You’d be hard-pressed to find an actor with bolder, more compelling projects on their resume than Rachel Weisz. Most of these fall into the film category, from team-ups with Yorgos Lanthimos in The Lobster and The Favourite to instant sapphic classic Disobedience, Rian Johnson’s quirky adventure-comedy The Brothers Bloom or the edgy Gothic mystery My Cousin Rachel. In 2023, however, she led her first TV series, giving two of the best performances of her career as a pair of genius, ethically questionable twins in Dead Ringers. Despite being based on a 1988 film (which was based on a 1977 movie), it felt wholly original and utterly brilliant — and perhaps a bit too intense and subversive for the average audience.

Though undoubtedly a dark comedy, Vladimir’s lighter tone is likely to prove quite a bit more palatable and accessible to viewers than Dead Ringers. Still, there are definite thematic parallels between the two that highlight the type of project Weisz seems to be most interested in telling right now: ones about flawed, complex women who are bursting at the seams with ambition and desire. The fact that the Netflix show unapologetically embraces its protagonist’s imperfections in an age where even the most sympathetic multidimensional female characters face immense criticism (Pluribus’ Carol Sturka, for example, or The Pitt’s Trinity Santos) makes it easy to overlook that Vladimir itself is admittedly imperfect, too.

What Is ‘Vladimir’ About?

Vladimir introduces us to a nameless creative writing professor (Weisz), who’s suffered numerous recent plights that essentially boil down to the issue that nobody seems all that interested in her these days. Her fellow professor husband, John (John Slattery), doesn’t desire her anymore; her formerly adoring students find her out of touch; and her 27-year-old daughter, Sid (Ellen Robertson), thinks she’s overbearing and unevolved. To make matters worse, John is in the middle of a sex scandal for hooking up with multiple students a decade ago — more an irritation than a betrayal for the protagonist, considering she and John had an arrangement.

The whole world, it seems, wants her to condemn John’s actions and swiftly leave him, but the protagonist is much more interested in pining after a young new professor instead: Vladimir (Leo Woodall). She’s drawn to him like a moth to a flame, complicated by the fact that he’s married to perpetually stressed adjunct Cynthia (Jessica Henwick), with whom he has a young daughter. Still, the sexual tension between the main character and Vladimir is palpable… or is it? Is there a real spark there? Or will she come to learn that that connection is simply all in her head — and that the fantasy isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be?

‘Vladimir’ Lets Rachel Weisz Show Off Her Pitch-Perfect Comedy Skills

Image via Netflix

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From House of Cards to Fleabag, it’s not particularly unusual — especially these days — for characters to break the fourth wall, but it is one of the trickier storytelling devices to pull off. In incapable hands, it can be cheesy or an overly convenient way to slip in overt exposition. Luckily, Weisz makes a meal of her monologues, expertly playing off the audience, who she treats as both trusted confidante and unwanted intruder depending on the situation. Though marketed as an erotic thriller of sorts, Vladimir ends up being more silly than sexy — and that’s not a bad thing. Weisz has always been a gifted comedic actor, but rarely has she had the vehicle to showcase it quite like this, flexing her ability for dry, witty, dialogue-driven humor and much broader, kookier, and more physical fare alike. There’s not one second where she’s phoning it in, consistently going all-in at even the most ridiculous moments.

I only wish Vladimir didn’t feel like it was holding back. The series is bookended by scenes that tease the protagonist being deliciously unhinged, though the opening flash-forward is revealed to be much tamer than it initially appears, and the ending is cheekily ambiguous in a way that’s not altogether satisfying. There are other tiny glimpses of this deviance peppered throughout (like when the protagonist subtly grinds against her chair to pleasure herself during a meeting), but Vladimir is afraid to let her go full freak. The result is a tone that’s grounded in a way that ultimately holds the story back from reaching its true weird and wild potential as opposed to making it real and relatable. The show has some bite to it, but it stops short of drawing blood, too shy and polite to completely embrace anything that runs the risk of veering too far into offbeat or off-putting territory, despite its simmering enticingly under the surface.

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While Vladimir’s dramatic and thriller elements don’t hit as hard as they could, the show nails its comedic beats time and time again. Weisz’s excellent performance is a big part of that, but the razor-sharp writing and creative direction deserve credit, too, as they work in tandem to satirize Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z in equal measure. The way the series integrates technology is especially notable, with two particularly hilarious gags involving a barrage of text messages for a wax appointment and an all-consuming spiral about what a certain emoji from Vladimir could possibly mean. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times an episode and occasionally having to rewind to pick up on a joke I missed, as the pace is snappy, without any of the bloat that so often plagues streaming shows.

‘Vladimir’ Nails the Female Gaze, but Could’ve Gone Deeper With Its Themes

Though Vladimir does skew more silly than sexy, there are effectively steamy moments. These are mostly quick and imagined, with the protagonist daydreaming about Vladimir making out with her in her office or coming onto her in the bathroom. Woodall perfectly walks the line of impossibly attentive and attractively aloof, and he has enough chemistry with Weisz to make their romantic scenes enjoyable, even when they start to get a bit repetitive. The fact that each of these scenes is unquestionably filtered through the female gaze, rooting us firmly in the protagonist’s point of view, is refreshing and still feels relatively groundbreaking in 2026. The stranger, subtler moments when her hungry perspective becomes apparent — when Vladimir puts his hands behind his head, for instance, or rubs at a stain on his pants — are even more captivating due to their specificity.

Vladimir raises interesting, timely questions about power, feminism, and the #MeToo movement, but it stops short of engaging with them in a meaningful way. Because it doesn’t seem to know quite what it wants to say about the topics, it ends up not saying much at all, the commentary staying close to the surface rather than diving deep into the intricacies. It revels in its main character being messy and subversive, but after all is said and done, it’s more thematically clean and conventional than it wants to be.

Aesthetically speaking, there are areas where Vladimir showcases a real sense of style, right down to the episode titles, which are named after novels by female authors, and their card designs, which are clearly inspired by classical paintings. The needledrops are also notable, ranging from Chappell Roan to Doechii and Patty Smith. The focus on women artists at every level is significant and undeniably influences the viewing experience, even if subconsciously. By not leaning into its edgier, murkier elements, Vladimir stops short of being a masterpiece, but it’s still a hell of a lot of fun. Weisz’s confident comedic performance will have you laughing and rooting for the main character (even when you probably shouldn’t), and there’s just enough spice to scratch that romantic itch. Vladimir may not be an obsessive page-turner, but it’s still definitely a book worth reading.

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Release Date

March 5, 2026

Network

Netflix

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Writers

Julia May Jonas

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Pros & Cons

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• Rachel Weisz gives a compelling performance, committing entirely to the role and showing off her comedy chops.
• The direction celebrates the female gaze and immerses the audience in the protagonist?s perspective.
• The writing is sharp, with dry, witty dialogue and clever visual humor.

• The show plays it too safe at times rather than leaning into its darker, messier elements.
• Themes of power and feminism aren?t explored with as much depth as one would like.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 8 seconds ago

Watching 2022’s Jerry & Marge Go Large is a fun experience because Bryan Cranston is the perfect lead for this movie. In Breaking Bad, he plays a desperate man who, in Vince Gilligan’s words, transforms “from Mr. Chips to Scarface.” Walter White takes on the Heisenberg alter ego and becomes a truly terrible person in his pursuit of financial security for his family after his cancer diagnosis. What he learns along the way is that he likes being a crime lord, and he eventually becomes a monster fueled by greed, violence, and ego.

Jerry Selbee (Bryan Cranston), on the other hand, feels unfulfilled after retirement and decides to use his knack for numbers to game the lottery system. After discovering a clever loophole, he goes all in and slowly builds his fortune. The difference here is that he uses his money for good. Jerry & Marge Go Large starts with similar DNA to Breaking Bad but becomes an exercise in wholesome community outreach instead of laundering meth money through a car wash.

While the film is based on a true story, I’m never one to compare a work of fiction to the events that inspired it. As a movie, Jerry & Marge Go Large is a fun watch, but not without its shortcomings. The only reason I tuned into the Paramount+ original was because of the obvious Breaking Bad parallel. I wanted to see Bryan Cranston play a bizarro version of Walter White.

From Retiree To Big Baller

Jerry & Marge Go Large opens with a retirement party, where Jerry Selbee reluctantly eases into his golden years. After 40 years as a line manager for a cereal company, he feels lost because he loves numbers, solving problems, and being an all-around helpful guy. Not knowing how to live without meaningful work to define him, Jerry is puttering around at his local convenience store one day when he notices a loophole in the lottery, specifically the game known as Winfall.

The loophole is simple, and was cracked by Jerry in no time. Instead of constantly increasing the jackpot when there’s no clear winner, the Winfall game rolls the prize money down to the next tier of winners. If nobody matches all six numbers, those who match fewer numbers receive a payout during designated “rolldown” weeks. A statistics wizard at heart, Jerry realizes that if he buys enough tickets during these periods, he’ll always come out ahead. He withdraws the last $8,000 from his savings account to test the theory, doubling his money overnight.

This is where the Breaking Bad parallel comes in. At first, Jerry keeps his lottery scheme to himself, afraid that his wife, Marge (Anette Bening), would disapprove. He hides wads of cash in cereal boxes and popcorn tins in his pantry, but eventually he has to confess because he’s raking in serious dough and is running out of excuses for his disappearances during the rolldown weeks.

To his surprise, Marge is thrilled that he found a new hobby, and she wants to help him play the game. When Winfall is discontinued in Michigan, they travel out of state to buy tickets, which reinvigorates their marriage because it’s a new hobby they can share. Deciding to go legit, Jerry incorporates an investment company, rounds up members of his community to increase the betting pool, and makes them equal partners, effectively revitalizing their downtown area one strategic win at a time.

There’s Another Kingpin To Watch Out For

While Jerry and Marge are certainly going large at this point, a new obstacle emerges. A Harvard student, Tyler Langford (Uly Schlesinger), discovers the same glitch and decides to raise the stakes. Jerry games the system through legal means, but Tyler pushes it further by exploiting technology and hacking the Lottery to gain an edge and scale up a competing operation.

Once Jerry learns about Tyler’s involvement, there’s a confrontation. Nothing explosive happens, but there’s a quiet tension because Jerry and Marge have never been happier, and their entire community now benefits from Jerry’s numbers game.

At the end of the day, Jerry & Marge Go Large is standard, middle-of-the-road, feel-good fare, but I got a lot of entertainment value out of constantly comparing it to Breaking Bad. 

Half the fun was waiting for Jerry to snap and send a cartel leader to blow Tyler’s face off. That never happens, and instead we get an optimistic 60-something rounding up his neighbors and doing the right thing, golly gee willickers. He even keeps crates of used lottery tickets in his garage in case he gets audited. It’s all so adorable.

Still a fun movie despite the disappointing lack of any suspense or tension, Jerry & Marge Go Large is a Paramount+ original and can be streamed with an active subscription.

Todd Meadows’ mom says the Deadliest Catch star was put on medical leave just one month before his death at age 25.

Angela Meadows told TMZ on Wednesday, March 4, that her son was hit in the head about one month ago while onboard his ship. Following his injury, Todd was checked out by a doctor, which is the crew’s protocol.

Angela explained that a medical professional determined Todd sustained a concussion and he flew back home to Washington to recover. According to Angela, that was the last time Todd’s family saw him before he died.

“The last photo I got of him was when he was building a fire,” she told the outlet. “He was listening to music in the moment and was so happy. That’s how I want to remember him.”

Angela shared that Todd was cleared by the doctor to return to work and her son was excited to get back. She added that the family does not blame Deadliest Catch for Todd’s concussion. (There is no indication that the concussion played a factor in Todd’s death.)

News broke earlier this week that Todd died while working as a deckhand on the Aleutian Lady fishing vessel, which has been featured on the hit Discovery Channel series.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Todd Meadows,” a spokesperson for the network told TMZ on Monday, March 2. “This is a devastating loss, and our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time.”

The Aleutian Lady’s Captain Rick Shelford paid tribute to Todd, who was a new member of the ship’s crew.

“His love for fishing and his strong work ethic earned everyone’s respect right away,” Shelford wrote via Facebook on Sunday, March 1. “His smile was contagious, and the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or over the deck hailer is something we will carry with us always.”

TMZ previously reported that Todd died due to a “fishing incident.” It was later revealed that Todd fell overboard. The Coast Guard at the Arctic District command center in Juneau, Alaska, was notified of the incident and attempted to get Todd back on board. Todd was found unresponsive by the Coast Guard.

“He was recovered unresponsive by the crew approximately 10 minutes later,” a rep for the Coast Guard told Us on Tuesday, March 3, adding that attempts to revive Todd were “unsuccessful.”

The Coast Guard is currently investigating the incident.

Todd’s’ bunkmate Trey John Green III claimed to Us earlier this week that the incident was caught on camera while filming season 22 of Deadliest Catch.

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Related: ‘Deadliest Catch’ Star Todd Meadows’ Sister Breaks Silence on His Death

Deadliest Catch star Todd Meadows’ sister Mackenzie Meadows is mourning her sibling in the wake of his death. Mackenzie expressed her grief to Us Weekly on Tuesday, March 3. “No words put together can even describe the pain we’re going through and will continue to,” she told Us exclusively. “His boys will see him through […]

“Discovery is done filming, but there was a producer and a deck cam guy on the boat for the past two months filming for season 22 of the show,” he alleged to Us. “It was filmed, unfortunately.”

Andrea also expressed her and the family’s wishes for Discovery Channel to not air any footage from Todd’s fatal incident.

“We don’t want to see any footage from the accident and do not want Discovery to air any of that footage or make money off of our son’s death,” she told TMZ. “We hope they only air good things of Todd on that boat.”

Some social media skits are created in good fun and aim to give viewers a good kii, but Claressa Shields wasn’t laughing when one content creator cracked jokes about her and Papoose. A creator by the name of @allaboutyourstyle3 is going viral after recreating Claressa and Pap’s shopping trip. The undefeated boxing champ peeped the clip and responded, now folks online are debating over whether she’s doing too much or just standing on business.

RELATED: Whew! Internet User Tells Claressa Shields Her “Attitude Is Not Nice” & Her Response Has Social Media Saying “She Proved Them Right”

Claressa Shields Said “Not Too Much On Her & Papoose” After Viral Skit Pops Off

Social media users @allaboutyourstyle3 and @ormando_sodiff are going viral for creating a skit of Claressa Shields and Papoose. The video shows the creators in the mall while Claressa runs up a bag at luxury stores. The woman playing Claressa had her look down, rocking a fur coat, fitted hat, and icy chain. As the clip keeps rolling, she hops on a livestream pretending to be Claressa and mocking her, saying, “Y’all talking about where Pap at, he’s right here spending his own money” as she pans the camera to the man portraying Pap.

Claressa ended up catching the video and jumped in the creators comment section and didn’t hesitate to let her know she wasn’t feeling it. “You weird as hell & a hater. Wack a** video,” Shields wrote. The creator was quick to clap back and said Claressa was being too sensitive. “Girl, you better laugh or take your a** upstairs with Pap. More videos coming. Gold Love… Engaged… Pap upstairs.” Even with all that, she still told Claressa to hit her up if she ever needs somebody to play her in a movie.

The TL Can’t Pick A Side After Claressa Responds

After LiveBitez dropped the skit about Claressa and Papoose, folks flooded the comment section with reactions. A few social media users they actually thought it was Claressa in the video because the look was so accurate. Others said they think the jokes went too far, meanwhile others think Claressa went too far with her reaction and needs to lighten up.

Instagram user @kashmirbc2 wrote, “😂😂😂 why did i think that was really her for a minute!” 

Instagram user @mzgogetta32 wrote, “Nailed it 🔥🔥🔥😂😂” 

While Instagram user @breezybabe79 wrote, “This is spot on 😂😂😂😂 shorty act just like this.” 

Then Instagram user @likemousesaid wrote, “This the one video Clarissa should’ve just laughed off or act like she ain’t see it.” 

Instagram user @piinkblossom_ wrote, “Claressa gotta learn how to have a sense of humor… jus for 💩’s and giggles.” 

Another Instagram user @virgoafterdark wrote, “This is accurate af why she mad.” 

Then another Instagram user @kaystarrbella wrote, “Imitation is the best form of flattery they say.” 

Instagram user @_brazyp wrote, “Y’all hate on that girl for literally nothing 😂” 

Finally, Instagram user @jrock2171 wrote, “Y’all see what bullying does and yet y’all still do it.” 

More About Claressa & Pap’s Past Icy Shopping Spree’s

There’s no word on what exact moment inspired the skit of Claressa and Pap, but they have gone viral on social media on numerous occasions for flexing their love. Footage from 2025 showed the couple in what looked like a luxury store, sipping on sparkling beverage while Claressa flexed her iced-out diamond bracelet. The athlete has also shown off Van Cleef bracelets Pap has gifted her, the most recent being on Valentine’s Day when she flaunted a black clover bracelet.

RELATED: Claressa Shields & Papoose Set Timelines Off After Megan Thee Stallion Drops SPICY Lyrics About Them On ‘B.B.B.’ Remix (VIDEO)

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 1 hour ago

It’s hard to remember now that Chris Pratt is everywhere that he hasn’t always been a movie star. He wasn’t grown in a vat on the Universal lot and emerged as the ultimate generic leading man suitable for superhero franchises (Guardians of the Galaxy), dinosaur wrangling (Jurassic World), and every animated franchise in existence (both Garfield and Super Mario Bros.).

Chris Pratt built his career piece by piece and brick by brick. The Lego Movie, now on Netflix, predates all of those movies, and its surprising success was an adorable Dutch Trojan Horse that led to all of us accidentally letting Pratt into our lives. 

No One Expected The Lego Movie To Be This Good

Pratt voices Emmet Brickowoski, a regular guy in Bricksburg who loves nothing more than to follow the instructions and build as he’s told, because everything is awesome when you’re part of a team. All of that is changed forever when he runs across WildStyle (Elizabeth Banks), an outrageous rebel looking for the “Special,” the most powerful Master Builder, to save the world from Lord Business (Will Ferrell). The Lego Movie gets a lot of mileage out of playing with all the tropes and expectations that come from a “Chosen One” story, but the real fun is the sheer amount of cameos, both Lego figures and voice performances. 

There are fun gags, including the Spaceman (Charlie Day) coming complete with broken pieces, the evil commander of the Super Secret Police (Liam Neeson) turning his head around to alternate between Good Cop and Bad Cop. Morgan Freeman, voicing the Blind Wizard, became so annoyed at the bizarre lines of dialogue that his adlib, “Alright, we gotta write all that down cause I’m not gonna remember any of it, but here we go,” was left in the film. Lego Batman voiced by Will Forte steals every single scene he’s in, justifying the existence of The Lego Batman Movie. It feels like every minute there’s a new gag, a one-liner, or a random cameo. 

Everything Is Awesome When You’re Chris Pratt

The Lego Movie was written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, forever credited afterwards as “The guys who wrote The Lego Movie.” It’s their offbeat sense of humor and willingness to beat jokes into the ground (Emmet falling, Princess Unikitty) that drives the movie’s relentless comedy engine. By the end of its theatrical run, the movie no one thought would be a hit earned $470 million, launched a franchise, and gave the entire Lego brand a shot in the arm. 

It’s no wonder that Chris Pratt’s 2014, which also included Guardians of the Galaxy, shot him to the top of Hollywood’s casting sheets. 12 years later, there’s no end in sight to his media dominance, which, through The Terminal List and The Electric State, he’s even expanded to streaming originals. If we hadn’t all laughed with The Lego Movie maybe we could have been spared. 

Pratt has had an amazing series of franchise hits but none have surprised audiences quite like The Lego Movie. Crafting a hilarious cinematic universe around the brick toy took everyone by surprise, and even a decade later, it still sounds implausible. If you haven’t given it a chance, it’s now on Netflix, and there’s no reason anyone, old or young, to fire it up and start laughing at one of the best jokes-per-minute ratios of the last 12 years. 

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 11 seconds ago

Through nine seasons, two movies, and one deeply unfortunate revival, The X-Files was driven by a deep and sprawling mythology involving UFOs, aliens, and government coverups (oh, and just a weird amount of oil). This mythology tied to Fox Mulder’s desire to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life, and audiences were meant to tune into the show each week to see how his crusade was going. However, audiences soon found something far more interesting to obsess over than Mulder’s kooky quest: monster-of-the-week episodes!

Instead of focusing on deep lore or alien conspiracies, these episodes featured memorable foes (including everything from a stretchy cannibal to a giant flukeworm) who terrorized Mulder and Scully each week. Aside from the fact that these episodes were fun and scary, most fans never bothered to think too hard about why they loved these stories so much. However, in looking back at “The Host,” veteran X-Files producer Frank Spotnitz developed a theory: namely, that these episodes were popular because they focused on things that felt both “scary and real.”

Enter The Flukeman

As reported by X-Files Confidential, Spotnitz himself was fascinated by the Flukeman, who was the memorable monster of the week in the episode, “The Host.” He noted how “there’s something very visceral” about this particular thread, and how “it really captured people’s imaginations, and that was one of the big themes of the show, was finding things that were scary and real.” The Flukeman was memorably able to attack people through toilets, and the producer pointed out that “everyone seemed to be able to imagine … being attacked in a porta-potty, something coming out of your toilet.”

Wrapping up his thoughts, Spotnitz said that the enthusiastic audience reception to “The Host” was because the episode “speaks to deep fears – you know, urban myths people have heard their whole lives about, you know, snakes coming out of toilets or being attacked in vulnerable places, like a bathroom.” In reading what the producer had to say about this iconic episode, I was struck by a simple fact: he just quietly uncovered why X-Files fans love monster of the week episodes. The short answer is that the villains in these episodes typically tap into our more practical fears than things like alien abduction.

So Much Scarier Than Aliens

Aliens may be the primary threat on The X-Files, but when you get right down to it, they represent a pretty abstract threat to audiences. A good chunk of the people watching the show are, like Scully, skeptical about the existence of extraterrestrial life. Furthermore, a big part of the audience who does believe in aliens thinks that they are more likely to be friendly, Star Trek-style friendlies rather than little green men out to probe human butts.

However, monster of the week villains usually have their basis in something more realistic and, therefore, more terrifying. As Spotnitz points out, countless people are terrified of the idea of a snake hiding in their toilet and biting them in the bum. For someone who deeply fears something like that happening, the idea of a human-sized flukeworm who can do the same is downright horrifying.

The Scariest Monsters Look Like Us

Plus, it helps that so many monsters of the week are often human or present themselves as human. You might not be specifically scared of stretchy cannibals like Eugene Tooms, but he represents a more universally primal fear: that someone could be hiding in your home or workplace, and you wouldn’t know until it was too late. The show is also filled with human monsters like John Lee Roche, someone whose child victims reflect our very real fear of predators attacking kids with impunity. Even the inbred hillbillies of “Home” tap into the paranoid fear that your neighbors are not what they seem and that you will never truly be safe in your community.

Long story not very short, X-Files fans are more frightened by monster-of-the-week episodes because the villains in them are a little more (ahem) down to earth than aliens. They tap into urban myths, folk tales, and old-fashioned camp stories to remind us that we are always vulnerable when we least expect it. Let’s be real: what could be scarier than that?

Ryan Lochte is responding to his ex-wife Kayla Rae Reid’s claims that he cheated on her during their marriage.

“I absolutely was not unfaithful to my ex-wife,” Lochte, 41, said in a statement to People on Wednesday, March 4. “And I have no excuse but to continue to say I have grown and learned so much from my past and I am working on myself and my character every single day.”

Lochte also slammed Reid, 34, for claiming he was with now-girlfriend Molly Gillihan during the exes’ union.

“I love Molly and the family we have so much and it breaks my heart to see Molly dragged into this because never, not one time, did Molly and I have any sort of inappropriate relationship while I was with Kayla,” the athlete continued. “I reached out to Molly after I was served divorce papers and living on my own.”

Related: Ryan Lochte Claims Ex Wants ‘Pity,’ Denies Cheating With New Girlfriend

Ryan Lochte is calling out his estranged wife for insinuating that he cheated on her with his new girlfriend. Lochte, 40, went Instagram official with Molly Gillihan over the weekend, one month after Kayla Rae Reid announced she had filed for divorce from Lochte after seven years of marriage.  Reid recently posted an inspirational quote […]

Us Weekly has reached out to Lochte for comment.

Reid made headlines after she referred to Gillihan as Lochte’s “mistress” on the Monday, March 2, episode of her “The Comeback Era” podcast.

“I’m so happy for him. They’ve been happy for a very long time,” Reid claimed. “Very long time. For many years. They go way back.”

Lochte and Reid tied the knot in 2018 after going public with their relationship during the 2016 Summer Olympics. The pair share three children: son Caiden, 8, and daughters Liv, 6, and Georgia, 2.

Last year, Reid filed for divorce from Lochte after seven years of marriage.

“Earlier this year, I made the hard decision to end my marriage after deep prayer and reflection,” Kayla wrote via Instagram in June 2025. “I hold marriage in the highest regard, so this has been one of the most painful, revealing, and challenging seasons of my life. I’ve been hesitant to share until I could do so from a place of healing — not from fresh, open wounds.”

Lochte broke his silence days later.

“Although this decision hasn’t been easy, I believe it’s the right step toward peace and well-being for us both,” he wrote via Instagram. “I remain committed to healing, growth and coparenting with care and respect as we move forward separately. Thank you to our family and friends for your continued support. It truly means a lot as we begin this new chapter.”

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Kayla Rae Reid had serious concerns about Ryan Lochte prior to divorcing the Olympian, multiple sources exclusively tell Us Weekly. “There were trust issues on Kayla’s end,” one insider shares, with a second source claiming, “Ryan betrayed Kayla’s trust in numerous ways.” Reid, 34, announced on June 4 that she had “made the hard decision” […]

Earlier this year, Lochte moved in with Gillihan seven months after Reid filed for divorce.

“Home Sweet Home 🏠,” Lochte captioned a January Instagram photo of him and Gillihan lying on the floor of their new space. “#moveinday @mollygilli.”

After sharing his latest life update, Lochte opened up about how he was working on becoming the best version of himself for his kids.

“Everything I’ve done over the last 10 months has been about my kids and becoming the best father I can be for them,” he told People later that month. “That meant doing the work — going to rehab, rededicating my life to Christ, going to therapy and making changes that put my children first. Because of that growth, I’m grateful to now have my kids 50 percent of the time.”

Authorities have determined that the two girls whose bodies were found stuffed inside suitcases were related.

An initial DNA analysis by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the girls were half-sisters in life.

According to authorities, they have not been able to identify the two girls from their DNA alone.

The medical examiner’s staff is still attempting to determine the girls’ cause of death as well as the method used to kill them.

The remains of the two young girls were discovered in two suitcases located in an Ohio park late on Monday, March 2.

One of the bags had been left half-buried in a shallow grave, according to the man who accidentally stumbled upon the luggage.

The man, Phillip Donaldson, said he was walking his dog through a Cleveland park when the canine pulled him towards the bag.

He spoke to local news media and explained how he’d lifted the bag out of the loose dirt, unzipped the bag and discovered a head.

Police arrived at the park and conducted a search of the area, subsequently locating the second suitcase containing another body.

Initial reports indicated only one suitcase was found with both bodies,

Investigators believe the girls were between the ages of 8 and 14 when they died — likely from homicidal violence.

Police still do not know how long the girls’ remains have been buried, only that it had been “some time.”

According to Donaldson, the mound of dirt had been visible for at least a week. He recalled his disturbing discovery to local media outlet News 5.

“It was like a pile of dirt, and she stopped to sniff … and she was taking too long,” Donaldson said, referring to his dog. “So, I went back and looked, and it was a suitcase that was half buried and I pulled it up and looked in it, and it was a head. Somebody’s head in it.”

Cleveland Police said that they have received no reports about any missing children who match the girls’ remains.

Police are looking into missing persons reports statewide and in neighboring states for any possible leads.

The girls, police said, are Black and their bodies are said to be intact.

Investigators said they’ve had issues obtaining surveillance footage from cameras in that area, as they do not retain historical data.

There are still no suspects who’ve been identified in the case. Police did a potential person of interest in for questioning, but no charges have been filed against them.

In a statement issued Tuesday, March 3, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb denounced the killings.

“This heinous crime, in which the bodies of two young children were abandoned, is deeply disturbing,” said Bibb. “These were children who had their entire lives ahead of them. Whoever is responsible for depriving them of their futures should be held fully accountable under the law. Our Division of Police is pursuing every lead, carefully reviewing all available evidence, and deploying all necessary resources. They will not stop working until those responsible for this tragic and inhumane act are identified and brought to justice.”

Cleveland Police ask that anyone who has any information that may help them identify the two girls or the person or people responsible for their deaths call them at (216) 25-CRIME or 1-800-225-5324.

You can also file a report online here or contact Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County here.