A former LA County employee has been charged with attempting to scam Savannah Guthrie’s family as they continue their search for the Today anchor’s missing mother.

Los Angeles Magazine reported on Thursday, February 5, that Derrick Callella, was previously involved in an overtime theft case last October before having new federal charges leveled against him after he allegedly reached out to the family of missing grandmother Nancy Guthrie, 84.

Callella was one of 13 LA County employees charged with stealing $430,000 in unemployment benefits between 2020 and 2023.

“As government employees, we have an obligation to uphold the public’s trust,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said via a press release in October 2025.

He continued: “When a civil servant steals from the government, that trust is broken. The scale of fraud in these cases is shocking, spanning seven different County agencies, including employees whose very job was to help the public determine whether they were eligible for public benefits. Most egregiously, these individuals allegedly claimed to be unemployed during the COVID pandemic when millions of Californians were legitimately in need of unemployment benefits. I thank Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller Oscar Valdez for his partnership and commitment to holding government employees accountable. Today, we are putting all government employees on notice: If you steal from taxpayers, you will be prosecuted.”

According to court documents seen by Us Weekly on Thursday, Callella was allegedly connected to what the FBI described as an “imposter” ransom scam after he contacted Nancy’s family following her disappearance.

Per a criminal complaint obtained by Us, Callella initially sent a text message to Savannah’s sister Annie Guthrie and Annie’s husband Tommaso Cioni.

The text read, “Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction.”

Callella then allegedly made a phone call to an unidentified family member of Nancy, which lasted nine seconds.

Authorities tracked Callella down on Thursday morning, he admitted to sending the ransom demands. He told the FBI “that he pulled family information from a cyber website, and that he had been following along and watching TV.” He told authorities his text messages were an attempt to “see if the family would respond.”

FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge, Heith Janke, addressed the ransom note received by the Guthrie family via a press conference held on Thursday, February 5.

“I think we start to look at what the deadlines were in the note,” Janke shared. “First, I think [it] was 5 p.m. today, and then it had a second deadline after that. So we are continuing in a normal kidnapping case, there would be contact by now trying to discuss that. But those are the time frames we’re looking at as we move forward.”

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Related: Annie Guthrie and Husband Tommaso Cioni Got Imposter’s Ransom Texts

Annie Guthrie and husband Tommaso Cioni were the ones who received imposter Derrick Callella’s ransom text messages after Nancy Guthrie went missing. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Thursday, February 5, Annie and Cioni both received text messages from Callella after the Guthrie family — which includes Annie, Camron and Savannah Guthrie […]

Addressing the “imposter ransom” arrest, Janke added, “We have made one arrest related to an imposter ransom demand, and a complaint will be presented to a magistrate judge later today.”

He continued, “There’s no evidence to connect this to Nancy’s case. It was someone that was trying to profit off it.”

Janke also warned that authorities would come down hard on anyone trying to exploit the Guthries’ situation for profit.

“To those imposters who are trying to take advantage and profit from this situation, we will investigate and ensure you are held accountable for your actions,” he said. “This is an 84-year-old grandma that needs vital medication for her well being. You still have the time to do the right thing before this becomes a worse, much worse scenario for you.”

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the news of Nancy’s disappearance on Sunday, February 1, sharing a missing person report via X. Nancy was described as a “vulnerable adult” who was last seen “at her residence” within Arizona’s Catalina Foothills area on the evening of Saturday, January 31. The report noted that it is “unknown what clothing she may be wearing.”

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 4 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.]

Set a century before the events of Game of Thrones, the HBO series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) as they wander through Westeros. Nothing is ever that simple, and when it’s revealed that Egg has been hiding that he’s really Prince Aegon Targaryen, it gets Dunk into trouble that will be resolved in a trial by combat. Learning that it will actually be the rarely practiced trial of seven, Dunk must find six additional men to fight alongside him or he’ll be declared guilty. By some miracle, after an impassioned plea, it all comes together for Dunk, but he’s not out of danger yet.

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Claffey and Ansell discussed the humor of this Westeros story, building the bond between Dunk and Egg, how Dunk feels about Egg’s betrayal, filming at the trial, the epicness of the moment when Dunk is looking for a final knight to join him, and whether Egg feels guilty about what he put in motion.

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Has a More Lighthearted Touch Than Other Stories Set in Westeros

“But you don’t want to make it all about being a comedy.”

Collider: A lighter, more comedic tale in Westeros doesn’t sound like something that ever would have happened, but here we are. What has it been like to find the comedic timing and the humor in an otherwise quite serious world? Was it something that you guys had conversations about and worked on, or do you feel like you really found the humor of it pretty quickly?

PETER CLAFFEY: We knew that (creator) Ira [Parker] really wanted to have this lighthearted touch to this Westerosy world, but you don’t want to make it all about being a comedy, make it all about jam and jokes down people’s throats, and make it too slapstick and forced. With all these situations, they are all very Game of Thrones-Westeros situations where there’s serious dramatic moments, but with every situation you have in your life, you can either keep it on the serious route or try and find the lighthearted humor in it. It was little things like dramatic moments exclamating conversations, like he hits his head off the wall walking out and takes the wrong turn to go down a hallway and come back. It was just trying to find those small nuances of comedy and allowing them to come through. It’s more of an organic, earthy tale spoken from the point of view of the small folk. When you’re not in these big, great halls with highborn people arguing over who’s to be the king of Westeros, there is an air of comedy that comes from those kind of country folk. I come from small town Ireland, and when you’re back there, no matter what you’ve doing or achieved, people are always ready to take the mick out of you, and Ashford has that same quality. It was just trying to dance along the line of that, for sure.

DEXTER SOL ANSELL: The funniest bit for me is probably one of the first scenes when Dunk is walking through in Ashford and there’s this guy with the horse, and he goes, “Are you Baelor Targaryen?” It’s the funniest scene.

Related

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Timeline Explained: Where Dunk and Egg Fit in ‘Game of Thrones’ History

The ‘Game of Thrones’ series is not told chronologically.

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CLAFFEY: It’s those little awkward interactions.

ANSELL: Yeah, they make the show.

CLAFFEY: I think it draws the comedy out of Egg as well. As a highborn person, that interaction with these people …

ANSELL: … It’s just really funny.

CLAFFEY: Yeah.

Is Dunk and Egg’s Bond in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Strong Enough To Make It Through the Young Squire’s Betrayal?

“Dunk is not the brightest spark in Westeros.”

Image via HBO

To jump into spoilers, we learn in episode three that Egg lied to dunk about who he is. Peter, prior to that reveal, what did Dunk see in Egg that made him want to take him on as squire? And how do you think it made him feel to learn that not only had he been lied to, but he’s really put into a bunch of things that he was not expecting because of that lie?

CLAFFEY: It is betrayal. Dunk is not the brightest spark in Westeros, of course. He tries to see the goodness in everybody, and he really sees a lot of himself and believes that Egg is from Flea Bottom and has journeyed here and tried to make something of himself. He thinks, “What would Ser Arlan do?” He brought him on as his squire, and he thinks it’s his duty to bring this young lad from the same place as him, when he says he’s from King’s Landing. It’s just complete and utter confusion and then betrayal to think that this prince of the realm knew that he would get this man in serious trouble, but he just couldn’t help himself but want to be a squire and be in the tourney.

Related

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Star Reveals the Scene George R. R. Martin Praised on Set

The series premieres on January 18.

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I think it’s a massive testament to the relationship and the bond that they build in the first half of The Hedge Knight, to see that those things not only fizzle out, but they end up together and they want to go off and see the world. At that very end point when Egg shows up, Dunk may not show it, but I knew filming it that he’s incredibly happy to see him. It was hard to leave him behind. Seeing as the way things unfolded towards the end, Dunk definitely feels that he has a duty to Westeros to try and provide them with some decent king or some good Targaryen that could replace the person that he feels at fault for taking.

There Was an Epicness to Dunk’s ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Trial of 7 Moment

“There were a thousand people around.”

Image via HBO

There’s that really big moment in episode four when Dunk is trying to get everybody together so they can have this battle, and then Prince Baelor Targaryen comes in to say that he’s going to join you and you have the sweeping Game of Thrones music. What is it like to film a moment like that, especially when you don’t have all the music that comes with it and everything else on set? Does it still feel like a very important moment to shoot?

CLAFFEY: Yeah, it was. Ever since I got into this, the beauty of film sometimes gets taken from you. It’s kind of a sacrificial thing to become an actor because those things, a lot of the time, are not as flashy as they seem on screen. The thing with the speech on horseback, trying to add somebody for a sixth, that felt as cinematic as it looks, for sure. But those bits are so bitty and you have to pick them up from so many different ways. It’s a hard thing. But that was a big day on set. There was a lot of crowd. There were a thousand people around. You have all these horses. You have everybody dressed up as knights and in armor. There was an epicness to it. You have to deliver that, “Are there no true knights among you?” bit, and you see the gates open. Even without the music, it did feel amazing. But I’m so glad about how that turned out with the music. It’s insane.

ANSELL: I think really, for any movie, no matter what style of the movie, the music makes it. If it’s a horror movie, in real life, it’s not going to be scary, looking and seeing a monster behind you. I’ve done this loads of times and it’s so fascinating, but if you put like a horror movie on, and then you turn the music off and turn the sound off, it doesn’t feel scary. It honestly feels like a comedy.

CLAFFEY: Yeah. So true.

Related

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Creator Confirms How Many Seasons the New Series Will Be [Exclusive]

The series premieres on January 18.

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Dexter, do you think, at any point, that Egg feels guilty for what he’s set in motion?

ANSELL: A bit. He feels a bit guilty, but he knows he’s done the right thing. Honestly, it’s not his fault his family is horrible to him. And it’s not his fault that Dunk chose him. A tiny bit, but he’s really just annoyed it had to go this way. But it turns out good.

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Release Date

January 18, 2026

Network

HBO

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Showrunner

Ira Parker

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Directors

Owen Harris

Writers

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George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker

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• 

  Peter Claffey

  Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall

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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs on HBO and is available to stream on HBO Max. Check out the trailer:

Economy’s Trash … Flights Are a Joke
What You Need for Mini Getaways

Published
February 6, 2026
12:05 AM PST

General Hospital sees Harrison Chase (Josh Swickard) still totally fooled into thinking that Willow Tait (Katelyn MacMullen) is innocent. It looks like him being so naive about her is about to ruin everything for him—first his career and soon, maybe, his marriage to Brook Lynn Quartermaine (Amanda Setton).

We’re going to talk about how Chase and Brook Lynn might fall apart soon. Because even though Willow was found not guilty, Chase isn’t going to stop. He also wants to prove that Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson)’s guilty, which would fully confirm her innocence.

Willow’s Shocking Transformation on General Hospital

At one point, I think we can all agree Willow did seem like a decent human being. But that was before Drew Cain Quartermaine (Cameron Mathison) got his claws into her. Now Willow is getting worse by the day. I suspect everybody in Port Charles is going to know the truth about her eventually, but I’m not sure Chase will ever believe that she’s bad. Ever since Willow was accused of shooting Drew, we’ve seen Chase as her biggest champion. He has defended Willow left and right.

Chase Risks Everything for Willow on GH

Chase was investigating the shooting in his own time to try and prove Willow is innocent, even while the PCPD was building a case against her and had some pretty good evidence. Bottom line, Chase put his career on the line by taking Willow’s side.

Chase was adamant that it was worth it to prove that Willow was framed. To be fair, Chase was thoroughly convinced that Michael not only shot Drew but framed Willow for his crime. Now, Chase has ruined his friendship with Michael because of this false assumption of Willow’s innocence.

Even worse, Chase has also just about ruined his friendship with Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna), who was his best friend. He defended Willow and accused Dante of bias and of protecting his brother, Michael, at all costs. When Chase was on the stand at Willow’s trial, he was really hard on Dante.

We saw Chase saying under oath at the trial that he thinks the PCPD went about the investigation the wrong way. Chase said they didn’t investigate anybody else; they targeted Willow. Of course, Dante was furious and so was DA Justine Turner (Nazneen Contractor).

The Fallout of Chase’s Demotion to Beat Cop

After that, Chase got demoted back to beat cop and now his professional future is at risk. It’s kind of sad because Willow is 100% guilty and Chase is totally wrong about her. We all know Willow is headed down an even darker path.

Once her twisted secrets come out, Chase is going to look like an even bigger fool. Once all the ugly truth comes out, it is going to be egg on his face. If you remember, this Willow fiasco isn’t the first time Chase jeopardized his career as a cop over a woman.

He did it before—and not just any woman, mind you, but Willow’s awful twin sister, Nelle Benson (Chloe Lanier). This was part of Chase’s pre-Port Charles history. Back in the day, before Nelle also wound up in Port Charles, she killed somebody close to her.

Chase was assigned to work the murder case of Nelle’s fiancé, Zachary Grant, down in Florida. The guy had money and Nelle convinced him to push his family away and leave everything to her in his will. Then Nelle killed her fiancé and tried to make it look like a kayaking accident.

History Repeats Itself with Wicked Twins Nelle & Willow

The entire family swore that Nelle had killed him, but she swore she was innocent. Then Chase got assigned to the case and Nelle seduced him into believing her. Chase fell for Nelle’s innocent act.

Chase was wrong then, too, because Nelle was guilty just like Willow is now. But Chase has been telling anybody who will listen that Willow is innocent and she isn’t the kind of person that could shoot somebody. It turns out Chase is very wrong.

Willow has changed. At this point, she’s pretty much pure evil. Chase got suckered by one twin, Nelle, and now the other twin, Willow, has him thoroughly fooled and all twisted up.

This week we’re going to see Brook Lynn upset at Chase. She confronts him because it doesn’t seem like it’s enough for him that Willow was acquitted at trial. Chase really wants Michael to go down for this. They even came to blows over it.

Brook Lynn Reaches Her Breaking Point on General Hospital

BLQ is ranting at Chase and asking, “Why won’t you let this go?” I think he’s also being insensitive to his wife because Willow’s twin sister, Nelle, is the reason Brook Lynn can’t sing anymore. Do you remember that? Nelle slashed Brook Lynn’s throat backstage at the Nurses Ball several years ago.

That’s not on Willow, that’s on Nelle, but Chase got played by Nelle and now he’s getting played by Willow. Chase seems willing to ruin his career over Willow. Unless he does something drastic to alter the course he’s on, Chase is going to ruin his marriage over Willow also.

The bottom line is Chase should be putting his wife first before anybody else. Instead, Chase keeps putting time and energy into trying to prove Michael’s guilt. It is as if it’s not enough that the jury found Willow not guilty.

In the end, Chase is going to look like the biggest fool in the world when the final truth comes out. I suspect that’ll happen sooner rather than later because Willow’s current scheme to frame Michael for shooting Drew is going to blow up in her face.

Will Chase Exit Port Charles?

That is confirmed in General Hospital spoilers. In the end, I think Willow is going to be exposed for shooting Drew but can’t be arrested for it since she already faced trial. However, Willow could be prosecuted if they find out she caused Drew’s stroke.

I’m hoping she’s also busted for messing with baby Daisy and driving Sasha Gilmore (Sofia Mattsson) out of the country. In the short run, Willow’s plot to frame Michael may gain traction, especially after she slipped Drew’s spare key onto Michael’s key ring.

I’m sure Chase is going to feel justified for a while. He may push back on Brook Lynn and tell his wife, “Look, see, I was right. It was Michael.” But eventually, Willow’s lies are going to catch up with her. Her world’s going to come crashing down and Chase is going to look like an idiot for defending Willow.

Chase Eats Crow on General Hospital

Chase is going to owe Michael, Dante, and most of all his wife Brook Lynn an apology for his actions. All this has Chase and BLQ’s marriage on a rocky path. Part of that is down to Chase wanting to adopt and Brook Lynn continuing to push back and put those plans on hold.

I suspect things are going to get worse for Chase and Brook Lynn until Willow is finally exposed. All of this may be setting the stage for Josh Swickard’s exit from General Hospital. We reported a leak from a reliable source a while back that said Chase was going to be written off GH and Swickard would be exiting.

Now that Dante suspended Chase and he got busted down to beat cop, he’s thinking of leaving law enforcement. You would think after Nelle snowballed Chase that he would learn to be more cautious, especially around women from this gene pool.

In the end, I am really afraid that Chase is going to ruin his life and his marriage over this Willow fixation. It could cost Chase everything. I think all that could be to lay the groundwork for his character’s exit. We’ll see.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 24 seconds ago

After watching 1975’s Dog Day Afternoon critically, and for the first time as an adult, I might have to go out on a limb here and say that Al Pacino is my favorite comedian. I remember passively watching this one on cable when I was a kid, but the minor details were fuzzy, and I was long overdue for a proper rewatch. I could give you the usual spiel about how Dog Day Afternoon is based on a real-life hostage situation orchestrated by John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile, but I’ve made my feelings clear about how source material is used countless times, and that applies here as well.

Fully understanding that creative liberties are always taken in this context, I’m simply here to watch a movie for entertainment’s sake, and I’m actually disappointed with myself for not getting to this one sooner. It’s billed as a biographical crime drama for obvious reasons, but it’s funnier than it has any right to be thanks to Al Pacino’s portrayal of a bank robber who is completely out of his depth. If anything, it plays more like a comedy of errors, where each escalation creates even more unintended spectacle.

Failure To Prepare Is Preparing To Fail

Dog Day Afternoon wastes no time getting into its heist, and it deliberately avoids showing any of the planning that took place beforehand. You’ll soon see why, because it’s painfully evident that Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino), Sal Naturile (John Cazale), and Stevie (Gary Springer) are grossly unprepared to rob the First Brooklyn Savings Bank in every conceivable way. For starters, they clearly didn’t do any kind of loyalty test, because Stevie immediately changes his mind and bolts.

Sonny then struggles to pull his gun out of the flower box he used to smuggle it inside the bank, which does nothing to make him look intimidating. He’s further humbled when he realizes the bank already completed its daily cash pickup, leaving him and Sal with just over a thousand dollars to show for their efforts. Frustrated, Sonny sets fire to the bank’s ledger, which attracts outside attention and quickly results in the police surrounding the building. With no exit strategy, Sonny and Sal are forced to hold everyone hostage while they try to figure out what to do next.

As the hours tick by, the press becomes an increasingly dominant presence outside, and Detective Sergeant Eugene Moretti (Charles Durning) urges Sonny to step out for negotiations. Sonny, having no real grasp on bank robbing protocol, insists on running everything by Sal first. Through these conversations, Sonny’s true motive comes into focus. He was trying to raise money for his lover Leon’s (Chris Sarandon) gender reassignment surgery, only to learn that his actions may have made Leon an accessory to the crime.

Pacino’s Comedic Timing Is Next Level

Before Sonny starts making demands for a jet to stage his escape, Dog Day Afternoon truly shines thanks to how Pacino carries himself throughout the ordeal. Sonny is borderline bumbling in his attempts to control the situation, and it’s the small throwaway moments that really sell it. When a hostage asks if they can use the bathroom, Sonny casually asks another teller where the bathroom is. That’s not a question a competent bank robber should ever be asking, because a competent one would have cased the place weeks or months earlier.

Whenever Sonny is presented with a counteroffer to one of his demands, he averts his eyes and mutters that he needs to consult with his partner before locking the bank down again. The earnestness behind Pacino’s portrayal of a man who is wildly unqualified for the situation lands so well because of how seriously he plays it. The humor is further amplified by just how bored the hostages seem to be. They quickly realize they’re not in immediate danger and mostly just wait things out, humoring Sonny as he continues to dig himself deeper.

Holding a near-perfect balance between crime thriller and comedy of errors, Dog Day Afternoon remains such a satisfying watch because of how fully Al Pacino commits to the premise. In Sonny’s mind, this is deadly serious business. For the audience, the comedy comes from watching someone this ill-equipped try to control a situation that keeps slipping further away from him, and it’s still a joy to watch unfold over 50 years later.

Dog Day Afternoon is streaming for free on Tubi as of this writing.

Bold and the Beautiful stuns as Liam Spencer‘s (Scott Clifton) jaw drops at the shocking news that Eric Forrester (John McCook) is Katie Logan‘s (Heather Tom) new lead designer. Liam has now been sworn to secrecy by his dad, Bill Spencer (Don Diamont), and also at Eric’s insistence. However, I doubt Liam is going to be able to keep the secret.

We’re going to talk about why Bill may be disappointed soon when Liam betrays them all by blabbing the big secret.

Liam in Shock on Bold and the Beautiful

To me, it was kind of low-key funny when Liam strolled into Bill’s office at Spencer Publications right as Eric, Katie, and Bill were looking at Eric’s sketches and discussing the wow factor they see there. It probably would have flown under the radar, but Liam saw them all, and they just kind of froze. They all looked so guilty, like they had been caught at something.

The Surprise Encounter at Spencer Publications

It was also pretty funny to see Eric sweeping in with the hat, the scarf, and the sunglasses disguise—his little homage to the original Sally Spectra from back in the day. Then Eric surprised Katie with a pile of incredible sketches, a whole couture collection, and Katie said it’s exactly what she wanted. Bill was over the moon about it, too.

But things got awkward fast when Liam interrupted them and quickly put the pieces together. The guilty look on their faces told the story, plus all the sketches laying out. They had to admit that yes, Eric is Katie’s mystery lead designer.

Then Bill dived in and told Liam, “This is Spencer business, and he can’t go telling anybody, not even Hope Logan (Annika Noelle).” This week, Bill gets more specific and says Liam can’t tell his wife or his mother-in-law, Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang).

Why Liam Spencer Can’t Keep the Secret from Hope Logan on B&B

That seems easier said than done. I don’t see Liam sticking to what Bill demands, at least not fully. I think Liam is absolutely going to tell Hope. Bottom line, that’s Liam’s wife. He knows he can trust Hope to keep quiet.

Plus, I’m sure Liam thinks Hope has a right to know since Katie is Hope’s aunt, and there’s already Logan drama going on about this whole rival fashion house. So, the big question is, when will the secret come out?

Will it stay hidden until the fashion show when Eric and Katie walk out to greet the crowd, or is somebody going to crack under the strain and spill? Donna Logan’s (Jennifer Gareis) already feeling the heat, and very soon, Liam’s going to be feeling it, too. That’s why I bet Hope is going to find out soon what’s going on.

The Impact of the Logan Fashion Secret on Ridge and Brooke on Bold and the Beautiful

Since this big secret is going to affect her mom, Brooke, and her stepdad, Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye), and both of the families, I think Liam will feel like he can’t hide it from Hope. I think Liam is going to tell Hope, but also tell her that Bill and Katie were insistent that he keep it hush-hush.

But I think Liam’s also going to tell her that even more so than them, Eric is insistent about keeping it quiet. He told Liam that he knows all heck’s going to break loose when they find out. But Eric said Ridge and Brooke brought this on themselves by pushing him out. Eric said Logan is his new chapter on Bold and the Beautiful.

I think Liam may leave the office sincerely meaning to try and sit on the secret, but I think that’ll fade once he is alone with Hope. This week, she’s in the Forrester Creations office and is listening to Ridge smack-talking Logan yet again.

Hope Logan Investigates the Mystery Designer at Logan Designs

Bill didn’t need to give Katie office space in his building because she and Logan are living rent-free in Ridge’s head every single day. Ridge tells Brooke and Hope that no high-caliber designer will work for the egomaniac that runs that company, aka Dollar Bill Spencer.

I suspect that Hope may bring up the negative things that Ridge has been saying to Liam. Hope may read the look on Liam’s face and realize he knows something about the mystery designer, which would make sense since he works in the same offices.

I think Hope may poke and prod at Liam until she shakes the truth out of him. But I don’t think Hope will run and tell Ridge or Brooke. I do think she’ll keep the secret, but it may be hard to keep quiet since Ridge is going to keep talking smack about Katie’s fashion house. We could see Hope kind of chuckle and tell Ridge he shouldn’t count them out once she knows that Eric’s involved.

Eric Forrester’s Quest for Respect and Validation on B&B

I also expect Hope to go over and talk to Eric at some point. I think he will tell Hope how much Ridge hurt him. Eric may remind Hope that Ridge said awful things to her during the Forrester coup.

Eric wasn’t happy either that they had taken over, but Ridge called Hope the B-word and told her that everybody hates her. He may also tell Hope, “Look, Ridge dissed you. He and Brooke dissed Katie. They both dissed me. And it’s time that Ridge was written a reality check.”

Eric may tell Hope that her aunt Katie gave him a new lease on life. Honestly, Eric deserves this, and Ridge pretty much deserves what’s coming. Eric was so happy at the praise he got from Katie and Bill over those sketches. Eric said he hadn’t gotten compliments like that in a long time. He obviously needs the validation and the respect.

The Fallout of the Secret Reveal for the Forrester Family

The fact he hasn’t felt that in so long lets you know just how long Ridge has devalued Eric. I do think Hope will keep quiet for Eric’s benefit. She and Donna Logan may even have a conversation about how they know this is going to blow up, but their hands are tied.

They’re not going to expose Eric’s secret and ruin something that’s making him so happy. We’ll see if it comes out that Katie hired Eric sooner rather than later. I’m hoping the secret holds until the debut Logan fashion show when Katie and Eric walk down the runway after the showstopper.

Once it’s out, Ridge is going to lay blame on everybody but himself. I think he’ll blame Bill and Katie. Ridge may say they’re taking advantage of his elderly father who’s in poor health, which I think will be even more insulting to Eric—like he’s incompetent and doesn’t know his own mind.

February Sweeps Predictions for The Bold and the Beautiful

I’m sure it’ll come out that Donna, Liam, and Hope were sitting on this. Brooke may grill Hope about why she hid this from her, but let’s be real—Brooke always puts Ridge first over everybody. So why shouldn’t Hope put Liam first? And why shouldn’t Donna put Eric first?

If Hope hears this from Liam about Eric being the designer, he may circle back to Bill and say, “Look, I kind of betrayed you because I told Hope, but I couldn’t keep it from her and you shouldn’t have asked me to keep it from my wife.” Liam may also reassure Bill, Katie, and Eric that Hope won’t blab the secret.

We’re in February sweeps, so I do expect something really big to come with Logan Designs and Ridge’s obsession with predicting that Katie and Bill will crash and burn. Ridge actually seems to expect Katie to come crawling back asking for her job at Forrester Creations because he was telling Brooke that he would rehire her.

Ridge thinks it’s a done deal—that Katie’s going to fall flat on her face. Of course, that’s not going to happen. I think Logan’s going to be a smash success. This is going to get wild soon, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.