Category: BUSINESS

Kylie Jenner’s painful Met Gala look got her feet stuck in her shoes

The Kardashian-Jenner family tends to embrace the phrase “beauty is pain” when it comes to their fashion choices.

This was no different for Kylie Jenner’s 2025 Met Gala look, which she debuted on fashion’s biggest night on May 5.

Jenner, who was accompanied by designer Maximilian Davis as she arrived on the blue carpet in a dramatic black-and-gray piece from the Ferragamo creative director, opted for a form-fitting corset bodice with a skirt whose slit bared the entirety of her left leg.

But it wasn’t so much the apparel that proved to be troublesome, per Jenner’s Instagram Stories after the event.

In a video of the “Kardashians” star attempting to peel the black stilettos off of her feet, according to People and Today.com, she revealed, “Max told me to tape my feet into the shoe, and now my feet are stuck in the shoes.”

As she called out the Ferragamo designer for the painful fashion advice, per the outlets, multiple people were working to pry the shoes off by spraying a liquid solution. According to Today, Jenner revealed the fashion secret Davis had imparted to her was wig tape on the soles of her feet.

Later, she delivered good news to her fans as she showed off her bare feet: “They’re okay!!!!”

Coincidentally, in her May 9 Beau Society newsletter, Hailee Steinfeld also bemoaned wig glue difficulties she’d experienced at the 2021 Met Gala, where she matched an ethereal Iris van Herpen dress with a blunt blond bob. She recalled the unexpectedly drastic measure they took to rid her of the wig glue at 2 a.m., which caused her to end the night “covered in vodka.”

“That baby was cemented to my scalp. We couldn’t rip it — it’s this beautiful, handmade, lacefront wig — but we were delusionally tired and just wanted to go to bed,” Steinfeld wrote. “Eventually, we went to the minibar… vodka breaks down wig glue.”

Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala looks have also caused her pain

Sister Kim Kardashian, who was similarly in a monochrome painted-on look (a two-piece leather outfit from Chrome Hearts), has also revealed the sacrifices she’s made when showing up at the Met Gala.

In an episode of “The Kardashians” that aired earlier this year, Kardashian recalled how she struggled to breathe in the severely cinched corset she wore to the 2024 Met Gala.

“I’ve never felt this much pain in my life,” she said, noting her difficulty breathing while standing in a van that was transporting her to the Met. (She made a nearly identical remark to WSJ Magazine in 2019 about the eye-popping Thierry Mugler dress that she’d worn to the Met Gala, which also required a massively cinched waist.)

As assistants worked to unclip the Maison Margiela corset after the event, Kardashian bemoaned how she had to attempt sitting twice during the dinner portion of the gala.

Her mother, Kris Jenner, joked in the episode that she asked Kardashian, “Are you ever going to wear a dress to the Met where you actually can walk?”

But Kardashian remarked in an interview on the show, “That’s just who I am. If you look good, it is all worth it.”

Doctors told The New York Times for a 2022 piece on waist trainers that the fad could cause gastrointestinal issues, acid reflux and trouble breathing.

Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY

May 10, 2025
Liev Schreiber praises trans daughter Kai with Naomi Watts

Liev Schreiber is supporting his 16-year-old trans daughter Kai, whom he calls “a fighter.”

The proud dad praised his youngest child, shared with ex-wife and two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts, in an interview with Variety published May 8.

“Kai was always who Kai is,” Schreiber said. “But I suppose the most profound moment was her asking us to change her pronouns. To be honest with you, it didn’t feel like that big of a deal to me only because Kai had been so feminine for so long.” The pair of A-list exes also share son Sasha, 17.

“Kai is such a fighter, it’s important that she goes, ‘Hey, I am trans,’ and ‘Look at me,’” Schreiber said. His daughter walked at the Valentino fall/winter show during Paris Fashion week in March.

Kai will also appear alongside her famous dad and her stepmom Taylor Neisen at the Place at the Table Gala on the night of May 9 in New York City to benefit the Ali Forney Center, which provides housing and support for homeless LGBTQ+ youth.

Schreiber’s comments come as President Donald Trump has issued executive orders that seek to restrict the rights of transgender Americans and curb their ability to serve in the military, participate in school sports and obtain government documentation, including passports that reflect their gender identity.

Schreiber seems hopeful about the future for trans youth like Kai, telling Variety that he doesn’t “like to dwell on it too much. To some degree, I feel like I don’t want to overcook that fear or that anxiety,” he explained. “There’s enough in the world to be anxious and afraid about.”

Liev Schrieber said the trans community ‘desperately needs’ support

The “Ray Donovan” star also spoke out about the need to help other LGBTQ+ youth. “This isn’t just about representing the trans community,” he said. “This is actually a community of people who don’t have great resources, who don’t have access to help, who aren’t being protected and looked after by their families. These are people who are being rejected. These are people who are experiencing the harshest version of humanity that we can offer, and some of them are not surviving it.”

Liev Schreiber on ‘Ray Donovan’ in NY, ex-Trump fixer’s Ray embrace, ‘SNL’ hosting nerves

However, Schreiber isn’t running to give advice to other parents of trans kids, admitting that he doesn’t know everything.

“I don’t know the answer for your kid,” he continued. “I don’t know what it’s like for you to be a trans dad. I don’t know how you were brought up. I don’t know what religion you encountered or what your spirituality is. And for me to tell you what I think about my kid feels like an overstep.”

Contributing: Naledi Ushe, Saleen Martin, Fernando Cervantes Jr.

May 10, 2025
Rapper hints at the name

Following Rihanna’s fashionable surprise pregnancy reveal at the Met Gala, A$AP Rocky gave a hint about the name selection for their third baby.

Rocky made an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” this week with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour to recap the upper-echelon event and discuss some of the best ensembles of the night.

Along with Colman Domingo, Pharrell Williams, and Lewis Hamilton, Rocky was among the esteemed co-chairs of the ball-themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

During the sit-down, Meyers congratulated the “Tony Tone” rapper on the baby and asked if the newest addition would be named in the same vein as his other kids with the beauty mogul.

“Your first two kids have ‘R’ names. Obviously, you and Rihanna have ‘R’ names. Is this a lock that the third will have an “R” name, do you think?” the talk show host asked.

“For sure,” Rocky responded while nodding his head.

The 36-year-old New York native and Rihanna, 37, have two sons, RZA Athleston Mayers and Riot Rose. Although the gender has not been made public, she has been open about wanting to try for a girl in the past.

2025 Met Gala: Rihanna, Diana Ross, more red carpet highlights

Rihanna makes another pregnancy announcement in NYC

Before arriving at the Met Gala on May 5, Rihanna was spotted sporting a visible baby bump in numerous photos, including one shared on Instagram by her photographer, Miles Diggs.

The “Kiss It Better” singer made her grand entrance on the blue carpet, nearly an hour after the last attendees went inside. Her neutral glam, fitted pinstripe gown paired with a black hat and baby bump stole the show.

“I feel a lot better that I don’t have to suck my stomach in anymore,” Rihanna joked during an interview with Access Hollywood about her announcement.

Rihanna has become notorious for her headline-making pregnancy reveals. In 2022, she announced her first pregnancy by posing for photographs with Rocky on an outing in New York City. The following year, she showed off her belly during her Super Bowl halftime show performance.

Contributing: Anna Kaufman, Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].

May 10, 2025
Bad Bunny pays tribute to Puerto Rico with his Met Gala lookEntertain This!

Bad Bunny pays tribute to Puerto Rico with his Met Gala lookEntertain This!

May 10, 2025
House & Home Wellbeing and Active Living Special

In this series we look at how wellbeing priorities are impacting our homes and how we live — from switching up the home gym for a “longevity room” with life-lengthening tech, to the second-home resorts upping their offerings for teens. Is the pivot to a wellness agenda a canny move for country estates hoping to entrench a new revenue model? Should we all be installing water filters, and painting our rooms white? And we step inside the home of the biotech investor behind the Enhanced Games.

May 10, 2025
FT Series

FT Series

May 10, 2025
Find a book for your next vacation at Postcard Bookshop in Oregon

Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. They provide culture and community, generate local jobs and sales tax revenue, promote literacy and education, champion and center diverse and new authors, connect readers to books in a personal and authentic way and actively support the right to read and access to books in their communities.

Each week we profile an independent bookstore, sharing what makes each one special and getting their expert and unique book recommendations.

This week we have Patrick Leonard, owner of Postcard Bookshop in Portland, Oregon.

What’s your store’s story?

Postcard Bookshop is a travel bookstore in Portland, Oregon, with books for all of the many ways that people explore the world. Inspired by our tiny namesake, we pack a lot of stories into our little space – just 300 square feet! Whether you’re a jet-setter, a road-tripper or an armchair traveler, our store is here to help you visit new places with books.

What makes your independent bookstore unique?

Instead of arranging our collection by genre, we’ve shelved everything by geography. For each country, we offer guidebooks and language guides, as well as novels, poetry, cookbooks and nonfiction from and about that place. Reading has always played a big role in how I see the world; novels have inspired my trips and there are many places I’ll probably only ever experience in the pages of a great story. I want to share that curiosity for the world with other readers. When customers are planning a trip, they can pick up a travel guide, but also a novel to read on the airplane or a cookbook to extend that vacation feeling after they return.

What’s your favorite section in your store?

Under our handmade, three-foot piñata of the earth, we have a table that introduces readers to different themes in world literature. In October, I highlighted international horror authors, and then in February, I had a selection of classic love stories from other countries next to modern romance novels with globe-trotting storylines. Right now, I’m featuring translated science fiction alongside books about space and night sky tourism, taking the whole travel theme to other worlds.

What book do you love to recommend to customers and why?

Not a week goes by without me handing someone a book by Peter Hessler. In his latest, “Other Rivers,” he uses his family’s experience in the Chinese education system during the pandemic to explore the social and political changes in China over the last two decades. As tensions rise between the U.S. and China, Hessler’s books feel like they offer a very human window into a large and complicated country. Writing as a “foreigner abroad” has its limits, but I really think Hessler is a great model for how to write with respect and humanity about the places and people we visit.

What book do you think deserves more attention and why?

I love books that have me looking up airfares before I’ve finished the last page. Reading “Water, Wood, and Wild Things” by Hannah Kirshner made me want to immediately visit the Japanese hot spring village of Yamanaka Onsen. Her memoir is a loving ode to the culture embodied by artisans working to preserve their traditional crafts. There is an undeniable romance to the idea of starting a new life abroad, but Kirshner’s book delves deeper into the life of the community that exists beyond the daydreams we have as tourists.

What books/series are you most excited about coming out in the next few months and why?

I’m particularly looking forward to Robert MacFarlane’s “Is a River Alive?” out on May 20. He writes beautifully about how landscapes have influenced people, and how we, in turn, have changed nature. His forthcoming book ventures to Ecuadorian cloud forests, the deltas of Southeastern India and the forests of eastern Quebec to explore the critical fight worldwide to protect our waterways. It blends ambitious travel writing, poetic natural history, and an impassioned plea for ecological justice.

Why is shopping at local, independent bookstores important?

Independent, specialty bookstores stake out a real alternative to online retailers that try to offer everything for everyone. When you visit a romance-focused store, or a science-fiction shop, or a children’s bookstore, you’ll find a community of readers brimming with expertise and excitement to share about a very specific genre. We put so much care into what we carry, and readers can trust that our recommendations are driven by genuine enthusiasm and interest, rather than algorithms.

What are some of your store’s events, programs, or partnerships coming up that you would like to share?

This spring, we’ll launch a “World Traveler” book club that features a different country each month, with passports for participants to track their reading. We’re also fortunate to be located inside Portland’s incredible CARGO Emporium, a collective of local and global artists, makers, and retailers. The store hosts a full calendar of craft workshops and art openings and big neighborhood events like our annual community altar for Dia de los Muertos. There is always something happening in the store!

May 10, 2025
Diddy, Cassie relationship was ‘mutually violent,’ defense will say

As jury selection wound down and opening arguments inched closer in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, lawyers for the embattled music mogul previewed part of their argument in a courtroom back and forth.

The defense team for Combs, who is accused of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution, made clear that they planned to paint his fraught relationship with ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura as violent on both sides.

In an extensive courtroom exchange on May 9, Combs’ lawyers insisted that they wanted to be able to cross-examine Victim-1, widely believed to be Ventura, about a “propensity for violence.”

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Their line of questioning, they said, would center on “other instances where she has been violent” in an attempt to illustrate her her character and nature for “getting into physical altercations with other people.”

Lawyers for Combs, who has pleaded not guilty on all counts, are attempting to rewrite a narrative that the music producer’s relationship with Ventura featured one-sided abuse − a narrative aided by CNN’s release of a video in 2024 depicting Combs throwing his ex-girlfriend to the ground, kicking her and dragging her down a hotel hallway.

Defense lawyers fought unsuccessfully to exclude the video from evidence and many potential jurors were asked whether they had seen the footage.

On May 9, Combs’ lawyers said they wanted to question Ventura regarding past violence to illustrate she was “a strong, capable person who does not shy away from confrontations,” therefore eroding prosecutors’ argument that she was “coerced” throughout their relationship.

Rather than deny any violence, Combs’ lawyers said they want to show that there was “mutual violence in their relationship” and “hitting on both sides.”

“Domestic violence, we are absolutely admitting that,” Combs’ lead attorney Marc Agnifilo said, but added that it was “mutually violent.”

Characterizing how they will portray Ventura’s alleged violent behavior, Agnifilo leaned on the very language that has been levied against Combs, saying: “I think we’re probably going to refer to that as domestic violence,” according to Reuters.

Which charges does Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs face – and could he go to jail?

In November 2023, Ventura sued Combs, accusing her former partner of rape, sex trafficking and physical abuse. The lawsuit was settled a day after it was filed for an unspecified amount.

Ventura’s filing is now widely viewed as the initial string pulled in what has become the unraveling of one of music’s most powerful men.

In addition to the federal case, Combs faces a torrent of civil suits that paint the one-time hip-hop kingmaker as a longtime abuser.

May 10, 2025
New pope conclave and ‘The Sopranos’: The odd link

You couldn’t have written it any better − the first American pope and a “Sopranos” connection.

As the 133 cardinals who voted during the papal conclave became more known to the public in recent days, enjoying a brief bout of internet fame, some close watchers began to notice that one looked shockingly similar to a television mafioso.

Father Robert Alan Sirico, who was in Rome for the religious vote which ultimately anointed Pope Leo XIV as the next pontiff, is, in fact, the younger brother of Tony Sirico, who played Paul “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri on “The Sopranos.”

Now that the smoke has risen, here’s how to stream the movie ‘Conclave’

Tony Sirico, who died in 2022, played Gualtieri, Tony Soprano’s eccentric and paranoid henchman, for all six seasons of the hit HBO mob show.

His brother, Robert Sirico, is both a cardinal and a co-founder of the Acton Institute, a conservative religious think tank based out of Michigan.

The pair grew up on the edge of the Brooklyn borough, in the Bensonhurst and East Flatbush neighborhoods of New York City. From a family of Italian descent, the brothers took wildly different paths, with Robert Sirico going the route of the faithful and Tony heading first for some run-ins with the law, then to Hollywood.

“Where I grew up, every guy was trying to prove himself. You either had to have a tattoo or a bullet hole,” he told the Los Angeles Times in a 1990 profile. “I had both.”

He was arrested over 25 times before and spent two stints in prison before landing his defining role on “The Sopranos.”

‘Sopranos’ actor Tony Sirico, known for role as Paulie Walnuts, dead at 79

Robert Sirico became a priest in 1989 and spoke fondly of his brother at his funeral in July 2022, according to local publication The Brooklyn Reporter.

“As many of the professional actors who are here know, people often confuse the actor with the act,” he said of his brother. “When you look beneath that rough defensive armor, as Michael Imperioli called it last night at the wake, you begin to see a softer, gentler interior.”

How accurate is the movie ‘Conclave’ about the election of a new pope?

Telling a story about a time when his brother skipped Mass after failing to attend communion, Robert Sirico recalled: “I said to him, ‘Junior, you are the last bad Catholic in America.’”

“All the rest think they’re entitled to come to communion without that preparation,” he continued. “That revealed to me a seriousness which he had about repairing himself and an awareness of his own completeness and a necessity for confession before encountering a Holy God. I think that was his redemption.”

May 9, 2025
Watch these shows with your mom to celebrate

“Gilmore Girls” is great, but have you ever cackled with your mammy over the Northern Irish shenanigans of the “Derry Girls”?

May 11 is Mother’s Day, and if you are looking for something easy, fun and rewarding to do with your mom, it can be oh-so cozy and comforting to snuggle on the couch and binge-watch a TV show together. And while plenty of TV shows are known for their known for their mother/child (particularly mother/daughter) relationships, like WB classic “Girls,” starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, your mom might want something a little more off the beaten path.

Here are five shows worth tuning into with mom on Mother’s Day, and all the other days of the year that you should appreciate all she’s done for you. Takeout, flowers and a nice gift go well with a binge-watch, too.

‘Derry Girls’

Nary an episode of this supremely funny series about teenagers in 1990s Northern Ireland amid the Troubles violence doesn’t feature the “mammys” and “das” exasperated with their children. Erin Quinn (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), Orla (Louisa Harland), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell), Clare (Nicola Coughlan, of “Bridgerton” fame) and James (Dylan Llewellyn) get into some of the most ridiculous and idiotic troubles of their own over the series’ three seasons, but their weary mothers were always there to bail them out in the end. The seasons are short enough (six or seven episodes each) you could watch the whole series with your own mammy in a single weekend, and the Season 3 episode that flashes back to the parents’ teen years is the perfect reminder of the carefree youth mothers have left behind.

How to watch ‘Derry Girls’

Stream on Netflix.

‘Jane the Virgin’

Besides being a dramatic, fun take on the telenovela genre, the breakout role for Gina Rodriguez and a twisty nighttime soap, “Jane,” which aired on CW from 2014-19, is deeply reflective of the very concept of motherhood. When a woman (Rodriguez) who has never had sex is accidentally artificially inseminated, sure, outlandish plot twists occur. But she also gets to understand her mother and grandmother so much more, and reflect on how being a mother will change and define her own life. The villains, romances and surprises will keep you enthralled and the relationship between Jane and her two maternal figures will fill your heart.

How to watch ‘Jane the Virgin’

Available for purchase on Amazon, Fandango at Home and Apple TV.

‘Call the Midwife’

A fantastic medical drama on the one hand and a visceral and vivid reminder of what moms go through to bring you into this world, this long-running British series is a sweet and sentimental watch. “Midwife” follows obstetric nurses in an impoverished area of London the 1950s and ’60s, riding twee bicycles to deliver babies in falling-down flats. At least one birth scene is featured in each episode, plus a host of complications and maladies affecting the mothers who are just trying their best in the rapidly changing post-World War II society. The episodes can be everything from life-affirming to deeply tragic, and there is nothing that will make you appreciate your mother more.

How to watch ‘Call the Midwife’

Stream on Netflix; Season 14 airs on PBS (Sundays, 8 ET/PT; check local listings).

‘Schitt’s Creek’

Not every TV mom is what you might call nurturing, but they can be hilarious and quotable nonetheless. Perhaps one of the most quotable is Catherine O’Hara’s Moira Rose from this 2015-20 Canadian comedy, which aired on Pop TV. As a snobbish actress and socialite stranded in a small town with no money O’Hara’s Moira was an aloof delight over the series’ rolicking six seasons. Her relationship with children David (Dan Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy) was combative, competitive, cackle-worthy and ultimately loving. Just don’t ask her to explain what it means to “fold in the cheese.”

How to watch ‘Schitt’s Creek’

Stream on Prime Video, Hulu, Fubo TV and Philo.

‘One Day at a Time’

Shows about mothers and their adult children often get put on lists like this, because so many series with families with young children can be cliché and tiresome. The kids are annoying, the moms are screechy and the dads are checked out. Netflix’s canceled-too-soon 2017-20 remake of the 1970s Norman Lear sitcom falls into no such tropes and traps depicting a single mom, two kids and a grandmother in a Los Angeles apartment. Justina Machado’s Penelope Alvarez is a deeply venerable and vulnerable mom, trying her best to make a living and raise good humans with the help of her mother Lydia (the legendary Rita Moreno). She has the good times and the hard talks, and all of her interactions with her kids feel emotionally believable. Every other part of the series is authentic, heartfelt and hilarious, too.

How to watch ‘One Day at a Time’

Stream on Netflix.

May 9, 2025