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Named for the German word for warehouse and/or storage, lager is one of the oldest and most celebrated beer styles in the world. In a beer-verse filled with punch-packing double IPAs, rich, indulgent barrel-aged beers, and funky, fruited sours, lagers offer a crisp and refreshing respite, no matter the season.

While many drinkers likely envision the classic pale lager, the style comes in all colors of the beer rainbow. Depending on if it’s a Pilsner, helles, Vienna lager, bock, dunkel, or even a smoky schwarzbier, this style can be amber, ruby, or even as dark as your favorite stout or porter. It’s also a fun style to get into during the winter months because of the nearly endless flavor profiles ripe for discovery (plus it’s often lighter in texture than our other winter favorites).

Since picking out the right lager for your palate can be confusing (given all the options out there), we asked a handful of well-known brewers and craft beer experts to tell us the lagers they’ll be drinking this winter. Let’s dive in and see what they picked!

Augustiner Maximator

Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery in Brooklyn, New York

ABV: 7.5%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

My pick is Augustiner Maximator. This classic Munich doppelbock has a toffee-like depth of malt flavor that is very rarely equaled in the United States. It’s great with a wide variety of winter foods like roasted meats, game, root vegetables, and more.

It’s a beer that I would be very proud of if I brewed it myself.

Samichlaus Schwarzes

Aaron Uhl, owner of Uhl’s Brewing in Boulder, Colorado

ABV: 14%

Average Price: $21 for a four-pack

Why This Beer?

What flavors make it great? Big, bold, hints of dried fruits and toffee that are usually only found in stouts and other complex strong ales are layered into this beer. Samichlaus Schwarzes is an amazing example of thinking outside the box to use what you have available to make one of the tastiest winter warmers around. Not to mention there are two other varietals to shift between throughout the cold months.

KCBC Morbid Hour

Alex Wenner, owner and brewer at Lasting Joy Brewery in Hudson Valley, New York

ABV: 4.6%

Average Price: $13 for a 16-ounce can

Why This Beer?

KCBC’s Morbid Hour is the only answer to this question. Ever since they opened, KCBC has been making some insane and amazing giants in flavor in the realms of stouts, IPAs, and fruited sours. But Morbid Hour is, to me, one of their crowning achievements.

Perfectly understated, a crushable, crisp, and clean lager with just the right notes from roasted malts that lend notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and bitterness that creates the perfect beer to drink all day around a fire pit surrounded by several feet of snow.

New Glarus Two Women

John Clampitt, lead brewer at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $9 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

New Glarus’ Two Women is my favorite beer right now. It’s simplistic in its construction. Its floor-malted German barley and Hallertau hops are about all that’s in it, but it is greater than the sum of its parts. The floor-malted barley gives a different expression of that bready, German barley. The Hallertau hops provide just enough bitterness and noble hop aroma to round it out.

I always ask for a few twelve-packs anytime someone I know is in Wisconsin.

Wibby Double Dunkel

Derek Gold, director of brewing operations at WeldWerks Brewery in Greeley, Colorado

ABV: 7.5%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Wibby Brewing’s Double Dunkel is the lager equivalent of hot chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate, roasty coffee, and vanilla notes with a nutty maltiness round out the whole affair. You can enjoy it on the slopes, but I prefer it next to a fire with a book.

Little Machine Sir Veza

Kayleigh Schutte, assistant brewer at Our Mutual Friend Brewing in Denver

ABV: 5.3%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

I’m a sucker, no matter what season it is, for Little Machine Beer’s Sir Veza. It’s a Mexican-style lager with the best sweet touch of corn. This beer is light but doesn’t get the super light feeling of other Mexican lagers.

Be sure to get a lime, but don’t squeeze all of it in the beer.

Mainstay Klaus Bock

Jeremy Cowan, owner and founder of Shmaltz Brewing Company in Clifton Park, New York

ABV: 10.5%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

Mainstay Independent in Philadelphia brews an amazing Klaus Bock with beautiful malt notes throughout. It’s a classic lager with a smooth body, and, of course, all from a fantastic brewer with tons of years of lager experience in an iconic American lager town.

Ayinger Celebrator

Shaun O’Sullivan, co-founder and brewmaster at 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco

ABV: 6.7%

Average Price: $13 for a four-pack

Why This Beer?

I always expect this beer to have a higher ABV with all that flavor. But that’s not the case with this very respectable 6.7 percent ABV beer. This doppelbock has a deep brown color and a rich malt structure with aromas of dried currants, vanilla, cracker bread, and sweet flavors.

Half Acre Fader

Erika Wojno, US director of marketing at BrewDog in Columbus, Ohio

ABV: 5%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Fader from Half Acre is my pick. But I’m not just drinking it in the winter, I’m drinking it all year round. I have a total beer crush on everything about this Chicago brewery. This beer is crisp, refreshing, and loaded with biscuit-like malts and citrus notes.

Bierstadt Dunkel

Patrick Ware, co-founder and head of brewing operations at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix, Arizona

ABV: 6%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

Bierstadt does an incredible job making highly drinkable lager worthy of chugging in half-liter glasses. Bready-toasty malt drives the intrigue while still having a background hop presence to balance.

East Rock Black Lager

Jack Hendler, co-owner of Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers in Framingham, Massachusetts

ABV: 6.2%

Average Price: $11 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

Black Lager from East Rock Brewery is the perfect beer for winter. It’s dark, malty, and full-bodied. It’s one of those beers that warm you up when it’s cold out. It’s nice and clean, relatively easy-drinking beer on the stronger side — just above six percent.

Wiseacre Tiny Bomb

Luis G. Brignoni, founder of Wynwood Brewing Co. in Miami

ABV: 4.5%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

I’ve been traveling to Tennessee often and I’ve really enjoyed Tiny Bomb from Wiseacre. It’s a Pilsner and you really get to appreciate the consistency and quality that the brewer puts into it. Pilsners are very delicate to brew and with Tiny Bomb you get a nice balance between the malt crispness and the use of hops.

It’s very good, not just for winter but year-round.

Roy Pitz Ludwigs Revenge

Dess Leeper, sales representative at WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley, Colorado

ABV: 5.25%

Average Price: Limited Availability

Why This Beer?

When I first helped a friend out with some general things during the infancy of Roy Pitz back in 2009, the beer that they made that always grabbed my attention was a rauchbier. The beer itself was based on the local history of a town being burned down during the Civil War. They made a beer that has a history intertwined with local and international traditions that truly make this beer unique. When I sip it, I think of sitting by a campfire in the snow, smelling pleasant smoke and bacon. Rauchbiers — or smoked beers — have flavors that you don’t always find in beer, and, for me, it is one of the best beers this time of year.

Spaten Optimator

Andrew Hood, wood cellar manager and brewer at Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis

ABV: 7.6%

Average Price: $12 for a six-pack

Why This Beer?

My favorite winter lager would be Spaten Optimator. It is a classic Doppelbock and well-executed. You can’t go wrong with this beer. It has warming flavors of toffee, caramel malts, and dried fruits that make it exceptional on a cold winter’s night.

Most actors, when talking about their signature role, usually talk about them in that sort of, “Look, it’s a job and I did that job as best I could and I’m glad people liked it,” kind of way. Which, fine, it makes sense. But deep down we all kind of want the actors playing these characters we love to love them just as much as we do. And then there’s Carrie-Anne Moss, who makes no bones about how much she loved playing Trinity in the original Matrix movies and, now, can’t believe she’s back to play her again in The Matrix Resurrections.

She said, honestly, the thought never crossed her mind that she’d get to play Trinity again (which, since Trinity died in the third movie, that makes sense). To the point that after filming that final scene in The Matrix Revolutions she wound up crying because that’s how much Trinity meant to her. So, ahead, we talk about all that and, honestly, it’s so refreshing to talk to an actor who just loves a character as much as Carrie-Anne Moss loves Trinity.

Especially after the way the third movie ends, did you honestly think that this fourth movie would ever happen?

No. It never crossed my mind, honestly. I was completely shocked. When I heard it was, I didn’t see that coming. I think other people maybe had thought about it? And you hear about there’s going to be a reboot or whatever, but I didn’t ever think I would be a part of it.

It never even crossed your mind? I know how the last one ended, but at the same time, it’s like, how do you make a Matrix movie without you?

It never crossed my mind. Truly never. It never crossed my mind.

So what was the first official contact you had from anyone about this?

Lana texted me. And then we spoke on the phone. And I was completely in shock and thrilled at the thought, but I was like, wow. It almost feels like this gift, you know? I mean, it really did feel like that. Like, oh my God, I get to go back with these incredible artists. I get to rediscover this incredible character 20 years later. I mean, I know I’m explaining that I was shocked, but I’m still shocked.

Well, it is shocking.

Totally. And I remember the last day I shot the third one when Trinity dies, and it was a long day of grief and letting go of her. And I remember Lana and Lilly and me and Keanu, and I was weeping, they were weeping, and it was like I said goodbye to probably the most important character that I’ve ever played. Absolutely the most important character that I’ve ever played for myself and to these people that I had made this with. It was like goodbye.

That was actually shot on the last day of shooting?

That was my last day for me. And I remember walking out of there and thinking, wow. I was ready to move on in terms of the fact that I knew that I wanted to start a family. And I had gotten married before I shot the second and third, and I wanted to have a family really badly. But I knew that I obviously couldn’t do that while I was doing this kind of action and stuff. So I knew that saying goodbye to her meant that I was saying hello to a new phase in my life. But I also just felt… I mean, it was painful to say goodbye. I had the wherewithal and the emotional awareness to appreciate every single day that I worked on those films. I knew that it would come to an end. And I knew that I wanted to fully experience every single day, meaning the first Matrix I wasn’t married and I wasn’t in a relationship, so I would show up every day on set even if I wasn’t working.

Oh, wow.

I wanted to see. I wanted to see Laurence fight. I wanted to see Keanu fight and Hugo fight. I wanted to see those scenes that I’d read. I wanted to see what was going to happen. Maybe I didn’t go every day, but I went a lot, you know? Today I can’t do that. I have a whole family and it’s like, right?

A lot of actors are like, “Well, it was a job, and I think I did my job pretty well but I went onto something else.” It’s nice to hear how much that character means to you and it makes sense you would be emotional.

Right. I did an interview earlier and she was asking me about what it’s like to watch my movies and if I had went back and watched those three movies. And it’s like, I’m amazed at what the movies are about, and I’m always interested in delving deeper, but every scene has a story that was happening in my real life. And not that I think that on every scene, but big things, right?

Right.

You go, oh my God. I remember that day. I was going through that thing or whatever. And so that’s what’s so interesting. It’s almost like looking at a photo album of my life, especially these Matrix movies. I was growing so rapidly because of the challenges that the movie was asking me to do, which I just loved. All those physical challenges. And being amongst those just incredible humans that are all just these artists. And I was just growing so quickly. The acceleration of my personal growth is just like rapid fire. And so when I see those movies, I see them as this trilogy. And then I also see the backdrop of Carrie-Anne and what I was going through. And it’s so interesting to go back.

It’s funny, you mentioned ending the third one and then having a family. At what points do you tell your kids like, “Hey, by the way, there is a large group of people out there who think I’m one of the coolest actors.”

I’ve never said that.

Well, I know. But you know that there’s some truth to that so how do you explain, “Before you were born I played this character who is extremely popular”?

I don’t know. I don’t have a relationship really to that concept. I’m always super moved when somebody tells me that the movies affected their lives or that Trinity affected them. And I’m in awe of that. When I was a little girl and I wanted to be an actor, it was because I wanted to tell stories. I wanted to be a part of storytelling. I wanted to impact people in the way that I felt impacted. And so to actually get reflected back to me in moments by other people that they had that impact, it’s quite moving for me. But I don’t think about it much, so it’s not my reality. And so with my kids, I don’t really remember. I think I really had made this decision that I want to protect them from the business because they didn’t choose it and we didn’t talk about it. They didn’t know. I don’t even really know that they knew what I did at all. People would come up to me and say, “Are you Trinity from The Matrix?” And they didn’t know what they were talking about, you know?

How do you explain that to them? People coming up to you in public. I guess that’s what I was more wondering about.

I do remember one moment somebody asking me if I was Carrie-Anne Moss, and I think I was just like, baby in arms, trying to get from point A to point B, and I wasn’t really in the mood. I wasn’t unkind, but I was just doing something that really needed my attention. And when I’m with my family, it’s all about them, you know?

Oh of course.

When my children were little, I didn’t sign autographs if they were with me or anything like that. I just didn’t. I thought that was going to be so weird for them. So I just knew. I had my lines in the sand that I had made for myself. And I just, I said, “Oh, no,” like that. And when we got in the car, it was like, “You lied! Mom, you lied! Why did you lie?” You know what I mean? And as somebody who was talking about truth all the time? And I just looked at them and I said, “Sometimes you guys, I just don’t have it in me.”

So you told this person, “No, I am not. You are mistaken.”

Yeah, the person wasn’t sure. I get all the time, “You look like the girl from The Matrix.” I get that a lot. And I go, “Oh, okay. Yeah.” I think the first conversation that I had with my children I think was with my boys. I don’t even think my daughter was born yet. Was that, sometimes, in the work that I do, sometimes people think that people who do what I do are special. And I said, “But we know that everybody’s the same. We all have the same blood running through our bodies. We all have a heart. We all have our lives. But sometimes we may be around someone who thinks that because I’m an actress or that I was in this movie that I’m, you know.” And I think that sort of was the first time we ever talked about it. I can remember that conversation in the car. Children, this is what I always thought about when I think about my family growing up as a kid. When you’re a kid, you’re front and center in your life, right? In your mind, right? And your parents are everything to you, but they’re in the background. But if you’re the child of an actor, it’s very easy to have your parent just take this space that I never wanted that for my kids.

That makes sense.

And I think my children, maybe right now with the movie coming out, maybe it’s going to shift and change a little bit, but I would say that I don’t think that they experienced life thinking that their mother was someone special.

What were you thinking while you were filming the first one? Or maybe even finished filming the first one, but it hadn’t come out yet? Were you thinking this is going to be a hit?

No. No.

I remember The Phantom Menace was the movie everyone was looking forward to. And then this comes out a couple of months before and just changes everything.

I wasn’t expecting anything. I’ve also made my mental framework that I don’t expect anything from anything in this business because you have no control. You never know. And so that’s really served me really well. And it’s been pretty easy for me to do that. I remember with the first Matrix, I was with some friends on a trip and a few of the people were in the business and knew there was some phone number you called and you got all the box office whatever.

Oh, right. I remember that.

I don’t even know! I don’t even know. Okay, I have no idea. I still don’t. You know what I mean? And so somebody in the group told me, “Holy crap. The Matrix is killing it!” And I’m like, “What does that mean?” I know it’s show business, but I’ve never really understood the business part so much. I’m always professional and all that, but I had no idea. Nobody was calling me and telling me.

A couple of weeks ago it came out Charlie Cox is now part of the MCU and people are hoping that means a lot of other characters who were on the Netflix Marvel shows might be, too. Do you want to keep playing Jeri? People enjoyed you on those shows.

Yeah, I loved playing her. That was really a fun role to play. I didn’t know that information! So thank you. See, I have to get my information through people like you. So that’s exciting. Oh, how great. He’s such a lovely person. Well, that would be cool. I don’t have any expectations. Again, expectation is just the food of disappointment! But, cool. That’s cool.

‘Matrix Resurrections’ opens via theaters and HBO Max on December 22nd. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

2021 was quite the year for Baltimore hardcore group Turnstile. Their third album, Glow On, thrust the group to greater heights than they had ever reached before, as it became their first project to chart on the Billboard 200. Furthermore, the LP was named one of the year’s best albums by pretty much every music publication (including Uproxx), ranking highly on many of those lists. Now, they just put a cherry on top of their year last night by making their late-night TV debut on Late Night.

The group performed a pair of songs on the show, which might sound like a lot, but together, “Mystery” and “TLC (Turnstile Love Connection)” run for a total of about four minutes, and even less time as they were performed on Late Night. As for the performance, they didn’t tone down their hardcore sensibilities just because they were on a major network, as they delivered impassioned renditions of both tracks, which sounded like one as they transitioned from one to the other on the fly.

A late-night TV appearance is a major opportunity for any artist, but especially for a group that plays in a genre not often represented on national television, so the band was pretty pleased with the situation, as evidenced by the photo they took outside of the studio.

Watch Turnstile perform “Mystery” and “TLC (Turnstile Love Connection)” on Late Night above.

Tierra Whack continues her comeback with the release of her third three-song-one-genre EP, R&B? — following her Rap? and Pop? EPs, which showed off the Philly artist’s impressive array of talents. The lead video from R&B? is the somber “Heaven,” which came with an equally low-key music video. In true Tierra Whack fashion, the video features a surrealistic twist: as she walks in the rain, it slowly dawns on you that the rain is coming from her umbrella rather than over it.

Lyrically, the song features a sobering but relatable theme for anyone who’s lost loved ones — especially over the past year. “Heaven has all of my favorite people,” she sings. “I wanna go there.” In addition to the melancholy of “Heaven,” R&B? features “Sorry,” a wistful address to a former flamed she wronged, and “Cutting Onions,” on which she processes the passing of her beloved grandmother. All three songs are more downtempo than Whack’s prior output in the series, and true to form, feature her putting all her skills on display despite what the project’s title might suggest.

Now that she’s released three EPs in the same mode, it’ll be interesting to see whether she keeps the theme going — there’s always dance music, rock, and a half-dozen other genres I’m sure fans would love to see her try out — or moves on, but one thing’s certain: It’ll be the thing she wants to do and she will do it her own way.

Watch Tierra Whack’s “Heaven” video above and listen to the R&B? EP here.

MyPlllow Guy/CEO Mike Lindell’s suffered one humiliating legal setback after another — from a judge refusing to toss out Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.3 million suit against him to another judge ruling that a false report that he dated Jane Krakowski wasn’t defamatory — while attempting to prove the nonexistent “stolen election” against Donald Trump in the 2020 election, and he refuses to have his spirit knocked down.

His wallet, though? That’s another matter altogether. Lindell has spoken with CNBC about how much he’s spent on his false claims and telethons and so on, and it’s a whopper. Since Election Day 2020, Lindell claims to have dropped $25 million into the fruitless, dangerous, Democracy-threatening cause, and he’s not done yet. Lindell has vowed to keep spending through the 2022 midterms, and he’s declared that he’s willing to go broke in the process. Well, that’s some commitment, alright. Via CNBC:

:I will keep spending it because there is no tomorrow. We lose our country. We either only have two paths: either it gets changed before the 2022 election or we lose our country forever. I will spend every dime I have,” Lindell told CNBC during a nearly hourlong interview Wednesday. “I will spend whatever it takes.”

Yep, no one can ever accuse this guy of a lack of energy. Of late, he’s been storming out of interviews and pulling ads from right-wing radio shows if he feels at all slighted. Then there’s his insistence that “millions” of people watched his Thanksgiving “marathon” when it was only a few dozens, and only a few people showed up to protest Fox News at his request. If the guy wants to spend all his money shouting into the wind, so be it.

(Via CNBC)

Stan Van Gundy is back in the broadcast booth. After spending one year as the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, Van Gundy is back with Turner, where he calls games for TNT and generally does a pretty good job breaking down the stuff that we see happen in a basketball game. Really, no complaints here, Stan, keep it up, my guy.

Moving on: Let’s talk mayonnaise. Van Gundy went onto The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Thursday and was asked about mayo. More specifically, he was asked whether or not he finds it disgusting, and SVG made clear that he’s a huge fan of the stuff.

“Oh no no no no no,” Van Gundy said. “No, no. That is the number one condiment. Like, if you can only have one condiment, and all the others are gonna disappear from earth, and there will be no other condiments, you gotta go with mayonnaise.”

I’ll be honest: I disagree, more of a honey mustard fan myself, but I respect the passion Van Gundy has for the subject. He went on to give another mayo-based take that involves one of his favorite mayo applications.

“Here’s the thing, little known,” Van Gundy said. “Now I will, by choice, put mustard on a hot dog. But, but, mayonnaise works on a hot dog, too.”

Candidly, never heard of this one, although I do suppose I have had hot dogs with mayo-based cole slaw on them and they were good, so at least there’s that. Anyway Stan, if you are reading this and you ever want a place where you can rattle off some food takes, get in touch. (This offer also applies to Jeff.)

It’s pretty well known that Stephen Colbert is a huge nerd who absolutely loves the Lord Of The Rings film trilogy but not as well known is the apparent fact that so is renowned Atlanta rapper Killer Mike.

Wait, what?

Yep, that’s right. Killer Mike joined Stephen Colbert on last night’s episode of The Late Show to celebrate the film series’ 20th anniversary with an elf-laden rap video in which Colbert, dressed hilariously in an old-school hip-hop get-up that LL Cool J would have loved back in the ’80s, Late Show bandleader Jon Batiste, and Mike rampage through a Blockbuster-like video store set, putting down other film trilogies like Star Wars and The Godfather as vastly inferior.

Then the hobbits themselves show up. Yes, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, and Sean Astin show up as raptified versions of their mischievous film characters to continue the song along with Elijah Wood, who poses in front of a Benz with “Baggins” on the license plate. The music video even gets meta, as Wood disses the Pitch Perfect trilogy, prompting a quick interlude of that series’ star Anna Kendrick looking very confused and kind of disgusted.

Method Man shows up to replace Gandalf actor Ian McKellan, Killer Mike slates Back To The Future, Indiana Jones, The Mighty Ducks, Twilight (another Kendrick cameo!), and The Dark Knight trilogy. Andy Serkis — aka Gollum — plays the flute as Hugo Weaving raps in freaking Elvish. This video has everything. You should really check it out.

Following an awkward Vanity Fair interview where Jeff Garlin fluctuated between confirming and denying multiple allegations of misconduct on the set of The Goldbergs, the actor is leaving the series after being the subject of several HR investigations. Despite denying rumors that he was fired from the show, Garlin did tell Vanity Fair‘s Maureen Ryan that it was a possibility that he could exit the ABC sitcom if that’s what Sony Pictures Television wants. Via Deadline:

According to sources, a mutual agreement was reached today that Garlin will not be returning to the show. His exit is effective immediately. Reps for Sony Pictures Television, which produces the comedy, had no comment.

Garlin was believed to have had one more day of shooting left from the original 18-episode Season 9 order after his schedule had been reduced. No decision has been made yet on a potential 10th season of The Goldbergs, which remains one of ABC’s strongest comedy series.

Despite agreeing to the Vanity Fair interview against the advice of his representation, Garlin refused to get into the specifics of the misconduct allegations against him, which he acknowledged existed, but chalked them up to his “process” that involves being “silly” on set. However, Deadline was able to speak to sources on the set who elaborated on Garlin’s alleged behavior:

According to a source on the show, a camera assistant made a complaint to her department head about Garlin’s use of the word. After the actor found out, he reportedly put his hands around her and kept saying “vagina” in her face over and over again. Overall, Garlin’s go-to jokes that a number of people on the show found offensive were talking about grandma’s vagina, balls and brassier, a co-worker said. Additionally, he would not address some longtime female crew members by name, using instead nicknames that some also considered offensive.

Garlin is also accused of being “extremely verbally and emotionally abusive” during the few days he’s on set. He acknowledged an incident with his double, which he again categorized as “silly,” but according to sources, Garlin reportedly swore at the man’s wife, who also works on the show, which sparked the most recent HR investigation that led to Garlin’s exit.

(Via Deadline)

Urban Meyer’s time as an NFL coach came to an end in the early hours of Thursday morning. While anything can theoretically happen, it seems safe to assume Meyer won’t get an NFL redemption story, as his time as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars was an unsavory mix of terrible play on the field and a bevy of stories/incidents that made Meyer look completely in over his head off of it.

From the moment he was hired, there were waves of skepticism about how Meyer — a lifelong college coach who was known for being so obsessed with winning that he’d visibly struggle with losses and ruling with an iron fist — would translate to the pro game, and that skepticism ended up being warranted. Before he even coached a game, Meyer made personnel decisions that drew waves of scrutiny, which included his decision to give Tim Tebow a roster spot at tight end despite him never playing the position.

In response to Meyer’s firing, ESPN’s Keyshawn, JWill, and Max turned to Birdman classic “What Happened to That Boy” on the introduction for Thursday’s show while a bunch of clips of Meyer played.

This is hardly the only group of folks that got jokes off in the face of Meyer’s ouster, as football fans took to Twitter to make fun of the former Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and Ohio State coach’s firing.

In a new feature on Jack Harlow for Billboard, the Louisvillian rapper explained why he consistently turned down pop crossover bids until working with Lil Nas X on “Industry Baby.” In addition to not wanting to be seen as a “novelty act,” he also said that he feels a “certain responsibility” to respect rap as a genre and hip-hop as a culture.

“There is a certain reality that I am white, and I think there will always be something attached to that,” he said. “No matter how embraced I am, there will never be a day that I’m Black. With that being said, there’s a certain responsibility that comes with being a white man in a Black genre, and there’s certain things that have me regarded differently. But there is something exciting about skipping over any barriers that might be there and creating unity.”

In addition, the features also reveals that Harlow was the one who approached Lil Nas X to work, according to Take A Daytrip’s Denzel Baptiste. “What impressed me the most about Jack’s verse was that before we did it, he reached out directly and let Nas know he wanted to work,” he said. “When we got the verse back, it was this super-long idea. It wouldn’t normally fit a pop-song structure, but there were so many amazing moments in it. We produced around it in a way that made it a huge focal point of the song.”

It was clearly a wise move for everyone involved. “Industry Baby” — one of Uproxx’s Best Songs of 2021 — reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 and achieved a level of pop-culture ubiquity that most artists can only dream of. For the “What’s Poppin” rapper and his collaborator, though, it was just one more step in their quest to be the biggest stars ever.