After several seasons on “Saturday Night Live,” Chloe Fineman is reflecting on what it was like to leave the long-running sketch comedy series. While the comedian is excited about what comes next in her career, she admitted that saying goodbye to the iconic show was a bittersweet experience and shed light on her relationship with her former cast members.

On July 16, Chloe Fineman took to Instagram to announce her departure from “Saturday Night Live” after seven seasons. She included a carousel of screengrabs from sketches and photos with her fellow cast members, writing, “It’s cliché to say this but working at SNL has been the greatest privilege of my life. I still can’t really believe I got to be a part of it.”

Fineman also addressed “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels and said, “I want you to know that I am forever in your debt.”

Days after the announcement, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the comedian and asked her about her departure. Fineman said it was difficult to leave the show and her co-stars.

“It’s a hard show, but the people, it’s because of hours and everything. But, like, it really is a family, and I’ve been crying, like, sweet tears,” she shared.

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Following Fineman’s exit announcement, an insider claimed that the comedian found it difficult to establish a rapport with some cast members, as The Blast previously reported. Another source disputed the claim and said she had no issues with her co-workers.

Fineman shed light on her relationship with the “SNL” cast, sharing that she has formed a meaningful bond with them. “I’m genuinely really good friends with everybody and I genuinely couldn’t love that job more. So, it’s really bittersweet,” she explained, adding that she will still be staying in New York, down the street from where “SNL” is filmed.

Why Did Chloe Fineman Leave ‘SNL’?

Fineman’s departure follows the exit of other cast members, including Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, and Bowen Yang, who all bid farewell to the sketch series in 2025. The former left after eight seasons, and the other two exited after seven seasons.

“Seven years is kind of like the classic way,” Fineman said about leaving. The comedian revealed that her contract with “SNL” was about to end when she was presented with an opportunity to pursue another avenue. “It just felt like the perfect time,” she added. As she noted in her social media post, “It’s time for my next chapter.”

Fineman said that her former co-stars have been supportive of her decision, and they have reached out to her. Yang, Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Marcello Hernandez, and Kenan Thompson all posted sweet replies to her social media post.

“SNL” big boss Lorne Michaels was preoccupied when Fineman called to tell him she was leaving the show. “In classic form, he was watching England vs. Argentina,” she shared.

Lorne said he was going to call her back because he was watching the game, to which Fineman joked, “I assume you’re rooting for England because you’re energetically very British.” Michaels, indeed, returned her call, and while she didn’t share details about what they talked about, she told Variety that they “had a really lovely chat.”

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Before joining “SNL,” Fineman was a sketch improv artist and had minor roles on TV. She became a cast member in 2019 and became widely recognized for portraying original recurring characters such as Kelsey and The Snack Homiez Boy. She also impersonated celebrities including Drew Barrymore, Britney Spears, JoJo Siwa, Sydney Sweeney, and Timothée Chalamet.

Chloe Fineman Joins Cast Of Upcoming Netflix Series

Fineman stars in the upcoming sports comedy from Apple Original Films titled “The Dink” alongside Jake Johnson, Ben Stiller, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Patton Oswalt, and Aaron Chen. It is scheduled to be released on July 24.

Furthermore, the comedian landed the role of sports reporter Parker Quinn in Netflix’s “Myron Bolitar,” a drama series based on the collection of thriller novels written by Harlan Coben. The show will focus on the titular character, played by Colin Woodell, a sports agent who protects his clients while navigating the world of professional sports.

“Myron Bolitar” is currently in production, but a release date has yet to be announced.

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Silo did not become one of Apple TV‘s most beloved original series by sticking to the script. Although the show is based on a trilogy of books by Hugh Howey, the story has been expanded and changed quite a bit in the adaptation, and fans haven’t complained. Howey’s novels were short and self-published, and practically begging for more detail. However, Season 3 kicked off this month with one of the first changes to cause widespread muttering among fans — the story of Juliette’s (Rebecca Ferguson) induced amnesia. Now that we’re three episodes in, it’s clear that this was actually a brilliant move for the TV show, and perhaps an overall improvement to the story.

When the trailers for Silo Season 3 began to show Juliette suffering from amnesia, fans and critics came up with all kinds of theories about how and why this plot line was added. We feared it might feel like a stretch, added just to draw out Juliette’s story while other things were introduced to the narrative. Even then, there were some ideas online about how the amnesia arc might work well, but they all fell short of showrunner Graham Yost‘s actual vision.

Viewers Get A Timeline While Juliette Loses Hers

Image via Apple TV

A major unforeseen aspect of Juliette’s amnesia plot line is that it juxtaposes the experience of the audience themselves. Viewers have spent two seasons now wondering how, when, and why humanity ended up confined to these underground shelters, and the mystery has been woven into complex knots without coming any closer to a solution. Readers of Howey’s books new that we’d have to start answering these questions with the storyline of Congressman Daniel Keene (Ashley Zukerman) in Season 3, yet we didn’t imagine how well these info-dump flashbacks would work alongside Juliette’s amnesiac nightmare.

Of course, the connection works narratively as well, since Keene’s story deals directly with the same memory loss drugs afflicting Juliette in her story. In fact, it’s becoming clear how much groundwork the show has done to set up the memory loss drugs in general. The storyline concerning Dr. Cnkovich (Matt Craven) is already hitting harder on the show than it did in the books. It’s always a good idea to add more depth to the fantastical elements of a sci-fi series, and it looks like the Silo team has been planning this from early on.

This week, Season 3 Episode 3 “A Dark Web” gave some clear indications of where the amnesia plot line is going and how it will flow into the next phase of Juliette’s story. By all appearances, it’s going to work very smoothly. The show won’t miss anything from the books, and it will feel perfectly natural to get back on track. Some may still call this a detour made just for the sake of the show’s run-time, but even then, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. With most streamers tightening their belts and shortening the seasons on their most expensive shows, it’s a relief to see one series taking its time and pacing things right.

‘Silo’ Adds Stories Without Replacing Anything

Image via Apple TV+

Adaptations are generally criticized for any changes to their source material, and for the most part, that’s valid. Popular novels tend to work as they are, and changes threaten to destabilize the entire house of cards the story stands on. Modern audiences are particularly traumatized by shows like Game of Thrones, and these days it can be a full-time job cataloging all the changes in an adaptation and debating them online.

Somehow, Apple TV has attained an exemption from this trend. The network’s adaptation of Foundation by Isaac Asimov might be unrecognizable to the author himself or one of his contemporary readers. However, its approach to changes is very similar to that of Silo — they fill in gaps in the books rather than change events and characters. This mostly serves to deepen worldbuilding, add visual flair, and make the most out of the talent on hand.

For Silo, this amnesia plot line might be their biggest addition so far, yet it doesn’t really replace anything essential. So far, the show has thoroughly adapted Howey’s first novel Wool, which ends at the point when Juliette returns to Silo 18. The second novel in the trilogy is Shift, which completely ignores Juliette’s story to follow Keene through his flashbacks. Only in the third book, Dust, do we pick up the story and move it forward.

Naturally, Silo Season 3 did not want to drop Juliette’s plot entirely. It seems likely that the season will begin including material from Dust, but in the meantime, this amnesia plot is a clever way to tell two parallel stories without losing the momentum of the series altogether. On top of that, this addition doesn’t need to replace or alter anything about the beginning of Dust. If anything, Juliette’s memory loss will flow perfectly into her time as mayor and her confused scramble to help her people before it’s too late. Many aspects of the story will make more sense this way in the end, and will emphasize the undercurrent of manipulation and social engineering that keeps the silos running.

Silo Season 3 continues on Fridays on Apple TV. Previous seasons are streaming there now, and Howey’s books are available in print, digital, and audiobook formats.

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Release Date

May 5, 2023

Network

Apple TV

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Showrunner

Graham Yost

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Directors

Morten Tyldum, David Semel, Michael Dinner, Aric Avelino

Writers

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Graham Yost, Hugh Howey, Jeffery Wang, Lekethia Dalcoe

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NFL legend Aaron Rodgers reunited with his family after at least a decade of estrangement, though one member of the Rodgers clan was seemingly missing.

On Monday, July 20, Aaron, 42, shared an Instagram carousel of himself posing with his parents, Ed and Darla Rodgers, and older brother, Luke Rodgers. While the family was all smiles in these new photos, Aaron’s younger brother, The Bachelorette star Jordan Rodgers, was noticeably absent.

“Another bonding week,” Aaron captioned the carousel.

Aaron’s rift with his family reportedly dates back at least a decade. When Jordan, 37, competed on future wife Jojo Fletcher’s season of The Bachelorette, he revealed to her that he wasn’t in touch with Aaron.

“Like I said, I have a great relationship with my brother Luke. Me and Aaron don’t really have that much of a relationship,” he said in the 2016 episode. “It’s just kind of the way he’s chosen to do life and I’ve chosen to stay close with my family and my parents and my brother. Yeah, it’s not ideal and I love him and I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in his shoes and have the pressure he has, the demands from people that he has. Don’t have hard feelings against him, it’s just how things go right now.”

The Bachelorette memorably left two empty chairs for Aaron and his then-girlfriend Olivia Munn at a family dinner — which the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback took issue with.

“They go on a bulls*** show and leave two empty chairs,” Aaron said on his 2024 Netflix series Enigma. “They all agreed this was a good thing to do, to leave two empty chairs at a stupid dating show that my brother just went on to get famous — his words, not mine. That he ended up winning. But a dinner that was during the season, I was never asked to go to. Not that I would’ve gone.”

Aaron was not in attendance when Jordan and Fletcher, 35, tied the knot at the Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez, California, in May 2022.

In another Aaron Rodgers: Enigma scene, Aaron briefly touched on the origins of his rift with Jordan.

Related: Aaron Rodgers Was ‘Pissed’ When He Was Called ‘Jordan Rodgers’ Brother’

Megan Briggs/Getty Images; Kareem Black/USA Network Given the very public estrangement with his family, Aaron Rodgers certainly hasn’t been eager to share the spotlight with his brother.  While Aaron, 40, was competing in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in 2016 — which coincided with his younger brother Jordan Rodgers, 35, […]

“It wasn’t like I was super duper close with everybody in the family. I was close with my little brother,” Aaron said of his brother. “But in actuality, it goes back to stuff from high school that kind of made me feel distant. Stuff in college, stuff post-college.”

He also pointed to his “rigid” religious upbringing as a point of contention.

“I grew up in a very white, dogmatic church and that just didn’t really serve me,” he recalled in Enigma. “It was very rigid in structure. I’m not a rigid person. Shame, guilt, judgment. It was like, ‘We have the truth. Our way or the highway. Our way is heaven; your way is hell.’ Even talking to my parents, it was very black and white. Like, somebody has to be wrong, somebody has to be right. I just slowly uncoupled from that in high school.”

More recently, Aaron blasted his family for speaking publicly about their rift for years before he finally decided to address the situation.

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Related: Aaron Rodgers Addresses Family Drama While Discussing His Mystery Wife

As Aaron Rodgers celebrates his new marriage, he revealed the hostility within his immediate family continues to rage on. Rodgers, 41, appeared on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, June 24, where he discussed his wife, Brittani, for the first time since he announced they had tied the knot recently. In doing so, Rodgers […]

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“If you look at the saga with my family, for years it was one-sided,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show in March. “They were making shots in the media saying bulls***.”

He added, “I never said anything until it got to the point where I’m like, ‘Alright, enough is enough.’”

It is not clear whether anyone in Aaron’s family was in attendance when he married wife Brittani in 2024.

The year 2020 will forever be known in history as the year that the world shut down. Nevertheless, you can’t stop horror movies — especially vampire movies, as the crepuscular crop that’s been produced since then has included some of the most outstanding films in the entire eerie canon. Indeed, the eternal plague of ageless bloodsuckers has been at the forefront of many talented filmmaker’s minds, and the work produced has been thankfully immortalized on film.

Welcome to the roaring/sucking 20s of vampire cinema. Some of the macabre moving pictures of the last six years have resurrected old fables from far-off lands, like in The Vourdalak, while others tackled morbidly modern mischief, as in the thrill-a-minute genre mash-up Abigail. No matter how you slice it, vampires are here to stay, and they are only getting more and more complex and creepily charming. So, break out the holy water and crucifixes, and enjoy these six malevolent masterpieces. Just remember…there’s a lot at stake.

6

‘Blood Red Sky’ (2021)

Image via Netflix

Director/co-writer Peter Thorwarth’s innovative vampire story is quite fast-paced; 500 miles per hour, to be exact (it’s set on a plane). Indeed, the story is a wild, riveting one that never lets up on the heart-rate-accelerating action. It’s a dazzling mixture of horror, action, and suspense, with bold vampiric scares and blazing fight sequences to spare.

The premise of this film is great. It’s about a mom, Nadja (one minute lovely, the next terrifying, Peri Baumeister), who has a rare “blood disorder.” She hops a flight from Germany to New York with her tiny son, Elias (Carl Anton Koch), in hopes of receiving medical treatment for her blood…issue. The only problem is that the flight is hijacked midway through by terrorists, led by Berg, (scary in his own right, Dominic Purcell). The aforementioned problem really belongs to Berg and his insidious crew, since Nadja is a (beautifully bald) vampire who will stop at nothing to protect her lil’ pointy-toothed progeny. Brimming with tantalizing twists and rocking reveals, this film quenches even the most discerning vamp enthusiast’s thirst for boldly bloody fun.

5

‘The Vourdalak’ (2023)

Image via Oscilloscope Laboratories

We always hurt the ones we love the most. This appears to be the major theme of French director and co-writer Adrien Beau’s visually lavish period piece The Vourdalak. It’s a uniquely conceived tale with very memorable (and terrifying) imagery that also manages to entertain with ironic humor and cleverly subtle commentary. Based on a Slavic vampire yarn from the 1800s, this sometimes humorous, often chilling tale is highly ambitious, and manages to deliver the stylized goods at every turn.

The story begins with a 19th century nobleman, Marquis d’Urfé (Kacey Mottet Klein), who finds himself lost in the deep, dark woods. He entreats locals to grant him entry (a little room and board, mayhaps?), yet is denied at every turn. Eventually, he’s directed to the rustic Gorcha homestead, where the family members eagerly await the return of the patriarch of the clan. This proves to be a big mistake, since papa Gorcha has been fighting hordes of evil in not-so-nearby Turkey. In fact, he warned his fam that he would most likely return as a wickedly evil entity intent on draining them of their blood (manifested in a disgustingly skeletal puppet, which the director voiced). Nevertheless, the fam welcomes his horrid homecoming, and the fish-out-of-water Marquis is smack-dab in the middle of all this. Gorcha’s clan (with the comely daughter Sdenka, played by Ariane Labed, as the standout) is torn between murking daddy and letting him feed — and the horrific hijinks are doled out in deliciously ironic fashion. Certainly a different type of vampire film, The Vourdalak is a glorious watch for fans of the darkly different.

4

‘Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’ (2024)

Image via H264

A different French co-writer/director, Ariane Louis-Seize, tackles a bunch of the standard vampire tropes in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person — like existential angst, morality versus primal impulses, and insatiable hunger — but she goes a few steps further with this nuanced reflection on the very nature of the human condition. Immortality comes with some hidden terms and conditions, Louis-Seize clearly posits.

Sasha (the precociously talented Sara Montpetit) is an early teen vampire who, for some bizarre reason, has a huge reserve of empathy, which has impeded her fangs from “dropping.” This is problematic for a sucker of blood, since it’s imperative that vampires have a killer instinct in order to survive. Her family (who has been supplying her with fresh, tasty hemoglobin) gets fed-up with her overly human sensibilities and gives her the directive: “find your own blood, or die.” Luckily for Sasha, she encounters Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a lonely teen looking to end it all. Voilà. A beautiful bond is born, in a symbiotic relationship for the ages. This coming-of-(endless)-age tale is wryly comedic and sensitively unveiled. A biting dissection of familial alienation, this is a poignantly presented work that gives new meaning to the term “enfant terrible.”

3

‘Nosferatu’ (2024)

Image via Focus Features

Gothic film master director Robert Eggers was handed quite a challenge: remake one of the most iconic horror films ever (that’s already received a bloody bevy of terrific remakes) and improve upon it. Well, he certainly was up to the expressionistic challenge with Nosfertatu. The tone, color palette, mood, and overall look are stunning; a truly well-designed and sublimely executed take on an undeniable classic.

The story (more commonly known to everyday filmgoers as Dracula) is focused on a relatively innocent girl, Ellen Hutter, played with wide-eyed wonder by Lily-Rose Depp (who, despite her nepo-baby status, does a remarkable job with the role). Ellen is betrothed to the dashing Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult), who’s been called away to the Carpathian Mountains to secure a land deal with the mysterious (and thoroughly revolting) Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård, who, despite his matinée star looks, has quietly made a lucrative career in playing the creepiest of antagonists). Orlok sees an image of Ellen in Tommy boy’s locket, and immediately becomes obsessed with making her his dark bride. The rest of the (near black and white) film plays out as one would imagine, with Orlok using his mystical powers of the night to try to seduce Ellen into joining him in demonically damned eternity. Eggers received a ton of acclaim for his careful handling of the gruesomely beautiful gothic material — and he deserves it. The film is a true work of baroque art, even if it’s the 4,582nd version of this story.

2

‘Abigail’ (2024)

Image via Universal Pictures

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Who said vampire movies can’t be fun? Definitely not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who delivered one of the most action, laugh, and gore-packed vampire flicks of all time. Basically every morsel of this multi-genre mash-up movie is super entertaining. The story (conceived by screenwriters Stephen Shields and Guy Busick) is extraordinarily rich, crammed with clever subplots and twisty twists that permeate the entire tale. Add to all these already fantastic elements a perfectly assembled cast that delivers the goods — especially the titular star — and you’ve got one of the best vampire films of any time period.

The supremely well-crafted story revolves around a diverse cadre of criminals, kidnappers, if you will, that receive some (eventually revealed to be suspicious) intel about a massively valuable target housed in a huge estate. The thing is, each member of this crew has got quite the backstory — but none as layered as that of the main character, Joey (Melissa Barrera, who’s poised to become the next scream queen of the moment). So, they gear up, ready to snatch the person…who turns out to be a little girl…who turns out to be a sneaky, devilishly precocious vampire. Meet Abigail (the outlandishly gifted young actress Alisha Weir). Once her true, vampirific nature is exposed, things devolve into a nightmarish web of horrors for the kidnapper crew, as they try to navigate the booby-trapped home. Truly wonderful supporting performances by Kevin Durand as Peter, Dan Stevens as Frank, Giancarlo Esposito as Lambert, and Matthew Goode as the ambiguous, undead patriarch “Father” really bolster the already imaginative story, ferocious fight (and dance) choreography, and visually luscious art direction. Abigail dispatches the ultimate lesson of “never underestimate your opponent.”

1

‘Sinners’ (2025)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

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Music and cinema have always gone together. In fact, music has been an integral part of movies before there was even talking in them. So, when writer-director Ryan Coogler set out to develop one of the most entertaining and profound vampire films of all time, he knew that the specific music of the era that he was capturing had to be woven into the story in a groovily smooth manner. He definitely achieved this goal, as Sinners features the most soulful soundtrack and score of possibly any horror film ever.

The sublimely structured story is set in a very specific place and time, which informs all the action of the film. Sammie Moore (Miles Caton) is a young blues-loving guitarist in the Mississippi Delta in the 1930s. His preacher poppa wants him to follow in his devout footsteps, but Sammie would rather jam out at his cousins’ new juke joint. Yes, Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore (Michael B. Jordan in his Oscar-winning role(s)) have breezed back into town from the Windy City and have their hearts set on using their city slicker ways to make a buck in their old community. Stack’s old flame, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld, who is phenomenal at exuding smoky sexuality, earnest emotion, and then brazen wickedness), gets involved in the mix, complicating things tremendously (and not just because she’s white). Now, to the vampire aspect; a trio of Irish-born vamps desire entry to the Juke Club, and are met with some resistance…yet Remmick (the beguilingly dark Jack O’Connell), their de facto (de fango) leader, will not be thwarted. Of course, hefty themes of racial inequality, injustice, faith, and a lot more heady topics are explored here that elevate this film to one of the best of the decade, but now…back to the music. Sammie plays his guitar with such passion and soul that he is able to invoke the musical spirits of his ancestors…and even future descendants. The way Coogler and his sound crew blend the blues with the luxurious sounds of other eras is a wonder to behold (and then, naturally, the manner in which they masterfully mix in the scary score to accompany the vicious vampire parts is also perfectly executed). Overall, this moving movie is a knockout all around (just ask The Academy), and the earthy, pulsating sounds of the South will be resonating in the ears of vampire-movie-lovers for a long, long time.

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Sinners

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Release Date

April 18, 2025

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Runtime

138 minutes

Director

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Ryan Coogler

Writers

Ryan Coogler

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We’ve already found our first two billion-dollar movies of 2026. The first, unsurprisingly, followed in the footsteps of the Chinese animated hit Ne Zha 2 and last year’s Zootopia 2 by being the latest animated sequel to make $1 billion. The video game adaptation sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which stars the likes of Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jack Black, will forever be known as the first billion-dollar 2026 movie.

The target was then recently hit by Antoine Fuqua’s musical biopic, Michael, which followed up on a successful run in U.S. theaters by opening in Japan and finally crossing the line. But fear not, order looks ready to be restored, and another animated sequel looks set to hit $1 billion soon. This is thanks to Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the rest of the Toy Story 5 gang, surpassing the $900 million mark worldwide last weekend,

In the U.S. alone, in its fifth weekend, Toy Story 5 made another $14.8 million and finished fourth in the domestic ranks. Not just a box office smash, the latest in the groundbreaking Pixar franchise is also a critical darling, earning a strong 92% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, alongside a 95% rating from audiences. Collider’s Taylor Gates gave the movie an 8/10 rating in her review, saying, “The impressive fifth installment not only justifies its existence but feels like a necessary response to how much the world has changed in the past three decades.”

Could the Next Billion-Dollar Movie of the Year Have Just Debuted?

As Toy Story 5 edges closer to that all-important box office milestone, a new contender for the prize in 2026 has debuted. Last weekend, Christopher Nolan‘s most ambitious film yet, The Odyssey, crashed onto theatrical shores with an almighty bang, shaking the foundations of the 2026 box office with an opening weekend that is Nolan’s highest ever. The movie, dubbed “a filmmaking feast” by Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, has earned a whopping $264 million in its first weekend and sets sail on a likely successful journey to the billion-dollar boundary.

Toy Story 5 is in theaters now. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for more box office updates.

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Release Date

June 19, 2026

Runtime

102 Minutes

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Director

Andrew Stanton, Kenna Harris

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• 
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  Tim Allen

  Buzz Lightyear (voice)

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  Greta Lee

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  Lilypad (voice)

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By TeeJay Small
| Updated 1 hour ago

By now, even the most casual Simpsons fan is aware of the controversy surrounding Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. The fan-favorite character, once voiced by Hank Azaria, first appeared all the way back in the show’s inaugural season and has become a staple of the series for decades. Unfortunately, Apu has been all but written out of The Simpsons and ignored since 2017, following the release of a documentary titled The Problem With Apu. In the years since, Fox has effectively pretended that the Kwik-E-Mart clerk doesn’t exist, until a recent social media post.

On July 11, the official Simpsons X account shared an image of Apu passing a golden, glowing Squishee cup across the counter at the Kwik-E-Mart. Eagle-eyed fans quickly recognized the frame as being pulled from the 2016 episode “Much Apu About Something.” Others questioned if the still was from an upcoming episode, which would place Apu back in the spotlight. Either way, there were a myriad of reactions from fans regarding this sudden acknowledgment of a character who has been relegated to the distant background since “Gucci Gang” and fidget spinners were all the rage.

Soft Lanch, Or Hot Air?

In case you’re not up to date, comedian Hari Kondabolu created The Problem With Apu to raise concerns regarding Indian stereotypes in media, and the damaging effects they can have on real-life Indians. In the special, Kondabolu claims that he and others have been tormented by refrains like “thank you, come again,” and jokes which call back to The Simpsons as a singular cultural touchstone. Needless to say, the Indian people are not a monolith (the diaspora accounts for some 1.4 billion), and others, like Akaash Singh, have argued that the character actually brings positive representation to the cultural forefront.

If this social media post is indeed a soft-launch of Apu’s return, the network will surely be met with plenty of questions. For starters, will Hank Azaria return to the role, or will Apu be recast by an actor of actual South Asian heritage? Azaria has been asked multiple times if he’s open to a return, and made it perfectly clear that he has no plans to offer up a “thank you, come again” any time soon. Other Simpsons characters, including Dr. Hibbert and Carl Carlson, have been recast in recent years, as a greater cultural push demands characters be played by actors who share their lived experience.

The Simpsons is not the only animated series that’s faced this backlash. Futurama, Family Guy, and Big Mouth have also agreed to swap caucasian voice actors out of non-white roles. BoJack Horseman (which concluded before this controversy became relevant) was criticized for Alison Brie’s performance of Diane, a Vietnamese-American with very few roots to her ethnic homeland.

No matter what happens with the Apu character, some subset of fans will surely be up in arms. For now, it seems like Fox will make their decision based on market research, and try to offend as few potential viewers as possible, while cashing in on rage-bait politics with cryptic social media posts.

Streaming was once seen as an alternative to basic cable with more options and fewer distractions, but the industry has increasingly updated its subscription services to feel more like traditional television. Amazon Prime used to make a clear distinction between its ad-supported free content and a more streamlined subscription model; until 2024, the “Freevee” app for ad-supported content was independent of Prime Video, but now all content is hosted in the same place with different tiers. Amazon is replacing its existing “ad-free tier” with Prime Video Ultra, which allows for increased offline viewing, five concurrent streams, and Ultra HD and 4K quality picture and sound by Dolby Atmos. Given that any new perks within streaming come with price hikes, the Prime Video Ultra tier has been raised from $14.99 to $19.99 per month.

While it should be expected that services will ask for more when adding new benefits, Prime Video has framed its ad-supported tier as the baseline subscription, as even those who pay the yearly rates for all Amazon Prime capabilities will have to deal with ads. Ads might have been an annoyance that could be dealt with for those using the free tier, but Prime Video isn’t even suggesting that an ad-supported subscription is the cheaper option anymore; the basic Prime Video subscriber should expect ads, as only those willing to tack on additional viewing capabilities will be exempt from distractions. There have been many questions about how streaming services will continue to be profitable as content spending goes up and the maximum subscriber count has plateaued, and the pivot towards ad integration provides an answer.

Prime Video Is Reframing Its Streaming Tiers

It’s important to remember that every major streaming service has gone back on its initial promise to be ad-free, as the option to draw in new subscribers with a less expensive option was too alluring to pass up. Prime Video is unique in this regard because it was initially seen as a bonus for those using Amazon Prime for other reasons; if a subscriber was accessing content on Prime Video, they, in all likelihood, used Amazon for other consumer needs. While Freevee had operated as an experiment to test how well subscribers reacted to ad-supported content that was hosted in the Prime Video interface, there’s a different calculation involved when there is an actual subscription price. Similar to what Netflix and HBO Max have discovered, Prime Video recognized that the integration of ads provides more unique sponsorship opportunities for companies based on how existing users navigate the service. The data Prime Video has on how its users respond to prominent ad placements within the middle of streams is just as desirable for content sponsors as the advertising of their products.

Prime Video is in a position to pivot because it has developed “zeitgeist shows” that subscribers will sign up to watch, even if they don’t otherwise use Amazon Prime. Since its ad interactions allow Prime Video to cut more deals with companies, it is in the streamer’s best interest to develop shows that get a high amount of viewership; this might explain why Prime Video has been more ruthless in cancelling shows that had some degree of critical acclaim or niche fanbase. Prime Video has been savvy in cornering certain markets that haven’t been targeted by other streamers; while there isn’t another service that has produced as much great science fiction content as Apple TV, Prime Video has developed strong followings for its romantic and coming-of-age programs. Prime Video has also expanded some of its most popular shows with spin-offs, which will guarantee that viewers will spend more time on the platform and thus be exposed to more ads. Spin-offs for shows like Reacher, Bosch, and The Terminal List don’t just allow Prime Video to capitalize on some of its most successful properties but also give it the chance to develop a unique brand identity.

Ads Have Become Normalized on All Streaming Services

Prime Video is experiencing a broad strategic shift because its content has to be adjusted for ads to be incorporated. Some of Prime Video’s longest-running shows, such as The Boys and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, began airing on the service before ads were commonplace; these shows’ creators now must either find natural ad breaks in the episodes or risk taking the viewer out of the experience with an awkward transition. This is further complicated by the fact that Amazon Studios has found more success with its theatrically released films that hit the service months after they leave cinemas, such as Project Hail Mary, The Sheep Detectives, or Crime 101. Since the fact that these films hit Prime Video before other subscription-based services is part of the appeal, calculations are made to determine how to best incorporate ads; some feature an extended run of ads that run before the film so that there are no interruptions during playback.

Although it used to be an option to save extra on a monthly bill, ad-free streaming is now a luxury offered to those who want better restoration, multiple streams, and better surround sound. While it doesn’t come as a surprise that all streaming services seem to be following the same pattern, there’s no need for them to put up the guise that they’re much different from cable television. The massive amount of spending that Prime Video puts into its original content comes with a cost, and ads are clearly the strategy to be most profitable.

Bruce Springsteen’s political commentary has sparked plenty of debate in recent years, and another fellow musician has now joined the growing list of critics. 

Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain recently argued that politics has no place on the concert stage, saying artists should focus on entertaining audiences rather than sharing their personal views. 

His comments not only took direct aim at the rock legend but also echoed concerns Mick Jagger recently raised about Springsteen’s increasingly political performances.

Bruce Springsteen’s increasingly political concerts have become a talking point beyond his own fan base, with fellow rock legend Mick Jagger offering a different perspective on how artists should approach the stage. 

During an appearance on The New York Times podcast “The Interview” earlier in July, the Rolling Stones frontman was asked about Springsteen’s habit of addressing political issues from the stage. 

While avoiding a direct personal attack, Jagger made it clear that his own philosophy was very different. 

“The bottom line of my thing, really, is that my job in the live music world is [for] those people that come is to have the best time they possibly can,” he said, explaining that audiences should be able to forget “all their problems” for a few hours. 

Jagger added that while he occasionally included political themes into his songwriting, he didn’t believe concerts were the place for extended commentary, concluding, “You don’t want to lecture them.”

Jonathan Cain Says Bruce Springsteen Should Leave Politics Out Of His Shows

Jagger isn’t the only rock legend to question Springsteen’s increasingly political performances. Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain soon weighed in with a far more direct assessment.

The 76-year-old didn’t mince words while discussing Springsteen during an appearance on “The Complete Disaster Network” podcast. 

Although Cain acknowledged that he held firm political beliefs, he insisted he had never felt the need to turn his concerts into political platforms. 

Reflecting on his own views, Cain explained, “I used to be a Democrat back in the old days, but I couldn’t go there anymore, you know? I’m a diehard conservative.” 

He then argued that Springsteen should adopt a similar approach, saying, “And guys like Bruce Springsteen should shut up. You know, really, honestly, shut up, Bruce, you know? Him and who’s the other one? Robert DeNiro. I mean, who cares, guys? Do your art. I try to keep politics out of my music.” 

The musician added that while he once enjoyed Springsteen’s work, he now saw the singer as “an annoying, bitter old man.”

Cain Explains Why He Keeps His Personal Views Separate From Music

While criticizing Bruce Springsteen’s approach, Jonathan Cain also emphasized that his own political and religious beliefs remained just personal.

The “Separate Ways” singer said fans attended concerts to hear music, not political speeches. 

“People say, ‘Well, you’re a Christian and you’re conservative,’ and I’m like, ‘So what?’” he explained, adding, “I don’t preach it on stage. I don’t spend 10 minutes talking about it.” 

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For Cain, live performances should provide an escape from everyday divisions rather than reinforce them. 

He argued that audiences come together through shared songs and memories, regardless of where they stand politically, which is why he believed entertainers should resist using their performances to promote personal ideologies.

Cain Also Took Aim At Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born In The U.S.A.’

Cain’s criticism extended beyond Springsteen’s recent public comments, reaching back to one of his biggest hits. 

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Discussing “Born in the U.S.A.,” the keyboardist argued that the song itself reflected a message he believed was overly critical of America. 

“You were born in the USA, weren’t you, dude? So act like it,” Cain said before adding, “But even that song, if you look at the lyrics, I mean, it’s a kind of a diss toward our country.” 

By pointing to the decades-old anthem, Cain suggested that Springsteen’s political messaging didn’t begin with his recent speeches but had been embedded in his music for years. 

Jonathan Cain Believes Music Should Unite, Not Divide

Rather than using concerts to show political differences, Cain said he believed music should bring people together. 

Citing Paul McCartney as an example, he recalled, “I mean, Paul McCartney said, ‘Hey, when I sing Hey, Jude, Democrats and Republicans all sing together.’” 

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Cain said he strived to create that same atmosphere whenever Journey took the stage. 

“And I feel the same way with Journey,” he explained. “We have our parties out there in the audience, respective parties, and they’re singing Don’t Stop Believin.”

For the veteran musician, that sense of unity was what made live performances memorable, regardless of fans’ political affiliations. 

Summing up his perspective, Cain argued that entertainers risked undermining that shared experience when they ventured into politics, concluding, “I just don’t think it’s cool to have celebrities going there. It’s a bad look.”

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The Scrubs revival will look a little different in season 2 following multiple cast exits.

Multiple outlets confirmed on Monday, July 20, that Joel Kim Booster, who played Dr. Kevin Park in season 1, will not return. X Mayo, who recurred as Charge Nurse Raymond, is also not set to be back in season 2.

16 cast members are confirmed to be back — including returning stars Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke and Donald Faison. Out of the new group of interns introduced in season 1, Ava Bunn has been promoted to series regular.

The rest of the actors playing interns — Jacob Dudman, David Gridley, Layla Mohammadi and Amanda Morrow — are set to recur in season 2. Scrubs is also expanding with new characters such as Rachel Bilson‘s Charlie.

Related: Meet the ‘Scrubs’ Revival Cast — Including Alums From the Original Show

Most of the original Scrubs cast is reprising their roles for the highly anticipated revival — but who else is new to the show? Scrubs, which originally aired from 2001 to 2010, followed the lives of employees at the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital. The hit series starred Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Judy Reyes, […]

“This isn’t a show about the kids, but the audience is curious about their family life and home life, and so we do want to show a little bit of that as well,” showrunner Aseem Batra told Deadline in April.

Other members of the cast such as John C. McGinley and Judy Reyes are still recurring amid filming other projects outside of Scrubs.

“Both shows have been amazing and working with us to get those performers over to Vancouver [where Scrubs films],” Batra added. “So we’ll do our very best to keep them in the fold, because they are part of this in a big way, but we’re happy for their success in other areas, and we’d just love them back as much as we can get them.”

Scrubs, which originally aired from 2001 to 2010, followed the lives of employees at the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital. The hit series starred Braff, Chalke, Faison, Reyes, Neil Flynn, Ken Jenkins and McGinley before it was brought back for a ninth season titled Med School.

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Related: Which ‘Scrubs’ Stars Are — And Aren’t — Returning for the Revival?

Bill Lawrence‘s medical drama Scrubs is being revived over a decade after its finale season — but which stars are and aren’t reprising their roles? Scrubs, which originally aired from 2001 to 2010, followed the lives of employees at the fictional teaching hospital Sacred Heart Hospital. The hit series starred Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald […]

The show’s final season moved the setting to a medical school to introduce new characters. Only Braff, Faison and McGinley remained regular cast members while others made guest appearances. Kerry Bishé, Eliza Coupe, Dave Franco and Michael Mosley were brought in, with Bishé taking over as the show’s new narrator after Braff.

According to the official synopsis, season 2 of the revival will show J.D., Turk and Elliot as they “have leveled up from interns to icons at Sacred Heart.”

“Now, the respected doctors inspire the next generation while balancing the ups and downs of working in a hospital,” the description continued. “Together with characters new and old, they are navigating this next chapter with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way.”

Country singer Rory Feek revealed his 12-year-old daughter Indiana is out of the hospital eight days after experiencing complications from open heart surgery.

“Indy’s doing amazing and looking and feeling better than ever,” Rory, 61, revealed in a Substack blog on Monday, July 20. “Pretty much completely her old self. And although she’s excited about getting back to sleeping in her big girl bedroom…for the next few nights, Mama’s not taking any chances.”

He clarified, “She’s sleeping in a bed at the foot of ours.”

The musician initially announced on June 22 that he and wife Rebecca Feek were preparing Indiana for surgery to repair a hole in her heart. She was later admitted back to the hospital in July when fluid built up around her heart. (Indy has Down syndrome, which can be linked to heart issues, per the National Down Syndrome Society.)

Related: Rory Feek Went to See Daughter Amid Dispute, Says Nobody Opened Door

Rory Feek, who is in an ongoing family dispute over the welfare of his youngest daughter, Indiana, claimed on his personal blog that he tried to personally reach out in order to talk matters over with his adult daughters, but was rebuffed. In a blog entry titled “Canceled” published Tuesday, September 17, on his website, […]

“We’ve known for the last couple of months that this was on the horizon. This is part of why we’re here in Texas,” Rory wrote about her surgery in June. “Throughout February and March, we visited a couple of different children’s hospitals around the state and ultimately decided to do it at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin. It’s an incredible facility with a wonderful staff, and Dr. Frasier, who will be doing the surgery, is one of the very best pediatric cardiac surgeons in the world.”

He added, “[We’re] preparing her for something that’s going to be very hard on her. Hard on all of us, especially her Papa, to see her go through so much difficulty and pain. But I also know that when it’s done, it’s going to make her life better.”

Rory had a very positive update on Monday, revealing that Indy was officially released from the hospital eight days after her complications arose. (Rory welcomed Indy with his late wife and musical partner, Joey Feek. He married his third wife, Rebecca, in 2024.)

“When we got back home here to the little farmhouse we’ve been renting, as Rebecca and I unpacked (thankfully, some folks here had secretly showed up and cleaned up the house, since we had left everything in such a rush last Thursday morning), Indy and her friends went through more of the sweet cards and letters and played some games together in her bedroom,” he wrote. “Honestly, the outpouring of love from everyone — some we know and most we’ll probably never meet — that we’ve received in the last few weeks, has been absolutely humbling for our whole family.”

Indy’s medical issues have reignited a conflict with the Feek family. Amid her hospitalization, Rory’s older daughters, Heidi, 39, and Hopie, 38 — from his first marriage to Tamara Gilmer — criticized their father for publicizing Indy’s surgery.

Heidi and Hopie took legal action against their dad in the fall of 2024, claiming that he’d cut them off from contacting Indy because of a family dispute over her care. The case is ongoing, as of publication.

“Yesterday my father posted a Substack post where he detailed how she essentially almost died, according to him. And while I’m glad that she’s doing better and that she’s okay, according to him in that Substack post, I am upset that I found out on Instagram,” Heidi said in a vlog on July 12 “I am still upset because of the ongoing exploitation of my little sister on his monetized Substack account.”

She argued that Rory should not be sharing Indy’s “vulnerable moments” for social media content before criticizing him for promoting his song “Thank You Lord” at the end of his post.

“That’s not a moment to be taking photos, that’s not a moment to be blogging about, and it’s not a moment to be self-promoting or promoting your organization performing your song,” she insisted. “It all makes me absolutely sick to my stomach.”

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Related: Rory Feek Responds to Claims That Youngest Daughter Is in Unsafe Situation

Rory Feek has responded to threats of legal action made by his oldest daughters, Heidi and Hopie, who claim that he has placed their 10-year-old sister Indiana Boone in an unsafe situation. Heidi, 38, alleged that her father had been neglectful of Indiana, who has special needs, in an interview with People published on Saturday, […]

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Her sister Hopie claimed she and Heidi had not seen Indy in two years because of their disagreements with Rory.

“My beautiful 12 year old sister was being life flighted to Austin due to complications after her heart surgery…which somehow was the pristine time to stop and take photos!” Hopie alleged. “I see Indy scared and hurt surrounded by strangers being photographed from afar by a parent. In moments like these I would never stop to think I need to take photos for my blog and for my fans!”

Rory’s spokesperson declined to comment on Heidi and Hopie’s social media posts when contacted by Us.