Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night television show has been taken off air “indefinitely” after the host was criticised for comments about the motives behind the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, ABC said.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson told AFP, using a television industry term for when a show is replaced or removed from the schedule.
Kirk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was shot dead last week during a speaking event on a Utah university campus.
Authorities said 22-year-old Tyler Robinson used a rifle to shoot Kirk with a single bullet to the neck from a rooftop. He was arrested and has been formally charged with his murder.
On Monday, Kimmel spoke about the shooting in his popular late-night show’s monologue.
“We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it,” said Kimmel.
“MAGA” refers to the president’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
The White House this week said it would be pursuing an alleged left-wing “domestic terror movement” in the wake of Kirk’s killing, prompting alarm that such a campaign could be used to silence political dissent. (France24)
Robert Redford, the dashing actor and Oscar-winning director who eschewed his status as a Hollywood leading man to champion causes close to his heart, has died, according to his publicist Cindi Berger, Chairman and CEO of Rogers and Cowan PMK.
He was 89.
“Robert Redford passed away on September 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah–the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly,” Berger said in a statement to CNN. “The family requests privacy.”
Known for his starring roles in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men,” Redford also directed award-winning films such as “Ordinary People” and “A River Runs Through It.”
His passion for the art of filmmaking led to his creation of the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit that supports independent film and theater and is known for its annual Sundance Film Festival.
Redford was also a dedicated environmentalist, moving to Utah in 1961 and leading efforts to preserve the natural landscape of the state and the American West.
Redford acted well into his later years, reuniting with Jane Fonda in the 2017 Netflix film “Our Souls at Night.” The following year, he starred in “The Old Man & the Gun” at age 82, a film he said would be his last – although he said he would not consider retiring.
“To me, retirement means stopping something or quitting something,” he told CBS Sunday Morning in 2018. “There’s this life to lead, why not live it as much as you can as long as you can?”
In October 2020, Redford voiced his concern about the lack of focus on climate change in the midst of devastating wildfires in the western United States, in an opinion piece he wrote for CNN.
That same month, Redford’s 58-year-old son died from cancer.
David James Redford – the third of four children born to Robert Redford and former wife Lola Van Wagenen – had followed in his father’s footsteps as an activist, filmmaker and philanthropist.
Born in Santa Monica, California, near Los Angeles, in 1936, Redford’s father worked long hours as a milkman and an accountant, later moving the family to a larger home in nearby Van Nuys.
“I didn’t see him much,” Redford recalled of his father, on “Inside the Actor’s Studio” in 2005.
Because his family couldn’t afford a babysitter, Redford spent hours in the children’s section at the local library where he became fascinated with books on Greek and Roman mythology.
Yet Redford was hardly a model student.
“I had no patience … I was not inspired,” Redford recalled. “It was more interesting to me to mess around and to adventure beyond the parameters that I was growing up in.”
Drawn to arts and sports – and a life outside of sprawling Los Angeles – Redford earned a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1955. That same year, his mother died.
“She was very young, she wasn’t even 40,” he said.
Redford said his mother was “always very supportive (of my career)” — more so than his dad.
“My father came of age during the Depression and he was afraid to take chances … so he wanted the straight and narrow path for me, which I was just not meant to be on,” he said. “My mother, no matter what I did, she was always forgiving and supportive and felt that I could do anything.
“When I left and went to Colorado and she died, I realized I never had a chance to thank her.”
Redford soon turned to drinking, lost his scholarship and eventually was asked to leave the university. He worked as a “roustabout” for the Standard Oil Company and saved his earnings to continue his art studies in Europe.
“(I) lived hand to mouth, but that was fine,” Redford said of his time in Europe. “I wanted that adventure. I wanted the experience of seeing what other cultures were like.”
Shy and closed off, Redford said he didn’t fit in with the other drama students who were eager to show off their acting skills. After a performance in front of his class with a fellow student that ended in frustration and disaster, Redford said his teacher pulled him aside and encouraged him to stick with acting.
In 1959, Redford graduated from the academy and got his first acting role on an episode of “Perry Mason.” His acting career was “uphill from there,” he said.
His big acting break came in 1963, when he starred in Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” on Broadway – a role he would later reprise on the big screen with Jane Fonda.
Around this time, Redford married Lola Van Wagenen and started a family. His first child, Scott, died from sudden infant death syndrome just a few months after his birth in 1959. Shauna was born in 1960, David in 1962, and Amy in 1970.
As his acting career was taking off, Redford and his family moved to Utah in 1961 where he bought two acres of land for just $500 and built a cabin himself.
“I discovered how important nature was in my life, and I wanted to be where nature was extreme and where I thought it could maybe be everlasting,” he told CNN.
Redford made a name for himself as a leading man in 1969 when he starred opposite Paul Newman – already a major star – in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” The Western about a pair of outlaws won four Academy Awards.
Redford said he “will forever be indebted” to Newman, whom he credited with helping him get the role. The two actors had great on-screen chemistry, became lifelong friends and reunited in “The Sting” in 1973, which won the Academy Award for best picture.
Redford starred in a string of hit movies throughout the 1970s: “Jeremiah Johnson”; “The Way We Were,” co-starring Barbra Streisand; “The Great Gatsby”; and with Dustin Hoffman in 1976’s “All The President’s Men,” about the Watergate scandal.
Teaming up with director Sydney Pollack on “Jeremiah Johnson,” Redford fought with the studio to get the film made the way he wanted – a precursor to his career as a director and his support for independent filmmaking.
“It was a battle from the get-go,” Redford told “Inside The Actor’s Studio.” “They (the studio) said … ‘You’ve got $4 million, put it in the bank in Salt Lake City, you can shoot wherever you want, but that’s it. If it goes over, it comes out of your hide.’”
With spare dialogue and stunning scenery, the film tells the story of a Mexican War veteran who has left the battlefield to survive as a trapper in the American West.
It was released more than three years after it was made because, according to Redford, the studio’s sales chief thought the film was “so unusual” that it wouldn’t find an audience.
“Jeremiah Johnson” ended up grossing nearly $45 million. It wasn’t the only time Redford’s passion for the art of filmmaking put him at odds with the studios that funded his work.
“The sad thing you have to work against, as a filmmaker, is held opinions about what works or doesn’t work,” Redford said. “Sports movies don’t work, political movies don’t work, movies about the press don’t work – so I’ve done three of them.”
Redford made his directing debut in 1980 with “Ordinary People,” a drama about an unhappy suburban family which earned the Academy Award for Best Picture and another one for him as best director. He continued starring in hit films such as “The Natural” in 1984, which tapped into his passion for baseball, and 1993’s “An Indecent Proposal,” which paired him with a much younger Demi Moore.
“I didn’t see myself the way others saw me and I was feeling kind of trapped because I couldn’t go outside the box of … good-looking leading man,” he said. “It was very flattering, but it was feeling restrictive … so it took many years to break loose of that.”
Redford and Van Wagenen divorced in 1985. He married artist Sibylle Szaggars Redford in 2009.
Redford’s passion for the environment and independent filmmaking merged when he founded the Sundance Institute in 1981. The nonprofit supports “risk-taking and new voices in American film” as well as theater, and Redford’s Sundance resort in a canyon above Provo, Utah, hosts annual workshops for playwrights and screenwriters.
Each year Redford’s institute holds the Sundance Film Festival in Utah – the largest annual showcase in the United States for independent film. Many young filmmakers got their big breaks at Sundance, including Steven Soderbergh with “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” in 1989, Quentin Tarantino with “Reservoir Dogs” in 1992 and Ryan Coogler with 2013’s “Fruitvale Station.”
Redford’s lifelong impact on the film industry was recognized in 2002 with an honorary Oscar.
In his later years, Redford never lost his passion for storytelling through film and remained an outspoken champion of environmental causes. He frequently demurred when asked about retiring.
“I want to make the most of what I’ve been given,” Redford told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in 2015. “You keep pushing yourself forward, you try new things and that’s invigorating.”
Redford is survived by his wife, daughters Shauna Redford Schlosser and Amy Redford, along with seven grandchildren. (CNN)
Fans of everyone’s favorite blue heeler dog may just be a little more excited this afternoon as the Bluey movie unveils a release date.
The film version of the hit animation will launch August 6 2027, according to a Disney post on X in the past hour. “Hooray! The all-new feature length Bluey movie is coming only to cinemas on August 6, 2027!,” read the post.
The Bluey movie will no doubt be one of the biggest animated releases of 2027. It had long been teased and was confirmed late last year under a deal struck by Disney and BBC Studios. Disney has global theatrical and streaming rights. The Australian series chronicles the life of blue heeler dog, Bluey, and her family: Mom Chilli, Dad Bandit, and sister Bingo.
The film features returning voice talent Melanie Zanetti and David McCormack as Mum (Chilli) and Dad (Bandit). The show has captured the world’s imagination with its charming, funny, and relatable observations about everyday family life.
BBC Studios is financing and licensing the picture with theatrical distribution through Walt Disney Studios. The film is being supported by the Australian government through the Producer Offset and Screen Australia, and support from the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland’s Post, Digital and Visual Effects Incentive.
Written and directed by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, the film is a Ludo Studio production. Brumm recently announced that he was stepping away from the TV series to make the film although the TV series will continue without him. A video game was also announced by Nex Playground this morning.
“I’ve always thought Bluey deserved a theatrical movie. I want this to be an experiential event for the whole family to enjoy together,” Brumm said last December.
The movie is produced by Ludo Studio in collaboration with BBC Studios, the CG-animated feature is produced by Amber Naismith (Happy Feet) and co-directed by Richard Jeffery (Bluey, Series 1–3). Brumm is the executive producer, alongside Justine Flynn for BBC Studios, with Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson from Ludo Studio. For Disney, the film will be overseen by David Greenbaum, president of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios, and his team. (Deadline)
Temi Otedola, actress and daughter of billionaire Femi Otedola, has set social media abuzz after officially changing her surname to “Ajibade” on Instagram, following her marriage to Nigerian singer Mr Eazi (Oluwatosin Ajibade).
The couple, who tied the knot in a series of lavish weddings across Monaco, Dubai, and Iceland in 2025, showcased a blend of Nigerian tradition and global flair.
From the Yoruba wedding at her family’s Dubai residence to the intimate church ceremony in Iceland, their union was a celebration of heritage, family, and love, capped by Temi’s public adoption of her husband’s name.
This move, however, has reignited an old debate in Nigerian feminist circles, whether a woman should take her husband’s surname or keep her maiden name.
Back in August, feminist commentator Rachelle (@omo_kosoko) caused waves on X when she declared:
“To every girl who is considering getting married, you CAN absolutely keep your name after marriage, and I think you should. Four years married now, I have relocated, had a baby, held a joint account, travelled solo with my child and not one issue. Don’t let anyone lie to you.”
Her statement drew mixed reactions. Barça Principal (@BarcaPrincipal) challenged the sentiment, asking,
“If you were married into the family of a Dangote, Adenuga, Otedola, Adeleke, or so, would you prefer to still keep your father’s name as surname? Note: I’m not against keeping your surname, I just want to establish something with the question.”
Others offered a more neutral stance, with @innershift05 stressing, “A name doesn’t hold a marriage together, character, loyalty, and shared vision do. Keep your name or change it, what matters is building a union that can’t be broken.”
This exchange sparked a nationwide discourse on identity, culture, and the expectations placed on married women, a conversation that has now resurfaced with Temi Otedola’s decision.
During an emotional moment at the wedding, Femi Otedola, known for his business empire and larger-than-life presence, offered a piece of advice to his daughter, “You have to succumb to your husband; he’s your boss. Temi, I wish you all the best in your future endeavours. You found a great guy. Very great guy. Blessed guy. He comes from a very decent family.”
His words, seen by some as traditional and by others as affectionate guidance, added more fuel to the ongoing cultural debate.
On X, the reactions came from all angles.
Some, like @_joelad, believed the entire uproar was unnecessary and rooted in overzealous feminism, stating that feminists were “doing too much” and that choice was what truly mattered, “If una neva mention feminists, your day never soft. Feminists are fighting for the right to choose. If she chose to take it, good for her. If she chose to keep ‘Otedola’, e still good. Any feminist who’s wailing is doing too much.”
Others praised the decision as a symbol of femininity and commitment.
@Mr_DaveChigozie applauded Temi’s move, calling it the kind of gesture men should expect in marriage, “Congratulations to her, that’s how feminine women move. They embrace their husband fully. As a man make sure you marry a woman that will embrace your surname fully.”
Some were more nuanced, like @WEB3_JUNKID, who recognised the traditional undertone but emphasised individual freedom, “Choosing to be submissive is nice, but everybody is entitled to their choices.”
Meanwhile, @NihinlolaOlowe brought a historical and cultural perspective, reminding followers that surname changes after marriage are not a traditional African norm but a colonial influence:, “Changing surname after marriage is Western culture, not African. In Nigeria, it’s not compulsory by law. Temi Otedola chose to change hers; that’s her decision. Respect women’s choices, don’t insult them.”
On Instagram, the discourse became a mix of humour, class commentary, and cultural expectation.
King_Otega mocked the debate by hinting that only “poor man’s daughters” insist on keeping their maiden names, “Poor man daughter go say she must keep her papa name o.”
Similarly, Makanakiiil took a jab at critics, suggesting their resistance was rooted in envy or lack of legacy, “As she should!!! All of you poor masses saying you wouldn’t drop your father’s name, why not live and kpai with your father Many of una no even dey proud of una papa name cos the man no get money.”
Some, however, struck a more neutral tone. Chubbitee simply defended personal choice, “That’s a choice she chose. Let others make their choices too.”
And for lucas_ugoh, the act symbolised devotion: “When a woman genuinely loves a man she respects and honours him .”
On Facebook, reactions mirrored the same class and cultural lines.
David Amto argued that the wealthy rarely complicate these matters, unlike those still struggling financially, “People with real wealth don’t make things hard on themselves, but you see poor man pikin with 1.2m net worth, them no dey rest.”
Divine Arthur proposed a middle path, suggesting Temi could have kept both names to honour both families, “If na me be her I for keep the two names oo, both her father’s own and her husband’s own.”
However, Esther Ndyip Tabat firmly reminded critics of tradition, “She didn’t end up with her father, please. Because even if she still carries her father’s name, her children must and will bear her husband’s name, Ajibade.”
Temi’s choice reflects a reality many Nigerian women face, navigating tradition, personal identity, and societal expectations.
Should a woman take her husband’s surname? Does keeping your maiden name signal independence or disrespect? Does changing it mean submission or unity?
At its core, this debate isn’t about Temi Otedola alone; it’s about choice, culture, and the evolving meaning of marriage.
Whether a name holds the power to define a woman’s place in her home or not remains a deeply personal decision, one that, as this saga shows, the public will always have an opinion on. (Punch)
Actress Wumi Toriola has been hospitalised following intense online criticism for her response to actor Afeez Owo’s comments about her movie character.
Wumi, via her Instagram page, shared a photo from her hospital bed, stating, “Internet dragging and ICU are siblings”.
In a subsequent post, Wumi expressed regret and promised to “do better next time,” asking her fans for well wishes for a quick recovery.
The incident began when Afeez Owo discussed Wumi’s acting style, sparking a heated exchange online.
Wumi’s fans have flooded her page with messages of encouragement and goodwill, wishing her a speedy recovery. (Nation)
American YouTuber and media personality James Stephen Donaldson popularly known as Mr. Beast has offered to acquire a Nigerian artwork’s sketch of him.
Mr. Beast announced this on X.
He had earlier posted an AI generated picture on X sent to him by his partner hinting that she wanted something in exchange.
“My fiancé sent me this AI generated image of us with two kids. I can’t quite pit my finger on it, but something tells me she wants something,” he wrote.
The Nigerian artist Ifure Usen, then took the picture and sketched a drawing on it, posted it on X, and tagged Mr. Beast, “I did it guys!!! @MrBeast.”
In response, Mr. Beast wrote: “Love it, I’ll shoot you a dm. Would love to put this on my wall!” (Nation)
Veteran Nollywood actress, Peju Ogunmola, has lost her son, Ayomikun Oluwanisola.
The news of his death surfaced on Tuesday, with tributes pouring in from industry colleagues and fans.
Announcing his demise in an Instagram post on Tuesday, actress, Biola Adebayo, described the loss as devastating.
“This is a big loss. This is devastating and heartbreaking. This is tragic. May God almighty comfort Mummy Peju Ogunmola who just lost her only child.
“May God Almighty be with the family and loved ones at this tough time,” she wrote.
Actor, Odunlade Adekola, also mourned in an Instagram post saying, “This is a big loss. God will console you ma …… and the whole family. E le yi po oo.”
Sharing his pain, Kunle Afod commented, “Hmmmm. My heart has been very heavy.”
Actor, Femi Adebayo, also described the loss as one too heavy for words, stating, “Life has written a line too heavy for the stage… Today, we mourn with our dear elder, a thespian whose heart now carries the weight no mother should bear.
“My thoughts and prayers are with you ma. May Almighty Allah grant him Aljannah Firdaus.”
Also reacting, actor, Ibrahim Yekini, poluparly known as Itele D Icon prayed for divine comfort for the bereaved actress, writing, “A mother’s pain in losing her child is beyond words. Olorun ma fi ina omo jo gbogbo abiamo.”
“Subuhanalah This is pain! My heart goes to the entire family in this dark hour. May the Almighty strengthen you during this tough time ma,” actor, Adedimeji Lateef, wrote on Instagram.
Actor, Muyiwa Ademola, also wrote, “This is sad! It is such a sad news!! It broke the heart. No accurate words of condolences. The words are not coming. Not even sure if this is right or wrong. Just felt I should do something.
“The only one to console you is God! May the Almighty be with you, Aunty. This is too much to shoulder, too much to bear. It is well.”
Ogunmola is the wife of the veteran actor Sunday Omobolanle also called Papi Luwe or Aluwe, and has featured in numerous Yoruba films spanning decades.
The news of her son’s death comes just weeks before his birthday on October 12. (Punch)
A film project centered around NBA superstar Kobe Bryant’s journey to the Los Angeles Lakers has landed at Warner Bros., The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Alex Sohn and Gavin Johannsen penned the spec screenplay for With the 8th Pick, which follows the high-stakes process that led to Bryant getting drafted into the NBA in 1996. The project was generating high interest from other studios and streamers before Warners stepped in preemptively to nab it. A director has not yet been attached.
With the 8th Pick is said to focus on the New Jersey Nets and then-general manager John Nash, who held the eighth pick in the draft and considered taking Bryant out of high school. The future Hall of Famer ended up being taken by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick before he was traded to the Lakers, where he would win five NBA championships and become an icon of the city.
The project is described as having elements of Moneyball (which starred Brad Pitt), The Social Network and Air, Ben Affleck’s Matt Damon-starring pic that tracked the beginning of Michael Jordan’s now-legendary partnership with Nike. With the 8th Pick is said to detail the pivotal process during which slightly different decisions could have changed the NBA’s future.
Producers include Tim and Trevor White for Star Thrower Entertainment and Ryan Stowell for Religion of Sports. Also producing is Gotham Chopra, who co-founded Religion of Sports with Tom Brady and Michael Strahan.
Bryant was part of the legendary Lakers teams that included center Shaquille O’Neal and coach Phil Jackson. Bryant died in a helicopter crash in 2020 at age 41, as did 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
Sohn is also writing Netflix’s planned John Madden project that hails from Religion of Sports. He is represented by Verve and Lit Agency. Johannensen is repped by Verve and Gotham.
The InSneider was first to report on the film. (THR)
KPop Demon Hunters has climbed “up, up, up” Netflix’s charts to become its most viewed movie ever, the streaming platform says.
Since its release in June, the animated musical has been watched more than 236 million times, overtaking the action comedy Red Notice to take the top spot.
It is the latest in a series of chart-topping achievements by the film, which has become a surprise global hit.
Songs from the movie have also been some of the most streamed online on Spotify, while the track Golden hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this month.
Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, Kpop Demon Hunters follows the adventures of fictional K-pop girl band Huntr/x as its three members use their music and fighting skills to protect humans from demons.
It was launched in June with a relatively low-key premiere at Netflix’s Tudum theatre in Los Angeles.
But over the summer the film gained momentum through word of mouth, boosted by viral videos and memes on social media.
Many have praised it for its eye-catching animation and its depiction of both traditional and modern Korean culture.
But the biggest attraction for many has been the movie’s catchy K-pop songs. Some of the soundtrack’s producers and songwriters are K-pop industry veterans who have worked with groups such as BTS and Twice.
Maggie Kang, the Korean-Canadian co-director of the film, previously said that they had wanted the film’s music to be “really incredible and really speak to the K-pop fans and be legitimately fit into the K-pop space”.
Capitalising on the songs’ popularity, Netflix released a sing-along version of Kpop Demon Hunters in cinemas in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand last weekend.
This netted Netflix its first number one film at the US box office. It has since released the sing-along version worldwide on its platform.
Many songs on the soundtrack have entered the top 10 of Spotify’s global chart, with Golden currently still at number one.
That track, along with Your Idol by Saja Boys, the arch enemies of Huntr/x in the film, have at different times topped the US Spotify chart.
This has made Huntr/x and Saja Boys the highest charting female and male K-pop groups in US Spotify history – surpassing real-life K-pop juggernauts BTS and Blackpink.
The Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack has also become the first to have four simultaneous Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Talks about a film sequel are reportedly in the early stages. (BBC)
A US judge who amassed a huge online fan base via clips of his compassion in the courtroom has died.
Frank Caprio was on the bench at a court in Providence, Rhode Island, for almost four decades.
He became affectionately known as the “nicest judge in the world”, NBC Boston reported, after viral videos of him handing out justice with a smile were viewed more than a billion times on social media.
The latter years of his career, which ended in 2023, were documented in the TV show Caught In Providence.
A statement on Wednesday on his Instagram page, which had 3.2 million followers, said he had died aged 88 “after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer”.
It said he was “beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people”.
He had posted a message from his hospital bed the day before, saying: “Unfortunately I’ve had a setback, I’m back in the hospital now, and I’m coming to you again asking you to remember me in your prayers once more.”
Caprio’s persona was at odds with fellow TV judges, who were less sympathetic and more confrontational.
In one popular clip, he dismissed a traffic ticket handed to a bartender who skipped a red light, as they were only earning less than $4 (£2.97) an hour.
Another saw him listening sympathetically to a woman whose son had been killed, before dismissing her tickets and fines which had totalled $400 (£297).
Caprio also used his fame to speak out about inequality in the justice system.
“Almost 90% of low-income Americans are forced to battle civil issues like health care, unjust evictions, veterans benefits and, yes, even traffic violations, alone,” he said in one video.
After his death was announced, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee paid tribute to his “warmth and compassion”.
“He was more than a jurist – he was a symbol of empathy on the bench, showing us what is possible when justice is tempered with humanity,” he said. (SkyNews)
English