Colman Domingo made it clear where he stands on supporting women during a recent outing in New York.

The actor used his time on the red carpet at the Kering Foundation’s Caring for Women Dinner to call on men to step up, saying he was raised a feminist and would die as one.

Stars such as Salma Hayek Pinault, Simone Biles and Benicio del Toro attended the event, which raised more than $5 million to fight violence against women and children.

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Domingo has long supported women and reaffirmed his commitment by hosting the fifth annual Caring for Women Dinner on Thursday at The Pool in New York City.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet, the actor said being there in person mattered to him.

“It’s always been important to me to stand firm with these organizations, not only in support, but with my presence,” he said.

Domingo then turned his attention to the men in the room.

“Anytime I’ve been in rooms like this, I’ve thought, ‘Look at all these female leaders,’ but hey, we’re the men,” he said. “Men should be locking arms to make sure women have what they need in access and information and support. I was raised a feminist, and I’ll die a feminist.”

Kering’s Benefit Raises More Than $5 Million To Fight Gender-Based Violence

The Kering Foundation, the charitable arm of the luxury group that owns Gucci, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Brioni, organized the dinner.

Together, attendees helped raise more than $5 million that night, with an online auction also organized to bring in additional funds.

According to reports, the money will be distributed to four nonprofits: Activating Change, Fondo Semillas, JBWS and The New York Women’s Foundation.

All four work to fight violence against women and support survivors.

The ‘Michael’ Star Brings ‘A Little Sparkle’ To The Evening

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For the event, the actor wore Valentino, a brand in which Kering owns a 30 percent stake, paired with Boucheron jewels.

He told the outlet he chose the outfit with the evening’s mood in mind.

“I’m a host, so I felt the need to bring a little sparkle and some light in the room with me tonight,” Domingo said. “I’ve always believed in storytelling in the things I wear, while also having some fun. The world is such a hard place as it is; we need to inspire people to embrace a bit more whimsy.”

Other guests also wore black-tie looks from Kering brands. Biles wore a draped Balenciaga gown, Anderson chose a sleek black Gucci gown, and del Toro wore a Brioni tuxedo.

Domingo Became Boucheron’s First American Ambassador In January

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Domingo’s choice of Boucheron jewels was no coincidence. In January, WWD reported that the French jeweler had named him a “Friend of the Maison,” making him its first American ambassador.

He joined a group that included Daisy Edgar-Jones, Han So-Hee, Charlotte Le Bon and Pierre Niney, and had already starred in a short campaign film with Le Bon.

Boucheron chief executive Hélène Poulit-Duquesne spoke highly of the actor at the time.

“I have come to know someone who is deeply sincere, natural, and warm,” she said. “To me, he embodies a personality that feels truly Boucheron: free-spirited, optimistic, and genuinely turned towards others.”

Domingo Sees His Own Journey Reflected In Boucheron

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Domingo also expressed pride in joining the brand, praising its design approach.

“It has always stood at the cutting edge of style and innovation, crafting pieces that are as modern as they are timeless, redefining what elegance looks like today,” the “Michael” star said of the brand.

He also shared how closely its identity resonated with his own journey to success:

“I see a reflection of my own journey in this maison: fearless in expression, rooted in tradition, yet always moving forward.”

It might not seem like it now, but in its early days, Star Trek was an underdog. Despite earning a dedicated fanbase with younger demographics during its three-year run, the original 1960s series wasn’t a ratings smash. NBC cancelled the ambitious sci-fi excursion after three seasons, and there’s a good chance Star Trek wouldn’t have made it that far without a combination of good luck and powerful behind-the-scenes allies (like entertainment powerhouse Lucille Ball). Trek‘s evolution into a franchise powerhouse was a tenuous undertaking from the beginning: although supportive of creator Gene Roddenberry‘s “Western in space” concept, NBC ordered a second pilot after deeming Roddenberry’s first offering “too cerebral” (not to mention the episode’s roughly $500,000 budget, a whopping price tag for the time). In this inaugural attempt, titled “The Cage,” film actor Jeffrey Hunter played Christopher Pike, the captain of the Enterprise and the series’ leading man. However, when the second pilot hit the airwaves, Pike was nowhere to be found. Instead, viewers were greeted by the swaggering charm of franchise staple Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Why didn’t Trek‘s main performer return for the full series?

Why Did Captain Pike Leave ‘Star Trek: The Original Series’?

Before his brief stint with Trek, Hunter had been a consistently working character actor and leading man for over a decade. Although not a superstar, he was known to audiences for high-profile roles like Jesus Christ in the ancient Biblical epic King of Kings and his supporting turn in John Wayne’s Western classic The Searchers; superstar Marilyn Monroe even called him “the acme of young American manhood.” Eventually, Hunter branched into television after feeling “dissatisfied with the roles being offered to him in films,” calling them “cotton candy, college-sophomore” scripts that capitalized on his looks.

His search for satisfyingly in-depth opportunities led him to Star Trek. However, Hunter ultimately refused Gene Roddenberry’s offer to reprise Captain Pike for a revamped series order, despite Roddenberry reportedly “set[ting] up a special screening of ‘The Cage’ […] in hopes of convincing the actor to stick with the project.” Hunter explained his decision during an interview with the Milwaukee Journal in 1965:

“I was asked to do it, I would have been tied up much longer than I care to be. I have several things brewing now and they should be coming to a head in the next few weeks. I love doing motion pictures and expect to be as busy as I want to be in them.”

Captain Pike Still Became an Important ‘Star Trek’ Character

In hindsight, it’s easy to extrapolate a scenario where Hunter continued with Star Trek and became as vital a part of Trek iconography as Shatner’s Kirk: the first onscreen captain and, therefore, essentially the face of the franchise. At the time, however, Star Trek probably seemed like a risky gamble to those involved. Certainly, few could have anticipated the worldwide entertainment titan it would become. It makes sense why Hunter chose to return to the film world’s familiar and flexible work over being tied down to an ongoing series.

Tragically, Hunter passed away in 1969, only four years after filming his single Star Trek episode. Hunter seemed to appreciate the series’ vision, having praised its ideology: “Except for the fictional characters,” he said, “it will be like getting a look into the future, and some of the predictions will surely come true in our lifetime.” Even though NBC never officially aired “The Cage,” Hunter still made his mark on Star Trek lore; before “The Cage” became widely available through special edition DVDs, a two-part episode from Season 1, “The Menagerie,” recycled the majority of Hunter’s footage into a flashback format resolving Pike’s story (played by Sean Kenney in Hunter’s stead).

Decades later, director J.J. Abrams’ first two prequel films incorporated the character (Bruce Greenwood) as a mentor to Chris Pine‘s youthful Kirk, while the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fully explores Pike’s (Anson Mount) years at the Enterprise helm. For the brief time he was onscreen, Hunter gave Captain Pike dignity, curiosity, and a brooding, responsible charisma that was more somber than flirtatious: the epitome of an era-appropriate hero who happened to be a futuristic space explorer.

Mystery novels are among the most popular today, but a good mystery isn’t all that easy to write. The earliest noted example of the modern, typical detective novel is The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, which established many of the modern tropes of crime and mystery storytelling, but that boundary is constantly pushed by new writers who understand the genre’s conventions and add their own twist to it.

Many classic and modern mystery novels deserve to be adapted for the screen, but the question is, how well can that truly be done? Some novels are best experienced on paper, where we’re submerged into the psyche of the protagonist, effectively becoming him. No other medium (except perhaps video games) can make the viewer/reader feel as if they’re in the story themselves. The following mystery novels would be amazing adaptations if done correctly; their television versions could easily make us feel as if we’re the main character and yet present the protagonist with a certain objectivity, adding a spice to the main twist and building worlds that may have been hard to imagine while reading. Here are mystery books that deserve a TV adaptation.

‘Time Out of Joint’ (1959)

Image via Gollancz

Fans of classic science fiction and its literary godfather, Philip K. Dick, know about Time Out of Joint all too well. This is one of the maybe lesser-known books by Dick, whose works have had numerous film and TV adaptations thus far (the most notable being the Blade Runner franchise). Time Out of Joint is a classic sci-fi story, so it may not classify as a mystery to some, but its plot and atmosphere around the first half of the novel are built on a tightly wound unknown that drives the protagonist crazy and makes him question his own sanity. If there was a proper comparison, this novel would be the grandfather of The Truman Show and Severance, though there are other shows that match the plot well.

Time Out of Joint follows Ragle Gumm, who lives in an idyllic and typical American small town in 1959. Ragle has a unique talent, where he plays the local newspaper’s game called “Where Will The Little Green Man Be Next?” guessing the answer correctly every single time and getting a cash prize for it. This makes Ragle somewhat of a local celebrity, and he lives happily until one day, things in his world begin to disappear and appear without a good explanation. Ragle dives deeper into his investigation, and his world suddenly flips upside down. Time Out of Joint is an incredible novel, full of intense moments, surprising twists, and a satisfying ending. Adapting it to modern times wouldn’t be difficult, but getting the atmosphere right might take some trial and error. Either way, this Philip K. Dick novel only needs a dedicated showrunner—the story itself is already perfect.

‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ (1926)

Image via William Collins, Sons

OK, so yes, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd does have its place on TV already: the Poirot series starring David Suchet adapted the book into a feature-length episode, and there’s even a Japanese feature film based on it, but there’s not an actual series. Anyone who reads Agatha Christie often knows exactly why The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a gem among her other works; the unusual twist really delivers a stunner and shifts the entire novel on its side. The precision of the storytelling that Agatha Christie delivers in this novel is pretty much her magnum opus; a typical murder mystery on the surface, Roger Ackroyd is a methodically written slow-burn that hides its central mystery brilliantly.

Hercule Poirot is summoned to solve the death of the wealthy widower Roger Ackroyd, and he is aided by Dr. James Sheppard, who was called to the scene by Ackroyd’s assistant. Poirot and Sheppard work on consolidating their clues and motives of various people who attended a dinner at Ackroyd’s home on the night of his death. The narrator of the novel, though, is not a third party or Poirot, but Sheppard himself, who observes clues and Poirot at work with attention to detail and great dedication. Sheppard and Poirot are a formidable team, and a methodical and clever showrunner could really make this duo stand out. With so many Poirot adaptations, though, Roger Ackroyd may not be a priority to many writers. However, that’s not even the biggest problem, but the fact that serving justice to the best crime novel of all time might be a big bite to take after all.

‘The Silver Road’ (2018)

Image via Corvus

Nordic noir is definitely worthy of adapting for TV screens, and though there are many examples of good novels in the genre, The Silver Road by Stina Jackson is unique and carries special weight. Unlike most Nordic noirs, it doesn’t follow a detective solving a murder mystery but a grieving father who refuses to let go of his missing daughter. The novel depicts the backwoods of Sweden, way up in the north where it’s colder, houses are far away from each other, and boredom often prevails without much to be done about it. Jackson writes with incredible empathy and precision, driving the wedge of grief further into her protagonist. But the book doesn’t stop at being a process of sadness; rather, it turns very quickly into a mystery that grows sinister with each page. It’s a brilliant debut novel, awarded with the Best Swedish Novel award in 2018.

Lelle, a high school teacher in a remote town in Sweden, searches for his missing 17-year-old daughter Lina every single day. She disappeared on the road known as the Silver Road three years before, where Lelle dropped her off at the bus station when she was headed to school. He drives past, investigates decrepit houses, and asks about Lina wherever he can. At the same time, now 17-year-old Meija arrives in town and becomes Lelle’s new student; Meija comes from a dysfunctional home and doesn’t have the parental support any child should expect, and after another girl who looks like Lina disappears, Lelle and Meija become integral parts of the search for the culprits. This could be a very well-made slow-burn mystery series with the right showrunners, but the focus would have to be on Lelle’s intensifying guilt and self-isolation in parallel with the increasing looming dread of Meija’s loneliness. It wouldn’t be an easy show, but it would be brilliant if it were made anything like the novel.

‘Strange Houses’ (2021)

Image via Pushkin Vertigo

Strange Houses was a social media phenomenon when it came out because it’s not like other mystery novels. Strange Houses literally features house plans spread out across its pages, where the readers aren’t meant to just parse through lines of text and inhale the mystery but take a long, hard look at the houses featured in the novel and make their own conclusions. Strange Houses is a bona fide mystery that combines modern journalism with Japanese tradition and folklore, and its author is just as mysterious as the book itself. Known only as Uketsu, this creator is best known for his YouTube career and hiding behind a white, faceless papier-mâché mask. Uketsu creates videos about unsolved mysteries across Japan, and though his content is only in Japanese, his published novels have been translated into numerous languages across the globe.

Strange Houses is the first in the Strange series of novels (followed by Strange Pictures, Strange Buildings, and Strange Maps), and it follows an unnamed journalist in the first person as he is contacted to analyze a baffling house plan. We’re immediately confronted with it, and things seem off from the start; the child’s room is in a weird place, and why is there a triangle-shaped room no one can see? The journalist enlists the help of architect Kurihara, and together, they come to conclusions that become more and more shocking with each discovery. Strange Houses is an extremely fast read, but it’s such a fun novel that imagining it as a TV series is pretty much a given. There is already a feature film of the same name from 2024, but the adaptation was so bad compared to the book that the only way this brilliant, fast-paced, and super tense mystery novel could be given justice is by a TV series.

‘Drood’ (2009)

Image via Quercus

The task of adapting the colossal and magnificent Drood for TV screens remains one of the hardest things to do, according to Guillermo del Toro, at least. When Dan Simmons wrote it, he made sure to combine fact with fiction in such an immersive and intricate way that a lot of the things featured in the two-novel story feel like they’ve actually happened. Simmons is known for writing stories like that, and his audacious approach to these things has often been a hit-or-miss with audiences, from the gargantuan Abominable to the more TV-friendly The Terror. Still, many readers love Simmons and his weird proclivity for taking real-life mysteries and giving them his own, fictional, and often supernatural explanations—I am one of them. And to go back to del Toro, so is he. Del Toro tweeted out once that his script for Drood was completed and that it was one of the stories that took months of his life to finish; a lot of us, fans of the book and Simmons and del Toro, hope to still see this come to fruition in some way.

Drood is a two-part novel about the final five years of Charles Dickens‘ life, told from the perspective of writer Wilkie Collins (a full circle moment here, since Collins is mentioned as the creator of the first detective novel). Collins is friends with Dickens and often describes his daily routine and the process of writing his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. But Dickens leaves all of his writing aside to try and track down information about the man who calls himself Drood, one who saved him from certain death during a train accident in 1865. As Dickens searches obsessively, Collins helps him but descends further into opium usage due to his gout, becoming an unreliable narrator along the way. The mysterious circumstances of Dickens’ well-known unfinished novel are intertwined with a fictional, terrifying, and mysterious encounter with Drood, which Simmons turned into a stellar piece of reading. With each new page, you’re either getting frustrated with the dynamics of 19th-century England or absolutely stunned by the Count Orloff-esque appearances of Drood. It’s safe to say that Drood would need a clever adaptation that doesn’t take any of its parts for granted; it might even work better as a TV series.

Maura Higgins may have claimed she was nervous before her “Dancing with the Stars” debut, but one behavioral analyst believes her body language told a very different story. The “Love Island” alum topped the women’s leaderboard after performing a Foxtrot to Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet” with professional partner Mark Ballas.

However, body language expert Darren Stanton claimed Higgins displayed “extreme confidence” and appeared to hold more power in the partnership. He also alleged there was “no real connection” between the pair, despite their established friendship from “The Traitors.”

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Speaking to Covers, Stanton suggested Higgins’ red-carpet-style pose conflicted with her admission that she felt nervous before the performance. “It’s all about consistency. With Maura, she’s an extremely confident person, and she’s talking a good game,” he said.

“She’s making out that she was nervous, but if you look at the hands on her hips, this is a red carpet technique. It’s what Kim Kardashian and Beyonce do. It’s a contradiction to what she is saying. Maura would not have been delivering those behaviors if she was nervous,” Stanton added.

He interpreted her pose as evidence that Higgins was controlling how she presented herself to the audience. “Secondly, there were no signs of fear. I would say it was pure strategy. Maura is trying to be humble, but I know exactly what she is doing. She’s extremely focused and prepared for whatever is required to achieve her goal. Maura knows how to work the crowd and is very adept at building rapport,” he continued.

Maura Higgins Is Allegedly ‘Wearing The Trousers’

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Stanton also examined the dynamic between Higgins and Ballas following their first performance. “When it comes to the dynamics with her dance partner Mark Ballas, Maura is wearing the trousers in this collaboration. If you notice in shows such as ‘Strictly Come Dancing,’ usually the pair have their arms around each other and are tactile, despite there being absolutely no romance,” he explained.

The behavioral analyst suggested that Ballas appeared willing to let Higgins command the attention surrounding their partnership. “But here, there is no real connection between Maura and Mark. Although he is the dance expert, Mark is looking down a lot and is displaying signs of nervousness when he is around her,” he added. “That’s very interesting. Mark is allowing Maura to have center stage and he is not bothered about the press.”

His assessment appears to conflict with Higgins and Ballas’ own public description of their relationship. The pair recently pushed back against reports of behind-the-scenes tension and emphasized their friendship and mutual respect.

The Pair Topped The Women’s Leaderboard

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Whatever their offstage dynamic may be, Higgins and Ballas produced one of the strongest performances of the Season 35 premiere. Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli each awarded the pair a seven, for a total score of 21 out of 30, which outscored actress and experienced dancer Jenna Dewan, who received 19 out of 30.

The result put Higgins at the top of the women’s leaderboard and ahead of contestants with more extensive performance experience.

Maura Higgins And Mark Ballas Bonded On ‘The Traitors’

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Higgins and Ballas already knew each other before being paired on “Dancing with the Stars.” Both appeared as Faithfuls on the same season of “The Traitors” and reportedly grew close while filming in the Scottish countryside.

Ballas said Higgins even discussed her interest in joining the dance competition while they were living in the castle. “When we were in the castle, she told me, ‘[I’d] love to do Dancing With the Stars.’ I was like, ‘I don’t know, mate. You can’t make it through a 45-minute challenge. How are you going to make it through a five to 10-hour rehearsal?’” Ballas told Entertainment Weekly.

“And her answer, I was like, ‘Fair enough.’ She was like, ‘I don’t want to carry rocks in a backpack up a mountain throwing gold pebbles at stuff … but I want to learn how to dance,’” he added.

Maura Higgins Previously Shut Down Rob Rausch Romance Rumors

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Higgins’ time on “The Traitors” also sparked speculation about her relationship with fellow “Love Island” alum Rob Rausch. The two shared a flirtatious and comfortable rapport during the competition. However, Rausch was secretly a Traitor and ultimately convinced Higgins to banish Eric Nam, another Traitor. That decision left Higgins vulnerable, allowing Rausch to become the final remaining Traitor and win the entire $220,800 prize.

Despite speculation about their interactions, both Higgins and Rausch have insisted their relationship was always platonic. “I’m not gonna ruin it for the viewers, but no, nothing ever happened between me and Rob,” Higgins told Us Weekly in February 2026. “I genuinely look at Rob like a brother. Literally nothing ever happened.”

Higgins has now turned her focus to the ballroom, where her first-week score immediately established her as a serious competitor.

The longest-running late-night talk show quietly found a winning formula, and it’s rooted in an unexpected place. Rather than using sports as a punchline, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon made them a part of the show’s strategy. And with sports viewership surging, especially among the youngest and most coveted audiences, it’s created a powerful engine for ratings and cultural reach.

It’s a twofold strategy, where NBC and The Tonight Show approach the same opportunity from opposite ends. On the network side, NBC leverages its sports dominance as a lead-in for The Tonight Show, scheduling special episodes to funnel its biggest audiences into its late-night block. At the same time, Fallon has begun leaning heavily into using athletes, teams, and the culture surrounding sports as raw material for bits and sketches that tap fandoms for comedy – and it’s producing ratings results that are impossible to ignore.

‘The Tonight Show’ Focuses on Entertainment and Scores Big With Sports

Image via NBC

In his tenure as host of The Tonight Show, Fallon has radically shifted its focus, moving away from politics and honing in on pop culture, spending less time on sit-down interviews in favor of high-energy games, sketches, and musical segments that highlight the guests. It’s resulted in a lighter version of a late-night talk show, one that doesn’t rely on must-see interviews or controversial monologues for relevance. Instead, it appeals to a broader audience and taps the internet zeitgeist with snackable, Saturday Night Live-style bits.

No matter what type of program is scheduled after a big sporting event, it’s almost guaranteed to get a ratings boost. But because it’s such an accessible form of entertainment, The Tonight Show gets an astronomically bigger boost than any other late-night show on the air, and that’s why NBC began experimenting with special episodes after Sunday Night Football back in 2019. Last year, NBC started tapping SNF again, but as the show had already been pushing harder on sports independently, it began to take on a life of its own.

As NBC Dominates Sports, ‘The Tonight Show’ Dominates With Sports Fans

Image via NBC

The 2025-26 television season was a big one for NBC Sports, with a slate of events including both the first NBA games since 2002 and the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. For The Tonight Show​​, the post-SNF episodes once again drove season-high eyeballs; the Opening Ceremony attracted the most viewers in 14 months, and the NBA Western Conference Finals paired with the stars of Off Campus earned the fourth-highest linear ratings of the season. Meanwhile, on the internet, sports guests and coverage were driving up 900 million views.

The Tonight Show, which recently became the most-followed TV show on TikTok, has 100 million fans across its social platforms. It boasts the largest and most-engaged fanbase of any late-night program by far, and the viral cutdowns of skits and extended on-air interviews have kept the show culturally relevant during its worst ratings droughts. It’s also where the integration of more fan-first sports content is clearly visible, and the outrageously high likes, views, and shares prove on a more visceral level just how well it’s working for the show.

After a Superb Summer, Jimmy Fallon Kicks Off Fall in a Big Way

Image via NBC

In June, after the New York Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years, The Tonight Show devoted an entire episode to a team takeover and earned the highest ratings without a lead-in all year. A month later, a week of World Cup programming combined with an appearance by the cast of The Odyssey earned the show the coveted top ratings slot with adults aged 18 to 49. But the viral World Cup moments didn’t just rule the airwaves; they also racked up nine-figure view counts in a long-tail wave across the web.

Coming off a strong summer, The Tonight Show hit its highest ratings since the Olympics last week after the first game of the NFL season. It wasn’t enough to overtake its biggest rival, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, but despite the episode airing after midnight, it tripled its 18 to 49 audience numbers from the night before and doubled what Kimmel pulled in. What’s more interesting, though, is that despite the NFL season opener being down a whopping 11% from last year and delivering the lowest overall viewership since 2022, it earned the best audience of viewers 18 to 49 since 2021 – an audience that not only showed up for the season opener, but stuck around for Fallon.

At this point, it’s safe to say that using sports as a creative and programmatic strategy for The Tonight Show has been a worthwhile investment. Four more Sunday Night Football takeovers are scheduled for the NFL season, and we’re only weeks away from the MLB postseason and the start of new seasons for the NBA and NHL. Now that Fallon has earned the trust and respect of the most sought-after demo and the most ravenous fanbases, it’ll be interesting to see what new highs he takes the oldest late-night show to next.

Another night of touring is about to get tedious for Ed Sheeran!

As the musician is gearing up to perform in Philadelphia, some pro-Palestine groups in the state have also been canvassing to get the numbers high enough to boycott his performance.

Ed Sheeran was thrown in the middle of a controversy days ago after one of his opening acts, rapper Macklemore, got kicked off for picking Palestine’s side during a concert at MetLife Stadium.

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The songwriter is still dealing with the fallout from Macklemore’s exit from his tour, as some Palestine-leaning groups have said they plan to key into the ongoing protest. Macklemore’s removal from the rest of the tour struck a nerve, and Sheeran’s apolitical stance may have driven the nail in even further.

The Philly Palestine Coalition and Shut Down D&Z have begun beckoning on supporters to gather outside Lincoln Financial Field on September 19. They have shared flyers promoting the protests, which are designed to target billionaires and pro-zionists.

The group has declared that billionaires, Zionists, and those it describes as warmongers are not welcome in Philadelphia. As TMZ reported, Sheeran insisted the decision to send Macklemore off the show was not his call.

The Grammy winner clarified that the tour promoters made the call because several venues were displeased with Macklemore’s actions. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose company owns one of the performing stadiums, also confirmed his opposition to Macklemore performing at Gillette Stadium.

Opening Act Aaron Rowe Headed For The Door Following The End Of Macklemore’s Chapter

Right after Macklemore was removed from the tour lineup, his colleague Rowe also withdrew from the remaining show to stand in solidarity with the “Can’t Hold Us” rapper. As The Blast noted, Rowe described the decision as very difficult because of his personal relationship with Sheeran.

He recognized the “Shape of You” singer’s impact on his career, but continuing to perform on the tour with him would directly violate his personal principles. He referenced his background as an Irish man and how his people experienced genocide, starvation, and military occupation just like Gaza.

He believed that his performance would be hypocritical in the face of the belief that Israel has not been criticized enough. Rowe continued that his self-respect would only remain intact by stepping away from all remaining dates.

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The Macklemore Fallout Also Included Lukas Graham And Finneas

Macklemore earlier revealed that Kraft played politics by onboarding other billionaires and venue owners to join him in booting Macklemore from the lineup, or else attach a condition that Sheeran would be barred from performing at the locations. 

The Blast noted that after this revelation and the protests, Graham and Finneas also followed Rowe’s lead and announced their departure from the tour.

In his exit speech, Finneas reiterated that artists must not be gagged when they find their voice against oppressive systems. He declared his support for Palestine and its people, who have experienced inhumane treatment over the years from state and non-state actors.

As for Graham, he began by restating his gratitude to Sheeran for their time together, but emphasized that he grew up in a community that encouraged people to speak up, and that is what he has done. “Having more money didn’t make your opinion worth more than anyone else’s,” the “7 Years” singer stated.

The ‘Give Me Love’ Singer’s Band Affirmed Their Support For Macklemore

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After more than a decade of musical collaboration on projects and live performances during tours, Beoga, an Irish band, ended their collaboration with the singer on the “Loop Tour.” 

In an Instagram announcement, the group acknowledged the opportunity to perform alongside the singer for years, but said it was time to exit because the tour’s politics no longer align with their beliefs.

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Beoga referenced their role as founding members of the Irish Artists For Palestine movement and commitment to securing justice as another driving force behind their decision.

As for Sheeran, he explained that he was not a fan of the conflict between Palestine and Israel, and he has been communicating with venues to find an amicable way to resolve their issues with Macklemore.

He stressed that Macklemore’s contract was with the show’s promoters and that the decision to exclude him from the rest of the tour was solely their judgment. 

Ed Sheeran’s Private $2M Humanitarian Pledge Comes To Light Amid Macklemore Fallout

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The award-winning songwriter’s story has shone a new spotlight on a private effort from Sheeran to get Kraft to be a part of a private humanitarian effort.

While Macklemore’s charge to Kraft stole the headlines, the stadium owner said Sheeran had already approached him with a proposal to invest in a multi-million-dollar humanitarian scheme.

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Kraft said Sheeran had privately pledged $2 million to relief efforts in Palestine and asked him to join by matching the amount. Sheeran had previously said he had decided to keep his good deeds private, but much work often happens behind the scenes.

Kraft added that Sheeran had targeted other venue owners in his initiative, hoping that it would encourage co-operation and further humanitarian assistance. The businessman said he had joined several initiatives aimed at fostering interaction between Palestinians and Israelis through economic opportunities. 

Remy Ma and Millyz are once again catching social media’s attention. A recent post has fans taking a closer look at the pair’s dynamic. The two sparked plenty of chatter after Millyz shared a clip featuring Remy. In the footage, the pair appeared especially cozy on camera, quickly getting fans talking.

RELATED: Claressa Shields Says Remy Ma May End Up “Right Back In Prison” Amid Sharing Her Thoughts On Papoose’s ‘Jezebel’ Track (VIDEOS)

Remy Ma And Millyz Turn Up The Heat In New Clip

In the clip posted to Millyz’s Instagram, Remy is seen rocking a white cropped tank top, beige denim jeans with a hint of her thong showing, a watch, layered gold chains, large hoop earrings, and beachy waves. Millyz stands behind her in a blue cap, black hoodie, black pants, a white shirt underneath, chains, and earrings. As the video continues, Millyz grips Remy while she dances in front of him. Then, the two appear to get more intimate as she grinds on him and he raps in her ear. Toward the end, Remy flashes the camera a peace sign before squatting down toward his thigh as the clip cuts. Millyz captioned the post, “Say yea.”

The Comments Are Going UP

Fans wasted no time running to Millyz’s Instagram comment section with reactions to the clip, and the comments quickly started piling up. Some joked that Dr. Umar might be upset. While others speculated Remy could be trying to make Papoose jealous. And, a few fans simply declaring that the two are looking “in love.”

Instagram user @remyma herself commented, “😂on dead dawgs 🍼☕️”

One Instagram user @cuban_bella wrote, “That hair tell us the whole story 😂”

And, Instagram user @qdamonster said, “This how chicks be when they try make the nigga dat don’t want them jealous 😂😂😂…”

Meanwhile, Instagram user @colesworlld_ added, “This ain’t just promo nomo 😭😭😭”

While Instagram user @topshmoneywallstreet shared, “Man in love… cuz he bright pink… 😂😂😂”

Finally, Instagram user @dixiefluff claimed, “Dr Umar bout to be pissed🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣”

Claressa Shields Tells Remy Ma She’s Had Enough

The drama between Remy Ma, Claressa Shields, and Papoose continues to make waves, with Shields recently taking to Instagram Live to address her ongoing issues with Remy. Shields, who has been linked to Papoose since 2024, told Remy to “leave me alone” while also referencing the rapper’s past six-year prison time and warning that the fallout from diss tracks and online exchanges could potentially lead to serious consequences. Shields made it clear she doesn’t see herself as the person Remy should be focused on, adding, “I am not the problem that you want, bro.”

RELATED: Check The Facts? Remy Ma Fires Back At Angela Yee Over Papoose Divorce Drama (VIDEO)

University of North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick is setting the record straight on his girlfriend Jordon Hudson’s role with the team.

Belichick, 74, spoke to the Wall Street Journal about where the story came from that he reportedly asked Hudson, 25, to be copied on all of his work emails.

“When I took the job here, it was December, and at that time I was doing five TV shows, the radio show, I had a book coming out,” Belichick said in a story published Wednesday, September 16. “I had a lot of other things going on when I took the job.”

He continued, “I sent an email when I got here and I said, Can you please forward any requests to Jordon about my personal appearances so that I can work and coordinate them outside the university? Didn’t have anything to do with the university. Well, that was leaked as released as ‘Jordon’s involved in every single thing that I do and she’s copied on every email.’ That’s just a flat-out lie.”

Related: UNC Football Players React to Bill Belichick’s Girlfriend Jordon Hudson

University of North Carolina football players gave their honest opinions about their head coach Bill Belichick’s high-profile relationship with his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson. Members of the Tar Heels team were asked about Belichick, 73, and Hudson, 23 — who made their romance official in October 2024 — at ACC Media Days on Thursday, July 24.  […]

This isn’t the first time Belichick has spoken about the issue. The legendary head coach took over the UNC job after the 2024 season ended, and speculation about Hudson’s role with the program began shortly after. In a May 2025 interview on SportsCenter, Belichick insisted his relationship was “really off to the side.”

“It’s a personal relationship and she doesn’t have anything to do with UNC football,” he said.

Belichick’s answer also came after journalist Pablo Torre reported Hudson had been banned from UNC’s football facilities — a fact that the university disputed in a statement to Us at the time.

“While Jordon Hudson is not an employee at the University or Carolina Athletics, she is welcome to the Carolina Football facilities,” the statement read. “Jordon will continue to manage all activities related to Coach Belichick’s personal brand outside of his responsibilities for Carolina Football and the University.”

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Related: Emails Reveal Why Bill Belichick’s GF Jordon Hudson Was at CBS Interview

Leaked emails sent from Bill Belichick reportedly detail how the former NFL coach aimed to manage the fallout from his infamous CBS interview — including his explanation for why his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson was there. “Jordon and I have both a personal & professional relationship,” Belichick, 73, reportedly wrote in an email to Beth […]

Days after his SportsCenter interview, Belichick went on “The Pivot” podcast, where he said that Hudson helps him focus on football while she takes care of “the other opportunities that come along.”

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“It would be personal opportunities, [like] a speaking thing, appearance on this or talk about this or somebody happens to want an autograph, that type of thing,” he explained. “So, she kind of helped organize that for me.”

He added that the team also didn’t have a sports information director dedicated to the team at the time, making it even more important for Hudson to help him filter requests.

“That was taken as ‘Jordon’s running the sports information department,’” he said. “She’s not doing it. I mean, there was nobody to help me sort them out, so I was asking her to do that.”

Star Kit Harington probably knew that he’d be questioned about his decision to join the cast of HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series, and he got an opportunity to break out his defense in a recent interview. Nearly every notable cast member of the upcoming show has been called out by critics of Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling, whose transphobic views have sullied her reputation in recent years and soured many die-hard fans of the series. Rowling remains closely involved with the show, HBO boss Casey Bloys confirmed in a separate interview. Meanwhile, Harington explained why he decided to join the franchise despite the blowback his decision would definitely bring.

Harington, best-known for playing Jon Snow in HBO’s flagship fantasy series Game of Thrones, will appear as the narcissistic grifter Gilderoy Lockhart in Season 2 of the Harry Potter show, which will focus on the second novel in Rowling’s series. Lockhart was originally played by Kenneth Branagh in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Nicholas Hoult was initially cast as the character in the HBO reboot before Harington replaced him. In an appearance on the Today show, Harington said that his lifelong obsession with the Harry Potter books and movies outweighs all else. In his own words:

“I was a fan when I was a kid, and then I rediscovered it as an adult, listening to it every night. I listen to it every single night, and it helps me go to sleep, and I know other people do that as well, so they’re really important books to me… When I knew this was happening as a series, I thought it was the best idea. I love the films, but with this, they can really explore the books at their fullest, and for a book nerd like me, that was a really great idea.”

Kit Harington Stars in Another Major Literary Adaptation This Month

Spearheaded by Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod, the Harry Potter series will premiere this Christmas on HBO. It is being treated as the television event of the year and a huge subscription-generator for HBO in its current franchise-forward era. However, Bloys admitted that there is no way that the production will be able to meet its original plan of releasing a new season every year, although fans won’t have to wait two years between seasons either. Harington, meanwhile, was attached to a Game of Thrones spin-off revolving around Jon Snow. This month, he stars in a new A Tale of Two Cities adaptation airing on MGM+. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

2026 – 2026

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Showrunner

Francisca Gardiner

Directors

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Mark Mylod

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The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Britani Bateman is opening up about her surprising new friendship with costar Mary Cosby.

“I just have always loved her, and I feel like she’s finally not only tolerating me, but she’s starting to love me back,” Britani, 55, exclusively told Us at Warner Bros. Television Group’s 78th Primetime Emmy Awards Nominees Celebration on Sunday, September 13.

Britani shared that their bond had a lot to do with Mary, 53, losing her son, Robert Cosby Jr., in February at age 23.

“I feel like when we are faced with some of the most challenging things in our lives, we really have to reevaluate what’s important and what’s not,” Britani said, while spilling that not every friendship survived season 7.

“Some [friendships] get welded back together, and some of them just icily split more apart. We’ll just have to stay tuned to see which ones those are,” she teased.

Britani got off to a rough start with Mary when she joined RHOSLC for season 5 and made the ultimate rookie mistake by calling high fashion a “costume” while discussing Bronwyn Newport’s $15,000 heart-shaped Saint Laurent coat — and the ever stylish Mary took it personally. Britani kept digging herself into a hole with Mary, using words like “hoarder” and “poor” while trying to connect with her.

Her friendship with Mary isn’t the only one she’s cherishing this season.

“I have really enjoyed the mercurial nature of Bronwyn in my relationship,” Britani told Us. “We come together and then we split apart. I would say that’s the case with all of the women. But I really enjoyed my journey with Bronwyn this season.”

Britani has learned a lot from her castmates over two seasons on the Bravo franchise.

Related: What to Know About ‘RHOSLC’ Season 7 After the Death of Mary Cosby’s Son

The ladies of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City will return for season 7. Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, Mary Cosby, Heather Gay, Whitney Rose, Bronwyn Newport, Angie Katsanevas and “friend” Britani Bateman wrapped season 6 in 2025, which aired that fall. While the ladies were scheduled to resume filming in February 2026, the Bravo […]

“I wish that someone had told me how fiery these women can be and not to take it so personally,” she shared, referring to the moment she was caught filming her costars during a tense argument in a sprinter van.

“I don’t believe even to this day that was about me. I feel like that was not a ‘what about me’ moment. That was like, ‘What about some pent-up latent aggression toward other castmates,’ like Monica [Garcia],” Britani explained. “So I wish someone had warned me about that. Like, some things are gonna not be about you, so you don’t need to cry your eyes out about it. Brush it off and move on.”

Season 7 also welcomed back Lisa Barlow, Heather Gay, Angie Katsanevas, Meredith Marks and Whitney Rose. While the dynamics of the group have changed, they all came together to support Mary after her son’s death.

Robert Jr. died in February following a battle with addiction.

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Mary thanked her costars for showing up for her during her darkest days.

“Well, first of all, they all came over. The doorbell rang, Bronwyn brought her mom. Doorbell rings, and Lisa sent food, sent baskets, sent gifts. Just constantly sending me stuff, constantly showing up, constantly coming over, sitting down, talking to me,” she said during the first episode of the new season, which aired on Wednesday, September 16. “In some ways I felt like I ended up encouraging them. I found strength in them coming to see me, talking to me, keeping me going.”

RHOSLC airs on Bravo Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock.