Entertainment
Hollywood’s New Obsession Is Called Zealot Porn, How To Spot It
By Joshua Tyler
| Updated
I recently coined the term “zealot porn” to help explain a new kind of entertainment. Zealot porn is what happens when you make programming specifically designed to torment characters for their personal ideological views, with the goal of your viewers deriving pleasure from their suffering.
zealot porn (noun) — Media that graphically depicts violent punishment of ideological opponents, crafted to gratify the viewer’s sense of moral superiority and deliver cathartic satisfaction through retributive spectacle.
The key to zealot porn is that not only must the characters on screen be portrayed as zealots, in order to dehumanize them, but the people watching must themselves be zealous opponents of the characters’ ideology, in order to fully enjoy their suffering. Zealot porn is what happens when you make stories about zealots for zealots.
zealot (noun) — a person consumed by devotion to a cause or belief, so blinded by passion that reason becomes collateral damage.
This new genre took its clearest and most defined form in the second season of Peacemaker, when creator James Gunn crafted a scene designed to give his viewers the jollies over watching the murder of people who seemed like they might think good things about Nazis. Obviously, no one likes Nazis, but whether you personally like or dislike the views of the people being harmed isn’t relevant to whether or not something is zealot porn.
What matters is the intent of the media you’re watching, and whether that intent is to give the audience pleasure by dehumanizing and punishing people for their views. What those views are or their morality is irrelevant to defining the genre.
How To Spot Zealot Porn
Zealot porn isn’t difficult to spot, if you’re not emotionally invested in the topic. It’s nearly impossible to spot, however, if you are.
To determine if you’re watching zealot porn, use this checklist. If more than three of these are true, you’re probably watching zealot pon.
-
The “bad side” is cartoonishly evil, leaving no room for nuance -
Violence or humiliation is framed as morally satisfying, not disturbing -
The hero is always right, even when acting brutally -
Opponents exist only to be punished, not understood -
Emotional payoff outweighs logic or realism -
Scenarios feel engineered to justify a specific worldview -
Complex issues are reduced to simple good vs. evil
Zealot Porn Wins Oscars
The movie One Battle After Another is a zealous feast, and that won it Best Picture. We put together a video to explain it in depth.
Zealot Porn In Real Life
Zealot porn isn’t limited to fictional entertainment. Often, people get catharsis by watching videos or reading coverage of real-life ideological opponents being made to suffer. That’s on the rise too.
As I write this, prominent Democrat Eric Swalwell is getting his comeuppance over various salacious accusations, and Republicans are cheering and gaining pleasure from his downfall. This is a milder form, since no actual violence or death is involved.
catharsis (noun) — the sudden, involuntary purge of buried emotion that floods the mind like a breached dam, leaving behind a raw, emptied stillness that feels strangely like peace.
A more extreme example would be people celebrating the murder of conservative debater Charlie Kirk with similar elation. For them, watching him shot was another form of zealot porn, despite his very clearly not being a Nazi.
Others had similar reactions to videos showing the public execution of a health executive carried out by Luigi Mangione in 2024. That, too, was real-life zealot porn.
Early Zealot Porn
Zealot porn is not a new invention, but it’s been a long time since it was accepted in the mainstream. In the early days of Christianity, Romans fed believers to lions in front of cheering audiences. That was a low-tech version of zealot porn. Using media like movies and television as a delivery mechanism is, however, a recent phenomenon.
Past creators would have balked at the idea of dehumanizing characters for the audience’s base pleasure. Entire books have been written about it being a bad idea. It’s why George Orwell wrote 1984.
On a creative level, it would have formerly been considered bad writing. Normally, good writing aims to humanize the writer’s creations and make them relatable. Zealot porn does the opposite.
Early media that skewed closest to zealot porn are propaganda films from World War 2 or some of the more extreme grindhouse or blaxploitation movies of the 1970s. Most of those, however, focused more on the idea of dismantling a system or punishing someone who’d actively done something wrong. They’re revenge fantasies and not really the same. In the most despicable cases, as with movies like Triumph of the Will, they focused on hurting people based on some immutable outward physical characteristic.
The idea that it’s acceptable to dehumanize and destroy someone for their thoughts is newer in the modern mainstream, and it’s a growing phenomenon.
Quentin Tarantino Births Modern Zealot Porn
If you’re looking for the start of modern zealot porn, its roots can be found in Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 movie, Inglourious Basterds.
The movie presents an alternate history in which a group of American commandos wipe out the evil Nazis and kill Hitler, without the need for a global war. It isn’t about character arcs or military realism; it’s about watching the most evil regime in history get flambéed to the sound of David Bowie.
Nazism was a uniquely perfect ideology to use in birthing modern zealot porn, because nearly everyone has been pre-conditioned toward a zealous hatred of Hitler and his cronies. So Tarantino gives audiences, raised on decades of history classes talking about how uniquely evil Nazis were, exactly what they want: Nazis humiliated, carved, and annihilated. Punished for their beliefs even more than just their actions.
Inglourious Basterds is bloody, indulgent, and engineered specifically for moral satisfaction.
Still, Inglourious Basterds largely focused on murdering those embedded in the Nazi regime’s power structure. It didn’t, for the most part, take pleasure in killing random Germans walking down the street who might be thinking Nazi thoughts.
Inglorious Basterds is a more high-class type of zealot porn, but its existence helped give a green light to the growing wave of more extreme copycats that followed.
If modern zealot porn has a father, it’s Quentin Tarantino.
Robert Rodriguez Targets Conservatives For Destruction
If modern zealot porn has a mother, it’s Robert Rodriguez.
Robert Rodriguez’s Machete began as a fake trailer and mutated into a full-on immigration revenge epic. Danny Trejo stars as a former Mexican Federale turned one-man army after being betrayed by corrupt politicians and anti-immigrant vigilantes.
Where Tarantino created a movie designed to visit violence on a historical group almost universally agreed to be evil, Robert Rodriguez targeted his movie at a mainstream, modern group of people and their current (and widely held) beliefs on border security.
To make that work, he had to dehumanize his targets by twisting their views to cartoonish extremes. Rodriguez takes anti-immigration rhetoric and dumbs it down to absurdist levels, so that he can turn those who agree with it into fodder for righteous decapitation.
Every kill in his 2010 movie is meant not just payback for Machete’s betrayal but for decades of what his audience would perceive as xenophobic cruelty. The film is indulgent, cartoonishly violent, and completely lost in the bubble of its own politics.
Kevin Smith Finds Catharsis In Crazy Christians
If modern zealot porn has a weird uncle, it’s Kevin Smith.
Two years after Inglorious Basterds, filmmaker Kevin Smith applied Robert Rodregeuz’s anti-Conservative formula to fundamentalist Christians with the movie Red State.
The Evangelicals depicted in the movie are a cartoonish, demonic caricature of what real-life hard-line Christians are. That’s a key piece of the zealot porn formula, since it serves to dehumanize the real-world group, thus allowing the audience to take pleasure in their violent end.
By the movie’s end, Red State takes intense pleasure in their doom. As an audience, it feels acceptable because the movie makes them into monsters before it does its worst.
Later examples of purified zealot porn won’t go through as much trouble, but Red State, like Inglorious Basterds before it, was still pushing at the boundaries of what audiences would find acceptable. It’s more restrained than its predecessors but also more pointed in its attack on its character’s beliefs.
Thriving In Independent Film
Once Tarantino, Rodriguez, and Smith showed creators the way, there was a brief explosion in copycats. Those copycats stuck mainly to the topics that those three had already covered.
God Bless America followed in Rodriguez and Smith’s footsteps, gleefully cartooning conservatives for the righteous satisfaction of its audience in 2011. Iron Sky continued Tarantino’s zealous crusade against Nazis in 2012. All of those movies followed a similar pattern, where they turned their ideological opponents into cartoonish straw men to justify dehumanizing them before the slaughter.
Like Machete and Red State before them, none of these movies gained the widespread acceptance and viewership that Tarantino earned when he kicked things off with Inglourious Basterds. Their targets were often too divisive, and most people still recoiled at the idea of getting satisfaction from watching the suffering of people who might share the same views as their neighbors.
The Purge Takes Zealot Porn Big Time
It wasn’t until the arrival of The Purge franchise’s first sequel, in 2014, that zealot porn began to flirt with mainstream acceptance again.
The first entry in the series is a simple survival horror, but the second movie, The Purge: Anarchy, begins drifting into zealot porn as it sets up cathartic violence against wealthy elites. By the time The Purge: Election Year rolls around in 2016, it’s closer to an early-stage blockbuster zealot porn franchise. Each Purge sequel picks a different ideological target.
The Purge: Election Year takes aim at conservatives by turning them into cartoonish caricatures worthy of slaughter, in the mold of Kevin Smith’s Red State.
2018’s The First Purge goes back to the old standby by turning white Americans into modern-day Nazis, thinking racist thoughts, and in need of some murdering.
That push transitioned into zealot porn against nationalists in 2021’s The Forever Purge. That movie takes a weaker approach to it than its predecessors and isn’t as clearly dedicated to its satiation through zealotry.
The Hunt Bait And Switches Audiences
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably noticed that most of the earliest zealot porn entries are aimed squarely at pleasuring left-wing viewers. Their targets are always conservatives or Christians, and they expect their audience to be the most liberal of liberal extremists.
The Hunt tried to trick audiences into thinking it was a commentary on the phenomenon of conservatives being targeted by billing itself as a movie about elite liberals hunting conservatives for their views. In reality, it’s another example of zealous slaughter of conservatives as the movie turns the hunted right-wingers into idiotic caricatures and tries to make the case that they had it coming due to some conspiratorial tweets.
The movie’s only real hero is totally apolitical, which I guess is in its own way a commentary on political polarization, but a weak one.
The Hunt is more of a muddled commentary on the rising popularity of zealot porn than an example of zealot porn itself.
Streaming Pushes Zealot Porn Forward To Its Final Form
Movies had begun paving the way towards making zealot porn socially acceptable, and streaming television took the next step.
The Boys is the best example of this. It started as a show primarily designed to deconstruct and hate on the standard tropes of superheroes. Over time, it morphed into something increasingly political. It creates supervillains designed to embody the political ideology its writers loathe most and then constructs situations in which they’re either humiliated or killed in the worst possible ways.
No character embodies that more than the character of Homelander. He isn’t just evil, he’s the delusional cartoon version of what bubble-dwellers imagine Fox News viewers to be. And even while he survives, the show does everything it can to humiliate and degrade him. Meanwhile, the show’s creators used social media to openly invite audiences to see him as an avatar for Donald Trump and his ideological supporters.
Whenever Homelander or one of these symbols gets publicly humiliated, exploded, or blackmailed, the show delivers a dirty hit of catharsis to its similarly minded, zealous viewers. That’s exactly what they’re going for.
Peacemaker Perfects Zealot Porn
Peacemaker took zealot porn to the next and purest level. All previous efforts used cartoonish oversimplification to dehumanize their ideological opponents, before brutally making them suffer.
Peacemaker doesn’t bother. Returning to the genre’s roots by setting the show’s second season in a world run by Nazis, Peacemaker doesn’t show its residents as engaging in evil before killing them. It simply kills them, because they’re residents of a Nazi world. The show assumes that the viewers will do all the dehumanization in their heads, on their own.
That works because we’re dealing with Nazis, but as Inglorious Basterds demonstrated, it’s unlikely to stop there. Movies like One Battle After Another represent the next wave of mainstreamed zealot porn, which takes the dehumanization of wrongthinkers to previously unseen levels.
Continue Reading
Entertainment
“Beef” season 2, “Lorne” pulling back the curtain of “SNL”, and Laufey becoming a 'Madwoman' top this week's Must List
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Must-List-APR18-2a9cae9756834061a4e7833d719b36d8.jpg)
“Exit 8” and Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson leading “The Fear of 13” round out our picks for the weekend of April 17.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/natalie-portman-Tanguy-Destable-02-041726-da90e01cc204446e95a1e8e1e8da3f52.jpg)
Portman filed for divorce from her ex-husband, choreographer Benjamin Millepied, in 2024.
Ice Spice is smooth with the bars and punches, too!
The rapper was spotted squaring it up with an unidentified lady who attacked her while grabbing a meal at a McDonald’s outlet in Hollywood, and it was quite the scene.
Ice Spice has been caught in a few situations in the past, although most of the back-and-forth has been on the internet from former friends and a service provider.
Ice Spice Throws Down With Mystery Woman In Hollywood
In the trending clip, the songwriter was seen having a conversation with a friend in the nearly empty restaurant as she munched on her plate. A few minutes after the clip started, a tall, slender young woman walks over to the table and starts having a conversation with the duo. The mystery lady even tried to convince Spice’s friend to slide over so she could get a seat at the table.
The rapper promptly intervened, agreeing with her friend that the strange woman should not sit with them and find her way to the door. The displeased fan did not take this in good faith, and she responded with a whack to the rapper’s face, causing a fight to break out. Spice hopped on the table, donning a jogger and hoodie combo, running after the fan who was now headed for the door.
Outside the venue, TMZ confirmed that Spice and the rest of the crew, including those who accompanied the attacker, got into another heated exchange with curse words flying left and right, and another punch being thrown in the singer’s direction.
The ‘Bikini Bottom’ Rapper’s Attorney Threatens Criminal And Civil Action
Ice Spice did not back down from the fight till the end of the video, although it was unclear who won the exchange of fists. However, her attorney, Bradford Cohen, has issued a statement on the development, assuring news sources that the unprovoked attack on his client has been escalated to the law enforcement agents.
“We will be pursuing any and all avenues to hold the perpetrators responsible for their actions, including criminally and civilly. We are also exploring holding the location responsible for their lack of appropriate security,” the entertainer’s lawyer declared.
The woman in the video who first attacked Spice has now been identified as Vayah and claimed that she resorted to throwing punches because the rapper was rude to her when she tried to approach her politely. Vayah added that Spice called her a b-tch, and that earned her a resounding slap across the face.
Ice Spice Has Had A Few Past Dramas
The 26-year-old hardly backs down from a fight, be it online or offline, although most of the feuds she has been entangled in happen on the internet. In 2024, HotNewHipHop noted that she publicly fell out with her pal Cleotrapa, who claimed Spice treated her very poorly when she joined her on the Y2K tour.
Cleotrapa claimed that she had to pay for her hotel room on the trip, bought food from her pocket, and did not have a dressing room to change in at the concert. Spice came online to debunk these claims and slammed her former pal for being a user, even though she was generous enough to share her big stage with Cleotrapa.
She was caught in another copyright lawsuit drama after an artist named D. Chamberz took her, her producer, and rumored boyfriend, Riot, to court. Chamberz claimed the rapper and Riot stole his song and made a killing from it, which he now wants a part of.
The Grammy-Nominee Was The Butt Of The Joke For Taylor Swift’s Ex
In 2023, the songwriter found herself in the center of Matt Healy’s racist jokes during his appearance on a podcast where he described Spice as a dumb Chinese lady and an “Inuit Spice Girl.” Spice later revealed that Healy apologized to him about the comments, and she actually did not care much for the drama.
She was also dragged for failing to pay up for styling her wigs ahead of her Y2K tour, with the hairstylist claiming the order to deliver two dozen wigs for the show was abruptly canceled. The hairstylist claimed that the decision left her feeling like her efforts were wasted, and while Spice’s team promised to make up for the stress, they never came through on the promise.
Another former pal of the rapper Baby Storme equally came for her on social media, ready to expose her secrets while claiming that Spice made the people in her sign non-disclosure agreements. It was during that Spat that Storme shared screenshots of Spice speaking ill of Nicki Minaj, who collaborated with her on “Barbie World,” thus closing the curtain on that friendship.
Ice Spice’s New Year’s Eve Performance Left Fans Upset
In January, The Blast noted that the star arrived about 30 minutes late for her headlining show at Brisbane Showgrounds on December 31 2024. Unfortunately for the fans of the rapper, her set ended barely five minutes into her performance due to a 12:30 am curfew.
This decision attracted boos from attendees and complaints online about fans traveling miles and buying tickets to attend a show that practically did not hold. Spice apologized for her tardiness on January 4 at another show, blaming it on her birthday preparations (Ice Spice’s birthday is on January 1).
Before her New Year’s Eve show, Spice took the time to shut down Ozempic rumors by sharing a clip of herself at the gym. As noted by PEOPLE, she also denied ever taking Ozempic to lose weight, stressing that working out, going on tour, and fixing her diet all resulted in her trimmed look.
Will Ice Spice press charges following this attack?
Queen Elizabeth‘s legacy lives on, but her mistake lives even longer, according to a royal author.
As the royal family prepares to celebrate the woman who reigned for seven decades, many insights are being drawn into the moves she made during her final years on earth. The monarchy she dedicated her days to has stretched over various angles due to the doings of her children and grandchildren.
Queen Elizabeth took the throne in 1952 at the age of 25 and died at the age of 96. Ruling for seventy years, she set her name in stone as the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
One Decision Queen Elizabeth Made That Still Lingers
As the days draw closer to what would have been Queen Elizabeth’s 100th birthday, the royal family prepares to mark the special occasion while looking back at her life well lived. One choice that she made in her final years remains on talking lips, and deep thoughts surrounding her moves ensue. As powerful as she was as a monarch, she still had a mother’s heart.
Her instinct to protect the disgraced former Prince Andrew, whom many have described as her favorite son, continues to cast a long shadow, especially due to his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Many insiders remain perplexed at her decision to help fund his estimated $16 million civil settlement in March 2022, months before her passing.
The money was paid to the late Virginia Giuffre, who accused the disgraced royal od sexually abusing her in her teenage days. It should be noted that Andrew denied the claims but still settled with his mother’s support, without the admission of guilt. Robert Hardman, author of “Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story,” scheduled to be released next month, has said that the late queen’s decision “will go down as a mistake … and one that has outlasted her.”
The Late Queen Reportedly Put The Crown First
PEOPLE report that those close to the late queen have revealed that her decision to help Andrew out of that name-staining situation came after deep thoughts and internal battles. They noted that it remains a complicated part of her legacy, along with the breakdown of her children’s marriages, the tragic death of Princess Diana, and the exit of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Hardman, however, notes that the queen’s legacy goes beyond the trials facing the family she left behind. “She came into a man’s world, held that institution together and handed it on in far better shape than people expected,” he said after remarking that people ought to take a step back and analyze the full 70-year picture.
Speaking on the late monarch’s “mistake,” a source close to the palace shared that Queen Elizabeth forced her alleged favorite son to step back from public life after effectively sacking him. “I don’t think we should underestimate what it would take for a mother to do that. Throughout, she showed that when it came to the demands of family over the role, the role would win out,” the source added.
Queen Elizabeth was one to put her royal responsibilities ahead, and her son seems to be doing the same thing. King Charles has reportedly drawn a clear line between his role and his personal relationships, even to family members. There is an existing rift between the King and his disgraced brother, former Prince Andrew, and as it stands, reconciliation sits on the back burner.
Sources close to the royal household have revealed that there is a high chance King Charles will never speak to his brother again following the revelations of Andrew’s association with the convicted sex offender. Andrew previously insisted that he had no ties to Epstein, but the recently released files show otherwise. An insider shared that “the King feels that he was lied to and that’s not easy to forgive.”
The Blast also reports that Prince Edward and Princess Anne have reached out to their brother, showing concern for his well-being, but the King will not follow suit, not only because he feels betrayed by Andrew’s dishonesty but because of his status as the King. He has reportedly moved to set a clear distinction between his office and family bonds. “Charles is not just a brother in this situation but also the King – and in that capacity he has to protect the monarchy above all other considerations, even personal ones,” the insider explained.
The Odds Seem To Be Stacked Up Against Ex-Prince Andrew
Amid the allegations connecting Andrew to Epstein, he was also arrested on his 66th birthday over claims of misconduct in public office. Andrew, who has been stripped of his titles and standing in the royal family and was living in exile, may be facing life imprisonment under U.K. laws if he is convicted.
Besides the links via the release of the Epstein files, the disgraced Duke of York’s former assistant, Charlotte Manley, who also served as his private secretary and treasurer from 1996 to 2003, has recently come forward to speak to law enforcement.
The Blast reports that Manley’s name has come up after swirling whispers that she signed a payment connected to Ghislaine Maxwell during the time she worked for Andrew. The claims are not far-fetched since she handled both administrative and financial responsibilities for the former Prince. Manley, however, insists that she will give her confession to the police rather than the press.
Queen Elizabeth Had Undisclosed Health Issues
Two years after her passing, former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson disclosed that the late regency ruler was diagnosed with bone cancer before her death. He detailed this shocking revelation in his memoir, “Unleashed,” noting that she had battled with the cancer for over a year before her demise.
Between the pages, the former Prime Minister revealed that he knew she had a form of bone cancer for a year or more, adding that her doctors were worried that her health could sharply decline at any time. The Blast also reports that Johnson detailed his last meeting with the late monarch days before her death. He remarked that she “seemed pale and more stooped, and she had dark bruising on her hands and wrists, probably from drips or injections.”
Queen Elizabeth passed away two days after she met with Johnson, and the official cause of death was linked to old age, with no detailed medical records released. Gyles Brandreth, a royal author, also echoes similar thoughts in his book “Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait.” he noted that there were rumors about the queen suffering from a rare form of myeloma, which is a type of bone marrow cancer.
Is there more to the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth’s said mistake?
Entertainment
Zayn Malik reveals he's 'unexpectedly recovering' after being hospitalized, cancels multiple appearances
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/zayn-malik-01-041726-9cc7c13456554d158a10ee75c6792936.jpg)
The singer’s announcement came the same day he released his fifth studio album, “Konnakol.”
Entertainment
Anya Taylor-Joy’s Underrated Sci-Fi Epic That Keeps Getting Better Finally Gets the Attention It Deserves on Streaming
Anya Taylor-Joy has only starred in one movie so far this year, but it’s wasted no time in becoming the biggest film of 2026 at the worldwide box office. She can be seen reprising her role as Princess Peach in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the sequel to the 2023 video game movie that also recruited Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) and Donald Glover (TV’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith) for key roles. Taylor-Joy is far from done in 2026, though, even after The Super Mario Galaxy Movie flies out of theaters and inevitably begins what will surely be a successful run on streaming. She’ll make her long-awaited return to TV with a new Apple TV series, Lucky, which co-stars Timothy Olyphant. The show has been set for its premiere on July 15.
Anya Taylor-Joy has been in enough projects now that it’s tough to identify what she’s best known for, but one of her most notable movies, for better or worse, is Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The 2024 sci-fi blockbuster was one of the most anticipated movies of the year, especially with the combined star power of Taylor-Joy and long-time Marvel veteran Chris Hemsworth (Crime 101). The Mad Max prequel boasts a $168 million budget, but it barely managed to gross this back, scraping out of theaters after totaling $174 million at the worldwide box office. Despite this woeful box office performance, Furiosa has spent the better part of the last two years redeeming itself on streaming, where it’s still one of the top 10 most popular movies in the world on HBO Max. The film is the perfect blend of Mad Max and Gladiator, guaranteed to please fans of sci-fi and large-scale action sequences.
What Happens in ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’?
The official synopsis for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, starring Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy, reads as follows:
“After being snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, while the tyrants Dementus and Immortan Joe fight for power and control, the young Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.”
Furiosa earned immaculate scores of 90% from critics and 88% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, which made its flopping at the box office that much more surprising. The film was written and directed by Mad Max veteran George Miller, who has personally handled multiple generations of Mad Max movies starring Mel Gibson, Tom Hardy, and Charlize Theron.
Check out Furiosa on HBO Max and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and coverage of Taylor-Joy’s future projects.
- Release Date
-
May 24, 2024
- Runtime
-
149 minutes
- Director
-
George Miller
- Writers
-
George Miller, Nico Lathouris
- Producers
-
Doug Mitchell, George Miller
Boston Blue is about to face the wrath of Blue Bloods usweekly fans after breaking up a beloved couple.
During the Friday, April 17, episode of the CBS series, Danny Reagan’s (Donnie Wahlberg) girlfriend, Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez), returned to help with a case. Their dynamic, however, was off and Maria later revealed that she was struggling with her mother’s deteriorating mental health after a Parkinson’s diagnosis. She surprised Danny — and viewers — by hitting pause on their relationship.
“She’s in a crisis. She’s not sure what to do,” Wahlberg, 56, exclusively told Us Weekly at CBS Fest on Wednesday, April 15. “Danny is very stubborn [though so] he ain’t going down without a fight.”
Wahlberg, who has played Danny since 2010, urged fans not to worry too much yet, adding, “They must hold out hope for [them to] rekindle [their romance].” Wahlberg’s onscreen costar — and Danny’s partner — Sonequa Martin-Green weighed in on the twist.
An emotional roller-coaster. From Riverdale‘s Cheryl and Toni to Nancy Drew‘s Nancy and Ace, fans have watched their favorite couples break hearts with some devastating splits. Riverdale, which premiered in 2017, originally introduced Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) as a grieving sister trying to deal with the death of her twin brother Jason (Trevor Stines). After striking […]
“I would love [to see them back together],” she gushed. “I love Marissa and I think that they’re lovely together.”
According to Wahlberg, there is a plan to “stretch” out the journey for Danny and Maria.
“I grew up watching General Hospital and All My Children and [I remember when] Laura disappeared,” he recalled “Laura disappeared and Luke was heartbroken and everyone’s like, ‘Oh man. Laura quit the show.’ Guess what? She came back and he ran and he hugged her. Then she left again. But that’s OK, it’s TV!”
Elsewhere in the episode, Sarah’s (Maggie Lawson) personal life was much more successful with Seth (Mike Vogel) popping the question moments before Danny and Maria’s split.
“One of the things I love most about our show is that’s life,” Lawson, 45, noted. “That’s human and that’s real. Sometimes when these beautiful celebrations happen, it’s a reminder of other painful things that people are going through and it can be a catalyst for something not so easy.”
She continued: “I love that we showed that in the way that we did but it’s also really heartbreaking. So I would say, I’m sorry that we were the ones to bring on that really brutal conversation.”
Lawson told Us she was “always hopeful for love” when it came to Danny and Maria. Her costar Gloria Reuben, however, was “a little more jaded,” telling Us, “I always hope for a couple of days then I’m like no.”
Boston Blue airs on CBS Fridays at 10 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships. We receive compensation when you click on a link and make a purchase. Learn more!
Old Navy is a staple for year-round fashion, but if you ask Us, the retailer truly shines during the warm-weather months with breezy, vibrant pieces that demand attention. And if you want the latest and greatest in bold styles, Old Navy just collaborated with award-winning designer Christopher John Rogers to create a line filled with bright spring clothes that need to be in your cart.
Between the eye-catching colors, fun-loving patterns and body-flattering styles, we can’t choose just one piece to buy. It’s a good thing these tops, jeans, dresses and accessories are so affordable, starting at just $25. We know, it’s kind of hard to wrap our heads around that low price, too, since everything in the line looks so expensive. The only caveat? Pieces are already selling out as we type, so don’t wait long to shop these spring-ready finds.
Just-Dropped Old Navy x Christopher John Rogers Collab Styles
1. Our Favorite: This one-shoulder number is going to be your new top for shopping adventures, dinner dates and beyond. We love the cool asymmetrical design with a twist detail that simply won’t roll up. And the bright red hue? Let’s just say compliments will find you constantly.
2. Going Viral: You may have noticed that drop-waist dresses are everywhere for spring 2026, and this poplin dress lets you lean into the trend. Similar to options on the runway, this pick has a flattering, elongating appearance that makes you look model-tall. Plus, the breezy appearance and fresh-looking hue beg to be worn on a European vacation.
3. Sporty-Chic: All the cool girls are replacing jeans with drawstring pull-on pants, and this high-waisted pair will make you want to do the same. They combine two trends in one — the pull-on design and the barrel leg that gives you a voluminous look in the best way.
4. Under-$30: Give your basics a major upgrade with this high-neck tank top that still lets you wear a bra — we love to see it. The top has a fitted appearance, which hugs your curves and looks great with baggy pant styles, like the pair above.
5. Everyday Essential: If your denim collection needs a little help, you can’t go wrong with baggy wide-leg jeans. Unlike your classic pair, this one has a subtle two-toned denim stripe detail on the side. It’s a small accent that levels up the ‘chicness.’
Giving your shirt and blouse collection a spring refresh feels that much sweeter when you get all your breezy, elevated tops on sale. And while Us bargain hunters love a good deal, we expect pieces with high-quality fabrics, comfortable silhouettes and rich mom-looking style — which is why we’re shopping J.Crew’s massive outlet sale. The […]
6. Pop of Color: Neutral shades have no place in our spring wardrobes, not when we can don pieces in this olive-yellow hue, which dominates designer spring collections, per Vogue. This halter maxi dress is all about that attention-grabbing color, a flattering halter neckline and the slimming basque waist.
7. Pack It Up: You can practically stuff your entire life in this large canvas tote that has room enough to house your summer read, water bottle, headphones, sunnies and more. We love the chic color-block trim that gives it rich mom vibes. Plus, you can wear it as is, or cleverly push in the ‘wings’ for a more compact style. Read: It’s two bags in one.
8. Petite-Friendly: Women under 5’3″ know the struggle of finding a cute maxi dress that doesn’t drag on the floor. This halter drop-waist style is the solution. It cuts off near the shin for a midi dress style that fits just right. We also appreciate the V-neck bodice that shows the girls off.
9. Trending Find: Remember your peplum top from college? Well, this Old Navy pick is definitely not that. It’s classy and elevated, while still giving you the tummy-slimming look you love from the peplum hem.
10. Mix and Match: You’re not having déjà vu. The above top mixes and matches well with this drop-waist midi skirt. They’re both cut from the same cloth — literally — giving you the option to wear them as stand-alone pieces or as a matching set.
11. Same But Different: Get our favorite top in dress form when you select this date night-ready maxi. It has the same one-shoulder neckline and fitted bodice, but extends beyond the waist to give you a beautiful dress that will make you boo do a double-take. It’s available in solid red and striped styles.
12. Get It Fast: This multi-striped sweater is on the cusp of selling out, but we still had to include it. We love the bright hues and keyhole detail in the back. Not into stripes? It’s also available in a chic golden olive hue, which is fully in stock.
13. Year-Round Staple: While we love a denim jacket, sometimes it’s a little too warm on an 85-degree Fahrenheit day. Your next best bet is a button-down denim shirt that still gives you that street style vibe without the extra weight.
As a Florida native, you can say I thrive when wearing colorful clothing, breathable pieces and cute yet conservative finds. And that aesthetic rings true for all the rich moms living in West Palm Beach. My family recently moved from Miami to the coastal city, and upon visiting, I couldn’t help but notice the prevalent […]
Natalie Portman is entering a new chapter in her personal life. The Oscar-winning actress, best known for roles in “Black Swan” and “Star Wars,” has confirmed she is expecting her third child. The baby will be her first with partner, French music producer Tanguy Destable, and comes as Natalie Portman continues to balance motherhood with her high-profile Hollywood career.
Natalie Portman Calls Pregnancy A ‘Privilege’ As She Announces Baby No. 3
Portman didn’t hold back when opening up about how meaningful this moment is for her, especially given her upbringing. “Tanguy and I are very excited,” she shared with Harper’s Bazaar. “I’m just very grateful. I know it’s such a privilege and a miracle.”
As the daughter of a fertility doctor, she said she grew up with a deep understanding of how difficult pregnancy can be for many. “I grew up hearing about how hard it is to get pregnant,” she noted.
“I have so many people I love who’ve had such a hard time with it that I want to be respectful around that as well. It’s such a beautiful, joyous thing, and it’s also not an easy thing,” she continued. “And so I know how lucky it is. I’m very aware, and I’m very grateful. I have deep appreciation and gratitude.”
Portman Opens Up About Motherhood As Life Enters New Phase
Portman is already a mom to two children, son Aleph, 14, and daughter Amalia, 9, whom she shares with ex-husband Benjamin Millepied. Her latest pregnancy marks a new chapter in her personal life following that relationship.
She reflected on how her perspective has shifted over time, especially as a parent. “There is a gratitude that when you’re young, you don’t necessarily grasp,” she shared. “And there’s a calm and knowing myself: who I want to spend time with, what kind of energy I want around me that makes the experience so beautiful every day. And knowing it’s probably the last time, I cherish every moment.”
Despite the pregnancy, Portman says she’s feeling energized and focused on staying healthy. “I have more energy than I thought I might,” she said, adding that she’s been swimming and practicing gyrotonics to “keep strong,” while also prioritizing time with her children, “which is always the best.”
While many new parents turn to the internet for guidance, Natalie Portman is taking a different approach this time around. The actress, who is preparing to welcome her third child, revealed she’s relying more on experience than outside opinions, having already gone through motherhood twice.
“I’m not really looking at social media that much,” she said. “I think maybe just having done it twice before… I read so many books the first time, and now I’m like, ‘Oh, we know what to do.’ It’s okay. You figure it out. We’re going to make lots of mistakes, no matter how hard we try. And also, we’re going to do a lot right without having to do research. I feel like if you’re just present and loving, that’s the best thing possible.”
Portman Quietly Moved Forward After Divorce From Benjamin Millepied
Before stepping into this new chapter, Portman closed the door on a long-term relationship. The actress finalized her divorce from Benjamin Millepied in February 2024 after 11 years of marriage. The split came roughly eight months after she quietly filed in 2023, following reports of an alleged extramarital affair.
At the time, a source shed light on the situation, saying, “He knows he made an enormous mistake and he is doing all he can to get Natalie to forgive him and keep their family together.”
The insider also emphasized how Portman chose to handle the situation behind the scenes, adding, “Natalie is incredibly private and has no intention of playing this out in the media. Her biggest priority is protecting her children and their privacy.”
Natalie Portman Proudly Supports Son’s Fashion Venture
Natalie Portman is also celebrating a major milestone for her teenage son. During a January appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” the actress looked back on her viral summer moment joining Role Model on stage, revealing it had a deeper meaning behind the scenes.
Her 14-year-old son Aleph has launched his own clothing line, Vanté, and Portman made sure to show her support in a big way. “My son, my 14-year-old, started a clothing line called Vanté. I’m very proud of him,” she said. “He really just did it all on his own. And so I wore one of his shirts on stage. So I just kind of felt like a banner for him. It was very exciting.”
Prime Video has no shortage of glossy thriller shows, but Scarpetta has arrived with a hook that’s a little more forensic and a little less generic than usual. Adapting Patricia Cornwell’s long-running novels was already a smart move on paper, especially with a lead as durable as Kay Scarpetta. What’s helped the show pop is that it feels like the kind of series viewers can settle into fast: crime scenes, procedural detail, strong personalities, and just enough family mess around the edges. That formula seems to be working, because Scarpetta is currently sitting at No. 3 on Prime Video’s worldwide TV chart.
Scarpetta stars Nicole Kidman as Dr. Kay Scarpetta, alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker, Rosy McEwen, Jacob Lumet Cannavale, Hunter Parrish, and Ariana DeBose. The show follows a brilliant forensic pathologist using advanced investigative tools to unravel murders, with settings spanning Florida, Virginia, and Charleston. That’s a very solid spine for a crime thriller, and the names involved give it obvious weight.
Is ‘Scarpetta’ Worth a Watch?
Collider’s review stated that Scarpetta is a compelling but occasionally uneven crime procedural that succeeds largely because of its outstanding performances and ambitious storytelling structure. Aidan Kelley was of the opinion that, although the show took some odd turns out of place in a straightforward detective drama, its strong cast and engaging mystery make it a worthwhile addition to Prime Video’s growing lineup of prestige crime adaptations.
“Scarpetta is an interesting beast. Its performances are captivating, and the chemistry between all the actors is electric. That said, while its murder-mystery storyline is competently spooled out, its bizarre detours into unfamiliar territory lead to mixed results. Given the amount of time it’s taken for any streamer to successfully adapt Cornwell’s books, it’s going to be very interesting to see how discourse among hardcore fans differs from that of Prime Video subscribers looking for their next crime series fix. It’s a tough case, but Scarpetta is still worth exploring to see what secrets might lie beneath its surface.”
Scarpetta is now streaming on Prime Video.
- Release Date
-
March 11, 2026
- Network
-
Prime Video
- Showrunner
-
Elizabeth Sarnoff
- Directors
-
David Gordon Green, Charlotte Brändström
News Videos2 minutes ago
Financial bad luck will be removed. #zodiac #horoscope #astrology #zodiacsigns
NewsBeat3 minutes ago
Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again, issuing warning to Trump
Business4 minutes ago
Venezuela’s Machado says Spanish PM’s leftist summit reason for not meeting him
Politics2 months ago
Why Israel is blocking foreign journalists from entering
News Videos2 months ago
Bitcoin: We’re Entering The Most Dangerous Phase
Politics2 months ago
Alan Cumming Brands Baftas Ceremony A ‘Triggering S**tshow’
News Videos2 minutes ago
Financial bad luck will be removed. #zodiac #horoscope #astrology #zodiacsigns
News Videos28 minutes ago
Jio Financial Q4 results 2026 | jio finance q4 results today | Jio Financial Share News today
News Videos41 minutes ago
LIVE TRADING BTC GOLD | 16/04/2026 |#crypto #livetrading #btc #forex #forextrading
-
NewsBeat5 days agoPep Guardiola and Gary Neville agree over Arsenal title problem that benefits Man City
-
Crypto World5 days agoThe SEC Conditionalises DeFi Platforms to Be Avoided for Broker Registration
-
Politics6 days agoWorld Cup exit makes Italy enter crisis mode
-
Crypto World5 days agoSEC Signals Exemption for Crypto Interfaces From Broker Registration
-
News Videos3 days agoSecure crypto trading starts with an FIU-registered
-
Fashion16 hours agoWeekend Open Thread: Theodora Dress
-
Sports1 day agoNWFL Suspends Two Players Over Post-Match Clash in Ado-Ekiti
-
Crypto World4 days agoSEC Proposes Certain Crypto Interfaces Don’t Need to Register as Brokers
-
Business7 days agoIreland Fuel Protests Enter Day 5 as Blockades Spark Shortages and Government Prepares Support Package
-
NewsBeat4 days agoTrump and Pope Leo: Behind their disagreement over Iran war
-
Politics14 hours agoPalestine barred from entering Canada for FIFA Congress
-
NewsBeat6 days agoJD Vance announces ‘no agreement’ with Iran over nuclear weapons fear
-
Crypto World12 hours agoRussia Pushes Bill to Criminalize Unregistered Crypto Services
-
Sports6 days ago
Dexter Lawrence, Stefon Diggs, Trading for De’Von Achane
-
Crypto World5 days agoTrump whales load up ahead of Mar-a-Lago luncheon.
-
Crypto World6 days agoSei Network Enters Quiet Reset Phase as On-Chain Metrics Signal a Slowdown in 2026
-
Business5 days ago
Kering slides after Morgan Stanley downgrade, Gucci woes loom
-
Entertainment4 days agoKarol G’s ‘Ultra Raunchy’ Coachella Set Gave ‘Satanic Vibes’
-
Business2 days agoCreo Medical agree sale of its manufacturing operation
-
Sports5 days agoNWFL opens Pathway for new Clubs ahead of 2026 Season
You must be logged in to post a comment Login