwen circles back to EJ, he may tell her there is no business going on between Titan and DiMera and it was a lie and Xander and Kristen fooled her. EJ confronts Kristen about consorting with the enemy.

Of course, EJ has no idea that she wanted Xander to kill him. And when he finds out that she was trying to get Sophia to kill Johnny, you know, I think Kristen better watch her back. So, right now though, EJ just thinks that Kristen and Xander are bumping their bits and has no idea that murder was a topic on the agenda. Not that Xander even considered it even for a minute.

Leo may do a little digging on his own to protect Gwen, even if she’s still not open to hugs from him. So, he may start following Kristen and Xander around.

Days of our Lives Spoilers: Rachel Flips Out

Liam Selejko (Hank Northrop) is going to be back to Salem soon. Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) is going to find him as part of this research to help Sarah figure out what went on with Destiny and her sister Clea. And then Ari is going to get the goods on what Gabi did once she finally is able to corner Liam and demand to know why he left and just ghosted her.

Rachel’s going to freak out when Brady and Kristen break the news to her soon about Sophia’s death. Rachel’s worried she won’t ever get better if the Bayview doctors couldn’t help Sophia.

Cat keeps toying with EJ and won’t listen to Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) about standing down. Ralph keeps testing and assessing Lexie Carver (Nikki Crawford), looking for answers about her symptoms and a way to stop them from progressing. And Dimitri von Leuschner DiMera (Peter Porte) is going to be back in Salem soon to stir up trouble. And he’s going to have a tense meeting with Rafe, Gwen, and Leo.

Before Total Recall, Predator, and even The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger broke out on the big screen as a leading man in 1982 with a movie that was destined to become a cult classic. Now, over 40 years later, he’s returning to that role in a film that’s been in limbo for decades. He’s making it with the help of Mission: Impossible impresario Christopher McQuarrie, who’s set to write and direct.

According to reports, after decades of Development Hell, Schwarzenegger is set to return as Conan the Barbarian in King Conan, a film about the last days of the legendary warrior. He likens the film to Unforgiven, the elegiac movie that served as Clint Eastwood‘s farewell to the Western genre. Schwarzenegger seems to have found the right creative partner for the film; he praised McQuarrie’s understanding of both Robert E. Howard, the troubled Texan writer who created Conan and his world before his tragic death, and Frank Frazetta, the legendary fantasy artist whose evocative paintings helped shape Conan in the popular consciousness. Schwarzenegger also mooted bringing on John Milius, who co-wrote and directed the original Conan film, as a producer on the film, which is slated to begin production next year.

What Is ‘Conan the Barbarian’ About?

Conan the Barbarian is set in the Hyborian Age, an ancient (and fictional) time period before “the oceans drank Atlantis.” Schwarzenegger stars as Conan, a native of the land of Cimmeria; his tribe was massacred when he was a boy, and he became a slave, then a gladiator, then a warrior, eventually winning his freedom. Befriending the archer Subotai (Gerry Lopez) and the warrior Valeria (Sandahl Bergman), he and his allies are hired by King Osric (Max von Sydow) to rescue his daughter from the deadly serpent cult of Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones). Learning that Doom was the leader of the raiders who killed his family, Conan eagerly accepts…but will pay a terrible price for his vengeance. The film was a massive success, and led to a 1984 sequel, Conan the Destroyer, which greatly toned down the original movie’s sex and violence. There have been numerous subsequent attempts to make a third Conan film; one script was repurposed as the Kevin Sorbo vehicle Kull the Conqueror.

Schwarzenegger and McQuarrie’s paths have briefly crossed before. Back when McQuarrie was an unknown and uncredited script doctor, he made revisions to Akiva Goldsman‘s script for 1997’s Batman and Robin, in which Schwarzenegger played the villainous Mr. Freeze.

King Conan is slated to begin production in 2027. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

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Release Date

May 14, 1982

Runtime

129 minutes

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Director

John Milius

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Writers

Oliver Stone, John Milius, Robert E. Howard, Edward Summer

Producers

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Buzz Feitshans, Raffaella De Laurentiis, Dino De Laurentiis

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By Sckylar Gibby-Brown
| Updated 1 hour ago

Morgan Freeman has appeared in just about every kind of movie imaginable throughout his legendary career, from acclaimed dramas to blockbuster action films. One of his lesser-known projects is 2023’s The Ritual Killer, a crime thriller that pairs the Academy Award winner with Yellowstone star Cole Hauser for a dark story involving ritualistic murders, an aging detective, and a killer who leaves a trail of bodies across Mississippi.

Directed by George Gallo, The Ritual Killer stars Morgan Freeman as Dr. Mackles, an anthropologist who teaches at a local college. Hauser co-stars as a detective on the brink of retirement who is struggling to cope with the death of his daughter. Working together, the pair set out to track down a vicious killer on a murder spree throughout Carlton, Mississippi.

An Independent Effort With Casting Clout

The Ritual Killer first went into production in 2021 and it was announced that Gallo would direct a film called Muti, named after the dark magic that the serial killer practices in the film. Later, the film was renamed The Ritual Killer to draw emphasis on the terrible rituals that the killer performs before taking his victims’ lives. Soon after Gallo was signed on to the project, Morgan Freeman, Cole Hauser, Peter Stormare, and Vernon Davis joined the cast.

It took a collective of imaginations to draw together the script for The Ritual Killer, with Robert T. Bowersox, Jennifer Lemmon, Francesco Cinquemani, Giorgia Iannone, Luca Giliberto, and Ferdinando Dell’Omo all coming together to write the script, with story help from Joe Lemmon. Morgan Freeman and the rest of the cast filmed in late summer 2021 in Jackson, Mississippi, with additional footage captured in Rome, Italy.

While The Ritual Killer managed to snag some major Hollywood clout by hiring blockbuster names like Morgan Freeman, the film remained a low-budget independent feature produced by Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment.

The film was made with an estimated budget of somewhere between $7 and $17 million and was given a limited release in theaters. While the film was also released on demand, the main mode of distribution for this action-thriller was through Redbox locations on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Unfortunately, despite Morgan Freeman and Cole Hauser being attached to the project, the film was barely marketed and it ended up scoring only $281,150 after release, with the majority of the audience coming from Russia.

However, while this resulted in a major loss for the studios in charge of The Ritual Killer, its streaming comeback on Hulu might be able to repair some of the financial damage, though turning a profit for the film seems unlikely.

Morgan Freeman at 89

Despite being 89 years old, Morgan Freeman is not looking to retire any time soon. The Ritual Killer was one of five projects the actor had released in 2023 alone. He also starred next to Florence Pugh in A Good Person, a drama by Zach Braff that was released in March 2023 about a woman whose life falls apart after being involved in a lethal accident.

Even in his late 80s, Morgan Freeman continues to work, and The Ritual Killer was never going to be among his final projects, adding to a filmography that already stretches well past the 100-credit mark. More than 60 years into his career, Freeman remains one of Hollywood’s most prolific performers, and there is little reason to think he’ll be stepping away anytime soon.

While Freeman has been in some incredible movies that are now deemed classics (looking at you, Shawshank Redemption), he’s also been in quite a few duds. In fact, The Ritual Killer is considered by critics to be one of these duds, with Rotten Tomatoes giving the movie only an 11 percent approval rating. 

Still, people on Hulu (and in Russia) seem to like it. So, if you’re down to watch something new and are a fan of Morgan Freeman’s acting prowess, consider adding The Ritual Killer to your movie list.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 1 second ago

Have you ever seen a movie that’s so absolutely off-the-wall bonkers that you need to check your watch history the next day to make sure you didn’t dream it up? That’s how I feel about 2019’s Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway, an absurdist sci-fi spy comedy thriller with a neo-noir bent, and probably about 20 other genres that I’m not aware exist outside of this singular piece of media. We have villains wearing masks of historical figures in a VR world, mysterious mind-altering substances, James Bond plots, kung fu, a villain who’s a cross between Batman and Dolemite, and one man’s dream of one day opening a pizza restaurant and martial arts studio with his kickboxing wife.

Does any of that make sense? Because here’s what’s absolutely insane about this movie: it successfully tells a shockingly coherent story even though it’s all cosmic gumbo simmering impatiently in its own warped little cinematic Crock Pot.

If you’re looking for a covert-op adventure that barely clings to the fabric of reality and consciousness, yet somehow manages to pull itself back together, then Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway should be the next thing you watch on Tubi, where all the best movies you’ve never heard of live.

Psychobook, Soviets, And A Very Strange Batman

Oh boy, where do I begin? Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway centers on CIA Special Agent Gagano (Daniel Tadesse), a man who takes his work seriously, but not nearly as seriously as his love for pizza or his kickboxing wife, Malin (Gerda-Annette Allikas). Working alongside Agent Palmer Eldritch (Augustin Mateo), the two complete all of their missions, mostly against the Soviets, through VR devices that allow their avatars to get down to business without putting their physical bodies in harm’s way.

Problems arise when Gagano, who wants nothing more than to retire, open his own pizza place, and bankroll Malin’s dream of opening a kickboxing studio, gets trapped inside Psychobook, the cyber world in which they operate, after the system is hacked and compromised. Stuck between a virtual plane of existence and the real world, Gagano faces adversaries like the all-knowing Mr. Sophistication (Carlo Pironti), a multitude of kung fu hustlers, and, of course, the most menacing antagonist of all, Batfro (Solomon Tashe), who carries himself like Rudy Ray Moore’s Dolemite but, for reasons never fully explained, has his hero insignia blurred out whenever he appears on screen.

Complicating matters further is Malin’s affair with Palmer. While Agent Gagano’s love for Malin is intense and unbreakable, Malin, despite her unwavering reciprocation up this point, has seen what she needs to see to conclude that her husband is never returning from Psychobook, and this seems like the path of least resistance that will allow her to move on. Meanwhile, Joseph Stalin is hellbent on world domination, and a man who believes he’s Jesus Christ himself tries to enlighten Gagano with candy and a life-altering revelation that may change everything for the world-weary secret agent. In other words, Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway is total insanity, but in the best possible way.

Seriously, Give This One A Chance

In Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway, it’s not entirely clear whether the poor overdubbing was born out of necessity or a deliberate creative choice. I’m inclined to believe the latter because everything about this movie, from the set design and Stalin masks to the copyright workaround of having a man who’s clearly dressed as Batman with his insignia obscured just enough to keep the lawyers at bay, feels intentional. It may not seem that way while you’re working through the first two acts, but as more information is revealed, it all starts to make sense in context.

If you have the patience for this movie, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, and it’s beyond satisfying that a film released as recently as 2019 is taking so many wild creative swings. The whole thing feels like an alternate reality because it is an alternate reality, constantly making you question what belongs to this virtually constructed world and what belongs to the one Gagano so desperately wants to return to.

More importantly, as absurd as Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway may appear at a surface-level glance, everybody plays it as straight as possible. This isn’t to say that the production isn’t raw and clearly operating on a shoestring budget, but you rarely feel those limitations. Writer-director Miguel Llansó’s vision is so unhinged that it all feels like part of the packaging rather than a byproduct of limited resources.

JESUS SHOWS YOU THE WAY TO THE HIGHWAY SCORE

While it may not be for everybody, I’m glad movies like Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway exist because they demonstrate how much filmmakers can still innovate when they allow themselves to think outside the box (and this one is way out there). If you think you’re ready, you can stream this absurdist masterpiece for free on Tubi as of this writing. Whether you regret hitting ‘play’ is entirely up to you.

The internet hasn’t stopped talking about Karmelo Anthony’s guilty verdict and his 35-year prison sentence. Now, social media users are sounding off after authorities arrested Jerome Parker Winston, a supporter of the 19-year-old, following a protest encounter that recently went viral.

RELATED: Karmelo Anthony’s New Mugshot Surfaces As His Uncle Speaks Out Amid 35-Year Prison Sentence (PHOTOS + VIDEOS) 

Details On Jerome Parker Winston’s Arrest

According to reports, authorities arrested Jerome Parker Winston outside the courthouse where Karmelo Anthony’s trial took place in Texas. Officers reportedly placed Winston in handcuffs for allegedly carrying a weapon unlawfully. Jerome’s mugshot initially made rounds in a Facebook post that included his arrest details. His arrest reportedly marked one of two that authorities made during the protest following the reading of Anthony’s verdict.

Before his arrest, a video of Jerome went viral on social media. The footage showed him in a heated confrontation with a white man wearing an American flag shirt. Based on the clip, Jerome appeared to defend a Black female supporter while accusing the man of allegedly attempting to do something to her. However, the footage does not clearly show what sparked the confrontation.

“Ain’t nothing but air and opportunity. Do something! The same thing you were going to do to her. We both have our hands behind our backs. You approached a Black woman,” Jerome says in the video as he continues to yell, “That is a woman!” And later follows up with, “That is a mother! A sister!”

Social Media Sounds OFF About Jerome’s Arrest

After The Shade Room shared the viral of Jerome along with details about his arrest, the Roommates quickly flooded the comment section with reactions. Some commenters asked for more information about the weapon authorities allegedly found in Jerome’s possession, while others called for his release.

Instagram user @theshayjohnson wrote, “What was the weapon and where did they find it?” 

Instagram user @changeiskey1989 wrote, “It’s time to cancel Texas.” 

While Instagram user @missjameekabanks wrote, “Standing up for Black women…. Mannnn free this man ✊🏾” 

Then Instagram user @kyimaranajaae wrote, “Y’all he was unlawfully carrying a weapon. But it’s still #FreeKarmelo.” 

Another Instagram user @flawednfabulous wrote, “This is* America . 🇺🇸” 

Instagram user @stephroyalty wrote, “Free him lock up the judge and jury!!!” 

Then another Instagram user @bigsimon19 wrote, “Black people don’t understand America has two justice systems.” 

While another Instagram user @manufacturedinthe90s wrote, “We can’t do anything in this country. We fight back we get killed or arrested.” 

Finally, Instagram user @cyannextdoor wrote, “Whew chile this is to much!!” 

The Latest Update On Karmelo Anthony’s Case

Social media users are continuing to share their thoughts on Karmelo Anthony’s case following his conviction and 35-year prison sentence. However, Karmelo and his legal team are not backing down. Less than 24 hours after a Texas jury convicted him of murder, his attorneys filed a notice of appeal. Karmelo’s lawyer, Mike Howard said in a statement that the defense believes the court still needs to address several issues.

“After the conclusion of the trial yesterday, we gave the court our official notice that Karmelo Anthony is filing an appeal. We believe there are several important issues for the appellate courts to consider. An appeal is the next part of the legal process and a right afforded every American,” Howard said.

RELATED: UPDATE: Karmelo Anthony Found Guilty & Sentenced To 35 Years In Prison For Fatal Stabbing Of Austin Metcalf (PHOTOS) 

Mimi Faust says K. Michelle is a “bully” and hasn’t grown “an ounce” since her time on ‘Love & Hip Hop Atlanta.’

RELATED: Time Flies! Recent Footage Of Stevie J & Mimi Faust’s Daughter Eva Has Internet Users Calling Themselves “Old” (VIDEO)

Mimi Faust Says K. Michelle Is A “Bully” & Hasn’t Grown “An Ounce” Since Her Time On ‘Love & Hip Hop Atlanta’

According to Bossip, MimI Faust recently appeared as a guest on ‘The Morning Hustle’ radio show. Additionally, during her appearance, Lore’l asked Faust how she felt about K. Michelle saying she wouldn’t be open to reconciling with her following their time on ‘Love & Hip Hop Atlanta.’ Specifically, the pair got into it over Michelle’s comments about one of Faust’s former partners. Additionally, their conflict escalated when K. Michelle found herself at odds with Rasheeda. To note, K. Michelle recently joined the cast of ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta.’

“What have I ever done to K. Michelle?” Faust asked. “One, I never heard her say that, and two, IDGAF.”

Per the outlet, Lore’l then asked Faust if she believes K. Michelle has matured since their time together on TV.

“Absolutely not. Not an ounce. She is, um, the same person, different face. You know, I think it’s cute that she keeps talking about me; it’s really cute. She tries it. She’s a bully, and then she plays the victim, that’s K,” Faust explained.

Social Media Weighs In

Social media users shared their thoughts on Mimi Faust’s comments on K. Michelle in TSR’s comment section.

K. Michelle Addresses A Critic Amid Mimi Faust Says She’s A “Bully” & Hasn’t Grown Since ‘Love & Hip Hop Atlanta’

On Tuesday, June 9, K. Michelle took to X, formerly known as Twitter, initially replying to a user who was sharing their thoughts on the recent comments about the singer.

But you sure can make good fucking TV 😮‍💨
They locked in!

— Smoke (@SmokesSoul) June 9, 2026

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Ultimately, K. Michelle explained to another user that she’s just being herself.

RELATED: Social Media Is Sharing Mixed Opinions After Eva Showed Off The Dress Mimi Faust Made Her Wear To Her 8th-Grade Dance

Sean Penn is facing major backlash after making controversial comments about selfies that unexpectedly invoked both Holocaust survivors and a child with a disability. The Oscar-winning actor sparked outrage following an appearance at the Tribeca Festival in New York, where he launched into an anti-selfie rant that many critics quickly branded insensitive and bizarre. Social media users soon flooded X, formerly Twitter, with criticism, with one person even labeling Penn the “biggest dirtbag in Hollywood.”

During a Friday conversation with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins at Spring Studios as part of the Tribeca Festival’s 25th anniversary programming, Penn shared his strong feelings about celebrity selfies.

The actor argued that taking photos with famous people is harmful for everyone involved. “People should not do selfies ever with anyone. It’s bad for you; it’s bad for everyone. It’s a soul-sucker,” Penn said.

However, the conversation quickly took an unexpected turn when Penn referenced scenarios involving a Holocaust survivor and a young child with a disability. “It’s the Holocaust grandmother and her 6-year-old paraplegic wheeling over? It’s a hard no,” he added.

The comment immediately sparked confusion and outrage online, with many questioning why Penn brought up such examples during a discussion about fan photos.

Penn’s remarks spread rapidly online, with critics accusing the actor of being unnecessarily insensitive and out of touch. “No surprise from the biggest dirtbag in Hollywood,” one X user wrote. Another critic blasted the actor, writing: “He really is an insufferable a-shole… @SouthPark needs another episode dedicated just to this.”

Someone else said, “He is one UGLY dude, inside and out…!!” while another chimed in with, “If he doesn’t want to take selfies, he could have certainly found a less disgusting way to communicate that to someone.”

Sean Penn Says Crowds Trigger His Anxiety

Penn’s comments came as he explained why he skipped the Oscars earlier this year despite earning a nomination, and ultimately winning, for “One Battle After Another.”

The actor admitted that large social settings have increasingly become difficult for him. “It’s not just [that it’s] an awards show. It would be the same if this group was going to an afterparty and one stepped into that,” Penn explained.

He added, “That always represented social discomfort for me; too many people. I’m now down, committed for life, that I won’t go anywhere to be in a designated group beyond eight people.”

According to Penn, interacting with large groups for extended periods fuels his anxiety. He said gatherings often leave him feeling overwhelmed because interactions become brief and repetitive.

Penn Says The Golden Globes Were His Breaking Point

Penn also revealed he decided to stop attending major Hollywood events after appearing at the Golden Globes in January. “The best that I could ever muster was relief. Knowing that I wasn’t going to do that anymore, I did one before that this year. I went to the Golden Globes; I’d never been to that before. And that’s where I decided, ‘I can’t do this,’” he said.

The actor claimed he was repeatedly approached for selfies while leaving the event, including a request from 16-year-old “Adolescence” actor Owen Cooper. Instead of attending the Oscars, Penn said he traveled to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and watched the ceremony from abroad. “I really got to enjoy the Academy Awards for the first time. It was great,” Penn said.

Sean Penn’s Controversial Reputation Has Followed Him For Decades

For many critics, Penn’s latest controversy only added to a long history of headline-making behavior. The actor has repeatedly sparked backlash over the years for his outspoken comments and confrontational moments both on and off screen.

Penn’s legal troubles stretch back decades and have helped shape the actor’s long-standing reputation for volatility. In 1985, while married to Madonna, Penn was involved in a confrontation with photographers attempting to capture the couple in Nashville. The incident marked the beginning of several headline-making clashes involving the actor and members of the media.

Just two years later, Penn found himself in even more serious legal trouble while filming the 1988 crime drama “Colors.” Already on probation stemming from a misdemeanor battery charge involving songwriter David Wolinski at a Los Angeles nightclub, Penn was arrested after punching film extra Jeffrey Klein on set.

Because he violated probation, the actor was sentenced to 60 days in jail for assault, ultimately serving 33 days of the sentence.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 23 seconds ago

Filmmakers need to bring back the warehouse showdown, and I’m tired of letting them get away with over-the-top action sequences that cost tens of millions of dollars to produce. These days, every action sequence has to be elevated. The Gray Man (2022) gets off on leveling entire city blocks, and the John Wick films, which are some of my favorite modern action movies, go for intense choreography and enough changes in scenery to make me slip into an overstimulation-induced coma. The list goes on. Look at any superhero movie where entire cities get razed to the ground, with 2013’s Man of Steel being perhaps the most egregious example.

All of the above titles have a disappointing lack of warehouse showdowns, and I often wonder why. Well, the real reason is that all of these productions had massive bankrolls behind them, whereas warehouse showdowns are typically found in action movies with much smaller budgets.

It doesn’t have to be this way, though, because we’ve seen iterations of the warehouse showdown in Michael Bay films like The Rock (1996) and forgotten low-budget action thrillers like Army of One (1993) alike.

Personally, I’ve become so desensitized to action sequences that I think I need to be intravenously injected with a good old warehouse showdown at least once a month as part of my longevity treatment.

Why The Warehouse Showdown Is Iconic

These days, all action has to be elevated, but it wasn’t always like that. In the 80s and 90s, the warehouse showdown didn’t discriminate, and you can see varying levels of awesomeness across low-budget films like Raw Deal (1986), Stone Cold (1991), Hard Boiled (1992), and Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991). The setup is always simple. The good guys take out what they think are all the henchmen, then finally make it to the boss level, where the primary antagonist is surrounded by even more henchmen and apparently lives in a warehouse that manufactures nothing but sparks and noise.

All you have to do while watching a classic warehouse showdown is sit back, relax, listen to the glorious music of shell casings scattering across the floor, and brace yourself for plenty of well-timed explosions that light the entire place up as our heroes run from the coming, all-consuming fireball and dive into the conveniently placed marina right next door.

You don’t need $50 million to have a solid warehouse showdown. All you need is grit, squibs, decent lighting, and a revolving door of villains who can be thrown into a pile of highly flammable barrels that are also conveniently placed throughout the field of play.

It’s Not Just A Matter Of Budget

While it certainly sounds like I’m only into low-budget schlock (I am, but that’s beside the point), the warehouse showdown isn’t just for filmmakers with limited resources. Sometimes you get the best of both worlds, which is exactly what we see in 1996’s The Rock, directed by none other than Michael Bay. I say the best of both worlds because there’s a high-speed chase through the streets of San Francisco involving a bright yellow Ferrari F355 Spider, which obviously wasn’t cheap to pull off. Streets had to be shut down, and I imagine a sequence like this required dozens of technicians on the payroll.

But here’s why The Rock is one of the greatest action movies of all time. What is Alcatraz? That’s a rhetorical question. I know Alcatraz is an out-of-service prison where you can throw a couple of quarters into a crank machine and get a crappy souvenir in the form of a flattened penny with the Golden Gate Bridge stamped on it or whatever. Still, the point stands that Alcatraz is basically just a giant warehouse, and you better believe there’s going to be a showdown.

The same can be said for RoboCop (1987) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), which both use steel mills as de facto warehouses for their showdowns. It’s a simple, self-contained setup that requires no worldbuilding and no constant changes in scenery. It’s the setting for the final showdown, where you can get close-ups and maybe even a great one-liner from our heroes while they focus on what’s most important: blowing sh*t up and taking out dozens of enemies in a very short amount of time. 

As modern filmmaking continues to push the envelope, with the Space Pontiac in F9 coming to mind, sometimes we just need to go back to basics and blow the roof off a warehouse for the love of the game.