During the conversation with Callahan, Bush described Roker with three key adjectives: “territorial, vindictive, and chronically unprepared,” arguing that the public image of an affable, family‑friendly weather presenter masked a much harsher off‑camera dynamic. In a clip highlighted on YouTube, Bush can be heard describing Roker as “mean” multiple times, stressing that in his view the issue was not just tension but what he framed as a sustained pattern of unkind behavior.

Allegations of hostility and “toxic” work environment

Bush told Callahan that while Today viewers often saw a warm on‑air rapport, he experienced Roker as someone who “doesn’t share the air” and who resented Bush’s arrival as a prominent co‑host. He alleged that Roker reacted with jealousy when other on‑air personalities were given expanded roles, claiming that the weatherman’s instinct was to undermine colleagues he perceived as rivals.

In a related report, entertainment outlet Mandatory summarized Bush’s account as portraying a “hostile work environment,” quoting him as saying Roker was “toxic” and “unprepared” and that the atmosphere on their shared hour of Today was never going to be successful under those conditions. OK! Magazine, which aggregated comments from the same interview cycle, similarly characterized Bush’s description of Roker as “mean” and “vindictive,” underscoring that Bush framed these traits as entrenched rather than episodic.

Bush also revisited a widely circulated moment from 2016, when Roker chastised him on air during an Olympics segment, with Roker reportedly telling Bush, “You don’t know where I’m going to be. I am going to be your worst nightmare. I’m going to live on you like a tick,” a confrontation that outlets say was captured on video at the time. Bush presented this incident as emblematic of the power imbalance he perceived at NBC, arguing that colleagues and management did not meaningfully intervene.

Claims about NBC leadership and Roker’s future

Beyond criticizing Roker personally, Bush claimed that NBC leadership privately acknowledged tensions and discussed removing Roker from a specific hour of the show. He alleged that then Today general manager Noah Oppenheim told him he needed to “survive until March , and then we’re going to unload Al,” suggesting that executives planned not to renew Roker’s contract for that time slot because, in Bush’s account, they viewed him as “toxic.”

Bush further asserted that these internal plans never came to fruition because Bush’s own career at NBC was derailed by the resurfacing of the 2005 Access Hollywood tape featuring him and then‑candidate Donald Trump, a scandal that led to his departure from Today in 2016. None of the outlets reporting on Bush’s new comments cite independent confirmation from NBC or Oppenheim regarding these alleged internal conversations, and Entertainment Weekly notes that it has sought comment from Roker’s representatives but had not yet published a response.

Bush also critiqued Roker’s on‑air performance, saying audiences were “never going to hear anything particularly insightful from him,” describing the weatherman as “maybe the worst interviewer on television” and “totally unprepared,” statements that fall squarely into Bush’s subjective assessment rather than independently verifiable metrics. Media coverage has uniformly presented these as Bush’s opinions rather than factual findings, while still highlighting their intensity given Roker’s long‑standing public image as one of American television’s most approachable personalities.

Roker’s public image and lack of on‑record rebuttal

Al Roker, who is in his early 70s, has been a fixture on Today for decades and is widely known for his weather segments, celebrity interviews and high‑profile coverage of events such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Over the years, Roker has generally been portrayed in mainstream media as a friendly, upbeat presence, a contrast that has amplified the news value of Bush’s recent claims.

As of mid‑June 2026, reports from Entertainment Weekly, OK! Magazine and Mandatory state that Roker and his representatives have not issued a detailed public rebuttal to Bush’s new descriptions of their working relationship, though one outlet specifies that requests for comment have been made. None of the articles summarizing Bush’s remarks reference any current formal complaint filed by Bush within NBC or any related legal action stemming from his allegations, and Bush has framed his comments as a retrospective account rather than a new workplace claim.

Roker’s long tenure at NBC and his visibility to a broad national audience, including LGBTQ+ viewers and families who have watched Today over generations, means that accusations about his behavior resonate far beyond the network’s Rockefeller Center studios. For many viewers, the show has often functioned as a morning ritual, and any suggestion of behind‑the‑scenes hostility can raise questions about how inclusive and respectful the environment is for staff across different backgrounds and identities.

Broader questions about workplace culture and power

Bush’s allegations arrive in a media landscape that has spent the past several years wrestling with workplace culture, power imbalances, and the responsibilities of high‑profile hosts and executives at major networks. His comments about feeling powerless in the face of a more established colleague reflect a dynamic that many workers, including LGBTQ+ employees and other marginalized staff, have described in various industries when dealing with senior figures perceived as untouchable.

Although the current coverage centers on Bush and Roker, the allegations intersect with broader conversations about how media companies safeguard dignified working conditions and ensure that concerns about bullying or “toxic” behavior are taken seriously regardless of a person’s on‑air status. Advocates for healthier newsroom cultures often stress the importance of clear reporting mechanisms, transparent investigations, and an explicit commitment to inclusion that protects people of all genders, sexual orientations, races, and abilities from retaliation when they raise concerns.

Media observers also note that Bush’s own history, particularly the Access Hollywood tape that led to his exit from Today, complicates how audiences may receive his new criticism of a former colleague, since his credibility and motives are likely to be weighed alongside his past conduct. At the same time, the ethical questions he raises about power, accountability and compassion in the workplace have implications beyond any one personality conflict, especially in highly visible platforms that reach diverse audiences, including LGBTQ+ communities seeking respectful representation both on‑air and behind the scenes.

The 87‑year‑old actor said the film’s directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, asked him to project more visible rage as Magneto unleashes his powers in a large‑scale destruction sequence set in New Jersey.

“Shout the worst thing you could think of”

McKellen recounted that, during shooting, he was standing in front of wind machines and miming Magneto’s powers when the directors told him to “look more furious” and “make it look as if you hate what you’re destroying.”

He said that when he asked what to shout to convey that intensity, he was told to yell “the worst thing you could possibly think of,” so he responded by shouting “Mar-a-Lago!” while acting out the destruction.

According to reports from the Rome event, McKellen explained that imagining Magneto demolishing Trump’s Florida property helped him embody the level of fury the Russos were demanding for the sequence.

Magneto destroys New Jersey

The actor also stressed that his character’s target in the actual film is New Jersey, not Mar-a-Lago, joking that he was “sorry” to the state for the devastation Magneto unleashes in the story.

In earlier interviews promoting “Avengers: Doomsday,” McKellen described the New Jersey destruction as a major set piece for his returning X‑Men villain, saying he did not believe he was “spoiling anything” by revealing that plot detail.

Reports from the Italian open‑air screening note that more than 2,000 fans were present for an exclusive look at footage of Magneto in action, underscoring the scale of interest in McKellen’s return to the Marvel universe.

Political edge and Trump reference

Mar-a-Lago, the resort in Palm Beach, Florida, has been owned by Trump since the 1980s and has functioned as both a private club and a political symbol during and after his presidency.

Coverage in entertainment and general‑news outlets highlights that McKellen’s on‑set outburst functions as a pointed jab at Trump, even though the anecdote is framed as a humorous story about acting rather than an explicit call for real‑world destruction.

Several reports note that McKellen has a history of weaving social and political commentary into his public appearances, including remarks about LGBTQ+ rights, democracy, and equality, although detailed recent examples are not extensively recounted in the latest coverage.

Link to earlier late‑night anecdote

McKellen previously described a version of the same story on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” where he theatrically re‑created the destruction scene and recounted being told to “shout the worst thing you can think of” before bellowing “Mar-a-Lago.”

French‑language coverage similarly describes McKellen leaping from his chair during a talk‑show appearance to mime Magneto’s powers, then shouting the resort’s name as a punch line, underscoring how the anecdote has circulated internationally.

The renewed attention in June 2026 stems from McKellen revisiting the story at the Rome screening and from aggregated coverage by entertainment news platforms and video clips circulating on social media and video portals.

Film context and fan reaction

“Avengers: Doomsday,” directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, is slated for release on December 18, 2026, and features McKellen reprising Magneto alongside other Marvel characters in a crossover storyline.

Reports indicate that attendees at the Rome event responded with laughter and applause when McKellen delivered the “Mar-a-Lago” line, reflecting both the crowd’s enthusiasm for his performance and the resonance of the Trump reference with at least part of the audience.

Online coverage notes that video segments and write‑ups of the anecdote have been widely shared across entertainment news aggregators, social platforms, and fan communities, though precise viewing or engagement statistics are not provided in the sources cited.

Legacy, identity, and audience expectations

McKellen, a gay man and longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, has been an influential figure both on screen and in public life, and his willingness to make sharp political jokes fits within a broader pattern of outspoken commentary noted over the decades.

Coverage of the Rome event emphasizes his status as a veteran performer returning to a fan‑favorite role, with the Mar-a-Lago anecdote serving as one illustration of how he continues to blend humor, political edge, and craft in front of global audiences.

For many fans, including LGBTQ+ audiences who have followed McKellen’s work and advocacy, the story appears to reinforce expectations that his high‑profile roles will continue to intersect with pointed commentary on power, leadership, and social values, even within blockbuster entertainment settings.

The update comes in response to an event last summer in which the musician was charged with attacking Los Angeles police officers.

In April, a judge allowed the 27-year-old to enter a mental health diversion program intended to lead to the charges being dismissed. The musician was eligible for the program because the court found that the encounter involving police was the result of his since-diagnosed bipolar disorder and appeared to be an aberration compared with his usual behavior.

In Wednesday's video, Lil Nas X publicly discussed his mental health diagnosis. “I have a therapist now and a psychiatrist, which has been really helpful. When I got my bipolar disorder diagnosis, I feel like I had known for the past few years, but I didn't want to admit to it ‘cause I didn’t want to have to take medication and, I don't know, have people think different of me."

“I’m doing much better,” he continued after joking that he's “living life on extreme hard mode.”

“I’m feeling better. I’m creating freely. And there’s less fear in my heart,” he said.

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes dramatic shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and concentration. These range from periods of extremely elated, irritable or energized behavior — known as manic episodes — to very sad, indifferent or hopeless periods, known as depressive episodes.

“I’ve been doing music for seven years now," Lil Nas X said in switching gears near the end of the clip. “I wanted to let you guys know there is new music on the way.”

Then he addressed his fans directly. “I love you and all I want to do is continue to try to make you proud and make myself proud."

The arrest and treatment plan

Lil Nas X was arrested and briefly taken to a hospital for a suspected overdose in August after Los Angeles police say he charged at officers responding to a report of a naked man walking on a busy boulevard.

Authorities allege the musician was walking naked down a street in LA’s San Fernando Valley and charged at police officers who were responding to calls about him. A criminal complaint says three officers were hurt. Photos and video apparently shot before the police confrontation showed Lil Nas X walking in the street in only white briefs and white boots.

After spending three days in jail, he was released on $75,000 bail on the condition that he attend drug treatment. He pleaded not guilty in a court appearance to three counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer.

In his first public comments shortly thereafter, the artist posted a video to Instagram, saying “these last four days have been terrifying.”

But he added with a laugh, speaking of himself, that “Your girl is going to be OK. She’s going to be alright.”

Then two months ago, Judge Alan Schneider allowed Lil Nas X to enter the mental health diversion program. If he sticks to his treatment program and obeys all laws for two years, the four felony counts against him will be dismissed.

A history-making artist

The Atlanta-raised artist is best known for 2018’s country and hip-hop merging “Old Town Road,” which spent a record 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won him two Grammys. It is one of the most popular singles of all time, and in 2019 broke the Billboard record set by Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day” for most weeks at No. 1.

Known for his genre-bending, innovating sounds and style, Lil Nas X’s first full studio album, 2021’s “Montero,” went to No. 2 on the Billboard album chart and was nominated for a Grammy for album of the year. Other hits have included “Industry Baby” and "Montero (Call Me by Your Name).”

In interviews since the divorce, Lopez has consistently framed the end of the marriage as both deeply painful and ultimately transformative, at times calling it “the best thing that ever happened” to her because it forced serious inner work. Those earlier remarks laid the groundwork for her latest comments, which focus more explicitly on self‑interrogation, therapy, and a decision to stop seeking validation or rescue in romantic partners.

The ‘Figure Yourself Out’ Turning Point

Lopez’s new remarks surfaced on a June 15, 2026 episode of the podcast “SmartLess,” where she said that after her “last divorce” she canceled her tour, stayed home, and told herself, “You need to f---ing figure yourself out.” She described sitting with herself and asking, “What is going on with you? Forget about everybody else. There’s nobody to blame here except yourself in a certain way,” calling that period a “turning point” in how she approached relationships and personal responsibility.

Coverage in outlets including Yahoo Entertainment and the Economic Times’ Panache vertical similarly emphasized Lopez’s insistence on pausing to reflect rather than moving directly into new projects or partnerships. She linked that pause to an intentional decision to stop projecting blame outward and instead examine the beliefs and patterns that led her into repeated cycles in love.

Lopez told the SmartLess hosts that part of “figuring herself out” involved recognizing that while other people’s behavior may be hurtful or flawed, she still has agency in the choices she makes and the dynamics she stays in. She framed that realization as both uncomfortable and necessary, describing the divorce period as “puzzling” and “hell” but also as the beginning of a more honest relationship with herself.

Canceling Work and Choosing Stillness

The singer‑actor explained that in the wake of the split, she “canceled my tour” and chose to “just sit there” rather than use work or new relationships to distract herself, a decision that mirrors earlier reports she had paused major commitments to focus on healing. A March 2026 preview of her “Nightline” interview, aired via Good Morning America, likewise quoted her saying she “had to stop everything,” take a year off, and cancel tours so she could sit with what had happened instead of “running away from it through work” or another person.

Lopez told that earlier segment that she needed to be home with her teenage twins, Max and Emme, emphasizing that caring for her children and herself took priority over career momentum during that time. She also recounted reaching a point where she asked, “What is going on with you?” and concluded that she could no longer place responsibility for her unhappiness solely on others, echoing the accountability theme she highlighted again on SmartLess.

Her comments build on a pattern of describing stillness and introspection as crucial to her recovery, including an October 2024 Interview magazine conversation where she said her “whole f---ing world exploded” and that she had to go off on her own to prove she could be “complete” without a relationship. In that discussion she argued that people, including herself, must be “good on your own” before building something more complete with someone else, a message that can resonate with many audiences, including LGBTQ+ people navigating pressure to define themselves through relationships.

Therapy, Accountability, and Redefining Love

In separate interviews over the past year, Lopez has described engaging in extensive therapy and coaching to understand her patterns and past relationships, saying on “The Howard Stern Show” that she turned to a religious coach, individual and couples therapists, and even a coach focused on addiction dynamics. She told Stern that her most recent divorce was “the best thing that ever happened to me” because it forced her into a deep “journey” of self‑examination and left her more self‑assured and self‑aware.

Lopez has also spoken about never feeling “truly loved” in some past relationships and about former partners not being “capable” of providing the kind of love she needed, while acknowledging her role in choosing those relationships. In an Interview magazine conversation with comedian Nikki Glaser, she said the second split from Affleck “almost did take me out for good” but on the other side she now views it as “exactly what I needed,” even comparing the wake‑up call to being hit with a “f---ing sledgehammer.”

Through these remarks, Lopez has repeatedly stressed that a relationship does not define her and that she must find happiness within herself rather than in external validation. She has said she is “not looking for anybody” in terms of a new partner and is instead focused on being happy and whole as a single person, describing herself as “so happy” being single in a March 2026 People preview of her Nightline interview.

These themes of self‑acceptance and internal validation intersect with broader cultural conversations around mental health, trauma recovery, and the need for safe, affirming relationships across communities, including LGBTQ+ people who often face additional stigma and pressure around relationship norms. Lopez’s decision to be open about therapy and coaching also contributes to destigmatizing mental health support for fans who may be navigating their own complex breakups, identity questions, or family dynamics.

Public Reaction and Ongoing Narrative

News outlets summarizing Lopez’s SmartLess comments have largely framed them as another chapter in a long‑running story about how she processed the end of her marriage to Affleck, combining earlier accounts of heartbreak with a more recent emphasis on empowerment and self‑work. Headlines from outlets such as Entertainment Weekly and Yahoo focused on her explicit directive to herself to “figure yourself out,” highlighting the blunt language as a distillation of the personal reckoning she describes.

Lopez’s narrative has also been linked to broader coverage of her post‑divorce life, including her decision to stay single, step back from dating, and prioritize her children and inner healing over the search for another “great love.” While public reaction varies across social media and comment sections, outlets consistently present her latest comments as a message about personal accountability and growth rather than as a critique of Affleck or of relationships in general.

For fans and observers, particularly those from marginalized communities who may relate to themes of resilience and self‑construction, Lopez’s willingness to talk bluntly about starting over in her mid‑50s underscores that there is no fixed timeline for figuring oneself out. Her message that “you have to be complete” and “good on your own” before seeking something more complete with another person echoes advice frequently shared within LGBTQ+ and other communities focused on building healthy, consensual, and affirming relationships.

Rannells, now 47, told host Kevin Fallon that he had once shared the story of dating Cooper with Girls creator Lena Dunham and co‑creator Jenni Konner during the show’s run. According to Rannells, when he described what it was like to date the older CNN anchor as a 25‑year‑old working actor, the writers responded that it was “a fun story” and later folded its emotional beats into Elijah’s arc.

On the podcast, Rannells described their past relationship as short but significant enough that it stayed with him as he navigated his career and queer storytelling on screen. He emphasized that the romance was “very brief,” underscoring that what endured was less the duration and more the dynamic of dating a well‑established, older media figure while still figuring out adult life.

From real life to Girls

Rannells portrayed Elijah Krantz, the gay former boyfriend and later roommate of Lena Dunham’s character Hannah Horvath, across all six seasons of Girls from 2012 to 2017. The character evolved from comic relief to one of the show’s emotional centers, giving many LGBTQ+ viewers one of the few gay male characters in a major HBO dramedy at the time.

In the show’s fifth season, Elijah begins dating Dill Harcourt, a charismatic and polished news anchor played by Corey Stoll, whose on‑screen persona exudes confidence, success, and middle‑aged stability. Their relationship is marked by an age gap and a stark contrast between Dill’s established career and Elijah’s more chaotic path, themes that Rannells now links directly back to his own experience with Cooper.

Rannells told the podcast that once he shared his story with Dunham and Konner, “then it became the story that Elijah had in the series,” indicating that the Dill storyline grew from the emotional reality of navigating intimacy and power imbalances in queer relationships. In season 5, Elijah gradually realizes that Dill intends to maintain other romantic and sexual “friends” while seeing him, prompting Elijah to question his self‑worth and what he wants from a partner.

That storyline culminates in Elijah ending the relationship when he understands that Dill is unwilling to commit to monogamy or prioritize him, a breakup that viewers and critics at the time praised for its emotional honesty and for treating a gay relationship with the same narrative weight as the show’s straight pairings. Rannells had previously told Elle in 2016 that Elijah saw Dill as his first fully adult relationship, noting that the character had to decide whether to stay with someone who was “not all in.”

Years of speculation about Dill’s inspiration

Speculation that Dill Harcourt was inspired by Anderson Cooper began almost as soon as the character appeared, fueled by Dill’s job as a prominent TV news figure and his composed on‑screen demeanor. In 2016, Cooper himself joked about the resemblance and was asked whether Dill might be based on him, at one point suggesting that the character reminded him of Fox News personality Bill O’Reilly instead.

Corey Stoll, who played Dill, repeatedly declined to tie the role to any one real‑life anchor, telling LGBTQ+ outlet Queerty during the show’s original run that he “did not base this character on anybody.” At the time, Rannells also seemed to distance the character from Cooper, telling Elle that Dill represented an “adult” from outside the Girls core group’s world and that his job could have been many different things.

With Rannells’ new comments, some of that ambiguity has cleared: he now explicitly states that his brief romance with Cooper served as the basis for Elijah’s relationship with Dill, at least on a narrative level. However, he has not claimed that Dill is a direct impersonation of Cooper, and Stoll has maintained that he constructed the character without modeling him on any specific journalist.

Queer‑focused outlets have highlighted the revelation as an example of how TV often draws from the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ performers, even when those inspirations remain unspoken for years. Coverage has also noted that the story underscores the importance of queer actors having a voice in shaping the narratives they help bring to screen.

Revisiting queer representation on Girls

Girls has long been discussed for its depictions of young adulthood, sexuality, and gender, with Elijah standing out as one of the show’s most prominent gay male characters. Rannells’ recent comments invite a rewatch of Elijah’s storyline through the lens of lived queer experience, including the complexities of dating older, more established partners in a media landscape that has often marginalized gay relationships.

During his Obsessed appearance, Rannells also discussed broader questions of queer representation and intimacy on set, including how he choreographed intimacy with Stoll before intimacy coordinators became common practice in television production. He framed those efforts as part of making Elijah’s sex and dating life feel authentic and respectful, particularly for gay viewers who rarely saw themselves depicted with similar nuance in prestige TV at the time.

Media outlets have noted that Rannells’ revelation arrives at a moment when many shows are re‑evaluated for how they handled LGBTQ+ characters, especially in the early 2010s. For some viewers, learning that a real queer relationship informed Elijah’s arc reinforces the sense that the character’s heartbreak and growth were grounded in realities many gay men and queer people have experienced.

Where Rannells and Cooper are now

Rannells has since moved on to a variety of stage and screen projects, including the recent HBO film Miss You, Love You, which he promoted while appearing on Obsessed alongside co‑stars Allison Janney and Bonnie Hunt. He has been in a relationship with actor Tuc Watkins since 2019, after the pair met working together, and the two have become a visible couple in theater and television circles.

Anderson Cooper, for his part, has not publicly commented in detail on Rannells’ latest statements, though he has previously addressed theories about Dill Harcourt with humor and distance. The CNN anchor shares two sons, Wyatt and Sebastian, with his ex‑partner Benjamin Maisani, with whom he has continued to co‑parent after their romantic relationship ended.

Rannells’ decision to attach his own history to Elijah’s story publicly does not change the text of Girls, but it adds a newly transparent layer to one of the show’s most memorable queer arcs. For many LGBTQ+ fans who saw pieces of their dating lives reflected in Elijah’s mismatched romance with Dill, the confirmation that a real, if brief, relationship between two gay men helped shape the storyline may deepen the connection they feel to the character and his journey.

Background and Context

Underwood rose to mainstream prominence through ABC’s Bachelor franchise, first appearing on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise before being cast as the 23rd Bachelor and heavily marketed as an “adult virgin” looking for his future wife. Coverage at the time emphasized his evangelical faith, desire for marriage and fatherhood, and his status as a never‑before‑married, sexually inexperienced lead, a narrative that quickly became central to his public identity.

In the years after his Bachelor season, Underwood later came out as gay in a 2021 interview with Good Morning America, saying he had “ran from myself for a long time,” had “hated” himself, and had only recently come to terms with his sexuality. He has since discussed the mental health toll of living in the closet and the intense scrutiny that followed his time as a high‑profile reality TV lead.

‘Only Hooked Up With Married Men’

In his recent comments, Underwood said that during the years before he came out, he developed an internal “rule” that he would only be intimate with men who were married and presenting as “straight.” He explained that, in his view at the time, these men had “more to lose” if their encounters were exposed, which he believed gave him some measure of protection against being outed.

“To protect myself, I would only hook up with married men,” Underwood said, adding that these were married “straight” men whose family lives and public images would be jeopardized by disclosure of same‑sex encounters. He described this approach as “messed‑up” in hindsight but said it reflected the depth of his fear about potential blackmail or outing during his early football career and subsequent reality TV fame.

Underwood’s description of those encounters aligns with earlier interviews in which he distinguished between what he called “hookups” and intercourse, saying in 2021 that he had “experiment with men” before joining the franchise but had not had sex with a man at that time. In that earlier Variety‑linked discussion, he reiterated that he maintained his virginity label in the narrow sense of not having had penetrative sex, despite having engaged in other physical experiences with men.

Fear, Secrecy and the ‘Virgin Bachelor’ Label

Underwood said his fear that closeted experiences would surface intensified after he was cast in The Bachelor franchise, particularly once his virginity became a defining storyline that producers foregrounded in promotions and episodes. He recalled being repeatedly asked by media and within the show itself why he was a virgin, worrying that any deeper probing into his past would expose his history of same‑sex hookups.

According to the new interview, Underwood said he “hated” being framed as the “Virgin Bachelor” because the narrative felt both reductive and risky, given that it encouraged curiosity about his sexual history at a time when he was still closeted. He suggested that producers’ focus on his virginity overshadowed the internal conflict he was experiencing regarding his faith, his identity as a gay man, and his fear that former partners could come forward.

On the We Need to Talk podcast, Underwood said he now wishes he had been allowed, or felt safe enough, to share a more vulnerable account of his struggle with sexuality rather than leaning into the simplified virgin trope. He reflected that a more honest conversation during his Bachelor tenure might have offered viewers a clearer window into the complexities faced by closeted LGBTQ+ people in highly public, heteronormative environments.

Coming Out and Life After Reality TV

Underwood publicly came out as gay in April 2021 in a Good Morning America segment, saying he had arrived at a place where he needed to stop “running” from himself and share his truth with the public. In that interview, he described years of shame and internalized homophobia, followed by a period of processing his identity before deciding to come out, which he called “the next step in all of this” for his own well‑being and for the people in his life.

Since then, Underwood has built a public life as an out gay man, including co‑hosting the Hulu dating series Are You My First?, which focuses on singles who have not had sex and explores varied experiences of virginity and intimacy. He married political strategist Jordan C. Brown in May 2023 after the couple’s engagement in early 2022, and the two have spoken publicly about their plans for family life and their journey as a same‑sex couple.

In a separate interview about his past, Underwood has described earlier “homoerotic” experiences in sports locker rooms and has said he first hooked up with another man on his 21st birthday, emphasizing that these encounters happened only when he was single and not in committed relationships. He also said that many of the men he was involved with identified as “straight” in their day‑to‑day lives, a pattern he now links to broader pressures around masculinity and sexuality in sport and reality television.

Reactions and Ongoing Conversations

Underwood’s latest remarks about exclusively hooking up with married men have prompted renewed discussion online about the ethics and risks of closeted relationships, including for spouses and families who may be unaware of their partners’ same‑sex behavior. Commentators and fans of the Bachelor franchise have also revisited how reality TV formats can constrain or erase the experiences of LGBTQ+ people, even as those individuals are positioned as romantic leads within rigidly heterosexual narratives.

In these new interviews, Underwood has framed his past choices as rooted in fear rather than malice, underscoring the impact of stigma on closeted gay and bisexual people who feel compelled to protect themselves through secrecy. He has at the same time acknowledged that the strategies he used, including limiting his intimacy to married men, were “messed‑up” and has expressed a wish that he could have been more open and vulnerable during his time as the “Virgin Bachelor.”

Makkena said she asked herself how to justify Mary Robert being “obsessed” with Deloris and decided that an unspoken, perhaps subconscious attraction would give the relationship more emotional texture. She emphasized that no one involved in the production, including Goldberg, was aware she was playing the role this way, describing it as “an internal little secret” that guided her performance without altering the script or overt blocking.

How queerness shaped Mary Robert

In Sister Act, Makkena’s Mary Robert begins as a very quiet, sheltered novice nun who struggles to project her voice and assert herself within the convent’s rigid hierarchy. Over the course of the film, she is drawn toward Deloris, a flamboyant lounge singer hiding in the convent as Sister Mary Clarence as part of a witness protection arrangement, whose boldness and musicality help Mary Robert step into her own power.

Makkena told the podcast that she imagined Mary Robert being unconsciously and subconsciously drawn to Deloris in a way the innocent young nun would not fully understand, particularly given her limited experience of the world and the cloistered environment. She suggested that this quiet attraction, never explicitly acknowledged in the film, added stakes to Mary Robert’s journey and helped explain why Deloris becomes such a catalytic figure in her life, inspiring her to sing solo and challenge expectations.

Queer readings and LGBTQ+ audiences

Makkena’s comments dovetail with long-standing queer readings of Sister Act that have circulated among LGBTQ+ viewers and writers, who have often noted the film’s resonances with stories of self-discovery, chosen family, and life inside restrictive institutions. A 2020 essay on LGBTQ+ site Hornet argued that the film’s narrative—about Deloris hiding her true identity in a religious setting, clashing with authority, and ultimately being celebrated for her authenticity—has been particularly meaningful to queer audiences who grew up in conservative or religious environments.

According to Makkena, LGBTQ+ media noticed the chemistry between Mary Robert and Deloris early on, even if mainstream coverage did not center it. She recalled being told after the movie’s release that Out magazine had commented on the “sexual tension” between the two characters in its review, and remembered feeling surprised and pleased that critics had picked up on what she had intended as a subtle subtext.

A hit film with enduring LGBTQ+ resonance

Released in 1992, Sister Act became one of the most commercially successful comedies of the early 1990s, pairing Goldberg’s lead performance with an ensemble that included Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Mary Wickes, and Harvey Keitel. The film follows Deloris Van Cartier, a Reno lounge singer who witnesses a mob killing and is placed in protective custody in a San Francisco convent, where she reinvents the convent choir with Motown-infused arrangements that draw crowds and media attention.

For many LGBTQ+ viewers, the story of a performer hiding who she is to survive, only to find freedom when she embraces her showy, camp sensibilities, has echoed common themes in queer life narratives. The film’s emphasis on chosen community, mutual support among women in religious life, and the joyful transformation of a rigid institution through music has helped cement its status as a queer favorite, even without explicit LGBTQ+ characters or plot lines.

Subtext, ‘secrets,’ and on‑screen representation

In her recent remarks, Makkena said the attraction she imagined between Mary Robert and Deloris functioned as a kind of acting “secret,” something performers often use to ground their characters’ emotional stakes even when those motivations are never spelled out in dialogue. She indicated that this internal backstory helped her calibrate Mary Robert’s looks, reactions, and growing confidence around Deloris, allowing her to play the dynamic as more than simple hero worship or platonic admiration.

The choice also highlights how, in an era with less direct LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream family films, some actors quietly built queer subtext into their performances as a way of honoring experiences that could not be plainly written into scripts at the time. For many viewers, learning that Makkena intentionally played Mary Robert with an underlying attraction to Deloris may affirm interpretations they have held for decades, providing a rare instance where an actor explicitly confirms a queer reading that had previously lived mostly in fan conversations and specialized media.

Legacy and a possible future for ‘Sister Act’

The original film’s popularity led to a 1993 sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, and eventually to a stage musical adaptation, expanding the story’s reach across generations and geographies. In recent years, Disney has been developing a third Sister Act movie, with Goldberg attached to return as Deloris, signaling enduring interest in the franchise and its themes of reinvention, community, and joyful defiance.

Makkena’s new comments arrive at a time when audiences and critics increasingly revisit older works through a contemporary lens, reassessing how LGBTQ+ subtext, camp performance styles, and coded narratives have shaped the canon of popular film. For LGBTQ+ people who grew up with Sister Act, her acknowledgment that Mary Robert’s devotion to Deloris carried an element of attraction may deepen the film’s existing resonance, illustrating how queer meaning has often been present on screen even when it could not yet be plainly named.

The actor may have ended months of speculation triggered by Zendaya’s stylist Law Roach’s claim in March that the couple had already held a wedding. In a very 2026 twist, artificial intelligence played a role in the reveal.

When Holland was asked by Esquire U.K. whether he had to inform family members about AI images that appear to show him and Zendaya at their wedding, the actor replied, “No, because they were all there.”

“That’s all you’ll get on that,” he said of the matter.

Elsewhere, in the story published Tuesday, Holland gushed about how the couple supported each other behind the camera.

"Our business can present very stressful situations and it’s really nice to have a bedrock of a relationship that will stand the test of time,” he said.

“So, for me, I found my person. She’s my best friend, and I’m the happiest I ever have been when I’m with her, but I also have never felt so supported and safe, ever. Period.”

Holland and Zendaya first met when they co-starred in the 2017 movie “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” They star together in big movies this summer: “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”

“Obsession” fell just short. It debuted with $17 million. They were still thrilled. Barker made the horror film with just $750,000. It was enormously successful. But then something unexpected happened. The following weekend, “Obsession” easily cleared $20 million. And then it did again and again and almost a fourth time — an almost unheard-of staying power.

“It was just like: Holy cow. I didn’t think that was an option,” Barker says. “Now we’ve said if it hits $300 million, we’ll all get the tattoo. We had to make a new milestone. And I think we’ll reach it.”

Over the last month, “Obsession” has sent shock waves through Hollywood. Barker’s microbudget thriller has grossed $286 million worldwide, and it’s still going. On its fifth weekend in theaters, it was second only to Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day,” with $19 million. In North America, it has outgrossed “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.” It’s the biggest hit in the 24-year existence of Focus Features, which has had to postpone the video-on-demand release. It ranks among the most profitable movies ever made.

Barker, who built a following making sketches and short films on YouTube, is living out the dream of every aspiring filmmaker. Life, he granted in a recent interview, is different now.

“My day to day is pretty much the same. It’s just that when I go out in public, it’s a lot different,” he says, laughing. “I actually feel a little unsafe sometimes.”

That’s an ironic development for someone whose twist on an old Monkey Paw story has frightened moviegoers. In “Obsession,” Bear Bailey (Michael Johnston) wishes on an antique toy called a One Wish Willow that his crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), loved him. The spell — loosely inspired by an old “Simpsons” Halloween episode — works disturbingly well.

The astonishing success of “Obsession” has been hotly debated throughout the industry. Coupled with the A24 hit “Backrooms,” by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, it’s been a coming-out party for YouTube as a breeding ground for the next generation of filmmakers.

It’s also brought waves of Gen Z moviegoers — who already make up a promisingly robust percentage of frequent ticket buyers — into theaters. Summer has historically been dominated by legacy franchises, but “Obsession” may represent a sea change.

“If there’s a lesson from ‘Obsession,’ I think it’s about audiences,” says Peter Kujawski, chairman of Focus Features. “We have a generation that grew up online, approaches culture with enormous curiosity and playfulness, and is far less concerned with where a filmmaker comes from than whether the story connects. They’re engaged, incredibly film-literate and eager to champion new voices and original stories.”

From YouTube to the multiplex

Barker, who grew up in Mobile, Alabama, before moving to Los Angeles at 18, says he feels as though he’s writing for his generation. The response to “Obsession,” he says, taps into a collective need.

“I get it because I think we’re a little tired of being at home. Our generation is the COVID generation,” says Barker. “I was fortunate enough to have all four years of high school experience. My brother, Riley, lost two years of that. We’re sick of the phones.”

Barker wanted to be an actor before he wanted to be a filmmaker. And while his early exposure to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” at age 11, helped set him on a horror path, he didn’t begin that way.

“I was a huge Harry Potter fan growing up. Huge. I was obsessed,” Barker says, smiling. “I had all the wands. I would dress up.”

Barker attended film school in Los Angeles for a year, where he met Cooper Tomlinson, a co-star and producer on “Obsession.” The two soon forged their own path, though, on YouTube and TikTok. Their comedy sketch series, “That’s a Bad Idea,” found a footing online.

Barker wrote and directed the 2023 short “The Chair,” which attracted the interest of Tea Shop Productions. Producer James Harris approached Barker about a feature of “The Chair,” but he instead wanted to make a film — “Obsession” — that drew on many of the same ideas. Meanwhile, Barker also made an $800 found-footage horror film, “Milk & Serial.” After failing to secure distribution, he simply uploaded to YouTube. It went viral and landed him an agent.

“Obsession” was selected to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, giving it an enviable platform. After a bidding war, Kujawski and Focus acquired it for $15 million.

“What stands out about Curry is that he isn’t working from an inherited playbook,” says Kujawski. “Whether you look at his earlier work or ‘Obsession,’ there’s a consistency of vision and a confidence in his storytelling that immediately sets him apart. He knows exactly what he wants to say while being absolutely committed to making every minute of his work as entertaining as possible, and he’s willing to take real risks in service of that vision.”

More ‘Obsession,’ but other projects first

Barker’s swift but hard-earned rise has made him the poster boy for a new brand of filmmaker, one who has honed his craft as a digital creator and arrives with an established fan base. Jason Blum, the chief executive of Blumhouse Productions, has compared Barker and company to the 1970s wave of American auteurs, “making edgy movies that are connecting in theaters in a crazy way.”

“When you really step back, my journey is not really that different than Christopher Nolan or David Fincher or Steven Spielberg,” Barker says. “You can watch their early short films and see their work before they were given a chance. I think YouTube is just a path, a platform we can use now to show the industry what we’ve got.”

Now, Barker is one of the most in-demand filmmakers in Hollywood. He has already shot his next feature, “Anything But Ghosts,” starring Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard, for Blumhouse. Two months ago, A24 announced that he will write and direct a reboot of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

All the attention has taken some getting used to. Filmmakers like Ari Aster and Zach Cregger and even Spielberg have reached out to compliment Barker on his film.

“That’s when you start to feel this impostor syndrome of like: What? It’s not that good,” Barker says, laughing. “All I see when I watch ‘Obsession’ is the problems.”

An “Obsession” sequel is, naturally, a certainty. “A sequel isn’t hard for this movie,” grants Barker. He sketches out how new wishes by other characters on One Wish Willows could lead to entirely different stories, all revolving around some new vice: greed, fame, whatever.

But as much as it’s tempting to see “Obsession” as the product of Barker's own wish, it’s more like the opposite. In the film, Bear’s profound mistake is putting off confessing his feelings to Nikki, thinking there’s plenty of time to do it. (The movie immediately cuts to a dead cat.) Barker, on the other hand, had no timidity about realizing his dreams. He wanted to make movies, so he did.

“Anyone that asks what advice you have for young filmmakers, I always say the same thing,” says Barker. “I went to a film school for a year out in L.A. and I watched people paralyze themselves with the pressure of: I’ve told people I’m a director so now I have to direct something that has to be good. If it’s not good, everyone’s going to judge me. The result of that thinking is two years on one short film.”

“You can’t put too much pressure on an idea,” adds Barker. “You just got to make it.”