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The Idol, the upcoming HBO series from The Weeknd and Sam Levinson, has had some controversy. What it also has now is a release date: It was confirmed today (April 17) that the show is set to debut on Sunday, June 4 at 9 p.m. ET. A new teaser also arrived today and this excited Blackpink fans, since we got some glimpses of Jennie, who has a role in the show.

One enterprising fan already compiled the Jennie clips into a video and in all, they account for about 3 seconds of screen time:

Reactions to this teaser are so far somewhat mixed. Of course, there’s plenty of excitement for Jennie’s high-profile acting role. However, this comes after a March Rolling Stone report about the show, in which a production source claimed, “It was like three or four lines per episode for her. They didn’t let her talk that much. Her job was to sit there [and] look pretty, basically.”

So, there are fans who think the show is just using Jennie and her K-pop clout to get butts in seats.

There are also those who plan to just watch Jennie’s scenes, calling on fan pages to make fancam videos so they don’t have to sit through the whole show. (For those unfamiliar, Urban Dictionary defines “fancam” as “a video that follows a specific person performing on stage/a video that focuses on a person performing.”

In a previous interview, The Idol co-creator Sam Levinson called Jennie “so professional and hardworking” and added, “Watching her learn a full dance routine in about an hour and then perform it flawlessly 10 times in a row was amazing, and of course that’s just a tiny piece of her talent and ability.” Jennie herself also noted, “We got to meet and talk about the possibilities [of] me being in the show, and it worked out magically.”

NBA fans were treated to a pretty great weekend of playoff basketball as the first round of the 2023 postseason got underway with Game 1s in every series on Saturday and Sunday. There were a few duds, but for the most part we got competitive action and a few truly spectacular games, which is all we can really ask for.

As we get set to move forward in the first round, we wanted to take stock of the weekend and rank each series based how excited we are to watch the next 3-6 games based on what we saw in the opener.

8. Boston Celtics (1-0) vs. Atlanta Hawks (0-1)

Game 1 ended up not being the blowout we expected when the Celtics went up 74-44 at the half, but that still felt fairly representative of the talent gap between these two teams. Atlanta should shoot some better going forward, but they weren’t a particularly good three-point shooting team all season and also shot the third-fewest threes in the league. It’s tough to see how the Hawks make this a series if they are operating at a deficit in the three-point battle all series and Boston has the two best players overall in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Trae Young has to be a lot better than he was in the opener for things to turn around, but the Celtics have a number of players that do all of the things on defense that bother him and follow the script Miami used so successfully a year ago. The intrigue in this series seems mostly to be whether it’s a true sweep or just a gentleman’s sweep in favor of the Celtics.

7. Denver Nuggets (1-0) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (0-1)

The last of the first round games was also the most lopsided, as Denver blew the doors off of Minnesota in a 109-80 final. The Wolves could try to make the excuse of a Play-In hangover, but that’s a tough sell considering the Heat won their opener on the road against the Bucks coming off of the exact same rest schedule as Minnesota. While the Wolves aren’t 30 points worse than the Nuggets, it did feel like there is just a sizable gap between the two teams that Minnesota is going to have a really tough time closing down — particularly when you consider Nikola Jokic had a fairly pedestrian night and it didn’t matter. I’m not ready to guarantee this is a sweep, as the Wolves could shoot their way into a win somewhere, but with how sharp Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. looked in the opener, it’s hard to see Minnesota keeping pace for very long in this series.

6. Philadelphia 76ers (1-0) vs. Brooklyn Nets (0-1)

The Nets just have to work too hard just to keep things close. Mikal Bridges was sensational, but he can only do so much and doesn’t have enough help to overcome the amount of offensive talent the Sixers have at their disposal. That is doubly the case if Tobias Harris is going to shoot the ball like he did in Game 1, because when he’s rolling, there’s just not a lot you can do against this Sixers offense. Philly was outright bad finishing at the rim in the opener, a testament to the effort put in by the Nets to contest everything inside, but also probably just a weird outlier night for the Sixers. Their shooting was also hotter than it usually is, and while that will come back to earth some, it’s also a product of wide open shots courtesy of the Nets having to double team Embiid every time he touches it cause they don’t have anyone big enough to pretend to defend him 1-on-1. It’s all just a nightmare matchup for Brooklyn. While I enjoy watching them play because, truly, they work very hard on both ends and Bridges has become a tremendous scorer, it is very hard to see how they make Philly feel genuinely uncomfortable in this series.

5. Miami Heat (1-0) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (0-1)

This was not a series I anticipated being in this spot, but Miami came out red-hot in the opener and with Giannis Antetokounmpo now dealing with a back injury that knocked him out of Game 1, the outcome of this series no longer feels as a mere formality for the 1-seed. Now, Miami (probably) won’t shoot nearly as well as they did in the opener from three, but Jimmy Butler absolutely can take over consistently and if Bam Adebayo is willing to be assertive offensively when given space, as will be the case all series, they can have some success against this Milwaukee defense. On the other side, the Bucks looked pretty awful in the halfcourt aside from Khris Middleton, but that’s also not exactly new for them in the playoffs. Milwaukee should get better and I would expect they still win this series, but the likelihood of this thing dragging out to six or seven games is now much higher than originally expected.

4. Los Angeles Lakers (1-0) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (0-1)

I want to be clear that there is a fairly sizable gap between the 4 and 5 spots in these rankings, and that the top four all exist in their own tier. Ja Morant’s status looms large going forward after his hand injury in the fourth quarter of the opener, and if he misses significant time, that puts a serious damper on what has the makings of a tremendous series, which is what knocks this to the fourth spot.

Still, this has the potential to be a very fun first round series, with a young Grizzlies team looking to make a name for itself by knocking off LeBron James and the Lakers. In the opener, the Lakers were carried down the stretch by the unlikeliest of sources, as Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves combined for 52 points on the afternoon and 23 in the fourth quarter, as LeBron and Anthony Davis took a backseat. That was unforeseen, and it’ll be interesting to see if the Grizzlies adapt their defensive strategy at all or if they continue daring the Lakers others like Hachimura to knock down open shots as Jaren Jackson Jr. roams to dissuade Davis and James from driving.

On the other end, Memphis needs its shooters to be better. Desmond Bane (3-of-10) and Luke Kennard (1-of-4) were simply not good enough from deep, while Dillon Brooks was a willing shooter (2-of-9) to the delight of the Lakers. The positive takeaways for Memphis are that Jackson was tremendous offensively and the final score wasn’t indicative of how close things were before the Grizzlies started spiraling in the final three minutes. The reason this ends up A bounceback performance in Game 2, with or without Morant, is necessary, but if it happens we may be in for a long, very fun series.

3. New York Knicks (1-0) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1)

Knicks-Cavs is some old-school Eastern Conference basketball, but with two backcourt stars capable of creating big buckets all on their own. Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell have both moved East but still have once again found each other in the first round. Like last year between Dallas and Utah, they put on a show in the opener, with Brunson’s Knicks getting the edge on Mitchell’s Cavs in the opener.

How both teams adjust will be very interesting, because neither will feel like they had their best in the opener. Cleveland needs Darius Garland to get going, because he’s vital to creating for their frontcourt and wing players. The fifth spot in the starting and closing lineup also remains a key issue for Cleveland, as they opted for Cedi Osman over Isaac Okoro down the stretch in the opener hoping to get some offensive boost, but ended up giving up their best point-of-attack defender against Brunson. New York, meanwhile, will need Julius Randle and RJ Barrett to either be better or be more willing to play within themselves, because those two once again struggled with playoff scoring efficiency. The good news is, New York’s bench was much more settled in than Cleveland’s and the efforts of Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein were huge in helping the Knicks get the win.

The margins in this series, like the three that will follow it, feel razor thin, and that makes for playoff excitement. Every great play and every big mistake feels magnified, and this series, maybe more than any other, seems to show the nerves of the postseason. Both teams have players either in their first postseason, trying to learn how to handle the pressure, or with past playoff struggles, trying to overcome the internal and external pressures all at once. That adds further to the drama of this series, and while it’s not free-flowing basketball like some of the West series, the tension is spectacular and I hope we get a long, back-and-forth affair.

2. Los Angeles Clippers (1-0) vs. Phoenix Suns (0-1)

The opener in Phoenix had a little bit of everything. Both teams made huge runs — L.A. jumping out to a 19-point lead, Phoenix charging back to go up nine in the third — before both teams settled in to a tense, back-and-forth battle. The Clippers came out on top thanks to Kawhi Leonard’s brilliance (38 points) and Russell Westbrook’s frenetic final minute where all of his best qualities were on display — he also shot 3-of-19 and had a halftime confrontation with a fan, but that’s all part of the experience. For Phoenix, they saw Kevin Durant and Devin Booker both play well, combining for 53 points, with Durant facilitating well (11 assists) and Booker having one of his best defensive games ever. The game really came down to the Clippers getting four cracks at their final possession of the game, thanks to two Westbrook offensive rebounds and another that bounced off the Suns out of bounds. That is how tight this series feels, particularly if Leonard is playing at the level he was on Sunday night. The stretch of the fourth where we watched Durant and Leonard go back-and-forth hitting outrageously difficult, contested shots was an absolute treat, and I hope we get at least a few more tight games down the stretch because this series features three of the best tough shotmakers in the entire NBA.

1. Sacramento Kings (1-0) vs. Golden State Warriors (0-1)

I was hopeful for this series, but carried a cautious pessimism into it because I was concerned the Warriors might be able to flip a switch and hit a gear Sacramento doesn’t have. After the opening win by the Kings, I came away feeling much better about this being the series everyone hoped it could be, because nothing really felt fluky about the performance on either side.

De’Aaron Fox proved he is really that guy and that his shot-making from the regular season was absolutely going to translate — and we learned Golden State doesn’t have anyone that can stay in front of him. Malik Monk’s 32-point outing was unexpected, but while he may take a step back, I think the other shooters on the Kings will get their legs under them after a nervy first game and even things out. Domantas Sabonis came out hot but struggled with Kevon Looney’s size and patience, which will be a matchup to watch all series long. The Kings’ frenetic pace seemed to speed up the Warriors, who also like to play fast but seemed to fall into the Kings’ trap of taking early clock shots rather than running their sets to get really good looks against a Sacramento defense with plenty of holes.

For the Warriors. Stephen Curry was very good but has to work hard every time Davion Mitchell is on the floor. Andrew Wiggins looks like he hasn’t missed a beat, albeit he missed a couple key threes late but that seems like shot variance, not rust. Klay Thompson is still not shy about shooting, and one of these games, a lot more of those threes he put up in Game 1 will fall. Draymond was Draymond, and Looney gave the aforementioned terrific defensive effort on Sabonis. All of it just feels sustainable, with the understanding that a lot of these games will simply come down to shot variance on both sides. That is going to make for a very fun series that is as aesthetically pleasing as they come, because of the pace these teams play at and how both are capable of making a big run at seemingly any time.

The next episode of The Simpsons will be its 746th. That’s as many episodes as Grey’s Anatomy and ER, two famously long-running shows, combined. The record-breaking animated series, which would have to take a 10-year break for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to catch up, has already been renewed through 2025, taking it through seasons 35 and 36, and over 800 episodes.

Will we ever be able to imagine a world without The Simpsons?

“I wonder about that, too,” star Hank Azaria told People at The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season five premiere (psh, only five seasons) about The Simpsons eventually (?) ending. “We’re doing season 35 and 36. I would guess that it would probably go to 40. It seems to be doing well.”

Azaria noted that the “standards of what doing well means has changed so much for network television in the last 10 to 15 years. But whatever the standards are now, we seem to be doing well. People still enjoy making it. They seem to want the show. So I imagine we keep going.” He continued:

“The voices don’t really age. So we can keep doing it. And the animation doesn’t age. The animation does get better — and quicker.”

To paraphrase a movie that came out four years after The Simpsons premiered, “I get older, Homer and Marge stay the same age.”

(Via People)

There were a number of things you could have been doing this past Sunday night. Succession, as per usual, dominated the conversation, while Netflix tried (and failed) to bring its Love Is Blind reunion live to viewers at home, and suddenly you were faced to confront the fact that a lot more people watch that show than you had thought. But the real peak TV event of the night was actually the season four premiere of Barry, as any seasoned television connoisseur will no doubt tell you. And with that came the return of cultural icon Noho Hank.

Since the end of season three, Hank and Cristobal have been doing their best to live off the land in the middle of the desert, which is hard when there is a sand shortage. Art does imitate life sometimes. The duo toy with the idea of smuggling in some sand with a new business deal, but the conversation doesn’t really matter as much as Noho Hank’s flawless outfit. Just look at this man, who has never done anything wrong in his life before. For the most part.

His Coachella-ready outfit did not go unnoticed by fans, who have collectively decided that he should get his own spinoff show. Anthony Carrigan, NoHo Hank’s real-life counterpart, understands the appeal of his character, as he recently told The New York Times. “He’s a lovable scorpion. He doesn’t want to sting anyone, he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. But that’s just his nature,” Carrigan said, adding. “I’m playing the bad guy, but making him likable, making him winning.” Even if he isn’t winning, Hank sure has a bright future as an Instagram influencer:

Isn’t this much better than the boring plain baseball cap that a certain fighting family seem to love so much??

Barry airs Sundays at 10 pm on HBO.

Kali Uchis made her presence known in India, California for the first weekend of Coachella 2023, still riding the high from the March release of her third studio album, Red Moon In Venus.

On Friday, April 14, Uchis joined Kaytranada’s set to perform “10%,” which was just the appetizer for Uchis’ own set on Sunday, April 16.

As reviewed by Uproxx, “Kali Uchis was also a highlight of the day. She opened her main stage set with her viral song ‘Telepatía‘ before bringing Tyler The Creator out for their joint track ‘See You Again.’ Omar Apollo was next to grace the stage, delivering their recent collab ‘Worth The Wait.’ Then, Don Toliver — Uchi’s boyfriend — appeared to sing his verse in ‘Fantasy.’

See exactly how Uchis’ set played out below, courtesy of setlist.fm.

1. “Telepatía”
2. “See You Again” (with Tyler The Creator)
3. “Get You” (Daniel Caesar cover)
4. “Worth The Wait” (with Omar Apollo)
5. “Fantasy” (with Don Toliver)
6. “10%”
7. “Melting”
8. “Rica Y Apretadita” (El General cover)
9. “Salvaje”
10. “Tattoo” (Unreleased)
11. “Papi Chulo” (Lorna cover)
12. “Fue Mejor”
13. “Dead To Me”
14. “Moonlight”
15. “La Diabla”
16. No Hay Ley”
17. “Sad Girlz Luv Money” (Amaarae cover)
18. “Not Too Late”
19. “Hasta Cuando”
20. “I Wish You Roses”
21. “After The Storm”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Jordan Klepper‘s time at the desk has come as The Daily Show continues trying out myriad guest host options to find the right fit long-term. And Klepper’s resume is impressive. Forget that he’s been with the show for 9 years, that his “Fingers The Pulse” segments on the (endless campaign trail) crush on YouTube while also being fan favorites. Klepper also has experience as a host both behind a desk with The Opposition and in the field with Klepper, two experiences that are obviously going to inspire what we see when he has the big chair.

A frequent interviewee for us, we naturally wanted to check in and get a sense of what Klepper has in store for this week of shows while getting him to give us the dirt on the fiercely competitive behind-the-scenes drama at the show (or lack thereof). And because he is who he is, we fingered his pulse on the campaign trail (slash indictmentapalooza) and Trump’s chances in 2024. As always, laughs were had along the way while Fox News, gun culture, and conspiratorial thinking elbowed their way into the conversation.

How are the woke mind virus treatments? Are they working? You’re not reading right? Don’t read.

They’re slowly working. For a long time, I’ve been reticent of books and all of the knowledge they contained. I’ve always been very skeptical of getting more information.

Those books behind you are just props.

Oh yeah, exactly. In some ways, it’s like garlic to vampires. I’m inuring myself to it.

I imagine most of those are from the Bill O’Reilly mystery collection.

(Laughs) Exactly. I love the Fox anchors and their non-fiction projects. Give me some Lincoln history. I want to see what’s inside Kilmeade’s head, just like anything, any kind of literary experience they want to have. I’m willing to go down that road.

So, are you looking at guest hosting The Daily Show as an audition or just a fun week at work?

Well, they say this is not an audition, but…

They’re lying.

For me, there’s really only one way to approach it: have as much fun as humanly possible. That being said, I’ve been busting my ass the last couple of weeks, prepping for this week. I wanted to go out into the world and grab stuff. We have a bunch of surprises. I went to the world’s biggest gun show. So I’m packing this week full of field elements, and interviews with big names. But then walking into next week, I think you can’t be too precious with it.

What I’ve learned from my time with The Opposition is to enjoy it, stay open, and stay playful. And so next week we’ve done all the work, and the news will play out as it does. And I think such a benefit of getting to host a show like that is you walk into a room with such funny people, so be open to the fun in the room, and then be playful. One of the things I’m most excited about is playing with Roy (Wood Jr.), playing with Desi (Lydic), and playing with Ronny (Chieng) to get that energy again. I don’t get to have that out on the road.

Is it competitive at all with the people that work on the show all the time?

Let me tell you, this sounds pat, but I love The Daily Show. I’ve been a fan for 20 years. I’ve been on the show since 2014 in various forms. And so it’s fun and strange and it changes your perspective of what the show is, suddenly seeing these guest hosts come in. And I think it proved how strong the show and the staff is over the first few weeks of seeing guest hosts succeed. And then Roy pops in, the first person who is a part of the news team, a colleague of mine who I got to work with, and I will say it was so enjoyable to watch that thing soar because of it. You talk to any of us, we love that show. Would I want to be behind that desk, of course, I think I could do a killer job behind that desk. I can’t wait for the opportunity, but I also love working with those folks and so you’re rooting for one another.

I was there the night Jon (Stewart) came in. I was editing a piece, talking with Jon, then he goes out and does this great segment with Roy. It’s so fun. The audience is in love. I get to go out and talk to Roy about what I just did in downtown New York a few hours earlier. It was alive. It was playful. Those are the things that I love so much about The Daily Show and so competition is way in the rearview because it’s so live right now.

This is our 415th interview, so I feel like we’ve had enough back and forth that I can say what you’re saying feels genuine. You’re a good actor, it feels genuine. (Laughs)

You know me well enough that I’m not that good an actor. It has to be genuine. If I were that good an actor, I’d be on an NBC spinoff right now. The fact that I’ve worked here for so long is just proof that I’m not a good enough actor to get that sitcom to pay for my condo. No, I will say this, part of how that show is built is it moves so fast that assholes don’t stick around for that long. When Trevor came in, it was a weird time for the show. I’d been there with Jon for a couple of years. Trevor comes in and he brings in this new crew of folks, Desi, Ronny, Roy, and we kinda had to figure out what that show was together. And remarkably, they’re all really wonderful people and so it’s been a weird few years. We’ve been through COVID together. You’re trying to figure out how a show works that way. I’m on the road a lot too, so I’m not always in the office, but when I do get to get in the office and bounce off of these people, they’re my colleagues, but they’re my friends.

I don’t know what is happening with The Daily Show six months from now, two months from now, two years from now. And I don’t think anybody really knows what’s happening with late-night TV two years from now. So if you are approaching it with anxiety about what that’s going to be and holding onto that too closely, you’re going to be miserable. So that’s where I do think there is a lot of good energy, good vibes, and people rooting for one another because I think this is what we have right now and it’s actually pretty fun.

Are you able to share what interviews you have booked? I’m curious to see you having a conversation with someone not wearing a t-shirt with Trump’s rippling abs on it. Is that going to throw you?

To be clear, we will have those T-shirts on the ready. Everybody is more than welcome. I’ve learned some things. Sell T-shirts no matter what. I’m gonna make a killing with this host thing. (Laughs)

I’m doing a couple of remote interviews. It’s been so fun to go out and sit with people in a field setting. I went to Michigan to talk to Governor Whitmer and we had a big chat over beers about gun control, abortion, Michigan football, important things. I have another big interview I can’t announce right now that we’re putting together and then I’ll have a few in-studio guests as well. I love chatting with people in the real world, but it’s really nice to do it in an air-conditioned studio. And so I think it will be wonderful to talk to somebody and keep the possibility for a “JFK Jr. is still alive” reference to a minimum.

Is he the interview you can’t mention?

Tune in. You don’t know. I’m not saying that JFK Jr. will not be on the show, or Tupac, or Aaliyah. Are these people out there? Am I able to interview them? I don’t know. Listen to the podcast, understand the talking points behind it, and show up next week to see if they’re there too.

Circling back, what’s in the goodie bag at a gun show? Are there any door prizes?

(Laughs) Well, you tend to walk in with a lot of weaponry is something that I realized. Going to the world’s largest show, 11 acres of guns and so you’ve got your Nazi paraphernalia, you got your make-an-AR kit, anime tables, Kamala Harris gun clips, just a little bit of America packed into 11 acres of guns.

Honestly, this is what I love about doing field work and why I go to places like this. The gun argument and the gun debate is something that’s close to my heart, and that I’ve covered for a long time. And so in working on this week, I wanted to go to something that, sadly, is a part of the discussion around gun violence. The discussion around the necessity of having a AR-15 is something that has been in the news and will not go out of the news. And so going to a place like this is just this microcosm if you can call 11 acres of guns micro in any sense.

There’s something definitely micro about the whole vibe of that, I’m guessing.

(Laughs) Yeah, I think there’s perhaps some overcompensating that’s taking place there. I’m aware of that. Honestly, what I got to see going there is what the gun show loophole looks like, up close. I’m living in New York reading about ways in which people are passing guns off at these gun shows. But then you go to a parking lot in Tulsa and you see a guy throw a gun on his shoulder, a little stick in the barrel of the gun with a price on it and start walking around the parking lot and then exchange guns for cash, go back to his car, get another gun and start walking around the parking lot again. You’re like, “Oh, oh, that’s the loophole, right then and there.”

Just like the Founding Fathers intended.

(Laughs) Exactly.

How have the rallies changed, not just your approach, but just what you’re seeing from the attendees? Are there more people, less people? Are they more rabid, less rabid, literally rabid?

Quite literally, the last rally I went to was Donald Trump’s indictment, which if you zoom out, is a funny evolution. I don’t know if I have a great sense of what a traditional Donald Trump rally is because the ones I’ve been to have been shielded in ways that the other ones weren’t before. The one in Charleston I went to was invite-only, which had its cast of characters and conspiratorial thinkers, but was small and wasn’t set up to be a big outside rally. I went to the indictment, which in and of itself had its Trumpsters and MAGA world there, but they were in New York surrounded by almost twice as many media folks who were egging them on. And so that was, I don’t think, representative of the traditional MAGA movement, but it is showing you how much of a circus it is. So it’s hard for me to get a sense of the power of this movement right now.

There’s been a lot of calculated moves on his part to not exactly show his hand or perhaps be afraid to put out the call to see how many people actually show up. And I’m getting only bits and pieces here and there. I’ve missed a few larger rallies. I didn’t get to go to Waco. There have been conflicting reports. The energy was there, it sounds like, but the numbers were smaller than expected. So we will see. I think it’s way too early to call. The fervor is going to be there, people like a good party. But whether these 10,000-person gatherings suddenly become 4,000-person gatherings. I think that’s yet to be told.

I think what’s been compelling is to watch the DeSantis conversation and we have yet to see them turn on Ron DeSantis. So there’s the small segment of folks we’ve talked to, we bring up these other folks in the party. And even though Trump has started to vilify these potential contenders, I haven’t seen the crowd do that yet, which has been odd for them not to be in lockstep on his enemies. I think that’s an evolving story, but right now they’re still keeping options open.

Is it weird when Lindsay Graham makes an appearance on the first episode with Franken a couple of weeks ago? Because I thought that was a little weird.

I wasn’t there in the building for it. I think The Daily Show should always be a place where different opinions can come in.

Yeah, but isn’t there a difference between a different opinion and a bad-faith actor?

Yeah, I think you’re right. I think you can’t be afraid to challenge somebody who has power, who might have a different opinion. Lindsay Graham is somebody who is in a position of power. He talks out of both sides of his mouth, but if he’s willing to engage in a conversation around it, I think it’s worthwhile to engage him. Now, there are times where perhaps if it’s just talking points and it’s just pushing that thing, yeah, maybe that’s not somebody you book onto the show. I think that’s always something there should be a conversation around. But I also get fearful of the knee-jerk reaction to not engage with these folks.

Oh, sure.

A good example, the podcast I did with John Kasich, people on the left did not like the fact that I was talking to somebody who was on the right, and that always scared me because if we lose the ability to engage with somebody with a different POV — a bad-faith actor is a different story — then we’ve lost the entire battle. And so that I think that is always important. I hope there’s a space on the show to engage with folks who might not share your point of view.

It’s hard because it seems so much like that battle is lost on the other side. But you’re 100% right, if we just bubble everything over, we are, maybe not in a literal civil war, but for all intents and purposes,

Yeah. You should be challenged with outside opinions. I think you’re right though, the arbiter of that is viewership numbers. And so perhaps on the right, it’s like, well, what do we get from bringing this point of view on there? And there’s the fear of that on the left as well. So I hope we keep engaging. I hope we keep trying. We need to be careful not to platform ideas and bad-faith actors, but we should be engaging with ideas that make us uncomfortable or at least we have a hard time understanding. And through that conversation, you have, perhaps, a view into it.

Or if you have bad-faith actors on, mock them as furiously as you can right to their face like you do.

I will say, a weapon in the back pocket of everybody at The Daily Show, is that you’re a comedian, you got satire, go at them. And I think that is the benefit of The Daily Show.

‘The Daily Show with Jordan Klepper’ airs Monday through Thursday this week on Comedy Central at 11PM ET

When Saraya showed up in AEW, it wasn’t clear from the outset what her role would be in the promotion. She’d been successful as an onscreen voice since suffering what was deemed a career-ending injury nearly five years prior in WWE. But all doubts over whether she could wrestle again evaporated when she defeated Britt Baker in her highly-anticipated return match last November.

Her arrival in AEW has helped catapult the women’s division at just the right time. The promotion has set ambitious goals for the coming year starting with CEO Tony Khan’s decision to go global, bringing All In to Saraya’s home country and the iconic Wembley Stadium in London this August.

“I haven’t performed in the UK in years. And then to be on one of the biggest stages you can get over there, Wembley Stadium, it’s just a very wild opportunity,” Saraya told Uproxx Sports. “It does have that WrestleMania 1 vibe where this is something really special. I feel so fortunate that I get to be a part of history.”

WrestleMania is reserved for some of the most anticipated matches of the year, and while Saraya would love for her family or fellow Outcasts members Toni Storm and Ruby Soho to be involved, she has two dream matches for the historic event top of mind.

“I would love to face Jamie Hayter. That would be amazing, because she’s also from the UK — I’ve had the opportunity to be in a tag and triple threat, but not a singles match, and I would love that opportunity,” Saraya said. “Do we open that Forbidden Door? Mercedes Moné, I would love to face her there. That would be such a full circle moment. There’s so much opportunity there.”

Regardless of where Saraya lands on the card, she’s proud to be part of the growing women’s division within the promotion. She makes it a point to praise Baker as a pillar of the company who isn’t getting her recognition during the ongoing tug of war over the AEW World Championship between fellow pillars MJF, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, and Jungle Boy.

As the women’s division has seen an influx of talent, Saraya highlights the balance of homegrown wrestlers and star power that makes up the roster, highlighted by the likes of Jade Cargill, Skye Blue, Willow Nightingale, and others. For the newcomers, she compares what many of the women are experiencing to how she built her career in the early days of WWE NXT.

“They’re in the room before the shows, they’re training with Dustin Rhodes, and they’re just working their asses off. It is a difficult journey, especially when you get thrown onto TV like that, where I was really fortunate enough to go to a development center and hone my craft a little bit more,” Saraya says. “But these wrestlers get thrown in the deep end and they have to learn how to swim very quickly. They do such an incredible job, but it is harder for them than it would be for me or Toni or Ruby or Taya (Valkyrie) to come in. I do commend them because they do work really hard and they deserve their time.”

Saraya’s return to wrestling has been difficult in its own right. Wrestling evolves and changes over time, and she’s found herself sitting back, learning and watching, experiencing the feeling of a newcomer again.

Time away from wrestling allowed her recover, and she credits her partner for getting her in the gym, eating healthy, and preserving good mental health — even if that meant taking a break from social media here and there. But the bruises of wrestling since 2006 have taken a toll on her, and this time, she’s doing what she can in the ring to maintain her health.

“I was out for a really long time, so I’m a lot more cautious about what I do. People that have been in business a lot longer than me would always be like, you don’t have to bump so much, you don’t have to do all that crazy stuff,” Saraya says. “I never understood until I busted my neck twice. And then (I decided) I’m going to limit my bumps a little bit and be a lot smarter about what I do and how much I do to my body.”

At this stage in her career, Saraya is happy, healthy, and the number one priority is capturing the AEW Women’s Championship. Whether winning the belt actually happens or not, she’s just thrilled to be along for the ride as AEW goes on to do “bigger and better things.”

“(Tony Khan has) done such a great job already,” she says. “The company’s still in its baby stages and he’s done such a wonderful job already, along with obviously Kenny (Omega) and the Young Bucks and all the girls and guys that are involved behind the scenes. But I just want to continue being a part of history with this company. I feel very fortunate to be here, I love my time in AEW, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds here.”

Lil Durk is doing good.

According to Complex, the Chicago rapper has donated $100,000 scholarships to two students of Howard University through his Neighborhood Heroes HBCU College & Career Readiness Cohort Program. He also donated $250,000 to Howard’s financial aid program GRACE Grant.

“I’m the voice this the part they don’t show,” he wrote on Instagram. “I appreciate all the kids who struggling to finish school and needed this blessing.”

Howard’s GRACE (Graduation Retention Access to Continued Excellence) Grant program is designed to allow students with the greatest financial need to stay in school and graduate on time. Established in 2014 by President Frederick, the program provides additional funding for students who receive the maximum Federal Pell Grant, matching the Pell Grant distributions by 100% and providing additional funds.

Lil Durk has been working at cleaning up his image lately, choosing to present himself as the actual Voice Of The Heroes that he called himself on his joint project with Lil Baby. After his attempted murder charges from 2019 were dropped, Durk proclaimed he’d no longer drop the names of people who’d been victims of street violence in his music.

Since then, he’s used his voice to speak up on behalf of the incarcerated Young Thug, and apparently, make sure students have the option of finishing their education without having to turn to the streets.

The View tackled the GOP freak out over a recent Bud Light campaign featuring trans activist Dylan Mulvaney, and Whoopi Goldberg was not happy to see Anheuser-Busch seemingly cave to the MAGA backlash. After Kid Rock, Travis Tritt, and other conservative voices began promoting a boycott of the beer company, Anheuser-Busch responded with a new ad featuring its famous Clydesdale horses.

“This is a story bigger than beer,” the narrator said. “This is the story of the American spirit.”

Co-host Sunny Hostin was not thrilled. “So now all of a sudden they unleash the Clydesdale horses, like ‘let’s get the horses out because the horses are so much more American than trans people.’”

The company also issued a statement that Goldberg took issue with at the end of the discussion. Via Deadline:

“We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere,” the statement said. “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”

“Listen Budweiser, we’re all Americans here,” Goldberg said. “We appreciate your beer whether it’s light or the regular… Don’t let them scare you. Let us scare you.”

Budweiser’s seeming capitulation is an interesting development considering conservatives were already quietly pulling back on the boycott. Why? Turns out Anheuser-Busch is one of the biggest Republican donors. Apparently, no one thought to check on that before shooting beer cans, but shockingly, it seems like Donald Trump, Jr. may have had an inkling. Who saw that coming?

(Via Deadline)

Pop Smoke was shot to death inside of his Hollywood Hills home in February 2020. The New York-born rapper (real name Bashar Barakah Jackson) tragically lost his life at just 20 years old. Earlier this month, the Associated Press reported that one man connected to Pop Smoke’s murder pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

There have been efforts to preserve his memory, including posthumous releases and the debut of a mural in his Brooklyn neighborhood months after his death.

Today, April 17, an mural, supposedly of the rapper is making the rounds online — and it looks nothing like Pop Smoke:

It’s unclear where the mural is located (it appears to be inside of a store), and it hasn’t been totally confirmed that the mural is intended to reflect Pop Smoke, but it does (somewhat) bear a resemblance to a photo of the late rapper.

The reactions are predictably negative. Commenters flooded No Jumper’s post claiming that the painted figure looks more like Babyface Ray, Fivio Foreign, or Lil Durk.

“They put the Snapchat baby face filter on him smh…,” a tweeter going by Dan I wrote, while Everyrealm compared it to the infamous Ronaldo sculpture from 2017.

While the mural is objectively sore, it was much more egregious when Aubrey Jackson, Pop Smoke’s mother, shared in September 2021 that his gravesite had been vandalized.