| | | | | | What's news: The Jimmy Kimmel suspension is dominating the news. Tom Fontana has been elected president of the WGA East. Lionsgate has cut around 50 jobs. Disney+ has renewed Daredevil: Born Again. Seth Rogen and Kate Berlant have joined S2 of Netflix's Nobody Wants This. And Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence will star in Martin Scorsese's next movie. — Abid Rahman
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How Kimmel Might Have Been Sacrificed for a Multibillion-Dollar TV Deal ►The Art of the Deal. You may not be too familiar with Nexstar CEO Perry Sook. But he and his company are a big reason Jimmy Kimmel is off the air. THR's Steven Zeitchik and Alex Weprin look into possible reasons why Sook's Nexstar inserted itself into the biggest media story in America, a decision that notably comes just weeks after Nexstar announced a $6.2b acquisition of rival Tegna, which would give it 64 additional news stations in 51 markets to go with the 200 owned and partner stations it already has, and bring the company’s market coverage of the U.S. to about 80 percent. The analysis.
—Ominous. In the immediate wake of the Kimmel controversy, Donald Trump suggested that broadcast networks should have their FCC licenses revoked if they air overwhelmingly negative coverage of — or commentary about — him. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, “I have read someplace that the networks were 97 percent against me, I get 97 percent negative, and yet I won and easily,” according to reporters on the plane. He added on the return flight from his U.K. visit: “I would think maybe their license should be taken away.” The story.
—How it all went down. THR's Tony Maglio runs through the wild course of events that led to ABC pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air. Tony reports that Disney chief Bob Iger and TV head Dana Walden wanted to know how Kimmel was going to address the situation. Sources say he planned to defend what he said rather than "kowtowing” to the outrage. Disney thought that such an approach would only fan the flames. The story.
—"Jimmy Kimmel did not say exactly what you think he said." Never has a snarky, clumsily worded and insensitive-sounding aside caused so much trouble. THR's James Hibberd writes that Jimmy Kimmel’s comment about Charlie Kirk shooting suspect Tyler Robinson has sparked a cascading series of dramatic (and chilling) events. But many — if not most — are interpreting the comment in a way that its phrasing does not entirely support. Entirely being the operative word. The story.
—"We don't have the ability to actually take these actions." The FCC's threats against Disney over the comments made by Kimmel are “truly empty,” according to the lone Democratic commissioner on the FCC, Anna Gomez, but that may not be the point. "We don’t have the ability to actually take these actions, but it’s the threat of the enforcement that is the point. It is to get capitulation as soon as possible," Gomez said. "And when you see so much capitulation by the corporate parents, it’s really disappointing, because every time they capitulate, rather than show courage, what they are doing is eroding our democracy and our First Amendment freedoms." The story. |
Trump's Attack on ABC Is Illegal. It Might Not Matter ►The carrot or the stick? THR's Winston Cho writes that since the start of his second term, Trump has used every lever of government to fight back against what he considers conservative bias in mainstream media and adversarial coverage. By dangling carrots of selective regulatory enforcement and favorable regulation, he’s effectively been able to strongarm networks, which disguise the could-be censorship as private business decisions. The analysis.
—"You can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office." Late night icon David Letterman also shared his thoughts on the Kimmel controversy. Letterman, appearing Thursday afternoon on a panel at the Atlantic Festival, told a New York audience that when he was host of The Late Show for years, he was never "squeezed by anyone from any governmental agency" on his political humor. "You know, I just, I feel bad about this because we all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media. And it’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous," Letterman added. The story.
—Self censorship? You know how media figures make fun of Fox News when they ignore a huge story that makes Trump look bad? Something similar seemed to happen during ABC's The View on Thursday, which ignored the biggest media story in the country. The View panel was dead silent on the blockbuster Kimmel controversy in their own network’s backyard. A source close to the show insists the panel was not forbidden from discussing Kimmel. It’s admittedly possible the panelists opted to self-censor during a period of internal crisis, as it’s difficult to imagine they didn’t find the topic compelling enough to discuss. The story.
—"We really needed to be in a financially valuable business." Shari Redstone weighed on the state of late night TV, including CBS’ decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert next year and the Kimmel news. "I can tell you that we had been looking at late night. It was financially not viable, it had been that way for a long time,” Redstone said. As for Kimmel, Redstone said, “I do think we all need to be thoughtful of the content we’re putting on air, given the division that exists in this country." The former non-executive chairwoman of Paramount Global made the comments at an Axios Media Trends event in New York. Redstone also said she thinks that Bari Weiss will bring some much-needed change to CBS News, should Paramount Skydance complete its long-rumored acquisition talks with Weiss’ The Free Press. The story.
—"Everyone’s shocked and everyone’s pretty furious." Entertainment workers expressed fear, anger and disbelief as they took to the streets outside Walt Disney Studios on Thursday to protest ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Protestors crowded the sidewalks around the main entrance to the legacy studio in Burbank. People who identified themselves as Hollywood union members mingled alongside others with no connection to the entertainment business, cheering honks from passing cars and raising signs whose messages included “Shame on ABC!,” “ABC All Baseless Cowards” and “You Can’t Please Tyrants.” The story. |
Late Night Reacts to Kimmel Suspension ►"We have another fun, hilarious, Administration-compliant show." Jon Stewart couldn't wait till Monday to offer his take on the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel. Returning to The Daily Show several days before his usual Monday slot at the desk, Stewart threw his audience a curveball: He showed what his show would be like in a Donald Trump-controlled media world. The set’s background changed to a gaudy gold, Stewart played the role of an obsequious and cowed host who is terrified of saying the wrong thing on air. The recap.
—"Daddy’s home!" On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert pulled out all the stops in defending his late-night competitor and friend Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday. That included pulling out his old Comedy Central character: Stephen Colbert the political pundit and host of The Colbert Report. Cue the bald eagle screech. The faux Colbert jumped right back into his signature segment, “The Word,” which puts the conservative words coming out of his Republican mouth at odds with contradictory text in a side-chyron. To get us out of this “free-speech crisis,” Colbert suggests we all just…don’t say anything. And certainly not aloud. The recap.
—"We’re gonna keep doing our show the way we’ve always done it." On Late Night, Seth Meyers stressed the importance of free speech and also showed support for Jimmy Kimmel. Meyers kicked off his “Closer Look” segment by joking that he’s "always admired and respected Mr. Trump." "If you’ve ever seen me say anything negative about him, that’s just AI," he continued. "I’m told there’s some clips of me on the internet making jokes about it from a few years back. Those are obviously deep fakes." The recap.
—Jimmy backs Jimmy. Even the famously apolitical Jimmy Fallon got slightly political on The Tonight Show on Thursday as he addressed Kimmel's suspension. “Well guys, the big story is that Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC, after pressure from the FCC leaving everyone thinking, ‘WTF,’” Fallon joked, before turning serious. “But to be honest with you all, I don’t know what’s going on — no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he is a decent, funny and loving guy. And I hope he comes back.” Fallon then said he would perform his monologue “just like I normally would,” but whenever the punchlines of his jokes involved Trump, an announcer stepped in to censor them. The recap. |
Tom Fontana Elected President of the WGA East ►✊ New chief in place. ✊ The Writers Guild of America East has found its next leader. Veteran television creator and showrunner Tom Fontana was elected to be the East Coast writers union’s next president on Thursday after running on a platform that emphasized meat-and-potato wage and benefits issues in addition to the importance of defending free speech. Fontana’s two-year term will start on Friday as current leader Lisa Takeuchi Cullen steps down. Fontana will serve alongside Sasha Stewart and Michael Rauch, who both ran unopposed for the secretary-treasurer and the vice president of the film, television and streaming sector positions, respectively. The story.
—Not great. Lionsgate has cut around 50 jobs company-wide, or approximately 5 percent of its workforce, in its latest belt-tightening effort. The latest round of layoffs at the studio behind the John Wick and The Hunger Games franchises brings to 13 percent the total headcount reduction over the past year. The cuts are part of an ongoing move toward corporate efficiency and cost-cutting measures, and are in line with similar downsizing at rival media companies in Hollywood after the end of the Peak TV era and the impact of the 2023 Hollywood strikes. The layoffs also follow Lionsgate splitting its studio business from Starz to open up strategic possibilities in a consolidating entertainment industry. The story.
—📅 Ready for business. 📅 Steven Spielberg called it the most daunting film of his career. Stephen Sondheim said his own lyrics made him cringe. When talking about West Side Story — among the most enduring stage and screen properties of all time — there is rarely a shortage of awe or debate. The LA Opera — not particularly known for Broadway or Hollywood adaptations — is about to put its own ambitious stamp on this masterwork, which was originally conceived by Broadway great Jerome Robbins as a modern-day (1950s) take on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. The show opens Saturday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where it will run through Oct. 12. The story. |
Secret Taylor Swift Event Headed to Theaters ►Swifties assemble! THR's James Hibberd, Borys Kit and Pamela McClintock have truffled out the scoop that Taylor Swift is prepping to return to theaters! The news comes just weeks before the superstar is set to release her upcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl. The content of the theatrical event is unclear, but sources say that it will be tied to The Life of a Showgirl, Swift’s new studio album that drops on Friday Oct. 3. Multiple sources say the theatrical event will also drop that weekend. The theatrical event is shrouded in mystery, and it is unknown who directed the project, though it’s possible Swift helmed it herself after directing Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions documentary that hit Disney+ in 2020. Sam Wrench helmed 2023’s The Eras Tour movie. The story.
—🎭 A-list leads. 🎭 Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence will star in the next movie for Martin Scorsese. The film is an adaptation of the ghost novel What Happens At Night, which follows a married couple that travels to Europe to adopt a baby, staying in a cavernous, fading European hotel filled with eccentric characters. Patrick Marber penned the screenplay. Apple Original Films is in talks to finance and produce the movie with Studiocanal. The movie marks the first onscreen collaboration for Lawrence with Scorsese as a director. (Scorsese is a producer on Lawrence’s upcoming feature Die, My Love). DiCaprio last worked with his longtime collaborator on Apple feature’ Killers of the Flower Moon. The story.
—📅 Pushed back. 📅 Fans of Colleen Hoover‘s best-selling novel Reminders of Him will have to wait a bit longer to see Universal's big screen adaptation of the wildly popular romantic drama. The film is shifting its theatrical release date from Feb. 5, 2026 to March 13, 2026. The new date means it can take advantage of rolling school holidays. Reminders of Him takes the place of an untitled Blumhouse film. Maika Monroe, who hit mainstream success with last year’s horror hit Longlegs, stars in the film, with Vanessa Caswill directing. The story.
—🎭 Two more. 🎭 MrBeast and Salish Matter are joining the flock for Paramount's The Angry Birds Movie 3. Smosh members Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox will also reprise their respective roles of Hal and Bubbles from the two previous films. The studio also announced that the movie is now set for theatrical release on Dec. 23, 2026, moving up a month from its previous spot on the calendar. The previously announced castmembers for Angry Birds 3 include Jason Sudeikis as Red, Josh Gad as Chuck, Rachel Bloom as Silver and Danny McBride as Bomb. Additional voice castmembers include Emma Myers, Keke Palmer, Tim Robinson, Lily James, Marcello Hernandez, Walker Scobell, Sam Richardson, Anna Cathcart, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Nikki Glaser, James Austin Johnson and Psalm West. The story. |
'Daredevil: Born Again' Nabs S3 Renewal ►Quick as you like. Marvel and Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again has been renewed for a third season, months before its previously ordered second season debuts in May 2026. The series stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio as superhero/lawyer Matt Murdock and mob boss Wilson Fisk, respectively. Their violent clash of characters in the Marvel series, which has been a solid performer on Disney+, underpinned the original Netflix action series. Born Again is not a spinoff of the Netflix series Daredevil (which ended its three season run in 2018), but instead serves as a straightforward continuation. The story.
—🎭 They want this. 🎭 The Studio star Seth Rogen and Kate Berlant have joined the second season of Nobody Wants This, the Netflix romantic comedy series. The first season of the Emmy-nominated show saw Kristen Bell play Joanne, an agnostic podcast host, who falls for Noah, an unconventional rabbi played by Adam Brody and who had just broken up with a longtime girlfriend. Rogen and Berlant will guest star in the second season set to bow on Oct. 23. Bell, Brody, Justine Lupe, Timothy Simons and Jackie Tohn are all returning for season two, along with Stephanie Faracy, Michael Hitchcock, Tovah Feldshuh, Paul Ben-Victor, Emily Arlook, Sherry Cola and Shiloh Berman. The story.
—Another record! Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters added another accolade to its massive summertime run. In the same week that it the biggest movie to date in Netflix's internal rankings, the animated hit notched its 10th straight week on Nielsen's top 10 streaming movie charts. That’s a record for an original streaming film in the five years Nielsen has been breaking down its streaming charts between series (original and acquired) and movies. KPop Demon Hunters, which had 930m minutes of watch time in its 10th week (Aug. 18-24), tops the previous record of nine weeks in the Nielsen top 10 for The Mitchells vs. the Machines in 2021. The movie finished second overall for the week behind Wednesday (1.13b minutes), which topped the charts for the third straight week. The streaming rankings. |
Hollywood's Failure to Capture Online Life Has Never Been More Glaring ►"What we are likely to be served are movies that allegorize or gesture toward internet culture rather than address it literally." For THR, critic Richard Lawson writes that "in the immediate aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder, one of the most vexing things occluding the facts of what happened was a general illiteracy regarding the online culture that had engulfed the alleged killer — its memes and codes and ideologies." Richard writes that current events continue to remind us that millions of young people are living much of their lives online, and more movies should reflect that reality. The critic's notebook.
—"Thoroughly unobjectionable and mostly unmemorable." THR's Angie Han reviews Netflix's Haunted Hotel. Dan Harmon serves as executive producer on an animated comedy from Rick and Morty alum Matt Roller that features the voices of Eliza Coupe, Will Forte, Skyler Gisondo, Natalie Palamides, Jimmi Simpson. The review. |
Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.
—It Happened in Hollywood. THR senior writer Seth Abramovitch goes behind the scenes of the pop culture moments that shaped Hollywood history. In this episode, Seth spoke to Philippe Rousselot. The celebrated French cinematographer, who has won an Oscar, a BAFTA and several Cesar awards, discusses the making of Jean-Jacques Beineix's cult 1981 film Diva. The podcast.
In other news...
—SNL: Bad Bunny, Amy Poehler, Sabrina Carpenter set as hosts to open S51
—Jason Clarke’s got a real Con Air situation in trailer for Apple TV+'s The Last Frontier
—Outlander S8 teaser sets up epic end to Claire and Jamie’s love story
—AFI Fest to host world premiere of The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants
—Former Capitol CEO Michelle Jubelirer unveils new management company
—Clairo signs record deal with Atlantic Records
—Golden Globe Foundation donates $3m in grants to 86 nonprofits
What else we're reading...
—Zachary Basu and Sara Fischer write that pro-Trump billionaires are consolidating control over American media, steering legacy brands and social platforms in a new conservative direction [Axios]
—In the era of Trump's culture wars, Laura Bradley writes that late-night TV isn’t just dying, it’s being strangled [Vanity Fair]
—Katherine J. Wu looks at how RFK Jr. could eliminate vaccines without banning them [Atlantic]
—Ken Klippenstein reports that the Trump administration is preparing to designate transgender people as “violent extremists” in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder [Substack]
—Here's your Friday list: SNL: Every one-season wonder, from Martin Short to Robert Downey Jr. [THR]
Today...
...in 1963, MGM unveiled The V.I.P.s, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, in theaters. The film went on to win an Oscar at the 36th Academy Awards ceremony for Margaret Rutherford in the best supporting actress category. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Jeremy Irons (77), D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (24), Celine Song (37), Jimmy Fallon (51), Sanaa Lathan (54), Edi Patterson (51), Rachel Sennott (30), Connor Swindells (29), Jayme Lawson (28), Kim Richards (61), Twiggy (76), Allan Havey (71), Danielle Panabaker (38), Katrina Bowden (37), Alison Sweeney (49), Kevin Zegers (41), Zoë Chao (40), Lorenza Izzo (36), Cheri Oteri (63), Song Joong-ki (40), David Bamber (71), Paul Williams (85), Rosemary Harris (98), Carolyn McCormick (66), Spencer Garrett (62), Alessandro Borghi (39), Victor Williams (55), Shawn Doyle (57), Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (52), Mamoru Hosoda (58), Columbus Short (43), Peter Vack (39), Nic Bishop (52), Martha Howe-Douglas (45), Alexandra Vandernoot (60), Richard Ridings (67), Taylor Geare (24), Phia Saban (27), Stephanie Allynne (40), Noémie Lenoir (46), Olivia Swann (33) |
| Joel Moss, the Grammy-winning producer, engineer and mixer for a slew of memorable Hollywood film scores and recordings including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Footloose, Sister Act, City Slickers, Sleepless in Seattle, Mosquito Coast, Dead Poets Society, Gorillas in the Mist and A Few Good Men, has died. He was 79. The obituary. |
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