Men's Journal's Blog, page 142

'SNL' Snuck In Two Shocking Cameos Into That Controversial 'White Lotus' Sketch

During Jon Hamm's big Saturday Night Live episode, one sketch garnered more attention than all the others. In a segment called "The White Potus," James Austin Johnson played a depressed Donald Trump, Hamm played RFK Jr., and Sarah Sherman, somewhat controversially, played a version of Aimee Lou Wood. The White Lotus actress wasn't too happy about this parody, and made her feelings on the "mean" sketch very clear.

But, perhaps the strangest thing about this sketch was the way that it dropped two massive cameos very quickly. First, we got SNL alum Alex Moffat playing Eric Trump, in a moment which generated a ton of applause from the audience. On top of that, "The White Potus" briefly had Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka Trump. Really!

You can watch the full sketch right here.

Lizzo also appeared in the sketch, though that was slightly less shocking, since she was the musical guest. Johansson is, of course, married to longtime SNL cast member Colin Jost. She recently appeared in the massive SNL 50th anniversary special. Moffat departed SNL in 2022.

This episode marked one of the rare times James Austin Johnson has played Trump twice in the same SNL episode. In addition to "The White Potus," Johnson also played Trump in the episode's cold open, which was all about Easter.

The White Lotus streams on Max. SNL streams on Peacock.

Related: Where to Stream Aimee Lou Wood's Best Movies and TV Shows

‘The Last of Us’ Season 2: Who is Eugene, the Mysterious Man Joel Killed?

After over a two-year wait, The Last of Us returned to HBO on Sunday night—though the world surrounding Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) looks a lot different.

Season 2 picks up five years from where the first season left off, with Joel and Ellie now reunited with Joel’s brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley), and their son, and heading up a settlement of survivors in Jackson, Wyoming. Here's what to know about what happened, and why the identity of Eugene matters. Spoilers ahead.

While the town is mainly united in their work to keep the infected out of their community, Joel and Ellie are personally at odds with each other. So much so that Joel finds himself seeing a therapist, Gail (Catherine O’Hara).

Related: Who Is Catherine O'Hara's Mysterious 'Last of Us' Season 2 Character?

It’s not the typical therapist-patient relationship; Joel pays for his sessions in pot, and in the one session audiences get to witness a semi-inebriated Gail use the session to tell Joel how much she hates him for killing her husband, Eugene, despite knowing it was necessary.

We don’t get to see Eugene (though we will at some point in the season, where he’ll be portrayed by Joey Pantoliano), nor do we know anything about the situation that led to Joel having to make that particular decision. But The Last of Us video game offers some clues.

Who is Eugene in The Last of Us video game?

Eugene wasn’t a major character in The Last of Us game, but he did have a presence, even if it was missed by many. His photo was featured in a patrol section of the game, where it is revealed that he was a former Firefly who came to the Jackson settlement with Tommy.

In the games, Eugene is a septuagenarian who becomes close to Dina (Ellie’s BFF in the show, played by Isabela Merced). By the time we meet him in the game, he has already died — of natural causes, not as a result of Joel. But Dina shares some info about him with Ellie.

As a nod to the game, the showrunners decided to make him a part of the new season’s narrative. “Someone like Eugene, we had a take on that character to say, ‘OK, well, how does that expand Joel and Ellie’s relationship? How does it expand the town of Jackson? How does that expand what the story's about, which is this idea of love and the extremes that love can take you to?’” game creator/show co-creator Neil Druckmann told IGN.

Related: 'The Last of Us' Finally Confirms Future Beyond Season 2

Was Gail in The Last of Us video games?

While Eugene offers a tie to the games, Gail does not. She is a character created specifically for the HBO series. But one who felt necessary to Druckmann, who believes that Joel is absolutely the type of person who would seek out help in order to better understand his changing dynamic with Ellie.

“The reason he goes to therapy is because he's trying to figure out why Ellie is icing him out,” Druckmann told IGN. “And he's quite a bit in denial about the real reason what's happening there.” Hence, the Gail character. But the co-creators also found the idea of a therapist being part of the Jackson settlement would be helpful in their world-building.

“We also wanted to introduce this idea of a therapist that exists within Jackson, also to allow us to expand on Jackson to try to get into characters’ minds,” Druckmann told IGN. “But it was such a compelling character. Like, ‘Hey, how do we ground this new character? Oh, let’s tie her to someone that’s really associated with the lore of The Last of Us: Eugene.’ And now these two characters are tied to Joel.”

Basically: Sit tight, and all will be revealed. “If you've watched the first episode, they talk about Eugene and why that's important. And you’ll see even more of why that’s important as the season goes on,” promised Druckmann.

The Last of Us streams new episodes on Sundays on Max.

Related: Pedro Pascal's Net Worth Ahead of 'The Last of Us' Proves He's Got a Fantastic Fortune

Olivia Munn Blasts Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez for 'Gluttonous' Space Flight

Actress Olivia Munn didn't mince words when weighing in on Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez, and four other women going to space with Blue Origin.

"What are they doing?" Munn asked on Today with Jenna and Friends.

The trip to space takes place on April 14, 2025. Broadcaster Gayle King is among the other women on the flight.

"I know this probably isn’t the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now… Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?" Munn added.

"I know this is probably obnoxious, but like, it’s so much money to go to space, and there’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs," Munn said on the show. She called the trip "gluttonous."

She also said if the women want to go to space, "just go up there, have a good time and come on down," questioning the need for publicity.

Munn added, "What are you guys doing up there?" She compared it to Magic Mountain at an amusement park because the women are going to be in space for 11 minutes.

"New Shepard's 11th human flight, NS-31, will lift off from Launch Site One in West Texas on Monday, April 14. The mission includes Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez," Blue Origin's website says.

"The New Shepard launch window opens at 8:30 a.m. CDT / 13:30 UTC."

What Time Does Katy Perry Go to Space?

Katy Perry is heading to space on Monday, April 14, 2025, with Lauren Sanchez, Gayle King, and the other members of the all-female crew.

What time do they go to space?

"New Shepard's 11th human flight, NS-31, will lift off from Launch Site One in West Texas on Monday, April 14. The mission includes Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez. The New Shepard launch window opens at 8:30 a.m. CDT / 13:30 UTC.," according to Blue Origin's website.

The website contains profiles of the six women going to space, including Perry, and reads, "New Shepard astronauts ascend toward space at more than three times the speed of sound. They pass the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space 62 miles (100 km) above Earth, before unbuckling to float weightless and gaze at our planet. The crew returns gently under parachutes."

According to Blue Origin, Sanchez "brought the mission together. She is honored to lead a team of explorers on a mission that will challenge their perspectives of Earth, empower them to share their own stories, and create lasting impact that will inspire generations to come."

Katy Perry attends the 11th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Barker Hangar on April 05, 2025 in Santa Monica, California.

Jesse Grant/Getty Images

The women debuted their blue spacesuits on their Instagram pages.

There are several ways to watch the launch.

According to Billboard, "Coverage will begin at 7 a.m. ET with a special edition of CBS Mornings, followed by the 'Gayle Goes to Space' special at 9 a.m. ET. You can watch the Blue Origin spaceflight launch on TV through your local CBS affiliate."

The launch will also stream on Paramount+.

Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez Show Off 'Sexy' Space Suits

Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez, Gayle King, and the other women in the Blue Origin crew are showing off their new spacesuits.

Daily Mail labeled the spacesuits "sexy."

That doesn't appear to be coincidence. "Let's reimagine the flight suit. Usually, you know, these suits are made for a man. Then they get tailored to fit a woman," Sanchez, the fiancee of billionaire Jeff Bezos, told The New York Times.

 "I think the suits are elegant, but they also bring a little spice to space," she told The Times.

According to The Times, Sánchez "teamed up with Monse to redesign the Blue Origin flight suits with its all-female launch in mind."

The women go to space on the morning of April 14, 2025.

"Hard to believe that tomorrow this incredible work of innovation will be taking us above the Kármán line. Took a moment together as a crew to visit our rocket and express our gratitude. Thank you to the entire @blueorigin team for making this happen. 🙏🚀💙," Sanchez wrote on Instagram, sharing a video that shows the women in the spacesuits.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lauren Sanchez (@laurenwsanchez)

The tight blue spacesuits open up to show a black tank-top-style garment.

Sanchez posted another video showing the suits.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lauren Sanchez (@laurenwsanchez)

King also posted a video to her Instagram page that showed the space suits.

King wrote on Instagram, "I finally got to see the @blueorigin space suit for the very first time yesterday—things are getting real! Gotta hand it to @laurenwsanchez and @monsemaison who designed a suit that looks great on everyone! In the words of @katyperry: Functional, fashion and flare 🚀🚀🚀"

Perry posted a similar photo, writing, "Happy International Day of Human Space Flight 🚀 Forever in awe of the Universe and it’s alignment ✨"

Adam Sandler Went Full-Happy Gilmore With Rory McIlroy Message After Masters Victory

Rory McIlroy has officially exorcised his Masters demons, emerging victorious on Sunday, April 13 in a playoff against Justin Rose. While Rose finished the day with a stellar 6-under 66, which included a 20-foot.birdie on his final hole, McIlroy had the magic when it mattered most.

With McIlroy's sudden-death playoff victory over Rose, he became the sixth player in the Masters era to win all four major championships. It was this event that plagued him more than any other, as McIlroy won the U.S. Open in 2011, the PGA Championship twice (2012 and 2014) and The Open Championship in 2014.

After McIlroy's 10-year battle to get a Green Jacket ended on Sunday, praise poured in from fellow players and fans. One specific name had a special message for the 35-year-old, as Adam Sandler channeled his inner Happy Gilmore to show love to McIlroy.

Way to gooooo grand slammmer!!! We all love you buddy!!!

Love,
Happy pic.twitter.com/h342o5JSnP

— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) April 13, 2025

"Way to gooooo grand slammmer!!! We all love you buddy!!! 

Love, Happy," Sander posted on X.

As seen above, the congratulatory message was complete with what appears to be a gift from Sandler to McIlroy — a hockey stick-turned-golf club certainly made for none other than Happy Gilmore.

McIlroy overcame a shaky start and multiple bumps down the final stretch to secure the victory on Sunday. He joins a group that includes Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to emerge victorious at all four major championships.

Behind McIlroy and Rose was LIV Golf's Patrick Reed in third (9-under), Scottie Scheffler in fourth (8-under) and Bryson DeChambeau and Sungjae Im, who tied for fifth at 7-under.

Related: Details of Bryson DeChambeau's Unique Night Before Masters Final Round Surface

Tiger Woods Issues Statement After Missing the Masters

Tiger Woods took to Instagram on April 13 to congratulate Rory McIlroy on his first Masters win — and his career Grand Slam.

"Welcome to the club @rorymcilroy," Woods wrote on his Instagram Stories following a Playoff Round between McIlroy and Justin Rose.

"Completing the grand slam at Augusta is something special. Your determination during this round, and this entire journey has shown through, and now you're a part of history, Proud of you," Woods added.

Along with his message to McIlroy, Woods included a photo of the newest Masters champ on the 18th hole after his big win. The post was originally shared by the official Masters Instagram account.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Masters (@themasters)

Woods did not compete in the 2025 Masters Championship due to an injury that he suffered a few weeks ago. The pro golfer ruptured his Achilles in March.

"As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured," Woods captioned a post on X (formerly Twitter).

"This morning, Dr. Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon," Woods continued, adding that the surgery was a success.

"I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support," he said.

The last time Woods missed a Masters was in 2021. At that time, he was recovering from injuries sustained in a car wreck.

Related: Rory McIlroy Kisses Wife Erica Stoll Ahead of Masters Playoff

Max’s Compelling New Medical Drama Teases Time Jumps and New Characters in Season 2

R. Scott Gemmill’s new Max medical drama The Pitt may have gotten off to an inauspicious start—a lawsuit filed by the widow of ER creator Michael Crichton almost prevented it from airing at all—but it is now a bona fide hit.

Though the legal dispute is still ongoing, the series—which stars Noah Wyle, who is also an executive producer alongside former ER boss John Wells—concluded its first season last week with an average of 10 million viewers per episode. While it’s not exactly The White Lotus numbers, it’s an impressive number of eyeballs.

Related: Noah Wyle is Happy His New HBO Show Isn't an 'ER' Reboot

The Pitt has also been a hit with critics. Reviews have been universally effusive, and the show currently holds a near-perfect score of 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The series and its cast, Wyle in particular, are already generating lots of Emmy buzz.

But Gemmill, Wyle, and Wells aren’t sitting around basking in the praise. Like the characters in the series, the trio are moving at breakneck speed to get started on The Pitt’s next installment. And they’ve been kind enough to share some of the key details about how The Pitt’s second season will be different, which characters will be returning, and how the plan to maintain the extremely high bar set by its premiere season. Here’s everything we know (so far) about The Pitt season 2.

It will take place over the Fourth of July weekend.

On April 5, Gemmill, Wyle, and Wells attended Deadline’s Contenders TV, where they confirmed that production had already begun on season 2 of The Pitt. Like the first season, it will take place in real time and focus on 15 hours on the front lines of a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room. For season 2, the producers plan to add a slight twist by having the episodes take place over Fourth of July weekend.

There will be a 10-month time jump.

Season 2 will pick up approximately 10 months from where the first season left off. While Independence Day will certainly open up the opportunity for all sorts of out-of-the-ordinary injuries, Gemill’s reason is much more straightforward. “Nine, basically 10 months later, gives a lot of room for us to have developed a few stories in the interim, and catch up with everyone,” the showrunner told TVLine.

Dr. Frank Langdon will be back.

One of the main reasons for choosing to set the season 10 months in the future is to allow a realistic amount of time for Dr. Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball) to receive the treatment he would need for his drug addiction. In fact, Gemmill says that Langdon’s timeline is “the biggest driver” for the 10-month time jump. The plan, as he told TVLine, is for the featured day to be “Langdon’s first day back, [and] we get to catch up as he catches up with all those people.”

That amount of time also gives the rest of the stuff, including Wyle’s Dr. Robby, enough time to process Langdon’s addiction. “There’s no benefit in coming back quickly, before everybody’s had a chance to have this experience really sink in,” Wyle told TVLine. “And it manifests itself in behaviors that are interesting to watch—that are different or more informed than in Season 1.”

There will be 15 episodes altogether.

Like season 1, the second season will take place over a single, 15-hour shift in the ER. “The intent here is to let us follow and understand and feel what happens to emergency room physicians and all the other medical personnel during those kinds of shifts,” Wells told Entertainment Weekly.

Season 2 will premiere in January 2026.

With season 2 already moving along, audiences won’t have a Game of Thrones-like amount of time to wait for the next season. The network has already slated its premiere for January 2026.

How to Watch Katy Perry's Blue Origin NS-31 Launch Today

On Monday, April 14, 2025, the Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital spacecraft will take six women into space. Following in the footsteps of Star Trek legend William Shatner, who flew into space on Blue Origin's NS-18 in October 2021, pop star Katy Perry is about to make history as an astronaut on NS-31.

Here's what to know about this latest rocket launch, including the full crew, the mission, and how to watch the launch and flight live as it happens.

When Does Blue Origin NS-31 Launch? A Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launches from Launch Site One in West Texas north of Van Horn on March 31, 2022. The NS-20 mission carries Blue Origin's New Shepard Chief Architect Gary Lai, Marty Allen, Sharon Hagle, Marc Hagle, Jim Kitchen, and Dr. George Nield into space. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

PATRICK T. FALLON/Getty Images

The Blue Origin NS-31 mission launches from the Blue Origin base in Van Horn, TX, at roughly 9:30 a.m. EDT. This means the launch will happen one hour earlier, local time in Texas, at around 8:30 a.m. CDT. 

Keep in mind, this is a launch window, meaning technical issues or weather could impact the exact time of launch. There's also a chance that NS-31 could blast off early, since some Blue Origin flights have, historically, launched ahead of schedule.

How to Watch the Blue Origin NS-31 Launch

The entire Blue Origin NS-31 launch will be livestreamed on YouTube via Space.com and also on X (formerly Twitter). Blue Origin will start live coverage of the launch at 7:00 a.m. CDT and 6:00 a.m. EDT, which can be viewed on the Blue Origin site directly.

The NS-31 crew is gearing up for launch! 🚀

Watch Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez lift off from Launch Site One on April 14. Live coverage begins here on Monday at 7:00 a.m. CDT. pic.twitter.com/3TRvxPFHKZ

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 11, 2025

Who is in the Crew of Blue Origin NS-31?  SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Katy Perry attends the 11th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Barker Hangar on April 05, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize)

Jesse Grant/Getty Images

Although NS-31 is technically an automated flight, the crew will consist of six women, representing the first all-female spaceflight since 1963, when Valentina Tereshkova of the USSR flew on a solo space mission. The crew for NS-31 consists of:

Aisha BoweAmanda NguyễnGayle KingLauren SánchezKerianne FlynnKaty Perry

Perry, of course, is the world-famous singer responsible for hits like "Roar" and "Firework." King is a well-known TV host of CBS Mornings, Nguyễn is a civil rights activist, while Kerianne Flynn is a film producer. 

Somewhat famously, Sánchez, a journalist, is engaged to Amazon and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos. Among these six women, only Bowe is a former NASA rocket scientist.

What is the Mission of Blue Origin NS-31?

Like most New Shepard flights, the rocket doesn't actually achieve a full orbit, but brings the crew into a sub-orbit. Meaning, like Alan Shepard in 1961, this is a relatively short space flight, lasting all of about ten minutes total. 

At this point, the primary goal of all New Shepard flights is to continue to test this emerging technology, proving that civilian space flights could be possible, and viable, for the rest of the century.

Related: SpaceX Starship Flight 8 Suffers Same Explosive Fate as Flight 7 — Grounds Florida Flights

FlavCity's Bobby Parrish Reveals the Top 5 Things to Avoid at the Grocery Store

One of the toughest tasks for those attempting to eat healthy is knowing where to begin in the grocery store. Home-cooked meals are never easy, but there are also some other things that many chefs, physicians, dietitians, and others recommend avoiding.

The creator and founder of FlavCity, Bobby Parrish, has built up a following by offering tips, recipes and more for followers on YouTube and social media. Recently, Parrish posted a clip detailing his "five things you want to avoid at the grocery store."

The list features a few common choices of shoppers, and Parrish details why he avoids the five items, which can be seen just below the video.

Bobby Parrish breaks down the Top 5 things you want to avoid at the grocery store in America

From hormone disruptors in tea bags to popular coffee creamers flavored with petroleum based artificial flavors

It truly feels like everything we eat here in America is actual poison pic.twitter.com/BRbBrKMbOf

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) April 10, 2025

Avoid tea bags, buy loose-leaf tea insteadAvoid coffee pods or K-cup coffees - ground or whole-bean coffee insteadAvoid flavored coffee creamersAvoid seed oils (canola, soybean, safflower, sunflower) - use avocado oil insteadHigh fructose corn syrup found in Heinz Tomato Ketchup

It's an interesting list and includes multiple popular selections for morning coffee/tea drinkers and anyone who cooks frequently at home.

Parrish also went into detail about the specific reasons why it's wise to avoid the products above and even offered insight into how some of them are made, such as the flavored coffee creamers.

Another beneficial aspect of the video is that Parrish offers a few alternatives for the items listed above, which should help if you want to change things up.

Related: Girl Dads Live Longer, According to New Research. Here's How Much Longer