In recent days, there?s been a lot of media gossip in and around MSNBC and NBC News. One big story is that Lester Holt is stepping down as the anchor of NBC Nightly News. This was announced on Monday, with Holt writing a letter to NBC News? staffers:

Lester Holt, the veteran NBC newscaster and anchor of the ?NBC Nightly News? over the last decade, announced on Monday that he will step down from the flagship evening newscast in the coming months. Mr. Holt told colleagues that he would remain at NBC, expanding his duties at ?Dateline,? where he serves as the show?s anchor.

?It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to work with each of you every day, keeping journalism as our true north and our viewers at the center of everything we do,? Mr. Holt, 65, wrote in a memo to colleagues.

He said that he would continue anchoring the evening news until ?the start of summer.? The network did not immediately name a successor.

Mr. Holt provided a steady hand to ?NBC Nightly News? when he ascended to the job in 2015. The evening newscast was mired in a scandal after it was revealed that Brian Williams, the anchor at the time, had embellished a story about a helicopter attack in Iraq.

[From The NY Times]

While there was some criticism of Holt last year for the ways in which he conducted various interviews in and around the presidential election, Holt was absolutely seen as a steady hand and an old-fashioned news anchor. I also don?t think those controversies are why he?s stepping down? Page Six claims that Holt?s successor will be Tom Llamas or Hallie Jackson, but Llamas will probably get it.

Holt was also NBC?s first Black anchor of their nightly news. Which brings me to the shenanigans at MSNBC ? apparently, a few of the anchors of color got sh-tcanned in recent days. To be fair, everyone knew the ax would fall on some of these people, especially now that the bottom dropped out for every cable news network except Fox News. Millions of voters did not appreciate MSNBC?s election coverage and those people (myself included) have simply stopped watching cable news entirely. MSNBC has seen absolutely decrepit viewership numbers post-election and everyone knew that people would be fired and replaced and that major shakeups were coming. I?m not sure people predicted that MSNBC would replace or fire all of the non-white anchors though.

MSNBC announced a series of programming changes Monday that amount to a major shake-up to the network?s daytime, evening and weekend lineups. Most significantly, the network is canceling the 7 p.m. show hosted by Joy Reid, the progressive commentator who in 2020 became the only Black woman to host a daily prime-time cable news program.

In her place, the network will air a show hosted by Symone Sanders Townsend, the former chief spokesperson to then-Vice President Kamala Harris; Michael Steele, the former Republican National Committee chairman; and veteran journalist Alicia Menendez. The trio currently host a show titled ?The Weekend.?

The network has also decided to end Alex Wagner?s tenure as part-time host of the 9 p.m. hour. Since 2022, Rachel Maddow has hosted the 9 p.m. hour on Monday nights and Wagner hosted the rest of the week. As part of the network?s coverage of the first 100 days of the new Trump administration, Maddow has been hosting her show five nights per week, moving Wagner to a role as a roving correspondent covering the early impacts of Donald Trump?s presidency.

When Maddow?s every-evening stint ends at the end of April, former White House press secretary Jen Psaki will instead host the 9 p.m. hour Tuesday through Friday going forward, the network announced, with Wagner remaining with the network as a senior political analyst. Psaki, who is seen as a rising star at the network, currently hosts ?Inside with Jen Psaki,? which airs on Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings.

A source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, said that Reid?s departure should not be read as a move to the political center, considering that Reid has long been an outspoken critic of the president.

[From WaPo]

So Joy Reid is the only one being fired outright, while other anchors are being shifted around. Are they also saying Alex Wagner will be completely gone or are they giving her something else to do? Jonathan Capehart will still have a weekend show and so will Ayman Mohyeldin. Anyway? yeah? I watched MSNBC last year during the election and let?s just say, I?m not mad that Joy is being pushed out. MSNBC has needed a big shakeup for a while, but honestly, it?s too late at this point (for me, at least). It?s also wild that Mika & Joe are apparently going nowhere??

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Ke Huy Quan had a surprise ?voice cameo? in The White Lotus. This post is a bit spoilery if you haven?t seen last night?s episode! [Just Jared]
A Tom Hiddleston sighting! [Go Fug Yourself]
Justin Bieber?s rep swears that Justin is not on drugs. [Socialite Life]
Review of Osgood Perkins? The Monkey. [LaineyGossip]
Everyone?s talking about The Pitt these days. [Pajiba]
Lady Gaga took VF?s lie detector test. [OMG Blog]
Here?s more about Cynthia Erivo?s SAG look. [RCFA]
Colin Farrell gave covid to Jamie Lee Curtis at the Golden Globes. [Seriously OMG]
Is a Southern Charm star engaged? [Starcasm]
Joy Reid?s MSNBC show was canceled. [Hollywood Life]
I genuinely hope in-person banking doesn?t stop. [Buzzfeed]

If George Clooney has anything, it?s the audacity. Last summer, Clooney authored a NY Times column (rumored to be ghostwritten) about how Joe Biden was too old to be president and there should be a mini-primary to select the next Democratic presidential nominee, because VP Kamala Harris was obviously not the next in line. Between Clooney?s column and Nancy Pelosi?s machinations, the entire election cycle changed in the course of a couple of weeks. I will never forget the way these people treated Pres. Biden OR Kamala Harris. Clooney is on my permanent sh-tlist. He stayed quiet for a few months, but he?s currently promoting the Broadway adaptation of Good Night and Good Luck. Clooney is taking over the Edward R. Murrow role (David Strathairn played Murrow in the film, which was directed by Clooney). To promote this mess, Clooney spoke to Maureen Dowd at the NYT. Some highlights:

Playing Murrow: ?I always felt like there was a sadness to Murrow, and that was not something that you could associate with me at 40 years old,? he said. Now he has to turn back the clock and cover his salt-and-pepper mane with black dye. ?My wife is going to hate it because nothing makes you look older than when an older guy dyes his hair. My kids are going to just laugh at me nonstop.?

The Trump era: ?You take a narrative, you make it up, don?t worry about facts, don?t worry about repercussions.? He said the play ?feels more like it?s about truth, not just the press. Facts matter. [But] No rules count anymore. It?s like letting an infant walk across the 405 freeway in the middle of the afternoon.?

Explaining the 2016 election: ?I believe that whole idea of the arc of history bending toward justice, and I know it doesn?t feel that way right now. I think there are always these pendulum swings. The first Trump election was, I believe, a result of eight years of a Black president.?

Explaining the 2024 election: ?The Biden administration was terrible at explaining that we?re a world economy, where we were actually doing better than all the other G7 countries. They were bad at telling the story because their messenger was not working at his best, to say the least.?

On Trump: ?He was a New York guy. He?d be at a restaurant and he?d be like, ?What?s the name of that cocktail waitress??? Trump even suggested a doctor who might help Clooney with an injury he had suffered on the set of ?Syriana,? the film that netted him a best supporting actor Oscar. He added, ?We?ve got to hope that he can have that Scrooge night where he wakes up and there are some ghosts of Christmas there that say, ?There?s some good things you can do for people.??

Another Biden story: Last June, Clooney and Obama appeared at a glittery L.A. fund-raiser that raised $28 million for President Joseph R. Biden Jr. When Biden appeared to freeze onstage, Obama led him away. Clooney was gobsmacked. ?I saw him for hours a year earlier at the Kennedy Center, and I saw someone much less sharp? that night, Clooney said. ?I?ve always liked Joe Biden, and I like him still.?

Writing the NYT op-ed: But after Biden?s debate meltdown, Clooney wrote a guest essay for The New York Times urging Biden to step aside. People thought Obama was behind it, but Clooney said he did it despite being urged not to. Many Democrats were grateful to Clooney, who said publicly what they were panicking about in private. Biden, then 81, had promised to be ?a bridge? but was stubbornly clinging to power. But Biden?s cordon sanitaire at the White House and some other Democrats were angry at the actor. The piece sparked a debate about whether celebrities should have such high-profile roles in a party that is already perceived as rich, coastal and out of touch. Biden abdicated his responsibility by hiding his incapacities, Clooney told me, and ?the media, in many ways, dropped the ball.?

[From The NY Times]

Several things I?d like to say, in no particular order. The anger I had (and still have) for Clooney is the way he and others were eager to pass over VP Harris in all of their nonsensical fantasies about replacing Biden. I continue to be outraged that there was all of this smoke for Biden?s advanced age and those people wouldn?t say one f?king word about Trump?s very obvious mental and physical decline. I continue to be disgusted that people like Clooney weren?t taking the threat of another Trump term seriously ? they were like children fighting over a shiny toy, rather than adults justifiably terrified of how bad a second Trump term would be. They should have been locked in to do anything to ensure a Democratic victory, and they just weren?t. Clooney?s explanation that Biden was too old to explain why the American economy was doing well makes no sense either ? the media refused to give Biden credit where credit was due, with the NYT (Clooney?s outlet of choice) running daily stories minimizing the galloping success of the Biden economy. Anyway, long story short, Clooney can choke and I hope his play bombs.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Presenter and nominee Lily Gladstone rewore a gorgeous Gucci gown last night that was custom made in a collaboration with Indigenous artist Joe Big Mountain. She originally wore this gown to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party last year and had to borrow it back from the Smithsonian to wear to the SAGs! Lily mentioned on the red carpet that the adornment is custom made from porcupine quills. I love the black and white detailing and the intricate layers of fringe. Lily was nominated for actress in a Television Movie or Limited Series, which went to Jessica Gunning for Baby Reindeer.

Jodie Foster was also nominated in this category, for True Detective. She was in a cranberry sequin Gucci boat neck gown. Jodie brought her son Charlie, 26, as her date!

Jessica Gunning was elegant in a velvet black Marchesa gown with ruffle sleeves. She?s been killing it this awards season and I hope she gets all the roles after this. Here?s a link to her acceptance speech. Jessica said she had a vision board during her time working in an office and that the other nominees, Cate Blanchett, Jodie Foster and Kathy Bates, were on there.

I?m including presenter Joey King here because I really liked her Miu Miu gown on camera. It?s unique and interesting without being fug. I like how the stiff collar is blended with a bandeau top and dripping sequins. This is how you incorporate elements of menswear.

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Zooey Deschanel?s vintage Armani tuxedo gown was somewhat silly. It works on that level but I?m not sure that?s what she was going for. It?s kind of cartoon like.

Photos credit: MediaPunch/INSTARimages, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Robert Smith/INSTARimages

Here are some photos of Elon Musk last week at the CPAC conference. He was literally wielding a chainsaw, which was apparently a gift from Argentina?s right-wing President Javier Milei. Milei used a chainsaw as a prop in his campaign, and now Musk is copying that whole ?we?re taking a chainsaw to government spending? thing. The biggest problem is that Musk was also high as a kite during this appearance, so much so that he could barely speak and he had to keep his sunglasses on the whole time. We?re also getting more stories about how Donald Trump?s staff and Cabinet absolutely loathes Musk, but don?t pin any hopes on anyone doing anything.

Meanwhile, we recently learned that Musk had welcomed his 13th child with his fourth baby-mother, a transphobic bigot named Ashley St. Clair. Ashley had been trying to honey-trap Musk for years and she finally caught him briefly, long enough to get pregnant. She?s been giving interviews and trying to build a profile off of ?giving birth to another Musk child.? Now she?s suing Musk for sole custody of the baby he clearly wants nothing to do with.

Ashley St. Clair is suing Elon Musk for sole legal custody of their infant son. St. Clair filed the petition for custody with the New York Supreme Court on Friday, Feb. 21. In the petition, St. Clair said New York is the home state of the child, who goes by R.S.C. User Magazine was first to report the news.

The author, 26, alleges in the petition that Musk is the father of the boy, who was born in September 2024 (the exact date has been redacted in the filing). She claims that Musk was not present at R.S.C.?s birth and ?has met him only three (3) times and has had no involvement in his care and upbringing.?

Although she stated that Musk is R.S.C?s father, she also filed a paternity petition along with the custody petition. St. Clair is claiming that the Tesla CEO has met the baby boy ?only three times? since his September 2024 birth.

In St. Clair?s custody petition ? which she filed with the New York Supreme Court on Friday, Feb. 21 ? she alleged that she is the ?only parent and caretaker? that her infant, who goes by R.S.C., ?has known.? She also claimed that, ?by his choice,? the baby?s alleged father Musk, 53, ?was not present for the birth of our child, has had no more than three in-person visits with our child and has not expressed an interest in having custody of our child.?

According to the legal filing, Musk met R.S.C. for the first time on Sept. 21 in New York City for two hours, and then spent an hour with St. Clair and the child the following day. The CEO later saw the baby for the ?next and last time? in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 30, for an encounter that lasted ?only 30 minutes.?

?Respondent has never asked to see our child on any other occasion, he has never communicated to me about our child without my prompting, he has never asked for photos of our child or checked in after doctor?s appointments,? St. Claire wrote in the petition for custody.

The conservative influencer said in the petition that she and Musk began a ?romantic relationship in or about May 2023? and conceived the baby in January 2024. St. Clair claimed that Musk ?acknowledged parentage of the child in various written correspondences,? and she included a screenshot of alleged text exchanges in the paternity filing. St. Clair claimed that Musk acknowledged their sexual relationship in the text exchanges, including one ?on or about? Nov. 24, during which he allegedly wrote, ?I want to knock you up again.? Three months later, she alleged Musk texted her again: ?Well, we do have a legion of kids to make.?

?Ashley St. Clair has filed paternity and custody petitions to protect the best interests of her child,? St. Clair?s representative Brian Glickich told PEOPLE in a statement on Feb. 21. ?She has made every effort to collaborate with Mr. Musk before taking this step. She has no further comment on the contents of the petitions, which speak for themselves.?

[From People Magazine]

Yeah, I think St. Clair is absolutely a moron and a white supremacist, but I also think that she?s probably doing the right thing by getting everything locked down legally. While Musk clearly wants nothing to do with her or the baby right now, that might change. Look at what Grimes is going through with their oldest, X. Musk has practically kidnapped the child and Grimes has barely any recourse. Of course, I also think Ashley St. Clair wants to get some money. Like, that was the whole point of this. She would have been fine with Musk ignoring her and the baby, but Musk isn?t paying for anything.

listen to this. Elon can barely form a sentence right now.

[image or embed]

? Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) February 20, 2025 at 5:23 PM

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

This post is for all of the ladies in Dior at last night?s SAG Awards. I?m usually such a Dior-hater for award shows, but I have to admit? Dior did the thing for the SAGs. All of the women they dressed looked amazing, and these are some of my picks for best-dressed of the show. Nicola Coughlan, a short queen, wore a very vintage-inspired look which looked great on her. I could have done without the gloves, honestly, but this was lovely and I?m so happy that Dior dressed her!

Monica Barbaro got a fantastic Dior ? she?s really having a moment during this awards season, and she?s actually dating Andrew Garfield now. Every time I see her seated at the same table as Timothee Chalamet, I do a double-take because she looks so much like Kylie Jenner too.

Cristin Milioti got a great Dior look too. She?s getting so much attention because of The Penguin (which I never started, but I heard she was great in it).

And finally, Pamela Anderson also wore Dior. She?s worn a lot of soft-cream and winter-white looks this year and she?s still doing the no-makeup or minimal-makeup look.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

The Independent Spirit Awards were held this weekend and they were another shock to the system. You have to understand, throughout the month of January, everyone thought that Emilia Perez, The Substance and The Brutalist were about to win everything. Instead, it?s looking like Anora is the little indie that could, and I couldn?t be happier about it. Anora was one of my favorite films of the year (along with Dune 2 and Conclave), and I love that Neon?s quiet little Oscar campaign ended up working so well. At the Spirit Awards, Anora picked up Best Feature, Best Director and Best Lead Performance (to Mikey Madison). Kieran Culkin won Supporting and Jesse Eisenberg won Best Screenplay (both for A Real Pain). So? Anora is going into the Oscars with a sh-tload of momentum.

Fashion-wise, it was a pleasant awards show. They do the Spirits in a tent by the beach, and more people wear business-casual. Some fashion IDs: Mikey wore an okay Calvin Klein. Emma Stone wore Emilia Wickstead, or at least that?s what several sites are claiming (I think she?s actually wearing Louis Vuitton). Hunter Schafer in Prada (love it), Elizabeth Olsen in Erdem (it?s fine but her hair is terrible these days), Demi Moore in Thom Browne (meh), Natasha Lyonne in Rochas (bonkers boots), and Lily Gladstone rewearing an Agnes Seaweed Wisden chestplate. Also: Marianne Jean-Baptiste wore Antonio Marras.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

As many of you discussed in yesterday?s comments, 60 Minutes Australia posted their entire interview/segment with Jason Knauf on YouTube. It was definitely interesting, although I think the idea behind it was less about the Sussexes and more about embiggening Prince William and trying to hype Peggy to an Aussie audience. Their internal popularity numbers in Australia must be quite brutal if they?re sending Knauf out. Now, that being said, the monarchy has learned that the best way for them to get attention is to talk about Harry and Meghan. 60 Minutes Australia even used Harry?s name in their teaser for this segment, and about half of the segment dealt with Knauf and some other guy talking about Harry and William?s relationship and Knauf?s sleaziness around the bullying accusations against Meghan. Here?s the full piece:

The audacity of Knauf to describe the Sussexes? wedding as magical when he was mismanaging the Thomas Markle situation in an attempt to stop the wedding. The overarching message is the same as it has been for five-plus years though: William?s poor leadership, his pettiness, his childishness, his immaturity with regards to his brother and sister-in-law. THAT is one of the major takeaways from this, that no one can embiggen William without spending half the time trying to justify his despicable and abusive behavior towards Harry and Meghan. While Knauf doesn?t directly address the bullying BS (he just says that it was hard having that attention), 60 Minutes did include the leaked memo he wrote to Simon Case, a memo which was leaked just days before the Oprah interview aired.

There was also some confusion about Knauf?s comments regarding William learning that Kate and King Charles were both diagnosed with cancer around the same time last year. Knauf didn?t say that William learned about it over the phone, Knauf said that he and William spoke on the phone about it. Just FYI.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar, screencap courtesy of 60 Minutes Australia.

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I know not many people watched Emilia Perez. It?s a problematic film with a problematic lead. Netflix should have backed another movie this awards season. I saw Emilia Perez before the bad press came out and it blew me away with how audacious, entertaining and well acted it was. Zoe Salda?a deserves her flowers for this role and I was happy to see that she was recognized by her peers last night. Zoe is the Oscar frontrunner now! She definitely earned it. Here?s her speech at the SAG Awards.

Zoe was in a really cool looking Saint Laurent gown with a single sleeve and a sequin flourish at the shoulder. I love asymettric gowns with interesting features, especially when they?re restrained and thoughtful like this.

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Keri Russell was nominated for actress in a drama series, for her work in The Diplomat. That went to Anna Sawai for Shogun. Keri picks prestige projects and she?s such a great actress that she gets nominated just about every year. Keri surprised me with this bombshell of a gown by Zuhair Murad. Her fashion is typically risky, so it?s nice to see her looking classic and glam.

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Keke Palmer presented Zoe?s category with Colman Domingo. She was looking glam in a strapless vintage Chanel gown with a gold foil neckline accessorized with opera gloves. I know Keke?s career has taken off and she?s no longer hosting red carpet events, but she was so great at the Met Gala. She?s funny and engaging with people and I miss her as an interviewer.

Speaking of the red carpet hosts, Sasheer Zamata was working the hell out of this flapper-esque Temperley London gown. I love the art deco-like detailing on his dress, which is a work of art. Sasheer has a natural way of getting people to open up and it was a joy to watch her last night. I can?t say the same for Lilly Singh.

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photos credit: Avalon.red and Getty

Ariana Grande has not won anything for Wicked, but she has been nominated across the board. I sort of wanted to see her win one thing, because I?m sure her speech would have been funny and tearful. But instead, she?s had to watch Zoe Saldana pick up all of the supporting-actress awards for Emilia Perez. At last night?s SAGs, Ari wore a custom Loewe. I honestly can?t get a handle on Loewe and what a ?typical Loewe look? really is, because this just looks like Elie Saab to me. Ari was poorly advised to go through the awards season with this washed-out blonde shade too.

Ari?s on-screen partner Cynthia Erivo wore a spectacular vintage Givenchy to the show. I loved this, I loved how over-the-top it was.

Elle Fanning also wore Loewe, and once again, I?m asking? what is it with Loewe? She paired her look with a Cartier necklace.

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Jamie Lee Curtis in Dolce & Gabbana. She looked like a goth Big Bird.

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Photos courtesy of Getty, Backgrid.