“The Tortured Poets Department” singer once again tops the VMA noms with 10 — eight for her “Fortnight” music video and nods in the artist of the year and best pop categories. She’s followed by her “Fortnight” collaborator Post Malone, who is nominated along with Swift eight times and earned his ninth nom for his country hit “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen.

Rounding out the artist of the year category nominees announced Tuesday are Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, Eminem, Sabrina Carpenter and SZA.

Swift took home nine VMAs last year, bringing her total to an impressive 23. That places her just behind Beyoncé, who has 28 (two with Destiny’s Child) and just ahead of Madonna, who has 20 awards, and Lady Gaga, who has 19.

The 2024 MTV VMAs will air live on Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Grande, Carpenter and Eminem are tied with six nods; Megan Thee Stallion and SZA have five each. Blackpink’s LISA, Olivia Rodrigo and Teddy Swims follow with four nominations.

This year marks 29 first-time nominees, which include Wallen, Carpenter and Swims as well as Benson Boone and Tyla — the latter boast three nominations each.

Also nominated for the first time in 2024 are Chappell Roan, Coco Jones, Gracie Abrams, Jelly Roll, Jessie Murph, LE SSERAFIM, Morgan Wallen, Rauw Alejandro, RAYE, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey, Tyla, Tyler Childers, Victoria Monet and more.

The VMAs will be held at the UBS Arena on New York’s Long Island. Fan voting begins online Tuesday across 15 gender-neutral categories and ends Aug. 30.

Voting in the best new artist category will remain active throughout the show.

Here’s the full list:

Video of the Year

Ariana Grande – “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” – Republic Records 

Billie Eilish – “LUNCH” – Darkroom / Interscope Records

Doja Cat – “Paint The Town Red” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records 

Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records

SZA – “Snooze” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records

Artist of the Year

Ariana Grande – Republic Records

Bad Bunny – Rimas Entertainment

Eminem – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records

Sabrina Carpenter – Island

SZA – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records 

Taylor Swift – Republic Records 

Song of the Year

Beyoncé – “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records 

Jack Harlow – “Lovin On Me” – Generation Now / Atlantic Records

Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us” – pgLang, under exclusive license to Interscope Records 

Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” – Island

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records

Teddy Swims – “Lose Control” – Warner Records 

Best New Artist

Benson Boone – Night Street Records, Inc. / Warner Records 

Chappell Roan – Island

Gracie Abrams – Interscope Records

Shaboozey – American Dogwood / EMPIRE

Teddy Swims – Warner Records

Tyla – Epic Records 

MTV Push Performance of the Year

August 2023: Kaliii – “Area Codes” – Atlantic Records

September 2023: GloRilla – “Lick or Sum” – CMG / Interscope Records

October 2023: Benson Boone – “In The Stars” – Night Street Records, Inc. / Warner Records

November 2023: Coco Jones – “ICU” – Def Jam

December 2023: Victoria Monét – “On My Mama” – Lovett Music / RCA Records

January 2024: Jessie Murph – “Wild Ones” – Columbia Records

February 2024: Teddy Swims – “Lose Control” – Warner Records

March 2024: Chappell Roan – “Red Wine Supernova” – Island

April 2024: Flyana Boss – “yeaaa” – vnclm_/ Atlantic Records

May 2024: Laufey – “Goddess” – Laufey / AWAL

June 2024: LE SSERAFIM – “EASY” – SOURCE MUSIC / Geffen Records

July 2024: The Warning – “Automatic Sun” – Lava / Republic Records

Best Collaboration 

Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy “ – OVO / Republic Records

GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion – “Wanna Be” – CMG / Interscope Records

Jessie Murph ft. Jelly Roll – “Wild Ones” – Columbia Records

Jung Kook ft. Latto – “Seven” – BIGHIT MUSIC / Geffen Records

Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen – “I Had Some Help” – Mercury / Republic / Big Loud

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records

Best Pop

Camila Cabello – Geffen / Interscope Records

Dua Lipa – Warner Records

Olivia Rodrigo – Geffen Records

Sabrina Carpenter – Island

Tate McRae – RCA Records

Taylor Swift – Republic Records

Best Hip-Hop

Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy “ – OVO / Republic Records

Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records

GloRilla – “Yeah Glo!” – CMG / Interscope Records

Gunna – “fukumean” – Young Stoner Life Records / 300 Entertainment

Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Hot Girl Productions

Travis Scott ft. Playboi Carti – “FE!N” – Cactus Jack / Epic Records

Best R&B

Alicia Keys – “Lifeline” – AK Records, under exclusive license to gamma.

Muni Long – “Made For Me” – Def Jam

SZA – “Snooze” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records

Tyla – “Water” – FAX Records / Epic Records

USHER, Summer Walker, 21 Savage – “Good Good” – mega / gamma.

Victoria Monet – “On My Mama” – Lovett Music / RCA Records

Best Alternative

Benson Boone – “Beautiful Things” – Night Street Records, Inc. / Warner Records

Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Dirty Hit

Hozier – “Too Sweet” – Columbia Records

Imagine Dragons – “Eyes Closed” – KIDinaKorner / Interscope Records

Linkin Park – “Friendly Fire” – This Compilation / Warner Records

Teddy Swims – “Lose Control (Live)” – Warner Records

Best Rock

Bon Jovi – “Legendary” – Island

Coldplay – “feelslikeimfallinginlove” – Atlantic Records

Green Day – “Dilemma” – Reprise Records / Warner Records

Kings of Leon – “Mustang” – Capitol Records

Lenny Kravitz – “Human” – 2024 Roxie Records Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management GmbH

U2 – “Atomic City” – Interscope Records

Best Latin

Anitta – “Mil Veces” – Floresta Records / Republic Records / Universal Music Latin Entertainment

Bad Bunny – “MONACO” – Rimas Entertainment

KAROL G – “MI EX TENÍA RAZÓN” – Bichota / Interscope Records

Myke Towers – “LALA” – Warner Music Latina

Peso Pluma & Anitta – “BELLAKEO” – Double P Records

Rauw Alejandro – “Touching The Sky” – Sony Music Latin / Duars Entertainment

Shakira & Cardi B – “Puntería” – Sony Music US Latin

Best Afrobeats

Ayra Starr ft. Giveon – “Last Heartbreak Song” – Mavin / Republic

Burna Boy – “City Boys” – Spaceship / Bad Habit / Atlantic Records

Chris Brown ft. Davido & Lojay – “Sensational” – Chris Brown Entertainment / RCA Records

Tems – “Love Me JeJe” – Since ’93 / RCA Records

Tyla – “Water” – FAX Records / Epic Records

USHER, Pheelz – “Ruin” – mega / gamma.

Best K-Pop

Jung Kook ft. Latto – “Seven” – BIGHIT MUSIC / Geffen Records

LISA – “Rockstar” – Lloud Co. / RCA Records

NCT Dream – “Smoothie” – SM Entertainment / Virgin Music Group

NewJeans – “Super Shy” – ADOR / Geffen Records

Stray Kids – “LALALALA” – JYP Entertainment / Imperial / Republic Records

TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Deja vu” – BIGHIT MUSIC / IMPERIAL / Republic Records

Video for Good

Alexander Stewart – “if only you knew” – FAE grp

Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For (From The Motion Picture “Barbie”)” – Darkroom / Interscope Records

Coldplay – “feelslikeimfallinginlove” – Atlantic Records

Joyner Lucas & Jelly Roll – “Best For Me” – Twenty Nine Music Group

RAYE – “Genesis.” – Human Re Sources

Tyler Childers – “In Your Love” – Hickman Holler Records / RCA Records

Best Direction

Ariana Grande – “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” – Republic Records – Directed by Christian Breslauer

Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Dirty Hit – Directed by Alex Lockett & Margaret Qualley

Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Directed by Rich Lee

Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Hot Girl Productions – Directed by Daniel Iglesias Jr.

Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” – Island – Directed by Bardia Zeinali

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Directed by Taylor Swift

Best Cinematography 

Ariana Grande – “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” – Republic Records – Cinematography by Anatol Trofimov

Charli xcx – “Von dutch” – Atlantic Records – Cinematography by Jeff Bierman

Dua Lipa – “Illusion” – Warner Records – Cinematography by Nikita Kuzmenko

Olivia Rodrigo – “obsessed” – Geffen Records – Cinematography by Marz Miller

Rauw Alejandro – “Touching The Sky” – Sony Music Latin / Duars Entertainment – Cinematography by Camilo Monsalve

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto

Best Editing 

Anitta – “Mil Veces” – Floresta Records / Republic Records / Universal Music Latin Entertainment – Editing by Nick Yumul

Ariana Grande – “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” – Republic Records – Editing by Luis Caraza Peimbert 

Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Editing by David Checel

LISA – “Rockstar” – Lloud Co. / RCA Records – Editing by Nik Kohler 

Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” – Island – Editing by Jai Shukla

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Editing by Chancler Haynes

Best Choreography

Bleachers – Tiny Moves – Dirty Hit – Choreography by Margaret Qualley

Dua Lipa – “Houdini” – Warner Records – Choreography by Charm La’Donna

LISA – “Rockstar” – Lloud Co. / RCA Records – Choreography by Sean Bankhead

Rauw Alejandro – “Touching The Sky” – Sony Music Latin / Duars Entertainment – Choreography by Felix ‘Fefe’ Burgos

Tate McRae – “Greedy” – RCA Records – Choreography by Sean Bankhead

Troye Sivan – “Rush” – Capitol Records – Choreography by Sergio Reis, Mauro Van De Kerkhof

Best Visual Effects

Ariana Grande – “the boy is mine” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Digital Axis

Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Visual Effects by Synapse Virtual Production, Louise Lee, Rich Lee, Metaphysic, Flawless Post

Justin Timberlake – “Selfish” – RCA Records – “Selfish” – RCA Records – Visual Effects by Candice Dragonas

Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Hot Girl Productions – Visual Effects by Mathematic

Olivia Rodrigo – “get him back!” – Geffen Records – Visual Effects by Cooper Vacheron, Preston Mohr, Karen Arakelian, Justin Johnson

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Parliament

Best Art Direction 

Charli XCX – “360” Art Direction by Grace Surnow

LISA – “Rockstar” Art Direction by Pongsan Thawatwichian

Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” Art Direction by Brittany Porter

Olivia Rodrigo – “bad idea right?” Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins

Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” Art Direction by Ethan Tobman

Daisy Ridley is speaking out about her private health battle.

The “Star Wars” actress recently detailed her journey with Graves’ disease, an immune system disorder that impacts the thyroid gland, after being formally diagnosed in September. As the 32-year-old explained, she initially disregarded symptoms — including her racing heart rate, weight loss, fatigue, and hand tremors — because, at the time, she was coming off of a role in the thriller Magpie.

“I thought, Well, I’ve just played a really stressful role,” Ridley, who had previously been diagnosed with endometriosis as a teen and polycystic ovaries in her ‘20s, told Women’s Health in an interview published Aug. 6, “Presumably that’s why I feel poorly.”

Graves’ disease, which has affected other stars including Wendy Williams, Missy Elliott and Jenny Mollen, involves overproduction of the thyroid hormone often leaving patients “tired but wired,” according to Ridley’s doctor.

“It was funny, I was like, ‘Oh, I just thought I was annoyed at the world,’” she quipped of her bouts of irritability, “But turns out everything is functioning so quickly, you can’t chill out.”

There is no cure for Graves’ disease, but certain treatments like adjusting diet and exercise and taking daily medications can help combat the symptoms.

Ridley, a practicing vegan, has also tried to cut gluten from her diet to help with inflammation, admitting she’s not “super strict” about the process, but that she does notice a difference.

“I didn’t realize how bad I felt before,” Ridley shared. “Then I looked back and thought, How did I do that?”

She also makes sure to maintain a regular exercise regimen. “It’s an hour just for me,” she told the outlet, “and it’s my time to do what I need to do to make myself feel good.”

Amid frustrations over her variety of health issues, Ridley is focused on staying in tune with her body.

“I’ve always been health conscious,” she said, “And now I’m trying to be more well-being conscious.”

Katie Ledecky is used to entering uncharted waters.

Like how the swimmer made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the most decorated U.S. female Olympian of all time and the first woman to win four Olympic golds in the same event (the 800m freestyle at the past four Games).

But a few years ago, Ledecky began a private deep dive into another new area: navigating a health challenge.

It started in 2015 at the World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia. Ledecky won five gold medals and set three world records, but it wasn’t all celebrations. As the athlete recalled in her memoir “Just Add Water: My Swimming Life,” she began feeling “extremely hot and lightheaded” at a team dinner following her final race. Chalking it up to being exhausted from her meets, she didn’t worry too much about it.

Ledecky returned to the U.S. to resume training for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. But again, she felt like something was off.

Swimming Aug 4

Top moments: Team USA wins Paris-high 28 swimming medals in 2024 Olympics

Swimming Aug 3

WATCH: Katie Ledecky wins historic 9th gold with four-peat in 800m freestyle

“It was…weird,” the 27-year-old wrote. “I was swimming okay. But I was super inconsistent. I would have a couple of good practices, and then I would have a day or two when I had absolutely no energy. Some days I couldn’t walk around without dizziness. I remember wrapping practice and struggling to get back to the locker room. Every swimmer has peaks and valleys in training, but to be so strung out? My desire to work hard was there. I just had no juice. I kept wondering, Am I sick. And if so, with what?”

Ledecky noted it was her then-coach Bruce Gemmell who suggested she consult a specialist at Johns Hopkins in her home state of Maryland. She ended up being diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which according to NewYork-Presbyterian’s Health Matters, “is a condition in which people experience a fast heart rate, lightheadedness, fatigue or other symptoms when they go from sitting or lying down to standing.”

As Ledecky explained in her book, “Because I have POTS, I pool blood in the vessels below my heart when I stand. My body then releases extra norepinephrine or epinephrine, which adds additional stressors on my heart, making it beat faster. Which, in turn, bring on dizziness, fainting and exhaustion.”

As a result of the condition, the 14-time Olympic medalist made changes to her diet.

“The good news was that I could treat my POTS nutritionally,” she added. “I needed to up my sodium intake and increase my hydration. Studies also show that reclined aerobic exercise, such as swimming and strengthening your core can provide relief. Which is kind of funny. What are the odds that the prescriptive exercise for my particular disease would be…more swimming?”

And while Ledecky expressed how “relieved” she was to finally have answers, she decided not to publicly share her diagnosis right away.

“I didn’t want something quote/unquote ‘wrong’ with me to become the narrative around Rio or Team USA,” she wrote. “I wasn’t eager to become a distraction or to be distracted myself. I simply wanted to treat my condition as best I could and get back to going hard in the pool. Gradually, following doctor’s orders, I started feeling better.”

Now, Ledecky — who noted she has a “solid handle on my POTS these days” — is ready to talk about her journey.

“It feels good,” she told SELF in an interview published in June. “It’s not like I was ever hiding it; it just never felt like it was something I needed to share. I’ve had it under control completely. I really just had to add salt to my diet and wear compression gear. Whenever I get sick and when I go to hot environments, I need to be especially careful to stay on top of my salt and hydration.”

Pooling her knowledge from her personal experience, the champion also revealed her advice for others living with POTS.

“The biggest thing is to trust the health professionals you’re working with,” she told the outlet. “I did that and was able to figure out what helped me pretty quickly. I understand that for some people, it’s a longer process. But it’s important to stay patient and work with the people around you and make sure you have good people watching out for you, encouraging you. For instance, my mom is always reminding me to stay on my salt and hydration.”

And whether it comes to her health, sport or everyday life, her family and her coaches are her biggest supporters.

“I had the incredible luck of being mentored by a series of devoted and wise coaches willing to lift me up without making swimming my sole raison d’être,” she wrote in her memoir. “My family did the same. I was never pressured to perform by anyone but myself. Of the many twists of fate that lead to greatness, this support system was the one for which I’m most grateful.”

Simone Biles may be the most decorated gymnast of all time, but there’s another title she sees in her future: mom.

The 27-year-old, who cemented her place in gymnastics history with a stellar 2024 Paris Olympics, recently revealed that she and husband Jonathan Owens are “most definitely” hoping to expand their family down the line.

“Yes, me and Jonathan always talk about kids,” Biles told Hoda Kotb on Today Aug 6. “He would have had them yesterday if he could have. Obviously, we both have goals that we want to achieve before we start a family, but yes, that’s definitely in our future.”

2024 Paris Olympics 9 hours ago

Simone Biles explains why she ‘bawled' her eyes out to Jordan Chiles

2024 Paris Olympics Jul 29

Rewatch every US gold-medal win from the 2024 Olympics

Biles and the Chicago Bears player tied the knot in 2023 after meeting on a dating app. And the NFL star was sure to be in the stands cheering her on in Paris as he secured special permission to leave training camp to support his wife at the Olympics.

“He was so excited,” Biles gushed. “He absolutely loved that and, obviously, he loved going to see me compete. He was still keeping score. It meant the world to him because he’s seen the amount of hours I’ve put in, so to actually see in person. He was like, ‘Wow this is amazing.’”

Paris marked Biles’ third Olympic games and along with teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera, Biles brought the U.S. an all-around team gold medal. She also took home gold in individual all-around and the vault as well as a silver medal in the individual floor routine, bringing her total Olympic medal count to 11.

But that’s not to say the 27-year-old is ditching the chalk anytime soon.

“You never say never. The next Olympics is on home turf, so you just never know,” Biles said of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. “I’m just gonna relax and see where life takes me.”

Halsey is opening up on another personal hardship.

The “Bad at Love” singer (real name Ashley Frangipane) detailed her experience with past miscarriages, sharing she had two within the same year — years before welcoming her son Ender with ex Alev Aydin.

“I miscarried during a concert,” Halsey recalled on the Aug. 6 episode of the She MD podcast. “I started miscarrying before the show, and I was in a really tough position because it was really early on in my career and there was a lot attached to the show. There was a corporate partner, there was a greater media entity partner, but more important than that to me, there was like a thousand kids who had waited all day long to get into the show and see me.”

The 29-year-old — who is currently dating “Victorious” alum Avan Jogia — noted that she didn’t have much time to process the tragedy in real time ahead of performing a 45-minute set.

“I ended up just putting on an adult diaper,” she said. “I went and I did the show. I left the stage, I threw up in the parking lot. I went to a hotel. I was sick all night. I remember sitting in the bathtub because I didn’t know what to do with the blood — forgive me for being so graphic.”

And Halsey — who hadn’t even put out her debut album at the time of her miscarriages — detailed the aftermath of the experience and shared that she immediately had to begin another day of travel afterward.

“I didn’t even know who to talk to,” she continued. “I had no idea what to do. So that was one miscarriage. I had two within the same year. I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’m 20 years old. I should be able to carry a baby.’ I didn’t want to be pregnant. I was way involved in my career. So I had a lot of complex feelings of relief, but also confusion, but also guilt, and also grief.”

Although Halsey felt she wasn’t ready to be a mother at the time of her miscarriages, she explained that going through them allowed her to examine her reproductive health.

As she recalled thinking at the time, “‘Something must be wrong with me, because of all the times in my life where I should be able to conceive and carry to term, this is the age. What’s happening?’”

Of course, Halsey was able to be officially diagnosed with endometriosis following her miscarriages — and with the help of Dr. Thais Aliabadi, she had “no problem” conceiving her now three-year-old son.

“With her guidance, I was in such an exceptional position to be able to,” Halsey added of the ease of her eventual pregnancy. “Funnily enough, when I did conceive — I had expected it to take 6-12 months — first try.”

Jenna Bush Hager is an auntie again.

The Today show co-anchor announced the news that her twin sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, privately welcomed her second child, a baby boy named Edward Finn Coyne.

“My sissy had a little mister,” Jenna wrote on Instagram on Aug. 5 alongside several photos of the baby boy alongside the excited sisters, “and I fell madly in love with Edward Finn!”

Little Edward was seen sporting an NYU Langone Health cap, from the New York City-based hospital.

Pierce Bush and her husband, Craig Coyne, are already parents to daughter Cora Georgia Coyne, 2. Jenna is mom to three kids — Mila Hager, 11, Poppy Hager, 8, and Hal Hager, 5 — whom she shares with husband Henry Hager.

The two sisters have penned multiple children’s books together inspired by their growing families including “Sisters First,” “Love Comes First,” and “The Superpower Sisterhood.”

And the daughters of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush previously opened up about Pierce Bush’s stressful early delivery of her daughter Cora in 2021 on the Today show in 2023.

Pierce Bush went into labor six weeks early, she shared, rushing to a hospital in Kennebunkport, Maine. Coincidentally, Barbara was rushed to the children’s hospital which was named after her late grandmother, Barbara Bush Sr.

“I went to visit her in the NICU and looked on the wall and it said, Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital,” a tearful Pierce Bush recalled on Today at the time, adding, “So it just felt very divine that she was born here and she got excellent care.”

Jenna emotionally agreed, saying, “It was as if she was looking down.”

Shortly after Cora was born, Jenna penned a sweet note to her niece, writing, “Dearest Cora Georgia, Today is the day I got to meet my most beautiful, precious, feisty, niece (a bit earlier than we expected!) I witnessed in awe as my dearest, toughest @barbara.p.bush became a mama. And today is the day I fell in love! Some cousins are anxiously waiting to play with you, but not just yet love. Xx auntie j.”

McDowell, 21, was charged last week with murder in the July 20 shooting death of Cesar Peralta, 20, the Harris County sheriff’s office said. McDowell remained in jail Monday on $400,000 bond on the murder charge. The attorney listed for him in court records did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

“This is an unfortunate situation and I am in prayer for Akili and those impacted by this tragedy,” said his manager, Jonell Whitt, adding that she had no further comment.

The sheriff’s office said deputies found an unresponsive man with gunshot wounds after responding to a call about a shooting at an apartment complex on July 20. The sheriff’s office said several witnesses told deputies the man had been in a physical altercation with another man, who fled on foot after the shooting.

“David Makes Man,” which aired on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN, followed a teen named David, played by McDowell, who tried to juggle relationships between his magnet school friends and drug dealers in his impoverished South Florida neighborhood.

According to the entertainment database IMDb, McDowell appeared in some episodes of “Billions” and “The Astronaut Wives Club,” and has a role in the recently released movie “The Waterboyz.”

Victoria Canal feels the need, the need for shutting down this Tom Cruise rumor.

Mostly because the singer — who was rumored to be dating the “Top Gun” star after the two met at the Glastonbury festival earlier this year — shut down the speculation as quickly as it started.

“guys, this is literally bonkers,” Canal wrote on Instagram Aug. 5, “but apparently the tabloids think i am dating tom cruise. i’m deceased.”

As the 25-year-old was quick to clarify, “i’m sorry to bum u out but i am not dating the man, albeit a lovely person & artist. lol never thought I would have to clarify that out loud in my life.”

The “June Baby” artist — who has been working closely with Coldplay‘s Chris Martin since 2022 — also poked fun at the tabloids, asking them to use a better photo of her next time. Though she was thrilled to be “Spanish-American singer Victoria Canal and not one-armed pianist whose name remains unmentioned!!!! there’s always a win somewhere, thanks Tom.”

But as Canal — who was born with a right forearm due to Amniotic Band Syndrome — explained that the 62-year-old actor “has been nothing but a respectful and encouraging person and mentor, much like chris martin, my dad, my music teachers and other wise people that have learned a lot from living.”

She also had some fun with the gossip on her Instagram Story, noting she was delighted when one source “called me beautiful ok hi.”

“okay that’s the last I’ll say on that until the next round of tabloids!” she concluded. “who’s next?I the president?!”

The “swan song” singer had previously posted a photo alongside Cruise and Bruce Springsteen on Instagram July 25, captioning the image, “i should promote my song (california sober) coming out at midnight but i’m too busy watching bruce with the most random friend i’ve ever made ! xxxx”

As for Cruise, this is hardly the first time he’s been the subject of dating speculation. Most recently, he was rumored to have started a relationship with his “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” costar Hayley Atwell. But as Atwell explained, not only was there nothing going on, but the rumors themselves were bothersome.

“I would be like, ‘Ooh, there’s some weird rumors, and it feels base, it feels a little dirty, it feels grubby, it’s not what I’m about,'” she told The Independent in July 2023. “Why are things being assumed or projected onto me about my relationship with my work colleague and boss?”

And it was particularly upsetting because the rumors involved “people in my actual life, my personal life, who have to be on the receiving end of that. It becomes invasive.”

But Atwell was thankful that she had Cruise there to help her navigate the situation.

“When I’ve talked to him about it,” she said, “he’d be like ‘You know exactly who you are. You know what you’re about. And that is the only thing that matters. It doesn’t matter what people think of you, if you are in integrity with yourself, if you know what your value system is.'”

This is Jennifer Lopez… minus a key accessory.

Nearly two weeks after celebrating her 55th birthday with a Bridgerton-themed bash in the Hamptons, where husband Ben Affleck was absent, the “On The Floor” singer returned to Los Angeles without her wedding ring.

During her Aug. 4 outing in Beverly Hills with Emme, one of her and ex Marc Anthony’s 16-year-old twins, Lopez donned beige linen slacks, a black tank top and nude platform heels. She accessorized her look with large sunglasses, a wicker purse and a visibly ringless finger.

But amid rumors of her split with Affleck, whom she married in 2022, both have been spotted out without their wedding rings. In fact, the “Justice League” actor debuted a newly buzzed faux-hawk haircut Aug. 3 with a noticeably absent piece of jewelry on his left hand.

The couple have also been off doing their own things in recent months. Affleck — who shares kids Violet, 18; Seraphina, 15; and Samuel, 12, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner — spent Lopez’s 55th birthday on the West Coast while she partied in the Hamptons.

While the 51-year-old was seen walking into his Los Angeles office in a blue suit with an iced coffee July 20, the “Jenny From the Block” singer — also mom to Emme’s twin Max — was preparing for her lavish soirée in New York.

But that wasn’t the only milestone they spent away from one another as they remained on separate coasts on their second anniversary July 16.

While the state of Lopez and Affleck’s relationship has been the subject of much speculation, her dynamic with Violet is still going strong. The eldest Affleck traveled to the Hamptons last month, where the pair spent the day in the sun. The “Let’s Get Loud” singer shared a video of herself in the car with Violet and her friend Cassidey hanging out in the backseat.

And although there’s been a spotlight on Lopez and Affleck’s romance, she’s tuning out the noise. As she put it in her OnTheJLo newsletter in June, “Don’t let the voices of a few drown out that there is soooo much love out there.”

Pax Jolie-Pitt is on the mend.

One week after Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s 20-year-old son was hospitalized following a serious bike accident, he has been released from the ICU, a close friend of the family told E! News.

“He suffered complex trauma, and now begins the long road of recovery and physical therapy,” the insider continued. “ Pax and Angelina are deeply grateful for the quick and life-saving action of first responders, and the outstanding medical care he received.”

The July 29 crash took place in Los Angeles with Pax allegedly rear-ending a car that had stopped at a red light, law enforcement sources told TMZ. There was no evidence of a crime, according to the LAPD.

Jolie — who also shares Maddox, 23, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 15, with Pitt — has been by her son’s side amid his recovery, a separate source told E!. When it comes to Pax’s siblings, the source noted they’ve all been to see him as they are “all very close.”

Jolie has previously shared insight into the family’s tight bond.

“They back me up when I’m nervous,” the “Eternals” actress told E! in 2021, “and we kind of try to help each other out.”

And that source of family strength has only continued amid the challenges she’s faced amid her ongoing legal battles with Pitt following their 2016 split. As she explained Vogue in 2023, “I would’ve gone under in a much darker way had I not wanted to live for them.”

The 49-year-old added, “But I’m also the one that they laugh at — and I see them taking over so many different aspects of our family.”

While several of her kids are involved in the creative arts, Jolie and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt recently collaborated as the teen was her assistant on the Broadway adaptation of “The Outsiders,” which the Oscar winner produced.

“Viv reminds me of my mother,” Jolie told E! News in 2023, referencing her late mom Marcheline Bertrand, “in that she isn’t focused on being the center of attention but in being a support to other creatives.”

“The Tomb Raider” actress added, “She’s very thoughtful and serious about theatre and working hard to best understand how to contribute.”

Gillette Stadium announced on social media around 6:10 p.m. that tonight’s concert was delayed until further notice due to severe weather in the area.

Fans were asked to shelter in place on the main concourse and follow staff instructions to ensure safety. Any fans who had not yet entered the building were asked to remain in their vehicles. The concert was supposed to start at 6 p.m.

At 7:30 p.m., Gillette Stadium thanked fans for their patience and said it is now safe for them to return to their seats. Anyone who hasn’t entered the building can do so now.

With the forecast clearing up, the show is set to begin at 8 p.m. with Five Finger Death Punch hopefully performing a shortened set.

Ice Nine Kills will not be able to perform due to the condensed timeline, the stadium and band announced.

Metallica said it will still play a full show.

This is the second night of Metallica’s M72 World Tour at Gillette.

The “No Repeat Weekend” features two completely different setlists and support lineups.

The thunderstorm risk continued Sunday night with pockets of intense rain and lightning possible.

See all severe weather alerts in your area here, and track interactive radar below:

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The celebrity couple were photographed together at a public event for the first time in almost a decade at the women’s gymnastics uneven bars final, where Suni Lee took home bronze.

Joining them in Paris were there daughters, Esmeralda Amada, 9, and Amada Lee, 8.

Later in the day, the two were seen again at the equestrian dressage individual grand prix freestyle event, according to E! News.

Mendes and Gosling have kept their family life out of the spotlight, with Mendes quitting acting to be a mom.

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 4

Noah Lyles wins gold in men's 100m in photo finish, Suni Lee lands bronze in uneven bars

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 3

Watch: Team USA racks up 18 medals, USWNT advances and more Day 8 highlights

“It was like a no-brainer,” Mendes told Today in March about her decision to step away from acting. “I’m so lucky if I could have this time with my children.”

However, Mendes has not quit working all together, she has taken on projects that allow her to be close to her kids, such as her Skura Style household product line.

“It was almost like a non-verbal agreement that it was like, ‘OK, he’s going to work and I’m going to work. I’m just going to work here,'” Mendes said of her relationship with Gosling. “He went and he did his job. He just happens to be really good at his job.”

But being an A-list movie star does not stop Gosling from taking the lead in raising their daughters at times. The “Barbie” star “held down the fort” when Mendes attended Milan Fashion Week for the first time since becoming a mother earlier this year, according to E! News.

“La Dolce Evita made possible by…And by my man for holding down the fort at home so I could live the Dolce Evita for a couple days,” Mendes wrote to Instagram at the time.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

That pavement, of course, was the track at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Richardson won her first medal on Saturday by taking silver in the women’s 100m final.

The event was shown live on screen during Adele’s concert in Munich, with Richardson finishing just behind Julien Alfred of St. Lucia. Adele had told the crowd at the previous night’s concert that she was rooting for Richardson.

She also praised star U.S. gymnast Simone Biles, who has won three gold medals and counting in Paris after having withdrawn from multiple events three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health.

“It really is proof that sometimes if you pay attention and look after your mental health, it really does make you stronger and not weaker,” Adele said in a video shared on social media by a concertgoer. “So, very, very proud of her. Thought it was absolutely amazing.”

Adele also joked about being a harsh critic while watching Olympic athletes from afar. 

“I was watching world-class athletes being like, ‘Oh, that ending was a bit dodgy, wasn’t it? Her legs weren’t really straight,'” she said. “Meanwhile, if I tried anything that they do, I would be dead. I’d absolutely die if I tried to even do a little…any kind of move at all.”

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Multiple video angles shared to social media show the four men walk out together as Moneybagg Yo’s song, which features Wallen, “WHISKEY WHISKEY” plays.

Wallen appears to be wearing a No. 7 jersey, the jersey number of embattled Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker. Butker recently saw significant backlash following his controversial graduation speech at Benedictine College.

Wallen’s jersey on Aug. 2 said his name on the back, however, not Butker’s, so it is unclear if he meant to pay tribute to Butker. Fans online have pointed out that Wallen often wears the No. 7 and was his jersey number in high school. The singer also has a song called “7 Summers,” which he released in 2021.

In his May 11 address, Butker spoke on a range of topics, including reproductive issues, women’s roles in the home, Pride month and more. He also addressed the women in the graduating class, saying that they had been told “the most diabolical lies.” He shared that his wife’s life “really started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”

Both Mahomes and Kelce have said they don’t share Butker’s views. Kelce said that despite their differences, he “cherishes” Butker as a teammate and Mahomes said he believes the kicker is “a great person.”

“And that might not be the same values as I have,” Mahomes said in May. “But at the same time, I’m going to judge him by the character that he shows every single day and that’s a great person. And we’ll continue to move along and try to help build each other up to make ourselves better every single day.”

Morgan Wallen’s previous controversies

Wallen has not been without his own controversies. Earlier this year, police arrested Wallen after he allegedly threw a chair off a rooftop bar in downtown Nashville.

In a statement after the incident, Wallen apologized.

“I’m not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility. I have the utmost respect for the officers working every day to keep us all safe,” he said at the time.

Wallen faces three counts of felony reckless endangerment and one count of misdemeanor for the incident, according to Metro Nashville PD. Local ABC station, WKRN, reports the singer’s lawyer confirmed he will appear in court on the charges later this month.

In 2021, Wallen was caught on video using the N-word and other expletives. After the incident, some radio stations temporarily suspended his music and the Academy of Country Music barred him from nominations at that year’s awards. Later, Wallen apologized in a nearly five-minute video for his actions and met with Black leaders, whom he did not identify.

“There’s no excuse. I’ve never made an excuse. I never will make an excuse,” Wallen told Billboard in 2023 about using the slur. 

In 2020, Wallen was dropped as a musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” due to blatantly violating COVID-19 protocol before his scheduled appearance on the comedy show. He would go on to appear on the show two months later and take part in a sketch about the incident.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Who is Simone Biles’ husband? All about Jonathan Owens
• Taylor Swift salutes Simone Biles, Sha’Carri Richardson and Katie Ledecky in moving promo video for the Olympics
• What to know about WWE’s SummerSlam 2024 event

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The Grammy-winning hip-hop superstar is also seeking child support from Offset, known for his successful solo career and role in the trap group Migos.

Details of Cardi B’s requests were included in divorce documents obtained Friday, a day afetr they were filed Thursday in New Jersey Superior Court in Bergen County.

Cardi B, 31, and Offset, 32, have two children together: 6-year-old daughter Kulture and 2-year-old son Wave. She is pregnant with their third child, which she announced in an Instagram post Thursday. The filings state Offset is the father.

The filing says that for the past six months, Cardi B and Offset, whose birth names are Belcalis Almanzar and Kiari Cephus respectively, “have experienced irreconcilable differences … There is no reasonable prospect of reconciliation between the parties.”

A representative for Cardi B told The Associated Press on Thursday: “This is not based on any one particular incident, it has been a long time coming and is amicable.”

The hip-hop power couple were secretly wed on Sept. 20, 2017, in Atlanta. They only announced their engagement a month later.

Cardi B, raised in the South Bronx, came to fame as a cast member on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop: New York” before launching a booming rap career with her Grammy-winning first and only album, “Invasion of Privacy,” and its inescapable No. 1 songs “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It,” featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin.

Her profile has only grown in the years since, through other No. 1 songs like when she joined Maroon 5 for 2018’s “Girls Like You,” 2020’s “WAP” with Megan The Stallion and 2021’s “Up.”

The details in court records were first reported Friday by celebrity website TMZ.

In 2020, Cardi B previously filed for divorce from Offset in the state of Georgia, claiming her marriage was “irretrievably broken.” She later withdrew the filing.

___

Associated Press Writer Mike Catalini contributed to this report.

Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles had a fangirl moment when they met Mariska Hargitay on Aug. 2.

Lee, 21, and Chiles, 23, were visibly shocked when they saw the “Law & Order: SVU” star coming toward them with a big smile.

“You can’t cry!” Chiles told Lee, as Hargitay approached the duo.

“Oh my God,” Chiles then said, in a video of the moment shared by the official USA Gymnastics X account. 

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 3

Shot putter Chase Jackson's Olympics kit wasn't in her size, sparking outrage. Here's what happened

Swimming Aug 3

WATCH: Katie Ledecky wins historic 9th gold with four-peat in 800m freestyle

Chiles turned and walked the other direction for a second, apparently overwhelmed, but soon Hargitay wrapped both her and Lee in a big hug and congratulated them on their Olympic victories.

The surprises continued when Snoop Dogg appeared. The rapper, who guest-starred in an episode of “Law & Order: SVU” in 2019, hugged Hargitay before going to chat with Lee and Chiles.

Snoop also shook hands with Hargitay’s youngest child, Andrew, at which point Lee turned to the camera and said in amazement, “What’s going on right now?”

Lee and Chiles then had the chance to trade pins with Snoop, carrying on an Olympic tradition. 

After the encounter, Hargitay shared photos on her Instagram page of her daughter, Amaya, with Chiles and Lee. In the pics, Amaya wears Chiles’ gold medal.

“Thank you @sunisalee and @jordanchiles for shining your bright, beautiful, Olympian light on my sweetest girl. A mountaintop moment,” Hargitay captioned her post.

The actor has been cheering on the U.S. women’s artistic gymnastics team throughout the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

She was in the stands rooting on Team USA at the all-around final on Aug. 1 alongside the three children she shares with husband Peter Hermann: August, 18, Amaya, whom she and Hermann adopted in April 2011, and Andrew, whom they adopted in October 2011.

Hargitay also stopped by the TODAY show’s Paris headquarters and posed for a photo against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower with Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.

“What a joy to see my friends,” Hargitay captioned the Instagram pic.

Hargitay isn’t the only “Law & Order” star to connect with old friends at the Olympics this summer. 

“Law & Order: Organized Crime” star Chris Meloni recently shared an Instagram photo of him and Snoop Dogg hanging out in Paris, decked out in Team USA-themed apparel.

“SVU” star Ice-T also shouted out Snoop Dogg for his performance as a special correspondent for NBC Olympics.

“ICE COLD FACT @SnoopDogg hosting the OLYMPICS is TopTier HipHop Growth… You better recognize,” the rapper and actor wrote on X.

Peacock is streaming the Paris Olympics around the clock. Learn more about accounts here. TODAY earns a commission on purchases. Peacock is owned by our parent company NBCUniversal.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY here:

• Video of Michael Jordan playing peekaboo with baby Katie Ledecky resurfaces: ‘One goat to a future goat’
• What happened with Imane Khelif and Angela Carini? Olympic boxing match sparks gender eligibility controversy
• US Olympian Maggie Steffens shares tribute to late sister-in-law Lulu Conner

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

In a video posted to her TikTok on Aug. 2, she showed her fans how she got ready for the Paris Olympics gymnastics all-around competition the day before. As she applied her makeup (with not one but two layers of setting spray so that “s— will not move!”) Biles chatted about everything from her Olympic Village experience this time to around her unpleasant experience with “baby Botox.”

“A funny story for you guys: So for my 27th birthday, I got Botox, like baby Botox,” she said, noting she did it in her T-zone. “And I did not like it, so I haven’t got it again.”

So-called “baby Botox” is a preventative procedure for younger patients to prevent wrinkles from fully forming in the first place using less product than usual Botox treatments.

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 3

Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall are an Olympic power couple. All about their love story

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 3

Olympians' surprising day jobs, from birthday party clown to engineer

Biles, who turned 27 in March, said that after getting Botox, she would be at practice when one eyebrow would start to rise uncontrollably.

“And Zoey would be like, ‘Simone, your eyebrow is doing it again!’ and I’m like, ‘I feel it!’ and I couldn’t get it back down,” Biles recalled, noting that it’d usually go back down in about 20 seconds.

“It would randomly do that! I have no idea,” she said, adding that her face has since returned to normal. “So, not doing that again.”

Elsewhere in the video, she noted that her scalp was flakey as either a result of a possible allergy to her coconut oil or “or two, I have seborrheic dermatitis.”

“So I should probably get that checked out when I get home,” she said.

Biles has been open about her beauty routine this Olympics; in other social media posts, she responded to critics about her hair.

On her Instagram story on July 30 just hours before the women’s gymnastics team final (where Team USA would eventually take home the gold) she told fans not to comment on her ponytail. 

“Don’t come for me about my hair. IT WAS DONE but bus has NO AC & it’s like 9,0000 degrees,” Biles wrote in the caption, noting it was a 45 minute ride to the stadium.

“Gonna hold your hand when I say this. next time you wanna comment on a black girls hair. JUST DON’T,” she added in a follow up post.

Peacock is streaming the Paris Olympics around the clock. Learn more about accounts here. TODAY earns a commission on purchases. Peacock is owned by our parent company NBCUniversal.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY here:

• Video of Michael Jordan playing peekaboo with baby Katie Ledecky resurfaces: ‘One goat to a future goat’
• What happened with Imane Khelif and Angela Carini? Olympic boxing match sparks gender eligibility controversy
• US Olympian Maggie Steffens shares tribute to late sister-in-law Lulu Conner

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The athletes, both 25, first met in 2017 when they attended the same track meet in Idaho. Woodhall, who was living in Utah, and Davis-Woodhall who was residing in California, both found each other attractive from the jump, the couple shared in a 2018 YouTube video.

Shortly after, they started dating. They qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2021 — Davis-Woodhall in the women’s long jump and Woodhall in Paralympic sprints. Woodhall was born with a condition called fibular hemimelia and shared in a 2024 essay that his lower legs were amputated when he was 11 months old.

In Tokyo, Woodhall won bronze in the men’s 400-meter dash T62 classification, and Davis-Woodhall placed 6th in the women’s long jump event.

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 3

Shot putter Chase Jackson's Olympics kit wasn't in her size, sparking outrage. Here's what happened

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 3

Olympians' surprising day jobs, from birthday party clown to engineer

Now, three years after competing in Tokyo and nearly two years since tying the knot, the couple will compete in the Paris Summer Games.

“I’m just so pumped that he gets to come watch me and that I get to go watch him and be in the same area for a month-and-a-half of pure grind mode, Olympic mode. This is what we’ve been working on. And this is what we’ve been waiting for. And it’s going to be a special moment for sure,” Davis-Woodhall recently told “E! News” in an interview.

Read on for a timeline of Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis-Woodhall’s relationship.

2017: Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall meet

Davis-Woodhall and Woodhall first met at a track meet in Idaho when they were both in high school. At the time, Woodhall was living in Utah and Davis-Woodhall was residing in California.

In a 2018 video they posted on YouTube, the couple said they both found each other attractive the first time they laid eyes on one another.

Woodhall said he remembers thinking, “I’m going to marry that girl.”

2018: They start dating

After meeting at the track event, Davis-Woodhall made the first move by DMing Woodhall. They chatted on social media for a few months before connecting again at another track event. In June 2017, Woodhall was training in California and hung out with Davis-Woodhall, leading to their first kiss.

Their long-distance relationship continued in college as Woodhall went to the University of Arkansas while Davis-Woodhall went to the University of Georgia, before transferring to the University of Texas her sophomore year.

In a 2021 interview with Elle, Woodhall recalled how they made their early long-distance relationship work.

“We balance our long-distance relationship by having communication, trust, and patience. Over the past four years, we learned how to communicate and operate as a couple. We have had countless situations where we had done badly on both sides, but we learned from those lessons and genuinely want to grow our relationship,” he said at the time.

2021: Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall compete at the Tokyo Games

The Tokyo Summer Games were the first time that Woodhall and Davis-Woodhall competed in the Games together.

“This will be his second Paralympics, but for me, it was my dream. It was my Olympic dream. That’s my dream,” Davis-Woodhall told People shortly before she and Woodhall competed in the Games. “And to experience at a time and be a couple that are Olympians is just insane.”

“I have so much pride competing for this country. And I think it gives us an ability to show who we are, show what we represent, which I hope in turn would reflect what we see this country to be,” Woodhall added.

At the Paralympics, Woodhall won bronze in the men’s 400-meter, and Davis-Woodhall placed in 6th in the women’s long jump event.

Although she didn’t win any awards, Woodhall took to social media to celebrate his then-girlfriend.

“I cannot express how proud I am of you… To see what you did yesterday motivates me more than you know. To compete at the Olympics is one thing, to be disappointed at finishing 6th in a world filled with 7 billion people is another. It shows how driven you are and how motivated you are to be the best. This is only the beginning and it will add fuel to the fire for whatever is next,” he said in his caption, in part.

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Woodhall won silver in the men’s 200-meter dash T44 and bronze in the men’s 400-meter T44.

September 2021: Hunter Woodhall proposes to Tara Davis-Woodhall

In September 2021, Woodhall announced that he and Davis-Woodhall got engaged in a sweet post he shared on Instagram. The post included pictures of him popping the question.

He wrote, “To my future wife, I promise to always be there for you. I promise to always provide for you. I promise to always love you. You make me a better person and I can’t imagine a life without you. Thank you for trusting, supporting, and loving me the last 5 years. here’s to the rest of our lives. P.S. the last pic is my relief from getting a yes haha.”

October 2022: Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall get married

On October 16, 2022, Davis-Woodhall and Woodhall got married. The ceremony occurred at D’Vine Grace Vineyard in McKinney, Texas. 

“This has been such a dream — ever since we started dating, Hunter and I have talked about getting married,” Davis-Woodhall told People. “We were for real about it, we truly saw each other for the rest of our lives.”

August 2024: Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall are set to compete at the Paris Olympics

After years of training, Davis-Woodhall and Woodhall are headed back to the Summer Games.

“There’s less uncertainty and more confidence going in and excitement,” Woodhall told “E! News” of their mindset going into the Games. “This is the first year that we’ve been able to stand behind the goals that we have and really verbalize them.”

The women’s long jump event kicks off Aug. 6. The Paris Paralympics start Aug. 28.

Peacock is streaming the Paris Olympics around the clock. Learn more about accounts here. TODAY earns a commission on purchases. Peacock is owned by our parent company NBCUniversal.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY here:

• Video of Michael Jordan playing peekaboo with baby Katie Ledecky resurfaces: ‘One goat to a future goat’
• What happened with Imane Khelif and Angela Carini? Olympic boxing match sparks gender eligibility controversy
• US Olympian Maggie Steffens shares tribute to late sister-in-law Lulu Conner

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Zac Efron is recovering following an incident in a pool during a trip to Spain that landed him in the hospital.

“The High School Musical” alum was taken to a medical center as a precautionary measure after a “minor swimming incident” at a villa on the island of Ibiza the night of Aug. 2, his rep told TMZ. The outlet reported that Efron was released the following morning Aug. 3 and is currently doing fine.

E! News has reached out to the “Baywatch” actor’s team for comment and has not heard back.

The 36-year-old, who had also sparked health concerns in 2013 after he suffered an accident at his house that resulted in a shattered jaw, has been vacationing in the Spanish islands for the past couple of weeks.

On Aug. 1, one day before the swimming pool incident, Efron joined his longtime friend Martin Garrix onstage behind the DJ booth at the Dutch performer’s show at the Ushuaïa Ibiza venue.

“Like every week, Martin Garrix delivered an exceptional performance that left us all in awe,” read a post shared on the beachfront club’s Instagram page, alongside photos and videos from the night. “To top it off, Zac Efron joined him on stage during “Smile.”

Efron, who had played a DJ in the 2015 comedy movie “We Are Your Friends,” was first spotted in the Ibiza area in July. The “A Family Affair” actor joined a group of friends on a yacht off the coast of the neighboring island of Formentera, as seen in photos posted by the Spanish outlet Diario de Ibiza.

The actor had also traveled to other countries in Europe in recent weeks. Days before he was first spotted in Spain, the “Down to Earth with Zac Efron” star spent time on the Greek island of Mykonos, where he visited the Lío Mykonos restaurant and cabaret club and took a photo with its performers.

Last month, he also attended the Opening Ceremony at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and shared a tribute to gymnastics icon Simone Biles after she won a gold medal in the women’s team all-around finale, writing on his Instagram Story, “So incredibly proud of you @simonebiles.”

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Punkie Johnson, who joined “SNL” as a featured player in 2020, was the first out Black queer woman on the show’s cast. She joined other LGBTQ cast members Kate McKinnon and Bowen Yang. Danitra Vance, a Black lesbian who was a cast member on “SNL” in the mid-1980s, was not out publicly when she was on the show.

Molly Kearney was SNL’s first ever nonbinary cast member. They joined the sketch comedy show in 2022.

Johnson reportedly told an audience at a stand-up comedy show at Brooklyn’s Union Hall on Wednesday that she wouldn’t be returning to “SNL” after four seasons, according to TODAY.com.

In an Instagram video posted Thursday confirming her departure, Johnson mentioned that people reached out to her after she responded, “Oh, I ain’t coming back,” when an audience member asked her if she was looking forward to the show’s 50th season next year.

“It’s no bad blood, it’s no bridges burned, it’s no hard feelings,” Johnson said. “Bro, I love my people! I didn’t think none of this was going to be a big deal.”

A longtime comedian and performer from New Orleans, Johnson has starred in TV shows including “Space Force,” “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and “Corporate.” She started her career at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, where she began as a server. Even waiting tables there was competitive, she told NBC News, adding that when she arrived for her interview, there were at least 70 people competing for the job.

Kearney on Friday announced their exit with an Instagram album of pictures from their time on the show.

“Yall that’s a wrap on my time on SNL! Reflecting on the amazing 2 seasons I got on this show, it was such a dream come true,” Kearney wrote.

Kearney said they were “so incredibly grateful” for their time on the show and that it was “a true honor to work with such a talented group of writers,” adding, “and DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE CAST.”

Kearney, who is from Cleveland, appeared as Fern Dannely in Amazon’s “A League of Their Own” — a remake of the 1992 film that has been a huge hit with queer fans.

They were also in Disney+’s “The Mighty Ducks,” and in 2019, they were selected for Comedy Central’s “Up Next,” an annual showcase of comedians that the network selects after a nationwide search

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

• Sha’Carri Richardson takes silver in women’s 100-meter final
• Police officers injured as far-right activists face off against anti-racism groups across U.K.
• Severe drought has returned to the Amazon. And it’s happening earlier than expected

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The iconic rapper, and reporter covering the 2024 Paris Olympics, spent some time in the Telemundo broadcast booth with legendary soccer commentator Andres Cantor before the U.S. women’s national team’s quarterfinal match against Japan on Saturday. 

To prepare Snoop for the right moment, Cantor pitched him a scenario where the USWNT is tied 0-0, and in the 89th minute, captain Lindsey Horan scores a late winner for her team. 

But before they get to call the goal, Cantor tells Snoop he has to make sure he feels the yell from his stomach. 

After Cantor commentates in Spanish that Horan is close to the net, he and Snoop yell his famous goal call. 

Snoop’s first attempt at doing the goal call was impressive as he lasted nearly 10 seconds yelling “gol.” 

The 61-year-old Argentinian rewarded Snoop’s efforts with a U.S. soccer jersey that includes “Snoop” written on the back with the No. 20. 

It was Snoop’s first time at an Olympic soccer match and said he was happy he could watch the USWNT play in person. 

“I wanted to come show some support to all the ladies that are playing soccer, especially the U.S. Olympic team,” the 52-year-old rapper said. 

“And I wanted to come meet you,” Snoop said to Cantor. “I love what you’re doing. I’m a fan of yours.”

Snoop also reflected on the moment he was able to run with the torch at the Opening Ceremony, calling it “the greatest moment” of his life. 

“I think back to when I was a kid and watched Muhammad Ali hold the torch and I felt just like him,” he said. “I felt like a peace messenger, somebody that was putting love in the air.”

So far, Snoop said he’s watched multiple sports at the Paris Olympics, including equestrian, fencing, judo and gymnastics. After watching these sports, Snoop noted there’s one thing that stands out to him the most. 

“The love, peace and unity that all of these countries show to each other stands out to me,” he said. “Despite competing against each other, they naturally love and respect each other.”

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati’s Olympic dream has ended for a NSFW reason.

At the men’s qualifying event at the Paris Olympics Aug. 3, the 21-year-old missed his target height and got his crotch caught on the crossbar, sending it crashing down to the mat. Ammirati, who reacted by holding the sides of his head upon his own landing, ultimately placed 15th in the contest.

“It’s a big disappointment” the first-time Olympian said in a statement posted by the French Athletics Federation. “The conditions were good. It’s the first time I’ve started a competition without any stress. As I was a total outsider, I only had one goal: to play with the audience. I was almost there.”

Ammirati also reshared a tribute posted by French sports academy Envol but did not comment on the moment that helped knock him out of the competition, which went viral.

“We are proud of you @anthony_ammirati,” the academy’s Instagram post read in French. “Despite the last two physically disrupted weeks, you managed to be there, even if we are frustrated like you for this bar at 5m70. We wish you to live an unforgettable Olympic experience.”

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 3

Watch: Team USA racks up 18 medals, USWNT advances and more Day 8 highlights

Simone Biles Aug 3

Simone Biles reveals why she won't do Botox again

To advance to the men’s pole vault final, competitors had to make the top 12 or vault over a bar at least 5.8 meters high to go through to the final. Ammirati scored 5.60, tying with Belgium’s Ben Broeders, Norway’s Simon Guttormsen, and Poland’s Piotr Lisek and Robert Sobera for 15th place.

The No. 1 performing athlete, Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, earned a score of 5.75.

Stephen Nedoroscik and Tess McCracken first met in college, and they’ve been sticking the landing ever since.

Eight years into their relationship, the gymnast duo have perfected their routine — and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I think it’s really that we just get each other,” McCracken told E! News in an exclusive interview from the 2024 Paris Olympics, adding the key is all about, “Being able to have the intellectual conversations, the gymnastics conversations — we very frequently end up having debates”

And in typical fashion of athletes who need a cool head under pressure, Nedoroscik, 25, and McCracken, 26, keep things calm.

Gymnastics Aug 3

‘He did it again!' Social media erupts for Nedoroscik's 2nd bronze

Gymnastics Jul 30

What to know about Stephen Nedoroscik's eyesight: Gymnast reveals eye conditions

As she explained, “Neither one of us gets worked up. We disagree, we go back and forth with our logic, we think about it. And that’s really great.”

Because at the end of the day, there’s no other place they’d rather be than with each other.

“We’re each other’s person,” McCracken summed it up. “We don’t get tired of each other. We don’t feel like we need like that break. I think that has really helped over the last eight years — just keep us solid. And it’s been a great time.”

Most recently, that great time carried the pair all the way to the 2024 Paris Olympics, where McCracken was there to support Nedoroscik as he helped lead his team to a bronze medal win — their first medal in 16 years — with a near-perfect pommel horse routine.

But while Nedoroscik — who is a two-time NCAA Champion, has placed first in two World Cup events and, in 2021, became the first American World Champion on the pommel horse — makes the event look almost effortless, it doesn’t make it any easier for McCracken watching from the sidelines.

“It is the most stressful thing I’ve ever done,” she confessed. “I wear a Fitbit, and my heart rate easily goes over 140 beats a minute when he goes. Even before he goes, just thinking about the fact that he’s about to go, it starts climbing.”

In fact, McCracken is such an empathetic viewer that when she watches from home on the TV, she has an interesting routine.

“I will pause the broadcast before he goes and then wait until like, Twitter or someone says how he did,” she admitted, “and then I’ll go back and watch it, because I can’t take the anxiety.”

“It’s so much harder than when I competed,” she added. “Beam was my best event, and competing beam was easier than watching him go.”

But as difficult as it was to watch him compete on the pommel horse at the Olympics — which ultimately earned the high score of 15.200 — McCracken and Nedoroscik have been reveling in his newfound stardom after he became an online sensation.

Including all the memes that have come with it.

“My favorite so far has been the ‘and your friends Steve, do-do-do-do-do-do-do Steve,’” McCracken said of the Garfunkel and Oates TikTok sound. “I love that one.”

And while she noted Nedoroscik, too, has loved the many comparisons that have been made, including those to LeBron James and Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent, McCracken said the 25-year-old is currently preparing for his pommel horse individual final on August 3.

“He is trying to get locked in,” McCracken explained. “He had a lot of media the last few days, a lot of appearances and interviews. Ad he kind of put his foot down and said, “I need to focus and get back dialed in. I’m only training from here on out through Saturday, and then we can talk again afterwards.’”

The 27-year-old gymnast is taking on social media critics who lambasted a post shared by her husband on Instagram. The photo showed Owens wearing her Olympic gold medal around his neck, prompting accusations that the NFL athlete was stealing the spotlight from his wife.

Read on for the controversy.

What did Simone Biles’ husband do at the Olympics?

On July 31, Owens shared an Instagram post featuring him alongside his wife. The celebratory post included a caption from Owens congratulating his wife on becoming Olympic’s most decorated American gymnast.

“Witnessing history every time you step on the mat,” his caption reads. “Congrats, baby, on becoming the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history!!!! Just wow!!!! 8 of them!!!!! So thankful I was there to see it.”

In the post’s comments section, users were quick to cheer on Biles for her win, while others took issue with Owens for wearing the gold medal that the gymnast and her team had won earlier that day around his neck.

“Why he holding it like he won it,” one user wrote.

“Mr. Simone Biles, if you don’t give that woman back her medal like (be for real),” one added.

The criticism against Owens continued on TikTok. In a post that has since received nearly 500K comments, internet personality Kiera Breaugh also chimed into the discourse.

“Take her medal off!” Breaugh says in the video. “After all of the— take her medal off! Was it you, Mr. Simone Biles, who was flying through the air yesterday? Was it you who spun like a top 30 times in the air and landed without stumbling? No.”

“You were taking notes in the audience, and I thought that was cute. I was gonna give him a pass,” she said, referring to how cameras captured Owens taking detailed notes of his wife’s score and performance throughout the Olympic competitions, showing his support and dedication. “I thought him keeping score the audience was kind of cute. I was gonna take it easy on him.”

“Why is her medal around your neck? For the picture. For the picture that you post after— We’ve learned nothing. What a choice. What a choice,” she continued.

“Let her wear the medal for the picture that you post,” Breaugh concluded. “After everything that’s gone on, that could be a pretty simple PR move. He’s like, ‘This is my only time to wear a gold medal around my neck, so I guess I’ll just take this chance now. Not like I already got made fun of by the entire internet for trying to overshadow my wife and undermine her accomplishments.’”

What did Simone Biles say in response to the Jonathan Owens medal controversy?

On Aug. 1, Biles replied in the comments of Breaugh’s post to defend her husband.

“Crazy thing is, I put my medal on every single one of my family members and took pictures. So don’t ever make assumptions, “she wrote. “Like y’all are so f—-ing miserable. Leave us alone.”  

The Olympian’s rebuke was enough to inspire Breaugh to comment on the conflict, emphasizing how Biles’ words had humbled her.

“I’m honored. I’m honored to be told to f— off by such a talented woman,” Breaugh said in a response on TikTok. “I can’t really be mad if she told him to, you know what I mean. And maybe he is really taking notes and keeping score, which is cute. That’s more than anyone’s ever done for me.”

“And you know what? Maybe I am miserable. I’ll be called miserable by the most decorated gymnast of all time,” she replied. “I don’t really care. I think that’s fine. I think, in comparison, naturally, I am not just miserable but also lazy, untalented, and all the other things in the caption. I am undeniably that in comparison. So I don’t mind this at all. I don’t mind this at all.”

“But, um, good to know. Good. Good information to know. I think that, given the history of it, naturally, a lot of us saw that and were a little bit like, oh, jerked out of the seat,” she concluded. “False alarm.”

Previous Owens controversy over who is ‘the catch’ in their relationship

In a December 2023 episode of the “Pivot” podcast, Owens revealed that he hadn’t initially known who Biles was when they met on a dating app and suggested he was the “catch” in their relationship.

One of the “Pivot” podcast hosts, former NFL player Ryan Clark, suggested that Owens was the “catch” at the beginning of the relationship, and Owens replied, “I always say the men are the catch.”

Immediately after the podcast, fans slammed Owens.

“You need to address the comments you made on that podcast and come back and speak highly of your wife because that wasn’t it,” one person wrote in the comments.

“I didn’t know of you until Simone Biles posted you sir,” wrote another.

Owens did not publicly apologize and later, in an April 2024 episode of Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Biles said that the comments online had been “hurtful.”

“So, whenever he did that interview, I thought everything was OK. “And then I go on Twitter, and everybody’s like, ‘Divorce this man, he’s mean,’” she said. “I’m like, he’s the sweetest. He praises the ground that I walk on. Truly, I’ve never met a man like him.”

She said while she initially thought it was “hilarious,” the online response “hurt my feelings.”

“One night, I broke down and I’m like, why are you guys talking about my husband like this?” she told Cooper. “You don’t know him, you don’t know who he is, and if anybody’s met him, they know he’s the sweetest guy and will do anything for anybody.”

Owens and Biles met on the dating app Raya during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The footballer proposed to her in 2022 and the two married the next year in April 2023.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• How many medals does Team USA have at the Paris Olympics? See the count
• Why do so many countries have red, white and blue flags?
• Caeleb Dressel’s emotional reaction after coming up short in races elicited strong responses from fans

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

If Olympic athletes are lucky, their sport is their day job.

But for every Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Noah Lyles and member of the U.S. men’s basketball team (any one of whom could finance an entire women’s water polo squad), there are exponentially more who worked for a shot at a medal from the 2024 Olympics in Paris while busily toiling at something else.

Not least because, even if they’re considered elite competitors, it costs money to train, travel and be competition-ready on any stage, let alone the world’s biggest.

Not everyone can swing a nine-to-five, of course. And many are students of middling means — after seeing Veronica Fraley’s post about her plight on X, Alexis Ohanian and Flavor Flav are going halfsies on the Vanderbilt student-athlete’s rent so she can focus on discus throwing — while others are constantly fund-raising or seeking that life-changing sponsorship.

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 3

Simone and Katie win gold, Sha'Carri earns silver on massive day for Team USA

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 3

Live updates: US men's basketball plays Puerto Rico looking to lock up top seed

But some athletes who’ve been competing — and making the podium — in Paris have full-on jobs to go back to when the Games are done.

And not all because they need one, either. Many are also looking ahead at life after they hang up their Speedos, cleats, gis, foils, paddles and pistols.

“It’s kind of a group effort in the pool,” electrical engineer Nic Fink, the reigning 100-meter breast stroke world champion heading into Paris, told the Associated Press of balancing his two careers. “And then obviously in work, they know that I’ll get my stuff done, and my hours may be a little different than other people’s. I’ve definitely answered texts like, ‘Hey, can I get this back to you in like an hour or so?’ And they are like, ‘No rush, you do you.'”

Nice work if you can get it. But the two-time Olympian has credited having this entirely different thing to focus on outside of the pool for his ongoing success, which included making his first podium when he took the silver (in a rare tie with Great Britain’s Adam Peaty) July 29 in the 100m breast stroke.

“I think having the job really helps me compartmentalize,” he explained to ESPN. “And if you have a bad day in the pool, it really takes your mind off things and kind of keeps you focused on other things in life.”

Of which there are so many. Find out more about the Olympic athletes with relatable jobs outside their sport:

Nic Fink

After making his Olympics debut in Tokyo, swimmer Nic Fink got his master’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering from Georgia Tech, completing the program in December 2022 and then starting work at Quanta Utility Engineering. 

Grateful to have a flexible remote work schedule back home in Dallas, the expectant first-time dad (with wife and fellow Olympic swimmer Melanie Margalis Fink) made it to his first podium in Paris.

“I was ready to move on to other stages while still trying to keep a high level in swimming,” Fink told ESPN after taking silver in the 100-meter breast stroke. “I think having the job really helps me compartmentalize everything.”

Gabby Thomas

If it’s possible to be one of the fastest women in the world and help save it at the same time, it’ll be sprinter Gabby Thomas pulling double duty.

The Harvard grad, who also has a master’s in public health and epidemiology from University of Texas, volunteers at a clinic for uninsured patients in Austin and punched her ticket to the 2024 Olympics as the gold medal favorite in the 200 meters.

Though she competed for the Crimson in college, she assumed her future was in health care. “Track was not a sure thing,” Thomas, who earned a 200m bronze and 4x100m silver in Tokyo, told E! News after qualifying for Paris. “There’s no guarantee that you’re going to be on the Olympic team.”

But eventually, she continued, “I came to a point where you think, ‘Do I have to make a choice?’ And I thought, ‘No, I’ve always been able to pursue exactly what I wanted to do and I’ve always been able to do it all.’ So I told myself, ‘I’m gonna do it all!'” 

Canyon Berry

Armed with degrees in physics and nuclear engineering, Canyon Barry works as a systems engineer at L3 Harris Technologies, a defense and space contractor. And all systems were a go for the 6-foot-5 athlete’s debut with the U.S. 3×3 basketball team in Paris.

Having “a career that you’re passionate about and can kind of have an identity outside of sports means a lot to me,” Barry, who’s the son of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, told the Associated Press. “Because now, when the ball does stop bouncing, I know that I have a passion and a job that I can go back to that I find fulfillment in and can really enjoy that for the rest of my life.”

That being said, he added, “I would love nothing more than to come back to that office with a gold medal and let all of them feel it and take pictures with it.”

Morelle McCane

From the age of 17, boxer Morelle McCane has toughed it out as a birthday party clown, daycare supervisor and mailroom worker to fund her dream of being an Olympian, and in 2024 she became the first female fighter from Cleveland to qualify for the Games.

“You just have to find what you can for the moment sometimes,” McCane, 29, told the Houston Chronicle. “Because the good-paying jobs, they want you around for a long time, so you just have to find something that you can get, get quick and keep that income coming in.”

And her plan was always Paris.

“When I get in the ring, it is my time to shine,” the welterweight, who’s competing in the 66kg division, told USA Boxing. “When I get in there, I give it my all, and all of me includes my personality. And it is more fun that way. When I’m having fun, I am at my best because the intensity is there, the focus is there, but the relaxation that you need is there as well.”

Zachery Schubert

Beach volleyball player Zachery Schubert runs a cricket farm on his family’s property in his native Australia called Schubugs Cricket Farm — and he walks the walk, munching on the insects for a protein-packed snack.

But “it’s not like we’re pushing people to eat insects in every single meal,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s more an add-on to get extra protein in your diet. It’s not like I’m a crazy bug person.”

Usually his dad watches the crickets while he’s away, but the elder Schubert is in Paris watching his son make his Olympics debut, so a friend is minding the farm instead.

Robbie Manson

Rower Robbie Manson made a few waves when he mentioned he supplements his income with an OnlyFans account, but he takes a practical approach.

“I get more than double what I would be on otherwise as an athlete — read into that what you will, but I am making more from OnlyFans than I am from rowing at this stage,” the New Zealander, who came out of retirement to compete in his third Olympics, told Reuters. “I thought, if I’m going to do it, you have to tell everyone, be really open and I think you need to feel that any publicity is good publicity.”

The double sculls specialist knows it’s not for everyone, but “for other athletes, there’s definitely an opportunity there.”

Ellen Geddes

Ellen Geddes was an avid equestrienne before being paralyzed in a car accident in 2012 when she was 23. Later that same year she tried wheelchair fencing for the first time and in 2013 she competed in her first Wheelchair World Championships.

Now the owner of two horse farms, Maplewood Farm and Bridlewood Farm, in Aiken, S.C., and a breeding director at Magnolia Sport Horses, she’s hoping to make a podium when the Paris Paralympics kick off Aug. 28.

“It was absolutely incredible to qualify for my first Paralympics [in 2021], but I certainly had higher hopes and aspirations than what I achieved,” she told the Lexington County Chronicle, “which is why we are running it back again for 2024.” And admittedly the foils have been getting more attention than the foals lately.

“I definitely struggle with balance,” Geddes said. “Right now, I’m focusing a lot more on the fencing than I am on the horses and the farms.”

Alyssa Bull

We already would have felt we were in extremely good hands if an Australian firefighter named Alyssa “Aly” Bull came and rescued us — and it turns out she’s an Olympic canoeist, as well.

Having already competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bull joined the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service in 2018, soon realizing that balancing work and training would, as she told her country’s ABC, take “a lot of juggling.”

“When we’re down in the trenches,” she said in 2023, “it’s two day shifts, two night shifts and then four days off.” Bull credited Australian women’s sprint kayak coach Rene Olsen for “how supportive he is to come out on the water with me at 4 a.m. on my day shifts.”

But Bull finds that the importance of teamwork follows wherever she goes.

“Whether they’re sitting in a boat in front or behind you, or whether they’re sitting in the back seat about to go to an incident,” she explained, “you’ve got to fully trust that their skills and capabilities are really up to scratch. Whether that’s to help someone out of a car prang using the tools and communicating, or whether it’s paddling together in complete unison to get to the finish line.”

Maria Liana Mutia

Maria Liana Mutia never stops processing information, whether it’s about her next para judo opponent or her work as a software analyst for Comcast.

A typical day involves getting up at 6 a.m. to exercise, working from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and then training for two hours.

Paris Olympics Photos Aug 3

Paris Olympics Day 8 in pictures

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 3

Simone Biles on competing in another Olympics: ‘Never say never'

“I am not very strong, and I am not very aggressive. I’m just an intelligent fighter,” the returning Paralympian told TeamUSA.com. “I’m only ever looking for the correct reaction to whatever counterreaction of my opponent.”

Liana Mutia was already competing in wrestling and judo for the visually impaired when she started to lose her sight completely, and it never occurred to her to quit.

“Any grappling sport, judo, it’s all based in touch,” she said. “I never had any worries that I would have to stop.”

Kat Holmes

Princeton grad Kat Holmes didn’t let her dream of becoming a doctor foil her fencing prowess, or vice versa. She competed in her third Olympics in Paris in team and individual épée and is in her third year at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — a scheduling pile-up she “would not recommend” to anybody.

“It’s not fun training for the Olympics while being in medical school,” she told CNBC Make It Ahead. “It’s objectively not an enjoyable experience. I would not recommend it, really, to anybody. I don’t like training all the time. Some days I hate it, objectively.”

“However, at the end of the day,” she added, “I love fencing. I really, really do. I just try to come back to that again and again. I want to win an Olympic medal, but I don’t think that alone would have been enough to get me through it.”

Jesse Grupper

Sport climbing made its Olympics debut in Tokyo, and Jesse Grupper was there for it. Well, not physically there, but the mechanical engineer who started climbing when he was 6 and competing at 11, has really found his footing since.

He won gold in men’s combined at the 2023 Pan American Games to qualify for Paris and, in the meantime, he’s an engineering research fellow at Harvard, specializing in rehabilitation and soft robotic educational technology. While on the World Cup circuit, he worked remotely part-time for the Harvard Biodesign Lab.

“Climbing and mechanical engineering definitely share a lot of general skills with one another,” Grupper told Olympics.com. “I think they’re both a puzzle. You start with this general idea or this general challenge, and you have to reach the end in whatever way that you can. It takes a lot of creativity. It takes a lot of hard work, and it takes a lot of dedication.”

Dani Jackovich

Australian water polo player Dani Jackovich is an operations coordinator for swimwear maker Delfina Sport and a data analyst for the water polo tech firm 6-8 Sports, so her mind has never been far from the pool since her days competing for Stanford.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” Jackovich told Go Stanford of making her Olympics debut in Paris. “My path to realizing this dream hasn’t been the most conventional. There was a point where I believed the dream would never come true, but my love for the sport kept me playing and traveling the world. The journey I’ve taken to get to this point makes it all the more special that I can finally say my childhood dream has come true.”

Anne Cebula

Having done a bunch of modeling, Anne Cebula had been to Paris before. But this was her first time as an Olympic fencer, the New Yorker having discovered the sport watching the 2008 Beijing Games and thinking it was beautiful. She was 10.

Comparing it to an opera, Cebula told Access Daily, “People are ripping off their masks yelling and screaming, and you really only see that in most sports at the end of a match. But in fencing it’s during the whole thing.”

Her parents rejected her plea for lessons, saying they were too expensive. But five years later, she enrolled at the public Brooklyn Technical High School, which has a thriving fencing club.

Anne competed for Columbia University and made it to Paris as the second-ranked American in women’s épée. She continued to model, but quit her day job as a receptionist so she could train five hours a day, five days a week.

“Fencing changed my life forever. I’ve had so many great things happen because of the sport,” she told The City before the Games. “And there are probably so many kids out there that probably don’t have the means to get into this sport or even know it exists, and I really want to pass that on to kids in the city. There is so much untapped potential.”

Meghan Musnicki

Now four-time Olympic rower Meghan “Moose” Musnicki hung up her oars after Tokyo, got married and found herself her first real day job at 39 — working in HR with a data infrastructure company in the Bay Area. But the siren song of the 2022 Henley Royal Regatta in Oxfordshire called and, while she entered for fun, she and her partner won.

“It showed I was competitive with the rest of the group that had been training full-time,” the athlete told Women’s Health, recalling her realization that she had another Olympics in her. “If I enjoy [training], if I can physiologically handle the stress of it, why not?”

Musnicki’s husband Skip Kielt happens to be a rowing coach, and she started training with his roster of mostly male athletes, while also keeping her full-time job. And she continued working remotely in between 7:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. workouts when, at the beginning of 2024, she moved back to the national team’s training base of Princeton, N.J., in hopes of making the Paris crew.

And not that it wouldn’t have been a couple’s trip anyway — “He loves me and supports me and knew this was my dream” — but Kielt is also making his Olympics debut as coach of the U.S. men’s team.

“This is not a sport you do for the money,” Musnicki said. “This is not a sport you do for people to recognize you. You do it because you love it.”

Jenna Bush Hager is an auntie again.

The Today show co-anchor announced the news that her twin sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, privately welcomed her second child, a baby boy named Edward Finn Coyne.

“My sissy had a little mister,” Jenna wrote on Instagram on Aug. 5 alongside several photos of the baby boy alongside the excited sisters, “and I fell madly in love with Edward Finn!”

Little Edward was seen sporting an NYU Langone Health cap, from the New York City-based hospital.

Pierce Bush and her husband, Craig Coyne, are already parents to daughter Cora Georgia Coyne, 2. Jenna is mom to three kids — Mila Hager, 11, Poppy Hager, 8, and Hal Hager, 5 — whom she shares with husband Henry Hager.

The two sisters have penned multiple children’s books together inspired by their growing families including “Sisters First,” “Love Comes First,” and “The Superpower Sisterhood.”

And the daughters of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush previously opened up about Pierce Bush’s stressful early delivery of her daughter Cora in 2021 on the Today show in 2023.

Pierce Bush went into labor six weeks early, she shared, rushing to a hospital in Kennebunkport, Maine. Coincidentally, Barbara was rushed to the children’s hospital which was named after her late grandmother, Barbara Bush Sr.

“I went to visit her in the NICU and looked on the wall and it said, Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital,” a tearful Pierce Bush recalled on Today at the time, adding, “So it just felt very divine that she was born here and she got excellent care.”

Jenna emotionally agreed, saying, “It was as if she was looking down.”

Shortly after Cora was born, Jenna penned a sweet note to her niece, writing, “Dearest Cora Georgia, Today is the day I got to meet my most beautiful, precious, feisty, niece (a bit earlier than we expected!) I witnessed in awe as my dearest, toughest @barbara.p.bush became a mama. And today is the day I fell in love! Some cousins are anxiously waiting to play with you, but not just yet love. Xx auntie j.”

A recent report shed light on whether Olympic swimmers empty their bladders while giving it their all in the pool.

The answer might shock you, or it might not.

Do Olympic swimmers pee in the pool?

According to American two-time gold medalist Lilly King — and others — professional swimmers do urinate in the pool.

King, in a recent report by The Wall Street Journal, told all the dirty details.

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 2

Watch: US wins 6 medals, Sha'Carri Richardson debuts and more Day 7 highlights

Swimming Aug 2

The real reason the Paris Olympics pool considered ‘slow'

“I’ve probably peed in every single pool I’ve swam in,” King told the newspaper. “That’s just how it goes.”

Fellow Olympians backed up King’s claims, saying they do pee in the pool all the time.

“I always have to pee,” Jake Mitchell, who swam for Team USA in Tokyo, told the Journal, “because I’m so hydrated.”

Swimmers also pointed to the fact that they have to put on their swimsuits at least 20 minutes before a race as a reason for urinating in the pool.

Is it safe to pee in the pool?

Pools are filtered with chemicals, especially chlorine, that protect swimmers from human debris, such as hair, dead skin and urine.

Chlorine is used to prevent and kill algae, as well as protect swimmers from unhealthy compounds and waterborne illnesses, according to CNBC. A balanced swimming pool has chlorine levels between 1.0 – 3.0 parts per million, according to thepoolpassion.com.

Over-chlorination can lead to irritated eyes and skin, while not enough chlorine can expose swimmers to unhealthy compounds in the pool from things like human urine.

The more debris that enter the pool, the more chlorine is needed. Which is why if you have a pool of your own, it is important to monitor the chlorine levels.

In other words, peeing in the pool is not recommended.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt‘s legal battle continues.

Indeed, the “Maleficent” star and the “Bullet Train” actor — who split in 2016 — remain on opposite sides when it comes to their once-shared winery Château Miraval. The former couple purchased the French estate together in 2008 but have been at odds over the property since 2022, when Pitt, 60, sued Jolie, 49, for allegedly selling her stake in the winery without his consent.

Now, two years later, the civil suit as well as a separate custody battle between the parents of Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 16, carry on, with lawyers for the “Eternals” actress submitting new court documents in the Château Miraval case Aug. 1.

In their latest filing, obtained by E! News Aug. 2, Jolie’s team supports her previous motion to have Pitt turn over his records involving a 2016 plane incident, during which — Jolie alleged in a 2022 court filing — Pitt choked one of their six children. The motion was previously called a “sensationalist fishing expedition” by Pitt’s attorneys in a filing obtained by E! News July 17.

However, Jolie’s legal team said “she is simply defending herself from Pitt’s baseless allegations.”

E! News has reached out to Pitt’s team, who is not commenting.

“Pitt’s narrative is that this case is just about a ‘business dispute,'” the docs later state. “But that is Pitt’s theory. Jolie’s theory is that this case is about Pitt’s attempt to use Miraval as leverage to control and enforce her silence. The jury will decide what the evidence shows, but for now, Jolie is entitled to gather the evidence she needs to support her theory.”

Jolie’s team also notes in the docs that she “was not acting with malice” by selling her stake in the winery.

Celebrity News Jun 1

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's daughter Shiloh files court petition to remove dad's last name

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 1

What does Simone Biles' iced-out ‘GOAT' necklace mean?

“It was Pitt that refused to buy her interest unless he received his newly expanded NDA,” the filing alleges, “enforceable by an $8.5 million holdback specifically designed to force her silence about his abuse and cover-up.”

The conversation involving NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) has been an ongoing one, given that a judge recently ordered Jolie to produce eight years’ worth of them.

In a court filing obtained by E! News in April, a judge granted Pitt’s motion to order Jolie to produce, within 60 calendar days, “all non-privileged documents in her possession, custody, or control” along with a “privilege log including sufficient factual information regarding any and all responsive documents that Jolie asserts are privileged to allow Plaintiffs to evaluate the merits of Jolie’s assertions of privilege.”

Frontman and lead singer Steven Tyler suffered a vocal cord injury last year, requiring the Boston-based band to pause its tour.

Aerosmith, which formed in 1970, made the announcement on social media.

“We’ve always wanted to blow your mind when performing. As you know, Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other. He has spent months tirelessly working on getting his voice to where it was before his injury,” the band wrote. “We’ve seen him struggling despite having the best medical team by his side. Sadly, it is clear, that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not possible. We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary decision — as a band of brothers — to retire from the touring stage.”

The band said anyone who had bought tickets through Ticketmaster will be fully refunded, and they ask anyone who purchased them via third-party sites to reach out to those organizations for more details.

“It has been the honor of our lives to have our music become part of yours,” Aerosmith wrote. “In every club, on every massive tour and at moments grand and private you have given us a place in the soundtrack of your lives.”

“A final thank you to you — the best fans on planet Earth,” the band continued. “Play our music loud, now and always. Dream On. You’ve made our dreams come true.”

Local music historian Donna Halper, who has followed the Boston music scene for decades, tells NBC10 Boston that Aerosmith never lost touch with their roots.

“Yes they were able to find what the next thing was. But they were always faithful to being Aerosmith. You knew who they were. You knew what they did. And they have done it consistently since 1970. That’s an amazing record,” she said.

Halper says longevity is the band’s legacy, evolving as music changed but staying true to their core values.

More on Aerosmith

Minnesota Jan 22

Aerosmith responds after University of Minnesota Dance Team's epic ‘Dream On' routine goes viral

Duxbury Jan 27, 2023

Aerosmith Singer Visits Plymouth Co. First Responders Amid Outpouring of Support

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Scheana Shay‘s encounter with Candace Cameron Bure did not leave her feeling good as gold.

The “Vanderpump Rules” star revealed that she had a not-so-friendly encounter with the “Full House” alum the first time they crossed paths.

“I do remember the first time I met Candace Cameron,” Shay recounted during the Aug. 2 episode of her “Scheananigans” podcast, “she wasn’t very nice.”

According to Shay, she met the actress a decade ago at an event Bure coordinated with Lisa Vanderpump‘s daughter Pandora Sabo.

“She was hosting this event with Pandora,” the 39-year-old continued. “It was, maybe, season two. It was really early Vanderpump Rules days.”

“I was really excited to meet her,” Shay, a longtime fan of the classic sitcom, noted. “She was so dismissive as if I wasn’t cool enough or big enough to be hanging out with her.”

Giving Bure the benefit of the doubt, Shay wondered if the “Great American Family” star had maybe watched some of her dramatic escapades on the Bravo reality series. However, the awkward meeting has left a bad taste in her mouth to this day.

“I remember I was so excited to meet her and she was like, ‘Ugh,’” Shay explained. “I didn’t want to watch “Fuller House” because of that one experience. And I’ve met so many celebrities in my life and hardly any have stood out to me as rude — but she stood out as one.”

Shay’s claims come two years ago JoJo Siwa made headlines for alleging that Bure was the “rudest celebrity” she’d ever met in a July 2022 TikTok.

Candace later addressed the controversy, saying she felt “crummy” for upsetting JoJo for refusing to take a photo with her on the set of “Fuller House.”

“We are both positive, encouraging people,” she responded in an Instagram video in July 2022, “and I told JoJo how much I’ve always appreciated her because she has been a good role model because of her positivity throughout her whole life and career. That’s the tea.”

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)

Team USA track star Kendall Ellis has managed to make the absolute best out of a s—– situation.

After being trapped in a porta potty that almost caused her to miss an Olympics qualifying race in June, Kendall not only made it to the 2024 Paris Olympics, but also now counts toilet paper company Charmin as one of her sponsors.

But as you can imagine, getting there, uh, stunk for the 28-year-old.

“It was terrifying,” Kendall said of the experience, per NBC News. “I don’t like small spaces. Being stuck in one is actually one of my greatest fears. Elevators. Porta pottys. Water slides.”

Indeed, during those 10 minutes, she saw her world being flushed down the drain.

“I didn’t start panicking ‘til I got to minute 5,” she said. “I was like ‘OK, I’m going to have to call for help.’ As embarrassing as it was to be screaming inside a porta potty asking for help, I had to.”

Afterwards, she felt…relieved.

“Once I got out, I took a deep breath, looked in the mirror and said, ‘Kendall, you can’t get too worked up because if you get emotional, it’s going to affect your body and your race,'” she shared in a July 31 essay for Today. “I had to stay level-headed and calm, and I was proud that I handled the incident with such self-control.”

Now enter Charmin to help her maintain that sense of calm.

“Charmin thankfully stepped in to get rid of all those bathroom worries,” Kendall — who won took home gold and bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — explained, “so I can focus on being the best Kendall and athlete I know how to be.”

And, the best Kendall is one who takes pride in her work.

“The expected dream is to win gold,” she said, “and while I intend on running every race to win, for me a win is running like my best self, reaching my highest potential and not letting fear overcome me.”

She added, “If I did my absolute best, ran my absolute hardest and happened to fall short, I would be disappointed. But ultimately, a win is running the best Kendall Ellis can run. I want to medal and be on that podium, but in the end, I just want to be the best me.”

Netflix’s “Love is Blind” is casting for their seventh season here in Boston and invited New Englanders to apply.

The U.S. reality television series is a social experiment where single women and men speak to one another through a wall and attempt to fall in love before meeting face-to-face.

The team is looking for “brave, open-minded” single people who are ready for a committed relationship, according to the show’s producer, Kinetic Content, in an Instagram post.   

The post linked out to a casting application that asks more than 60 questions. It requests the usual information, like name, where contestants are from and occupation, but it also includes more esoteric questions.

For example, it asks applicants to briefly describe their dating history, their current dating life and any deal-breakers they may have when it comes to relationships. Applicants are required to upload photos of themselves and a 15-second video sharing why they want to find love on the show.

“Love Is Blind” season seven will air sometime between September and October.  

More reality TV news

Reality TV Jul 6

As ‘Bachelor' race issues linger, Jenn Tran, its 1st Asian American lead, is ready for her moment

Celebrity News Jun 21

Julie Chrisley to be resentenced after appeals court throws out 7-year punishment

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Rapper Flavor Flav has been a mainstay at U.S. water polo games as the team’s official hype man and sponsor. On Friday he was met in the stands by the mayor of Flavortown, celebrity chef Guy Fieri. The duo cheered on the Americans and posed for photos.

Fieri called Flav the “best coach in the world” in a video posted to X (formerly known as Twitter).

Fieri joins a growing list of fans who are jumping on the bandwagon alongside Flav in support of the U.S. women’s team that is going for a fourth straight Olympic gold medal. Earlier this week South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and United States First Lady Jill Biden cheered the team on in Paris, and left incredibly impressed.

SEE MORE: Dawn Staley among famous fans supporting U.S. women’s water polo

The fans will have more games to cheer the Americans on. They’re done with pool play, but after defeating France on Friday they automatically clinched a spot in the tournament quarterfinals, which will begin on Tuesday.

SEE MORE: U.S. women’s water polo clinches spot in quarterfinals with win over France

SEE MORE: Flavor Flav ‘hyped’ to sponsor U.S. women’s water polo team for Paris Olympics: ‘This is bigger than me’

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

In 2016, Needham, Massachusetts’ Aly Raisman became the oldest American woman to ever win a gold medal in Olympic gymnastics, at 22 years old. When the U.S. women won the all-around in Paris this week, Raisman relinquished that title, which now belongs to her former teammate, 27-year-old Simone Biles.

An unfortunate shadow was cast over the two-time gold medalist’s love for the sport after she came forward as one of the many victims of Larry Nassar, the former Olympic team physician, who was arrested in 2017 for sexual abuse. Raisman filed a lawsuit against USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee after Nassar’s sentencing.

Raisman retired in 2020, and it was unclear whether or not she would continue in the gymnastics industry. But she has remained a strong presence in the world of gymnastics, and in January, joined ESPN as an NCAA gymnastics broadcast analyst.

Now 30, Raisman has proven her versatility by commentating on collegiate gymnastics meets, speaking from years of experience while providing wisdom and entertainment for audience members of all backgrounds.

Raisman’s return to the media world brought about new revelations about a major challenge she faced. On a recent appearance of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Raisman revealed that she was hospitalized on two occasions since 2020 due to “stroke-like symptoms,” contributing to her battle with post-traumatic stress disorder related to health care professionals.

Since her medical emergency, Raisman has focused on her mental health, avoiding stress and prioritizing her well-being. She is open about going to therapy and looks to eliminate the stigma that surrounds it.

And at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Raisman has been an official hospitality ambassador, taking part in interviews and watching the events from a new perspective.

More on gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Simone Biles Aug 2

Simone Biles wows Team USA fans at Paris Olympics

Worcester Aug 1

How Mass. gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik competes in the Olympics with eye conditions

USA Gymnastics Aug 1

Watch Simone Biles and Suni Lee's best moments from the women's individual all-around

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The pop singer had his license suspended because he refused to take a breathalyzer at a traffic stop while in the Hamptons back in June.

Timberlake, who appeared at the hearing virtually via a video conference, will likely have the suspension for six months. He pleaded not guilty.

The judge also threatened Timberlake’s attorney, Ed Burke, with a gag order for comments the lawyer made outside court last week.

“It comes off as an attempt to poison the case before it even begins,” Judge Carl Irace said.

Last week, Burke said after the hearing that police made “very significant errors” and expects the charge to be dismissed. He also maintained that Timberlake didn’t drive drunk.

“He was not intoxicated,” Burke told reporters outside court. “I’ll say it again. Justin Timberlake was not intoxicated.”

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office, which is prosecuting the case, described the paperwork issue as a “ministerial error” and that an amended charging document was filed July 2.

“The facts and circumstance of the case have not been changed or amended,” spokesperson Emily O’Neil said in an email.

Timberlake was charged with the misdemeanor on June 18 after police said he ran a stop sign and veered out of his lane in Sag Harbor, a onetime whaling village mentioned in Herman Melville’s classic novel “Moby-Dick” that’s nestled amid the Hamptons, around 100 miles east of New York City.

The boy band singer-turned-solo star and actor was driving a 2025 BMW around 12:30 a.m. when an officer stopped him and determined he was intoxicated, according to a court document.

“His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” the court papers said.

Timberlake, 43, told the officer at the time that he had one martini and was following some friends home, according to the documents. After being arrested and taken to a police station in nearby East Hampton, he refused a breath test.

The 10-time Grammy winner began performing as a young Disney Mouseketeer, rose to fame as part of the boy band NSYNC and embarked on a solo recording career in the early 2000s.

The statue, the second in Bryant’s likeness outside the House That Kobe Built, was revealed in a private tented ceremony and will be available for public viewing this weekend. It depicts Bryant with his arm around Gigi sitting courtside at a Lakers game Dec. 29, 2019.

It is one of three planned monuments in tribute to the Lakers great, who was among nine people, including daughter Gigi, killed in a January 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas as they traveled to a basketball tournament northwest of Los Angeles.

The unveiling was on a date (8/2/24) of numeric significance for the five-time NBA champion and Gigi, a talented young player often seen courtside with her father at Crypto.com Arena engaged in conversation about the game. Bryant wore 8 during the first part of his career, then switched to jersey No. 24. Gigi wore jersey No. 2

Jun 1

Heartwarming moment between Kobe and Gianna Bryant inspired Nike ‘Girl Dad' shoe

Kobe Bryant Feb 8

Kobe Bryant's statue finally unveiled at Crypto.com Arena

More details about the statue are expected Friday afternoon. A third Kobe Bryant monument will be unveiled next season.

The date of the first statue unveiling held the same significance — 2/8/24. The 19-foot bronze memorial depicts Bryant in his No. 8 jersey celebrating his virtuoso 81-point performance against Toronto. Widow Vanessa Bryant said at the February ceremony that the third statue will show Bryant in his No. 24 jersey.

Other Laker greats honored with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena are Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West and announcer Chick Hearn.

Both of Bryant’s uniform numbers were retired by the Lakers in 2017, the year after his retirement after 20 NBA season, all with the Lakers. He is the first NBA player with two numbers retired by the same team.

Bryant is the franchise leader in games (1,346), minutes played (48,637), field goals (11,719) and 3-point baskets (1,827), among numerous team records.

Not even a dislocated shoulder will break the spirit of this determined Olympian.

Team Great Britain skateboarder Sky Brown has been cleared by her medical team to compete in the 2024 Olympics’ skateboarding event on August 6 after dislocating her shoulder earlier this week.

“This one was really scary,” Brown told BBC Sport on August 1 about the injury, which she sustained just hours before departing for the Paris Games. “My dad put it in for me. When I get back, I’ll have to do surgery, so it doesn’t come out again.”

In the meantime, the 16-year-old will be relying on new gear to get her through the competition.

“They’re bringing some braces,” Brown shared. “I will try it out and have to be strapped for every time I skate.”

This perseverance is nothing new for the athlete: In May 2020, Brown sustained multiple injuries from a disastrous skateboarding accident — including fractures to her skull, lacerations to her lungs and stomach, a broken left arm and busted fingers on her right hand.

But that didn’t stop her from competing in the Tokyo Games the following year, during which she won bronze at the age of 13, making her the youngest Olympic medalist for Team Great Britain. In fact, Brown has been honestly candid about her recovery journey, even sharing a video of her actual fall on YouTube.

“We didn’t really want to show the accident–well, my dad didn’t. But even if you’re just walking you can fall,” Brown told The Guardian in 2020. “So I thought it was good to show that sometimes you fall. But I also wanted to show me getting up.”

Since then, Brown has only continued to inspire.

“My message would be what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” she said in her BBC Sport interview, jokingly added, “as cringey as it is.”

In addition to the Olympics, Brown competed in — and won — “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors in 2018.” The following year, she placed third at the World Skateboarding Championship and fifth at the X Games skateboarding event.

In July 2021, she won the X Games women’s skateboarding park gold medal.

Universal Pictures announced Thursday that it has landed the rights to a biopic based on the singer’s 2023 best-selling book, “The Woman in Me.” (NBC News and Universal are both part of Comcast.)

The film will be directed by Jon M. Chu, who is gearing up for the November release of his highly anticipated film “Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Marc Platt will produce, Universal said in its news release.

Spears posted on X that she’s “excited” to share with fans “a secret project” she’s been working on with Platt.

“He’s always made my favorite movies … stay tuned,” she wrote.

The news of the film was first reported by The Ankler. A source familiar with the deal told NBC News that Spears will be “involved” with the project but did not elaborate on whether she will have direction on creative.

Spears’ memoir, released in October 2023, recounted Spears’ rise to fame and her controversial 13-year conservatorship. She also wrote about her relationship and breakup with Justin Timberlake, writing that she had an abortion while dating him more than 20 years ago. 

The book sold 1.1 million copies in the U.S. alone through its first week, and has sold over 2.5 million copies in the U.S. to date, according to Universal.

“I went from partying a lot to being a total monk,” Spears writes in the memoir. “Security guards handed me prepackaged envelopes of meds and watched me take them. They put parental controls on my iPhone. Everything was scrutinized and controlled. Everything.”

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

• House Freedom Caucus member fends off primary challenger in Tennessee
• College student falls to his death at the Grand Canyon
• Black Muslim group endorses Harris after its ‘uncommitted’ stance on Biden

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Cameron Mathison is taking it day by day.

Hours after announcing that he and Vanessa Mathison were getting a divorce to end their 22-year marriage, the “General Hospital” star was seen out with esthetician Aubree Knight in Los Angeles July 31.

The two enjoyed a walk in the sunshine after grabbing lunch together at Sweetgreen eatery. Mathison kept it casual for the outing, sporting a black v-neck tee paired with white jeans and flip flops. Meanwhile, Kninght — who runs Aubree Knight beauty — was dressed for the warm weather in a black shirt and short set, complete with white sneakers.

E! News has reached out to reps for Mathison, but has not heard back yet.

Mathison, 54, and Vanessa, Mathison 57, shared the news of their split in a joint Instagram post, writing, “After 22 years of marriage, we have made the difficult decision to part ways.”

“We enter this new chapter with deep love, kindness, and respect for each other,” they continued. “We hold gratitude in our hearts for the wonderful years we shared together.”

The couple — who share son Lucas, 21, and daughter Leila, 18 — added, “Our children have been and will continue to be our highest priority, and we will forever share in our devotion and love for them.”

The former couple also noted that their breakup was amicable, writing, “We remain friends and both wish the best for one another. We sincerely appreciate your respect for our family’s privacy during this transition.”

The “All My Children” alum and the photographer first met in 1998, when they were working as models in New York City. They married three years later.

In recent weeks, Mathison got candid about his time on season five of “Dancing With The Stars” and why he didn’t want to be partnered with pro Edyta Sliwinska, citing marital issues with his wife at the time.

“I actually called Deena Katz, who at the time was casting director,” he told DWTS alum Cheryl Burke on the July 22 episode of her “Sex, Lies and Spray Tans podcast.” “I called her and I said, ‘Listen, I’m so happy you’ve offered me the show, I can’t wait I’m in. Just do me a favor, please put me with anybody but Edyta.”

As he explained, “I knew my wife and I, we were going through a little bit of a challenge at that time. And Edyta didn’t wear a lot of clothes.”

Despite his request, the actor was indeed paired with Sliwinska, with the duo making it to the final five during the 2007 season.

“She was a hero and she put up with me,” he recalled. “I was shooting six episodes of “All My Children “in three days in New York. So, they’d jam me out for when I was in New York and Sliwinska was there waiting for me, rehearsing between scenes.”

And looking back, the actor is thankful for the experience.

“It was a whirlwind in my life,” he added. “For me, it was super, super exciting. So wild that I was a part of it, so wild that I lasted as long as I did.”

The Olympic Committee isn’t the only one dishing out gold in Paris.

Team USA track and field athlete Veronica Fraley can compete a little easier after learning that Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian and rapper Flavor Flav helped pay for her rent.

“I compete in the Olympic Games tomorrow and can’t even pay my rent,” the discus thrower posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Aug. 1. “My school only sent about 75% of my rent while they pay football players (who haven’t won anything) enough to buy new cars and houses.”

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 1

Watch the best Olympics Day 6 highlights as US adds 7 medals

Gymnastics Aug 1

Will this be Simone Biles' last Olympics? One of her coaches sheds light on the possibility

news Aug 1

The top 11 colleges with the most American athletes in the 2024 Olympics

Flavor Flav — who has been a vocal supporter of women’s sports and has made a financial contribution to the U.S. women’s water polo team — wrote back, “I gotchu,,, DM me and I’ll send payment TODAY so you don’t have to worry bout it TOMORROW.”

Shortly after, Ohanian also offered to front the cost of Fraley’s rent, writing, “C’mon now! I’ll split it with @flavorfav.”

And within the hour, both had posted confirmation of payments to Fraley, with Ohanian sharing a screenshot showing that he wired the 24-year-old $7,760 — a nod to the name of his Seven Seven Six venture capital firm.

“Now go be great,” Ohanian wrote to Fraley, as Flavor Flav noted that the athlete’s rent is now “paid off for the year.”

The Public Enemy emcee went on to tell Fraley that he’ll also “try and come by and support you in person” at her meet.

He continued, “LMK what time.”

Watch women’s discus throw qualification on Friday at 12:55 p.m. ET

Fraley, who attends Vanderbilt University in Nashville, was moved by their generosity, writing that their contribution “makes every difference in the WORLD.”

“Thanks for the supporting messages,” she added to her followers. “I want to clarify my irritation isn’t with the school itself, mainly the rules that bar me from making the amount I’m WORTH as a collegiate athlete.”

And like Flavor Flav, Ohanian — who shares daughters Olympia, 6, and Adira, 12 months, with his Olympian wife Serena— is an avid supporter of women’s sports. In July 2020, he became the lead investor alongside Natalie Portman, America Ferrera, and Abby Wambach in Angel City FC, a National Women’s Soccer League team in Los Angeles.

“What was very obvious from the nature of women’s sports was that all they needed was a platform to really honor their greatness,” Ohanian told E! News at a March 2023 Angel City FC event. “Let me give my capital, my resources, my team’s expertise to help amazing women do great things.”

In an interview with TODAY.com, she defends her decision.

“My 7-year-old daughter begging me to buy her first pair of heels,” DeGeorge, 31, wrote on an Instagram reel. “I told her, let’s just wait a few more years. She wouldn’t let me take them off. And those tears broke my heart, but I just wasn’t ready for my baby girl to grow up. Even her brother was trying to convince me to let her get them.”

DeGeorge wrote, “So I cracked & let me tell you she SHINED in those heels.”

In the video, a dry-eyed and spunky Luna races out of the store wearing her new heels and walks down the street.

The mom explained her purchase in the video caption:

“We decided they are special occasion shoes … I kind of wish they had Chanels in her size to make the mad people like, really reallyyyyyy mad #sorrynotsorry.”

Some Instagram commenters claimed the shoes would “deform” the girl’s feet and that Luna looked too grown up:

• “Why stop there, next time give a glass of wine and a smoke.”
• “Learn to say no.”
• “7 year olds don’t need heels, I don’t care that she begged for them. Tell her to suck it up, she’s a kid and you’re her parent. Act like it.”
• “I was fine until I saw her swish walk. She’s SEVEN.”
• “Moral of the story: cry if you want something.”

People who liked the shoes differentiated between stilettos (long, thin and very high) and chunkier heels.

• “I had a pair of heels when I was little — it’s every little girl’s dream to be like their mama.”
• “Did no one in this comment section have dress-up heels as a kid?”
• “Why are people bugging out? It’s not like she’s wearing stilettos. I’ve been wearing those type of low block ‘heels’ since I was 6.”
• “The way her confidence was ACTIVATED once she got them is what life is all about.”

DeGeorge tells TODAY.com that the shoes, advertised as kids’ products on the Steve Madden website, were an impulse buy at a department store.

“It’s not like I went into the adult section and found a tiny size (for my daughter),” she says. “People made it into something that it wasn’t.”

When Luna wanted to try on the shoes in the children’s section, DeGeorge hesitated.

“I said, ‘Honey, heels could hurt your feet if you walk in them too long or be uncomfortable’ but she wanted to show me how well she could walk, and even jump, wearing them,” she says.

DeGeorge was nearly sold on Luna’s demonstration, but she checked in with her husband who determined the call was best made by mom.

DeGeorge agreed to buy the shoes.

“I say no to lots of things,” she explaines. “My daughter will say, ‘Mommy, my friends have TikTok’ and I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?! You guys are 7!”

DeGeorge says Luna is in a “Mommy and Me” phase due in part to watching her mom wear heeled shoes. “People say, ‘Let her be a child and don’t let her grow up too fast’ but this big-girl moment is part of her childhood,” says DeGeorge.

In the past few months, her mom says Luna wore the shoes to a restaurant and to church, without controversy.

“She’s not wearing them to the playground,” says DeGeorge.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• The bride loved her mom’s mother-of-the-bride dress. The internet did not
• 8 pregnancy announcement ideas for when you want to share the news
• Mother finds blood in Burger King meal after daughter takes bite thinking it’s ketchup

The event has been a significant success for the company broadcasting and streaming it in the United States. NBC has already set a record for advertising revenue, viewership is up significantly and its biggest fear — that people would tune out NBC’s prime-time telecast because they could watch events live during the day — hasn’t materialized.

“Clearly, the Olympics are back,” said Mark Lazarus, chairman of the NBC Universal Media Group, on Thursday. A strong performance by the U.S. team has helped, he said.

It’s a relief to NBC, after the Beijing Winter Games in 2022 and COVID-delayed Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021 were comparative duds. Through five days beginning with Friday’s opening ceremony, the company averaged 34 million people a day watching on NBC, cable networks and Peacock, up from 19 million over the same period in Tokyo.

The company said it has taken in more than $1.25 billion in advertising revenue, its best-ever for an Olympics, and still has more time to sell.

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 1

Simone Biles wins another gold medal in gymnastics all-around

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 1

It's a race, but they're walking? A guide to Olympic race walking

“It’s hard to paint it as anything but rosy,” said Andy Billings, a University of Alabama journalism professor and author of “Olympic Television: Inside the Biggest Show on Earth.”

The time difference — Paris is six hours ahead of the Eastern time zone — is ideal for people who want to watch events live during the day in the United States. NBC Sports President Rick Cordella said the network is heartened by the number of people watching during what is generally the workday back home; NBC is even happily taking credit for dwindled workplace productivity.

Live daytime coverage of the women’s gymnastics team final reached 12.7 million people on NBC and Peacock, the network said. Even though it started on a Sunday morning, the U.S. men’s basketball team had 11 million people watching its opening game against Serbia, more than the number of people who saw the gold medal game from Tokyo.

Prior to this year, NBC had generally resisted showing events live unless they took place in the evening hours in the U.S. It was a particular issue in London in 2016, when NBC restricted live events to streaming; Lazarus declined the chance to second-guess those decisions.

“Times have changed and I think we are showing forward-thinking and being progressive in our case in how to produce and exhibit the Games,” he said.

So far the network is pleased with its prime-time numbers, even if those telecasts mostly consist of reruns of events available live earlier. On Sunday, for example, Nielsen said 18.5 million people watched NBC’s prime-time telecast alone, out of 41.5 million who saw Olympics content all day on Peacock or any network.

“It doesn’t matter if they know the results,” said Molly Solomon, executive producer of the Olympics. “They want to know the stories of the athletes and how things played out.”

Even though they are reruns, the prime-time telecasts can be easier to watch because they cut out some of the dead time, Billings said. NBC said it didn’t have statistics yet on double-dippers — people who may have seen an event live then watched it again in prime-time.

NBC said the number of people streaming “Gold Zone” on Peacock — a whip-around feed that takes viewers to different high-profile events, modeled after pro football’s “Red Zone” show — has doubled since it premiered on Saturday.

2024 Paris Olympics Dec 13, 2023

2024 Paris Olympics: See dates, sports, how to watch and more

2024 Paris Olympics Dec 21, 2023

Here are the rules for the 2024 Olympics in Paris

2024 Paris Olympics Dec 20, 2023

Get to know Team USA Olympians ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics

If NBC Universal can keep a significant number of people who subscribed to Peacock for the Olympics from cancelling when the torch is snuffed out, that could make the difference between a success and a smash for the company, Billings said. So far, Peacock has avoided the technical glitches that plagued it in Tokyo.

The network is standing by its decision to make the Olympics more celebrity-focused, saying it creates a social media buzz that helps its telecasts. Cameras frequently catch movie and sports stars alike rooting on Olympic athletes from the stands.

“The only surprise so far is that a Kardashian hasn’t made it to one of the events yet,” wrote Greg Braxton of the Los Angeles Times. “But it’s still early.”

Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning’s performance during the opening ceremony illustrated how it’s a challenging job even for professional broadcasters. Solomon said roving correspondent Snoop Dogg’s reception from fans and athletes alike has been positive, so expect plenty more airtime from him.

“We’ve been pleasantly surprised by his popularity, but you never underestimate Snoop Dogg,” Solomon said. “He’s this wonderful mix of swagger and positivity.”

This NBC station’s parent NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the U.S. broadcast rights holder to all Summer and Winter Games through 2032.

Underwood, who rose to fame after she won the singing competition show in 2005, will return 20 years later as a judge for the upcoming season, set to premiere in spring 2025. She’s the first “American Idol” alum to become a judge.

In an emotional video announcing Underwood’s new hosting gig, she said “I’m proud of everything that I was able to accomplish on the show, and I’m so proud of everything that I’ve accomplished since.”

The country singer, who is the most decorated artist in CMT Music Awards’ history with 25 wins, made waves with her rendition of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” at her audition, and she quickly became a fan-favorite.

Underwood has also won eight Grammy Awards and consistently tops the charts with her albums and singles. She will be joining Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, who each have seven seasons of judging experience under their belts, for the franchise’s 23rd season.

“This upcoming season marks 20 years since Carrie won America’s hearts on ‘Idol’ and launched her successful multi-Grammy Award-winning career. As a former Idol and dynamic musical force, she brings a remarkably unique perspective to one of the most popular shows on television,” said Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, in a release from ABC. “This is a full-circle moment both for the show and audiences at home who have been tuning in for over two decades. Welcome home, Carrie.”

Longtime host Ryan Seacrest, who has been with the show since it premiered, will also return. Seacrest is also taking over Pat Sajak’s role as the host of “Wheel of Fortune” this fall.

Auditions for the new season will kick off Aug. 12 with the “Idol Across America” nationwide search for talent and will end in September. The season is set to premiere in the spring and will be available to watch on ABC and Hulu.

“American Idol” premiered in 2002 on Fox and was a hit for the network, but it was canceled in 2016. After two years off the air, the show was revived by ABC and has aired there for seven seasons. Perry was the first of the revival judges to leave the judges’ post.

A representative for Underwood did not immediately return requests for comment.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Cardi B isn’t hitting Offset’s line anymore.

The “Bodak Yellow” rapper has filed for divorce from her husband again after nearly seven years of marriage, her rep confirmed to E! News Aug. 1.

“This is not based on one particular incident,” her rep said in a statement, “it has been a long time coming.”

Hours after the filing, Cardi also revealed she is expecting her third baby.

“With every ending comes a new beginning!” she wrote on Instagram Aug. 1. “I am so grateful to have shared this season with you, you have brought me more love, more life and most of all renewed my power! Reminded me that I can have it all!”

E! News has reached out to Offset’s rep for comment but has not heard back.

The status change in their relationship comes seven months after the “WAP” rapper confirmed she and the Migos alum had separated again.

Earlier this year, she opened up about whether she would file to legally end their marriage altogether after all the ups and downs of their romance.

“I think it through,” Cardi, who wed Offset in 2017, told Rolling Stone in May. “We think it through, because we do love each other. It’s not even about love. We’re best friends. And it’s like, ‘OK. Well, there was a time that I didn’t have a best friend, or I didn’t have a support system.'”

As the 31-year-old explained, “It’s not even about ‘How do you leave a partner?’ How do you stop talking to your best friend?”

And aside from having a close bond, Cardi explained that they lean on each other in every realm.

“The part I love is that we really like each other, like a support system,” she shared. “We’re really both each other’s cheerleader. I don’t really like talking to people. I’m not as social. If I want something from somebody, he’ll be the one that will talk. Because I don’t like asking.”

Cardi and Offset—who are parents to Kulture, 5, and Wave, 2—have had an on-again, off-again relationship over the years with their most recent split happening last year. In fact, last December, the “Up” rapper took to Instagram Live to admit she’d be single “for a minute.”

However, the two have reunited over the past few months, most recently attending a Met Gala after-party together. Not to mention, Cardi has also spoken out about the more intimate aspects of their relationship, revealing earlier this year that they had sex on New Year’s Eve and later clarifying that they are still legally married.

And their relationship hasn’t been without its fair share of press, of course. In fact, while the couple has moved past Offset’s alleged cheating in the past, Cardi has admitted her career and kids has come before all else, especially at this point in her life.

“We have our own bad stuff,” she told the publication of their challenges, “We’re from two different worlds. Sometimes I cannot be … not that I cannot be a wife. It’s just like, my career takes my life. You know what I’m saying? My career comes first, then my kids come second.”

She added, “And then sometimes I don’t realize that I’m putting so many things before my relationship.”  

You have the green light to schedule your Squid Game watch parties.

Six months after confirming a follow-up to the hit Netflix series would be arriving later this year, season two’s official premiere date has been revealed. The second installment is officially set to hit TV screens on Dec. 26, according to a July 31 press release from Netflix.

And that’s not the only date the streaming platform offered up. Netflix also shared that there would be a third and final season arriving in 2025.

As for where the show will pick back up come December? The story starts three years after the violent game’s conclusion, with winner Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) still “determined to find the people behind the game and put an end to their vicious sport.”

“Using this fortune to fund his search, Gi-hun starts with the most obvious of places: look for the man in a sharp suit playing ddakji in the subway,” the release continued. “But when his efforts finally yield results, the path toward taking down the organization proves to be deadlier than he imagined: to end the game, he needs to re-enter it.”

And fans got a sneak peak at the new version of the game as well, with Netflix sharing a teaser showing the Masked Men inviting Player 456 to participate again while other competitors raced on a track in front of them. In the distance, spectators appeared to watch the challenge go down from the stands.

However, to find out whether Gi-hun succeeds in his plot for revenge, viewers will have to wait for the arrival of the series, which will also see Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo reprising their respective roles as Front Man, detective Hwang Jun Ho and The Salesman.

One thing’s for certain: The mission won’t be easy. As creator Hwang Dong-hyuk — who also wrote, directed and produced the second season — warned in the release, “Front Man doesn’t seem to be an easy opponent this time either.”

“The fierce clash between their two worlds will continue into the series finale with Season 3, which will be brought to you next year,” he added. “I am thrilled to see the seed that was planted in a creating a new Squid Game grow and bear fruit through the end of this story.”

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

After Biles posted a picture on Instagram of her and her 2024 teammates after winning a gold medal in the women’s gymnastics team event at the Paris Olympics with the caption, “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions,” the five-time gold medalist posted to X Wednesday and said “oop I’ve been blocked,” followed by several emojis.

Biles’ teammate Jordan Chiles seemingly confirmed it was Skinner Biles was referring to on one of her Instagram stories, according to NBC News.

The feud between this year’s Team USA women’s gymnastics team and Skinner, who competed with the team in Tokyo, began earlier this year when Skinner reportedly said of Team USA, in a since deleted video, that “besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be” and “the girls just don’t have the work ethic.”

2024 Paris Olympics Jul 31

When is Katie Ledecky's next race? What to know as she chases more gold at 2024 Olympics

2024 Paris Olympics Jul 31

France vs. Argentina 2024 Olympics preview, how to watch, more

Skinner apologized for her comments shortly after they went public, but it did not stop her former teammates from taking notice.

Biles’ Instagram post went viral, and received backing by her teammates and several other prominent Olympians.

Sunisa Lee posted “put a finger down if simone biles just ended you” and Jordan Chiles wrote “and that’s on periodt!!”

The Olympic ski medalist Lindsey Vonn commented “let the haters hate while you [redacted] go get medals” and two-time Olympic figure skating medalist Michelle Kwan wrote “Four letter word for all the haters – G.O.A.T.”

As for Skinner, before seemingly blocking Biles, she did post a picture of Biles and her teammates to her Instagram Story with three heart emojis. 

Biles will compete for her next gold medal in the women’s all-around final on Thursday (SCHEDULE).

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The mom and wife of John Legend responded to online comments, writing, “I was, and am, so blown away by the kindness of this community, already.”

She went on to describe her son’s diagnosis.

“A couple weeks ago, our Miles was sick, in the hospital, with a terrible case of shigella, an intestinal infection caused by bacteria in food or water,” she wrote. “But the doctors knew something else was off with his blood tests. I’ve learned since then that this is how so many young children end up being diagnosed with Type 1 — going to the hospital for something completely different.”

She went on to say that they had just given Miles his first shot the night before and read him a book about a 4-year-old with diabetes, titled, “Year One With Type One.”

She included an image from the book in her post. In it, a father is telling his child, “Son, it’s so brave how you handle the pain. You take all these shots and you hardly complain. The two of us wish there was more we could do. We’d take 50 shots each to spare your next two.”

In 2020, Teigen had various pregnancy complications caused by a partial placenta abruption. After uncontrolled bleeding and bed rest for a month, she eventually had to deliver at 20 weeks and lost their son, Jack.

After they lost Jack, the couple added two more babies to their family: Esti and Wren joined older siblings Miles and Luna.

Acknowledging that her son’s health could be “so much worse,” Teigen wrote that the family is “so blessed to have so much help, and a wonderful, kind, huge-hearted specialist.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• What’s going on between Simone Biles and former teammate MyKayla Skinner?
• A baker made a custom cake on TikTok Live. The client was watching and called to correct her
• ‘We just want to be married’: Some disabled people can’t get married and keep needed benefits

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

This Olympian’s time in Paris has come to an early end.

Brazilian swimmer Ana Carolina Vieira, 22, was sent home from the 2024 Paris Olympics after being caught leaving the Olympic Village with another teammate, Gabriel Santos, following the Opening Ceremony July 26.

“Swimmers Ana Carolina Vieira and Gabriel Santos committed acts of indiscipline,” a July 28 press release from the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) read. “The COB decided to punish the two athletes for having left the Olympic Village without authorization during the night of last Friday.”

After being reprimanded, Vieira reacted to the “technical decision” made by the committee in a “disrespectful and aggressive” manner, according to the COB. Consequently, she was sent home.

“Gabriel Santos was punished with a warning and athlete Ana Carolina Vieira, with the penalty of dismissal from the delegation,” the press release concludes. “She will return to Brazil immediately.”

Prior to her dismissal, Vieira had competed the 4x100m freestyle relay along with teammates Giovana Medeiros, Maria Paula Heitmann and Stephanie Balduccini on July 27. The team placed seventh in their heat and 12th overall, with Australia, the United States and China taking the gold, silver and bronze medals for the event.

The head of Brazil’s swimming team Gustavo Otsuka later emphasized that Vieira’s reaction to the relay lineup played a part in her getting sent home.

“We’re not here playing or taking a vacation,” Gustavo explained to Reuters. “We’re here working for Brazil, for the 200 million taxpayers who are working for us. She took a completely inappropriate position to make her point, her dismay, about the formation of the relay.”

For her part, Vieira — who also represented Brazil in Tokyo 2020 — had shared a heartfelt statement on social media.

“The stadium was beautiful, the vibe in the stands was contagious,” she wrote in a July 27 Instagram post in Portuguese. “There is a lot of emotion involved, years of work. I had a lot of dedication and focus on my career. Representing Brazil is an immense and very rewarding responsibility.”

The “SNL” star, who is covering Olympics surfing for NBC in Tahiti, shared a photo of his left foot with three bandaged toes.

“You know it’s going great when you’ve been to the Olympic medical tent more than any of the athletes,” he wrote in the caption.

Jost, 42, revealed a few days ago that he injured his foot on some coral not long after touching down in Tahiti, sharing a photo of his raw, red toes on Instagram.

“This might ruin my WikiFeet score but I just arrived in Tahiti for the surfing Olympics and the reef was excited to greet me,” he wrote in the caption.

Jost, who’s an avid surfer, injured his toes while attempting to catch a few waves of his own, he shared in an interview over the weekend with NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico.

“I did pretty well until the first wave and then I ended up standing on the coral reef,” he said. “Much like the coral reef safety expert, but without coral shoes on. So I got a little scraped up.”

Local medical staff are still closely monitoring his injury, the comedian said in another recent interview with NBC Olympics Late Night host Maria Taylor.

“They started saying, ‘We need to see you every day.’ At first I was like, ‘Oh my God, guys, I like you too!’” Jost said. “And they were like, ‘No, it’s because the infection hasn’t improved.’”

Jost revealed another detail about his condition in a joke later in the interview: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To peck at the staph infection in my foot.”

A staph infection is a general term for an infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus, a type of bacteria that can live on the skin. 

Staph infections of the skin can occur when Staphylococcus bacteria enter the body through a cut, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Staph infections are often treated with topical or oral antibiotics. Left untreated, a staph infection can be serious or fatal.

Jost hasn’t shared what type of coral was involved in his injury, but in general, cuts and scrapes from coral may lead to inflammation or infection and “may take weeks or even months to heal” according to Divers Alert Network, a global dive safety organization.

Before heading to the Olympics, Jost joked about injuring himself in the coral reef.

“I’m honored to get to watch the best surfers in the world compete on one of the heaviest waves imaginable, and to help showcase the rich history of surfing in Tahiti,” he said in a news release in June. “And my Writers Guild Health Insurance is excited to see what the coral reef does to my back.”

Jost has been covering Olympic surfing in the coastal village of Teahupo’o in Tahiti, which is part of French Polynesia.

The surfing competition kicked off on July 27 with both men’s and women’s rounds, but was postponed Tuesday due to surfing conditions.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Olympic athletes swim in Seine after bacteria levels drop in Paris river
• What Olympics events to watch July 31, including the women’s 1500m freestyle swim
• Simone Biles reveals real US women’s gymnastics team nickname after joking about NSFW one

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The U.S. women’s gymnastics team took home gold July 30 after a lineup of impressive performances. Amid the excitement, NBC’s broadcast caught Lee and Biles planning the TikTok videos they could create using their new hardware.

Each called dibs on which one they wanted to do, then clapped with excitement at their plan. “I want to do the chomping one,” Biles said. Lee replied with a smile, “OK, I want to do the one that says, ‘Imagine if we didn’t win.”

Hours later, Lee posted a selfie video on TikTok featuring herself and her teammates — Biles, Jordan Chiles, and Hezly Rivera —wearing their goals medals.

At the start of the TikTok, Lee and Chiles begin mouthing a trending voiceover of Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, saying, “Everybody want to know what I would do if I didn’t win.”

The clip then flashes to include Biles and Rivera, who joined the two gymnasts in finishing the voiceover showing off their awards, saying, “I guess we’ll never know!”

Olympic fans who remembered the moment Lee and Biles shared on the floor wrote, in the comments, that they were awaiting the collaboration to drop.

“Been waiting for this tiktok after hearing suni tell simone she wanted to make it,” one person wrote.

Another commented, “I was wondering which audios you and Simone were talking about and I was hoping it was this one,” with the crying-laughing emoji.

“Did anyone else hear her and Simone plan the TikTok’s they wanted to do on the live coverage? lol I was waiting for this post!! CONGRATULATIONS,” another wrote, adding the American flag and gold medal emoji.

Biles posted her own pre-planned TikTok video as well. The 27-year-old, who just became the most decorated American Olympic gymnast, shared a video of herself, Lee, Chiles and Rivera jokingly gnawing on their medals while a chewing sound played.

“TASTE GOLDEN,” she captioned the clip with the American flag and red and blue heart emoji.

In the comments, fan expressed similar remarks to Lee’s video, excited that they caught the anticipated post.

“Thank you Suni for the heads up on this one,” one person commented. “I was ready and waitingggggg.”

Even TikTok commented, writing, “turned on post notifs the second I heard the plans. congratsss girls.”

Biles, Lee, Chiles, Carey and Hezly Rivera came in first in the team final, bringing the heat on the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor. 

Team USA finished the day of competition with a final score of 171.296. Meanwhile, Italy took silver and Brazil came in third. 

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Family members of US gymnastics stars on TODAY: ‘Biggest pride and joy’
• US Olympic swimmer Nic Fink says gold was ‘fingernail away’ after photo finish in breaststroke
• Torri Huske asks Gretchen Walsh to join her atop the podium in a sweet moment after winning gold

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.