Month: January 2023

Just when you thought the Republican party couldn’t find as bigly a liar as Donald Trump, along comes George Santos (if that really is his name). The newly elected Republican congressman from New York has lied about seemingly everything about his life and career, from his educational and work background to being Jewish and his mom dying on 9/11. He even lied about being sworn into congress yesterday! And Jimmy Kimmel cannot get enough.

On Tuesday night, Kimmel couldn’t wait to talk about the GOP’s newest serial fabulist, and his bizarre “first” day in congress. After spouting off the many lies that Santos has so far been caught in, Kimmel explained:

He basically catfished an entire congressional district. But despite all that, he did not resign. He showed up to his first day of work in Washington today where no one — not one of the many scoundrels wriggling around the House — wanted to sit with him… Imagine being so toxic, not even Matt Gaetz wants to sit next to you?

Instead, like the weird wedding guest you’re obligated to invite but sit at the kiddie table, Santos sat there in the midst of all the SOTH madness — beside a couple of actual children — yawning, playing with his phone, and, as Kimmel noted, “picking his nose and wiping it on his hand like a sweaty kid in middle school.” We only wish he was joking.

You can watch the full clip — and the painfully awkward footage of Santos — above, beginning around the 4:25 mark.

After (barely) surviving a terrifying snow plow accident, Jeremy Renner is receiving tons of love from his Marvel co-stars after he posted a video from his hospital bed thanking everyone for their support. According to the latest reports, the actor was attempting to help one of his family members move a car that was stranded in the snow. After freeing the car, Renner exited the plow to talk with the family member, and that’s when disaster struck. The plow reportedly rolled forward crushing Renner’s leg and put him in the ICU with “blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries.”

Luckily, Renner didn’t suffer fatal injuries and after firing off a brief Instagram video showing his appreciation for all the “kinds words,” his Avengers co-star assembled in the comments to wish him a speedy recovery. Via Variety:

“Speedy recovery buddy,” replied Chris Hemsworth, who is one of the six original Avengers actors along with Renner. “Sending love your way!”

Chris Evans, another original Avenger star, wrote, “Tough as nails. Love you buddy.”

“Continued prayers your way brutha,” Chris Pratt added. Pratt leads Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise.

Renner also received some love from the Russo Brothers and Taika Waititi. Even Thanos got in on the act. “Close but no cigar,” Josh Brolin wrote in the comments. “You’re blessed. Quick recovery, brother.”

According to Variety, Renner received well wishes from non-Marvel stars, too. Kate Hudson, Isla Fisher, Penelope Cruz, Jimmy Fallon, Heidi Klum, Vanessa Hudgens, Orlando Bloom and others flocked into the comments to send their love.

(Via Variety)

Ellie Goulding recently cleared the air about some long-held fan rumors that she cheated on her speculated ex-boyfriend Ed Sheeran. In 2013, the two were spotted at the MTV Video Music Awards holding hands — although he denied they were dating.

However, the discussion happened following the release of Sheeran’s 2014 song, “Don’t,” which includes the lyric, “It’s not like we were both on tour / We were staying on the same f*cking hotel floor.” Many thought it hinted at another musician who cheated on Sheeran.

Considering his affiliation with Goulding, it started to be reported that she cheated on him with Niall Horan. Sheeran went on to do an interview with Entertainment Weekly, where he denied it was about them but noted that the rumors were already widespread.

“I never let it slip. What happened was one of the newspapers in England just printed that it was confirmed when it never was,” he said. “We got in touch, and they took the story down. But obviously the damage had already been done by that point because every other newspaper picked up on it. So I never actually confirmed it.”

Now, the rumors have re-emerged. Nearly ten years later, Goulding dropped a TikTok where she jams out to Harry Styles. Considering the One Direction affiliation of it all, fans had some thoughts about the song choice.

“can’t believe u cheated on ed with niall but slay fr,” a commenter wrote.

“False!!!! But also slay,” Goulding replied, setting the record straight.

Considering Goulding is gearing up for her new album and Sheeran has a full family, it seems clear there are no hard feelings between them.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The nepo baby conversation may have died off in the press, but thanks to television personality Kelly Osbourne, it may be revived on social media. While her famous musician father may regret moving back to the United Kingdom, her talk show host mother, Sharon, has wasted no time finding her footing in British media by accidentally announcing the birth of her daughter’s son with Slipnot’s turntablist Sid Wilson.

During the broadcast of The Talk UK, her mother was discussing a story about modern grandparents’ involvement in their grandchildren’s lives. The Emmy Award-winning anchor let it slip that Kelly had, in fact, already given birth to her first child, saying, “[They’re doing] so great.” This isn’t the first time Kelly’s parents have slipped the beans about her growing family. In October 2022, the former reality star reluctantly confirmed she was indeed having a boy after her father mistakenly told the press before she could.

Metal fans quickly began fantasizing about the potential musical abilities Kelly and Wilson’s son would have given that he is the grandson of the genre’s most impactful band, Black Sabbath founder Ozzy Osbourne, as well as the son of a Slipknot member.

Kelly has responded to fans wanting to know more about the baby in her Instagram Story, writing, “I am not ready to share him with the world,” adding, “It’s no one’s place but mine to share any information about on my baby,” as a clap back to her mother.

Slipknot is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Recently, Finneas revealed that he and his sister Billie Eilish are in songwriting mode for the latter’s upcoming third album. As good work takes time, it may be awhile before we hear what they’ve come up with. In the meantime, Eilish took to TikTok to share a brief cover of a Ben Folds deep cut.

In the video clip, Eilish is seen at at the piano, singing a few lines from Folds’ song, “Still,” which was originally released in 2006 as part of Dreamworks’ soundtrack for the animated movie Over The Hedge.

“I must give the impression that I have the answers for everything,” Eilish sings in the clip. “You were so disappointed to see me unravel so easily / It’s only change, it’s only everything I know/ It’s only change, and I’m only changing.”

Eilish was only around five years old when Over The Hedge came out. In a recent interview with Vogue, Eilish revealed that she often misses the days when she was younger, before she became a household name, saying, “I look back at who I was, when fewer eyes were on me. I grieve that. I strive to be that kid again.”

Check out the clip of Eilish singing “Still” above.

“Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus was the first single from the band’s first album. It’s also by far their biggest song, with over 433 million streams on Spotify (and a prime placement on the Loser soundtrack, alongside Eiffel 65, Everclear, and Blink-182). The dirtbag anthem is still so omnipresent, 23 years after it came out (and forever ruined pop punk?), that model, author, and podcast host Emily Ratajkowski used it to caption an Instagram post of photos from when she was a teenager.

If only we all looked that good during our teenage dirtbag phase (we all had a dirtbag friend in a Black Sabbath shirt, though).

Ratajkowski discussed her high school years in a 2021 interview with philosopher Amia Srinivasan. “I experienced what the double-edged sword was like — wearing something tight to school and then realizing that the popular girls weren’t paying attention to me because the boys were paying attention to me, while also feeling my vice principal snapping my bra strap,” she said. “So much of what women experience is this feeling of, “I’m the one seducing, I’m the one who’s getting this attention, so I have the power.” But it wasn’t until I got older that I was able to look at these experiences that have stuck with me and think about control, and through thinking about control, think about power.”

Now, please enjoy the achingly 2000 music video for “Teenage Dirtbag.”

Would you be considered human if you haven’t locked yourself out of your house at least once? One mom on TikTok found herself in quite the predicament with only her toddler to “mission impossible” his way to unlocking the house door to let his mom, @gesikaaaaaa, inside. The video starts with the camera pointed at a rosy-cheeked toddler on a snow-covered porch.

The boy looks to be no older than 2 or 3 but he’s an expert at following directions … sort of. It’s all still pretty new to him and, as anyone who’s ever interacted with a toddler knows, multistep directions are not the way to go. They tend to hear one thing only and even then are apt to be distracted by a stray piece of lint and not be able to finish the task.

Everything is new to a toddler and it doesn’t take much to distract them. And just about anything can be a toy. So when this mom helped her son through an open window in an effort to guide him through the process of unlocking the door, classic toddler cuteness ensued.

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The desperate mom explains in the video that she left one window unlocked and you can see immediately that there’s no way an adult could fit through the small space without injury. So instead she uses her toddler to do it and once he’s inside the house his instructions are to get a chair … he finds a bowl. His mom tells him, “Focus. Focus. Grab the chair and take it to the door.”

What do you know? That sweet boy did just as he was told. Until he found a rock. Mom quickly refocuses the boy and the chair is back on the move, then he finds the fireplace tongs and takes a break to play with the fireside tools stand. Eventually the little guy succeeds in his mission but the journey there was the cutest maze of side quests you’ll ever see.

Watch him rescue his mom below:

@gesikaaaaaa

Thank god for tiny humans #bne #lockedout #tinyhuman #mamashelper #breakingin #DoTheSmartThings #toddlercomedy #kidtok

Every group of teenage friends usually has that one house with the “cool parents” where everyone can hang out. It’s usually a place where there isn’t much judgment but plenty of snacks and a teen-friendly place to hang like a garage, living room or basement.

There are two types of parents who don’t mind having teens over all the time. One type allows the kids to drink and party because, “you’re gonna do it anyway, might as well do it here.” The other kind likes having kids around so they can be sure they don’t get into that type of trouble.

Jeremy Serrano, a Lutheran pastor in Northern California who has three children ages 12, 15 and 17, recently went viral on TikTok for explaining why parents should strive to “Be that house!” where kids hang out.

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@jeremypserrano

Be that house! #parenting #parentsoftiktok #progressiveclergy

“I was talking to another parent the other day and they asked me, ‘Why do you always have teenagers over at your house?'” Serrano said on TikTok. “One of the things that we’ve worked really hard on is being the house that the teenage friends of my children want to hang out at.”

The Serrano house is a teenagers’ paradise. It’s stocked with snacks and has an ax-throwing target, basketball hoop and trampoline.

“My wife and I, we intentionally ask our children’s friends what kind of food and drinks they like and then we make sure that we have those things on hand for them,” he said in the video.

“It’s just one of the best things that we’ve ever done,” added Serrano. “Because we get to know our kids’ friends and then we know that they’re hanging out here.”

The house may be a place where kids can let loose, but there’s no illicit partying happening. “We have boundaries and don’t allow that here,” he told Today. “In fact, I’d lose credibility with my children by not providing boundaries.”

The TikTok post received a lot of positive comments from people who loved growing up in “that house.”

“My mother law told me once… food, drinks, and activities will always be cheaper than lawyers, legal fees, and therapists,” anmccoy74 wrote. “This was my house growing up and my mom said that when I went away to college she lost not just one son but more like 5 sons,” Gridpod added.

“I’ve always said I want to be the house the kids go hang out at so I can be a trusted place for them but most importantly my kids tell me their lives,” Addie Davis wrote.

Serrano told Today that the teens are comfortable coming to him for advice because of the open environment he’s created. “I was really honored that my children pointed their friends to me—the first time it happened I was like, ‘Whoa that is a big deal,'” he said. “My rule is, they can share our conversations with anyone they want, but I won’t. If their parents ask if we’ve talked, I won’t lie, but I’ll point them back to their children.”

After his post went viral, the pastor posted a subsequent video where he shared some tips on how to create “that house.”

@jeremypserrano

Replying to @moeffinmary tip#1 be a non judgmental presence. #parenting #parentingtips

“I think the number one way to be ‘that house’ is to be parents that provide a non-judgmental presence and non-judgmental listening to your kids’ friends,” Serrano said.

He added that it’s important to “really get to know their sides of things. To really try to understand how they’re feeling in response to situations.” Serrano says parents shouldn’t think of what the teens are saying as “good or bad” but just to “be there and listen to them.”

In the end, having “that house” is all about creating a great environment for the entire family. “We get to be involved in our children’s lives,” he says. “And provide a safe space among chaos in the world.”

Gregg Berhalter, the manager for the United States men’s national team during its run to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup, and U.S. Soccer both released statements on Tuesday afternoon pertaining to an alleged plot to blackmail Berhalter and additional “potential inappropriate behavior towards multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organization.” One day later and it was reported that the individuals behind the threats were Claudio Reyna and Danielle Egan, the former American soccer players whose son, Giovanni, was the source of consternation in Qatar over his lack of playing time.

Berhalter, who is presently out of contract, created a Twitter account to release a lengthy statement. After commenting on the team’s performance in Qatar, he addressed what he called “an apparent effort to leverage something very personal from long ago to bring about the end of my relationship with U.S. Soccer.” He went on to explain that this was in reference to an incident from when Berhalter and his now-wife, Rosalind, were students at the University of North Carolina. As he tells it, the pair got into an argument, Berhalter kicked her legs, he underwent counseling, the two reconciled, and have been married with children for 25 years.

In its statement, U.S. Soccer announced an investigation into the matter and condemned “violence of any kind,” but made it a point to indicate Berhalter was not the only one targeted.

Amid the numerous questions that popped up in the aftermath was who, exactly, knew about an incident this personal and had the means to use it as a form of blackmail to keep him from returning to the USMNT? ESPN reported on Wednesday that Claudio Reyna “sent multiple messages to U.S. Soccer executives during the World Cup threatening to reveal sensitive details about USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter’s past,” while Egan sent a statement to Fox Sports indicating this came in the aftermath of comments Berhalter made about her son after the team’s time at the tournament ended, although she claimed it was not done in an effort to prevent Berhalter from returning as manager.

Claudio Reyna likewise released a statement, saying he would never threaten anyone.

Berhalter and Reyna were high school teammates, while Egan attended North Carolina and was teammates with Rosalind Berhalter, nee Santana, on the Tar Heels’ women’s team. Their son, Gio, is one of the brightest young attacking talents in world football, but struggled to get onto the field for the USMNT in Qatar. While Berhalter and Reyna openly disagreed with one another about whether the Borussia Dortmund wunderkind was healthy enough to shoulder a heavy load at the World Cup, it was later revealed that Reyna’s attitude was not especially well-received in the dressing room, which led to him apologizing to the team.

In all, Reyna played 52 minutes at the World Cup by way of an 8-minute cameo against England and the entire second half of the team’s knockout stage loss to the Netherlands. At one point during the tournament, a former national team player, Eric Wynalda, claimed that Reyna’s lack of playing time was the source of friction within the team and that Berhalter asked Reyna to lie about an injury keeping him sidelined — the latter claim he eventually walked back — before saying that he spent the preceding days consoling Reyna’s father over the situation.

Zach Bryan has been an avid detractor of the monopoly that a certain ticketing website has on live music. He dislikes the company so much that in addition to speaking out frequently about their policies, he even named his recent live album All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.

“I have met kids at my shows who have paid upwards of four-hundred bucks to be there and I’m done with it,” Bryan tweeted in one of his many posts about them. “I’ve decided to play a limited number of headline shows next year to which I’ve done all I can to make prices as cheap as possible and to prove to people tickets don’t have to cost $450 to see a good and honest show.”

Now, an expert from Nashville talked to Rolling Stone about the likelihood that Bryan could ever tour without his enemy, Ticketmaster.

“He could mount his own shows in public or non-Live Nation owned spaces, but that is an incredibly time-consuming logistical challenge, from liquor permits to government ordinances and independent security, ticketing, food and beverage vendors,” the source said. “The less autonomous but easier maneuver is avoiding the Live Nation/TM complex wherever possible and using SeeTickets, AXS, or other less gouge-y ticket retailers. That is much less difficult, but in some markets, is impossible.”

A Nashville manager also noted, “He’s got options for now, because his leverage is there. He’s exploded, he’s massive, and he sells f*ck piles of tickets. Did he completely avoid Live Nation rooms on these ‘select headlining dates’ he will be announcing soon? If so, then he won’t be tied down to Ticketmaster.”

Despite Bryan’s disdain for Ticketmaster, it seems it will be a while before he (or any musician) is able to rely on other companies to tour.

Zach Bryan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.