For decades, popular comedian Ricky Gervais has maintained that legal marriage is entirely unnecessary.

However, after being in a relationship with author Jane Fallon for over 40 years, he has finally discovered a serious tax-related reason that could force him to get married.

The revelation by Ricky Gervais has been met with mostly positive reactions, with many praising him for the move, while some were left stunned that he wasn’t already married to Fallon.

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Famous comedian Gervais, whose personal fortune sits at an estimated £141 million [$191 million], recently opened up to Saga Magazine regarding his intentions to marry his longtime partner, best-selling author Jane Fallon.

When questioned directly if tax benefits were the primary motivation for marrying Fallon, who holds an independent net worth of £1.3 million [$1.8 million], Gervais candidly admitted to the financial move.

He said, “It is. And that will be the reason I marry. We haven’t done it yet. But if it wasn’t for [tax]… why?…”

Under current estate laws in the UK, unmarried cohabiting couples are excluded from the automatic spouse exemption rule.

This specific legal provision permits a married individual or civil partner to inherit their deceased partner’s entire estate completely free from inheritance tax liabilities, a protective benefit that even long-term unmarried couples like Gervais and Fallon can not receive.

Instead, they face an inheritance tax rate of up to 40 percent on any estate assets that exceed the standard tax-free allowance. This presents a massive financial exposure for someone like Gervais who has an extensive, multi-million-pound property portfolio.

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Included in Gervais’ real estate portfolio is a sprawling, nine-bedroom mansion in North London’s Hampstead neighborhood valued at £14.75 million [$19.97 million], alongside a pair of apartments in New York City.

Additionally, Gervais owns a riverside home in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, where local officials recently approved his plans to build a custom £5 million [$6.77 million] neo-Georgian mansion.

According to the Daily Mail, the comedian’s mansion will include a grand entrance hall, a galleried landing, an internal elevator, a home gym, a private drawing room, and a master suite complete with an outdoor terrace that offers sweeping views of a tennis court and pond.

Regarding his latest marriage comments, fans of Gervais seemed excited about it, with one individual on X writing, “A sensible decision. Good publicity for those not aware of this. I guess he’s hoping he pops his clogs first.”

Another stated, “He better have gotten her a huge rock for making her wait that long.”

Ricky Gervais And Jane Fallon Appear To Have Always Been On The Same Page About Marriage

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Gervais and Fallon initially crossed paths during their student years at University College London in 1982, eventually relocating two years later into an apartment situated directly above an establishment the comedian reportedly described as a “seedy sauna” in King’s Cross.

From early on, the long-term partners mutually agreed not to get married or ever have kids, with Fallon later reflecting that, since she was a child, she had never been interested in weddings or motherhood.

During an appearance on the “Second Act podcast” with host Ateh Jewel, she said: “When I was little, you know the cliche of a little girl is they imagine their wedding day and their wedding dress… it was none of that, ever.

“I would think about getting a dog or something,” the author continued, per the Daily Mail. “It was always about work and my life. I would think about the flat that I would live in and stuff like that. But I was never into that kind of romance stuff.”

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During his chat with Saga Magazine, Gervais stressed how long he and Fallon have stayed together, noting that while not legally married, they have been able to stay committed to each other, unlike a lot of married couples.

“It’s mad,” he noted about the tax issue forcing him to tie the knot. “How more married can you be? We share all our money; we’ve been living together for 40 years. Some marriages don’t last a year.”

Acknowledging that they might need to make their partnership legal sooner rather than later, the comedian remarked, “It’s horrible, isn’t it? ‘I’ve got to get around to marrying before I die.’”

Gervais has long maintained that he and Fallon are already married “for all intents and purposes,” telling The Sunday Times in 2010 that their “fake marriage has lasted longer than a real one.”

Ricky Gervais’ Longtime Partner Faced A Cancer Battle

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Gervais’ recent remarks about marriage and tax come after a significant health scare for his long-term partner.

Fallon was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram caught the illness in its earliest, most treatable stages.

By April, she was able to offer fans a reassuring update on her treatment plan. After completing an initial surgical procedure to remove the tumor and a necessary margin of healthy tissue, she happily announced that her surgeons had “basically got it all.”

Showing immense resilience, Fallon then moved forward with a successful follow-up operation to finalize her surgical care, keeping a remarkably optimistic outlook throughout her recovery.

The roots of the thriller genre go back hundreds and hundreds of years, but it didn’t start becoming a fully-formed genre with a style all of its own until the late-19th and early-20th centuries—part of that evolution coming in the form of some of the most suspenseful movies the world has ever seen. Over the course of the last century, thriller filmmakers around the world have offered some of the most nail-biting movies one can ever possibly find.

Tension, sky-high stakes, and the mystery of what will happen next are all at the heart of what makes suspense work as well as it does on the big screen. From 1926 until the present, there have been a few key cinematic masterpieces, from classics like M to modern hits like Uncut Gems, which have completely re-defined the way thrills and suspense work in the Seventh Art.

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‘M’ (1931)

Image via Paramount Pictures

Fritz Lang is one of the most important and groundbreaking European filmmakers in history, which should make it entirely unsurprising that he directed and co-wrote (with his wife, Thea von Harbou) one of the most foundational thrillers in cinema’s history: M, which also happens to be one of the most important films made during cinema’s transition to sound.

M is an undisputed masterpiece, one of those psychological thrillers that helped define the genre. Bolstered by Peter Lorre‘s powerhouse lead performance and some of the best camerawork of the 1930s, this classic built an atmosphere of urban paranoia and psychological dread that was unlike anything cinema had ever seen before. Over 90 years later, it’s still awfully effective, making the movie a must-see for all those interested in learning about the genre’s evolution.

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‘The Departed’ (2006)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

A remake of the 2002 Hong Kong masterpiece Infernal Affairs, The Departed was the movie that finally earned Martin Scorsese his long-overdue Best Director Academy Award, as well as his first film ever to win Best Picture. Whether it’s superior to the original or not is beside the point; the fact of the matter is that it’s one of the most perfect gangster movies since 2000, a modern classic that has only gotten better with age.

By this point in the 21st century, Scorsese had already become such a master of the crime thriller genre that it’s no surprise that he made in The Departed his most suspenseful movie to date. Full of delicious dramatic irony and jaw-dropping plot twists, this relentlessly-paced gem is one of the most foundational crime thrillers of the 21st century as a whole. Scorsese mafia movies are always immensely entertaining, but never had they been more tension-filled than this—and they never have since then.

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‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)

Image via Orion Pictures

Jonathan Demme‘s The Silence of the Lambs is the latest film to have won all Big Five Academy Awards (Best Picture, Director, Actress, Actor, and Screenplay), and very deservedly so. There are some thrillers so terrifyingly suspenseful and darkly atmospheric that some go so far as to consider them horror thrillers, and Silence of the Lambs is perhaps the quintessential example of that.

Several R-rated psychological thrillers can be called masterpieces, but few more clearly so than Demme’s magnum opus. Adapted from Thomas Harris‘ massively influential novel, this essential ’90s classic is a masterclass in filmmaking so suspenseful that it’s downright horrifying. Violent, twisty, and psychologically complex, Silence of the Lambs is made all the more powerful by Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins‘ powerhouse performances.

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‘Inglourious Basterds’ (2009)

Image via The Weinstein Company

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Quentin Tarantino proved admirably soon into his career that he was a voice to look out for going forward; and indeed, by this point, one could confidently call him one of the most acclaimed filmmakers currently working in Hollywood. The question of what his greatest movie ever is can elicit many responses, but it’s likelier than not that Inglourious Basterds will come up more than most.

It’s one of the most intense World War II movies of all time for a wide variety of reasons. There’s the presence of Christoph Waltz‘s Hans Landa, one of the most intimidating villains in the genre’s history; there’s the pure entertainment value of Tarantino’s historical revisionism; and, of course, there’s also the pure suspense of the whole thing. From the opening scene to the infamous bar sequence, Inglourious Basterds basically consists of two-and-a-half hours of Tarantino delivering masterclasses in how to build high-stakes tension and suspense.

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‘Misery’ (1990)

Misery is one of the greatest horror thriller movies of all time, based on one of the best horror thriller books ever written. One of the best Stephen King adaptations the big screen has ever seen, this Rob Reiner classic is one of the most suspenseful single-location movies of all time, bolstered by James Caan and Kathy Bates‘ downright-flawless performances. Movies with premises as minimalistic as this are tough to truly nail, but Reiner had such a spotless understanding of the bare essentials of suspense that he did as marvelous a job as anyone possibly could have.

Like all the most exciting movies based on great books, Misery seems to perfectly understand how to best lift the tension from King’s printed page right to the screen. It’s character-driven suspense through and through, permeated by an atmosphere of pure dread and survival that’s fueled mostly by Bates’ performance, arguably the best Oscar-winning horror movie performance of all time.

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‘Psycho’ (1960)

Image via William Creamer – © MPTV

Alfred Hitchcock is often given the moniker of the Master of Suspense, and that’s for good reason. Since his early days in British silent cinema, the director began to revolutionize suspense and the thriller genre as a whole, completely changing the way movies create tension and deliver twists and surprises. Even though he made several of the most suspenseful thrillers of the last 100 years, there’s one that stands tall above all the others: the chilling horror thriller Psycho.

One of the best psychological thriller movies in history, Psycho is packed with twists and turns that broke new ground in the thriller genre, bridging the gap between its Golden-Age-Hollywood form and the experimental years right after its conclusion. Though the years have made it so that some of Psycho‘s surprises aren’t all that shocking anymore, the whole film’s atmosphere of fear and suspense is still entirely effective.

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‘Se7en’ (1995)

Image via New Line Cinema

There’s a solid number of filmmakers worthy of being considered today’s Masters of Suspense, worthy spiritual successors to Alfred Hitchcock. One of those filmmakers is undoubtedly David Fincher, and there’s no better way to understand why than watching Se7en. All in all, it’s arguably the darkest and most cynical movie ever to make over $300 million dollars at the worldwide box office.

It’s one of the most perfect cat-and-mouse thrillers ever made, one so unapologetically pessimistic and grim that it can also be counted as psychological horror. In any case, one thing is certain, and that is that it’s the sort of hyper-suspenseful big-budget studio film so dark that it could only possibly come from post-’90s Hollywood. There are those who would argue that it’s Fincher’s most suspenseful film, and talking about a director who’s such a master of cinematic tension, that’s high praise.

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‘Uncut Gems’ (2019)

Image via A24

Josh and Benny Safdie are masters of anxiety-inducing cinema, and never have either of them made a film more anxiety-inducing than what some may rightfully call the single most suspenseful feature film ever shot: Uncut Gems. Anchored by the most admirable acting performance of Adam Sandler‘s career, it’s one of the best thriller movies since 2010, a masterpiece that makes it easy to run out of nails to bite if you’re not paying attention.

Every single element of Uncut Gems works in perfect conjunction with all the others to generate an atmosphere of suspense as stressful as humanly possible. Sandler’s performance, the Safdies’ perfect sense of pacing, the overlapping naturalistic dialogue, Daniel Lopatin‘s score—it’s all meant to keep the audience at the edge of their seats for 135 straight minutes, and it works flawlessly. Uncut Gems is by no means an easy film to get through, since it definitely demands a strong stomach from its viewers; but no thriller movie fans’ bucket list can be complete without it.

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Uncut Gems

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Release Date

December 25, 2019

Runtime

136 minutes

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Director

Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

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Emma Thompson’s mom Phyllida Law has died. She was 94.

“It is with great sadness we have to announce that Phyllida Law died supremely peacefully at home, surrounded by all of her family, on Monday 27th July,” Law’s manager Jacky Leggo said in a statement to BBC News on Tuesday, August 18. “We had worked together for over fifty years and she was a beautiful person inside and out.”

Law was the mother of daughters Emma, 67, and Sophie Thompson, whom she shared with late husband Eric Thompson. (Law and Eric tied the knot in 1957 and the couple were together until his death in 1982 at age 53.)

Emma previously shared that she and her mom formed a strong bond after the death of her father. (Emma was 21 at the time of her father’s death.)

Related: Emma Thompson’s Daughter Shades Mom’s Ex Kenneth Branagh Over Past Affair

Did Emma Thompson’s daughter, Gaia Wise, subtly shade her mom’s ex-husband, Kenneth Branagh? Gaia, 24, shared a meme via her Instagram Story on Monday, July 29, that showed Thompson, 65, next to a photo of Branagh, 63, from the 1993 movie adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. (Thompson played Beatrice and Branagh played Benedick in […]

“Now I think if my father was still alive, it would be very different,” the Love Actually actress told the Hollywood Foreign Press in May 2021. “I mean, we know mum so much better because we spent so much time together, we started going on holidays and traveling together, and we all live on the same street, within three doors of each other.”

The Oscar winner continued, “We’re far closer-knit because of that event in our lives, also we’re three actresses who always had to earn our own living, we’ve never been supported by anyone. My mum always worked, I always worked when I was married, and my sister works. So that’s created quite a strong kind of triumvirate. It’s a little alarming, actually.”

Both Emma and Sophie, 64, followed in their mother’s footsteps, who was a formidable actress in the 1960s. She appeared in multiple TV series, including Play School, A Picture of Katherine Mansfield, That’s Love, Kingdom and more. Law made her film debut in 1968’s Otley.

Related: Emma Thompson Reiterates Claims Donald Trump Once Asked Her on a Date

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Emma Thompson recently recalled an unexpected exchange she claims she had with Donald Trump. While speaking during a masterclass at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland on Friday, August 8, Thompson alleged that Trump once asked her on a date. “A phone rang in my trailer, and it was Donald Trump. I thought it was […]

Law shared the screens with her daughters multiple times. She and Emma appeared in 1992’s Peter’s Friends, 1993’s Much Ado About Nothing and 1997’s The Winter’s Guest. Emma and Law also worked together on 2005’s Nanny McPhee. Emma wrote and starred in the project while Law lent her voice to the character Mrs. Partridge.

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Meanwhile, Law and Sophie played mother and daughter in 1996’s Emma, which starred Gwyneth Paltrow.

Law previously gushed about working with her daughters over the years.

“They are both my colleagues in a way,” Law said of her daughters in a 2017 interview with The Telegraph. “They didn’t follow in our footsteps, they rushed past us, trampling on us.”

It’s good to be the President of the United States — or, at least, it’s good to be President Andre Curtis (Keith David), the protagonist of Rick and Morty‘s new spin-off. Last month at San Diego Comic-Con, before President Curtis‘ premiere, David announced that the series had already been renewed for a second season, which is currently in production. It’s fantastic news because President Curtis is the best thing to happen to the Rick and Morty universe in years, embracing the original show’s premise by refreshingly parodying sci-fi and pop culture.

What Is ‘President Curtis’ About?

Whereas Rick and Morty focuses on parodying sci-fi concepts with elements like its own multiverse, President Curtis parodies history and real-life events. Case in point: in the series premiere, Curtis and his team discover that the CIA is trying to hide that a genetic superhuman baby was dropped on the moon in the 1960s. The baby is still alive, and the CIA wants to cover up the child’s existence because multiple countries are planning new missions to the moon.

The second episode, “Triangle,” reveals that monsters and creatures from folklore are being kept in a high-tech floating supermax prison conveniently located in the Bermuda Triangle. On top of that, Amelia Earhart (Kristen Schaal) crucially aids President Curtis’ mission to investigate said prison. The famed pilot had previously been discovered by President Franklin Roosevelt and put in charge of “Bermuda Transit.” These hysterical references not only elevate the show’s comedy but also provide President Curtis with an identity that stands apart from Rick and Morty.

‘President Curtis’ Moves Away From ‘Rick and Morty’s Repetitive Family Drama

President Curtis uses a similar playbook as Rick and Morty, through its parody of sci-fi and various pop-cultural references. However, it avoids most of the family drama that has come to dominate the flagship show’s later seasons, instead mixing in more political and historical satire. While Rick and Morty’s family dynamics arguably add an interesting layer of realism to the show’s sometimes bizarre and outlandish storylines, it’s frustrating to watch the characters make the same mistakes over and over. President Curtis marks a fresh start for the franchise, embracing the fun of similar concepts without all the emotional baggage.

Aside from President Curtis himself, most of the cast are brand-new characters, such as Curtis’ new chief of staff, the part-human, part-cyborg Rho Banks (Stephanie Beatriz), and the overly serious half-leprechaun Secret Service agent, Francis O’Doyle (Jim Rash). The series has already hinted at Rho’s harrowing backstory, which involves a traumatic accident as a child that led to her gaining high-tech cybernetic implants. It’s also been teased that she could override her systems, causing her to become wildly chaotic and amoral. By contrast, O’Doyle takes his job guarding the president as seriously as a heart attack, but his complicated relationship with his mother has led him to resent his leprechaun heritage.

Although the main characters of President Curtis are flawed, their foibles only make them more charming and likable. Additionally, the trio’s bonds are only poised to grow as the season progresses, making the series incredibly rewarding to watch overall. With the knowledge that the Rick and Morty spin-off is set to receive at least two seasons, hopefully, it’s only the beginning of more to come for President Curtis on Adult Swim.

Brooks Nader had a hilarious reaction to the commotion surrounding her topless moment while on a boat with her family.

Brooks, 29, took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, August 18, to clap back at the comments she received after ditching her top in front of her dad, Breaux Nader, her mom, Holland Nader, and her sister Sarah Jane Nader during a trip to Europe.

In the pic, which was shared via Page Six’s social media, Brooks was seen jumping off a boat and into the water fully clothed and covered up.

She rocked a semi-sheer Gucci black dress featuring a scoop neckline, halter straps and an open back. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model even kept her black heels on while swimming, as well as her oversized sunglasses.

Related: Brooks Nader Goes Topless During Family Trip, Dad Looks Unfazed

​​The Naders are a tight knit family. Brooks Nader was recently seen ditching her bikini top while spending time with her sister Sarah Jane Nader and their parents, dad Breaux Nader and mom Holland Nader. In a viral clip shared via TMZ’s TikTok, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model was spotted wearing nothing but white crochet […]

“Are we happy now?” the Love Thy Nader star playfully captioned the post.

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Her spontaneous swim moment comes after she went viral for wearing nothing but white crochet bottoms while sailing through Sardinia earlier this month. Fans were in an uproar over the moment, writing via social media, “It’s definitely not a normal thing in Europe to get naked in front of your dad.” Another commented, “This is not typical in Europe. We do NOT show our boobs to our father.” A third commented, “Absolutely not! That’s past weird.”

While some thought it was a strange encounter, others didn’t see a problem with it. “Am I the only crazy one who thinks this isn’t weird?” one wrote. A second agreed, “Who cares, it’s just a body part.”

Brooks is no stranger to showing some skin. Brooks had a number of nip slips through the years while wearing risque dresses, including plunging necklines and barely-there cutout looks. At The Daily Front Row‘s 10th annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards, she exclusively told Us, “This is true. I have been known to have a nip slip every now and then. That’s why it’s so shocking I’m getting this award, but I’m honored.”

Blake Lively is remembering Hayden Panettiere and Michelle Trachtenberg with a poignant reminder about the private struggles people may be carrying. Following Panettiere’s sudden death at 36, the “It Ends with Us” actress shared a montage of scenes from “Ice Princess,” the 2005 Disney movie that brought Panettiere and Trachtenberg together onscreen.

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The tribute also connected two losses that occurred only 18 months apart. Trachtenberg died at 39 in February 2025, while Panettiere was found dead in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday. “Be. Kind. You never know what others are going through,” Lively wrote over the montage. “Thank you to both these women for all the joy you brought so many.”

Lively’s message arrived one day after news broke of Panettiere’s death. Although Lively did not work with Panettiere on “Ice Princess,” she shared a close professional connection with Trachtenberg through “Gossip Girl.” Lively starred as Serena van der Woodsen on the hit series, while Trachtenberg played the calculating and unpredictable Georgina Sparks.

Panettiere and Trachtenberg, meanwhile, were already established child stars when they appeared together in “Ice Princess,” which became a memorable part of Disney’s early-2000s movie catalog.

Blake Lively Previously Called Michelle Trachtenberg ‘Electricity’

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Lively also honored Trachtenberg shortly after her death in 2025. At the time, the actress shared a photograph from the first day she met her future “Gossip Girl” co-star and reflected on Trachtenberg’s commanding presence. “This is the first day I met Michelle. She was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed,” Lively wrote in her lengthy tribute.

She remembered Trachtenberg as someone who approached her life, friendships and professional responsibilities with an unmistakable intensity. “Everything she did, she did 200%. She laughed the fullest at someone’s joke, she faced authority head-on when she felt something was wrong, she cared deeply about her work,” Lively continued.

The actress also described Trachtenberg as “fiercely loyal,” “kind,” and “deeply sensitive.” According to Lively, the late star “was proud to be a part of this community and industry as painful as it could be sometimes” and “was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved.”

Hayden Panettiere And Michelle Trachtenberg Shared The Screen In ‘Ice Princess’

Released in 2005, “Ice Princess” followed Casey Carlyle, a high school student played by Trachtenberg, who discovers a passion for competitive figure skating while researching a physics project. Panettiere portrayed Gen Harwood, an accomplished skater and the daughter of rink manager and coach Tina Harwood, played by Kim Cattrall.

Casey and Gen initially found themselves on opposing sides as Casey attempted to develop her talent and enter the competitive skating world. Tina schemed to protect her daughter’s chances, placing another obstacle in Casey’s path.

Despite beginning as rivals, Casey and Gen eventually developed a bond. Gen helped Casey regain her confidence and pursue the opportunity she had worked toward. The movie earned $25.7 million during its theatrical run, but its cultural life extended far beyond the box office.

Hayden Panettiere Reunited Years Later

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Panettiere and Trachtenberg crossed paths publicly again six years after “Ice Princess” reached theaters. In 2011, the actresses attended the unveiling of Stuart Weitzman’s Young Hollywood Cares Collection in New York City.

The charity shoe line was co-created by young stars to raise money for ovarian cancer research, bringing Panettiere and Trachtenberg back together for a cause away from the movie set.

Both women continued building careers after their Disney collaboration. Trachtenberg became a memorable recurring presence on “Gossip Girl” as Georgina, while Panettiere went on to lead “Heroes” and “Nashville.”

Michelle Trachtenberg’s Cause Of Death Was Confirmed

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Trachtenberg was found dead inside her New York City apartment near Columbus Circle in February 2025. Her death was later attributed to complications from diabetes mellitus.

Panettiere’s cause of death, however, has not yet been determined. Narcan was reportedly discovered inside the apartment where she was found. It remains unclear whether the medication, which is used to reverse opioid overdoses, was administered in an attempt to revive her.

911 audio indicated that the actress experienced cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose. However, authorities have not confirmed that an overdose caused her death.

“Summer House” star Carl Radke is reflecting on what he’s learned about business after one year of managing his bar and café, Soft Bar. The non-alcoholic bar opened up a year ago, and Radke showcased everything leading up to that moment during the last season of the hit Bravo reality show.

While speaking with Us Weekly, Radke said he was “proud” of the brand he’s built over the last year. One reason is that he and his team were able to trademark the name Soft Bar.

“Something I was really excited about with building Soft Bar is I wanted to go brand first and community first, and being able to wrap our arms around the ‘soft’ terminology in Soft Bar, soft drink, soft cocktail — these are all terms that were in our vocabulary, but no one really had wrapped their arms around it. My goal was to really elevate the non-alcoholic industry, and the way I believe in doing that was to build a brand that [has] a mission and a strong foundation,” he said.

Carl Radke Is Grateful He’s Been Able To See His Business Come To Life

Since opening his Brooklyn bar a year ago, Radke said things have been going well for him and his business. And while business is booming, Radke admitted he couldn’t do it alone, leading him to praise his incredible staff and thank everyone involved for helping him build an amazing community.

“It’s been really cool to see my vision come to life. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. We’ve made mistakes. We’ve learned. We’ve had to adjust. We’ve had to evolve. But any new business is going to do that. But we are really listening to our customers. We’re trying to understand what they like, take all the feedback and become a better operation as a result. So I’m really happy and proud, but there’s still some work to do for sure,” he stated.

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Carl Radke Said It’s Important To Build ‘Thick Skin’ In Business

When asked what advice Radke, who’s been on “Summer House” since 2017, would have for those wanting to start a business, the reality star said people should be highly adaptable and resilient.

“You’ve got to be willing to have a thick skin and be really patient. I would start small, and what I mean by that is if you want to open up, in theory, a lemonade drink café, I would say, start a little lemonade stand in your front yard first. Get your product or service in people’s hands before you make that bigger commitment,” he said.

He added, “Start organically small, locally, get it in front of your close friends and family, and get it in front of other people that don’t know you would be my advice. I think some people get big ideas and you can overwhelm yourself. Be balanced and try to find slow and steady.”

Radke Struggled With Addiction

Before opening Soft Bar, Radke struggled with drug and alcohol addiction following the death of his brother, Curtis. In a previous interview with Nick Viall, the reality star said the loss led him to develop a habit of overindulging.

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“As I would joke, it was like my f—boy pad, and I went right back into doing drugs and drinking all the time, but I was doing it alone. I would drink all day by myself and do cocaine by myself in my apartment, and, like, call people, text people, say crazy sh-t. It just was on this downward spiral,” he said.

What Led Radke To Seek Help?

On “Summer House,” Radke appeared to be handling his brother’s death well, but behind closed doors, he admitted to living a double life. Everything changed for him, though, when a Bravo executive spoke with him about his substance abuse in 2019.

“For the first time, I actually had someone call me out and say, ‘I know it’s not just alcohol. It’s coke. All the other sh-t as a result,” he said. “I would take Xanax to kinda come down. I would take Ambien to help sleep, all the things. But it still wasn’t right away, like, I’m gonna go to get my help. I did it in my own.”

Thrillers hit differently when experienced on the page. That’s because movies and TV shows rely on music, editing, and dramatic visuals to signal when something is about to go wrong. However, books don’t have any of that, so they operate by trapping the readers inside the characters’ heads and immersing them in fear, suspicion, and uncertainty.

The format also leaves a lot of room for character development, detailed worldbuilding, and small details that don’t translate well on screen. The best books in the genre don’t need to constantly hold the reader’s hand or throw in a twist every few pages, and that’s why the medium feels so drastically different than film or TV. To prove that, here are six unputdownable thriller books that will keep you hooked from start to finish

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‘Gone Girl’ (2012)

Image via Phoenix

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn begins with the perfect mystery. On the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne returns home to find signs of a struggle and no trace of his wife, Amy. However, things take a turn when he becomes the biggest suspect in the case. To make things worse, Nick does himself no favors by reacting strangely to his wife’s disappearance and keeping things from investigators even as the evidence keeps stacking up against him. The author tells this compelling story through two competing perspectives. Nick narrates the investigation in the present, while Amy’s diary entries take the reader through their relationship from its picture-perfect beginning to its bitter collapse.

Nick is clearly hiding something, but Amy’s version of their marriage also starts to feel too good to be true. The structure leaves the reader trapped between two intelligent and relentless people who are determined to control how they are perceived. The most unexpected thing about Gone Girl is that it delivers its big reveal midway through the story. Once the readers learn the truth about what happened to Amy, the narrative transforms into an entirely different kind of psychological battle. The mystery also works because Nick and Amy’s marriage is every bit as interesting as Amy’s disappearance. The book is fast-paced, yet it still gives the readers a lot of time to sit with the characters and understand why they are the way they are. Gone Girl triggered an entire wave of domestic thrillers featuring toxic marriages and unreliable narrators, but Flynn’s novel remains in a league of its own.

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‘The Silent Patient’ (2019)

Image via Celadon Books

Alex Michaelides’s debut novel, The Silent Patient, is a BookTok sensation. The novel is one of the internet’s favorite psychological thrillers that has sparked endless discussion over its famous twist, and the hype is totally justified. The story follows Alicia Berenson, a successful painter living with her fashion-photographer husband, Gabriel. One evening, Gabriel returns home, and Alicia shoots him five times. She never explains why she did it. Instead, she completely stops speaking and is eventually placed in a psychiatric facility in London. Her total silence turns what could have been a straightforward murder into a mystery that the public becomes obsessed with. Things take a turn when criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber accepts a position at the Grove because he is convinced that he can get Alicia to speak.

However, the book never loses sight of the uncomfortable fact that in trying to solve the mystery, Theo is crossing professional boundaries himself. The narrative alternates between Theo’s investigation and entries from Alicia’s diary written before the murder. That structure keeps the chapters short and the information carefully controlled, which allows Michaelides to reveal the details gradually to maintain the suspense that drives the plot forward. The Silent Patient might not be the most unpredictable book out there, but even if the readers put the pieces together, the ending still forces them to rethink almost everything they have read. The virality of the book might drive people to buy it, but Michaelides’s tightly controlled story is what keeps them reading until the final page.

3

‘Misery’ (1987)

Image via Viking

Misery is a Stephen King classic that doesn’t need any traditional horror tropes to terrify his readers. The novel follows Paul Sheldon, a successful author best known for a series of historical romance books centered on a character named Misery Chastain. Paul has grown to resent the books that made him famous and finally kills Misery off to leave the series behind and establish himself as a more serious writer. However, after crashing his car during a snowstorm, he wakes up inside the remote home of Annie Wilkes, a former nurse who proudly introduces herself as his number one fan. Initially, it seems like she has saved Paul’s life, but things take a turn when Paul realizes that she has not contacted a hospital or told anyone where he is.

The stakes rise when she reads his latest book and discovers that Misery is dead. In a fit of rage, Annie forces Paul to write a new novel that brings her favorite character back to life. Now, most of the novel is confined to Paul’s room, but the setup never gets boring. Every time Annie enters, the reader has no idea what she might do. Paul is almost completely helpless, which means survival depends on reading her moods, earning her trust, and making the most of the brief periods when she leaves him alone. Through the narrative, King explores the complex relationship between writers and their audiences, which gives the book a meta quality that never really gets old. Misery is graphic when it needs to be, but the most relentless thing about the story is the constant suspense that keeps the readers hooked until the end.

4

‘No Exit’ (2017)

Image via William Morrow / HarperCollins

Taylor Adams’s No Exit takes one of the worst places imaginable to spend the night and makes it even more terrifying. The thriller follows college student Darby Thorne as she drives through the Colorado mountains to reach her critically ill mother. A violent blizzard forces her to abandon the journey and take shelter at an isolated highway rest stop with four strangers. There is no phone signal, and the roads are closed until the storm passes. Then, while searching outside for reception, Darby discovers a little girl kidnapped and locked inside an animal cage in the back of a parked van. That’s not the most horrifying part, though — it’s the fact that the person responsible has to be one of the strangers waiting inside. Now, Darby has to work out which vehicle belongs to whom, determine who she can trust, and find a way to free the girl without revealing what she knows.

Every conversation suddenly becomes an interrogation, but Darby cannot ask the questions directly without placing both of them in immediate danger. That simple setup gives No Exit an incredible amount of momentum. The story unfolds over one night and within a very limited area, yet Adams constantly finds new ways to make the situation worse. Even when Darby finally learns who she is dealing with, the tension does not die down. The protagonist is also far from a trained detective or action hero, which makes her peril all the more dangerous. The reader has to work alongside Darby as she makes difficult decisions and constantly risks her life in the process. Some might feel like the novel is doing too much, but this relentlessness is actually a major part of its appeal. Plenty of books are described as impossible to put down, but No Exit does absolute justice to its title and gives the reader no room for comfort.

5

‘Dark Matter’ (2016)

Image via Crown Publishing Group

Dark Matter is Blake Crouch’s science-fiction thriller that follows former research physicist Jason Dessen, who gave up a potentially groundbreaking career to live a quiet life in Chicago with his wife, Daniela, and their teenage son, Charlie. He occasionally wonders what might have happened had he chosen ambition over family, but one night, that question is answered for him in the worst possible way. Jason is abducted by a masked stranger, drugged, and knocked unconscious. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a version of Chicago where Daniela is not his wife, and Charlie was never born. In this reality, Jason pursued his scientific career and became a celebrated physicist responsible for an invention capable of accessing alternate worlds.

The physicist suddenly has everything he once wondered about, but soon enough, he realizes that all he wants is the ordinary life that has been taken from him. That personal motivation balances all the quantum mechanics, branching realities, and endless possibilities that Crouch creates in Dark Matter. Jason’s objective is to find the correct version of his world and return to his family. That premise might sound simple, but the book’s short chapters and relentless pace keep it from ever feeling boring. Every new reality Jason enters introduces another version of his life. The novel asks larger questions about identity, regret, and whether people would genuinely be happy if they could reverse their life’s biggest decisions. The scientific logic in the story definitely needs some suspension of disbelief, but the book’s strong emotional core more than makes up for it.

6

‘The Devotion of Suspect X’ (2005)

Image via Bungeishunjū/ Minotaur Books

Keigo Higashino begins The Devotion of Suspect X by revealing what most thriller stories would spend the entire time building up to. The Japanese novel opens when Yasuko Hanaoka’s abusive ex-husband, Togashi, appears at her apartment and threatens the peaceful life she has built with her daughter, Misato. The confrontation turns violent and leaves Togashi dead and both women with no idea how they can avoid prison. Their quiet neighbor, Tetsuya Ishigami, an isolated mathematics teacher, overhears the struggle and offers to help. Now, he does not just dispose of evidence or invent a simple alibi. Instead, he constructs an elaborate plan designed to account for every question the police might ask. From that point onward, the suspense comes from watching Yasuko follow his instructions while knowing that even one small mistake could destroy everything.

On the other hand, Detective Kusanagi leads the investigation, but the case quickly takes a personal turn for him. Higashino’s writing is restrained, and he doesn’t bury the central mystery beneath unnecessary action. Mathematics and physics are essential to the story, but the readers don’t need a lot of knowledge to follow it. However, the novel’s greatest achievement is that its final revelation is emotional, clever, and unpredictable. The title gradually takes on a darker meaning as the reader begins to understand the true extent of Ishigami’s devotion and the horrifying logic behind his plan. The book ends with a moral uncertainty that lands with far more weight than a conventional last-minute twist, and that is the brilliance of Higashino’s work.

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Release Date

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November 30, 1990

Runtime

107 minutes

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Producers

Andrew Scheinman

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As a type A fashionista, I like to plan my outfits one season in advance. Call it what you want, but it’s undeniably smart to prep your fall wardrobe before it’s too late — especially when Chico’s always seems to have cozy-chic pieces that make planning half the fun. It’s true: the way Chico’s nails those early-season layers and seasonal statement pieces for women over 40 makes it impossible not to daydream about fall fashion.

Whether you’re on the hunt for summer-to-fall pieces, layerable essentials or those statement-making silhouettes Chico’s does so well, now’s the time to build a wardrobe that seamlessly transitions to cooler weather. Let’s dive in!

Chico’s Pre-Fall Selections for Women Over 40

1. Our Favorite: Transition into fall’s cozy-chic fashion in this satin-sleeve henley blouse. Soft and stretchy, it brings that early-autumn comfort while the satin sleeves add a punch of polish.

2. Demure Denim: Excuse us while we swoon over these cropped straight jeans. A tad distressed and the perfect middleground fit, they feel lived‑in but still look polished — especially with all those early‑fall layers.

3. All Year Long: We love a powerhouse dress, and this long-sleeve denim shirt dress fits the bill. It looks just as chic with a scarf and cropped boots as it does paired with tights and a structured jacket when the temperatures dip.

4. Summer to Fall: Who says linen isn’t a fall fabric? This linen safari shirtdress keeps things breathable while still reading autumn‑appropriate the second you add a belt and ankle boots.

5. Rich Mom Style: Quiet luxury is on full display in this blue pullover sweater. With a rich royal blue hue and a side-button detail, it adds a refined pop of color to all your pre-fall staples.

6. Cozy Workwear: Bring some coziness into your workwear wardrobe with this double-breasted sweater blazer. Featured in easy-to-style shades like black, blue and green, it’s a knit-meets-blazer piece that instantly sharpens your pre-fall fashion.

7. Mix & Match: This colorblock knit tank is part of Chico’s Travelers Collection, which features easy mix‑and‑match pieces. It’s a packable piece that layers effortlessly with coordinating separates, making it a go‑to for fall quiet luxury looks.

8. Easy Wear: Embrace fuss-free fashion this fall with this no-iron white tunic. Packing a punch of rich mom style, the stretchy tunic reads elevated the moment you add boots and a sleek fall jacket.

9. Reviewer Loved: Chico’s shoppers are obsessed with these cool layering tees. Made with a gentle, cool-to-the-touch fabric, the long-sleeve tee stays breathable enough for summer days yet substantial enough to slip under all those early‑fall layers.

10. Fall Essential: Nothing says pre-fall quite like a light sweater dress. With just the right amount of weight, this whipstitch knit is undeniably polished thanks to the stitching detail that makes even simple styling read rich in style and texture.

11. Long & Lean: Make your frame look inches longer in these gorgeous girlfriend flared leg jeans. With regular, petite and tall fits, the slimming silhouette creates a long, lean line that works with everything from tees to tailored tops.

12. Sumptuous Skirt: I love the texture and feel of this fall-ready satin maxi skirt. Its airy drape and crinkled finish give every outfit a soft, luxe touch.

13. Sharp & Tailored: There’s a military appeal to this wool-blend jacket. Designed with a classic band jacket silhouette, it has a uniform-inspired look that instantly sharpens your whole fall wardrobe.

Marvel’s supremacy over cinema has been long-standing, but there is only one film that has elevated the superhero genre above everything else. In 2018, Marvel Studios released Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The animated feature was separate from Tom Holland’s MCU portrayal but didn’t invalidate it. Instead, it was the first cinematic depiction of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), another hero by the name of Spider-Man.

Just like the beloved Peter Parker, Miles also gets bitten by a spider, gaining similar spider-adjacent powers. The film was lauded for its breathtaking animation and for delivering long-awaited characters who appeared in the Into the Spider-Verse comic by Dan Slott. It accepted the challenge with grace and delivered one of the best superhero experiences of all time. This has been proven time and time again as fans flock to the movie’s new streaming home on Netflix.

‘Into the Spider-Verse’ Captures Everything Fans Love About Spider-Man

Especially in the golden age of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, there is nothing fans love more than Spider-Man. The recent MCU venture demonstrates what makes Peter Parker a true hero. He is selfless, empathetic, and genuinely believes in what is right, despite life continuing to kick him in the teeth.

Eight years before that, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse communicated these same themes with the origin story of Miles Morales. After he is bitten by the spider, he witnesses the death of his universe’s Peter Parker, voiced briefly by the scene-stealing Chris Pine. This leads him down the rabbit hole of the multiverse, where he encounters multiple spider-people. Miles attempts to take on the mantle of Spider-Man, while teaming up with another Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) from another universe, who is grappling with his own destiny.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse does the character of Miles justice by delivering an emotionally resonant film that is specific to who he is as a character. His identity is formed by his mixed heritage, as well as his experience growing up in Brooklyn. He is not a carbon copy of Peter from Queens, but his own entity with his own struggles.

The movie conveys this with specific musical choices that separate it from any other Spider-Man feature. The animation is perhaps the most notable aspect of the film, which puts it on par with any live-action story. In fact, Into the Spider-Verse is genre-defying as it refuses to fit into any box. The visual style captures comic-specific stories in a way that the live-action iterations cannot. Quite literally, a comic book movie, Into the Spider-Verse proves that superhero movies can be art.

On a more personal level, Spider-Verse redeemed the traumatic event of Gwen Stacy’s death by paying homage to her comic destiny as Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), as she is colloquially known. Like Miles, she has her own emotional story, refusing just to be a romantic interest. Into the Spider-Verse has all the heart, humor, and narrative payoffs of Spider-Man comics when they’re at their best.

No live-action superhero movie could compete with this Spider-story, though many have tried. Even its own sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, was held to a certain standard, but paled in comparison to the emotional and thematic highs that the first story delivered. Into the Spider-Verse harnesses everything that is perfect about Spider-Man and delivers it straight to audiences.

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Release Date

December 14, 2018

Runtime

117 minutes

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Sequel(s)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Don’t Use), Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse

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