Category: BUSINESS

Beyoncé’s receives more nominations at BET Awards, including AOTY

Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album is still being recognized as she translates the 27-track project to the stage on tour; It has received nominations at the 2025 BET Awards.

The 25th BET Awards announced the nominees Thursday for the upcoming show. The forthcoming show will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 9, and Beyoncé’s genre-bending album was nominated for album of the year. Kendrick Lamar is the leading nominee with a total of 10 nods.

The Grammy-winning singer’s song “Blackbiird,” featuring Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts, also received a nod for the BETHer Award. The song is a cover of the Beatles’ 1968 tune, which was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. The category honors motivational and empowering songs that center women.

Beyoncé’s 13-year old daughter Blue Ivy-Carter was nominated for the Young Stars Award for the second year in a row. Last year, she took home the prize.

As fans know, Beyoncé first released the eighth studio album in March 2024. It has since made history and broken multiple records. As Beyoncé’s first country album, she deliberately featured country legends and emerging Black country artists alike. She became the first Black woman to win best country album at the 2025 Grammys and also took home album of the year.

Prior to releasing the album, Beyoncé got candid about creating the five-year project and alluded to her 2016 performance at the CMA Awards, which was met with an icy reception and harsh criticism.

“It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t,” she wrote on Instagram. “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. Act ii is a result of challenging myself and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”

Some fans felt this notion was reiterated when Beyoncé was snubbed at the 2024 Country Music Association awards (CMAs) and, most recently, the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMs).

Of course, Beyoncé is in the midst of her groundbreaking Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit Tour, which she kicked off April 28 in Los Angeles with 39 songs on the set list. The concert has proved to be a spectacle of many things including fashion, different music genres and most notably country music and politics.

The nine-city tour will span the U.S. and Europe with the grand finale taking place in Las Vegas on July 26. She’s set to make history again with her scheduled tour dates, including by playing the most dates at SoFi Stadium of any artist.

This article has been updated to include Blue Ivy-Carter’s nomination.

Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network’s Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.

May 9, 2025
Ree Drummond weight loss: Pioneer Woman ‘stopped exercising’

It’s a new frontier for “The Pioneer Woman.”

Food Network star Ree Drummond revealed in a blog post published April 30 that, after “a few fluctuations,” she is returning to the “original method” that helped kickstart her health journey and led her to lose over 50 pounds.

“The game changer for me is two-fold: First, I’m building muscle again, which is crucial. I do lunges, squats, deadlifts, and floor exercises with ankle weights. Second, I’m eating more protein and keeping it a higher percentage of my calories.” Drummond wrote. “This time, I am not weighing my food and counting calories.”

After her dramatic weight loss in 2021, Drummond wrote, “Bottom line, starting at the end of 2023 I stopped exercising and kinda stopped paying attention to what I was eating.”

The mom and grandmother told fans that despite skipping alcohol for four months during her last lifestyle change, she drinks white wine and tops it off with Topo Chico sparkling water “so it’s kind of a wine spritzer type of thing” as a way to indulge.

In February, Drummond said she “decided to jump back the plan I’d found success with in 2021, just not quite as high a gear as the first time.”

“The very hardest part was the first week to ten days,” she continued. “Today it’s not that hard at all, and in fact, it’s actually rewarding as I’m feeling better and better all the time.”

Drummond left a disclaimer for fans, stressing that her methods for weight loss work for her.

“Long story short, I have found that it all still holds true, and FOR ME, it is working again like clockwork or science or whatever the word is,” the Oklahoma native added.

Ree Drummond previously addressed weight loss drug rumors

Last year, Drummond clarified rumors that she was using supplements or weight loss gummies after she noticed a host of false advertisements on Facebook suggesting she was using them.

In March, Drummond announced on the social media platform that she would update her previous blog explaining the dos and don’ts of her journey amid the “celebrity endorsement fraud” she’s seen running rampant.

“I did not take Ozempic, Wegovy, or similar medications. I know this has been a big topic in recent years, so I thought I’d add this paragraph,” she wrote in an update to her blog.

While writing that she supports “anyone who has success” on weight loss medications, the “boring truth” is that she “had never heard of that class of drugs” when she set out on her weight loss journey.

“And to be honest, if I had heard of them and had seen all the results that are out there, I might have been tempted to try them. But I simply didn’t know those drugs existed then, so I dove in using all the methods below,” Drummond said.

“I definitely needed to lose weight for my own preference based on where I thought I should be, but it’s more about how I feel after a few months of regular exercise, more moving, and more mindful eating,” she continued. “Feeling good is really all that matters, and because of that, the weigh-ins are becoming less and less important to me.”

Contributing: Naledi Ushe

May 9, 2025
‘Modern Family’ star Ariel Winter opens up about body shaming

Ariel Winter is getting real about the emotional toll of body shaming.

In an interview with People magazine published May 7, the “Modern Family” star, 27, reflected on being subjected to negative comments scrutinizing her appearance while she was a child actor. Winter played Alex Dunphy, the middle child of the Dunphy family, on the ABC sitcom for 11 seasons.

“It was every headline I read about myself, like, grown people writing articles about me saying how I looked terrible or pregnant or like a fat slut,” Winter shared. “I mean, I was 14. It totally damaged my self-esteem.”

She continued, “I understood what it was like to be hated. No matter what I was going through, I was a target. It made it very difficult to look at myself in the mirror and go, ‘I love this version of me.’”

Winter grew up in the public eye starring on “Modern Family,” which debuted on ABC in 2009, when she was 11, and ended in 2020, when she was 22. She started acting at the age of four and before “Modern Family” had already appeared in films like “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and shows like “Nip/Tuck.”

Ariel Winter dishes on trolls, why she left UCLA: ‘I don’t know what it is about me’

Winter previously reflected on body shaming in a 2021 episode of “Red Table Talk: The Estefans,” remembering how she was called “fat” at age 13 after “I had gained weight and my body changed.”

The actress, who explained she gained weight after she started taking antidepressants, also said she received comments labeling her “a horrible role model” for “trying to be sexy.”

In a 2016 interview with Teen Vogue, Winter shared that she has “struggled with self-esteem and body confidence for years,” adding that it was “really difficult” to receive cruel comments about her appearance.

“I tried to lose weight, I crash dieted, I tried to change what I looked like so I would fit this standard, and it never worked,” Winter told the outlet. “I got to a certain point where I realized I was never going to please people, so I decided to make myself happy instead. I’m so grateful I made that decision, because it really made a difference for me.”

‘Modern Family’ star Ariel Winter shuts down body-shamers: I ‘didn’t get plastic surgery’

In her new interview with People magazine, Winter revealed she no longer lives in Los Angeles, where she grew up.

Though she clarified she “didn’t leave the industry” and will continue to act, she said she decided to move out of the city because it “holds some not-great memories for me, and I’m young and never lived anywhere else, and thought, ‘Why not?’”

May 9, 2025
Tracy Morgan adds tears to Prime Video nature series

This is not a vintage “30 Rock” episode: Tracy Morgan is part of the docuseries “Octopus!” (now streaming on Amazon Prime).

Rather than laughter, Morgan’s appearance might make you cry as the comic actor talks about Zoey, his 90-pound octopus he gave up after realizing how short the cephalopod’s lifespan is.

“I got tired of being sad,” Morgan, 56, says while tearing up in this exclusive series clip.

“I learned so much about them, because I would just sit there and watch my octopus,” says Morgan. “The thing that I learned most about them is that they taught me how to survive, no matter how long it’s for. They taught me how to live in an environment that can be sometimes hostile. She gave me knowledge. She gave me wisdom and understanding. Thank you, Zoey.”

Niharika Desai, who directs the docuseries, narrated by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, tells USA TODAY via email that the filmmakers were looking for “unexpected voices” in the science-based series.

“You can’t think of Tracy Morgan and not think of comedy,” Desai says. “His presence serves as a misdirect: You think you know him, but then you see this other side of his personality that is so compelling and thoughtful. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of cephalopods.”

“Tracy’s gonna Tracy, even when he’s teaching us about the life cycle of a Giant Pacific Octopus,” Desai adds. “I hope that audiences who know and love Tracy will find it profound to hear him open up about his life history and how he developed a love of sea creatures.”

Morgan doesn’t explain what became of Zoey once he gave her up.

“We didn’t really discuss that, and I can’t speak for Tracy,” says Desai. “However, I did feel his sense of grief, knowing how attached he feels to these creatures with such short life spans.”

May 9, 2025
Watch: Tracy Morgan talks about his 'Octopus!' heartbreakTV

Watch: Tracy Morgan talks about his ‘Octopus!’ heartbreakTV

May 9, 2025
Why we’re all obsessed with medical TV in 2025

Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch can’t save everyone in his overcrowded Pittsburgh emergency room, but maybe he can save all of us watching at home.

Played with a gruff smolder by longtime medical drama veteran Noah Wyle, the hero of Max’s new series “The Pitt” (Season 1 now streaming) stitches up wounds, pumps donated blood into veins and prescribes medicine, but inevitably he doesn’t heal anything. Certainly not the broken system in which he is stuck. But there is so much solace in watching him try nonetheless.

Paging TV doctors: The best medical TV shows of all time, ranked, from ‘ER’ to ‘The Pitt’

A “real-time” medical drama set over 15 hours on one very long emergency room shift, “The Pitt” has caught on: Fans are swooning over TikTok clips, style website The Cut is promoting fan fiction about the show and real doctors are feeling seen and validated.

And it’s not the only new medical series trying to “stat!” its way into our hearts this year. The current TV season offers a slew of other new shows, including “Watson” (CBS), “Doc” (Fox), “Doctor Odyssey” (ABC), “Brilliant Minds” (NBC), “St. Denis Medical” (NBC) and “Pulse” (Netflix). You’ve got everything to go with the gritty realism of “The Pitt,” from a medical mystery Sherlock Holmes take (“Watson”), to a sitcom (“St. Denis”) to a ludicrous Ryan Murphy drama set on a cruise ship (“Odyssey”).

Of course, Hollywood trends are cyclical. For a while there were too many vampires or zombies, and a few years ago all the “Game of Thrones” wannabes drowned us in high fantasy. But the Big Three of TV procedurals − cop, lawyer and doctor shows − come around like clockwork. For the past decade or so, it’s been an overload of cop shows. Now the docs are getting their turn again.

But it’s more than just a coincidence of network bigwigs all picking up new medical shows at the same time: They’ve showed up at the right time to heal ailing viewers.

Americans have been living in unprecedented times – a very nice euphemism for constant crisis – for nearly a decade. The COVID-19 pandemic, contested elections, political chaos, natural disasters, violence, inflation, climate change: It all adds up to a burned-out population looking for some ease and comfort. And in spite of the blood and the gore, medical shows are distinctly comforting.

When a new patient walks into Grey Sloan Memorial (on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy”) or a Miami hospital during a hurricane (“Pulse”) or even the infirmary on a massive cruise ship (“Odyssey”), professional, experienced and calm people are there to try and save them. The emergencies in these shows are contained and often solvable. There is order and procedure and grownups in the room to tell everyone what to do. And the best thing about these medical emergencies? They’re fictional. They take us away from the very real problems we don’t have any idea how to solve.

Doctors have been rushing around hospitals on TV since the 1950s, and as the camera follows them to scrub in, it can feel like going home. A whole generation of millennials is primed to be nostalgic for the medical shows of the 1990s and early 2000s, when “ER” and “Grey’s” dominated our watch schedules (yes, “Grey’s” has been on the air long enough to generate nostalgia for its early years). There is seemingly a show for each subgenre for fans of all those great 2000s series. If you liked “ER” watch “The Pitt.” If you liked “Grey’s,” go for romance and melodrama-heavy “Pulse.” If you liked the wacky medical mysteries in “House,” try “Watson.” If you want giggles like “Scrubs,” try “St. Denis.”

Many of these shows are admirable and watchable: “St. Denis” is fun, “Odyssey” is silly, “Watson” is absurd and “Pulse” has an exciting young cast. But “The Pitt” is the most exciting reinvention of the genre (despite its many similarities to “ER,” which are too many, according to a lawsuit from the estate of “ER” creator Michael Crichton).

The “real-time” gimmick of “The Pitt” (seen earlier on Fox’s “24”) makes it even more unrelenting than all the other unrelenting shows in this genre, leaving viewers scant time to catch our breath than the fictional doctors and nurses. It’s not concerned with intraoffice romance so much as it is with something far more existential. Season 1’s 15-hour shift (the show has already been renewed) gives us a too-perfect image of what it’s like to live in America right now: Fentanyl overdoses, mass shootings, vaccine denial, the “manosphere,” bigotry, burnout, violence and anger. It’s all wrapped up in primary colored slap bracelets to triage our national maladies from green to red: survivable to critical.

“The Pitt” offers no answers, and there are moments when its overworked and underpaid healthcare workers want to give up hope for the souls of the patients they’re treating. But they don’t. They keep trying. They keep CPR compressions going. Zachary Quinto’s enigmatic “Minds” neurologist never gives up on a patient, either, and the same goes for the cruising and handsome Dr. Max Bankman (Joshua Jackson) on “Odyssey.” Because while watching “The Pitt” or “Watson” or any other medical show, we want to know that there are people left in this world who will try to help even when all hope seems to be lost.

Maybe if we see them on TV, we can find them in real life, too.

May 9, 2025
‘Les Mis’ cast members at Kennedy Center to sit out Trump performance

A CNN commentator is blasting performers at the Kennedy Center after the outlet exclusively reported that several “Les Misérables” cast members planned to boycott an upcoming show President Donald Trump is slated to attend.

“It’s your job to perform, shut up and sing,” Joe Borelli, the Former Republican leader of the New York City Council, said during a May 8 broadcast of “NewsNight With Abby Phillip.”

“This is what you’re paid to do, stop being so self-absorbed,” Borelli continued, taking aim at the 10 to 12 cast members who will reportedly sit out a performance of the musical based on one of the bloody uprisings ahead of the French Revolution.

They feel like they’re doing something as heroic and revolutionary as the rebels portrayed in the play, Borelli argued, while in reality they’re just being: “self-absorbed, jerk actors,” he claimed.

CNN first broke the news May 7 that performers had been given the option to bow out of a June 11 show, which Trump, who has recently taken over the Kennedy Center, will attend. The cadre who raised their hands to opt out includes both principal cast and ensemble members, the outlet reports.

The subtle but notable act of resistance comes just months after Trump cleaned house at the Kennedy Center, installing himself as chairman and close ally Richard Grenell as interim president.

Amid Kennedy Center shakeup, a musician shares tense exchange with interim president

The reason for the changes, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, was the center’s decision to host drag show performances.

“Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP,” he wrote. “The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation.”

In response to all the upheaval, multiple stars and artists cut ties with the center, with several high-profile board members stepping down and others canceling future performances. An interview with Issa Rae and several performances of the Broadway hit “Hamilton” were among the events canceled.

‘I never liked ‘Hamilton’ very much,’ President Trump says in visit to Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center, which opened in 1971 in honor of the late 35th president of the United States, serves as the nation’s arts and cultural center, offering concerts, plays and other live acts. Trump declined to attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors performances during his first term.

Contributing: Savannah Kuchar, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Joey Garrison, USA TODAY

May 8, 2025
How to get tickets, 2025 dates
A few weeks after reemerging with the announcement of her first album in four years, Lorde will take her new music for a spin around the world.
The Ultrasound tour kicks off Sept. 17 in Austin and will visit Nashville, Toronto, St. Louis, Minneapolis and Las Vegas among the 21 cities on the itinerary before wrapping Oct. 22 in Seattle and heading to Europe.

Tickets to see the alt-pop singer-songwriter will be available through a presale starting at 10 a.m. local time May 14 and a general on sale at 10 a.m. local time May 16 via Lorde’s website. Joining Lorde for the North American shows on various dates are Blood Orange, Japanese House, Chanel Beads and Empress Of, while Jim-E Stack and Oklou will join some European shows.

Lorde, 28, recently unveiled details about “Virgin,” her new album due June 27. The first single, “What Was That,” paired her with producers Jim-E Stack and Dan Nigro and hit No. 1 on Spotify, her first time topping the platform’s chart since “Royals” more than 11 years ago.

The video for the synth-pulsing song finds Lorde walking and biking through New York before culminating with a frenzied gathering of fans in Washington Square Park.

Lorde’s last release, 2021’s “Solar Power,” cruised with an indie folk-pop vibe that suited her lyrics about her life in New Zealand, while “Virgin” is expected to carry a bolder pop sound. Her most recent tour was a worldwide jaunt in 2022-23 to support “Solar Power.”

More: Katy Perry Lifetimes setlist: All the songs on her effervescent tour

Lorde Ultrasound 2025 tour dates

Sept. 17- Austin – Moody Center !*

Sep. 19 – Chicago – United Center !*

Sept. 20 – Nashville – The Pinnacle !*

Sept. 23 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center !*

Sep. 24 – Toronto – Scotiabank Arena !*

Sept. 26 – Boston – TD Garden =!

Sept. 27 – Montreal – Bell Centre =!

Sept. 30 – Philadelphia – Wells Fargo Center =!

Oct. 1 – New York – Madison Square Garden !*

Oct. 3 – Pittsburgh – Petersen Events Center !*

Oct. 4 – Washington, DC – The Anthem !*

Oct. 7 – Duluth, GA – Gas South Arena !^

Oct. 9 – St. Louis – Chaifetz Arena !^

Oct. 10 – Milwaukee – UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena !^

Oct. 11 – Minneapolis – Armory !^

Oct. 14 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre =!

Oct. 17 – Las Vegas – MGM Grand Garden Arena =!

Oct. 18 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum =!^

Oct. 19 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre !^

Oct. 21 – Portland, OR – Moda Center !^

Oct. 22 – Seattle – Climate Pledge Arena !^

SUPPORT KEY= Blood Orange! Japanese House*Chanel Beads^Empress Of
May 8, 2025
Can Lea Michele read? Watch her prove it after years of rumors

Lea Michele is attempting to close the chapter on the viral online theory that she can’t read.

The “Glee” actress appeared on the “Therapuss with Jake Shane” podcast on May 7 where she dispelled the theory and, at one point, even recited Shane’s cue cards out loud to prove it.

The rumor that Michele secretly can’t read, which dates back to 2017, has run rampant on the internet.

While she’s briefly addressed it several times over the years, her latest response offers the most solid evidence yet to quiet the conspiracy theorists once and for all.

Lea Michele on rumor she can’t read: ‘So sad and so frustrating’

While talking about her experience on the debate team growing up, Michele brought up the viral rumor about whether she can read.

“For everyone who thinks that I can’t (expletive) read — like I was on the debate team, I mean I would write speeches,” she said.

As for whether she finds the theory funny, Michele said “it depends on the day.”

“That someone has so little to do in their life and their day that they would waste it on me is hilarious to me,” she said. “And then there are moments where I (expletive) get so frustrated by it because I’m one of the only women in my whole family to get accepted to college.”

She added, “for someone to minimize that, it’s so sad and so frustrating.”

‘Glee’ creator Ryan Murphy told Lea Michele about theory she can’t read

Michele also said “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy was the first person to tell her about the viral theory.

“Ryan Murphy called me and he was like ‘Have you heard this rumor?’ And I was like ‘No what’s going on?’ And yeah, the fact that we are here all these years later,” she said.

Can Lea Michele read? Keke Palmer weighs in on conspiracy theory

Where did the rumor that Lea Michele can’t read come from?

The rumor started in 2017 when podcasters Jaye Hunt and Robert Ackerman posted a video to social media presenting their theory that Michele can’t read or write.

They later told Jezebel that it originated from late “Glee” actor Naya Rivera’s memoir “Sorry Not Sorry,” which includes a story about Michele allegedly refusing to improvise scenes on the show.

Michele has poked fun at the rumors before, including in a 2022 TikTok video where she said she was “calling Jonathan to read me the comments.”

She also told The New York Times in 2022 that she finds the rumor to be sad.

“I went to ‘Glee’ every single day; I knew my lines every single day,” she said.

Watch Lea Michele prove she can read

Michele also read some of the cue cards during her appearance on “Therapuss,” seemingly squashing the long-standing rumors.

“Jonathan is not here to read me this (expletive)” she said.

The podcast shared a clip from the interview on social media. The TikTok cuts off before Michele begins reading, but the full, hourlong episode is available on YouTube.

She also acknowledged that her recitation may not satisfy everyone online.

“The theories are going to be like, ‘Jake called her in advance, this doesn’t prove anything,’” she said.

Melina Khan is a trending reporter covering national news for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [email protected].

May 8, 2025
T Swift's former mansion lists for $14.5 millionCelebrities

T Swift’s former mansion lists for $14.5 millionCelebrities

May 8, 2025