Rosie O’Donnell largely avoiding Trump was refreshing for late-night / Olivia Colman joins OMITB / ESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen dies at 93
PLUS: Netflix reality show Weight to Date will explore extreme weight loss.
Rosie O’Donnell, filling in for Jimmy Kimmel, did something refreshing he doesn’t do: Largely avoid Trump
Viewers probably expected O’Donnell to come out swinging against President Trump Monday on her first night as Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest-host, says James Hibberd. “What viewers got instead ... during the first night of O’Donnell’s weeklong stint was so much better and more interesting, a monologue that said a lot about her and even more about what’s lacking in typical late night discourse,” says Hibberd. “First, O’Donnell showed she hasn’t slipped at all since her days hosting her 1990s-era talk show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show. The 64-year-old radiated confidence and charm.” But while she nodded to Trump at the start of her monologue, “the rest was almost entirely focused on O’Donnell’s fish-out-of-water experiences as an American settling into her new life in Ireland with her 13-year-old child,” says Hibberd. “She told anecdotes about Ireland’s drinking culture, cab drivers, being a famous person abroad and, especially, her attempt to romance a kindly pharmacist. The criticism has been made many times that current late night shows, including NBC’s Saturday Night Live, are Trump-obsessed. They also tend to be obsessed with the media, Hollywood and breaking news, because that’s the world late night hosts and writers know — and that’s what everyday conversations can sound like when you work in Los Angeles or New York. On the other hand, O’Donnell’s monologue was refreshing fare because it was about living a normal-ish life and interacting with everyday people. She also, by and large, seemed rather happy — again, not a word that Trump supporters would typically associate with O’Donnell (or, for that matter, that Kimmel viewers would likely associate with Kimmel).”
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Rosie O’Donnell was clearly making a point not mentioning Trump’s name: “In her initial stint as weeklong guest host for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, O’Donnell was not an in-your-face, nonstop confrontational, Trump-mocking guest host out of the Kimmel mode,” says Bill Carter. “And she was clearly making a point of that. Beginning with an extra-long, 15-minute-plus monologue last night, O’Donnell somehow got through the whole thing, the entire show, never once uttering the name ‘Donald Trump.’ When was the last time that happened on a show with Jimmy Kimmel’s name on it? Surely JKL got some additional tune-in last night from the anticipation of seeing an especially colorful fireworks display, perhaps enough to compel a wee-hours call to Brendan Carr’s cell with new instructions on how to violate the First Amendment. But the show, or more likely Rosie, went for a few feints instead of wild-swinging slashes with her verbal swordplay.”
Watching Rosie O’Donnell describe a happy life feels like a warm hug: “The best moment in O’Donnell’s episode,” says Jason P. Frank, “was her interview with Ana Gasteyer. Gasteyer is currently starring in Schmigadoon! on Broadway, which is catnip for O’Donnell. She was always Broadway’s biggest ally and regularly brought theater stars on her show to highlight their work. (Watch Sutton Foster’s Gimme Gimme now, if you haven’t, and bask in O’Donnell’s enthusiasm for it.) Her conversation with Gasteyer was expectedly knowledgable: O’Donnell has seen the show, she gets the references, and she’s excited to talk. When Gasteyer plugs the cast album, O’Donnell responds, ‘Excellent, I will be getting that,’ and you believe her! She even references how blown away she was the time first heard Gasteyer sing as Elphaba in Wicked. You know … Kelly Clarkson’s show is ending its run. Any chance O’Donnell wants to come back from Ireland?”
Olivia Colman is the latest big name to join Only Murders in the Building Season 6
The Oscar and Emmy winner appeared in a video featuring cast members Selena Gomez, Meryl Streep and Martin Short. “We have had so many amazing guest stars for ‘Only Murders’ in London,” Gomez says. “Yeah, but we’re just missing one!” Streep adds before Colman appears in the frame in costume. Colman is the latest big name to join Only Murders’ London-set Season 6. Other newbies include David Tennant, Sharon Horgan, Martin Freeman, Jim Broadbent, Jennifer Saunders, Geri Halliwell, Nicola Coughlan, Sean Teale, Simone Ashley, Jodie Whittaker, Rhea Norwood, Richard Ayoade, Amar Chadha-Patel, Matthew Beard, Jamie Demetriou, Anjana Vasan, Jane Horrocks, Derek Jacobi, Adrian Lukis, Kathryn Hunter, Lesley Nicol and Peter Capaldi.
Netflix reality show Weight to Date will explore extreme weight loss
The potential series, now casting with the working title Weight to Date, “will follow singles during and after extreme weight loss as they navigate dating, identity, and the search for lasting love,” says Netflix. “An award-winning production company is currently casting a new docuseries and looking for individuals who are ready to date after having a major weight loss,” reads the casting website. “This new inspiring dating series will highlight the journeys of selected singles who are now discovering what dating is like after a major body transformation.” According to Variety, Weight to Date is expected to be more like a docuseries than a high-concept dating format.
ESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen dies at 93
Rasmussen, who co-founded ESPN and launched it with son Scott Rasmussen and Aetna insurance agent Ed Eagan in 1979, died today from complications from Parkinson’s disease. “Rasmussen in 1978 was idling in traffic on Connecticut’s Interstate 84 after acquiring a satellite transponder from RCA, and decided to launch a new network devoted only to sports on a single acre near the small town of Bristol,” Brian Steinberg writes in Rasmussen’s Variety obituary. “Their Entertainment and Sports Programming network employed just 80 staffers at the time of its launch in September of 1979, and telecast Connecticut sports to state residents. Within months, Getty Oil would buy up a majority of the enterprise, while brewing giant Anheuser-Busch agreed to a substantial advertising contract. But investors pushed the founder out by 1980. ABC bought out the stakes of both Getty and Rasmussen family members in 1984.” In a statement, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said: “Bill was a remarkable man — a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports. Quite simply, none of us would be here today if it wasn’t for Bill’s passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he put into building ESPN in the late 1970s — key aspects of our company culture that still carry on to this day.” Rasmussen died one year after his induction into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. ALSO: ESPN cuts Bill Rasmussen tribute early for The Pat McAfee Show.
The Night Of creators Steven Zaillian and Richard Price are reteaming for follow-up Ghettoside on Netflix
Zaillian, who created 2024’s Ripley for Netflix, is reuniting with the streamer for a six-episode series that will serve as a follow-up to his and Price’s 2016 HBO Emmy-winning miniseries The Night Of. “Zaillian co-wrote the crime/mystery drama, tentatively titled Ghettoside, with Richard Price,” says Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva. “It is a follow-up to the duo’s 2016 HBO limited series The Night Of. The two executive produce with Zaillian’s frequent collaborator Garrett Basch (The Night Of, Ripley). Details about the new Netflix series are sketchy; I hear the 2015 non-fiction book Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy is being used as source material...When confirmed, the Netflix show will join Basch’s three current series, Very Young Frankenstein, Seven Sisters and The Lowdown, all at FX.”
FCC’s lone Democratic commissioner cheers ABC’s lawsuit against her agency
“I’m glad Disney has shown courage and stepped up. This should be a welcome sign for every broadcaster who has felt the weight of this overreaching government pressure in silence,” FCC Commissioner Gomez said in a statement, adding: “It is time this administration understands that the Constitution does not bend to political convenience, and that the First Amendment protects the news and commentary Americans see on their screens even when those in power wish it didn’t.” In an interview with MeidasTouch’s Scott MacFarlane, she added: “I have long called on companies to push back against this kind of government intimidation, and I’m glad Disney has shown courage and stepped up.” ALSO: FCC responds to ABC’s lawsuit, accusing Disney of an “ongoing campaign of disinformation.”
Florence Pugh-led Netflix East Of Eden series gets a first look and premiere date
Zoe Kazan’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic 1952 novel, starring and executive produced by Pugh, premieres Oct. 1. East of Eden also stars Mike Faist, Hoon Lee, Martha Plimpton, Tracy Letts, Ciarán Hinds, Joseph Zada, Joe Anders and Christopher Abbott.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia honors Lynne Marie Stewart in a hilarious and insane ways
The longtime comedy actress, who played Charlie Kelly’s mom Bonnie and appeared in the Season 17 finale before her death in February 2025 at age 78, was honored in the first two episodes of Season 18.
Major League Baseball’s Field of Dream Game viewership craters on Netflix
About 1.66 million watched this year’s game, down 2.5 million from the previous game in 2024 that aired on Fox.
Harry Jowsey claps back at claims that his Netflix Let’s Marry Harry wedding was fake
On his Netflix dating reality show, Jowsey tied the knot with Amber Mozo, a 31-year-old travel photographer from Hawaii, on the season finale. After TMZ reported last week that the wedding wasn’t legally binding and that there was a lack of a marriage certificate, Jowsey responded with a TikTok video saying: “The wedding was fake — fake marriage. Shut up, you silly little wombat. Let me explain how it all worked.”
Could Hey Arnold! make a comeback?
Hey Arnold! writer and producer Joe Purdy tells The Direct: “Absolutely. Yes, yes, yes. There is an ever-changing environment of the business and people who are making decisions. It’s the cliche story... But be sure we are (having conversations).”
Ricky Martin to perform at halftime of the NFL’s Rio de Janeiro game
Martin will be joined by Brazilian DJ Pedro Sampaio for the Sept. 27 game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys at Maracanã Stadium.
Shane Gillis was not cheating on Bud Light on Apple TV’s Sunday Night Soccer
The Bud Light pitchman went viral Sunday night when he was shown on TV at the Dallas-Austin Major League Soccer game with a Dos Equis can in his cupholder — followed soon after by somebody handing him a Bud Light can from off-camera. According to TMZ, “the Dos Equis sitting in the cup holder next to him wasn’t his ... it belonged to the girl sitting next to him, who wasn’t in her seat during the viral shot.”
Kim Kardashian-produced series Team Moms: Baseball gets a Paramount+ premiere date
The reality series follows a group of parents whose sons attend Legendary Prep Academy, a premier baseball training school in Scottsdale, Arizona, premieres Sept. 24.
Slow Horses’ Season 6 trailer features a big surprise: Olivia Cooke’s return as disappeared MI5 agent Sid Baker
The Apple TV British spy drama returns Sept. 16, just under a year after the debut of Season 5.
BritBox unveils the trailer for Ludwig Season 2
The David Mitchell-led British detective dramedy, in which he plays a reclusive puzzle-solver, returns Oct. 13.
Watch Made in Korea’s Season 2 trailer
The Korean period political series returns Sept. 9.
Investigation Discovery true-crime series Toxic gets a Season 2 premiere date and trailer
Host Elizabeth Chambers will continue to explore poisonous romantic relationships and the trauma they cause in Toxic, which returns for Season 2 on Sept. 15.