Prince Harry addresses Meghan Markle divorce speculation
Prince Harry recently addressed online rumors about his and Meghan Markle’s alleged divorce at the New York Times’ 2024 DealBook Summit.
unbranded – Entertainment
“With Love, Meghan” isn’t a sign-off, it turns out, it’s an opening salvo.
Duchess Meghan’s cooking and lifestyle show has been renewed for a second season, Netflix announced Friday, just days after it premiered. Not only will the program get a second act, but filming for Season Two has already wrapped, according to a release from the streaming giant.
The series, which blends a cooking show format with celebrity interviews, sees Meghan welcome guests to a replica of her Montecito, California estate and dole out tips on entertaining, baking and parenting.
Made in partnership with Archewell Productions, a company founded by Meghan and husband Prince Harry in 2020, the show also serves as a launching pad for As Ever, the Duchess’ lifestyle brand.
In the first crop of episodes, Meghan invites over Mindy Kaling, Los Angeles Chef Roy Choi and skincare founder Vicky Tsai, among others to make potstickers, Korean fried chicken, a rainbow fruit plate for children’s parties and several rounds of mimosas.
This is the royal couple’s second project with Netflix, after “Harry & Meghan” a documentary taking a deeper look at their love story and royal exodus premiered in 2022. This project takes a lighter tone, seeing Meghan revel in the California lifestyle and share intimate moments from the pair’s life there.
“This feels like a new chapter that I’m so excited that I get to share, and I’ve been able to learn from all of you,” Meghan says during the finale episode. “So just thank you for the love and support. And here we go. There’s a business!”
Meghan told People magazine in an interview published Monday that she sees “this spark in (Harry’s) eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me” in a reference to her former lifestyle blog The Tig, which she shuttered in 2017 after falling for Harry.
“It’s almost like a honeymoon period again,” she said, “because it’s exactly how it was in the beginning when he’d watch me scribbling away, writing newsletters, fine-tuning edits and just really being in the details of it. I think he loves watching as much as I love doing that creative process.”
Grammy-nominated singer and guitarist D’Wayne Wiggins, a founding member of the seminal R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, has died, the group announced Friday on social media. He was 64.
“With broken hearts, we share with you that our beloved D’Wayne passed away this morning surrounded by family and loved ones” Wiggins’ family wrote in a statement shared on the group’s social media channels Friday.
“Over the past year, he has been privately and courageously battling bladder cancer,” the statement said. “Through this fight, he remained committed and present for his family, his music, his fans and his community.”
The announcement came two days after the Wiggins family shared the singer was experiencing “medical complications.”
Friday’s statement continued: “D’Wayne’s life was incomparable, and his music and service impacted millions around the world, including in his hometown of Oakland, California. He was a guitarist, producer, composer, philanthropist, mentor and founding member of Tony! Toni! Tone! He was deeply passionate about providing artist development and mentorship to emerging young musicians, helping to shape the early careers of many.”
A representative for Wiggins confirmed the musician’s death to USA TODAY with a news release that shared a memorial services are in the works.
“We will share more details as they are available. For now, we ask that you continue to respect our privacy. We mourn with you, and are deeply grateful for your love and support,” the announcement states.
The group — comprising Wiggins, brother Raphael Saadiq and their cousin Timonthy Christian Riley — had a performance in Northern California later this month that was canceled “due to illness.”
The Tonyies were working on new music amid their 2023 reunion tour
In 2023, the Oakland-born group which formed in the late 1980s and released hits “Little Walter,” “Feels Good” and “Anniversary,” embarked on their first headlining tour in more than two decades with the original founding members.
In a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, the three family members who call themselves the Tonyies credited Saadiq with getting the band back together.
“I didn’t tell any of the managers or team or anybody because I just wanted it to be us,” Saadiq said. “I wanted to be in a room where the only power structure was one, two and three. … We have to be us first before we could talk to anybody because that’s what happened the last time.”
He also teased new music the trio was working on at the time, declaring, “There’s going to be another album.” But he wanted to ensure they were in the right headspace for creating their first record since 1996’s “House of Music.”
“I thought we need to really hone in on what we’re doing for touring and then go home and then take like two days off, and then start on the album,” Saadiq said.
“We got a lot of material and now we just want to make sure that we put out the right energy through our music,” Wiggins added.
Aside from Tony! Toni! Toné! and his solo career, which resulted in the 2000 album “Eyes Never Lie,” Wiggins also worked as a producer for the likes of Destiny’s Child, Alicia Keys and Keyshia Cole early in their careers.
In USA TODAY’s The Essentials, celebrities share what fuels their lives, whether it’s at home, on the set or on the road.
Porsha Williams is back like she never left.
The reality star and entrepreneur, who rose to prominence on “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” is returning to the show after two seasons away from the Bravo reality series. Since we last saw Williams, 43, she has been busy with multiple businesses (Go Naked Hair, Pampered by Porsha) and acting roles (“Single Black Female 3,” set to premiere on Lifetime March 22), as well as motherhood and entering a new chapter post-filing for divorce.
This season of “RHOA” feels “right” for her.
“It was the type of situation where the door wasn’t all the way closed, and it just ended up being the right synergy, the right time, right space,” she says. “Three years ended up being enough time for me to spend mommy-ing, doing all the things that I needed to do off TV, enjoying that break. And there was a little bit of less pressure on me.”
From what makes sisterhood on “RHOA” crucial to post-relationship life lessons and the importance of self-care, Williams lets us in on her essentials.
Porsha Williams on ‘RHOA’ sisterhood, relationship with Phaedra Parks
Williams said a stint on “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” Season 3 and the sisterhood felt on the spinoff made her consider rejoining the “Housewives” fray for Season 16.
“I was talking to (executive producer Andy Cohen and production), saying, I would love for ‘Housewives’ to have this vibe: sisterhood, having a good time, enjoyable, very little producing at all,” she says. “And we worked it out.”
A part of that sisterhood that fans have come to miss is the Frick and Frack relationship between Williams and fellow longtime cast member Phaedra Parks.
Their relationship has had ebbs and flows, but Parks has said her return to the show after six seasons at the same time as Williams was the Pampered by Porsha founder’s idea.
Williams is “more excited than anybody” about it. “I think having that Frick and Frack relationship back at a time like this is most important.”
What makes a good friend? Porsha Williams stresses different friends for different seasons
The No. 1 rule of the Frick and Frack dynamic is to “support each other” and “celebrate each other,” she added.
For Williams, real friendship isn’t just about leaning on someone in hard times – it’s about having a good time together, too.
“I needed that light-hearted fun,” she says. “All friends aren’t the ones that you just cry on their shoulders. Some are there to distract you with a good time and a good twerk. And we do just that together.”
She continues: “There’s no jealousy, there’s no competition, none of that,” bringing a positive energy to the show.
One of Williams’ favorite parts of this season was an “old school Housewives” moment with her, Parks and Cynthia Bailey, who is a friend of the show this season.
“It is definitely heartwarming to be able to have Cynthia there, have Phaedra there. We were just cutting up, acting silly, having a good time, reading each girl one by one, just having a good kiki. And it really took me back to those sisterhood moments of being able to just enjoy another female who deals with the things that you deal with in life.”
Porsha Williams’ life lessons post-divorce: ‘Let people come in’
Just over a year ago, Williams filed to divorce her husband, Simon Guobadia, after 15 months of marriage. Though the Go Naked hair founder won’t say much about the ongoing legal matter, her main takeaway for this chapter of her life is to assess who is around you, and not to be afraid to rely on your village.
“Being able to have people who speak life into you and your difficult moments, and who allow you to process things the way you would need to process them. To be able to let people come in and support you, who love you and care about you, this is very important,” she says. “And I don’t think I valued that as much before because I always felt like I was on my own and doing everything on my own, and had to survive on my own.”
When it comes to her family and her team, she intends to “keep that circle tight and close and cherish them.”
“The people who you have closest to you really do make a difference (in) how you handle situations.”
Porsha Williams on balancing work, motherhood
From work to being a full-time mom to daughter Pilar with her ex, Dennis McKinley, what keeps Williams grounded is “taking time for me” and making her well-being a priority.
“I have had the opportunity to enjoy true peace, and I protect it fiercely,” she says. “I have strong boundaries for anything that seems to come in and disrupt any part of my peace.”
And between multiple businesses and acting roles, she listens to her mind and body if she needs a break.
“At the end of the day, I realized, as long as I’m good, if my cup is filled, then that’s how I can go into my daughter and my work and everything else around me,” she says. “So I do prioritize self, which can seem a little selfish, but you have to be a survivor these days.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler shares her top 5 TV shows she is most excited for this year
The third season of the Emmy-award-winning HBO series “The White Lotus” is already nearly halfway over, with episode four of eight set to air this weekend.
Written and directed by Mike White (notably a former “Survivor” contestant), the dark comedy anthology series follows the plights of the rich and powerful at the prestigious White Lotus resort chain as they navigate their psychological and interpersonal issues against the backdrop of idyllic vacations in Hawaii, Italy and now Thailand.
Season 3 has already dropped some bombs, including the return of Tanya’s suspicious husband, Greg (Jon Gries), and Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell), the visiting spa manager from the Hawaiian White Lotus.
With half a season still to go, there is plenty of time for drama to unfold. Here’s what to know about catching the rest of “The White Lotus” Season 3.
When do new episodes of ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 come out?
Season 3 of “The White Lotus” premiered at 9 p.m. EST/PST on Sunday, Feb. 16. New episodes will air on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and stream on Max.
‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 full episode schedule
Feb. 16: Episode 1, “Same Spirits, New Forms”
Feb. 23: Episode 2, “Special Treatments”
March 2: Episode 3, “The Meaning of Dreams”
March 9: Episode 4, “Hide or Seek”
March 16: Episode 5, “Full-Moon Party”
March 23: Episode 6, “Denials”
March 30: Episode 7, “Killer Instincts”
April 6: Episode 8, “Amor Fati”
How to watch ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3
The eight-episode season will air on HBO and stream on Max weekly at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Max subscription plans begin at $9.99 a month with ads while ad-free subscriptions cost $16.99 a month.
The highest tier, which is $20.99 a month, includes the ability to stream on four devices and offers 4K Ultra HD video quality and 100 downloads. HBO also offers bundles with Hulu and Disney+.
Watch The White Lotus S3 with Sling + Max
‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 cast
Cast members for Season 3 of “The White Lotus” include:
Leslie Bibb as Kate
Carrie Coon as Laurie
Michelle Monaghan as Jaclyn
Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett
Aimee Lou Wood as Chelsea
Jason Isaacs as Timothy Ratliff
Parker Posey as Victoria Ratliff
Sarah Catherine Hook as Piper Ratliff
Sam Nivola as Lochlan Ratliff
Patrick Schwarzenegger as Saxon Ratliff
Lalisa Manobal as Mook
Lek Patravadi as Sritala
Natasha Rothwell as Belinda
Tayme Thapthimthong as Gaitok
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s cause of death revealed
The Oscar-winning actor was found dead alongside wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog in their home.
When Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead last month in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home, the community was shocked.
Their deaths seemed a mystery when maintenance workers called police after spotting the couple through a window on Feb. 26. Arakawa’s body was found in a bathroom and showed decomposition. The Oscar-winning actor was found in a mudroom with his cane. Their dog Zinna was found dead in a kennel. Their two dogs Nikita and Bear were found roaming the property and the front door was open. Officials ruled out an early theory of carbon monoxide poisoning as they investigated.
On Friday, New Mexico’s chief medical examiner shared how the couple died.
Arakawa, 65, died from Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease that is contracted by contact with mouse droppings, the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator announced Friday. According to the CDC, Hantaviruses “are spread mainly by rodents and are not spread from person-to-person.” And Hackman, 95, had heart disease and complications caused by Alzheimer’s disease and died from natural causes.
The revelation put to end endless theories on what happened to the couple. Officials tried to shed new light on the reclusive two-time Oscar winner’s last weeks in Santa Fe which he retreated to after leaving Hollywood. And they offered the heartbreaking fact that Hackman was alone at home with his dead wife for days.
But they also raised new questions about the state of Hackman’s health and why the couple wasn’t found sooner.
It appears that Arakawa died first, according to the medical examiner, likely around Feb. 11, the last time anyone had any communication from her.
Hackman’s was believed to have died about a week later, with his pacemaker last showing activity on Feb. 18, according to the medical examiner. Hackman “was in a very poor state of health” at the time of his death, said Dr. Heather Jarrell, New Mexico’s chief medical examiner.
Investigators were unclear how Hackman spent his last days. Jarrell said the autopsy showed that Hackman hadn’t eaten recently, but that he did not suffer from dehydration.
They couldn’t find that Hackman communicated with anyone after his wife died, but they didn’t know if he was able to take care of himself.
He likely didn’t know his wife had died, officials said, citing his Alzheimers disease.
“We consider this an open investigation” as there are “other loose ends we need to tie up,” Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza says.
But it’s possible, he said, that they won’t ever know all of the details of the case, such as if Hackman was trying to get help when he died.
How did Betsy Arakawa die?
Arakawa died from Hantavirus, which is a rare disease that humans can contract from contact with rodents like rats and mice, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings, and saliva. Hantavirus cannot pass from person to person, and dogs cannot contract Hantavirus.
Hantavirus is now extremely rare, with only seven reported cases in New Mexico in 2024 according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
The disease was a mystery when it emerged mostly on the Navajo nation near the Four Corners area of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah in 1993. It caused alarm through the area when a 19-year-old competitive marathon runner became short of breath after a fever and died a few days later in May of that year, according to the National Library of Medicine. After several more deaths and illnesses, a team of researchers from the CDC among other institutions was able to identify it as a new hantavirus strain and trace it to droppings from rodents.
How did Betsy Arakawa spend her last days
Arakawa spent her last days running errands, according to the sheriff’s office. They put together a timeline from video cameras and emails.
While they knew how she spent that day in town, it was unclear whether she was showing signs of illness. Thought Mendoza said they did believe Arakawa was wearing a mask.
On Feb. 9 Arakawa picked up their dog Zinna from a veterinary hospital. Zinna was a 12-year-old reddish Australian Kelpie mixed-breed who had once trained in agility skills to compete at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. (That dog was later found dead in a kennel, and it’s possible the dog died from dehydration or starvation, the state veterinarian said, but a necropsy will be done.)
Two days later on Feb. 11, Arakawa had an email conversation with her massage therapist in the afternoon. By 3:30 p.m. she was at Sprouts Farmers Market and just after 4 p.m. she was at CVS.
“She was walking around, she was shopping, she was visiting stores,” Mendoza said of the camera footage which helped investigators track her last day. “My detectives didn’t indicate that there was any problem with her or struggle of her getting around.”
She was spotted at a pet store just before 5 p.m. on Feb. 11, and returned home just after 5:15 pm. accroding to security at her gated subdivision.
She had numerous emails unopened later that day.
That was the last known communication from Arakawa or her husband.
Gene Hackman’s years in Santa Fe
For the past four decades, Santa Fe had become the ideal backdrop for the reluctant movie star to melt away into the community. Hackman delved into art and literature, writing most mornings by longhand and never past two o’clock in the afternoon, by his own admission, or else the writing would keep him up all night.
He took art classes in local workshops and painted prolifically, cranking out human model drawings, nudes and paintings. He gifted many of his paintings or gave them away to charity.
He and his wife had enjoyed relative anonymity in the Santa Fe community over the years, but were seen much less in past years.
When did sheriff’s deputies find Hackman?
Deputies had found the actor and Arakawa deceased at around 1:45 p.m. on Feb. 26. “Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths,” the spokesperson said at the time, as the sheriff’s office investigated. But they did call the deaths suspicious.
Deputies did not see signs of forced entry into the residence, and the front door was open upon their arrival, according to a search warrant. The Santa Fe City Fire Department, working with the New Mexico Gas Co., did not find evidence of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning.
The death of the character actor, who won two Oscars in a more than 60-year career, caused intrigue and mourning amongst fans and industry peers. Hackman brought a rogue charm and everyman believability to iconic roles such as his best acting-winning performance as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in “The French Connection, his gleeful megalomaniac Lex Luthor in the “Superman” franchise and as a loathsome sheriff in his Oscar-winning “Unforgiven” role.
He brought sincerity to his role as a small-town Indiana basketball coach in the beloved 1986 drama “Hoosiers” as well as pure comedy to 2001’s “The Royal Tenenbaums” and an unforgettable cameo in Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.”
In the search warrant affidavit filing in February, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office Detective Roy Arndt says the couple were found in different rooms in their home.
According to investigators, the scene was “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation” after several things were found at the scene, including the front door open and unlocked, a healthy dog “running loose on the property,” another “healthy dog” found near Arakawa and a dead dog. They later confirmed that the dead dog was found in a closed kennel. That dog, Zinna, was the one that Arakawa had picked up from the veterinarian’s office on Feb. 9. It was unclear if it had been in the kennel because of its treatment at the vet.
They also cited an open pill bottle and scattered pills next to Arakawa and Hackman being in a different room than his wife. The pills included Tylenol, thyroid medication and diltiazem (used to treat high blood pressure.)
Betsy Arakawa found partially mummified, Gene Hackman was in separate room
Authorities found the actor in a mudroom near his cane, appearing to have fallen, while Arakawa was found in an open bathroom near a space heater, according to the warrant.
A deputy observed Arakawa with “body decomposition, bloating in her face” and mummification of her hands and feet.
The New Mexico Gas Co. investigated the residence, the warrant said, but “as of now, there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes in and around the residence.”
Gene Hackman’s health struggles: What is angina?
Hackman, who was largely out of the spotlight in the last two decades, underwent an angioplasty procedure in 1990 after a spell of angina. According to the Mayo Clinic, angina is chest pain that occurs when blood flow to the heart is restricted.
In 2012, the Academy Award winner was hit by a pickup truck while riding his bike. Hackman’s publicist told CNN at the time that the accident wasn’t serious, “just a few bumps and bruises.”
Family, Hollywood mourn Gene Hackman
Hackman was widely celebrated for movies like “The French Connection,” which won him his first Oscar, and “Unforgiven,” which won him his second. He was also Oscar nominated for his roles in “Bonnie and Clyde,” “I Never Sang for My Father,” and “Mississippi Burning,” and he starred as Lex Luthor opposite Christopher Reeve’s Superman in “Superman” and “Superman II.”
In a statement to USA TODAY on Thursday, Hackman’s daughters – Elizabeth and Leslie Hackman – and granddaughter Annie said they were “devastated by the loss.”
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” they said. “He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely.”
In a statement provided to USA TODAY, Clint Eastwood, who directed and co-starred with Hackman in “Unforgiven,” said, “There was no finer actor than Gene. Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much.”
Nathan Lane, who starred alongside Hackman in “The Birdcage,” called him his “favorite actor.”
“Getting to watch him up close it was easy to see why he was one of our greatest. You could never catch him acting,” Lane said in a statement shared with USA TODAY Thursday. “Simple and true, thoughtful and soulful, with just a hint of danger. He was as brilliant in comedy as he was in drama and thankfully his film legacy will live on forever. It was a tremendous privilege to get to share the screen with him and remains one of my fondest memories. Rest in peace, Mr. Hackman.”
Tom Hanks, another Hollywood everyman, took to Instagram to mourn Hackman’s loss, writing, “There has never been a ‘Gene Hackman Type.’ There has only been Gene Hackman.”
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Rick Jervis, Marco dellaCava, Bryan Alexander, Anika Reed, USA TODAY
USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler shares her top 5 TV shows she is most excited for this year
Spoiler alert: This post contains details from the finale of “The Traitors” Season 3 (now streaming on Peacock).
It was a cannibalistic season for the murderous Traitors, who went at each other more than they targeted Faithfuls to kill off on the competition show.
Their strategy was so individualistic, so uncompromising, that it cost the group – comprising Bob the Drag Queen, “Boston” Rob Mariano, Carolyn Wiger, Danielle Reyes and Britney Haynes – the prize pot of up to $250,000. They left the door wide open for Faithfuls Gabby Windey, Dylan Efron, Dolores Catania and Lord Ivar Mountbatten to take the bragging rights as the Season 3 winners.
Here are Season 3’s Traitors and how they were plucked off, one by one.
Little Miss Guided: Dylan Efron teases reunion, reveals Zac’s reaction to acting diss
Bob the Drag Queen
First to go from the murderous bunch was “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 8 winner Bob (who is non-binary and uses he/him and she/her pronouns), affectionately known to some as Bob TDQ/Tidicue. He landed on Boston Rob’s bad side with one simple comment in Episode 4 and ultimately drowned under Rob’s underhanded vote collecting tactics ahead of the roundtable.
The beginning of the end: “I did think that one of the new guys needs a head up there because we all think one of them might be a Traitor.” Rob felt this offhanded comment after the statue-building game put “the sus” on him, and he started launching an offensive against “the head of the dragon.” Rob embarked on a campaign to get Bob off the show before the drag queen could do the same to him, and this set the tone for a season full of traitor-on-traitor crimes.
How Bob the Drag Queen got banished: Bob did not do himself any favors with his overly defensive strategy at the Episode 4 roundtable. Dolores, Danielle, Chrishell, Britney, Ciara, Dylan, Carolyn, Sam, Ivar, Rob and Bob Harper voted for him after Rob managed to turn them against the drag queen.
But before his grand exit – and as he floundered in the face of Rob’s direct attacks – Bob managed to get in one low blow to fellow millennials: the cutting remark that Dylan Efron’s older brother, Zac Efron might be an actor, but “not a good one.”
‘Stern castle daddy’: Alan Cumming tells all on his mindset for ‘The Traitors’ Season 3
Boston Rob
His gaming prowess, banishment of a fellow Traitor and ability to wiggle out of the spotlight in multiple roundtable conversations didn’t keep Boston Rob safe for long. The “Survivor” legend was voted out of the castle in Episode 7 after he saw to the murder of his biggest threat, Derrick, which placed “the sus” on him (as Rob would say).
The beginning of the end: Going so hard for Bob the Queen earlier in the season started getting the cogs turning for some players, who wondered whether it was a case of a Traitor getting out another Traitor. Then with Derrick’s murder, Dolores accurately noted that fingers could start pointing at Rob, who replied with shockingly little conviction: “Yeah, I’m being framed.”
How Boston Rob got banished: A broken clock is right at least twice a day. Tom Sandoval believed Rob was a Traitor and could not be convinced otherwise. Though Rob tried to deflect suspicion onto Britney, the roundtable discussion did not go his way. Sam pointed out that several times, those who dared to target Rob found themselves sleeping with the fishes. Fellow Traitors Danielle and Carolyn gauged how the winds were blowing and jumped aboard the “Rob is a Traitor” train just in time. Tom, Britney, Carolyn, Ivar, Sam, Danielle and Gabby cast their votes in Rob’s direction.
Carolyn Wiger
With her offbeat antics and sincerity, Carolyn flew under the radar throughout Season 3. Then she burned out in spectacular fashion, becoming the third Traitor to fail their mission of stealing away the prize money from the Faithfuls.
The beginning of the end: Carolyn and Danielle had been at odds since Danielle started floating Carolyn’s name earlier in the season. Things between the two came to a head in Episode 9, when the Traitors were gifted the option of replenishing their membership with a new player. Danielle wanted “Big Brother” bestie Britney to join the crew, and Carolyn accurately clocked this as a possible ploy to knock her out of the running for the prize money.
The nail in the coffin, likely, was the human chess game in which she just couldn’t keep her cool. Carolyn realized too late that, as a Traitor, her aim was not to get the superlatives correct but, rather, to be as inobtrusive as possible. She put herself on the chopping block by naming herself as a player no one listens to and, well, the rest is history.
How Carolyn got banished: In a game of Danielle versus Carolyn, the Faithfuls had a 100% chance of ridding themselves of a Traitor in their midst. (Unfortunately, Tom and Dolores did not get the memo, as they confoundingly wrote each other’s names on their blackboards.) Danielle convinced Faithfuls Ivar, Britney and Dylan to get the “Survivor” alum out of the castle. And as Carolyn admits, “I wasn’t ready to fully defend myself.” Carolyn’s dear friend Dylan was the deciding vote.
Danielle Reyes
Against all odds – including eyebrow-raising antics such as her overly dramatic banishment reactions – Danielle made it to the final episode. She was a hairsbreadth away from a win when the Faithfuls finally got their act together and voted en masse to take out the “Big Brother” alumna.
The beginning of the end: It was by sheer miracle that Danielle didn’t make it on to everyone’s hit list in Episode 5, when she somehow thought it was a good idea to keep nominating players other than herself for a shield during the riddle game. Then there was the falling-to-the-ground-hyperventilating when Carolyn was banished and also Gabby’s astute observation that Carolyn’s banishment might’ve been yet another Traitor-versus-Traitor moment.
How Danielle got banished: The first of two banishments in the finale had a split vote between Ivar and Danielle. Dylan could not ignore the mountain of evidence against his friend Danielle, and he jotted down her name. Gabby also cast her vote for Danielle, and Britney – claiming she thought her “vote would not save” Danielle – did the same.
Britney Haynes
Britney had one of the show’s shorter stints as a Traitor. Despite the season beginning with an iciness between the two over Britney voting Danielle off “Big Brother Reindeer Games,” they turned into strong allies, with Danielle keeping her new friend safe from murder. But the strategy backfired as Britney contributed to Danielle’s banishment in what was either a calculated move or a fatal mistake.
The beginning of the end: Boston Rob planted the seed that Britney might be a Traitor back when she was saving his own hide in Episode 7, and he didn’t even know the prophesy would turn out to be true. Between this niggling thought in the back of some Faithfuls’ minds, as well as the fact that Danielle was so aghast at her best friend’s betrayal earlier in the final episode, the remaining contestants could not in good conscience go to the fire pit with Britney still alive and breathing.
How Britney got banished: As the finale came to a close, Britney’s offensive against Dylan did not go according to plan. Her argument that Danielle being “visibly distraught” by Dylan’s vote for her banishment meant he was stabbing a fellow Traitor in the back did not win anyone over. For once, the roundtable had a unanimous vote, and Britney was cast out – and was unable to reveal her status as she left the Faithfuls to guess whether there was another fox in the henhouse.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to remain in jail until May 2025 trial
In a press conference, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York revealed shocking allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The government’s case against hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs seems to be building ahead of his criminal trial this spring.
On Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York submitted a new federal court filing that leveled one new allegation against Combs to add to the racketeering and sex crimes charges he already faces — and pled not guilty to in September.
The second superseding indictment, which updates the amended indictment from January that added three unnamed women who were allegedly victims of his so-called sex trafficking enterprise, claims Combs subjected employees to forced labor under inhumane circumstances.
Combs and his conspirators “maintained control over certain employees of the Combs Business” and “forced” them to “work long hours with little sleep, through use of, among other things, physical force, psychological harm, financial harm, and reputational harm, and/or threats of the same,” per the indictment.
These actions “caused these employees to believe they would be harmed — including by losing their jobs — if they did not comply with his demands,” U.S. attorneys claim.
They allude to allegations from one former employee, who told them Combs “used physical force, psychological harm, financial harm, and reputational harm, and/or threats of the same to cause the employee to engage in sex acts with Combs.”
The rest of the indictment maintains the government’s position that Combs turned his “multi-faceted business empire” into a “criminal enterprise” in which he and his associates engaged in kidnapping, arson and physical violence, sex trafficking and forced labor, among other crimes.
In response to the updated indictment, Combs’ lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said his client is not guilty of the charges the government has brought against him.
“Mr. Combs has said it before and will say it again: he vehemently denies the accusations made by the SDNY,” he said in a statement issued Thursday. “(Combs) looks forward to his day in court when it will become clear that he has never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will.
“Many former employees stand by his side, prepared to attest to the dedication, hard work, and inspiration they experienced while helping build groundbreaking, award-winning businesses.”
Since his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed — and quickly settled — a lawsuit with bombshell assault and abuse allegations against the Bad Boy Records founder in November 2023, Combs’ attorneys have maintained his innocence as he faces dozens of sexual assault lawsuits that date back to the 1990s, as well as his criminal sex crimes charges.
Combs is currently in jail after being denied bond multiple times and is scheduled to head to trial for his sex trafficking and racketeering charges on May 5.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Broken Bats
Constructor: Stella Zawistowski
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
TBS (27A: “American Dad!” network) American Dad! is an animated sitcom which premiered on Fox in 2005. The TV show moved to TBS in 2014 for its 12th season. The 21st season of American Dad! premiered on TBS in October 2024. The show centers on an eccentric upper middle class family – the Smiths – who live in a fictionalized version of Langley, Virginia. Stan Smith is the title character, who is a right-wing CIA agent.
BRA (55A: Cosabella product) Cosabella is an Italian luxury lingerie brand founded in 1983 by Valerie Campello. This brand is new to me.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
SHOE (16A: Flip-flop or flat) Lovely alliteration here: Flip-flop or flat.
MIAMI (17A: City in “The Birdcage” and “The Golden Girls”) The Birdcage is a 1996 movie adapted from a 1978 French movie, La Cage aux Folles (which was, in turn, adapted from a 1973 play). The movie is set in the South Beach neighborhood of MIAMI. The Golden Girls (1985-1992), the TV sitcom about four older women who are roommates, is also set in MIAMI, Florida.
SLIME (32A: Glue-and-contact-solution concoction) SLIME is a non-Newtonian compound, which means it doesn’t behave like a solid or a liquid. You can pick it up like a solid, but it oozes like a liquid. SLIME can be made at home using glue, baking soda, and contact solution.
BAHA’I (37A: Religion that originated in Iran) The BAHÁ’Í faith was established in the 1800s by Bahá’u’lláh, its prophet-founder who lived in Iran. The religion emphasizes the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people.
BAD FEMINIST (56A: 2014 essay collection by Roxane Gay) Roxane Gay is an author, social commentator, and professor. She is currently the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and FEMINIST Studies at Rutgers University. She is also a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.BAD FEMINIST is Roxane Gay’s 2014 best-selling collection of essays, which explores what it means to be a FEMINIST while loving things that seem at odds with feminism.
NACHO (66A: “What do you call cheese that’s not yours? ___ cheese!”) I am here for all the clues containing cheesy jokes!
ATTA (70A: Chapati flour) ATTA is a type of wholemeal wheat flour that is often used to make flatbreads such as chapati, roti, and naan. Because of the high gluten content of ATTA flour, dough made with it is strong and elastic, and can be rolled into thin sheets.
SAMBA (4D: Dance with lots of hip action) SAMBA is a dance that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro. SAMBA is characterized by fast, rhythmic footwork and rolling hip movements.
AAVE (6D: Dialect in the Black community) I wrote about AAVE when we saw it a few days ago.
SERIAL (8D: Sarah Koenig’s investigative journalism podcast) SERIAL is an investigative journalism podcast that narrates a nonfiction story over several episodes. Sarah Koenig hosts SERIAL, which first aired in 2014. The fourth season of SERIAL aired last year. It focused on the history of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
CHEESEHEAD (10D: Fan of the Green Bay Packers) CHEESEHEAD is a nickname used for Wisconsin residents. The nickname refers to Wisconsin’s abundant cheese production. It’s said that CHEESEHEAD was first used as an insult, but residents decided to embrace the name, which has also come to be associated with fans of the state’s NFL team, the Green Bay Packers. CHEESEHEAD hats (think large yellow foam triangles resembling cheese) are common sights at Green Bay Packers games.
CORGI (21D: Burrito-esque dog breed) The Welsh CORGI is a breed of herding dog that originated in Wales. The dogs have short legs and a long body. Inspired by a video of a CORGI wrapping itself in a towel, it has become an online trend for CORGI owners to post burrito-esque photos and videos of their dogs.
TRIBE (22D: Kaw Nation, for example) The Kaw Nation, also known as the “People of the South Wind” are a TRIBE of indigenous people in Oklahoma and parts of Kansas.
OBAMA (51D: “Becoming” author Michelle) Becoming is Michelle OBAMA’s 2018 memoir. I have previously written about the great memories I have associated with this book.
TOTE (62D: Canvas bag) and TEA (64D: Leaves in a bag) Combining these clues here to get (a) TEA (bag) in a TOTE (bag).
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
BARBECUE PIT (20A: Place to cook spareribs)
BARGAIN BASEMENT (40A: Part of a store with discounted goods)
BAD FEMINIST (56A: 2014 essay collection by Roxane Gay)
BROKEN BATS: The word BAT is BROKEN by each theme answer: BARBECUE PIT, BARGAIN BASEMENT, and BAD FEMINIST.
In general, BROKEN BATS are not a good thing. However, as a crossword theme, they work quite nicely. Today the title of the puzzle let me know just what to expect, and it was enjoyable to discover each of the three great theme answers. Thank you, Stella, for this excellent puzzle.
