By Robert Scucci
| Published 5 seconds ago

Last year, I mostly wrote about how Seasons 27 and 28 of South Park would go down in history as the most forgettable story arcs in the entire series for one specific reason: all of the politics and topical humor. I’m saying this as a lifelong fan of the series, and with the knowledge that the show has always provided social commentary based on current events. This is nothing new. It’s embedded into the show’s DNA.

The main distinction here is that classic South Park still holds up years later because there’s enough small-town absurdity doing its own version of current events in an allegorical sense that allows old-timers and newcomers alike to appreciate the episodes in a vacuum because they were framed in an episodic fashion.

Somebody born in 2010 who’s just getting into South Park could enjoy Season 8’s “Douche and Turd” without knowing that it was about the Kerry-Bush election cycle. Season 9’s “Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow” is clearly an allegory for how our government mismanaged the damage caused to New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, but at the end of the day, Cartman is trying to cover up how he convinced Stan to steal a boat with him, and how they accidentally destroyed a beaver dam hanging over the small neighboring town of Beaverton while their small mountain town deals with the catastrophic fallout.

Season 29’s premiere, “South American Biker Gangs,” released under the South America banner instead of being stylized as South Park, is a step back in this direction. It’s the best episode the show has put out in years because it strikes the perfect balance that South Park (I’m still calling it South Park, fight me) spent so many years perfecting.

Listen, I’m not going to get into the whole South America stylization thing that’s going on. I know it’s fully meant to antagonize our current president, which is pretty much all South Park has been doing in recent years, so I’ll keep this part of my commentary brief:

South Park fails when it’s in straight-up “roast the news” mode. There are plenty of other places to get your fix if that’s your thing. You have SNL and literally every other late-night talk show where the punchline is “Donald Trump, derpity derp,” and that’s fine.

What I’ve felt since my initial rounds of complaints, though, is a sort of vindication. Most of my conversations about the last two seasons of the series were met with pushback, in the sense that if I’m critical about the artistic direction of a show that’s critical of Donald Trump, then I must be triggered by the jokes themselves. When, in actuality, I just like it when my comedy is funny. Making the same small wee-wee joke week after week isn’t really good writing, and I think most of my peers, most die-hard South Park fans and reviewers, and, most importantly, Parker and Stone have finally caught up with this sentiment.

Which brings us to Season 29’s premiere, which had me worried that I’d finally have to walk away from media that no longer serves me. I thought the whole South America thing meant a whole other season of recycled Trump jokes, but guess what? Not a president in sight driving the actual story… just a bunch of boys with e-bikes living in the moment.

Boys Will Be Boys … FINALLY!

Listen to any DVD mini-commentary from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and one sensibility is always brought up: Trey Parker thinks South Park is at its best when the boys are just being boys, and a bunch of crazy things are happening around them.

“South American Biker Gangs” offers this in spades. Even better, outside of the boys’ main plot is a rock-solid Randy Marsh plot involving Officer Harrison Yates, and one that involves Randy mentioning that he “used to smoke marijuana” as a playful callback to the polarizing Tegridy Farms arc that has dominated the better part of the last decade.

What we get in “South American Biker Gangs” is a return to form, but some rust is being shaken off. The whole “South America” angle, which I approached with guarded enthusiasm, turned out to be a welcome driving force in the narrative that, once again, taps into current events, but in a way that’s completely localized to the fictional town of South Park.

Here’s what happens, in brief, as there are actually spoilers in here worth glossing over if you haven’t yet had the opportunity to check out “South American Biker Gangs”:

Cartman manipulates Liane into purchasing him a $2,000 e-bike so he can brag to his friends and tell them to do something very specific with his genitals. Jealous of Cartman’s new bike, Stan uses the $200 he has to purchase three Chinese-made e-bikes with all sorts of electrical problems (great foreshadowing, by the way) from none other than City Wok’s Lu Kim, who has rebranded City Wok as Super City E-Bike in order to keep up with the times.

Here’s where it gets interesting, and where I think the show is truly finding its footing in a post-Season 28 world: Randy’s B plot drives the conflict and social commentary without actually naming the elephant in the room. Randy, who’s now a health nut, has taken to conventional cycling and is incensed over how these new “South American Biker Gangs” are ruining their small community by disrespecting the rules of the road.

The recurring gag in the episode involves Randy and his cycling cohorts working with Sergeant Yates, mostly in the form of Googling how to deal with South American biker gangs while congregating at a Biker Bar that’s really just a Jamba Juice, which leads to gags involving bribery, corruption, and some pretty awful and backhanded tactics as the boys’ e-biking is constantly at odds with conventional cycling.

It’s a simple story about the boys being boys, who simply want to pop wheelies and ride really fast, and Randy, who always lets his new fixation dictate his impulsive behavior in increasingly destructive ways, reacting to it in the most Randy way possible.

This entire story culminates in one of the most classic South Park throwbacks you could think of, and I’m not even going to mention it here because you need to see it for yourself. You’ll know when you know, though. This isn’t some sort of deep-lore Easter egg, but it addresses one of the show’s oldest running gags in tandem with one of the biggest complaints about one specific character’s lack of play over the past several seasons.

A Sign Of What’s To Come

“South American Biker Gangs” is, if I had to weigh in with any bit of authority here, a return to form for one of my favorite shows that I was just about to give up on. The social commentary is on point, and the escalations in this context are palpable and distinctly on brand in a way that’s more in line with the show’s Golden Era. The most important part, though, is that you could watch this episode 10 years from now, not knowing anything about the current state of the world, and still enjoy it as a self-contained, standalone episode.

Not to mention, whenever anybody mentions that the problems they’re experiencing will blow over in November, which you think would build up to a political joke, we’re constantly reminded that’s when GTA VI will come out, meaning the kids won’t be running amok in the streets anymore. That’s called a misdirect, and that’s funny.

My biggest criticism of South Park in recent years is that it lost the plot. It has always been a topical show with its finger on the pulse, but its approach turned more toward real life rather than allegory. Unless you’re collecting Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth trading cards and watching Fox News and CNN all day while foaming at the mouth for your next political pundit dopamine hit, the humor will be lost on you if you’re just looking for some good old-fashioned, small-town absurdity and don’t obsess over every single current event in real time.

That is all to say, if you were ready to walk away from South Park for completely abandoning what made it so special in the first place, “South American Biker Gangs” is the return to form we’ve all been waiting for. And if the show continues to move in this direction, I think it’s safe to say that the series is finally entering its Rolling Stones era: they’re going back to the hits, but putting a fresh spin on them.

South Park (or South America if you want to be pedantic) is streaming on Paramount+.

SOUTH AMERICAN BIKER GANGS SCORE

Days of Our Lives sees that Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey) is soon facing both professional and personal challenges and it is because of the contaminated drug mess and EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) and it looks like it’ll be Xander Cook (Paul Telfer) who saves her this time and that could change everything for him and Sarah.

And let’s talk about how Xander steps up during Sarah’s upcoming drama and how it changes things for her, Xander, and Brady Black (Eric Martsolf). Because it looks like Sarah is attacked soon and things get really dark for her.

Days of our Lives: Johnny Freaks Out

Recently, George O’Halloran called Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman) because they needed a desperate crisis management meeting about DiMera Pharmaceuticals. George made Johnny really nervous when he showed him the complaint about tainted batch that he and EJ were covering up.

And George said a doctor from Salem University Hospital filed an anonymous complaint with the FDA against DiMera Pharmaceuticals. It alleges the company made a tainted batch of the drug and that people’s lives may have been taken. Sarah thinks they are to blame for at least two deaths, possibly more.

This is exactly why EJ tried to fire Sarah before. EJ was trying to get out in front of this and so George told Johnny about the complaint and there’s more details. It says that DiMera Pharmaceuticals not only manufactured arsenic-contaminated drugs but then DiMera illegally disposed of it on Smith Island and tainted the local water supply. So George and Johnny both know all these allegations are true. But they wonder how the FDA found out. But there’s little doubt Sarah’s behind the anonymous complaint.

George can’t reach EJ. Because he’s in Rome right now, he needs Johnny to step up as CEO and handle this new mess. Even though EJ was the one running DiMera Pharmaceuticals at the time and oversaw the cover up, it’s all falling on Johnny as the current CEO since Theo Carver (Tyler Joseph Andrews) wants nothing to do with this. It is still Johnny’s responsibility to handle all of this. Because he’s the boss.

Johnny on Camera on DOOL

Now, meanwhile, Brady and Sarah just told Xander that they saw a reflection of Johnny on the hospital security cameras the night EJ’s son left the arsenic clue on Sarah’s desk that saved Holly Jonas‘s (Ashley Puzemis) life. And then Sarah told Xander she and Brady thought it was a good idea for her to file the anonymous complaint to the FDA. And of course, Xander got immediately anxious.

He worried that Sarah’s rash action has put her life at risk. Xander thinks she and Brady were totally wrong. Xander thought that they had all agreed not to let EJ know they’re onto the contaminated drug cover up and Xander thinks EJ is going to figure out Sarah registered the complaint. Plus, Xander, Sarah, and Brady already suspect EJ figured out they’re looking into the tainted batch.

But Sarah pointed out if EJ’s in panic mode, he’s more likely to make a mistake. So far, EJ’s done well covering his tracks. And of course, it helps that Julie Williams accidentally helped EJ cover his tracks by having the well on Smith Island decontaminated. And EJ and Rita Lesley (Maggie Carney) made sure that Develin St. John, the Salem water guy, can’t follow up.

So Brady then told Xander that DiMera Pharmaceuticals needs to be in the spotlight for this drug coverup, especially since they think the FDA is on their side now. But Xander isn’t quite so sure that the three-letter agency can do anything. Because it looks like EJ has already gotten away with it.

Days of our Lives: EJ Plays Dirty

The DiMera Pharmaceuticals records have been scrubbed and George and EJ made sure the contaminated drugs were dug up from Smith Island and properly destroyed this time. And I’m sure if Sarah keeps raising a ruckus, that’s when we’re going to see EJ playing really dirty. You know, EJ may bribe people at the FDA or other agencies to help cover up and bury the mess. Plus, Sarah hopes that there are witnesses too afraid to speak up before that will come forward if there’s enough publicity.

And in the end, Xander blames Brady for this. The Kiriakis family has lost everything because of EJ. And now Xander worries that Sarah has a huge target on her back. EJ doesn’t play nice when people come for him or his family or DiMera Enterprises and Sarah is front and center. She is in harm’s way and Xander can’t believe that she and Brady were so irresponsible and put her at risk.

Sarah in Danger on DOOL

But basically Sarah let her emotions get the best of her. Because of EJ, she almost lost her niece Holly and Sarah couldn’t save her patient Destiny who seems to have taken tainted drugs. And Sarah suspects at least one more death is at EJ’s door. Because of these drugs. Even though Sarah’s sorry she and Brady didn’t check with Xander before they filed the FDA complaint, their feeling now is the damage is done.

So Sarah, Brady, and Xander have no idea that Johnny and George already figured out Sarah’s the one who sounded the alarm. But it wasn’t hard to figure out. Johnny and George both knew Sarah was poking around since the moment Holly got sick. And EJ already told George he thought Sarah was going to be a problem. But Johnny wonders how well EJ covered his tracks. There’s really no way of knowing. Not yet.

If the FDA can link DiMera Pharmaceuticals to some poisonings, that could be the end of their company and it would mean time in Statesville for Johnny and EJ and George O’Halloran for doing this nasty cover up scheme. There’d be huge fallout. But it may not all fall on the DiMera family. Because fall spoilers for Days of Our Lives say that Sarah faces attacks professionally and personally and Xander and Brady work together to protect her.

However, Xander is the one who risks everything to save Sarah. And she may wind up physically at risk. You know, George is ruthless like EJ and they are going to start with a plan to deny and deflect. But if that doesn’t work, George may play hard ball. And with EJ back soon, he’ll get into the game, too.

Sarah Targeted on Days

Already, Sarah faced firing once from EJ. And of course, he can’t fire Sarah now because he lost control of the hospital. EJ may take a page from Sarah’s playbook and make an anonymous complaint against her, pretending to be a patient that she did wrong somehow. But it’s EJ lying and faking the complaint. But if it’s anonymous, they can’t prove it didn’t happen. And depending on how serious a complaint it is, it could affect Sarah professionally. And I suspect EJ is going to try and rope Johnny into this.

Now, he would never agree to hurt Sarah. But Johnny may participate in tarnishing Sarah’s reputation. I’m sure Johnny would rather see Sarah damaged professionally than something bad happened to her personally because of EJ. Because Johnny’s dad might do something way more serious. He may kidnap and disappear Sarah. I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time she had a vacation on DiMera Island.

If you remember, Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) conspired with Gwen and they dumped Sarah there and drugged her out of her mind. So, when Xander risks everything for Sarah, that may be when she sees the light, breaks up with Brady, and rides off into the sunset with Xander and their daughter Victoria. Hopefully, in the end, Sarah comes out of this safe and sound, and we see her reunited with Xander after he saves her from EJ’s awful antics. And if we’re lucky, Johnny may stop lying and roll over on EJ and won’t let his dad get away with any of this, especially not with harming Sarah personally, professionally, or in any other way.

Apple TV’s new darling, Widow’s Bay, follows a cursed New England island-town, full of kooky characters and supernatural mysteries. The show cleaned up at the 2026 Emmys, winning a whopping 14 awards. Widow’s Bay is original in its execution and details, but it couldn’t exist without TV’s most influential mystery thriller of all time, Twin Peaks. Created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, Twin Peaks first aired over 30 years ago in 1990. Today, it’s streaming on PlutoTV, free with ads. The show follows FBI Agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan, in his investigation into the death of Laura Palmer, a high-school girl from the small Pacific Northwest town of Twin Peaks. It’s a simple premise, but the quirky side-characters and expansive exploration of the central events drives Cooper directly into the mysteries of life, death, cruelty, and love.

Twin Peaks was one of the first television series to follow one continuous plot from start to finish (with, admittedly, some dilly-dallying in the middle of Season 2). A series of small-scale plots were more common on TV at the time, meant to be resolvable by the end of an episode (think “monster-of-the-week” episodes on X-Files). The continuous plot and propulsive cliffhangers kept viewers on the edge of their seats, eager to tune in for next week’s episode. This formula is the default now, and almost every successful show streaming is trying to get the viewer to click to the next episode with a cliffhanger or dramatic development. Twin Peaks changed TV forever, and Lynch’s iconic mystery series is still one of the most experimental shows out there.

‘Twin Peaks’ Made Television More Supernatural

Image via ABC

David Lynch is always interested in innocence, dreams, and “a woman in trouble.” That is, he’s interested in the truths that lurk beneath the everyday. Beloved mystery-thriller Twin Peaks is no exception. Twin Peaks has a subtle supernatural bent, which has influenced shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, and certainly Widow’s Bay. Rather than taking a “monster-of-the-week” approach, the show doesn’t reset with a new threat every episode. Instead, every new discovery, location, and character is introduced to further explore the mystery of what happened to Laura Palmer.

The supernatural in Twin Peaks is little more than local color for the majority of the show, lending texture and a sense of the unknown to the investigation rather than monsters or ghosts. Agent Cooper brings some of this spookiness with him in the form of belief in the revelatory power of dreams. Dreams are the show’s main entry-point for the supernatural, starting in Episode 2, which ends with one of Cooper’s dreams. In the dream, Bob is introduced, and so is a woman who looks just like Laura Palmer. She tells Cooper a secret—the identity of the killer. In the morning, he forgets who it was. Dreams are the site of revelation, giving Cooper the tools he needs to start piecing the mystery together.

David Lynch uses the Surreal to Explain the Unexplainable

Image via ABC

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Halfway through Season 2, Laura’s storyline is concluded, and it’s revealed that her own father, Leland Palmer, was her killer. It’s explained by a demonic possession of some kind: Bob entered Leland’s body to enact Laura’s torture and murder. Those events are explored more fully in the film Fire Walk With Me. Bob is the stand-in for the dark forces that inhabit the souls of men. It’s crucial that Leland met Bob as a child, possibly a metaphor for his own sexual abuse as a boy. That a father could torture and kill his own beloved daughter is no more explicable than dreams or whatever darkness lurks in the woods surrounding Twin Peaks. The mystery turns at that point of discovery from what happened to Laura to more philosophical questions of why and how.

Human cruelty becomes the supernatural force in the show. Through the unnecessary and winding half-plots of the second season emerges the Black Lodge, a real place on another plane of reality. It is where evil is born. In Twin Peaks, like ideas, like dreams, evil is real and it lives somewhere. The scenes in dreams and in the Black Lodge are the most surreal and iconic in the show. They are memorable, not only for their strangeness, but for their emotional resonance, eschewing logic for another kind of truth.

The Black Lodge Influences Filmmakers Today, as Seen in ‘The Backrooms’

Dreams give Cooper what he needs to piece the mystery together, but that doesn’t mean they give it all away: the act of discovery is part of the journey to truth. It’s said that souls must pass through the Black Lodge after death, and must face what they see with bravery or be destroyed. The Black Lodge is the soul’s confrontation with darkness and evil. The challenge is to encounter it without being destroyed. David Lynch goes straight for the spiritual implications of the show’s events, asking how anyone can live in a world where such profound suffering can be caused by another person.

The scenes from the Black Lodge, unsurprisingly, are otherworldly. The red velvet curtains that haunt Lynch’s oeuvre are coupled with a zig-zag black and white floor, and the rooms seem to meander without logic or purpose, out of place and out of time. Agent Cooper confronts Bob and Laura, or someone who looks just like her, in the Black Lodge. They filmed the scenes backwards, giving movement and sound a jerky, unsettling quality. Contemporary directors draw on this visual vocabulary in surreal films like The Backrooms to convey the feeling of displacement, but in Twin Peaks, there’s also an allure, a visual pleasure despite the disturbing material found in that landscape.

‘Twin Peaks’ Leaves Experimentation Unexplained, to Great Effect

Image via ABC

The show’s journey to the otherworld works because it doesn’t try to over-articulate its own meaning. It works because it lingers in the realm of intuition, of mystery, of dreams. Twin Peaks doesn’t end with a treatise on how to confront evil and come out on the other side with goodness in your heart. Still, the viewer leaves the Black Lodge with Cooper feeling that there is evil in the world, and one must witness it but not be destroyed by it. There is wonder and beauty in the mysteries of this world, but mystery has a dark edge too.

Twin Peaks explores some of the worst human acts on network TV, without excessive gore, or too much explicit violence, not by censoring itself but by accessing the horror through surreal, experimental sequences. Laura in the Black Lodge screams and screams, wide eyed, amidst strobing lights while Cooper watches on. That moment isn’t a direct analogue for her suffering in life, but it conveys the powerful emotions and impact that follow. Twin Peaks is, from start to finish, about a community trying desperately to cope with unspeakable loss. The show trusts its viewers enough to not respond to that loss by trying to contain it in language. Instead, characters watch on. They cry. They dance. They try to make meaning, as best as they can.

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Release Date

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1990 – 2017-00-00

Directors

Lesli Linka Glatter, Caleb Deschanel, Duwayne Dunham, Tim Hunter, Todd Holland, Tina Rathborne, Diane Keaton, Graeme Clifford, James Foley, Jonathan Sanger, Mark Frost, Stephen Gyllenhaal

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Writers

Mark Frost, David Lynch, Harley Peyton, Robert Engels, Barry Pullman, Scott Frost, Tricia Brock

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Following her own early elimination from Dancing With the Stars, Sarah Jane Nader admitted she has a new perspective about her sister Brooks Nader‘s time on the show.

“I don’t think she thought I would get eliminated on the first night,” Sarah Jane, 24, exclusively told Us after part two of the season 35 premiere on Wednesday, September 16.

Sarah Jane recalled the advice she received from Brooks, 29, who previously appeared on season 33 of the ballroom dance show. “She said it’s not an easy competition … so I think that I did have an insider look,” she said. “I didn’t come in thinking I’m just going to float through this.”

The reality star went on to praise her older sister, who she saw “work really hard” with pro Gleb Savchenko. (Brooks finished her season in ninth place.)

Related: What Were the Lowest ‘Dancing With the Stars‘ Scores of All Time?

Dancing With the Stars makes the contestants work to climb the leaderboard — but some pairs have received remarkably low scores over the years. Dancing With the Stars debuted on ABC in 2005 as viewers tuned in week after week to see celebrities learn ballroom styles with professional dancers in an epic — and often […]

“I will say I have gained respect for her for making it as far as she did, obviously,” Sarah Jane told Us.

As for how Brooks reacted to her elimination, Sarah Jane said, “She already texted me. She was like, ‘I thought you did a great job and I’m really proud of you.’ As much as I wanted to beat her score, I am really grateful that she was guiding me through this.”

For their first dance of the season, Sarah Jane and pro Hailey Bills performed a jive to “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne. Their score of 14 out of 30 put them on the bottom of the leaderboard before being sent home.

“Our last night was honestly amazing. We had so much fun out there and, of course, we wanted to stay longer,” Sarah Jane told Us. “We had so many fun plans for iconic dances, but we got to know each other, which is, like, the most amazing thing ever.”

Related: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 35 Cast: Meet the Celebs and Their Pros

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Dancing With the Stars is headed back to the ballroom with a star-studded cast for season 35. The complete lineup of celebrity contestants and pro dancers for the milestone season was unveiled during the Wednesday, September 2, episode of Good Morning America. The newly confirmed participants join Ciara Miller, Maura Higgins, Jackson Olson and Guillermo Rodriguez, […]

Sarah Jane was grateful that she could “make history” with Bills, 20, as the second same-sex pairing on DWTS. “[It] was such an honor,” she gushed. “And Hailey and I took it so seriously and we really gave it our all. So I really wouldn’t change anything about this experience.”

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Bills, for her part, was grateful for the opportunity to compete as a pro for the first time after appearing in the troupe last season.

“I had all the feelings. Of course, I’m going to be nervous. That’s just normal,” she noted. “But I was more so excited. We’ve gained such a good friendship and I was just so excited to show that on TV and I hope that we were able to do that. I was honestly just excited and just grateful to be in this position, especially with her as my partner.”

Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift recently began their marital journey, but a financial scandal involving the NFL star has put the couple and their relationship in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

Kelce was reportedly one of the investors affected by a Ponzi scheme that took tens of millions of dollars from participants, although his individual losses have not yet been disclosed.

With Taylor Swift seen as someone who is financially “savvy,” fans have been wondering how she might have responded to the news of Travis Kelce falling victim to a scam, leading to brutal comments online.

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The multimillion-dollar investment scheme operated by Siddharth Jawahar, an illegal immigrant, involved Kelce among several other clients.

As reported by Fox News, the Chiefs star was “named as a victim in a massive Ponzi scheme that pulled in more than $35 million from investors… Kelce’s individual losses have not been publicly disclosed at this time.”

Jawahar operated Swiftarc Capital LLC, a Texas-based investment company, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of wire fraud.

The scheme took in more than $35 million from investors between July 2016 and December 2023. Jawahar mismanaged investor funds and only invested $10 million of the capital raised.

Jawahar reportedly used Kelce’s money as well as that of others to fund “an extravagant lifestyle” involving private jets and memberships in private clubs, according to prosecutors.

Kelce’s individual losses remain unknown, and information about when he made the unfortunate investment or how much he put into the scheme has not yet been disclosed.

The scandal comes just 2 months after Kelce’s high-profile marriage to Swift, which brings the financial loss into much greater public focus as Swift is known for being particularly financially knowledgeable.

Fans Roast The NFL Star Over The Ponzi Scheme

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Ever since news of Kelce falling victim to a Ponzi scheme hit the internet, fans have shared brutal comments, slamming the NFL star and even dragging his wife, Swift, into it.

As reported by HITC, one comment read, “Man, I hope T Swift’s prenup is airtight,” while another noted, “Well, in Taylor’s defense, she said he was posh, not smart.”

A third person focused on perceived differences in their financial acumen, writing: “It seems absolutely wild to me that Taylor is the most economically savvy person, taking such great care with every move she makes, and then you have the husband who falls for the oldest trick in the book.”

“I heard him talk for five minutes and thought about running a Ponzi scam on him myself, so I get it,” one individual joked.

Another asked, “Tay Tay’s father is an investment advisor. Maybe this wasn’t discussed around the dinner table when it should have been?”

The jokes and reactions persist even though the precise circumstances of Kelce’s investment remain private.

The NFL Star’s Investment Blunder Contrasts With Taylor Swift’s Financial ‘Savvy’

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Swift’s financial history has become an obvious point of comparison for fans who believe such an investment mistake shouldn’t even be remotely associated with her.

Forbes currently estimates the singer’s fortune at about $2 billion as of September 2026, primarily from touring, royalties, and her music catalog.

Swift officially reached billionaire status in 2023 due in part to decisions she made over the ownership and value of her music.

After losing control of the masters of her first six albums, Swift decided to re-record them under the banner “Taylor’s Version.” In May 2025, she announced that she had regained the rights to the original recordings.

Taylor Swift Spoke About Winning Back Control Of Her Masters

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According to Reuters, the deal gave Swift control over her first six albums after disputes surrounding the recordings’ ownership spanned years.

She said at the time, “I’ve been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out this is really happening. I really get to say these words: All of the music I’ve ever made … now belongs … to me.”

Her rise to $2 billion was driven not just by her music and performances but also by good business negotiations and dealings.

That history has created the image of Swift as someone with a good business sense and financial knowledge.

Travis Kelce’s Losses Remain Unknown, But Restitution Is Expected

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Jawahar was sentenced to 11 years in prison and was ordered to pay $31.35 million in restitution.

He concentrated all the money he received into a single investment, and when it declined in value, he reportedly concealed the losses from investors like Kelce.

Jawahar falsely reported they were generating profits and used money from new investors to repay earlier investors.

The extent of Kelce’s losses to the scheme is undisclosed, and how much he’s likely to recover in the restitution is unclear.

Neither Kelce nor Swift have addressed the scheme publicly, leaving room for speculation as they navigate their financial lives as newlyweds.

It’s safe to say Ron Perlman has solidified himself as an icon of pop culture through some seriously imposing roles. He’s played Slade in Teen Titans, The Lich in Adventure Time, Clay Morrow in Sons of Anarchy, and, of course, Hellboy. He’s also been a longtime collaborator of Guillermo del Toro, appearing in films including Cronos, Pacific Rim, and the Hellboy movies. But one of Perlman’s most surprising roles came long before Hellboy — on a fantasy series that also counted future Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin among its writers and producers.

Ron Perlman’s Fantasy Breakout Came Long Before ‘Hellboy’

One thing Perlman is known for is disappearing beneath heavy prosthetics. He did it in his film debut, the 1981 Jean-Jacques Annaud film Quest for Fire, in which he plays Amoukar in full Neanderthal makeup while speaking a made-up prehistoric language. He did it again in The Name of the Rose, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Star Trek: Nemesis, and, most famously, Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. But years before the latter made him a genre icon, Perlman spent three seasons under prosthetics for a very different fantasy role.

Long before Hellboy thrust Perlman into the spotlight of mainstream nerd culture, he had already found his breakout performance. His role in Beauty and the Beast earned him a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series in 1989, and Perlman wasn’t the only future fantasy icon involved. Years before A Game of Thrones was published, Martin was working behind the scenes on CBS’ Beauty and the Beast, making the 1987–1990 series an intriguing early chapter in both men’s careers.

‘Beauty and the Beast’ Was a TV Cult Classic in an Era Full of Them

Image via CBS

Beauty and the Beast ran on CBS from 1987 to 1990 and follows Linda Hamilton as sharp-witted DA Catherine, the Beauty of the story, and Perlman as Vincent, the soulful, timid beast-man who lives beneath New York City with a secret society of outcasts and misfits known as The World Below. Most of the show follows the struggle of a deep, literally telepathic relationship between two wildly different worlds, along with the recurring villains and issues of the week that come with it, before getting grittier toward the end.

George R. R. Martin was a writer and producer on the show years before A Game of Thrones was published. Martin joined Beauty and the Beast in 1987 and eventually rose through its producing ranks, making the series a notable part of his pre-Thrones television career — apparently, he went on to write a fantasy book or two of some significance. The series has since gained a cult following, and it’s easy to see why. While at its core it’s a fantasy series with heavy elements of mystery and thrills, there’s something about Beauty and the Beast that just makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

That rests largely on Vincent and his interactions with everyone around him. It’s, for my money, Perlman’s most wholesome character, despite being a giant man with the characteristics of a lion and the strength to match. Jokes about resembling a Maine Coon aside, Perlman makes Vincent an unusually gentle romantic lead. He’s someone who deserves to be happy, who we want to succeed in love, and whose relationship with Catherine gives the series much of its emotional pull. Hellboy may be a big softy deep inside, but Vincent wears that softness much closer to the surface.

Ron Perlman Brings Back the True Moral of ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Image via CBS

Hellboy, Slade, The Lich, Clay Morrow — in one word: badass. This makes sense. When you’re on the taller side and have a voice like Perlman’s, you can easily be pigeonholed as a tough guy. And when you have the one-and-only Rick Baker doing your prosthetics, Vincent absolutely could’ve been another variation on that persona. After all, the brooding, rage-filled beast makes a common appearance when adapting the Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve story. That’s how they did the 2012 sort-of reboot of the show; in fact, Disney’s Beast a year later was meaner at the outset. It would’ve made perfect sense for Perlman to do the same thing, especially because he’s undeniably good at it.

The secret ingredient of Beauty and the Beast is that Vincent doesn’t become that character. He has a temper, absolutely, but it isn’t something love magically overcomes; it’s something he personally struggles with without losing his inherent gentleness. In both his animalistic appearance and his dramatic yet sensitive nature, Vincent is most similar to Jean Marais as the Beast in the 1946 Jean Cocteau film, which similarly understands that the core moral of the story is to love the flawed, or what society perceives as flawed. Beautifully, Vincent never changes into a prince, because he was one all along.

Sappy lines aside, Beauty and the Beast remains one of the most revealing performances of Perlman’s career. The imposing presence, unmistakable voice, and elaborate prosthetics are all there, but Vincent’s defining quality is his gentleness. Decades before Hellboy made Perlman a fantasy icon, this cult series proved just how much more he could do with the qualities audiences would eventually associate with his toughest characters.

Joanna Wietrzyk is finally apologizing after the internet backlash against her intensified in recent days. The Australian athlete went viral after pooping herself while competing in the HYROX Beijing Pro Women’s race last Saturday (Sept. 12). Her initial response, “A win is a win,” didn’t go over well on social media. Even HYROX officials ultimately acknowledged their mishandling of the incident. Then, on Thursday (Sept. 17), Joanna Wietrzyk circled back to apologize, to retroactively withdraw from the competition and to forfeit her win.

RELATED: Black Eyed Peas Label Sues Toy Maker For Alleged Remix Of ‘My Humps’ To ‘My Poops’

Recap Of Joanna’s Initial Statement About Defecating Herself

If you ask the internet, Wietrzyk took “winning by any means” a lil’ too far last weekend. Mid-race in Beijing, the 22-year-old appeared to experience sudden fecal incontinence, meaning she couldn’t control her bowel movements. Photos (seen below) and videos show poop gathering on the back of her pants, running down her legs and eventually ending up on her arms. Still, she pushed through the running portion and the workout stations of the competition with visible, dripping fecal matter. Also, other competitors were required to use the same stations after her.

Following the HYROX race on Saturday, Joanna Wietrzyk hopped on Instagram with a celebratory post on Stories. She posted a selfie, lying on a cot of some kind while seemingly hooked up to an IV. Joanna appeared to be making a kissy face at the camera and wrote, “Go hard or go home they say…a win is a win.” She added, “In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I’ll be back soon x.” So, initially, the 22-year-old gave no apology and showed no remorse for pooping mid-competition and for how it might have affected her fellow competitors.

HYROX Co-Founder Announces New Rules Following Poop Incident

The footage, combined with Joanna Wietrzyk’s initial statement, had the internet going IN for days. From shady nicknames to genuine disgust among both athletes and non-athletes, the reactions weren’t favorable toward the Australian competitor or the HYROX organizers.

On Sunday (Sept. 13), HYROX China reportedly explained how they decontaminated the area after the race Joanna participated in ended. Officials said the affected areas were closed off and disinfected. Also, they plan to replace the venue’s flooring.

“Relevant equipment was removed from the venue, and waste was disposed of in accordance with municipal waste-management standards,” HYROX China said.

Additionally, HYROX World confirmed they have “clear bio-contaminant and medical procedures in place.” It did not apologize for the pooping incident.

“In this instance, an unforeseen situation arose in which protocols designed for elite competition and mass participation became blurred, creating ambiguity in how they were applied and understood.”

By Monday, HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste dropped a direct apology over event officials not reacting immediately during the race. He admitted that it was his job to foresee such incidents, but he didn’t. At the time the statement was released, they had already begun making rulebook changes.

“As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again. We learn and try to get better every day.”

SEE THE FULL STATEMENT HERE. 

Joanna Wietrzyk Apologizes To Competitors, Gives Up HYROX Win

RELATED: Say, WHAT?! Ohio Mom Pleads Guilty To Child Endangerment After Allegedly Injecting Fecal Matter Into Child’s IV Port

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt reunited with Anna Wintour at “The Devil Wears Prada 2” wardrobe auction at Christie’s in New York City last week.

Fans have long speculated that Streep’s formidable character, Miranda Priestly, is based on the fashion icon, but the actress has clarified that she wasn’t trying to imitate Wintour.

However, she said Wintour’s reputation initially drew her to the role.

Meryl Streep, alongside co-star Emily Blunt, reunited with fashion powerhouse Dame Anna Wintour at Christie’s in New York City for a charity wardrobe auction featuring pieces from “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”

The 77-year-old actress teamed up with the luxury auction house to sell costumes, jewelry, accessories, and experiences connected to the high-fashion film.

She kicked off the evening with her usual charm, taking to the stage to urge collectors to open their wallets for a worthy cause.

“I hope you all wore your deepest-pocketed pants, and you’re in the most generous spirit,” Streep said. “In the sense of fun, let’s spend it before they all take it away.”

Fans Ask Who Holds The Power: Meryl, Miranda Or Anna

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The latest encounter between Streep and Wintour has revived chatter about the real-life inspiration behind Miranda Priestly. On social media, users weighed in on seeing the Hollywood legend and fashion powerhouse together.

In an Instagram post about the pair’s appearance at the auction, one fan joked, “Who now has the power, lol Miranda or Anna or Meryl?”

Another found humor in Wintour continuing to embrace the movie two decades after its release, writing, “Watching Anna pretend she’s in on the joke even 20 years later is so funny to me.”

Others questioned whether Wintour had previously disliked being associated with the film. One fan pushed back on that perception, pointing to her more recent willingness to engage with “The Devil Wears Prada” and its legacy.

Prada Auction Supports Fashion Designers And Press Freedom

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The auction lineup included standout pieces such as a signed Annie Leibovitz Vogue cover photo featuring Streep and Wintour, designer jewelry, and a Dries van Noten jacket Streep wore in the film.

Proceeds were designated to benefit both the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), a fitting partnership given the franchise’s exploration of fashion, media, and journalism.

The online sale ran through September 15 on Christie’s platform.

“Please join us as we celebrate truth and beauty, beauty and truth!” Streep said in a statement, per W Magazine. “The Devil Wears Prada spectacular global auction of shoes, bags, gowns, and glamorous experiences, live via Christie’s, to benefit the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America! Get your gorgeous on in time for fall and bid up big!”

Meryl Streep Says Her Miranda Priestly Is ‘My Own Creation’

In the comedy-drama, Streep plays Miranda Priestly, the icy and demanding editor-in-chief of the fictional high-fashion magazine Runway.

Wintour is widely considered the inspiration behind the character, but Streep has explained that she wasn’t looking to model her performance on the fashion icon.

“I was not interested in replicating her; I wanted to make my own person,” she said in an interview with E! News ahead of the sequel’s premiere earlier this year.

She continued, “And as I have gotten to know her over the years, I feel like—my Miranda is fully formed. And to the degree that she has evolved or changed or degraded, in some way, it’s my own creation.”

Anna Wintour’s Reputation Helped Draw Meryl Streep To Prada

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The original movie was based on Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel of the same name. Streep also clarified that the sequel’s script was fictional, not based on Wintour’s life.

“Certainly this script has no relation to Anna Wintour, because it’s just all made up. It isn’t based on anything,” she said.

However, the “Mamma Mia!” actress shared that Wintour’s reputation was a major factor in drawing her to the role.

“It interested me that Anna Wintour was expected to be smilier, nicer, sweeter,” she told IndieWire in 2016. “I thought, ‘Well, hell, what is her job? What does she have to do? What are her deadlines? What do we have very little time for, even though the dress and heels have to have the outward accouterments of being appealing, womanly?’”

“Right in the beginning, reading the script,” she continued, “I thought, ‘Nobody’s seen this before, and the girls are going to like this!’”