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Season 6 premiere date, cast, how to watch
“The Handmaid’s Tale” returns for its sixth and final season.
In the final season of Emmy-winning drama series, June (Elisabeth Moss) fights to take down Gilead as Luke (O-T Fagbenle) and Moira (Samira Wiley) join the resistance, according to Hulu. Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), meanwhile, “tries to reform Gilead while Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) and Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) reckon with what they have wrought, and Nick (Max Minghella) faces challenging tests of character.”

“This final chapter of June’s journey highlights the importance of hope, courage, solidarity, and resilience in the pursuit of justice and freedom,” the season’s synopsis says.

Adapted from Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name, “The Handmaid’s Tale” tells “the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States,” according to the series synopsis.

Offred, one of the few fertile women in the oppressive Republic of Gilead, known as Handmaids, “struggles to survive as a reproductive surrogate for a powerful Commander and his resentful wife” in society.

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Here’s what to know about Season 6 of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” including release date and cast.

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6 release date

Season 6 of “The Handmaid’s Tale” will premiere on Tuesday, April 8 at 12 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT April 7 with the first three episodes.

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Stream on Hulu | Watch on Sling

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle

How to watch ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6

“The Handmaid’s Tale” will be available to stream on Hulu starting April 8 at 12 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT April 7.

Hulu offers membership options ranging from $7.99 a month to $17.99 a month for normal streaming services and $75.99 a month to $89.99 a month for plans with streaming and live television. New users can also sign up for a free trial.

Watch every season of The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6 episode schedule

Season 6 of “The Handmaid’s Tale” will have 10 episodes. Here’s what the schedule looks like:

Episode 1 “Train”: April 8

Episode 2 “Exile”: April 8

Episode 3 “Devotion”: April 8

Episode 4 “Promotion”: April 15

Episode 5 “Janine”: April 22

Episode 6 “Surprise”: April 29

Episode 7 “Shattered”: May 6

Episode 8 “Exodus”: May 13

Episode 9 “Execution”: May 20

Episode 10 “The Handmaid’s Tale”: May 27

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6 cast

Cast members for “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 6, as per Hulu, include:

Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne / Offred

Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford

Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence

Max Minghella as Commander Nick Blaine

Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia Clements

O-T Fagbenle as Luke Bankole

Samira Wiley as Moira Strand

Madeline Brewer as Janine Lindo / Ofwarren / Ofdaniel / Ofhoward

Amanda Brugel as Rita Blue

Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam

Sam Jaeger as Mark Tuello

Josh Charles

Watch ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 6 trailer

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Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
April 7, 2025
Harvard Business Review book dives into strategic genius of Taylor Swift

The Harvard Business Review is publishing an in-depth, all encompassing book on Taylor Swift’s business acumen perusing her power moves as a fearless leader since she was 13 years old.

Author Kevin Evers came up with the idea in early 2022 and finished two years later.

“The more I researched her, the more impressed I became,” he says over Zoom from his New York home.

Evers writes in his book, “There’s Nothing Like This,” her success didn’t happen overnight — or by happenstance. A determined, pavement-pounding 13-year-old used her charm, sass, confidence and innate talents to set the foundation of a long-standing career. He notes she once told a veteran songwriter, “I’m not sure my demographic would say something like that.” She told her record label she would stay hours after meet-and-greets and shake hands with 100,000 fans. She used Myspace and vlogging to her advantage.

“It was not a shoo-in for her to be successful,” Evers says. “If anything, it’s actually unbelievable that she found success in country music at the time.”

Era-by-era, Evers takes readers through the time period of each album, cataloging the challenges Swift faced and putting her work into context. Take her debut album.

Long live the Eras Tour with our enchanting book

He writes country music “became dominated by male artists in Stetson hats and trucker caps, making it particularly challenging for female singers like Swift to break through.”

Swift met Scott Borchetta, a Universal Music executive planning to leave and start his own label Big Machine. Borchetta promised her a record deal but asked her to wait a year. She agreed, and the two grew each other’s brands for six eras. Then in 2017, Swift wanted control of her masters and Borchetta wanted to keep the market value of his business owed in part to her discography.

“Giving up Swift’s masters meant giving up the thing that made Big Machine most valuable,” Evers writes, “like putting land up for sale but telling buyers they can’t have the mansion on it.”

No one had ever rerecorded all of their masters. Swift took the risk, and her decision paid dividends. Although Evers likens Swift’s success to Beatlemania, Evers would argue the pop star has had a steeper hill to climb.

“There’s a lot of parallels between what the Beatles did, but I will say you can’t necessarily compare the two,” he explains. “The Beatles were operating in a monoculture, and the industry that Swift has been operating in has gone through radical disruptions and changes.”

Those disruptions include navigating digital and streaming, and jumping genres while staying true to herself.

“I would put her at the top of the music pantheon because of that,” Evers says. “It’s almost like comparing quarterbacks from different eras.”

The senior editor at Harvard Business Review pored over legal documents, articles and books to compile research. The millennial dad wrote alongside Swift’s record-shattering Eras Tour, attending two of the shows with his daughter Maisie.

“I could see my daughter’s fandom grow and her love of Taylor Swift grow, and I understood how [Swift] engages with fans,” he says. “I understand how she forges personal relationships, seeing it in my daughter’s eyes.”

When asked to sum up Swift’s career in one word, Evers says “antifragility.”

“Resilience is a great word,” he says. “When I think of resiliency, I think of something that can withstand pressure. Antifragility is almost a step above. Not only can I withstand that stuff, but I can actually grow stronger from those things.”

Swift went full pop with “1989.” She bounced back from public cancellation in 2016 with “Reputation.” She showed off her literary prowess in “Folklore” and “Evermore.” And she rerecorded her masters. Evers documents it all and spells out how the “unicorn” kept rising to the top.

The title “There’s Nothing Like This” is a nod to her song “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.”

“I thought it needed to be a lyric,” Evers says. “It had to thematically fit the book, and I think ‘There’s Nothing Like This’ hits the nail on the head for a generational artist. There will be no other Taylor Swift.”

Order the book here.

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Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network’s Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.

April 7, 2025
‘White Lotus’ Season 3 finale recap: Who died, what happened

Spoiler alert! This story contains plot details of HBO’s “The White Lotus” Season 3 finale.

The mystery of who dies in “The White Lotus” Season 3 is finally over.

The much-awaited finale showed that the gunshots, previewed in HBO’s Feb. 16 season premiere, were brought on by the tragic Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins). Rick’s misguided actions led to five deaths in a gunfight at Thailand’s White Lotus Resort — including his own and his innocent girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood).

There is heartbreaking tragedy in the finale (now streaming on Max), along with a nearly-avoided Ratliff family tragedy, friendship reborn, a Bosch blender and one hell of a of a satisfying $5 million payout for visiting White Lotus Maui spa manager Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell).

Here’s what happened:

Rick seemed to have exorcised his demons meeting with Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn), the hotel owner whom Rick thought had killed his saintly father decades ago (his body was never found). Rick threw Jim to the floor at their first meeting in Bangkok in last week’s episode, but ran off. In the finale, Rick happily embraces his beloved Chelsea and is ready to follow her hopeful spirit. But Jim collars Rick at the resort and informs him that his mother had lied. “She told you a fairytale, kid. Your father was no saint,” he snarls.

Rick is enraged, and finds Jim happily taking a photograph with his wife, Sritala (Lek Patravadi), and the three galpals on vacation. Rick yanks the gun out of the holster hidden in Jim’s jacket and shoots him in the chest. It’s only after Jim is dead that Sritala screams at Rick, “He is your father! He told me.”

Without even having time to process that tragic whopper, Chelsea gets shot in the ensuing firefight that kills two bodyguards. Rick grabs Chelsea and runs for help, holding her limp body in his arms. But Sritala yells at arriving security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) to shoot. After hesitating, Gaitok shoots Rick twice in the back. The dead lovers fall into the water.

During a Sunday night “White Lotus” press panel, Wood said she had been sad about creator Mike White’s choice to kill Chelsea. “It’s been like ‘Mike kills hope!’” Wood said. “Because Chelsea is hope.”

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The Ratliff family has a tragedy averted: No one died from the blender

Many “White Lotus” fans were sure the resort blender, beloved by Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger), would factor into the finale deaths. It did not. But it was close. Besieged businessman Timothy (Jason Isaacs) had planned to kill his entire family, except for son Lochlan (Sam Nivola), with a batch of pina coladas blended with the poisonous seeds of a Thai fruit. Timothy wanted the family dead rather than have them live less-rich and shamed for his financial scandal. Just as Saxon, daughter Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) and wife Victoria (Parker Posey) start to sip, Timothy changes his mind and destroys the lethal cocktails.

Unknowingly, Lochlan uses the blender leftovers to make a next-day smoothie. Posioned Lochlan collapses next to the pool, but pulls out of going to the light and vomits as his horrified father runs to hold him. “I think I just saw God,” Lochlan tells his father.

Belinda gets her $5 million payout from guilty Gary in ‘White Lotus’

Belinda was wrecked when multi-millionaire heiress Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) pulled out of bankrolling her dream spa near the end of Season 1.

In Season 3, she discovers that Tanya died in a suspicious yacht incident (as seen in the Season 2 finale). Tanya’s husband, Greg (Jon Greis), who goes by Gary in Thailand, is hiding from Italian police who want to question him about his rich new wife’s suspicious death.

Gary/Greg offers Belinda $100,000 to keep quiet about his secret identity. She’s repulsed, at first. But visiting son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay) convinces his long-suffering mother to take the cash, perhaps to start her dream spa after all. Belinda and Zion negotiate to make the bank transfer a reality. The $5 million drops into her online account. Belinda uses virtually the same words to weasel out of opening a spa with her sort-of boyfriend Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) that Tanya used to stiff Belinda in Hawaii.

Belinda and Zion are Season 3’s last joyous images. They are shown departing the island, very happy and very rich, to Billy Preston’s “Nothing From Nothing.” As Gary/Greg tells Belinda in their final talk, “It’s what Tanya would have wanted.”

The frayed childhood friends reunite, freeze out Valentin

The longtime friendship between Kate (Leslie Bibb), Laurie (Carrie Coon) and TV actress Jacyln (Michelle Monaghan) came apart through much of Season 3. The married Jacyln secretly spending the night with hunky wellness guru Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius) is the final straw for Carrie — after Jaclyn had outwardly been pushing for a Carrie-Valentin spa hook-up.

In the finale, the three learn to appreciate their decades-long bond despite their growing differences. “I’m just happy to be at the table,” the tearful Laurie says. The reunited trio gleefully ice out the visiting Valentin. The finale could have been much worse for the Russian. At least security guard Gaitok will not report on the connection between Valentin and his childhood friends from Vladivostok. The Russians were involved in the great White Lotus Resort jewelry heist.

Gaitok and Mook come together in ‘White Lotus’ finale

Gaitok was already struggling with the growing conflict of his security job and his Buddhist principles before shooting Rick. However, the devastatingly bold action that goes against his spiritual beliefs has immediate real-world benefits, including the bodyguard job he once sought. Gaitok beams as Sritala’s new personal driver. A bigger victory: Gaitok wins back Mook (Lalisa Manoban), who is impressed with his heroic ambition. Contributing: Charles Trepany

April 7, 2025
Crossword Blog & Answers for April 7, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Has the Final Say
Constructor: Bill Conner

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

BEST (4A: The “B” of BFF) BFF stands for BEST friends forever.

OREO (14A: Twisted-apart cookie) Today our crossword friend OREO is making its second appearance of April, and its tenth appearance of 2025.

PIANO (15A: Instrument played by Tori Amos) Tori Amos is a singer-songwriter and PIANO player. She has been composing pieces on the PIANO since she was five years old. Earlier this year, Tori Amos released a surprise album, The Music of Tori and the Muses, as a companion project to her illustrated children’s book, Tori and the Muses.

MEME (16A: Tariq Tull singing “It’s Corn,” for example) In August 2022, a young boy named Tariq Tull was interviewed about corn. The interview quickly went viral, as Tariq’s enthusiasm was hard to resist. This led to the creation of multiple MEMEs, including a song by The Gregory Brothers that remixes portions of the interview.

MATISSE (23A: “The Green Stripe” painter Henri) Henri MATISSE (1869-1954) was a French painter and sculptor. The Green Stripe is a 1905 oil painting Henri MATISSE did of his wife, Amélie Noellie Matisse-Parayre. The title is a reference to a vertical green stripe that runs down the middle of the face of the painting.

OAHU (41A: Honolulu’s island) OAHU is Hawaii’s third-largest island. The state’s capital, Honolulu, is located on OAHU.

RAINIER (50A: Washington mountain also called Tahoma) Mount RAINIER, also known as Tahoma, is the centerpiece of Mount RAINIER National Park in Washington. Mount RAINIER is the tallest mountain in the Cascade Range.

ANNE (64A: “Interview With the Vampire” author Rice) and ERIC (5D: “Interview With the Vampire” star Bogosian) ANNE Rice (1941-2021) was the author of The Vampire Chronicles series of books. The first book in the series, Interview with the Vampire (1976) was her debut novel. It was adapted into a 1994 movie of the same name starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. The TV series Interview With the Vampire premiered on AMC in 2022. ERIC Bogosian portrays journalist Daniel Molloy (who interviews the vampire).

LEDS (67A: Energy-efficient bulbs) and DIODES (44D: Plural of the “D” in 67-Across) LEDS are light-emitting DIODES.

MAMMAL (1D: Mole or vole) There are many MAMMALs. I appreciate that the examples chosen for this clue are two burrowing MAMMALs whose names rhyme.

TOMCAT (3D: Male meower) My cat, Willow, is not a TOMCAT, and is too busy being cute to comment on this entry.

NAOMI (20D: Tennis star Osaka) I’m always delighted when I know the answer to a sports clue without the help of crossing answers. I admire NAOMI Osaka not only for her sports ability, but for the way she uses her platform to raise awareness and advocate for others. During the 2020 US Open, at the beginning of each of her seven matches, Naomi Osaka wore a mask displaying the name of a Black person that was a victim of police or racist violence. In 2022, NAOMI Osaka joined forces with Modern Health to raise awareness of and destigmatize mental health care.

SHE’S (24D: “___ Gotta Have It”) SHE’S Gotta Have It is a 1986 movie directed by Spike Lee. A 2017-2019 TV series of the same name was based on the movie.

LEE (39D: “To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper) Harper LEE (1926-2016) wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960). She also wrote Go Set a Watchman, which was published in 2015.

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

MAC AND CHEESE (19A: Boxed dinner with a packet of orange powder)

NO GIFTS PLEASE (36A: Note on a birthday party invitation, maybe)

NOT IF BUT WHEN (54A: Phrase of inevitability)

HAS THE FINAL SAY: The FINAL word of each theme answer can be paired with the word SAY to form a new phrase: SAY CHEESE, SAY PLEASE, and SAY WHEN.

This is an enjoyable set of theme answers, and a fun theme. The phrase “SAY WHEN” is especially fun, even though it doesn’t rhyme with SAY CHEESE and SAY PLEASE. (To be clear, it’s fine that it doesn’t rhyme; it’s just interesting that the first two do rhyme). Thank you, Bill, for this excellent puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles
April 7, 2025
‘Dennis the Menace’ star dies at 73

Actor and former child star Jay North, best known for his starring role on the family sitcom “Dennis the Menace,” has died. He was 73.

North’s friend, writer and producer Laurie Jacobson, revealed in a Facebook post that the actor died “peacefully at home” Sunday afternoon following a battle with cancer. Jacobson later confirmed to USA TODAY that North’s family notified her and her husband, actor Jon Provost, of North’s death.

“As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after…but he did not let it define his life,” Jacobson wrote on Facebook. “He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with ‘I love you with all my heart.’ And we loved him with all of ours.”

North’s “Dennis the Menace” co-star Jeannie Russell told The Hollywood Reporter that North died at his Lake Butler, Florida, residence and that he suffered from colon cancer.

Born in Hollywood in August 1951, North got his start in television at the age of 6 when his mother Dorothy née Cotton, who worked as a secretary at the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, arranged for him to appear on his favorite show, the local children’s series “Cartoon Express.” Talent agent Hazel MacMillan spotted North and offered to represent him.

Working simultaneously as a child model and actor, North scored small roles on several NBC variety shows during the 1950s, such as “The George Gobel Show,” “The Eddie Fisher Show” and “The Milton Berle Show.” North’s big break came in the summer of 1958 when Screen Gems held a nationwide casting call for a TV adaptation of cartoonist Hank Ketcham’s comic strip “Dennis the Menace.”

Although North’s first audition didn’t go well, a second tryout helped the burgeoning actor land the role of Dennis Mitchell in 1959. Ahead of production on the show’s debut season, North appeared in several series and feature films, including “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” “77 Sunset Strip,” “Rescue 8,” “The Miracle of the Hills” and “The Big Operator.”

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Michael Hurley dies: Singer known as ‘Godfather of freak folk’ was 83

“Dennis the Menace” premiered on CBS in October 1959 and ran for four seasons. Despite the show’s success, North later revealed the emotional turbulence that colored his on-set experience.

In a 1993 interview with the Los Angeles Daily News, North said his aunt Marie Hopper — who served as his guardian when his mother was working — was physically and emotionally abusive.

“If it took me more than one or two takes, I would be threatened and then whacked,” North told the outlet. “Even if a delay wasn’t my fault, she would find a way to blame me and punish me. She was also very possessive and isolated me from the rest of the cast. I couldn’t even eat lunch with everybody else. She made me eat it in the dressing room by myself.”

Following the cancellation of “Dennis the Menace” in 1963, North took to the silver screen with starring roles in the comedies “Zebra in the Kitchen” (1965) and “Maya” (1966). North returned to TV for a short-lived adaptation of “Maya,” which ran for 18 episodes from 1967 to 1968.

Val Kilmer dies: ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Batman Forever’ star was 65

North turned to voiceover work in the late ’60s and early ’70s, appearing in animated series such as “Arabian Knights,” “Here Comes the Grump” and “The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show.”

North’s final role was a self-referential appearance in 2003’s “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star,” a child stardom spoof starring David Spade and Alyssa Milano.

April 7, 2025
Judges declare Canaan James Hill as the ‘top 1’
The cream is starting to rise to the top on “American Idol.”
During Sunday night’s Showstoppers round, some of the competition show’s standouts fell short of delivering show-stopping performances, while others made sure to bring their A-game. Platinum ticket winner Kolbi Jordan was set back by sinus issues, while several singers — including Nina Daig, whom Carrie Underwood disappointedly said was “better than that” — just didn’t meet the judges’ high expectations of them.

For those who need a reminder, we went into Episode 6 with 62 people who survived last week’s Hollywood Week bloodbath, and Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan were tasked with cutting 38 contestants.

Here are the episode’s most memorable performances.

Thunderstorm Artis gives a tired favorite, ‘Imagine,’ new life

When the announcer revealed Thunderstorm Artis would be singing John Lennon’s “Imagine,” my mind flashed to that viral 2020 video Gal Gadot unleashed on us. Apologies to the late John Lennon, but that song has been tainted for many.

However, Thunderstorm blew away any doubts when he opened his mouth, let a smile spread across his face and used not much more than just his voice and his guitar to captivate his audience at downtown LA’s Orpheum Theatre. It was a simple yet moving performance that didn’t require much help at all from the band — which was a good move, as some of his competitors struggled to sing along with the live band.

Though the cover was good for a standing O from Bryan and Richie, Underwood wasn’t quite as sold: “He did a lot more, vocally, in previous performances,” she said.

Bryan helpfully pointed out: “He knows how to make the room” lock in, he indicated with a click of his tongue.

Canaan James Hill gave ‘the greatest performance’ Lionel Richie has ever seen

The 17-year-old aspiring preacher who was presented with the third and final platinum ticket last week, Canaan James Hill, unleashed clear, pure vocals from the get-go as he launched into Marvin Sapp’s “Never Would Have Made It.”

Canaan showed off his incredible range, went into a little bit of scatting, and elicited a massive compliment from Bryan: “He’s one of the best singers I’ve ever seen.”

The recent high school grad had the judges fired up after his cover, with Richie declaring to the judges, “That was the greatest performance I have ever seen.” Underwood went so far as to scream at the crowd, “He’s seventeen! What!”

“Top one,” Bryan said as Richie repeated: “Top one.”

Mattie Pruitt is going to be a ‘massive star,’ Luke Bryan predicts

Canaan wasn’t the only precocious teen blowing the judges’ minds.

Mattie Pruitt delighted the crowd by going back to the ’60s with James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” Her full, clear voice had the judges giving each other “she’s got it” looks. “Fif-teen,” Bryan emphasized.

For an unpolished, up-and-coming artist, Mattie worked the stage decently well, strutting across the length as she belted out some impressive notes.

After she left the stage, Bryan commented, “She’s probably a massive star. A sneaky star.”

And, hey, Bryan’s predictions mean something around these parts. Last season, eventual winner Abi Carter’s audition had him saying, “That may be the winner of ‘American Idol.’”

Who went home on ‘American Idol?’

In a brutal moment, the judges paraded a small group of contestants on to the stage and announced they were not moving forward in the competition. Forty-two singers were allowed to remain so they can duke it out the following night in the head-to-head round (which is too similar to “The Voice’s” Battle rounds for comfort).

Here’s who was sent home:

JMarie

Will Carter

Santina

Christina Stutzman

Isaiah Moore

Jazzy Mae

Samantha Ray

Who is in the ‘American Idol’ Top 24?

Only four singers are safe going into the head-to-head round airing Monday (8 p.m. EDT/PDT on ABC). These lucky players are:

Canaan James Hill

Gabby Samone

Zaylie

Mattie Pruitt
April 7, 2025
Who died in the Season 3 finale?

Spoiler alert! We’re going to reveal the big death in Sunday’s Season 3 finale of “The White Lotus.”

Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) was tragically behind many of the deaths in the April 6 Season 3 finale of HBO’s “The White Lotus.” First, he killed the mysterious hotel owner Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn), the man Rick believed was behind the death of his father. (Turns out he was his father). The owner of the White Lotus resort didn’t survive the duo’s second meeting: Rick pulled the gun out of the holster hidden in Jim’s jacket and shot him twice.

Rick then killed two of Jim’s bodyguards in a shootout. To his horror, Rick saw that his girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) had been shot in the melee, lying near death on the ground. Rick started to carry Chelsea off, but urged by Sritala, Jim’s wife, was shot in the back by the resort guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong). Rick fell dead into the water with Chelsea. His face floated eerily about the surface of the water.

The body bags showing the star-crossed lovers, Rick and Chelsea, are shown later in the episode.

Here are others who faced a similar fate in Season 1 and 2 of “The White Lotus”:

Who died in Season 2 of ‘White Lotus’?

“Please, these gays are trying to murder me!” Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya in “White Lotus” proclaimed in the Season 2 finale.

The finale, which aired in December 2022, landed with a startling thunk on the side of a boat. Toward the end of the weeklong Sicilian resort stay, viewers learned the body floating in the sea was Tanya’s, who fell to her death off the side of Quentin’s (Tom Hollander’s) yacht while trying to escape what she believed was a murder-for-hire plot.

At the beginning of the finale, her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) remained far from Tanya, with Quentin’s fake nephew Jack (Leo Woodall), but the pair managed to speak on a brief call that convinced both that their companions have been conspiring with Tanya’s husband Greg (Jon Gries) to murder her.

Who died in Season 1 of ‘White Lotus’?

Hotel manager Armond (Murray Bartlett) is killed in a dizzying confrontation with Shane (Jake Lacy). Following a robbery at the Mossbachers’ suite, Shane contacts his mother’s travel agent to raise hell with the hotel’s owner for not informing him of the presence of a “dangerous criminal.” Armond subsequently receives a call from his boss, with the ominous promise of a meeting the next day.

After a debaucherous night of partying, an intoxicated Armond breaks into Shane and Rachel’s (Alexandra Daddario) Pineapple Suite for revenge and graphically defecates in Shane’s open suitcase. Armond tries to quietly escape the suite, but Shane hears him and grabs a knife from room service, fearful of an intruder.

A wrong turn from both men leaves them face to face, with Shane’s knife plunged into Armond’s chest. The hotel manager falls back into the suite’s luxurious tub and Shane flees, spluttering, “I’m sorry.”

‘The White Lotus’ Season 1 finale: Who died? Who was the killer? And does any of it matter?

Contributing: Kelly Lawler, Edward Segarra and Pamela Avila, USA TODAY

April 7, 2025
Lovers reunite, a pivotal birth, Dutton death

Spoiler alert! This story discusses plot details of the “1923” Season 2 finale.

For most of “1923” Season 2, Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer) has desperately sought to reunite with her new husband Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar), while the prodigal fighting machine hightailed it back to the besieged Yellowstone Dutton ranch to save his uncle Jacob (Harrison Ford) and aunt Cara (Helen Mirren).

Star-crossed lovers Alex and Spencer overcame every conceivable obstacle separately on ships, cars and trains before joyously coming together near frozen Montana train tracks in Sunday’s two-hour season finale (now streaming on Paramount+). After Spencer jumps from his moving train for a final sprint to his stranded, near-frozen wife, their rapturous reconciliation is so hot.

Like, literally hot. The cruel Montana winter for the Taylor Sheridan series was recreated with special effects and fake snowbanks on an Austin soundstage in the dead heat of Texas summer.

“Oh my God, it was like 100 degrees hot, the opposite of winter,” Schlaepfer, 30, says during a joint interview with Sklenar, 34, for USA TODAY. “We had to do this weird combination of shivering while actually drenched in sweat.”

We mapped ‘1923’ out: Inside Spencer Dutton’s journey back to the ranch in ‘Yellowstone’ prequel

We bow to the power of storytelling and new-fangled technology, because that much-awaited moment works. “It’s powerful,” Sklenar says. “Running that last distance in the snow, you see how they’ve been fighting to find one another.”

The new Dutton wife is preggers, Spencer discovers. He gallantly bundles up his weakened spouse to sprint towards warmth on the tracks. Unorthodox acting was required.

“It was really funny,” says Sklenar, laughing while recalling the dead-serious moment. “I had to hold Jules and pretend to just sort of run in place, and jostle her about. I’ve never had to fake run for such a pivotal, intense scene.”

Alexandra gives birth to John Dutton. But which John Dutton?

Fortunately, the train had stopped, making the fake run shorter than expected. But the finale never gets easier for Alex, covered in severe frostbite from her frigid ordeal. Things get much worse for the Dutton family enemies, who Spencer gets to smiting almost single-handedly.

Alex miraculously gives birth to their premature son and names him John. This is the awaited Big Bang in the Yellowstone-Dutton-verse. Bet the ranch that this is TV-series-connecting child John Dutton II, the father of John Dutton III, played by Kevin Costner in “Yellowstone.”

“It’s fun to think about. That it ties into the whole world,” says Schlaepfer of baby John. She hastily adds that she’s not confirming that the child is Costner’s TV daddy in swaddling clothes. “The only person who could confirm that is Taylor Sheridan himself, out of his mouth.”

“John’s a popular name,” adds Sklenar, avoiding confirmation of being Costner’s TV grandfather.

Who dies in the ‘1923’ finale?

New-found Dutton family bliss is short-lived. Alex dies in the hospital holding baby John, with Spencer lying next to her.

“They fall asleep together and she drifts away,” Schlaepfer says, adding that Ford and Mirren were present for the scene out of respect. “There’s no other way to say it. It hurt to film.”

Spencer puts on his revenge face to take his feelings out on family archenemy, Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton), the sadistic developer and early downhill skiing visionary. With Jacob at his side, Spencer shoots Whitfield dead at his pastry-filled breakfast table.

“Men at that time weren’t really exactly attuned to their emotions. There weren’t podcasts on how to process your grief at the time,” Sklenar says. “His pain moves through his physicality, and his revenge is vindicating. It’s a little bit of the power of Spencer, the power of love and the power of the bullet.”

Is this the end of ‘1923’?

Alex is bestowed with the ultimate posthumous Dutton honor, a gravestone in the famed ranch cemetery for top-tier clan only. She is an English aristocrat in Montana, yet still, Alex earns her plot in the Deceased Dutton Hall of Fame.

“It’s such an honor. I know that everyone will be upset about (Alex) being a part of the Dutton family cemetery,” Schlaepfer says.

But Alex lived strong, died well, gave birth to a pivotal Dutton baby, dumped her feeble aristo fiancé for Spencer, and gave viewers a love story saga.

Sheridan and Paramount Global have always planned to keep “1923” to two seasons while moving the story onto the next chapter, “1944” (presumably with a grown-up John Dutton II). So for Ford, 82, and Mirren, 79, the Season 2 finale appears to be the end of the line. Jacob already admits he’s retiring from ranching. Cara points out that baby John is “the future.” The finale fast forwards to an obscured view of the never-remarried, aged Spencer lying down by his wife’s grave. Sklenar refuses to confirm his character’s death.

“He’s an old man, possibly just taking a nap,” he says. “There might be a (“1923″) version with geriatric Spencer dragging his gun because he’s too weak to hold it.”

Even if “1923” is over, it’s been a ride. “We did our best to bring this couple’s story to life and do justice to their role in Dutton history,” Sklenar says. “It was such an honor.”

April 7, 2025
Festival canceled after fatal structural collapse

The conclusion of AXE Ceremonia’s 2025 festival in Mexico City was forced to a halt after a structural collapse on Saturday resulted in two deaths.

The two-day festival, which kicked off on Saturday at Parque Bicentenario, confirmed the suspension in a statement on its social media accounts Sunday.

“With profound sadness, we confirm the death of the two individuals who were injured in the incident that occurred (yesterday),” the statement, translated from Spanish, reads. “This loss hurts us immensely.”

The mayor’s office of Miguel Hidalgo, the borough where Parque Bicentenario is located, announced that suspension seals were placed at the festival’s entrance in collaboration with the Institute of Administrative Verification, as well as the borough’s government-and-legal-affairs and civil protection departments, according to a statement issued on social media.

According to The Associated Press and the Mexican publication El Universal, the individuals — a pair of photographers comprised of one male and one female — were killed after a metal structure at the festival site, described as a “decorative piece,” collapsed due to a wind gust.

Following the collapse, the photographers were transferred to Dr. Rubén Leñero General Hospital, where they were diagnosed with cranioencephalic trauma and various fractures, the public health services agency IMSS-Bienestar confirmed to the AP and El Universal.

The victims, who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation, arrived at the hospital with no vital signs, per the outlets.

The photographers were reportedly identified as Berenice Giles and Miguel Hernández, music outlet Mr. Indie confirmed in a statement on social media Sunday. USA TODAY has reached out to the publication for comment.

“From our space, we want to honor their devotion, their love for music and photography, and their commitment to this project that was also theirs,” the outlet said in Spanish.

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In its Sunday statement, AXE Ceremonia said the organization has been in contact with the victims’ families to “accompany them in this very difficult moment and offer them all our support and solidarity.”

“The safety of our community has always been our priority and we maintain, as from the first moment, a close collaboration and total openness with authorities,” the festival said.

Tickets for Sunday’s show will be automatically reimbursed via Ticketmaster, AXE Ceremonia shared in a separate statement.

Charli XCX, The Marías react to AXE Ceremonia tragedy

AXE Ceremonia 2025’s Saturday launch featured performances from a star-studded lineup that included British pop star Charli XCX, K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together, regional Mexican singer Natanael Cano and former “Elite” star Arón Piper.

The festival’s Sunday finale was slated to include appearances from top artists such as Tyler, the Creator, Lil Yachty, The Marías and Nathy Peluso, among others.

Following the event’s suspension, Charli XCX shared a brief tribute on her Instagram Story: “My heart is with the families and friends of Miguel and Berenice.”

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Arón wrote on his Instagram Story, in Spanish: “All of our love and support to the families of Berenice and Miguel.”

The Marías also mourned the photographers’ deaths on Instagram, writing, “Due to the tragedy that occurred yesterday at Ceremonia, we will not be performing today.”

“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of two photographers, Berenice Giles and Miguel Hernández,” the band concluded.

April 7, 2025
Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, more stars at Breakthrough Prize Ceremony: PhotosCelebrities

Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, more stars at Breakthrough Prize Ceremony: PhotosCelebrities

April 7, 2025