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Sheryl Crow says armed man broke onto her property after selling Tesla
- Sheryl Crow, a Tennessee resident, actively voices her progressive political views, regularly contacting her representatives.
- Crow expresses concern about the influence of money in politics and advocates for increased voter participation.
- She faces backlash for her outspokenness, particularly in her home state, and has even experienced a threatening encounter.
Sheryl Crow is getting candid about politics and her personal life.

In a cover story for Variety’s Power of Women Nashville issue, Crow opened up about voicing her progressive political views in her home state, as well as the challenges that come with being outspoken.

“Tennessee is a hard place for me. I mean, I struggle,” said Crow, who moved to Nashville from Los Angeles in 2007. “I call my representatives (in Congress) every single morning — Andy Ogles and Marsha Blackburn hear from me every day — because we have to stand up and be vocal and fight for the future for our kids.”

Crow wonders if they’re laughing when they hear her daily voicemails.

“But it’s like what Jimmy Carter said: As long as there’s legal bribery, we won’t ever have fair elections,” she said. “So we have to keep raising our voices and showing up to these organized rallies.”

Sheryl Crow isn’t one to shy away from politics

Over the years, Crow hasn’t been one to stay mum about her political leanings.

More: Sheryl Crow reveals her tour must-haves and essential albums, including this ‘game changer’

She criticized the sale of guns at Walmart in the ’90s through song, has been vocal about environmental protections, and has occasionally become the target of conservative backlash from those who don’t agree with her stances.

Naturally, she can’t help speaking out, she said. “I feel like I’m fighting for my kids,” she added. “Also, that’s the way I was raised.”

Sheryl Crow says armed man broke onto her property after selling Tesla

A few months ago, Crow sold her Tesla, posting a video of the car being towed away on social media. “My parents always said… you are who you hang out with. There comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with. So long Tesla,” Crow wrote in her Instagram caption.

“Money donated to @npr, which is under threat by President Musk, in hopes that the truth will continue to find its way to those willing to know the truth.”

After posting the video, Crow said the response she experienced was a little different than other times she has spoken up.

“When I came out against Walmart carrying guns (in a 1996 song), not everybody was armed — and certainly I didn’t live in Tennessee, where everybody is armed,” Crow told Variety.

“So yeah, there was a moment where I actually really felt very afraid. A man got on my property, in my barn, who was armed. It doesn’t feel safe when you’re dealing with people who are so committed.”

The comments were referring to Musk’s entrance into Washington as President Trump’s second term began. Musk has said he wants to reshape the American government by dramatically reducing the size and scope of federal departments and agencies.

Musk, the world’s richest man, serves as the head of Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Crow has long been critical of Trump, suggesting that he “undermines” America in an interview with The Syndey Morning Herald in 2017.

“How can someone work every single day to make sure the country is divided? It breaks my heart,” she said at the time, adding that “He undermines it (America) with his … I want to say ineptitude but unfortunately it’s deeper than that.”

More: Sheryl Crow waves goodbye to towed Tesla car after slamming ‘President Musk’

Sheryl Crow supports Natural Resources Defense Council for Variety Power of Women event

For Variety’s first-ever Power of Women Nashville event, which follows the magazine issue, Crow was honored alongside country singers Mickey Guyton, Reba McEntire and Kelsea Ballerini.

The event, which includes a charitable component, Crow is urging support for the Natural Resources Defense Council, a group that fights for environmental protection through legal avenues.

“I’ve always been so vigilant about climate change,” Crow said.

“My parents said, ‘You need to leave the campground nicer than you found it,’ and we always did … let’s face it, I may not be here to see my kids teach their kids how to leave the campground nicer than they found it,” she continued. “And who knows what the campground’s gonna be like when they get it. That concerns me.”

“Right now, this organism that we live on is being disregarded, particularly by this administration, who not only don’t have it in their consciousness, it’s seen as a nuisance to business,” Crow added.

“So for me, it’s really important that this organization exists to defend our national lands and to protect our water and air.”

Contributing: Jay Stahl
May 2, 2025
‘I Kissed A Girl’ singer dies from house fire at 66

Jill Sobule, the singer/songwriter whose hits included “I Kissed A Girl” and the “satirical gem” “Supermodel” from the “Clueless” soundtrack, has died. She was 66.

Sobule’s representatives announced the news in a May 1 press release posted on her Facebook page, which revealed her cause of death was “a house fire early this morning.”

The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that the fatal house fire happened in Woodbury, located on the outskirts of Saint Paul, Minnesota. In a statement shared on Facebook, Woodbury Public Safety said that “responders observed the house fully engulfed in flames.”

“The homeowners reported one person was possibly still inside the home. Woodbury firefighters began actively fighting the fire while also searching for the missing person,” the statement read. “Tragically, the missing female, in her 60s, was located deceased inside the home. Woodbury Public Safety remains on scene actively investigating the cause of the fire.”

USA TODAY has reached out to the Woodbury Public Safety Department for more information.

The press release from Sobule’s representatives included remembrances from her manager, booking agent and attorney. Manager John Porter paid tribute to her as “force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture.”

In lieu of her scheduled show at Swallow Hill Music in Denver on May 2, there will instead be “an informal gathering” hosted by her friend, 105.5 The Colorado Sound host Rob Bostwick. “Folks are encouraged to join their fellow Jill friends and fans to share a story or song,” the press release noted.

A memorial service will take place “later this summer.”

‘I Kissed A Girl’ was ‘first ever openly queer-themed’ single to chart

The Denver-born Sobule was scheduled to embark on a three-show “Colorado world tour” in May, with summer performances taking her to the East Coast, Midwest and West Coast. Her last performance was seemingly as a supporting act for The Fixx on April 25 at Illinois’ Arcada Theatre.

On Sobule’s website, “I Kissed A Girl” is described as “the first ever openly queer-themed Billboard Top 20 record.” Throughout the three decades of her musical career, she wrote tracks inspired by “such topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, shoplifting, reproduction, the French Resistance, adolescent malaise, LGBTQ issues, and the Christian Right.” She also produced an off-Broadway autobiographical musical, which had four separate runs in three years.

In her 2022 New York Times review, theater critic Laura Collins-Hughes described Sobule as “enchanting.”

“I wish I would have said to all of them: it’s a big ol’ gay gay song,” she told the crowd during an October 2022 performance, per Collins-Hughes’ review. “But I didn’t. I was too scared. I wanted to do the smart thing. I wanted to be arty and transgressive, but I wanted to sell records. The compromising got me nowhere. And then I couldn’t stand my own song.”

Jill Sobule ‘started loving music again’ with her last album

Sobule’s first album, “Things Here Are Different,” came out in 1990. But as her website notes, her second album – 1995’s self-titled “Jill Sobule” – “brought her mainstream commercial and critical success,” especially with its singles “I Kissed A Girl” and “Supermodel.” Her most recent album, “Nostalgia Kills,” came out in 2018.

Speaking with Billboard before the record’s release, Sobule admitted that for years she “went through an extended period of time of finding other things and avoiding doing a new album.”

“There were things that happened in my life — the death of a parent, a breakup, a move. I was my own procrastinatrix, is what I call it,” she said. “But I think those kind of jostle you back into the creative mode, and I started loving music again — loving listening, loving writing and the original spirit of why I did this in the first place, I suppose.”

Sobule is survived by her brother and her sister-in-law, James and Mary Ellen Sobule, her nephews and “numerous beloved cousins and countless friends.”

May 2, 2025
👀 See the best celebrity photos from MayCelebrities

👀 See the best celebrity photos from MayCelebrities

May 2, 2025
Ana de Armas, Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes

One of Hollywood’s leading men has also been one of the industry’s leading love interests.

Tom Cruise’s relationships have been high-profile since his rise to fame, with marriages to A-list actresses Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes and nearly a dozen relationships and romantic entanglements with other film stars over the years.

Cruise, July 3, 1962, has spoken very little about his relationships over the years (aside from one notable exception on Oprah’s couch). But speculation about his relationships continues to fuel public fascination.

Now, Cruise’s public outings with “Knives Out” breakout star Ana de Armas, 37, are fueling rumors about whether they are more than professional collaborators. Take a trip down memory lane as we examine Cruise’s storied dating history.

Tom Cruise’s first marriage: Mimi Rogers, 1987-90

The first of Cruise’s three marriages was to “The Rapture” actress Mimi Rogers. Rogers reportedly introduced Cruise to the Church of Scientology, of which he is still a member and has long been an advocate. When they married, Rogers was 32 while Cruise was 24.

According to interviews, the two dated in the ’80s; they met at a dinner party. Rogers alluded to the Sun Sentinel that friends were playing matchmaker with the two of them, while Cruise recalled to Rolling Stone in the June 1986 issue that Rogers “was dating a friend” when they met. He added, “I thought she was extremely bright.”

Their wedding, which they referred to using the codeword “The Project,” was a “very small, very private and completely normal” ceremony that took place on May 9, 1987, Rogers told the Sun Sentinel. Per a People report at the time, “The Outsiders” co-star and childhood friend Emilio Estevez was Cruise’s best man.

In yet another Rolling Stone interview – which reportedly took place in November and published in January 1990 – Cruise was effusive in expressing his love for Rogers and admitted to never having been in love before her.

“Since I’ve been with her, it’s opened me up a lot. I think it’s helped me be a better actor. We live a lot of life together. We share everything,” he said, later adding, “I care about my wife more than anything in the world. She’s my best friend. I just really like being with her, you know? I love her.”

Less than a week after the Rolling Stone cover story was published, Rogers and Cruise announced they were divorcing. “While there have been very positive aspects to our marriage, there were some issues which could not be resolved even after working on them for a period of time,” the statement read.

Second marriage: Nicole Kidman, 1990-2001

By the end of 1990, Cruise had thrown himself into a new marriage: this time with fellow blockbuster star Nicole Kidman.

Months after meeting on the set of “Days of Thunder,” the two married on Dec. 24, 1990, when Kidman was 23 and Cruise was 28.

“I thought he was the sexiest man I’d ever seen in my life,” Kidman told Vanity Fair in an interview that was published in July 1995. “So it started on lust.”

Cruise agreed the relationship started with “instant lust,” but marrying the “Moulin Rouge!” actress was “the best decision I ever made.”

“I thought she was amazingly sexy and stunning. It grew into love and respect,” he told the magazine. “I knew she was it for me. I absolutely knew — I just knew it. I thought, ‘This is the person to be able to share all of who I am with, and her with me.’”

In the same interview, Kidman confirmed she was a Scientologist but declined to elaborate on it because “it gets misinterpreted and misrepresented.”

Over their decade-long marriage, the two welcomed two children – Isabella Cruise, 32, and Connor Cruise, 30 – through adoption and also co-starred in the 1992 film “Far and Away.” In February 2001, they announced their split.

With their marriage in the rearview mirror, Kidman shared in a 2007 Marie Claire interview that at the beginning of her union with Cruise, she’d experienced an ectopic pregnancy, a dangerous condition that occurs when a fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus. She then had a miscarriage at the end of their marriage.

“It was incredibly traumatic for me,” she told the magazine.

A few years later, Kidman mused that her and Cruise’s difference in maturity factored into their divorce, telling Vanity Fair in 2013: “I was a child, really, when I got married. And I needed to grow up.”

Third marriage: Katie Holmes, 2006-2012

“Dawson’s Creek” star Holmes and Cruise made their debut in 2005, got engaged in front of the Eiffel Tower that summer and welcomed their daughter, Suri Cruise, now 19, in April 2006.

They married later that year, in November 2006, at a medieval castle in the town of Bracciano, located outside of Rome. Holmes was 27. Cruise was 44. The Scientology-themed ceremony reportedly had a star-studded guest list, with attendees that included Steven Spielberg, Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and Jim Carrey.

Yes, this was the romance that inspired Cruise, who was promoting “War of the Worlds” at the time, to hop atop a couch during a bizarre “Oprah Winfrey Show” sit-down. The stunt had Winfrey declaring, “We’ve never seen you behave this way before.”

The couple’s five-year relationship provided ample fodder for tabloids, as Cruise and Holmes developed the couple name “TomKat.” As such, their 2012 divorce was met with a media frenzy.

But the former couple struck a professional tone in their joint statement that read: “We are committed to working together as parents to accomplishing what is in our daughter Suri’s best interests. We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each other’s commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other’s roles as parents.”

Reports at the time noted that one of the reasons for the split was that Holmes wanted to protect their daughter from Scientology. Cruise has been a member of the Church of Scientology since the 1980s and has been a longtime advocate.

Tom Cruise dated Penélope Cruz, was also linked to Cher and Melissa Gilbert

During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” in 2017, Melissa Gilbert confirmed she dated Cruise (at the time known as Tom Mapother) at “16 or 17,” which would put Cruise around 18 or 19 years old. “We made out, but honestly, there was no sex,” she told Cohen.

Cher, who reportedly also dated Cruise in the 1980s, told Cohen in 2013 that Cruise was among her top five best lovers.

Cruise has also been linked to singer-songwriter Patti Scialfa, who is now married to Bruce Springsteen, and his “Risky Business” co-star Rebecca De Mornay.

In the early 2000s, Cruise dated his “Vanilla Sky” co-star Penélope Cruz for a few years.

May 2, 2025
Remembering Carrie Fisher: The life of our 'Star Wars' princessCelebrities

Remembering Carrie Fisher: The life of our ‘Star Wars’ princessCelebrities

May 2, 2025
‘You’ star reveals ‘interesting’ similarity with ‘Gossip Girl’ set

Penn Badgley is letting “Gossip Girl” and “You” fans on a little behind-the-scenes secret.

The actor, while giving a tour of the “You” set to Architectural Digest, revealed the Netflix show used the exact same stages as CW’s 2007-2012 hit show “Gossip Girl.”

Badgley dropped the fun fact while showing viewers around the spooky basement beneath Mooney’s Bookstore, where his character, serial murderer Joe Goldberg, holds his victims’ hostage. The cage, made of galvanized steel and plexiglass, is 13 feet long, 8 feet wide and 9 feet high, as per Netflix, with each season featuring a new cage as Joe traveled the world.

In the backseat with Penn Badgley: With ‘You,’ ‘Gossip Girl’ in the rearview, what’s next

“A little bit of an interesting note. This is where we shot Gossip Girl,” Badgley, 38, says in the April 28 video.

“This is the same stage where the Waldorf suites or whatever, where they live – it was in this stage,” Badgley said in the video, referring to the plush Manhattan penthouse where Leighton Meester’s character Blair Waldorf lived in the show.

Badgley further revealed that Mooney’s Bookstore, where his Joe worked or used to work, was his “Gossip Girl” character Dan Humprey’s Brooklyn loft, where he lived with his dad Rufus (Matthew Settle) and sister Jenny (Taylor Momsen).

“The stage with the bookstore was where the Humphrey loft was,” he said, adding “so this place is extremely familiar to me.”

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

“I was just standing outside looking at the trees and I thought, ‘I’ve been looking at these trees for nearly 20 years now,’” Badgley continued. “And I thought to myself, ‘Have they grown? Do trees in the city, over the course of 20 years, do they grow?’ They must.”

“So that’s just a little window into my brain,” he added with a smile.

“Gossip Girl,” based on Cecily von Ziegesar’s book of the same name, was a satirical drama about wealthy prep school teenagers on New York’s Upper East Side tormented by texts from a mysterious “Gossip Girl” who knows all their dirty secrets. Besides Badgley, the show also featured Blake Lively, Meester, Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford, and Michelle Trachtenberg among others.

What’s Penn Badgley reading? The ‘You’ star may surprise you

‘You’ final season

The fifth and final season of “You,” meanwhile, dropped on Netflix on April 24, marking the end of Joe’s journey after eight long years. The final season, in its first four days on Netflix, amassed 10.1 million views and claimed the top spot on the English TV list, according to Netflix. The release also brought back Season 1 of the series to Netflix’s Top 10 for the first time since February 2023.

Despite the show’s skyrocketing popularity, Badgley in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY’s Anika Reed said he’s glad “we’re putting him (Joe) to bed.”

“I’m glad we’re putting him to bed,” the actor said. “I’ve been with (Joe) my entire 30s, actually, I was 30 years old when I signed on to do this. I’m going to be 39 later this year.”

“He’s been like my little convict brother, who I’ve had to counsel through our 30s together,” Badgley added. “And in that way, he’s kind of taught me to be a better man. He’s failing miserably, but I’ve had to reflect on all the things I share with him, even if they’re not that escalated or that magnified.”

Will there be another season of ‘You’? Penn Badgley, co-showrunner speak on series’ future

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

May 2, 2025
Accusers allege assault, sexual abuse at lavish events

Sean “Diddy” Combs was a consummate host as much as he was a musical savant.

Before his ascent to music stardom as the head of Bad Boy Records, Combs honed his entrepreneurial moxie as a party promoter during his college years at Howard University, where he organized weekly dance parties.

As the savvy media mogul attained status across pop music, fashion and television, his lively shindigs became extravagant industry soirees. His annual White Party, a once-coveted draw for Hollywood A-listers, ran for over a decade in hot spots that included New York, Los Angeles and even the south of France.

But in hindsight, the glitter of Combs’ showmanship allegedly obscured some darker realities for those in his social orbit.

Since Combs became the subject of dozens of lawsuits alleging sexual violence and other misconduct, numerous former associates have spoken out about the alleged abuse that transpired at the record executive’s parties, including several instances of sexual assault. Combs has denied all allegations against him.

The Grammy-winning rapper is also facing a federal trial, slated to begin May 5, following his September 2024 arrest on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to the five criminal counts he faces.

Here are some of the biggest allegations from his accusers.

Cassie Ventura at freak offs

In her November 2023 lawsuit against Combs, singer and actress Casandra “Cassie” Ventura alleged she was sexually victimized by the rapper during several “freak off” parties.

Freak offs, which are cited in Combs’ federal indictment, were allegedly smaller events during which Combs is accused of directing and coercing people into having sex with commercial sex workers.

Ventura, who entered into a decadelong relationship with Combs when she was 19, also claimed in her now-settled lawsuit that she was subjected to physical violence from Combs during the forced encounters as well as plied with numerous drugs, among them ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and marijuana.

Cassie sues Diddy: Music mogul accused of sex trafficking, rape and physical abuse

John Doe at 1998 White Party

A man who allegedly attended Combs’ inaugural White Party in 1998 as a teen claimed he was sexually assaulted by the rapper, according to an October 2024 lawsuit.

The accuser, identified anonymously as John Doe, said he was 16 at the time of the alleged incident, during which Combs instructed him to “drop his pants and expose his penis so that Combs could inspect it.” Combs, who reportedly claimed the sexual act was a “rite of passage,” then allegedly grabbed the young man’s genitals.

“As a result of Combs’ sexual assault onto John Doe while he was a minor, John Doe experienced damages including pain and suffering, mental anguish, physical impairment and emotional torment,” the lawsuit stated.

Man alleges Diddy sexual assault at first-ever White Party

Joseph Manzaro at Diddy’s son’s birthday party

Joseph Manzaro, a man who claims Combs targeted him during a 2015 revenge plot, said in an April 2025 lawsuit that he was sexually exploited by the rapper at a Miami birthday party for Combs’ son Christian “King” Combs.

At Combs’ request, Manzaro was allegedly undressed and placed inside a shower area, where he was forcibly washed by two unidentified women, per the complaint. The man was also reportedly required to wear a “black leather mask with a rubber dam forcibly inserted” and forced to perform “degrading and non-consensual acts.”

Combs’ legal team denied Manzaro’s allegations in a statement to USA TODAY at the time, adding that the lawsuit “demonstrates the depraved lengths plaintiffs will travel to garner headlines in pursuit of a payday.”

Joseph Manzaro lawsuit: Diddy accused of drugging, ‘sexually maiming’ man

John Doe at 2015 LA afterparty

A former singer who was allegedly in talks with Combs’ Bad Boy Records claimed in a February 2025 lawsuit that the music mogul sexually assaulted him at a 2015 afterparty in Los Angeles.

The man, who is anonymously identified as John Doe in the complaint, alleged Combs — through an associate who spoke with Doe — promised the young artist a record deal with Bad Boy and studio time with Combs pending Doe’s performance at QC’s 20/20, a nightclub and concert venue in Montebello, California.

Former musician sues Diddy for alleged 2015 assault

However, while attending an afterparty at the club, the up-and-coming musician was allegedly groped by Combs after he was sent an alcoholic drink by the rapper that seemingly caused him to lose consciousness for a period of time.

Although Doe, then 23, reportedly attempted to resist Combs’ sexual advances, the music mogul allegedly threatened Doe, telling him he could “easily contact his manager and ruin any chances he had of succeeding in the music industry.”

Phillip Pines at Wild King Nights

Phillip Pines, an alleged former employee of Combs, accused the rapper of sexual battery in a December 2024 lawsuit, according to TMZ and Variety.

Part of Pines’ alleged responsibilities included setting up rooms for sex parties that Combs referred to as “Wild King Nights” — arranging “red lights, ice buckets, alcohol, marijuana joints, honey packs for male libido, baby oil,” sex toys, drugs and more.

Pines, who worked for Combs from 2019 to 2021, also claimed Combs pressured him to have sex with a female guest during one incident. The man said he complied briefly but stopped and left the room upset.

Phillip Pines lawsuit: Diddy sued by former male employee for sexual battery

John Doe at 2006 White Party

In an October 2024 lawsuit, a man who allegedly worked at one of Combs’ White Parties said the hip-hop mogul sexually assaulted him.

The individual, anonymously identified as John Doe, was working for a security firm in 2006 when he accepted a job at a Combs’ White Party in East Hampton, New York.

While at the event, Doe said he “began to feel extremely ill” after consuming two alcoholic drinks that were provided to him by Combs. Amid his allegedly intoxicated state, the man claimed Combs “forcibly pushed” him into an open van, held him down and assaulted him.

Man accuses Diddy of White Party assault in the Hamptons

Leslie Cockrell at 1999 New York party

Leslie Cockrell, who claims she was drugged and assaulted by Combs at a Hamptons party in 1999, sued Combs in a February 2025 legal complaint.

Cockrell, then 24, alleged the music mogul approached her at the event and gave her a tour of the house, where people were engaging in “sexual activities.” After her second drink, Cockrell began to feel light-headed, which the suit alleged was due to her drink being spiked with the drug Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid, aka GHB.

When Cockrell went to lie down, the filing claims Combs entered the room with another man naked and began masturbating and touching her without consent. She later reportedly woke up in a car outside the property with a sore body and face, as if she had been beaten.

The filing alleged the security guard who drove Cockrell home told her to accept what had happened and be grateful Combs had chosen her.

Leslie Cockrell lawsuit: Woman accuses Diddy of 1999 sexual assault

Jane Doe at 2004 Fourth of July Party

In a November 2024 lawsuit, a woman claimed Combs sexually assaulted her at 17 while attending the rapper’s 2004 Fourth of July party in the Hamptons.

The woman, identified anonymously as Jane Doe, said she drank a drugged alcoholic drink while attending Combs’ party, which allegedly caused her to lose consciousness.

Doe alleged she woke up after the incident with “throbbing pains in her vaginal and anal areas” and was later threatened by Combs and his bodyguards. She said she was able to leave the party by “agreeing not to contact the police in exchange for the return of her purse and phone.”

Woman accuses Diddy of sexually assaulting her at 17

Jane Doe at 2000 VMAs afterparty

In an October 2024 lawsuit, a woman accused Combs of raping her at 13 during an afterparty for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.

The woman, identified anonymously as Jane Doe, was allegedly invited to the party by Combs’ limousine driver. After accepting a “bitter” drink she claimed was drugged, Doe entered an empty bedroom to lie down when Combs and two unnamed celebrities entered. The woman alleged Combs and another male celebrity each raped her during the encounter while a female celebrity looked on.

Woman accuses Diddy of sexually assaulting her at 13

Per the complaint, Combs also allegedly tried to force Doe to perform oral sex on him, but after the teen hit him, he stopped. In an amended lawsuit, Doe named rap superstar Jay-Z as the other male celebrity, a claim he vehemently denied.

The woman dropped her lawsuit against Combs and Jay-Z in February 2025. When reached by USA TODAY, Doe’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, declined to comment on the dismissal. Jay-Z is now suing the woman.

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.

Contributing: Marco della Cava, Anika Reed, Jay Stahl, Taijuan Moorman, Brendan Morrow, Anna Kaufman and KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY

May 2, 2025
‘Sinners’ returning to IMAX 70mm locations for a week: See where
For people who missed out on watching “Sinners” the way director Ryan Coogler intended, they’ll get another chance as it’s “back by popular demand” at select theaters for only a week, IMAX announced.
“Welcome back to Club Juke. Starting May 15, #SinnersMovie returns to IMAX 70mm locations for one week only,” IMAX said in an X post on May 1. “Tickets on sale now!”

Coogler shot the period action horror film, starring Michael B. Jordan, with IMAX film cameras. The cameras are known for their high resolution, which helps create a unique moviegoing experience.

“I’m really excited to announce that ‘Sinners’ was captured on film as a format that I fell in love with when I was in film school,” Coogler said in an April 8 YouTube video with Kodak.

A Warner Bros. executive brought the idea up to Coogler of using large IMAX film for “Sinners,” a movie about twin brothers who return to a small Mississippi town and open up a juke joint that becomes infested with vampires, The Associated Press reported.

“In this day and age with folks having so much access to streaming and watching so many things on their phones, it’s nice to have a format like IMAX that can be an experience you can only experience in the theaters,” Coogler said in an interview with the AP.

Where will ‘Sinners’ be shown in IMAX 70mm?

According to IMAX, Sinners will be shown in IMAX 70mm at:

AMC Lincoln Square 13 & IMAX – New York, New York

Universal Cinema AMC at Citywalk Hollywood & IMAX – Los Angeles, California

Regal Irvine Spectrum & IMAX – Irvine, California

AMC Metreon 16 & IMAX – San Francisco, California

IMAX, Indiana State Museum – Indianapolis, Indiana

Harkins Arizona Mills 18 & IMAX – Temple, Arizona

Autonation IMAX, Museum of Discovery & Science – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Cinemark Dallas & IMAX – Dallas, Texas

Cineplex Cinemas Vaughan – Woodbridge, Ontario

Why is IMAX 70mm film considered high-resolution?

Compared to other modern movies, films shot in IMAX 70mm use larger film and as a result have greater detail, color and depth, the U.K. Science and Media Museum wrote during the release of Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which was also shown in 70 mm screenings.

“70mm is a must-see experience for film fans,” the museum wrote. “It’s the quality that digital has been working towards.”

Nolan received a special thanks in the credits for “Sinners” due to him giving Coogler some advice on shooting the film with large-format photography, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Nolan’s wife and producing partner, Emma Thomas, also helped Coogler during filming, the outlet said.

Watch ‘Sinners’ trailer
May 2, 2025
Clarksdale, Mississippi, which inspired ‘Sinners,’ asks cast to visit

An open letter from the city of Clarksdale to Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan says that ‘We are ready,’ and had 4,000 signatures as of Thursday

Community leaders in a northwestern Mississippi city where Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” is based are petitioning for a public screening despite not having an operating movie theater.

The horror box office smash follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by actor Michael B. Jordan, in the 1930s as the duo returns to Clarksdale, Mississippi, from Chicago to start a juke joint. Chaos ensues when unwelcome bloodthirsty guests disrupt their shindig.

Although set in the small city, the movie was reportedly filmed in several locations in Louisiana.

As Capital B News first reported, local activist Tyler Yarbrough of Clarksdale had to travel 80 miles to see the film twice, which the 26-year-old credited for capturing the essence of the Mississippi Delta.

The movie theaters in his hometown, which has population of about 14,000 people as of 2023, have either closed or were transformed for other purposes, according to the report. Among them was the historically segregated Paramount Theater, which will serve as a creative arts community facility.

Don’t let them in!: What to know about the vampire invitation featured in ‘Sinners’

‘We are ready. We are waiting.’

Yarbrough felt compelled to rally for Coogler, Jordan, and the “Sinners” cast to visit Clarksdale and collaborate on a public screening.

His petition, titled “Open Letter to Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, and the Cast and Crew of Sinners to Visit Clarksdale,” had nearly 4,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon. The community was planning to shoot a video on May 2 to invite the crew.

“There needs to be a coming home to these Black creators who are making these million-dollar films and being connected with our folks on the ground,” he told Capital B News. “I think it’s deeply important. And I think not only is it important for the folks who live here, but also for just Black America to like, really come home.”

In addition to Paramount Theater, Yarbrough welcomed the crew to stop by other staples, including the “authentic” Red’s Juke Joint and Ground Zero Blues Club, co-owned by Morgan Freeman.

During his press tour, Coogler revealed that “Sinners” was inspired by his late Uncle James, who taught him about blues music and tales about his life in Mississippi.

“That connection, and all the deep research, shines through. It’s why the film doesn’t just entertain; it feels lived-in, loved, and wrestled with,” the petition stated.

“Just as your uncle’s Blues Music and making this film lit a fire in you, we believe a visit to Clarksdale from you could light an even bigger one for the next generation,” the petition continued. “We are ready. We are waiting. And we would be proud to welcome you back to where it all began.”

Clarksdale is about 155 miles northwest of Jackson, Mississippi and about 80 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee.

USA TODAY reached out to Yarbrough and Coogler’s team for comment.

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

May 2, 2025
Combs can wear court-approved clothes in court

Sean “Diddy” Combs is allowed to ditch his jail jumpsuits for regular clothing during his weekslong trial, which begins May 5.

Combs is allowed to have five shirts, five sweaters, five pairs of pants and two sets of lace less shoes to wear in the Manhattan federal courtroom, according to an order signed by Judge Arun Subramanian on April 30.

The attire will be a return to form for Combs, a fashion lover who partly rose to superstardom with the success of his Sean John clothing brand.

The embattled music mogul, 55, was arrested in September and has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all five counts.

Diddy turns down plea deal in court, judge rules on jury selection before trial: Live updates

In a May court hearing a day after the order, the music mogul was in good spirits, donning wide-brimmed black glasses but still in a jumpsuit.

Combs grinned and hugged his team, waving to the gallery at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse when he walked in. He spoke animatedly with his hands while he was reading documents at the defense table.

He bowed his head and wrote something on a flashcard propped on his lap that he handed to one of his attorneys. His large crown tattoo was very visible on his neck above his tan prison garb.

The trial clothes mark a long way from the former billionaire Combs, who once donned designer suits at exclusive annual events such as the Oscars and Met Gala, who was the brainchild behind Sean John. He also became a fashion icon by hosting his own annual star-studded White Party, which started on Labor Day in 1998, and would continue for 11 years in places such as New York, Los Angeles and even the south of France.

Diddy turns down plea deal in court, judge rules on jury selection before trial: Live updates

Sean John, named after his full name Sean John Combs, is synonymous with early 2000s hip-hop fashion: velour tracksuits, baggy jeans, oversized shirts and terrycloth headbands. Each garment would often be tagged with a Sean John signature logo and could be seen on the chests of celebrities at the time including Nelly, Jennifer Lopez and Nick Cannon.

In 2022, Combs won ownership back with a $7.55 million bid in an auction to save Sean John from bankruptcy, according to court documents. Other bidders entered the race, but Comb’s bid was marked as successful and will be approved Wednesday through a telephone hearing before a federal bankruptcy judge in the southern district of New York courts.

“I launched Sean John in 1998 with the goal of building a premium brand that shattered tradition and introduced hip hop to high-fashion on a global scale,” Combs said at the time. “Seeing how streetwear has evolved to rewrite the rules of fashion and impact culture across categories, I’m ready to reclaim ownership of the brand.”

Contributing: Elise Brisco, Patrick Ryan, Anika Reed, Marco della Cava

May 2, 2025