Steve Pond's Blog, page 40
August 26, 2025
CBS News Reporter Loses It Learning of Taylor Swift Engagement Moments Before Going on Air: ‘I Feel Like Paul Revere’ | Video
Taylor Swift has some very passionate fans, including CBS News reporter Olivia Rinaldi, who genuinely lost it Tuesday morning when she found out, just moments before going live on-air, that Swift was engaged to Travis Kelce.
“Taylor Swift is engaged. Taylor Swift is engaged. Taylor Swift is engaged,” Rinaldi said, excitedly, in video recorded just before going on-air but posted online later in the day. “This, come back to me. She just posted it. Oh, my God, oh, my God.”
“Oh, it’s huge. The ring is ginormous,” Rinaldi continued. “This is so exciting. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.”
“It’s on her Instagram, it’s on her Instagram, it’s on her Instagram, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” Rinaldi said as she continued to freak out. “I feel like Paul Revere right now.”
Moments later, on air, Rinaldi added, “this is a very exciting moment for me in my professional career, because I get to announce that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged.”
Watch the whole clip here:
CBS News reporter @olivialarinaldi discovers Taylor Swift is engaged to Travis Kelce moments before going on live TV. “I feel like Paul Revere right now.” https://t.co/SsAqe2q4US pic.twitter.com/0fS6lCqEIR
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 26, 2025
We suspect a ton of Swifties felt exactly the same way.
Swift announced the news, as Rinaldi noted, on Instagram with a message that said, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” The pair have been dating since 2023.
The post CBS News Reporter Loses It Learning of Taylor Swift Engagement Moments Before Going on Air: ‘I Feel Like Paul Revere’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Ronan Farrow Debunks Taylor Swift Conspiracy Theory That He Schemed Against Justin Baldoni Because Fans ‘Will Go Out and Attack Someone’ | Video
Ronan Farrow recently defended himself against an “alt-right influencer” who “tweets memes about Jews drinking Christian baby blood” — a decision he made after the influencer accused him of taking part in a Taylor Swift-orchestrated takedown of Justin Baldoni.
As Farrow told Monica Lewinsky Tuesday on her “Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky” podcast, he initially wanted to ignore the charges but, “I realized, no, we are living in a time when people will go out and attack someone and, like, gleefully.”
Farrow didn’t identify the influencer in question, only that she “tweets memes about Jews drinking Christian baby blood and, like, helped to radicalize Kanye West into racism, like into anti-Black sentiment.” She has “a real following,” something Farrow attributed to people “in this climate of not trusting reality.”
“And she uploaded this crazy conspiracy theory completely divorced from facts,” Farrow continued. “She actually, she started by getting up and saying, ‘Ronan Farrow is the most powerful journalist at the New York Times.’ I don’t even write for the New York Times. I have no connection to the paper.”
(Farrow works for the New Yorker.)
Watch the whole podcast interview below:
“But her premise was basically that I had been photographed with my boyfriend coming out of drinks with Taylor Swift, and that Taylor Swift was friends with Blake Lively, the actress,” he added. “And that Blake Lively was engaged in this lawsuit with this guy Justin Baldoni. And then the New York Times — after I had drinks with Taylor Swift — did a story, which I had no knowledge of, I had no contact with, didn’t encourage in any way.”
The woman insisted Farrow “had orchestrated with Taylor Swift the destruction of [Baldoni],” he said. “I have never done any reporting on this guy. I have nothing to do with this. And for a while, I was getting essentially doxxed by this woman, she sent out her followers and every possible channel of public communication was, you know, ‘You’re just dirt. You’re worthless. You destroyed this man.’ Again, complete fiction.”
Farrow initially tried to ignore the situation because it was “so far from reality — why engage with it?” But he soon “realized, ‘No, we are living in a time when people will go out and attack someone and, like ,gleefully be like, you know, this influencer is taking you down,’ without even Googling what paper I write for.”
Farrow previously addressed these rumors in February 2025 after a fan commented on Instagram asking why he was “taking down Justin Baldoni.”
“No–I don’t write for the New York Times,” Farrow responded, “and have nothing to do with their coverage of the case, even informally or behind the scenes. I write for the New Yorker (a completely different outlet), and if I ever were to look into this, you’d see my work there. There’s a lot of disinformation out there—please always try to think independently and check what you’re hearing online.”
Watch the exchange between Lewinsky and Farrow in the video above.
The post Ronan Farrow Debunks Taylor Swift Conspiracy Theory That He Schemed Against Justin Baldoni Because Fans ‘Will Go Out and Attack Someone’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Chris Hayes Calls Trump the Most ‘Pro-Criminal, Pro-Crime President of My Lifetime’ | Video
Donald Trump, who by his own admission “wants to be a dictator,” is the “most unabashedly pro-criminal, pro-crime president of my lifetime,” Chris Hayes said Tuesday in an impressive 10-minute analysis of the president’s many associations with questionable and sordid characters. The group includes Andrew and Tristan Tate, who have been accused of rape and trafficking, as well as Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been accused of sexual abuse and trafficking.
Hayes put together a list of people Trump has pardoned or helped since he assumed office in January — a list that begins with the approximately 1,500 pardoned Jan. 6 Insurrectionists: “Roughly 1500 convicted or suspected accused criminals. They included hundreds who were handed lengthy sentences for very serious felonies such as assaulting police with deadly weapons.”
Trump then pardoned Ross Ulbricht, founder of the black market drug dealing online marketplace the Silk Road and is perhaps “the biggest drug dealer in American history.”
On the third day of his presidency, Trump pardoned D.C. police officer Terence Sutton and Lieutenant Andrew Zabavsky, who were sentenced to 66 months and 48 months in prison for their roles in the 2020 murder of Karon Hylton-Brown.
The list, Hayes said, doesn’t stop there and is “wild” and “unlike any list I’ve ever seen or ever covered.”
On top of pardons, Trump has also come to the aid of the Tate brothers, who had been detained in Romania for three years when the Trump administration helped them repatriate to the United States in March 2025.
Trump worked to bring the Tates to the United States even as he and his administration “were falsely accusing hundreds of men — from hairdressers to soccer enthusiasts — of being hardcore MS-13 gang members and disappearing them from the country.”
On top of that, Hayes continued, “federal prosecutors under Trump are now quietly dropping charges against the actual bona fide leaders of that gang they spent years pursuing.”
“These are the criminal and unbelievable list of people who have done truly awful things,” Hayes later said. “Most of them convicted felons, some accused of doing truly awful things. Each one of these alone would be a scandal that wrecked another administration.”
Watch the clip from Chris Hayes in the video above.
The post Chris Hayes Calls Trump the Most ‘Pro-Criminal, Pro-Crime President of My Lifetime’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Disney Sues Sling TV for Distribution Agreement Violations
Walt Disney Co. filed a lawsuit against Sling TV Tuesday night over the pay-TV service’s short-term mini-bundle packages, which Disney claims were included in its network without permission.
Sling debuted the passes in mid-August, and the mini-bundles offer access to the streaming service’s full bundle for a set period of time: one day, weekend, or a full week. The mini-bundles begin at $4.99 — and a full Sling subscription is $45/month.
“Sling TV’s new offerings, which they made available without our knowledge or consent, violate the terms of our existing license agreement,” a Disney representative said in a statement. “We have asked the court to require Dish to comply with our deal when it distributes our programming.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges Sling did not seek permission from Disney before folding in the mini-bundles. Disney’s current licensing agreement with Dish Network gives Sling TV and Dish TV customers access to programming by way of monthly subscriptions — according to Disney, a shorter-term plan like the mini-bundles run afoul of what’s allowed.
The mini-bundles give Sling TV customers access to 34 channels in the Sling Orange tier, including ESPN, Disney Channel, TNT, ABC, and Food Network. Sling TV’s Day Pass is priced at $4.99 and good for 24 hours; customers can also choose between the $9.99 Weekend Pass and $14.99 Week Pass.
Disney also claimed the company was not contacted ahead of the launch of the bundles. Disney contacted Dish to ask that its content be removed from the passes after they were announced, but Dish allegedly refused the request.
As noted by Variety, the case in question is ESPN Enterprises, Inc. et al v. DISH Network, L.L.C., docket no. 1:25-MC-00368. Disney/ESPN filed a motion to file the case under seal (to ensure sensitive information does not become part of the public record). The company had not filed an initial complaint early Tuesday evening.
The post Disney Sues Sling TV for Distribution Agreement Violations appeared first on TheWrap.
FCC Chair Urges YouTube to Resolve Fox Carriage Dispute Before Blackout: ‘Get a Deal Done Google!’
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr had sharp words for Google as the tech company navigates a new carriage deal between YouTube TV and Fox News: “Get a deal done Google!”
The current carriage deal is set to expire Wednesday at 5pm E.T.
“Google removing Fox channels from YouTube TV would be a terrible outcome,” Carr wrote on X. “Millions of Americans are relying on YouTube to resolve this dispute so they can keep watching the news and sports they want—including this week’s Big Game: Texas @ Ohio State. Get a deal done Google!”
Google removing Fox channels from YouTube TV would be a terrible outcome.
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) August 26, 2025
Millions of Americans are relying on YouTube to resolve this dispute so they can keep watching the news and sports they want—including this week’s Big Game: Texas @ Ohio State.
Get a deal done Google! https://t.co/As37BDUrae
YouTube TV currently carries Fox, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, Fox Deportes, Fox News Channel and local Fox stations across the United States.
“While Fox remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with Google’s YouTube TV, we are disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace,” a Fox spokesperson told TheWrap in a statement Monday. “We are alerting Fox viewers who are YouTube TV subscribers that they could lose access to much of their favorite news, sports, entertainment and local station programming unless Google engages in a meaningful way soon.”
If the two parties do not come up with an agreement, it’s possible YouTube TV customers will no longer be able to access the NFL, college football, Big Ten Network and Major League Baseball.
In a blog post shared Monday, YouTube claimed Fox has requested payments “far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive.”
“Our priority is to reach a deal that reflects the value of their content and is fair for both sides without passing on additional costs to our subscribers,” the company also said.
YouTube TV is the fourth-largest pay TV operator behind Charter Communications, Comcast and DirecTV.
The post FCC Chair Urges YouTube to Resolve Fox Carriage Dispute Before Blackout: ‘Get a Deal Done Google!’ appeared first on TheWrap.
Jeremy Allen White Admits ‘I Got Angry’ Amid ‘The Bear’ Fame, Tabloid Interest in Divorce and Dating
Jeremy Allen White “got angry” after fame from “The Bear” shot him to a new level of fame that attracted more tabloid interest.
While talking with Marc Maron on the “WTF” podcast, White explained that “The Bear” brought a lot more media and public interest to his life and he did not love it. On top of the general interest, he was also going through a divorce from Addison Timlin and was dating Rosalía which attracted the tabloids.
“I feel lucky and glad that it was age 30 where I kinda hit it rather than, whatever, 19 or 20,” White said. “I think I just had a lot of time and a lot of trying.”
Maron asked how the skyrocket to that new level of fame – despite what age it happens – might “f–k” with a person. White agreed that all the attention got to him at times but he was advised to be “boring” to lessen tabloid interest.
“I think there was a couple periods, I think when the divorce stuff was going on and I was dating somebody who was far more famous than me at that kinda time after we were getting divorced and they were kinda at my house and people were following me around.”
He continued: “I got angry a couple times and that doesn’t really do much for you. my publicist who I’ve been with for a long time was just kind of like, ‘Just be boring.’ And I am pretty boring, really. And she was just like, ‘You’ve just got to wait.’ And, yeah, when I’m in L.A., my life is pretty simple. You know, I like to go out to dinner every once in a while.”
White and Timlin were married in 2019 and had two daughters before filing for divorce in May 2023. By October of the same year he was linked with Spanish singer Rosalía. White and Rosalía split in the summer of 2024. It has been widely rumored since the end of his relationship with Rosalía that White has been seeing “The Bear” co-star Molly Gordon.
The fourth season of “The Bear” released back in June and FX swiftly renewed the series for a fifth season. White will next be seen starring in the Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” which releases in theaters on Oct. 24.
The post Jeremy Allen White Admits ‘I Got Angry’ Amid ‘The Bear’ Fame, Tabloid Interest in Divorce and Dating appeared first on TheWrap.
Jesse Watters Says Cracker Barrel Should Take Page From Fox: People Will Watch ‘Until They Die’ Because It Doesn’t Change | Video
The people behind Cracker Barrel’s recent rebrand should take a page from Fox News’ playbook, “The Five” co-host Jesse Watters said Tuesday, and avoid “trying to make [the brand] younger” to appeal to a new generation.
The restaurant “is for old people” he continued, and operating under any other assumption is “like trying to sell reverse mortgages to young people, or gold, or relief factor, or all the things we sell on Fox.”
Watters: It’s like trying to sell reverse mortgages to young people or gold or relief factor. Or all the things we sell on Fox. pic.twitter.com/4ey8UOr63w
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 26, 2025
Cracker Barrel customers want to continue to see “what they’re used to,” he added, “that’s why people will be watching Fox until they die.”
Watters’ admission was a surprising dig at his own network — and also appeared to be in line with Cracker Barrel’s leadership, who announced Tuesday evening they will reinstate the restaurant’s “Old Timer” logo after days of harsh online backlash.
“We thank your guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel,” a representative told Fox Business. “We said we would listen, and we have. Our new logo is going away and our ‘Old Timer’ will remain. At Cracker Barrel, it’s always been – and always will be – about serving up delicious food, warm welcomes and the kind of country hospitality that feels like family.”
“As a proud American institution, our 70,000 hardworking employees look forward to welcoming you to our table soon,” the statement continued.
The company has faced enormous criticism after announcing plans to change it’s now-iconic logo, which has been in place since 1977.
Elsewhere on “The Five,” co-host Jeanine Pirro disputed claims that the Cracker Barrel logo saga is similar to the 2023 furor that followed Bud Light’s campaign with Dylan Mulvaney.
Perino: I have not been able to get extra excited about this. I don't think it is like bud light. With bud light, you had a vp of marketing trashing their customers… You had Dylan Mulvaney. They took a redesign of a logo, and people have lost their minds. pic.twitter.com/nhjS2twOXk
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 26, 2025
“I have not been able to get extra excited about this. I don’t think it is like Bud Light. With Bud Light, you had a VP of marketing trashing their customers … You had Dylan Mulvaney,” Pirro said. “They took a redesign of a logo, and people have lost their minds.”
You can watch “The Five” segments in the clips above.
The post Jesse Watters Says Cracker Barrel Should Take Page From Fox: People Will Watch ‘Until They Die’ Because It Doesn’t Change | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Amazon Exceeds Internal Upfront Expectations, Touts ‘Significant Growth’ With Live Sports and Originals
Amazon has wrapped its 2025 upfront negotiations, with the company touting “significant growth” across all major holding companies and strong commitments from independent agencies.
A spokesperson for the tech giant told TheWrap the company “exceeded” its internal expectations in total upfront commitments year over year with new and existing advertisers.
A key driver of upfront volume growth was Amazon’s live sports offerings, which include Thursday Night Football, NASCAR, the NWSL and the NBA and WNBA. It also saw increased demand for brand partnerships for Prime Video films and series such as “Fallout,” “Oh. What. Fun,” “Beast Games,” “Merv,” and “Elle.”
“We’re also continuing to launch innovative ad tech capabilities that make it easier for advertisers to plan, measure and optimize campaigns. Amazon DSP offers customers a seamless single point of access to the best inventory, providing a holistic programmatic buying and measurement solution across both Amazon-owned properties and premium publishers,” the spokesperson added. “We will continue to serve as strategic partners to brands, working hard every day to innovate and invent on behalf of our advertising customers.”
During its upfront presentation in May, Amazon revealed that Prime Video has an average monthly ad-supported reach of more than 200 million global consumers, including 130 million in the United States.
When combining the streamer with Amazon’s other owned and operated entertainment properties such as Twitch, MGM Studios, Wondery and Amazon Music, the tech giant’s entertainment portfolio reaches an average monthly ad-supported audience of more than 300 million.
The 2025 presentation marks Amazon’s second-ever TV upfront. Last year, the company reportedly secured over $1.8 billion in advertiser commitments following its inaugural event.
In addition to Amazon, other companies that have wrapped their upfront talks for the 2025-26 season include NBCUniversal, Fox, Disney, TelevisaUnivision and Netflix.
When asked about the upfront during their second quarter earnings call, Warner Bros. Discovery chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels acknowledged that the company had concerns going into the year due to macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, but that the ad market “held up very well.”
“We’ve seen prices up across all categories, more so in sports than in general entertainment. On the digital side, there is some price pressure, but we’ve maintained a very strong price premium for the quality of inventory that we’re delivering,” he explained. “So net-net, I’m very happy with the outcome.”
Overall, ad dollars committed to broadcast primetime fell 2.5% to about $9.1 billion and cable fell 4.3% to nearly $8.68 billion, according to Media Dynamics Inc., which tracks upfront spending. Meanwhile, streaming rose 17.9% to $13.2 billion. The total value of upfront commitments rose 5% to nearly $31 billion.
The post Amazon Exceeds Internal Upfront Expectations, Touts ‘Significant Growth’ With Live Sports and Originals appeared first on TheWrap.
Vanity Fair Staffer Threatens Team Walkout After New Editor Weighs Melania Trump Cover
The new Vanity Fair editor is facing backlash from employees after reporting that he was considering putting Melania Trump on the cover.
Mark Guiducci took over as the new editorial director for the Condé Nast publication at the end of June and is already ruffling feathers. Semafor reported over the weekend that he was considering putting the First Lady on the cover of the magazine in a bid to bring in more conservatives. According to one employee that spoke to The Daily Beast, they would quit before working at a place with Melania Trump on the cover.
“I will walk out the motherf—ing door, and half my staff will follow me,” the mid-level editor said. “We are not going to normalize this despot and his wife; we’re just not going to do it. We’re going to stand for what’s right.”
The editor continued: “If I have to work bagging groceries at Trader Joe’s, I’ll do it. If [Guiducci] puts Melania on the cover, half of the editorial staff will walk out, I guarantee it.”
While the news of the first lady being on the cover might be frustrating to some Vanity Fair employees, it excited the idea of Fox News hosts. Ainsley Earhardt said she would “buy several of them if they would do this, just to prove a point” while Brian Kilmeade said the editor who made claims of walking out should be fired.
“You should be fired,” he said. “If you’re at Vanity Fair right now, look for a mid-level editor who looks angry, and toss them out and send them to Trader Joe’s!”
The news is only the latest decision by Guiducci to try to shake things up since he took over editorial duties at Vanity Fair. He told staffers in July that the publication would be focusing more on entertainment, culture, “money, politics and style” moving forward. As a result, Vanity Fair scaled back its “news aggregation, reviews and trade coverage” output and verticals like The Hive and Hollywood Daily were phased out.
Guiducci was preceded by former Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones‘ April announcement that she was leaving the magazine. Later that same month, longtime executive digital director Michael Hogan announced that he would be vacating his role at Vanity Fair as well.
The post Vanity Fair Staffer Threatens Team Walkout After New Editor Weighs Melania Trump Cover appeared first on TheWrap.
Steve Carell and John Krasinski Crashed ‘The Paper’ Set on the First Day of Shooting
Steve Carell and John Krasinski surprised the cast of “The Paper” by popping on set for the show’s first day of shooting.
While talking with Entertainment Weekly, Sabrina Impacciatore explained that she was in the makeup trailer with Domhnall Gleeson and Chelsea Frei getting ready for the first day of shooting when there was a tap on the door and a shocking interruption.
“No makeup yet. We are very anxious. Like, oh my God, we’re so scared. And then we hear, knock, knock,” Impacciatore said. “Someone enters the trailer, and it’s Steve Carell and John Krasinski! We’re fainting. Like, what? Can you imagine? Isn’t it crazy? The first day of shooting!”
It turns out “The Office” alum were by happenstance shooting a commercial for Lavazza coffee right next door and decided to pop in to see how the first day of the spinoff was going. Impacciatore took it as a sign that the pair were shooting a commercial for Italian coffee as a good omen for her work on “The Paper.”
“I thought, this is a blessing,” she said. “Italian coffee, which is the coffee that I’ve been drinking all my life.”
Impacciatore plays Esmerelda Grand in “The Paper” but had never seen “The Office” when she was cast. After booking the gig, she went into binge mode on the original series and became a huge fan of Carell and his character Michael Scott. She became such a fan that she booked a flight to New York City to see him perform in “Uncle Vanya” on Broadway. After the show, “The Office” alum gave her a lot of encouragement about the new show.
“I bought a f—ing flight,” Impacciatore said. “I went to see the show. I went to the green room. I waited for him. He came out. I was shaking. I said, ‘I’m Sabrina! Can you bless me?’ I needed his blessing! He was the sweetest. He was so warm. He was encouraging me so much. He said, ‘These people are brilliant. You are going to have the best experience of your life. You’re going to be great.’ He was giving me confidence,” she says. “I will never forget that. Never. It was so right to do that.”
“The Paper” binge drops all 10 episodes of its debut season on September 4.
The post Steve Carell and John Krasinski Crashed ‘The Paper’ Set on the First Day of Shooting appeared first on TheWrap.
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