Aiken, 47, described the incident during a Sept. 17 interview with Page Six Radio, revisiting a controversy that began with an appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly and escalated during a live discussion on The View.

“I died inside a lot that week,” Aiken told Page Six Radio host Evan Real. He also recalled being asleep in Los Angeles when the segment aired and being awakened by Jaymes Foster, the mother of his son.

“I got woken up by my son’s mother who said, ‘You need to wake up because Rosie just outed you on The View,’” Aiken said. “I woke up. I was freaked out,” he added.

How the dispute began

The controversy stemmed from Aiken’s Nov. 17, 2006, appearance as a substitute for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis and Kelly. During the program, Aiken playfully placed his hand over Kelly Ripa’s mouth while attempting to speak to the guests.

Ripa objected to the gesture, calling it “a no-no.” Entertainment Weekly reported that Ripa also said, “I don’t know where that hand’s been, honey.”

Ripa addressed the incident again after Philbin returned to the program on Nov. 20, 2006. The following day, she called into *The View*, where O’Donnell defended Aiken and characterized Ripa’s response as homophobic.

“Now listen, to me that was a homophobic remark,” O’Donnell said on the program. She argued that Ripa might have reacted differently if the person involved had been a straight man or a man whose sexuality was not questioned.

Ripa called into the broadcast and described O’Donnell’s characterization as “outrageous.” Ripa said her objection concerned Aiken placing his hand over her mouth after he had been shaking hands with people in the audience, according to USA TODAY’s account.

“You say defended, I say outed”

During the new interview, Real referred to O’Donnell as having defended Aiken. Aiken corrected him: “You say defended, I say outed.”

Aiken had not publicly disclosed that he was gay at the time of the 2006 broadcast. He publicly came out in a September 2008 People magazine cover story, two years after the televised incident.

Aiken said he does not blame O’Donnell for what happened. “I don’t have any ill feelings against Rosie,” he said. “She did mean well.”

Aiken said O’Donnell’s words were chosen in the heat of the exchange and that she was caught off guard. O’Donnell’s representatives and Ripa’s representatives were contacted for comment by the outlets reporting on Aiken’s remarks.

Using humor to manage the fallout

The dispute unfolded on the same day that Aiken and actor Tori Spelling presented an award at the 2006 American Music Awards in Los Angeles.

Aiken said Spelling helped him respond publicly by suggesting that they make light of the situation during the ceremony. During their presentation, Spelling placed her hand over Aiken’s mouth and joked, “And I’ll tell you where that hand’s been later.”

USA TODAY reported that Aiken and Spelling used the awards appearance to spoof the controversy while presenting an award.

Aiken later described the period as “probably the most catastrophic week of my life” in a June interview on the Hollywood Raw podcast. In that account, he said he had felt unable to explain himself during the original television appearance and worried that he had upset Ripa.

Aiken said he sent Ripa flowers after the incident. He said Ripa later apologized for the controversy becoming overblown and told him she would welcome him back on the program.

Aiken said he attempted to return to the show but was not permitted to do so, adding that he had not pursued another appearance since.

Why he is discussing it now

Aiken told Page Six Radio that the 2006 episode rarely comes to mind, but that he had thought about it more during the three months before the interview because people had been asking him about it.

The renewed attention follows Aiken’s recent reflections on the controversy and does not represent a new public dispute between him, O’Donnell and Ripa, based on the reports available for this article.

Aiken’s account distinguishes between O’Donnell’s stated intention to defend him and the personal impact of discussing his sexuality publicly before he had chosen to do so himself. His comments also underscore that a person’s sexual orientation is theirs to disclose, regardless of whether another person believes a public reference is supportive or protective.

The casting was confirmed on September 17, 2026, when Empire published an exclusive first look at Gerwig’s film and identified Streep as the voice of the mythical lion at the center of Lewis’s fictional world.

The announcement resolves months of industry speculation over whether Streep would join the project. Earlier reporting had described her as being in discussions to play Aslan, while the new coverage presents the casting as finalized.

Gerwig told Empire that she wanted Aslan to be voiced by someone “profound but not pretentious,” with “gravitas but not morose self-seriousness.”

She also said she was looking for a performer capable of communicating “depth and pathos as well as joy and delight.”

Gerwig described age and experience as part of the casting brief, saying she wanted someone older than 70 who could convey wisdom while retaining “fresh wonder, like a child.”

She added that the desired actor had to be “one of the greatest actors to ever do it,” saying that the list of candidates was not long.

The First Look at Aslan

The first-look material depicts a new interpretation of Aslan, the talking lion who creates and protects the world of Narnia in Lewis’s mythology.

According to Empire, Gerwig’s version of the character has heterochromic eyes and a face marked by bold red stripes.

Gerwig identified David Bowie as a creative influence on both Aslan’s appearance and the film’s broader sensibility.

The production’s visual approach is part of a wider effort to present The Magician’s Nephew as a distinct interpretation of Lewis’s material rather than as a direct remake of the earlier screen adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The film begins with The Magician’s Nephew, Lewis’s origin story for Narnia, rather than with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the best-known entry in the series and the first novel adapted for the 2005 theatrical film.

The production has also been described as having a strong musical dimension, with Gerwig discussing influences that include Bowie and the Who.

The available reporting identifies Aslan as male, while Streep’s casting means the character will be voiced by a woman in this adaptation.

The announcement therefore confirms a change in voice casting, but the sources reviewed do not describe the film as changing Aslan’s identity or narrative role.

Gerwig and Streep Reunite

The film reunites Gerwig with Streep after their collaboration on Little Women, Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel.

Streep appeared in Little Women as Aunt March, while Gerwig wrote and directed the film.

For Narnia, Streep’s role is primarily vocal, with her performance attached to the digital and visual realization of Aslan rather than to an on-screen human character.

Gerwig’s explanation emphasizes vocal qualities, emotional range and authority rather than celebrity recognition alone.

The director’s comments also indicate that she was seeking a performance that could combine solemnity with playfulness, reflecting Aslan’s role as both a powerful supernatural figure and a source of wonder within the story.

Release Plans

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is scheduled to open in IMAX and other cinemas on February 12, 2027.

The film is scheduled to arrive on Netflix on April 2, 2027, following its theatrical run.

The release schedule represents a change from an earlier plan that had placed the film’s theatrical opening around Thanksgiving 2026.

The project is being developed as the first of Gerwig’s planned adaptations of Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia books.

The currently reported cast also includes Emma Mackey as the White Witch, alongside Carey Mulligan and Daniel Craig.

The story of The Magician’s Nephew*is set around the creation of Narnia and the origins of several elements that later become central to Lewis’s fictional universe.

The film’s first-look announcement places Streep’s voice at the center of Netflix’s introduction to Gerwig’s version of that mythology.

For now, the confirmed information concerns the casting, the initial design of Aslan and the release timetable; further details about Streep’s recording process and the film’s final performance style have not been disclosed in the sources reviewed.

The trailer was released by Hulu on September 17, 2026, and shows Kardashian, 45, in a hospital bed before she discusses the diagnosis with people around her.

“I have something called esophagitis,” Kardashian says in the preview.

A voice in the trailer then asks whether esophagitis was the condition that caused her father’s death, and Kardashian responds affirmatively.

The footage does not provide a detailed account of Kardashian’s symptoms, the cause of her esophagitis, the treatment she received or the length of any hospitalization.

It also does not say that Kardashian has esophageal cancer.

What esophagitis means

Esophagitis is inflammation or irritation of the tissue lining the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach.

The condition can be associated with painful or difficult swallowing, heartburn and chest pain, although the trailer does not identify which symptoms Kardashian experienced.

The Mayo Clinic identifies several possible causes of esophagitis, including stomach acid backing up into the esophagus, certain medications, infections and allergic reactions.

Kardashian has not publicly identified the cause of her diagnosis in the material released so far.

Esophagitis and esophageal cancer are different medical conditions.

Untreated or recurring inflammation can sometimes contribute to complications, including Barrett’s esophagus, a condition in which the lining of the esophagus changes after damage commonly associated with long-term acid reflux.

Barrett’s esophagus can increase the risk of esophageal cancer, but the presence of esophagitis alone does not establish that a person has Barrett’s esophagus or cancer.

Connection to Robert Kardashian Sr.

Robert Kardashian Sr., Kim Kardashian’s father, died from esophageal cancer in 2003 at the age of 59.

The family connection is central to the trailer’s presentation of Kardashian’s health scare because the exchange about her diagnosis immediately references her father’s death.

The trailer does not state that Kardashian’s esophagitis is hereditary, nor does it establish that her diagnosis is related to her father’s cancer.

Medical sources describe esophagitis as inflammation of the esophagus, while esophageal cancer is a malignant disease involving cells in that organ.

Because Kardashian’s disclosure comes from a short television preview, publicly available information does not establish whether she has any continuing symptoms or whether the condition has resolved.

What the trailer shows

The preview includes footage of Kardashian in a hospital setting and appears to show her being prepared for or undergoing a medical procedure, but it does not identify the procedure.

Reports based on the trailer describe the hospitalization as a recent health scare, but neither Kardashian nor her representatives had publicly released a detailed medical statement in the coverage reviewed for this article.

The available footage therefore confirms Kardashian’s own disclosure of an esophagitis diagnosis but leaves important clinical details undisclosed.

That distinction is important because a television trailer is not a substitute for a complete medical report, and Kardashian’s diagnosis should not be expanded beyond what she and the program have explicitly shown.

Season eight

Hulu’s official season-eight announcement says that the new season of *The Kardashians* will premiere October 8, 2026, in the United States, with international availability on Disney+.

The trailer combines Kardashian’s health disclosure with other personal and family storylines involving the Kardashian-Jenner family.

The program may provide additional context about Kardashian’s diagnosis when the season airs, but no further verified medical details were included in the promotional material examined.

For now, the confirmed information is limited to Kardashian’s statement that she has esophagitis, the trailer’s depiction of her in a hospital setting and the emotional connection the preview draws to her father’s history of esophageal cancer.

Stone discussed the experience in an interview published by Variety on September 17, 2026, while reflecting on her career and the lasting public response to her best-known role.

Asked whether people were afraid of her after Basic Instinct, Stone answered, “Yes.”

She then described how publicity interviews were arranged: “What they would do is they would show the film to the press and then bring them in to interview me.”

“They were terrified, and they would sit down opposite me and panic,” Stone said.

A role that followed her

Stone played Catherine Tramell, a wealthy crime novelist suspected of murder, in Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct.

The film became closely associated with Stone’s performance, including an interrogation scene that generated extensive public discussion when the movie was released.

In the scene, Tramell projects control and challenges the authority of the investigators questioning her.

Stone connected the response to the character’s refusal to conform to conventional expectations of women.

“I think that the basic construct of a woman declaring herself as separate and indomitable was, and remains, a terrifying construct,” she said.

The quote was also reported by People, which described Stone as saying that people remain afraid of her “in one way or another.”

Stone said the reaction has not entirely disappeared.

“That hasn’t changed; people are still terrified of me in one way or another,” she said.

The distinction between actor and character

Stone’s comments describe a recurring consequence of playing a culturally prominent villain: viewers and interviewers may carry impressions of the fictional character into encounters with the actor.

The reports do not establish that every journalist who interviewed Stone was afraid of her, nor do they provide independent accounts from those interviewers.

The account is Stone’s recollection of how press interviews were conducted and how interviewers responded after viewing the film.

A separate interview published earlier in September focused on a different aspect of the role’s impact.

In that interview, Stone said the character’s darkness attracted people who believed she resembled Tramell.

“Real dark people identified and came into my life thinking, ‘Oh, you really are like me,’” Stone said.

That earlier account and the new Variety interview both concern Stone’s experience of being associated with roles that present danger, manipulation or emotional control.

Why the comments matter now

The new remarks arrive more than three decades after Basic Instinct was released.

Stone’s comments indicate that the film remains a reference point in conversations about her public image and career.

Her explanation also frames the reaction in gendered terms, focusing on a woman who presents herself as independent rather than deferential.

Stone did not say that fear was the only response to the performance, and the interview did not quantify how many journalists reacted in that way.

Her wording instead presented the reaction as an enduring association between her and Tramell, the character she portrayed.

The recent coverage has therefore centered on Stone’s own account rather than on a new controversy involving the film.

Her central point was that a fictional portrayal can continue to shape how an actor is perceived long after the production has ended.

The video was posted to the White House’s official TikTok account on Wednesday, September 16, according to reporting published after Larsson’s response. The clip showed footage of ICE agents detaining people, placing them in handcuffs and transporting them in vehicles.

The post carried the caption “never ending deportations.” The wording appeared to reference the lyric “never ending midnight sun” from Larsson’s song.

Larsson responded in a video shared on her own social-media account. She described the White House video as “so dehumanising” and said it had left her “really sad.”

Larsson’s response

In the approximately three-minute response, Larsson objected to the presentation of people shown in the immigration-enforcement footage. “These people in this video, they’re real people,” she said, according to the BBC’s account of her remarks.

Larsson also said that most undocumented people are ordinary individuals with jobs who are seeking a better future. She criticized what she characterized as the treatment of immigration enforcement as a meme or joke and said the use of her song created division.

The singer explained that “Midnight Sun” was intended to express a connection between people, nature and the universe, rather than accompany footage of arrests and deportations.

At the end of the response, Larsson used profanity to insult those responsible for the White House post. The Hill reported that she called the White House’s social-media staff “f—ing losers.”

The song was removed, but the video remained

The song was subsequently removed from the White House TikTok post, while the video itself remained available on the account, the BBC reported.

The BBC said the video combined multiple clips involving ICE agents and other law-enforcement officials arresting people and placing them into vehicles. The Washington Times described the post as showing roughly a dozen men in handcuffs and leg restraints.

The White House did not immediately provide a statement to the BBC in response to questions about the video. No public explanation for the removal of the song was included in the BBC report.

A recurring dispute over music in political posts

Larsson’s criticism places her among musicians who have objected to the Trump administration’s use of their recordings in official social-media content.

The BBC reported that Larsson had previously criticized the use of her song “Lush Life” in a White House video featuring President Donald Trump dancing at public events. The outlet also reported that songs by Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo were removed from administration posts after objections from the artists.

Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande have likewise cautioned the administration against using their music in social-media videos, according to the BBC.

The dispute over “Midnight Sun” centers on the contrast between the song’s stated themes and the imagery selected for the White House post. Larsson said the song was about connection, while the White House video paired it with footage of immigration arrests and a caption promoting deportations.

The White House’s use of the track therefore prompted a public objection from the artist within a day of the post’s publication. The footage remained online after the song was removed, according to the BBC.

In a statement published Thursday on her official website, Streisand said she was indignant that the Kennedy Center had become the focus of “such a bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego.”

Streisand’s comments came after a federal judge blocked the Kennedy Center board from adding Trump’s name to the building’s facade and from renaming the surrounding grounds the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”

The dispute has combined questions about the center’s legal name, its governance, a proposed renovation and the future of programming at one of the United States’ most prominent arts institutions.

The Federal Court Ruling

U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled on September 15 that the Kennedy Center board could not install a memorial to Trump or otherwise place his name on the institution without congressional authorization.

“Simply put,” Cooper wrote, “Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing.”

The ruling rejected a proposal to add an inscription stating that the building had been “renovated and restored by Donald J. Trump,” as well as a plan to rename the campus surrounding the center.

Cooper had previously ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the building’s facade, finding that changing the institution’s official name required action by Congress.

The judge also criticized what he characterized as attempts by the board to use different wording to accomplish a result barred by the court’s earlier order and the governing statute.

Closure and Renovation Dispute

The court ruling was followed by a vote by the Trump-aligned Kennedy Center board to close most of the performing arts venue.

The board’s action came only hours after the judge blocked the latest effort to place Trump’s name on the building.

The administration and the board have linked the closure question to a proposed renovation, while the court has examined whether the decision to shut the center was made independently and in accordance with the trustees’ responsibilities.

Reuters reported that Cooper had previously blocked an effort to close the institution for renovation, calling the decision “taken in dereliction of the trustees’ duty of prudence.”

The judge later indicated that the board could consider another closure if it made a “considered, independent decision.”

Trump has said the Kennedy Center could remain closed unless his name is permitted to appear in connection with the institution and its renovation plans.

Reports have also described Trump as warning that the center could be “ripped down” if his conditions concerning recognition and renovation were not met.

Streisand’s Connection to the Institution

Streisand wrote that she had been deeply honored to be included in the 31st annual class of Kennedy Center Honorees in 2008.

The Kennedy Center Honors recognize artists for contributions to American culture through the performing arts, and Streisand has been identified in coverage of the dispute as a former honoree of the institution.

In her statement, Streisand contrasted the current controversy with the center’s founding purpose and with former President John F. Kennedy’s association with artistic freedom.

She wrote that the Kennedy Center was intended to honor Kennedy and promote his belief that artistic achievement is important to a free society.

Streisand further stated that Kennedy believed society loses vitality when creative impulses are not allowed to flourish freely.

Her remarks addressed the institution’s cultural mission rather than presenting a legal argument about the court’s authority.

A Wider Institutional Conflict

The name dispute reflects a broader conflict over who has authority to determine the Kennedy Center’s identity and operations.

Congress established the Kennedy Center as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy, and the court has held that the board cannot unilaterally alter that memorial designation to honor another president.

The board’s proposals sought to distinguish between formally renaming the institution and adding language recognizing Trump’s role in renovation work.

Cooper rejected that distinction for purposes of the latest proposal, ruling that the inscription and plaza name could not proceed without congressional approval.

The court proceedings have unfolded alongside arguments over the center’s finances, renovation needs, public programming and the conduct of its board.

The closure vote has raised additional questions about whether the institution can continue performances and other public activities while the legal dispute remains unresolved.

As of September 18, the court had blocked the latest attempt to add Trump’s name, while litigation and disputes over the center’s closure and renovation plans continued.

Streisand’s intervention placed a prominent former honoree among the cultural figures publicly criticizing the handling of the Kennedy Center, but the court’s orders—not her statement—will determine the immediate legal limits on the board’s actions.

“I was so worried about him, but I thought he would get better and he would be that proof, like, ‘Look, people, you can change,’” Cosby told Vulture, according to People.

“But that was not the way he was supposed to go,” she said, adding, “People don’t leave unless it’s their time.”

Robert Jr., Cosby’s only child with her husband, Robert Cosby Sr., died in February at age 23.

People reported that Robert Jr. had documented his struggle with addiction on the Bravo reality series.

Cosby said she “went into shock” after her son’s death and that she was unsure whether the loss had fully registered emotionally.

“I still feel my son,” she said, describing a continuing spiritual connection and expressing her belief that he was safe and “away from danger.”

Cosby also described a sense of peace in her home following the death, while acknowledging that the family remained hurt.

“I think that it was for the good,” she said, according to People. “To this day, there’s a peace that lives in my house. It’s a peace that we didn’t have before. So we’re thankful but hurt, if that makes sense.”

Why Cosby Continued Filming

Cosby said she returned to filming RHOSLC three weeks after Robert Jr.’s death.

According to Cosby, producers offered to let her take a year away from the program, but she decided to continue working.

“ would want me to keep going,” Cosby said. “He would want me to shine. He’d want me to be the best I can be in whatever I’m doing in life.”

Page Six reported that Cosby characterized the decision as continuing “for son.”

She said she hoped viewers would recognize her strength during the new season.

“This could have killed me, and it should have killed me,” Cosby said, according to People. “It was designed to at least let me fall, and I didn’t.”

In the same interview, she said she was trying to accept that some circumstances cannot be changed and to continue moving forward while hoping to see her son again.

Family, Faith and the New Season

Cosby and Robert Sr. said after Robert Jr.’s death that their son had been “called home to the Lord” and that they took comfort in their belief that he was at peace.

Bravo reported earlier this month that Cosby said the loss brought her and Robert Sr. closer together.

“I had a really tragic thing happen in my life, but it brought my husband and I so much closer,” Cosby told Bravo Insider.

“I adore that man,” she said of Robert Sr., adding, “I thank God for him.”

Bravo said RHOSLC’s seventh season will depict Cosby’s healing journey, including support from her castmates and her focus on faith, marriage and moving forward after the loss.

The network’s season description says the cast members rally behind Cosby and set aside their conflicts to support her.

Season 7 premiered Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Bravo and is scheduled to stream the following day on Peacock.

Cosby’s comments place grief, addiction and family faith at the center of her return to a program that has previously shown her relationship with Robert Jr.

Her decision to film does not establish a universal model for grieving; it reflects the choice she said was right for her and the way she understood her son’s wishes.

For Cosby, continuing the series became part of how she described surviving the immediate aftermath of Robert Jr.’s death while honoring his memory.

The announcement follows leaked photographs from the production that showed Tomlinson on set, prompting viewers and fans to speculate that he had been cast as Dallas Kent. Entertainment Weekly reported that the images were circulated after being taken by paparazzi and bystanders.

Crave, the Canadian streamer that commissioned the series, and HBO Max, its U.S. distributor, have confirmed Tomlinson’s involvement and the change in the character’s name for the television adaptation.

The change means that the series will not use the name Dallas Kent for Tomlinson’s character, despite the role’s apparent connection to the character from Reid’s novels. Deadline described Cody Kent as a renamed version of Dallas Kent from the Game Changers series.

Who Is Cody Kent?

In the television series, Cody Kent is described as a former close friend and teammate of Troy Barrett, played by Charlie Gillespie. The character is connected to an accusation of sexual assault that causes a highly publicized rupture between the two men and contributes to Troy’s trade from the Toronto Guardians to the Ottawa Centaurs.

The role is separate from the central romance between professional hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, played by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. The first season followed the athletes’ secret relationship as they navigated competition, public expectations and their own understanding of their feelings.

The character’s storyline places Cody within a broader group of players and people around the hockey teams rather than at the center of Shane and Ilya’s relationship. Entertainment Weekly reported that Cody’s history with Troy is part of the conflict that leads Troy to leave the Toronto Guardians for the Ottawa Centaurs.

The sexual-assault allegation described in coverage concerns the fictional characters and storyline; the reports do not allege misconduct by Tomlinson.

Six New Cast Members

Tomlinson is one of six actors newly announced for season 2. Brendan Morgan will play Zane Boodram, Gerry Dee will play Coach Cooper, Michelle Mylett will play Lisa, Lauren Chan will play Gen, and Nick Stahl will play Curtis Barrett.

The newly announced characters are connected to several of the season’s major players. Coach Cooper is associated with the Guardians, while Lisa is identified as the wife of Wyatt Hayes, played by Robert Naylor. Gen works with Harris Drover, played by Justice Smith, on the Centaurs’ promotional team as a professional photographer.

Zane Boodram is described as a member and alternate captain of the Centaurs. Curtis Barrett is identified as Troy’s father. Entertainment Weekly described Curtis as homophobic and toxic, making him another source of conflict within Troy’s storyline.

People separately reported that Chan will play Gen, the photographer for the Ottawa Centaurs, and confirmed that Morgan, Tomlinson, Dee, Mylett and Stahl are also joining the second season.

Tomlinson is known for appearances in Fellow Travelers and Silent Night, while Mylett is known for Letterkenny. Morgan has appeared in The Handmaid’s Tale, Dee in Mr. D and Animal Control, Chan in Canada’s Drag Race and The Devil Wears Prada 2, and Stahl in Let the Right One In and Terminator 3.

A Growing Season 2 Ensemble

The six additions expand an already large season 2 ensemble. Previously announced performers include Williams, Storrie, Smith, Gillespie, Daniel Diemer, Shaheen Jafargholi, Naylor, Sophie Nélisse, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Edvin Ryding, François Arnaud, Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Robbie G.K., Callan Potter, Benjamin Roy, Kamilla Kowal, Emily Hampshire, Sabrina Jalees, Priyanka, Kevin Zegers, Paul Gross and Milla Jovovich.

The season is expected to continue the story of Shane and Ilya while introducing storylines involving Troy Barrett, Harris Drover, Wyatt Hayes and other characters from the wider fictional hockey world.

Earlier reports about the season included casting-call information that listed Dallas Kent among possible new characters. PinkNews reported in May that a leaked casting call named Dallas alongside Ryan Price, Fabian Salah, Eric Bennett, Harris Drover, Troy Barrett, Wyatt Hayes, Lucas Haas and Dr. Galina Molchalina.

That earlier material was not equivalent to an official casting announcement. The confirmed announcement now establishes Tomlinson’s involvement while clarifying that the television character will be called Cody Kent.

Release Plans

Heated Rivalry season 2 is scheduled to premiere on HBO Max in spring 2027.

People likewise reported that the new season is expected to arrive in spring 2027 and will continue following Shane and Ilya.

The series is commissioned by Bell Media’s Crave, distributed internationally by Sphere Abacus and available in more than 130 countries, according to Deadline.

The announcement resolves the central question raised by the leaked photographs: Tomlinson is playing the Dallas Kent-inspired character, but the character’s name in the series will be Cody Kent.

The program is titled CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton.

The special is scheduled to air Wednesday, October 21, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern on ABC and Disney+ in the United States and internationally.

The program is expected to become available on Hulu the following day.

The CMA said the event will be filmed at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville, Tennessee.

Format and Planned Content

According to the announcement, the event will combine live performances, archival footage and personal stories about Parton’s career.

The CMA described Parton as an artist, singer, songwriter, actor, humanitarian and entrepreneur whose work extended across music, film, television, publishing and philanthropy.

The announcement did not identify the complete lineup of performers or presenters.

The CMA also did not disclose a running order, the number of musical performances or whether any previously recorded appearance by Parton will be included.

Those details remain pending further production announcements.

The title references “I Will Always Love You,” the song Parton wrote and first recorded in 1973.

Whitney Houston’s 1992 recording of the song became one of the best-known versions of the composition after its inclusion in the film *The Bodyguard*.

The CMA’s selection of the title places Parton’s songwriting at the center of the tribute as well as her performing career.

A Broad Television Tribute

The planned CMA event follows several television tributes to Parton announced or broadcast after her death on August 25.

ABC announced Dolly Parton: An American Original — Special Edition of 20/20, a one-hour program scheduled for August 25, with streaming availability on Disney+ and Hulu.

CBS and Entertainment Tonight announced Remembering Dolly: A Rhinestone Life, a one-hour special that aired August 30 on CBS and was made available through Paramount+.

The Grand Ole Opry also dedicated an August 29 show to Parton, with the tribute livestreamed through the Opry’s online channels and carried by television and streaming partners.

The CMA production is distinct from those programs because it is planned as a two-hour live event produced by the organization most closely associated with country music’s industry awards and honors.

The event will also have an international distribution component through Disney+, according to the announcement.

Parton’s Place in Country Music

Parton’s career has included recordings, songwriting, acting, television appearances and business ventures.

Her songs have been recorded by artists in country, pop and other genres, giving the planned program a repertoire that extends beyond a conventional country-music retrospective.

Parton’s public work has also included the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, a program that provides books to children.

The newly announced special is therefore positioned to address more than Parton’s recording catalog, incorporating personal accounts and archival material about the wider span of her public life.

The CMA has not yet announced whether the broadcast will include a fundraising component, whether proceeds will benefit a Parton-related organization or whether the program will contain new performances of her songs.

What Viewers Can Expect

Viewers in the United States will be able to watch the event on ABC or Disney+ beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern on October 21.

International Disney+ availability was included in the announcement, although regional access and release timing may vary.

Hulu is scheduled to carry the program the next day.

The CMA’s announcement establishes the date, duration, title, distribution platforms and Nashville production site, while leaving the cast and detailed program structure to be announced.