Jill Zarin fired from E!’s The Golden Life over racist Bad Bunny rant / Ana de Armas and Jennifer Connelly in talks for Apple series / Dancing with the Stars sets fan convention
PLUS: S.W.A.T. Exiles wraps filming without a U.S. distributor — which may benefit the S.W.A.T. spinoff after the success of Heated Rivalry and The Hunting Wives.
Jill Zarin fired from E!’s The Golden Life over racist Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show rant
The Real Housewives of New York City alum, who was announced last week as reuniting with her former co-stars on E!’s new reality series The Golden Life, has been dropped over comments she made on Instagram following Bad Bunny’s performance. “Since Sunday night, the Bravosphere has risen up as one against Zarin’s remarks,” reports Variety’s Kate Aurthur. The show’s producers Blink49 Studios issued a statement on Tuesday, cutting ties with Zarin: “In light of recent public comments made by Jill Zarin, Blink49 Studios has decided not to move forward with her involvement in The Golden Life. We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our company standards and values.” According to Aurthur, Zarin said on Sunday: “We all agree — it was the worst halftime show ever. It’s 250 years that we’re celebrating right now in the United States, and I just don’t think it was appropriate to have it in Spanish.” Zarin went on to say it was also “inappropriate” for Bad Bunny to be grabbing his crotch in front of kids — “and he doesn’t have to be grabbing himself every five seconds: Is he so insecure?” Zarin, who said she doesn’t speak Spanish, said his performance “looked like a political statement, because there were literally no white people in the entire thing,” ignoring the fact that Lady Gaga performed. Aurthur says Zarin immediately deleted the post, but that it still went viral. Zarin Fabrics, the legendary fabric store on the Lower East Side once owned by Zarin’s late husband, Bobby, distanced itself from Jill Zarin with a post on Instagram. As Aurthur notes, “Zarin’s firing is the most recent setback in the cursed attempt to reunite the original cast members of Bravo’s magical series, The Real Housewives of New York City, which premiered in 2008,” adding: “Zarin’s post exposed just how little Bravo wanted to do with this project — the network would have had the right of first refusal.” ALSO: Bethenny Frankel, another RHONY alum, also made social media comments denouncing Bad Bunny’s performance that she deleted — followed by a post praising him.
Ana de Armas and Jennifer Connelly are in talks to lead Apple TV spy series Safe House
De Armas and Connelly, who is poised to return to Apple TV after starring in Dark Matter, are in negotiations to star in Safe House from Gideon Raff, creator of the Israeli series Prisoners of War, which was adapted as Showtime’s Homeland. “The eight-episode series is based on the Dan Fesperman novel an international espionage thriller set in the aftermath of the killing of a high-ranking CIA officer in Madrid,” per Deadline. “The show is centered on Sofia Jiménez (de Armas), a fugitive agent accused of the crime, and Ambassador Elizabeth Winthrop (Connelly), his widow, as they each investigate the murder from opposite sides, unraveling a vast conspiracy that could upend the balance of global power.”
Dancing with the Stars announces its first fan convention
The first-ever Dancing with the Stars Con will feature 17 pro dancers and 14 celebrities at Palm Springs’ Acrisure Arena, from July 31 to Aug. 2. Dancing pros include Brandon Armstrong, Lindsay Arnold, Rylee Arnold, Alan Bersten, Hailey Bills, Sharna Burgess, Witney Carson, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, Jenna Johnson, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Jan Ravnik, Gleb Savchenko, Emma Slater, Ezra Sosa and Britt Stewart. Former celebrity contestants include Hannah Brown, Danielle Fishel, Xochitl Gomez, Joey Graziadei, Elaine Hendrix, Rashad Jennings, Amanda Kloots, Whitney Leavitt, Phaedra Parks, Jojo Siwa, Johnny Weir, Rumer Willis, Kristi Yamaguchi and Ginger Zee.
Authorities releases surveillance images of an armed subject in Nancy Guthrie abduction
The images show a person with a hat over their face wearing gloves, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a post on X, adding that the person appears to have tampered with the camera at the victim’s front door.
Kid Rock denies lip-syncing during Turning Point USA’s alternative All-American Super Bowl halftime show
The right-wing rapper said on Fox News that there was a “syncing issue” that made it look like he was lip-syncing when he was actually performing live. “It would have been super easy to sync it up if (the vocals were) pre-recorded,” he told host Laura Ingraham. “It was very difficult for the Turning Point production crew — who, by the way, I can’t say enough good things about — but this was very difficult for them.” ALSO: Turning Point USA has added nearly 1 million new YouTube subscribers in the past week thanks to its alternative halftime show.
S.W.A.T. Exiles wraps filming without a U.S. distributor — which may benefit the S.W.A.T. spinoff after the success of Heated Rivalry and The Hunting Wives
“Announced with a splash at the 2025 LA Screenings in May, the offshoot headlined by S.W.A.T. star Shemar Moore is yet to lock in a network or platform in the U.S. — as well as most of the world,” says Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva. “That will likely change soon, with a screening of the first episode set for tomorrow, Feb. 11, on the Sony lot in Culver City, CA, and another one in New York also in the works. Additionally, the series will be presented to international buyers during the upcoming London Screenings on Feb. 26, with more than 600 RSVPs so far. Moore is expected to appear at all. Holding off on selling S.W.A.T. Exiles has been part by necessity, as it did not immediately land a U.S. distributor in May, and part by design, as Sony TV opted to keep creative control. But the delay may have worked in its favor, opening up new opportunities in light of the surprise recent success of two series acquired in U.S. after their seasons had been completed, The Hunting Wives by Netflix and Heated Rivalry by HBO Max.” Andreeva adds that while Fox and Amazon Prime Video were initially interested, the field may now expand to Netflix and HBO Max.
Law & Order: SVU bringing back Octavio Pisano
Pisano, who exited last October after joining SVU in 2021, will reprise his Det. Joe Velasco role this season. “Sources close to production reveal his character is working undercover,” reports Deadline’s Rosy Cordero.
FCC opens an investigation into whether The View violated equal time rules for political candidates
Reuters reports that the Jan. 6 appearance of Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat who is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas, may have violated the FCC’s new equal time mandate for political candidates. Until January, talk shows have qualified for the equal opportunities exemption as genuine news interviews.
Whoopi Goldberg announces The View’s Alyssa Farah Griffin is in labor
Goldberg opened Tuesday’s show with the announcement that Griffin would be absent because she was at the hospital getting ready to welcome her first child. “I don’t know if you saw the show yesterday, but it turned out Alyssa was right about Bad Bunny’s halftime show putting her into labor,” Goldberg joked.
Fox News refuses to air anti-ICE and anti-Trump ad
The Jewish Democratic Council of America’s ad criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Trump administration was targeted for Fox & Friends, which President Trump regularly watches. Instead, the ad will be shown on CNN and MSNBC.
Rhys Darby to star in CBS comedy pilot Regency
The former Our Flag Means Death star will star in what is being described as “a historical spin on the classic multi-cam family sitcom, centered around the upper-middle class Tillbrooks as they navigate life, love, and scandal in 19th Century England.” Darby will star as Arthur Tillbrook, who is described as the “head of the family home, Hartford Park. Arthur is heir to a vast cheese empire but prefers to think of himself as a ‘guy’s guy.’ He will go to great lengths to prove his masculinity, though his privileged upbringing reveals itself every time.”
Paramount Skydance sweetens offer for Warner Bros. Discovery
According to Variety, Paramount said it will add an “incremental cash consideration” to WBD shareholders of 25 cents per share, equivalent to approximately $650 million cash value each quarter, for every quarter the proposed Paramount acquisition is not closed beyond Dec. 31, 2026. According to The Wrap, the “sweeter” bid isn’t what Warner Bros. Discovery investors are looking for.
Tracy Morgan’s The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins will get a special post-SNL airing
The new NBC comedy series from Saturday Night Live alums Tina Fey and Robert Carlock (and Sam Means) starring SNL alum Morgan will re-air its pilot episode after the Feb. 28 Connor Storrie-hosted episode. The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins got a special post-NFL playoffs preview on Jan. 18 and will return to its regular timeslot on Feb. 23.
Fox News’ Bill Megulin to anchor 90 second news briefs for local Fox stations
Fox’s 18 owned and operated stations will air the 90-second news briefs from Fox News’ congressional correspondent daily at 5:58 p.m. ET.
Mike Tirico didn’t miss a step hosting Winter Olympics coverage in Italy less than a day after calling Super Bowl LX
“It looked and sounded like he had been in Italy the entire time, studiously devouring every piece of Olympic information that he could to tell the stories of the Winter games to viewers at home,” says Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder. “We’ve seen announcers pull double-duty before, sometimes even in the same day. But we’ve never seen somebody travel across the ocean to call two globally significant sporting events on back-to-back days. The logistics of calling the Super Bowl and then hosting the Olympics is unlike anything else we’ve ever seen. Just imagine how sharp you have to be to get all the details right, let alone trying to adjust for an insane amount of travel and adjusting to wildly different time zones.”
Noah Eagle will call the NBA All-Star Game on NBC since Mike Tirico is in Italy for the Winter Olympics
Eagle will fill in on this Sunday’s All-Star Game as regular announcer Mike Tirico continues his Winter Olympics duties in Italy.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise expands with YouTube series Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 30-episode CG-animated series consisting of four-minute installments that follow the childhood years of Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo.
General Hospital’s Steve Burton announces he’s taking another break from the ABC daytime soap
Burton announced on Instagram he’s taking a “short break” because “I’m newly married and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.” He’ll return this summer. Burton tied the knot with Michelle Lundstrom last May.
Spider-Noir reveals the first look at Nicolas Cage’s The Spider
The Amazon Prime Video live-action series also shared photos of Lamorne Norris’ Robbie Robertson, Li Jun Li’s Cat Hardy and Karen Rodriguez’s Janet.
Comedian Chris Fleming to make his HBO standup special debut
Watch the trailer for Chris Fleming: Live at the Palace, premiering Feb. 27.
Netflix’s Actor Awards trailer shows host Kristen Bell explaining name change to fellow actors
Bell hosts the former SAG Awards on March 1.
Netflix unveils One Piece’s Season 2 trailer
Premiering March 10, Season 2 will send Luffy to the Grand Line, where he’ll face a new army of foes.
Watch the trailer for Amazon’s La Oficina, the Mexican version of The Office
La Oficina launches on Amazon Prime Video Mexico on March 13. Fernando Bonilla stars as Jerónimo Ponce III, regional manager of the family business Jabones Olimpo.