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By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 22 seconds ago

This week, to almost no one’s surprise, Josh D’Amaro was named the successor to Bob Iger as CEO of The Walt Disney Company. He was voted to the position unanimously by the company’s Board of Directors and will begin on March 18, 2026.

While entertainment is Disney’s primary business, a lot of people forget that the majority of the company is invested in theme parks, resorts, and the cruise line, as well as movies, television, and streaming. D’Amaro was previously the head of Disney Experiences, the umbrella under which all these Disney properties fall.

Ever since Bob Iger announced weeks ago that he was stepping down, D’Amaro has been expected to be named his successor. This is despite criticism for decisions such as raising park prices. The only thing that’s really “news” about this part of the story is that it was announced so quickly. It wasn’t expected to be decided until later in the year.

The Real Boss Isn’t D’Amaro

The real news about this story is Dana Walden. She was the runner-up for the position after successfully managing first Fox Entertainment and later Disney Entertainment. Although she wasn’t awarded the top position, she was promoted to President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company.

This means she oversees Disney movies, cartoons, and streaming shows. She has always been in charge of television, including ABC and ABC News, but now her role has been expanded to include all Disney output. She reports directly to D’Amaro.

One area of Disney that Walden will not have creative control over is Lucasfilm. Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan are responsible for all things Star Wars, with Disney only managing marketing and distribution for the film studio. The company will also not deviate from serving in the same capacity for Marvel Studios, with Kevin Feige continuing to serve as President there.

Disney’s New Entertainment Head Is Deeply Involved In Politics

Walden has occasionally found herself caught up in political turmoil, which some have blamed for her being passed over as Disney’s first female CEO.

She publicly supported Kamala Harris and appeared in photographs with the Presidential candidate. However, she was also the executive who made the decision about pulling Jimmy Kimmel after the ABC night show host made inferences about the Charlie Kirk shooter.

This move was criticized as bowing to pressure from the FCC and censoring free speech because of criticism of President Trump and his base. Kimmel was eventually reinstated through Walden’s efforts and negotiation with the FCC and has returned to television to freely talk about our fascist government.

Although Walden has had to navigate issues like the Jimmy Kimmel affair, it is fair that she wasn’t promoted to CEO of the entire company. Her experience as Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment is substantive, but it doesn’t quite add up to D’Amaro’s as former Chairman of Disney Experiences, nor has she been with the company for as long as his 28 years. The promotion she received, however, is a consolation prize for her work and sets her up to perhaps be D’Amaro’s successor if his tenure lasts as long as those of his predecessors.

Disney’s Rotating CEO Problem

The last two CEOs of Disney, Bob Chapek and Bob Iger, served for only three years apiece, as the company was led into rising streaming prices, lackluster movies, and other financial failures, such as the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel. Chapek was handpicked by Iger to replace him in 2020, but did such a terrible job that Iger had to come back in 2022.

D’Amaro is also a protégé of Iger’s at a time when Disney desperately needs to change course. The hope is that he won’t turn out to be another Chapek and that Iger chose better this time. If not, we may be back in three years to break the news of Walden’s promotion to CEO.

MLB Star Terrance Gore
Dead at 34

Published
February 7, 2026
11:15 AM PST

Bridgerton author Julia Quinn broke her silence on concerns that possible changes in future seasons could include important book characters — and leads — being recast.

“I don’t necessarily know how they’re gonna spin it or write it or what they’re going to keep and change,” Quinn said during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly pegged to her partnership with Spotify, teasing Eloise’s (Claudia Jessie) upcoming season of the hit Netflix series.

Quinn added that she’s excited to see her novel To Sir Phillip, With Love come to life.

“I love her story,” she added about Eloise’s romance with Phillip (Chris Fulton). “He’s got two kids who she has got to wrangle, which is awesome. The fact that Eloise is going to have an instant family is awesome. His twins are pretty ruthless to her so I hope they keep stuff like that in.”

When asked whether Fulton — who appeared in seasons 1 and 2 — would reprise his role or if a new actor would be brought in, Quinn noted that she doesn’t know the plan after changes have been made in other adaptations.

Quinn also addressed the chances of younger siblings Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) and Gregory (Will Tilston) being played by other actors by the time it’s their turn to be at the center of their own seasons.

“It’s funny because they were, like, 12 and 13 when they started. If you asked me that back then [about the same actors playing them as adults], I’d be like, ‘I don’t know.’ But when I saw them again at the premiere, they were both drinking wine,” Quinn told Us. “They’re both 18 now and Will was there with his girlfriend.”

The author pointed out that there were still a few years before It’s In His Kiss and On the Way to the Wedding will be featured with their own seasons.

“[Showrunner] Jess [Brownell] has said the next two seasons will be either Eloise and then Francesca or Francesca and then Eloise, which makes sense. It takes a few years to film, so by the time we get to Hyacinth and Gregory, the actors are going to be well into their 20s,” Quinn explained. “So I think it’ll probably be OK. Will it be weird that we knew them when they were 12? We see child stars grow up all the time.”

She continued: “As a writer, it was hard to write those two books at first. I really had to let them grow up in my mind a bit and that was hard for both of them. I was really glad it took several years — but even so — I can’t remember how much time passed in the writing. I really had to let them grow up. It was tough.”

Quinn said there’s a lot for fans to look forward to, adding, “With Gregory, there’s that whole classic Regency hero who doesn’t want to get married. I was like, ‘But here’s this guy who’s now seen seven brothers and sisters fall in love. Why would he think that?’ So his story is very different. He’s desperate to fall in love. He’s this total romantic and he’s so excited to fall in love. He falls in love with the wrong person to start out with.”

Based on her book series, Bridgerton centers around the different members of a wealthy family as they each search for love in 19th century London. Season 1 centered around Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), who were the leads of the first book, The Duke and I.

Season 2 took inspiration from The Viscount Who Loved Me, which followed Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) as he found love with Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Despite Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) being the subject of the third novel — An Offer From a Gentleman — his love story with newcomer Sophie (Yerin Ha) wasn’t explored until season 4.

Related: Which ‘Bridgerton‘ Couples Ended Up Together in the Books?

As soon as Netflix debuted Bridgerton, fans became invested in the stories still yet to be told. Based on Julia Quinn‘s novels of the same name, the series began with the love story of Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page). Season 2 of Bridgerton told the story of Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) […]

The third season instead focused on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) as seen in Quinn’s book Romancing Mister Bridgerton. Brownell recently confirmed that Eloise and Phillip Crane or Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and Michaela (Masali Baduza) are next in line.

Off screen, Quinn is launching her JQ Editions to recommend similar historical romance novels.

“I get so many readers who want to know, like, ‘What do I read after Bridgerton?’ And, ‘I’m new to historical romance, and what should I read?’ And now I can be like, ‘This. This is what you should read. These are my very favorite books,’” she shared. “I do recommend books on social media. But this one, it’s going to be six books a year to start out. So these are the top, these are the very, very best. This is me saying, ‘This is the one you should read and I’m mailing it to your house.’”

The famed author is also partnering with Spotify to promote the streamer’s first-of-its-kind Page Match, where readers can connect physical and e-books to audiobooks on Spotify with a single scan.

“My jaw dropped,” Quinn said of seeing the feature for the first time. “I know so many people who have one book that they read and one book that they listen to because they read in bed and they listen to things at the gym. And now, with the Page Match, you can go back and forth seamlessly. You can stay with one book, which I think is incredible for people like me, who don’t split their attention very well.”

Bridgerton returns with the second part of season 4 on Thursday, February 26. All of the Bridgerton audiobooks are available in Spotify Premium.

Gisele Bündchen
Bike Ride with Tot River …
And Flashed Wedding Band?!

Published
February 7, 2026
10:06 AM PST

Tony Hawk is clearing the air about the speculation he got married on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private island.

“Here are the facts and timelines of my nuptials,” the pro skateboarder, 57, wrote via his Instagram Story on Thursday, February 5, per People. “And I apologize if they don’t fit a narrative of nonsense.”

Hawk has been married four times and broke down the timeline for his multiple life events. The athlete wed first wife Cindy Dunbar in Fallbrook, California in 1990. Three years after his 1993 divorce from Dunbar, Hawk tied the knot with Erin Lee at the Hilton hotel in San Diego.

Following his 2004 split from Lee, Hawk moved on with Lhotse Merriam. The pair held their wedding ceremony at the Tavarua Surf Island in Fiji in 2006. After his 2011 divorce from Merriam, Hawk founded The One with wife Catherine Goodman. The couple got married at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2015. None of the locations Hawk listed were Little Saint James which was Epstein’s private estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Related: Whoopi Goldberg Slams ‘Conspiracy Theory’ She Was on Jeffrey Epstein List

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Whoopi Goldberg doesn’t appreciate being involved in conspiracy theories. Goldberg, 68, railed against “harmful” internet rumors during the Thursday, January 4, episode of The View while discussing recently unsealed court documents which revealed a list of celebrities who visited convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s island or had ties to him. “Let me […]

Hawk claimed that the confusion came from one of the guests at his 2006 wedding to Merriam. One of the guests was allegedly a photographer named Mark Epstein. Jeffrey coincidentally has a brother named Mark, but Hawk claimed that his wedding guest has no relationship with the late financier’s family. (Epstein died by suicide at age 66 in August 2019 after being arrested on federal sex trafficking charges. He previously pleaded guilty to procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a minor in 2008, and served 13 months in prison.)

“One of the guests in 2006 shot photos of the Fiji ceremony and licensed them to Getty Images,” Hawk explained. “His name is [coincidentally] Mark Epstein. An accomplished action sports photographer from Wyoming and of no relation to Jeffrey Epstein (who I never met and whose island I never visited). This is all easily verifiable information. Facts are not fungible.”

Hawk concluded his message apologizing to his friend Mark for “the misinformation vortex.”

Related: Everything Bill Gates Has Said About His Relationship With Jeffrey Epstein

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Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates has chalked up his friendship with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as a “huge mistake.” The New York Times reported that Gates began a friendship with the disgraced financier in 2011, which was three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute. […]

After the United States Department of Justice released the Epstein files last month, rumors swirled that Hawk was involved after the skateboarder was mentioned in an October 2024 email from an FBI agent. The agent was investigating a case involving a minor being allegedly trafficked.

The email stated that the victim claimed that “she was taken from Ireland and brought to Jeffrey Epstein Island when she was 13 years old,” and “she was there when Prince Edward was there and when Tony Hawk got married on the island.”

Hawk was not the only star name dropped in the Epstein files. Many stars including Prince Andrew, J.K. Rowling, Bill Gates and more were mentioned in the legal documents. Gates, who previously spent time with Epstein while he was alive, broke his silence on his connection to the disgraced billionaire.

“Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent,” Gates, 70, told 9 News Australia on Wednesday, February 4. “The email is false. I don’t know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way? Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that.”

If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

There’s going to be wall-to-wall coverage of the 2026 Super Bowl on Sunday, February 8. But if you need a break from real football, then you may want to check out a football movie.

A handful of truly spectacular football movies have been made by Hollywood, most of them without the NFL’s input.

Watch With Us has narrowed the list down to three great football movies to watch this Super Bowl weekend.

Each of our picks takes a different approach to telling the story of the game and the people who love it with all of their hearts.

Related: Who Is Performing at the 2026 Super Bowl? Bad Bunny, Green Day and More

The excitement for the Super Bowl LX 2026 is hitting a fever pitch after three new pre-show performers were announced. In December 2025, the NFL announced that Charlie Puth will be singing the national anthem ahead of the game, while Brandi Carlile will perform “America the Beautiful.” Coco Jones is also set to sing a […]

‘Any Given Sunday’ (1999)

Any Given Sunday probably isn’t high on the NFL’s favorite football movies because it presents a much harsher view of the game and its business than the league does. Director and co-writer Oliver Stone cast Al Pacino in the lead as Tony D’Amato, the head coach of the Miami Sharks, who can feel the new owner of the team, Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz), pushing him out the door after three decades.

When Sharks quarterback Jack “Cap” Rooney (Dennis Quaid) is sidelined with an injury, third-string quarterback Willie “Steamin” Beamen (Jamie Foxx) is given a chance to revitalize his career and lead the team into the playoffs. However, Willie is such a selfish player that his antics may cost the team and Coach Rooney their last chance to make an impact together.

Any Given Sunday is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

‘Draft Day’ (2014)

Unlike Any Given Sunday, Draft Day had the full cooperation of the NFL, and it’s the final movie directed by Ghostbusters helmer Ivan Reitman. Kevin Costner leads the cast as Sonny Weaver Jr., the Cleveland Browns’ general manager. Sonny’s personal life is messy, as he fired his father from the Browns for health reasons, and he’s secretly dating Ali Parker (Jennifer Garner), another employee of the team.

Related: 3 Great Sports Movies and Documentaries to Watch on Netflix

Netflix fans may have noticed that there’s a lot of sports programming on the streamer now. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly Deal of the Day This Collared […]

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The pressure on Sonny escalates on draft day when the Browns land the No. 1 pick. For most of the NFL, college player Bo Callahan (Josh Pence) is the presumed choice to be picked first. But the more Sonny learns about Bo, the more he agonizes over the decision. If he gets this pick wrong, it may spell the end of his career in Cleveland. And the clock is ticking for Sonny to make his call.

Draft Day is streaming on Prime Video.

‘Rudy’ (1993)

Here’s some trivia about the movie Rudy: NFL legend Joe Montana was a part of the football team at Notre Dame when Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger attended his last game in 1975. Montana isn’t a fan of the way Rudy made dramatic changes to that moment, but sports fans have embraced the legend, and the film is widely hailed as one of the greatest football movies ever made.

Sean Astin leads the cast as Rudy, a young man who seems destined to follow in his family’s footsteps in a dead-end factory job. It takes the death of his best friend to inspire Rudy to follow his dream of going to college and finding a place among Notre Dame’s football team. Who cares if the film isn’t strictly accurate about everything that brought Rudy to the point of getting on the field for the Fighting Irish? It’s an inspiring movie that never seems to get old.

Rudy is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.