Karamo Brown skips Queer Eye TV press tour, citing “mental and emotional abuse” / WNBA'S Angel Reese joins The Hunting Wives / Martin Short getting a Netflix documentary
PLUS: High School Musical turns 20: Disney Channel’s tween franchise is still having an impact on Hollywood today.
Karamo Brown cites “mental and emotional abuse” in opting out of joining Queer Eye castmates on TV press tour
Brown was absent when his Queer Eye co-stars visited CBS Mornings and Today with Jenna & Sheinelle to promote the 10th and final season of their Netflix reality show, premiering Wednesday. On CBS Mornings, Gayle King read a statement to the surprised Queer Eye cast, saying: “I hope everyone remembers the main theme I have tried to teach them over the past decade, which is to focus on and protect their mental health/peace from people or a world who seek to destroy it; which is why I can’t be there today.” King also said that Brown’s assistant said “he’s worried about being bullied.” On Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, co-host Sheinelle Jones read a statement from Brown’s assistant that said in part, “Karamo has felt mentally and emotionally abused for years, and he’s been advised by his therapist to protect himself and his peace by not attending.” Brown also sent a video message thanking Queer Eye’s fans and saying he is modeling one of the themes of the final season: “Love yourselves and protect yourselves. That’s why I’m here at home and not there.” On CBS, Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski said in response: “Surprised is a fair understatement. I will say, our Queer Eye family, we’ve been doing this for almost a decade, which is pretty wild to believe. And families are complicated. We’re definitely not excluded from that. But I think two things can exist at the same time, and while that is definitely true, we’re also here to showcase these incredible heroes we have and honor the legacy of this past decade of our lives.”
WNBA star Angel Reese joins The Hunting Wives Season 2 cast
The two-time WNBA all-star will play a character known as Trainer Barbie, in what Netflix is describing as a “co-starring role.”
Netflix’s Kennedy family drama series adds Laura Donnelly, Nick Robinson, Ben Miles and more — Imogen Poots to play Gloria Swanson
The drama series starring Michael Fassbender as Kennedy family patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy will also feature Laura Donnelly as his wife Rose Kennedy, Nick Robinson as Joe Kennedy Jr., Joshuah Melnick as future president John F. Kennedy, Ben Miles as his longtime aide Eddie Moore, Lydia Peckham as eldest daughter Rosemary Kennedy, Saura Lightfoot-Leon as daughter Kick Kennedy and Cole Doman as JFK’s best friend Lem Billings. Additionally, Imogen Poots will play Gloria Swanson, the silent film icon who was Joseph P. Kennedy’s mistress when he was a studio mogul in Hollywood.
Martin Short to get the documentary treatment on Netflix
Acclaimed filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan is directing Marty, Life is Short, a documentary about the legendary comedian that will be released on May 12. Marty, Life is Short arrives two years after Short’s longtime comedy collaborator and Only Murders in the Building co-star Steve Martin was the subject of a two-part documentary on Apple TV.
Don Lemon pushes back on Department of Justice’s threat to charge him after live-streaming a protest
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon warned the former CNN host “you are on notice!” for livestreaming an anti-ICE protest outside a Minnesota church on Sunday. Lemon pushed back on Instagram and in a comment to CNN, saying: “It’s notable that I’ve been cast as the face of a protest I was covering as a journalist — especially since I wasn’t the only reporter there. That framing is telling.”
Savannah Guthrie unveils her “new voice” on Today weeks after vocal cord surgery
The Today co-host returned briefly to the NBC morning show this morning, calling in to give an update after undergoing mid-December vocal cord surgery. “So I am still on vocal rest but I’m allowed to talk for about five to 10 minutes every hour,” Guthrie told her co-hosts. “This is my new voice — or my old voice. But my new voice.”
CNN is projecting $600 million in profit in 2026, down from $1 billion a decade ago
“CNN remains a key financial contributor to Warner Bros. Discovery‘s linear TV business, and the company expects the news network’s revenue to grow top-line revenue over the next five years — on the assumption that its direct-to-consumer streaming business will make up for lost TV dollars,” says Variety’s Todd Spangler. “But CNN isn’t the cash cow it used to be. In 2026, the network is forecast to adjusted operating profit of around $600 million, according to an SEC filing Tuesday by Warner Bros. Discovery. A decade ago, ahead of Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president for the first time, CNN was on track to pull in nearly $1 billion in gross profit, the Washington Post reported at the time.”
Netflix is a Joke Fest 2026 with a blockbuster lineup of comedians, including Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Nikki Glaser, Ali Wong, a Portlandia reunion and more
The third Netflix is a Joke Fest, set for May 4 through 10 in Los Angeles, will feature performances from John Mulaney, Katt Williams, David Letterman Marcello Hernández, Kevin Hart, Seth Rogen, Shane Gillis, Nikki Glaser, Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman, Steve Carell, Tiffany Haddish, Matt Rife, Bob Odenkirk, Ali Wong, Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O’Brien. The festival will also include podcast tapings, including Kill Tony, This Past Weekend With Theo Von, This Better Be Funny With David Letterman and a reunion between Portlandia duo Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani calls out Whoopi Goldberg for mispronouncing his name on The View
“We’re back with the New York City mayor, Zor-han Mamdani,” Goldberg said, per EW. Mamdani, in his first visit since becoming mayor, smiled as he quipped: “One day, we’re gonna get it.” Goldberg pointed at the teleprompter text, and explained: “I’m dyslexic, so it doesn’t look like what I’m seeing...I’m trying to get it right, and I’m just calling him Mayor Z.”
Sam Heughan joins Anna Kendrick and J.K. Simmons in thriller Embassy, his first post-Outlander role
Heughan will play an a British SAS soldier and the ex-fiancé of Kendrick’s character in the AGC Television six-episode series about the aftermath of mercenaries storming the U.S. embassy in London.
Amazon shares the first look at Riz Ahmed’s Bait
Ahmed is the star, writer and showrunner on the six-part The Studio-esque series “about a struggling actor named Shah Latif, whose last chance to hit it big comes in the form of an audition of a lifetime: the role of James Bond,” per The Hollywood Reporter. “The episodes follow him over the course of four wild days as his life spirals out of control and his family, ex-lover and the entire world weighs in on whether or not he’s the right man for the job.” Bait premieres March 25.
Netflix orders a K-pop-themed scripted series from YouTube Shorts star Alan Chikin Chow
The Alan’s Universe star’s untitled show set in the world of K-pop “will follow a misfit crew of aspiring pop idol rejects enrolled in an arts academy who come together to form a co-ed band.”
Netflix officially announces an all-cash offer for Warner Bros.
On Tuesday, Netflix said it would pay the $83 billion cost of acquiring Warner Bros. entirely in cash. “The move puts pressure on Paramount to further revise its own bid after Warner Bros. Discovery rejected its latest offer, saying it viewed the deal as more risky than Netflix’s,” says The New York Times’ Lauren Hirsch and Benjamin Mullin. “While Paramount has modified the terms of its bid, it has not increased its offer in the weeks since Warner Bros. Discovery chose Netflix.”
Adolescence star Stephen Graham says he lost his Golden Globe trophy for a few days shortly after the ceremony
Graham told a British radio station his Golden Globe award was “left in Atlanta” amid a trip right after the ceremony to Madrid, Spain. Thankfully, he was reunited with the trophy a few days later.
NBC to air a special episode of Stumble after the Feb. 20 Winter Olympics coverage
The network hopes to give the cheerleading comedy extra exposure after airing encore episodes of its freshman comedy in the Monday at 8:30 p.m. time slot, replacing The Paper. Stumble usually airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m.
ESPN briefly showcased adult film star Abella Danger during the College Football Playoff National Championship
“Fan shots are nothing new in sports broadcasting, especially when it comes to tense moments during a game. That’s exactly what was happening as Miami was driving in the fourth quarter trying to pull off a frantic comeback trailing by 10 points against the Hoosiers,” says Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder. “That’s when ESPN quickly went to the stands for a fan reaction shot that turned out to be a close-up of Abella Danger. If you don’t know who Abella Danger is, let’s just say she’s… famous for… reasons. She’s also become a celebrity fan of the Hurricanes who has gone viral throughout their playoff run.” This isn’t the first time Abella Danger was shown during the playoffs. “She was also seen in the stands during Miami’s first round game at Texas A&M, although that was part of a wider group shot,” says Yoder.
McG to direct the first episode of Fox’s Baywatch reboot
This marks a return to Fox for the Charlie’s Angels director, who executive produced The O.C. and co-created Fastlane for the network. McG will also serve as an executive producer.
Amazon greenlights adult animated series Lore Olympus
Based on Rachel Smythe’s popular Webtoon webcomic, The Jim Henson Company-produced Lore Olympus is described as a modern, romantic reimagining of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. “In Lore Olympus, witness what the gods do…after dark,” reads the official synopsis. “The friendships and the lies, the gossip and the wild parties, and of course, forbidden love. Because it turns out, the gods aren’t so different from us after all, especially when it comes to their problems. Stylish and immersive, this is one of mythology’s greatest stories — The Taking of Persephone — as it has never been told before.”
Jennifer Lawrence says she “was under a lot of pressure” her only time hosting SNL: “I have to go back and do it again”
Lawrence said on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast she’d like a do-over of her one and only time hosting Saturday Night Live, in January 2013. “I have to go back and do it again,” Lawrence said, per Vulture, adding: “I had walking pneumonia. I was under a lot of pressure and doing a lot. I was shooting one of the Hunger Games movies, the second one, while doing all of this.” Lawrence was also campaigning for the Best Actress Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook.
High School Musical turns 20: Disney Channel’s tween franchise is still having an impact on Hollywood today
“Society shifted in 2006,” says Lydia Spencer-Elliott. “Jack Dorsey launched Twitter with ambitions for the platform to be nothing more than a lighthearted microblog. Facebook opened to the public for the first time. YouTube exploded and was bought up by Google for a billion dollars. In many ways, 2006 is considered to be the last ‘normal year’ before culture transferred online. Viral moments were shared by everyone rather than by personalised algorithms, music charts really mattered, and people still watched live TV programmes in their multi-millions; at the time shows were scheduled, without a second screen. Which is how I wound up cross-legged on the floor of my rich friend Jodie’s bedroom, staring up at her TV screen with the eager anticipation of, well, a 10-year-old girl who was about to see Zac Efron sing and dance in a slinky basketball jersey for the first time. Jodie had Sky TV at her house, which meant she had Disney Channel: the home of Kenny Ortega’s High School Musical. After years of Disney sitcoms like Lizzie McGuire and That’s So Raven, this was the first film aimed directly at pre-teens. So, here we were, at our artfully scheduled sleepover, dying for a glimpse of fantastical teenagedom and romance. Twenty years ago, before there was Justin Bieber, there was Efron’s Troy Bolton. Tanned and symmetrical with a huge sideswept fringe, he is the basketball captain of East High School’s Wildcats team in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We meet him, clad in a very middle-aged brown blazer, while on a ski vacation over Christmas break with his parents, when his mum tears him away from shooting hoops and towards the “young adults” New Year’s Eve party in the basement of the resort. Here, he is dragged on stage for karaoke alongside Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens), a bookish math and science whiz, who – unbeknownst to Troy – was about to transfer to East High from a school in San Diego the very next term. “Some days you guys might thank me for this,” the party’s host laughs – Efron and Hudgens certainly did, anyway. High School Musical propelled the duo – romantically involved both on screen and in real life – to stratospheric fame among tween fans.” ALSO: High School Musical cast members celebrate the 20th anniversary.
Apple TV unveils The Last Thing He Told Me Season 2 trailer, featuring new additions Judy Greer and Rita Wilson
The Jennifer Garner-led drama series returns Feb. 20, followed by a weekly release.
Watch Netflix’s Glitter & Gold docuseries trailer
The docuseries delving into the high-stakes, high-drama world of ice dance premieres Feb. 1.