A threatening video allegedly sent to Carrot Top’s former legal team has emerged amid accusations that singer Brian Evans attempted to pressure the comedian into paying hundreds of thousands of dollars. The approximately 90-second recording was reportedly sent in May 2024, more than two years before Carrot Top, whose real name is Scott Thompson, was hospitalized following a reported suicide attempt on September 18.

Although Thompson’s attorneys have connected the video to a broader pattern of alleged threats and settlement demands, the clip does not contain a specific demand for money. Evans has denied trying to trade his silence for payment, and the allegations have not resulted in a criminal finding against him.

Brian Evans Allegedly Warned Carrot Top’s Legal Team

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According to Page Six, Evans sent the video message to Thompson’s then-legal team in May 2024. “At some point, things are no longer about settling, okay?” Evans said in the recording obtained by the outlet.

Evans, who opened for Carrot Top’s long-running Luxor show in Las Vegas twice more than a decade ago, referenced another legal fight that he said lasted 12 years. “I know how to file, and I know how to respond, and I especially know how to promote,” he said.

Evans then appeared to place responsibility for what happened next on Thompson and his representatives. “So this is all up to you, all of you,” he continued. “You’re on the wrong side of this. … But if this is the way you want it, this is the way it’ll be.”

While the language was ominous, the video did not include a demand for money or expressly threaten the release of private material. Thompson’s attorneys have argued that its significance becomes clearer when considered alongside later emails, court filings and a police report.

Attorney Accused Singer Of Seeking $500,000

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Page Six also obtained a September 3 report from the Lake Mary Police Department documenting an allegation made by Thompson’s attorney, Ronnie Bitman. Bitman reportedly told police that Evans claimed to possess a USB containing “sensitive contents of an explicit video about the client.”

According to the report, Evans allegedly demanded $500,000 and threatened to send the material to tabloids if Thompson refused to pay. The complaint was categorized as “information only, extortion of client.”

Thompson was not present when Bitman spoke with authorities and lived outside the department’s jurisdiction. The officer reportedly advised Bitman that the comedian would need to contact the law enforcement agency where he resides.

No criminal finding against Evans resulted from the Lake Mary report.

Thompson’s attorneys made similar allegations in a September 3 Broward County court filing. They claimed Evans demanded “significant sums” while warning that an alleged sexually explicit recording involving the comedian could be placed in a public court file.

Once filed publicly, Thompson’s team argued, the material could become available to reporters and other members of the public.

Emails Included Demands As High As $8 Million

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One email attached to the court filing reportedly presented Thompson with what Evans called “Path A.” Under that option, Thompson would pay $500,000 in immediately available funds, and Evans would resolve his claims against him. If Thompson rejected the offer, Evans said he planned to proceed with a motion involving a purported USB. He predicted that the filing would attract media attention.

Evans maintained in the same communication that he was not threatening the comedian or attempting to “trade silence for money.” However, he warned that after the deadline passed, the proposed settlement was “not an offer your client will ever see again, not even remotely close.”

Other emails reportedly show that the requested amounts changed dramatically throughout the dispute. In a May 18, 2024 message, Evans demanded $1.925 million and said that if the parties did not settle, he would file a lawsuit with exhibits “including the video.” He added that the fallout could bring “consequences I can not control.”

One week later, Evans reportedly increased the demand to $8 million and wrote that when his lawsuit was filed, “I will be issuing a press release within the hour it is filed.”

By June 4, the requested amount had dropped to $530,000. Evans allegedly acknowledged that the dispute “would be national news” and warned that without an agreement, “it will be filed, a press release will be issued.”

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Evans has denied threatening to publish footage in exchange for money. He previously told Page Six that he “never threatened, ever, to post any video anywhere in exchange for a settlement.”

The singer also claimed the purported footage had been deleted long ago as part of a previous settlement between himself and Thompson.

The current dispute traces back to that 2024 agreement, which Evans is attempting to overturn. Evans sued Thompson in Broward County in August, seeking to void the settlement. He alleged that he lacked the mental capacity to enter the agreement because of psychiatric injuries he said he experienced after the 2023 Maui wildfires.

His lawsuit also alleged that Thompson previously sent him unsolicited footage showing an explicit sex act. That accusation has not been proven in court.

Thompson’s attorneys have asked the court to impose restrictions on Evans’ future filings. Their requested measures include requiring judicial approval before he can publicly submit material involving alleged private or sexual conduct and potentially limiting his ability to electronically file documents without oversight.

Carrot Top’s Hospitalization Made The Court Fight More Urgent

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The dispute took on greater urgency after Thompson’s attorneys informed the judge that the comedian had been hospitalized following a September 18 suicide attempt. “This is now an emergency in the most human sense,” Bitman wrote in a September 20 emergency motion.

The attorney argued that once intensely personal allegations are entered into a public court record, they could spread nationally before Thompson has any meaningful opportunity to respond. He further maintained that the resulting damage could not be reversed.

There has been no judicial determination that Evans’ alleged conduct caused or contributed to Thompson’s reported suicide attempt.

Evans has previously faced restrictions over his litigation activity. A federal judge in South Florida declared him a “vexatious litigant” in August after finding that he had filed at least 15 cases without an attorney in the district since 2025. The judge described the matters as “serial, spurious filings,” restricted Evans’ ability to submit new documents without prior approval and dismissed the case at issue with prejudice.

A Broward County judge separately found that Evans had misused emergency-motion procedures. The court granted Thompson’s requested relief concerning certain references to unrelated videos, messages, and other material after Evans agreed to those restrictions during a hearing.

Thompson’s representative previously confirmed that the comedian was hospitalized and recovering while asking the public to respect his privacy. The civil dispute with Evans, including the fight over future filings and allegedly private material, remains ongoing.

Druski shared intimate details of his abusive childhood during an interview on Thursday, September 24. The comedian spoke about his violent upbringing in the unfiltered interview, and he also shared intimate details about his life.

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Druski Reveals Childhood Trauma During Raw Interview

Druski sat down for an interview with ‘The Diary of a CEO‘ host Steven Bartlett. In it, he revealed how childhood trauma impacted his life. The comedian, whose real name is Drew Desbordes, got his start by making videos online.

During the interview, the artist said that his mother worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and his father was a pilot for United Airlines (8:06). Druski also said his father got him thinking about what he wanted to do with his life at a young age.

“My dad…. he was one of those tough guys to deal with around,” (5:27) he said. “He wanted us to figure it out early, and like my dad was like the lead person of pushing that narrative.”

The artist added that his mother pushed the narrative as well, but she also told his father that Druski was still a child.

“I’m at the time, like eight, nine years old,” he continued. “And my dad was like, ‘What do you want to do? Figure it out. You’re either going to go to jail, you find a, a craft or, or you’re going to end up in a warehouse or something. You got to figure out, um whatever you’re going to do, or you go to the military get your as*s blown off.’ And that was the only three options.”

The comedian went on to say that his father was old school and physically abusive. H used to get hit by his father. He added that his father’s lessons were good, but the way they were taught were not. Druski also said that he learned from watching neighbors that his upbringing wasn’t normal (6:46). 

“So, he has a short temper,” he recalled. “He used to ask these rhetorical questions all the time of like, he’ll be like, ‘Go get me a Phillips screwdriver,’ and I’ll go get a regular screwdriver. He’s like, ‘This is not a Phillips screwdriver.’ Bam! Upside the head. Then my brother goes, ‘he’s like I want you to go get me a Phillips screwdriver.’ My brother goes and get a hammer. The dumbest sh*t, right? And he would come back and Bam! Upside the head.” 

He Used Comedy To Cope With The Abuse

Druski added that he began to use comedy to cope with the abuse. Furthermore, he used it as a tool to comfort his brother (8:47).

“We had some a*s whoopers in the house that went too far,” he said. “Um, but yeah, I think I, I, I feel like my comedy comes from that place of I never tend to punch down. I like to find the funny, but also the good side of funny, and not look at the negative for my type of comedy.”

“One time I watched my brother get beat for wetting the bed and it was the simplest thing and I couldn’t understand. I was like ‘why is he like like getting beat this bad?”

“I’ve seen different things of like the choking and, you know, pushing her out the door and then locking the door,” he added. “And then I got to go and be the one staring at her at the door and she’s like, ‘Open it.’ And he’s like, ‘You better not open that door.’”

Druski Speaks On Leaving College And Depression

“I think since I’ve always been the funny guy in every classroom,” he added. “Everything I’ve done, sports, I get kicked off the football team for being funny, all this stuff is because I am a comedian.”

“I wrote all these goals down on the sheet of paper. Now, I’m locked in I have no other option. I’m sitting here in a room, no mattress. My car got repossessed. I actually made that like a content piece. But I feared nothing because I’m like, I have nothing left.”

RELATED: Play Too Much! Damson Idris Reacts To Druski’s Viral Skit About British Actors Taking Over American Roles (VIDEO)

Todd Tucker is sharing more details about his divorce from ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ star Kandi Burruss. Tucker revealed new details in an interview published on Wednesday, September 23.

RELATED: UPDATE: ‘Real Housewives’ Stars Wendy And Eddie Osefo Will Reportedly Face Separate Trials In Fraud Case

Tucker Reveals Painful Moments During Divorce From Kandi Burruss

Tucker shared new details about his divorce from ‘RHOA’ star Kandi Burruss during an exclusive interview with Page Six. The couple’s divorce was finalized in early 2026, and Tucker shares his journey in the upcoming docuseries, ‘Til Divorce Do Us Part.’

“You know, it’s tough,” he said about the divorce. “You know, my wife did this.”

He added that while going through the divorce, he stayed in the guest house. Tucker added that it was a lonely time, and he didn’t have anyone to talk to. (around 7 min mark)

“It was a lot of time in my head, thinking, trying to figure out, ‘What did I just do? What just happened? Did I lose my family?’ So I’m gonna be honest, I had nobody really to lean on,” said Tucker. “You know, it was times where, I said it in the uh, in the trailer. I looked at my gun. I was like, but then I snapped out of it like, ‘No, you have a family. You have kids that you have to see them through.’”

The 53-year-old also said going to church and dealing with his mental health were helpful.

“It was a lot of dark times,” he continued. “But since then, I’ve been going to church, I’m about to find me a therapist and just take this journey of rebuilding myself, getting myself where I wanna be and being the best dad and the best co-parent and moving forward.”

He also said during an interview with Skreetz Atlanta:

“Divorce is not easy. Probably the worst thing next to my mom passing, and I’m just trying to take it one day at a time.”

Burruss Reacts To Trailer And Tucker Responds

The Shade Room previously reported that Tucker shared a trailer for his new reality show, ‘Til Divorce Do Us Part’ on Instagram. In the clip, former ‘RHOA’ star Peter Thomas asked Tucker if he had threesomes during his marriage to Burruss, and Tucker said that they did. Furthermore, he added that the couple had threesomes throughout the marriage.

Burruss responded after the trailer made the rounds online, and she criticized Tucker for discussing their sex life in public.

“A man who has already hurt me to my core is furthering the damage by choosing to sensationalize our sex life to stretch his five minutes of fame,” the ‘RHOA’ star told PEOPLE. “What consensually happens between a husband and wife in the privacy of their marriage is exactly that—private. His current behavior has only confirmed that I did the right thing by getting divorced. I Do, I Did, I’m Done!”

Tucker defended his comments about the former couple’s sex life during an interview with Skreetz Atlanta. He said that Burruss herself had spoken about their sex life in public, so he wasn’t revealing anything new.

“And this is not even from me,” he said. “Like, you’ve heard it from her. So how private is it? Even when she first started saying that we had done a threesome or done threesomes, she didn’t consult with me. And for the most part, I’m a good sport, so I never made a problem of it or an issue of it.”

Burruss And Tucker Settled Divorce In March 2026

Burruss and Tucker met in 2011 when he was a producer on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta.’ They married in 2014 and separated in 2025, according to PEOPLE.

The Xscape artist shared a statement announcing the proceedings in November 2025.

“After deep thought and a lot of prayer, I’ve made the decision to move forward with a divorce,” she wrote. “This is a difficult and emotional time, but my focus remains on protecting my peace, being the best mother I can be, and co-parenting with love and respect.”

According to TMZ, the former couple agreed to share joint custody of their children, and Burruss kept their home. Neither will pay spousal or child support, but the agreement states that Burruss would pay Tucker a lump sum of $426,000.

RELATED: Shamea Morton Opens Up About Her Argument With Porsha Williams On The ‘RHOA’ (VIDEO)

Taylor Frankie Paul is seemingly taking another step out of the public eye by scrubbing her social media — and getting her assistant to run her accounts — following her exit from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

Eagle-eyed followers noticed on Wednesday, September 23, that Taylor, 32, no longer had any posts on her Instagram feed. Her bio also had a new message, which read, “Assistant here @madshellander running her account for a bit.”

Taylor’s assistant provided more information about her taking over the account in an Instagram Story upload.

“Hi guys I’m Maddy. Tay’s assistant. I will be helping her with socials for a bit,” she wrote. “Any inquiries just send to her DMs as normal.”

Related: ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Then vs. Now: How Cast Looked Pre-Hulu Show

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives fans have watched the cast change on and off screen before the series even debuted. Season 1 of hit reality series, which follows a group of Mormon mom influencers, debuted on Hulu in September 2024 following star Taylor Frankie Paul‘s “soft swinging” sex scandal. “We’re not all swingers,” Whitney […]

Maddy also clapped back at criticism after showing what her work day entailed, including a glimpse of her cleaning up Taylor’s home.

“Not that it’s anyone’s business, I’m here to help Taylor however it may be that day,” she continued. “There is much more that goes on outside of social media. Just a friendly reminder before judging what she or I do with our day.”

Taylor’s disappearance from social media comes after she teased her exit from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

“My gratitude goes to all the networks that supported me throughout this and gave me the chance to return. However I don’t desire to move forward like this,” she wrote via Instagram on Monday, September 21. “I originally was willing to be removed to let them all continue on with less stress, and I’m back to that point.”

After the show’s fifth season dropped earlier this month, Mikayla Matthews announced she would not be returning for more episodes if Taylor is involved. Taylor, for her part, called out the division between her and her costars — including Layla Taylor and Miranda McWhorter.

“Some of the girls know what I’ve been through and then to turn and collectively pile on with their ‘statements’ knowing there has been ongoing abuse through the system the last 8 months on top of what I’ve endured. Almost the entire cast plus some, going at me….laughing about my kids is disgusting,” Taylor claimed. “I bit my tongue there. These same people had meetings telling me I need to lead the way of pay….my voice was the only one that can make it happen and then they would work from what I demanded. I’m grateful I never followed through with their requests of demands and I’m grateful I kept same pay out of fairness and integrity.”

Taylor, who has made headlines for her legal issues with ex Dakota Mortensen, further explained her mindset about her future on the show.

“I agree it’s to the point of bullying for months now. What makes it harder to take in is some of these parents have made mistakes that would result in the same judgement I’m receiving yet pointing a finger,” she wrote. “However it’s a pleasure to remove myself so they can continue, because I’ve almost convinced myself I’m deserving of all this pain and to a certain degree absolutely this is consequences of my actions. My question has been how much suffering and scrutiny is going to be enough…I’m just relieved to be out.”

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Amid the shakeup, a source gave Us exclusive insight into the difficult dynamics behind the scenes.

“It is a mess between the girls behind the scenes, and everyone has really turned their backs against Taylor Frankie Paul,” an insider shared. “Taylor has not been in a good place mentally and does not have many people who are supporting her publicly, which is hard.”

The source added: “Everything is up in the air. [The show] is renewed, but producers are very unclear about how the show will proceed.”

Remy Ma flexed her “soft girl” gifts from Millyz as Claressa Shields shared an update on her “negativity cleanse.”

RELATED: Bae Watch! Social Media Users Are Sharing Reactions To Recent Photo Of Claressa Shields & Papoose

Remy Ma Flexes “Soft Girl” Gifts From Millyz

On Thursday, September 24, Remy Ma took to Instagram to share a video post with fans. To note, the rapper is gearing up to release her latest single, ‘Why I Get Married,’ on Friday, September 25.

“🌹thank you @millyz,” Remy wrote in reaction to her celebratory gifts from the rapper. “Sidebar: the card tho🤭🤞🏾 RemFunFact: I can’t WAIT til FRIDAY😈! Pre-save link in my bio”

Footage showed Remy receiving what appeared to be 10 bundles of roses and a red Hermes Kelly bag.

Peep the clip below.

To note, Millyz even slid in her comment section, writing, “Soft Girl Operation 🤞”

While Instagram user @sexyjdeleon wrote, “clarence gonna go buy one too lmao 🤣😂😂😂😂😂talking about she rich cause we know she ain’t gonna get it gifted too her 🤣🤣🤣”

Claressa Shields Shares Update On Her “Negativity Cleanse”

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, September 22, Shields took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a video of her own with fans. In the clip, she showed off her recently done hair, and as the caption, wrote, “My negativity cleanse is going great 😊 ! Even my skin clear ☺️”

More On Recent Events With Remy Ma & Claressa Shields’s “Negativity Cleanse”

As The Shade Room previously reported, Remy Ma began promoting her upcoming single, ‘Why I Get Married,’ earlier this month. Additionally, she’s had fans wondering if she’s sparked a new romance with fellow rapper Millyz. Last week, he shared a clip of him and her getting a bit steamy while in a bathroom, teasing their joint song, ‘Say Yea,’ per The Shade Room.

Then, earlier this week, Claressa Shields unveiled her “negativity cleanse, which prompted social media users to share her belief that the boxer wants “peace” after “causing chaos.” In reaction, Remy Ma briefly weighed in on the content creator’s take.

RELATED: Oop! Remy Ma Reacts After Content Creator Goes IN On Claressa Shields, Saying She “Wants Peace After Causing Chaos” (VIDEO)

Joh’Vonnie Jackson is speaking about her experiences growing up as the daughter of Joe Jackson. Her mother, Cheryle Ann Terrell, was Joe’s mistress for 25 years while he was married to Katherine Jackson. Joh’Vonnie is the youngest half-sibling of Michael, Janet, Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon and Randy Jackson. She’s now 52.

RELATED: Clip Of La Toya Cheffing It Up For Jermaine & The Jackson Family Has Social Media Users Cuttin’ UP (WATCH)

Joh’Vonnie Says Joe Jackson Kept It Real About Who Her Siblings Were

As mentioned, Joh’Vonnie recently appeared on the talk show, ‘Portia.’ In response to the interviewer’s question, she explained that Joe Jackson always told her who her siblings were and that she knew them by name. “And he always made sure that I knew you are a Jackson,” Joh’Vonnie said. Adding, “You’re tough, you’re strong, you’re a Jackson.”

When Vonnie got older, her mother, Cheryle, let her know the mistress situation between her and Joe Jackson. She was a young teen, around 11, when that conversation happened, she says. In 2018, she published the memoir ‘Bastard Child: The Story of the 11th Jackson.’

“I was very angry, very upset. I was feeling like ‘How can I ever get advice from her when she’s out here doing this?’ And it was really abnormal because I saw my father every day if my dad wasn’t out the country, he was at home with us.”

Despite being angry with her mother, Joh’Vonnie Jackson admits that she didn’t feel the same way towards Joe. She confirmed that her dad attended her graduations, dinners and that they even had a backyard garden that he farmed. Still, Joe Jackson was strict with Vonnie and her mother and their whereabouts.

“He was extremely strict…very controlling. Myself I wasn’t allowed to go hang out with the kids, I wasn’t allowed to go to anyone’s house nor have anyone come over,” Joh’Vonnie said. “It wasn’t good. My mother and I we couldn’t even shop at the corner store because there might be a run in with some of the family.”

Her parents, she later said, met at her mother’s work Christmas party. Cheryle, Joh’Vonnie said, worked as a secretary for a few police officers. “They met and my dad pursued and he didn’t stop…cause she wasn’t interested,” Vonnie said. Though she watched her Jackson siblings take off in front of the world, Joh’Vonnie admits it was a given that she wouldn’t get to be around them.

“It made me feel horrible because when you’re young and you see these people that are your siblings on television, you’re like oh my God, you have these expectations…”

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Newlyweds Blake Horstmann and Giannina Gibelli have something else to celebrate with their second baby on the way.

“We were aiming to have a honeymoon baby, so by the time it would’ve popped up on an at-home pregnancy test, I ended up taking it too early so it showed negative,” Giannina, 33, told People on Thursday, September 24. “Then the next day, I felt some pressure around my abdomen, just a very distinct feeling, so I thought, ‘Why not? I’ll take it again.’ I was shocked when I saw two little pink lines pop up.”

Giannina and Blake, 37, are already the parents of son Heath, 2, and are expecting their new arrival in March 2027.

The pregnancy news comes months after the couple tied the knot in Croatia in June surrounded by Bachelor and Bachelorette stars like Jason Tartick and Astrid Loch. Giannina also received support on her special day from her fellow Love Is Blind alums, including Jessica Vestal and Taylor Krause.

Related: Blake Horstmann and Giannina Gibelli’s Relationship Timeline

Blake Horstmann and Giannina Gibelli both looked for love on reality TV before sparking their romance off camera. Bachelor Nation met Horstmann when he competed for Becca Kufrin’s affections on season 14 of The Bachelorette. After finishing as the runner-up on the 2018 season, Horstmann came under fire during season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise […]

“It was the best day of our lives, literally. And for, like, a week after when we came home, I was just, like, jet-lagged,” Giannina exclusively told Us in July, revealing that she and her husband experienced some post-wedding “anxiety” after getting home. “And I was like, ‘Who am I now?’ Being a bride for a year and a half was lovely, and now just settling into our new, like, solid foundation, which was nice.”

Giannina, who appeared on season 1 of Love Is Blind, confessed, “I baked, like, five loaves of bread. I just couldn’t stop baking. Yeah, I was stress baking.”

While taking time to acclimate to their lives as husband and wife, Blake and Giannina confirmed they were ready to have more children while also expanding their podcast.

“We’ve been working really hard on that,” Giannina told Us of their “He Said, G Said” podcast. “Now we can dive fully into that because we kind of started that in the middle of wedding planning, like, the tail end of wedding planning. We can dive fully into that, and hopefully, yeah, expand the family.”

Giannina and Blake met in 2021, with Us exclusively confirming in January 2022 that they were dating. The pair announced in November 2023 that they were expecting their first baby.

“First comes love, then comes baby H 🤍” the duo announced via a joint Instagram statement. “We’re so grateful that life has led us here and over the moon to be parents to our sweet baby come spring 2024!”

Their son, Heath Orion, was born in March 2024.

“Our baby is his father’s twin!” Giannina exclusively told Us the following month. “There are so many similarities it’s adorable to see them light up in each other. As far as personality goes, he’s an Aries like his mama so we’ll see, he just might be the perfect mix of both of us.”

Giannina gushed about her husband and their partnership after giving birth, saying, “So far we love doing everything together, the only time we see us ‘dividing’ our time is when he’s off to work, but we have our village that’s with us 24/7 so it’s been a beautiful thing to be able to focus just on our baby and our time as a family together.”

That October, Blake proposed while the couple were traveling to Spain. When they said “I do” this summer, their son served as the ring bearer.

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While sharing photos from the magical wedding, Giannina teased that she and Blake were already gearing up to be a family of four.

“Making sure the ruins are still ruined so I can go make baby No. 2,” she captioned an Instagram video from Europe in August.

Blake playfully replied in the comments section, “Ruins first baby second 😂.”

Martha Stewart may be considered one of the original influencers, but even she initially had questions about MrBeast and his staggering online reach. The 85-year-old lifestyle icon revealed that she recently spent three days with the YouTube superstar, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, while discussing what separates a genuinely successful influencer from someone simply filling space online.

Although Stewart admitted she didn’t have a definitive formula for digital success, she suggested MrBeast accomplished something significant by recognizing an unmet need and creating content that keeps billions of viewers entertained.

Martha Stewart Spent Three Days With MrBeast

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Stewart reflected on MrBeast’s influence during a recent interview with AARP The Magazine. “I don’t really know, because so many people are influencing so many millions of people in very odd ways today,” she said when asked what makes a successful influencer.

The media mogul then revealed that she had recently spent time with the 28-year-old creator. “I just spent three days with [28-year-old media personality] MrBeast. Who the heck is MrBeast? Why is he getting billions of hits on his YouTube channels?” Stewart asked.

She did not disclose why they spent three days together or whether the meeting was connected to an upcoming collaboration. However, Stewart appeared to leave with a better understanding of why MrBeast has built such a massive audience. “He struck a chord. He found a void that wasn’t being filled, and he filled it,” she explained.

The Lifestyle Icon Says MrBeast Is Not ‘Wasting People’s Time’

Stewart’s assessment was about more than MrBeast’s enormous view count. She questioned whether every popular online personality deserves to be considered genuinely influential simply because they have millions of followers or attract significant attention. “You have to study each influencer and see, are they really influencing, or are they just wasting people’s time?” Stewart said.

When it came to MrBeast, she delivered a favorable verdict. “He does not seem to be wasting people’s time. He seems to be entertaining and intriguing,” Stewart added.

Rather than dismissing the younger creator’s unconventional approach, Stewart seemed interested in why it works. For her, the important distinction was whether the content gave viewers something meaningful enough to maintain their attention. MrBeast’s ability to be both entertaining and intriguing seemed to place him on the right side of that divide.

Martha Stewart Believes Audiences Want To Know The Person Behind A Brand

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Stewart also explained why remaining the face of her own brand has been so effective throughout her career. “People want to know you. They want to know that you’re part of their daily life, important to them in some specific way,” she said.

That connection has remained central to Stewart’s business, even as the platforms used to reach her audience have changed dramatically. Before influencers regularly shared daily videos, personal updates, and behind-the-scenes content, Stewart built familiarity through television appearances, books, and her “Martha Stewart Living” magazine.

Her brand became closely associated with her personality, tastes and expertise. Audiences were not merely receiving household advice from a company. They were receiving it from Martha Stewart herself. That dynamic mirrors a major part of modern influencer culture, where the relationship between a creator and the audience can matter as much as the content.

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Stewart’s influence generated memorable moments years before today’s social media ecosystem. During the AARP interview, she was reminded that she has been called the “OG” of influencers and that her famous phrase, “It’s a good thing,” carried meme-like appeal before internet memes became a daily part of popular culture.

“That was something I said on my very first TV show in 1993. I painted a handle of a piece of garden equipment orange, and I said, ‘Now this will never get lost in the garden. It’s a good thing,’” Stewart recalled.

While today’s creators can turn an unexpected line into a viral sound or trending clip within hours, Stewart built that kind of recognition through traditional media. Her television presence and distinctive delivery gave audiences phrases, tips, and ideas they could immediately associate with her brand.

Martha Stewart Built Influence Before Instagram And YouTube

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Stewart also reflected on how different the media landscape was when she started building her audience. “When I first started, we didn’t have Instagram, we didn’t have Twitter, we didn’t have Facebook. All that stuff came later,” she explained.

Without those platforms, “Martha Stewart Living” became one of her most important ways of maintaining a lasting relationship with readers. “So the magazine, Martha Stewart Living, was very important to people. They read every single word and kept every issue,” Stewart said.

The publication did not disappear from readers’ lives after they finished an article. Many treated each edition as a resource they could save and consult again. “People still come up to me all the time and say, ‘I have every issue of your magazine, so I still refer to it all the time,’” she shared. “It’s exactly what you want to have happened.”

After three days with MrBeast, Stewart may still be asking how anyone generates billions of YouTube views, but she appears convinced that his influence is more than empty internet attention.

The Beach Boys are facing another shake-up on the road after three scheduled performances were canceled with little explanation. The legendary group was expected to perform in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina during the final week of September as part of its “Pet Sounds 60” tour. Two venues have formally confirmed their cancellations, while the Massachusetts date has disappeared from the venue’s online calendar.

The sudden changes come approximately two months after The Beach Boys postponed a separate stretch of concerts to take a break from touring. Despite the latest cancellations, several October dates remain listed on the band’s official website, with tickets still available.

The Beach Boys Cancel Three September Concerts

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The Beach Boys were scheduled to take the stage at The Big E Arena in West Springfield, Massachusetts, on Thursday, September 24. However, the concert is no longer listed on the venue’s event calendar.

The band was then expected to perform at the Univest Performance Center in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, on Friday, September 25. That show has been canceled, according to the venue.

Another performance scheduled for Sunday, September 27, at The Alabama Theatre in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was also called off.

The Pennsylvania and South Carolina venues reportedly attributed the cancellations to “circumstances beyond the control,” but neither provided additional details about what prevented the performances from moving forward.

Representatives for The Beach Boys have not publicly provided a more specific explanation for the latest changes.

October Tour Dates Remain On The Calendar

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Although this week’s concerts will not proceed as planned, The Beach Boys have not canceled the remainder of the “Pet Sounds 60” tour. The band’s official tour page continues to list a performance at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington, Illinois, on October 9. The group is also scheduled to perform at the PNC Pavilion in Cincinnati on October 10, followed by a concert at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on October 11.

Tickets reportedly remain on sale for all three October shows. There has been no announcement indicating that those performances will be postponed or canceled.

With no detailed statement from the band, it remains unclear whether the three September cancellations are isolated changes or could affect additional dates. For now, the October leg appears to be moving forward.

The Band Previously Paused The Tour To ‘Recharge’

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The latest disruption follows a separate round of postponements announced earlier this summer. In a July 22 statement shared through Mike Love’s Instagram account, The Beach Boys revealed that performances scheduled between July 23 and September 3 would be postponed.

“We’ve been having a blast out there, and to keep the good vibrations going strong, we’ll be taking a short break to recharge before getting back on the road in September,” the group said at the time.

The statement suggested the band intended to resume touring after a temporary break. However, the cancellation of three additional September dates has created fresh uncertainty for fans hoping to catch the anniversary show.

The band has not announced replacement dates for the newly canceled concerts or indicated whether affected ticket holders will receive refunds automatically through the respective venues.

‘Pet Sounds 60’ Honors A Landmark Album And Brian Wilson

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The tour marks the 60th anniversary of “Pet Sounds,” the influential Beach Boys album released in May 1966. The record produced several of the group’s most enduring songs, including “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Sloop John B” and “God Only Knows.” Decades after its release, the album remains one of the most celebrated projects in the band’s catalog.

“Playing for you is the highlight of our summer every year – especially as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States while saluting the 60th Anniversary of Pet Sounds,” the group said in its July statement.

The anniversary tour also follows the June 2025 death of Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson at the age of 82. Wilson’s death marked the loss of the creative force behind many of the band’s defining recordings. The acclaimed musician and songwriter was central to the creation of “Pet Sounds,” making the current anniversary especially emotional for longtime listeners.

The Beach Boys’ touring lineup has also undergone another major change. Bruce Johnston, 84, reportedly stopped touring with the group in March, leaving Love, 85, as the only original member still performing on the road.

Mike Love Has Faced Health Problems And Personal Loss

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Love has been candid about the difficult period he has experienced physically and emotionally. In June, the musician shared an Instagram post following a London performance that he described as “uplifting.”

In the same message, he revealed that he had been dealing with illness and the deaths of two close family members. “Losing my sister, Maureen, on the first Anniversary of cousin Brian’s death, combined with my ongoing recovery from what started out as bronchitis, followed by COVID, has taken both an emotional and physical toll on me,” Love said.

The singer explained that he was feeling “stronger every day physically,” but remained “heartbroken emotionally” after the losses.

Even amid those challenges, Love emphasized how much performing and connecting with fans meant to him. “I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else than with our audience,” he wrote. “For me, our audience is the medicine, and the music is the cure.”

There has been no public indication that Love’s previously disclosed health problems or personal losses are connected to the latest concert cancellations. Without a statement from the band, the reason behind the three canceled September performances remains unknown.