Author: rb809rb

  • ABC Station Owners and Advertisers Have Not Clamored to Fire Jimmy Kimmel This Time

    ABC Station Owners and Advertisers Have Not Clamored to Fire Jimmy Kimmel This Time

    Jimmy Kimmel Live! barely survived September 2025, when the outrage machine called for Kimmel’s head over a monologue joke he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder. The joke (an observation, really) was not about Kirk or his assassination, it was about MAGA Republicans scrambling to point their fingers at Democrat rhetoric as the motive behind the shooting.

    This time, following Kimmel’s viral “expectant widow’ joke toward first lady Melania Trump, such an uproar has not happened — not beyond social media, anyway. Or if it has, it has yet to be raised to Disney’s highest levels by the folks who matter most: station owners and advertisers.

    Last fall, FCC chair Brendan Carr amplified social media backlash to Kimmel’s quip on conservative pundit Benny Johnson’s podcast. Almost immediately, ABC station owners began calling Disney senior management with the same take(s).

    “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel had said during his monologue.

    In the moment, it was unclear which way suspected gunman Tyler Robinson leaned politically — both sides of the aisle were in hot potato mode to not claim him as sharing their ideologies. As it turns out, Robinson is a liberal, especially on the subject of trans rights. Kimmel’s supposition at the time was incorrect.

    The next wave of calls to Disney came from advertisers. Then major affiliate conglomerates Nexstar and Sinclair threatened to not carry Jimmy Kimmel Live! without an apology and a major donation to a conservative charity — they first went to the media and then to Disney.

    Representatives for Nexstar and Sinclair did not immediately respond to our requests for comment on the current situation.

    On September 17, 2025, less than two days after Kimmel’s controversial monologue, Dana Walden and Disney’s then-CEO Bob Iger made the joint decision to preempt ABC’s late night program. It was Walden who called Kimmel personally with the news. Kimmel was benched for a few nights and then returned to the airwaves, including those run by Nexstar and Sinclair. No apology was issued.

    Similar stuff (calls from MAGA Republicans for Kimmel to be fired) hit a similar fan (X, fka Twitter) yesterday, days after a Kimmel joke about the first lady “glowing” over the knowledge her husband isn’t long for this world. The joke was made on Thursday night, 48 hours before the White House Correspondents Dinner, in which suspected shooter Cole Allen attempted to breach the gala’s awards show, gun in hand. He was subdued before getting there; Allen is charged with attempted to assassinate the President.

    “Look at Melania, so beautiful,” Kimmel addressed his fake WHCD’s fake audience. “Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”

    Kimmel’s joke was about the President’s seemingly declining health and the perception that Melania Trump does not like her husband. It was made days before an attempt on the President’s life (the third, if you’re keeping count). Still, the MAGA gang ganged up on Kimmel online. On Monday, Melania Trump called for ABC to “take a stand.”

    “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” Donald Trump posted to his Truth Social platform shortly after.

    Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired last night as per usual, and though Kimmel acknowledged the backlash to the joke, he offered no apology — just the same explanation I had written hours earlier. There has been no direct consequences because there have been no angry calls from Disney’s business partners — not a single peep, as one of our sources put it. Hopefully that is because the affiliates and advertisers realize there is no basis for the blowback and not just because they don’t have new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro’s phone number. (OK, so really the channel owners would first go to Disney head of affiliate relations Susi D’Ambra-Coplan.)

    FCC chairman Brendan Carr testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 21, 2025.

    John McDonnell/Getty Images

    There may be some indirect pressure mounting behind the scenes, however. Trump’s Federal Communications Commission czar on Tuesday informed Disney that he would be reviewing ABC’s broadcast license two-to-five years ahead of the previously scheduled checkup. What a coincidence!

    “The FCC determines that calling in Disney’s ABC licenses for early renewal, at this time… is essential within the meaning of agency regulations,” a legal letter sent to Disney (obtained by The Hollywood Reporter) reads.

    Disney-owned ABC stations must now file for their license renewals within the next 30 days. In response, ABC said we’ll see you in court, basically.

    The FCC has two open investigations into Disney and ABC, one into the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices, which it opened last year, and another into The View over an appearance by Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico over its equal opportunity rule.

  • Broadway Box Office: ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ Hits $1.6M, ‘Moulin Rouge!’ Sees Megan Thee Stallion Boost

    Every Brilliant Thing, starring Daniel Radcliffe, continues to climb the box office rankings, bringing in $1.65 million last week, its highest gross yet.

    The one-person play, which involves a large degree of audience interaction, was the fourth highest grossing show in the industry last week, with the the highest average ticket price at $208.93. The show played to 100 percent capacity.

    Moulin Rouge! is still seeing elevated grosses thanks to the presence of Megan Thee Stallion in the cast, with the musical bringing in $1.64 million last week, as the fifth highest grossing show in the industry.

    However, that trend may be short lived as Megan announced Monday that she will be leaving the show early, setting her final performance date for May 1. A replacement performer for the remainder of Megan’s run, from May 2 through May 17, has yet to be announced.

    Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was the highest grossing show on Broadway last week, bringing in $2.3 million, followed by Hamilton with $1.94 million, and The Lion King with $1.89 million. 

    Six more productions opened last week (Schmigadoon, The Balusters, Beaches, The Rocky Horror Show, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and The Lost Boys), meaning that as of April 25, every production of the 2025-2026 season has opened on Broadway.

    Tony nominations are scheduled to be announced May 5, which may also provide a boost to grosses. 

    Among the new shows, Proof, starring Don Cheadle and Ayo Edebiri, continued to sell well, grossing $976,808 and playing to 98 percent capacity, as did Death of Salesman, starring Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf, which brought in close to $1.5 million and played to 90 percent capacity. 

    Cats: The Jellicle Ball inched up its grosses tally, bringing in $1.6 million last week in its first week of eight regular performances and playing to 96 percent capacity. 

    Beaches, The New Musical increased its capacity to 64 percent but still carries a low gross of $476,871, which it will need to increase to stay open. 

  • Enhanced Games, a Sports Competition Where Athletes Can Take Performance-Enhancing Drugs, Taps Emmanuel Ocho, Abby Labar, Bryan Johnson

    Enhanced Games, a Sports Competition Where Athletes Can Take Performance-Enhancing Drugs, Taps Emmanuel Ocho, Abby Labar, Bryan Johnson

    When these sportscasters tell viewers a game has juice, they won’t be kidding.

    Former NFL player Emmanuel Ocho and sportscaster Abby Labar will serve as studio anchors for the inaugural Enhanced Games, a series of competitions slated to take place in late May that allow the athletes to ingest performance-enhancing substances, rather than insisting they avoid them. Other sportscasters and celebrities will also join the proceedings to help viewers take in all the action.

    “The first Enhanced Games is going to revolutionize how we think about sports which
    made it critical to have hosts who can deliver the excitement for our viewers tuning in
    from around the world,” said Maximilian Martin, CEO of Enhanced, in a statement. “Emmanuel is a
    prominent and trusted voice in the U.S. sports media landscape and together with
    Abby Labar will curate an incredible evening of world record breaking action for our
    viewers.”

    Most sports organizations frown on participating athletes taking drugs, pills or injections that give them more strength or stamina, fearing it puts players and teams on uneven playing fields. Enhanced rejects that notion.

    Enhanced was founded by Aron D’Souza, and has generated controversy since it was first announced in 2023. The International Olympic Committee in 2024 told Reuters in a statement: “The idea of the Enhanced Games does not merit any comment. If you want to destroy any concept of fair play and fair competition in sport, this would be a good way to do it.”

    In a twist on sportscasting-as-usual, Enhanced will team Acho and Labar with Bryan Johnson, an entrepreneur who has backed an anti-aging venture called Blueprint, and who is known for his efforts to boost longevity. He will serve as an analyst who will examine how the athletes might perform after taking enhancements.

    “Bryan is arguably the most aligned person to Enhanced’s mission, and we are
    excited to have him provide his expert commentary on athlete protocols, health and
    performance, as it will dramatically elevate our broadcast team,” said Martin.
    “Simply put, there is no more credible voice in the world on the positive impacts of
    longevity medicine than Bryan and we’re overjoyed to have him as part of the
    broadcast.”

    Acho, a former Fox Sports host, is an entrepreneur as well, and recently launched “Speakeasy,” a streaming “after show” devoted to analyzing NFL games played earlier in the day. Labar has gained notice for her work on MLB Network and calling Professional Women’s Hockey League games.

    Other personalities will lead off-the-field segments. Oliver Trevena, who has appeared in films including “The Paradox Effect,” and “Wire Room,” will serve as an entertainment reporter. He will hold forth on an Enhanced “blue carpet” and also peer into guest suites. Trevena’s cactus-water product, Caliwater, will serve as the official hydration sponsor of Enhanced Games.

    Justin Kutcher will call races and weightlifting competitions, and also works for Fox Sports. Sam Quek, a former field hockey player who took part in the 2016 Summer Olympics, has served as a sportscaster for British outlets. The broadcast team also includes sport specific analysts Max Atia for weightlifting and
    Kurt Mills Hanson for swimming.

  • iOS 27 will reportedly come with new AI-powered photo editing tools

    Apple reportedly plans to fix bugs and expand the capabilities of Apple Intelligence with the release of iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 year, and it seems like tweaks to the company’s AI could go beyond a more functional version of its Siri assistant. Bloomberg reports that this year’s software updates will also include new AI-powered photo editing tools that will let users change things like the background and framing of images, too.

    You can currently use the Photos app across Apple’s operating systems to adjust things like saturation and contrast, apply filters, crop photos or use AI to remove objects with the Clean Up tool. Clean Up will apparently be one of several “Apple Intelligence Tools” after these new updates roll out, Bloomberg writes. Along with Clean Up, users will be able to use “Extend” to expand the background of the photo with generative AI, “Enhance” to automatically improve things like lighting and image quality and “Reframe” to shift the perspective of a photo after it’s taken, primarily for Apple’s spatial photos.

    The new features, if released, will bring Apple’s photo-editing tools more in line with competitors like Google and Samsung, though both companies still lap Apple in their willingness to create entirely generated images. Google’s Magic Editor feature, which debuted in 2023, still takes the cake in terms of giving users leeway to radically add to and change their photos.

    Other than new photo tools, Apple is reportedly also debuting its new version of Siri powered by Google’s Gemini models, a standalone Siri app and AI-powered search inside its apps. Apple will likely introduce many of these new features during its WWDC keynote on June 8.

  • TON launches Agentic Wallets to let AI agents transact onchain through Telegram

    TON launches Agentic Wallets to let AI agents transact onchain through Telegram

    $TON Tech, the infrastructure team within The Open Platform, launched Agentic Wallets on $TON, an open standard that allows AI agents to manage funds and execute transactions directly on the $TON blockchain.

    The standard gives each AI agent a dedicated onchain wallet funded by the user. The setup is designed to be noncustodial, with the user retaining ownership through their main wallet while the agent can only transact within the allocated balance.

    The launch is aimed at solving a key limitation for AI agents: they can plan, recommend, and communicate, but still need a way to act financially without users handing over private keys or approving every transaction manually. $TON’s documentation describes agentic wallets as smart contracts operated by AI agents while remaining owned by a human user.

    The feature is especially relevant inside Telegram, where AI agents already have a large distribution channel. Telegram says it has more than 1 billion active users, while $TON has framed Telegram as the natural home for agent based crypto activity because users, wallet infrastructure, and payment rails already sit inside the same interface.

    $TON Tech said Agentic Wallets can support trading bots operating within predefined budgets, DeFi agents automating staking or portfolio management, recurring payments, API usage, and multiple agent setups where each agent has its own wallet and spending scope.

    For developers, the launch adds another piece to $TON’s Telegram focused app stack. The Open Platform says it builds infrastructure and consumer apps on $TON to drive crypto adoption, and recently highlighted work around dApps, wallets, and AI agents inside the $TON developer stack.

    The broader $TON ecosystem has been expanding wallet infrastructure around Telegram. Dynamic and Fireblocks recently added $TON support for developers building payment, trading, and commerce apps inside Telegram Mini Apps, underscoring the push to make Telegram a more complete onchain app environment.

    Andrew Grekov, head of $TON Tech, said Agentic Wallets turn AI agents from assistants into actors, allowing Telegram based agents to make payments and interact with onchain services on behalf of users without touching their keys.

  • Looking for Fast Wi-Fi on Your Next Flight? Pick an Airline With Starlink

    Looking for Fast Wi-Fi on Your Next Flight? Pick an Airline With Starlink

    Honest, Objective, Lab-Tested Reviews

    PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the
    latest
    products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better
    buying
    decisions and get more from technology.

  • Bitcoin’s Next Move Hinges on $82K CME Gap as Earnings, FOMC Loom

    Bitcoin’s Next Move Hinges on $82K CME Gap as Earnings, FOMC Loom

    In brief

    • A successful breakout above $82,000 will add fuel to Bitcoin’s ongoing recovery rally, potentially pushing it toward $90,000, QCP analysts argue.
    • Fed Chair Powell’s forward guidance for the rest of the year, and first-quarter earnings from big tech, will redefine U.S. investor risk appetite.
    • Without a catalyst, Bitcoin’s price action will be volatile and headline-driven, Decrypt was told.

    Bitcoin’s 14% April rally faces a convergence of technical and macro catalysts this week, with the $82,000 CME gap, Magnificent Seven earnings, and the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting all poised to determine direction.

    The leading crypto is currently trading at around $76,200, down 2.1% in the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko data. Over the past month, however, Bitcoin is up roughly 14% and on track for its fourth consecutive weekly gain, with all eyes on the $82,000 CME gap.

    “Whether the next leg higher proves to be another classic bull trap or a more durable recovery will hinge on Bitcoin’s ability to close above $82,000,” Singapore-based trading firm QCP Capital noted in a Monday blog.

    When CME futures close on Friday and reopen Sunday, the difference between Friday’s close and Sunday’s open creates a “gap” on the chart—a technical feature that markets often revisit before establishing a clearer directional bias.

    The conditions remain constructive, according to the trading firm, which cited three key reasons. The first is Bitcoin’s sustained negative perpetual funding rates over the past week, which could help bulls via a “short squeeze if prices break higher.”

    The other two reasons include implied volatility drifting lower while risk reversals remain less skewed to the downside, with notable flows observed surrounding September 25 $90,000 calls.

    “This points to a gradual re-engagement with upside exposure and a moderation in downside hedging relative to prior weeks, despite ongoing geopolitical tensions,” QCP analysts said.

    Q1 earnings loom

    Despite the ongoing crypto recovery rally, the market faces an “immediate macro risk” from the first-quarter earnings reports for Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, and Apple, five of the so-called “Magnificent Seven.” The earnings reports “will be an important test of broader risk appetite,” the first such meaningful test since the beginning of the U.S.-Iran conflict, Wenny Cai, Founder of Anchored Finance, told Decrypt.

    Geopolitical uncertainty adds another wrinkle.

    Users on prediction market Myriad, owned by Decrypt’s parent company Dastan, now see a 75% chance that crude oil’s next move will be a pump to $120, up from 63% at the start of the week. Meanwhile, the probability of Bitcoin’s next move being a pump to $84,000 has dipped to 72% from 76% at the start of the week—signaling fading but still elevated optimism.

    Another key macro catalyst is the Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting that concludes on Wednesday. Markets are pricing a 100% chance that rates will be held steady at 3.50% to 3.75%, according to the CME FedWatch tool. On Myriad, users place just a 5% chance on the Fed cutting rates by more than 25bps before July. The focus, as a result, will be on Chair Powell’s guidance for the remainder of the year.

    Bitcoin is “holding up well” from a structural standpoint, Cai said, outlining her cautiously optimistic stance, citing “steady ETF inflows and improving institutional participation.”

    A catalyst, either via a clearer macro tailwind or regulatory clarity, is required to extend Bitcoin’s recovery rally. However, until such an event occurs, Cai added that Bitcoin’s price action “will continue to be driven by a mix of technical levels, positioning, and headline-driven volatility rather than a single dominant narrative.”

    Daily Debrief Newsletter

    Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.

  • White House Crypto Adviser Hints at ‘Breakthrough’ Bitcoin Reserve Move

    White House Crypto Adviser Hints at ‘Breakthrough’ Bitcoin Reserve Move

    In brief

    • The Trump administration has been “figuring out” how to push forward the strategic Bitcoin reserve, Patrick Witt said Monday.
    • The U.S. Treasury had ruled out any new Bitcoin purchases since August last year, and has not reversed its position since.
    • Senator Cynthia Lummis’ BITCOIN Act will reportedly be reworked under a new name in the coming weeks.

    Over a year since President Donald Trump’s executive order created the U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve, a key White House figure has hinted at the reserve’s operational and legal framework, even as the Treasury continues to rule out new Bitcoin purchases.

    Patrick Witt, executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, told a panel at the Bitcoin 2026 conference in Las Vegas on Monday that the administration has spent months “figuring out” the legal interpretations needed to protect Bitcoin that would end up on the government balance sheet.

    A “big announcement” is expected within weeks, Witt said, describing it as a “breakthrough” that the executive branch can deliver before Congress acts on legislation.

    It’s worth noting that the annual conference is also where President Trump first pledged a strategic Bitcoin stockpile back in 2024. Months later, his administration told a closed-door industry roundtable it wanted to acquire as much Bitcoin as possible, a position the Treasury has since walked back.

    But the gap between executive ambition and what Treasury and Congress have actually delivered on now hangs over Witt’s latest remarks.

    In late July last year, the White House’s own 168-page crypto policy report made no mention of an acquisition plan. Weeks later, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the government would not be purchasing additional Bitcoin, limiting reserve growth to assets obtained through law enforcement seizures.

    Secretary Bessent has not publicly reversed that position since, and those actions have left new purchases up to Congress.

    On the same Monday panel at the conference, Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK) said his House companion to Senator Cynthia Lummis’ BITCOIN Act will be reintroduced in the coming weeks under a new name, as the “American Reserves Modernization Act,” following discussions with the House Financial Services Committee aimed at broadening support among lawmakers.

    Begich said Congress should “lock in the gains” of the current administration’s pro-Bitcoin stance before another administration can revisit the policy.

    Challenges lie ahead

    In any case, what the White House can actually do could be narrower than what Witt suggests.

    While President Trump’s executive order to establish the reserve the crypto stockpile “successfully consolidated” Bitcoin from criminal forfeitures, “the executive branch lacks the authority to buy Bitcoin on the open market without congressional appropriation,” Matthew Pinnock, chief operating officer at Altura DeFi, told Decrypt.

    The same constraint shapes what Witt’s announcement can actually contain, Pinnock explained, adding that the US president cannot authorize new Bitcoin acquisitions, build independent custody infrastructure, or bind the next administration, because “any new spending requires congressional appropriation, and executive orders carry no legislative weight.”

    The next administration, he added, “can reverse them on day one with a stroke of a pen.”

    Pinnock said Bessent’s reversal on budget-neutral purchases has made the Senate Banking Committee markup harder than it needed to be, removing what he called “the bill’s most defensible argument to skeptical members.”

    Announcements made on the crypto conference circuit, ostensibly made to “enhance” a partisan line, have had “almost no meaningful impact” on the reserve, he opined.

    Daily Debrief Newsletter

    Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.

  • ‘Dances With Wolves’ Star Nathan Chasing Horse Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sexual Assault

    ‘Dances With Wolves’ Star Nathan Chasing Horse Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sexual Assault

    Dances With Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse been sentenced to life in prison by a Nebraska judge for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls, according to the Associated Press.

    A jury had previously convicted him of 13 charges, mostly related to sexual assault of three women.

    Accusers and their families told Judge Jessica Peterson that they continue to suffer from the trauma caused by Chasing Horse, along with feeling he exploited his position as a spiritual leader, causing them to struggle with their faith. He was alleged to have been the leader of a cult called The Circle.

    “There is no way to get back the youth, the childhood loss, my first time, my first kiss, the graduation I never got to have,” said Corena Leone-LaCroix, who was 14 when Chasing Horse assaulted her. “The life that little girl could have lived has been taken from me forever.”

    The AP clarified it does not use the names of alleged sexual assault victims unless they come forward publicly, as Leone-LaCroix has.

    Chasing Horse, who has continued to deny the charges against him, was reportedly quiet during his sentencing and will be eligible for parole after serving for 37 years.

    “You preyed on these women’s trusts and their spirituality, and you manipulated them for your own personal gratification,” Judge Peterson said before announcing his sentence.

    The former actor was first arrested and indicted in 2023. The initial arrest occurred in Las Vegas, with law enforcement in other states and Canada following up with additional criminal charges. The charges are still pending, and Chasing Horse also has an outstanding warrant against him in Alberta.

    Chasing Horse was born in South Dakota and rose to fame portraying the young Sioux tribe member Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning film “Dances With Wolves.” Following his appearance, Chasing Horse traveled across Indian Country to attend powwows and perform healing ceremonies.
    Multiple victims described how they participated in his ceremonies or went to Chasing Horse for medical help due to his reputation as a Lakota medicine man.

    Chasing Horse allegedly told Leone-LaCroix when she was 14 that the spirits wanted her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who was diagnosed with cancer. He then sexually assaulted her and told her that if she told anyone, her mother would die, according to Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci. The sexual assaults continued for years, Pucci said.

    Chasing Horse denied the allegations and a motion for a new trial, which was denied.

    Siera Begaye, one of the other victims, said she still faces complications after suffering an ectopic pregnancy as a result of the assault and being forced to undergo surgery.

    “I am choosing to see this moment as a fresh start,” Begaye said. “I will rebuild my life, reclaim my voice and continue fighting for the future I deserve.”

  • Greta Lee and Wagna Moura-Starring Sci-Fi Thriller ‘The Last House’ Gets August Release on Netflix – Film News in Brief

    Greta Lee and Wagna Moura-Starring Sci-Fi Thriller ‘The Last House’ Gets August Release on Netflix – Film News in Brief

    Greta Lee and Wagna Moura star in the new sci-fi thriller “The Last House,” which set to premiere on Netflix on August 6.

    Directed by Louis Leterrier (“Now You See Me”), “The Last House” follows a family of four who are “suddenly sealed inside their home with no way out and must work together to survive against both their dwindling resources and the mysterious, looming threat keeping them trapped.”

    The cast also includes Riley Chung (“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”), Emma Ho (“The Baker”), Alexander Noah Sosnowski (“Section 8”) and Gabriel Barbosa (“May December”).

    The script was written by Matthew Robinson (“Love and Monsters”). Leterrier also serves as producer alongside Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kori Adelson for Chernin Entertainment, as well as Oly Obst for 3 Arts Entertainment. Thomas Benski, Cecile Gaget, Lars Sylvest, Thorsten Schumacher and Damian Anderson serve as executive producers.

    Monday, April 27

    Jane Fonda Hosts Homeboy Industries’ 26th Lo Máximo Awards Gala in Los Angeles

    Jane Fonda hosted Homeboy Industries’ 26th annual Lo Máximo Awards and Fundraising Gala on April 25 at JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, bringing together celebrities, community leaders and supporters for an evening centered on rehabilitation, kinship and second chances.

    The event honored individuals whose work reflects the mission of Homeboy Industries, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit founded by Father Greg Boyle that focuses on gang intervention and reentry services. This year’s honorees included Isaac Gonzales (Homeboy Hero), JacQueena Matthews Haynes (Homegirl Hero), Lauren Tom (Community Honoree) and philanthropists Melanie and Richard Lundquist (Kinship Honorees).

    Camilla Belle delivered a presentation during the program, reflecting on her early connection to the organization, while singer Goapele performed her song “Closer.”

    Additional attendees included Tyler Posey, Mayan Lopez, Angelique Cabral, Elsa Marie Collins, Monica Rosenthal, Ylona Garcia and Mishel Prada, among others.

    The evening began with a Mass and cocktail reception before transitioning into a dinner and awards ceremony highlighting personal stories of transformation. Funds raised from the gala support Homeboy Industries’ programs, which include job training, mental health services, tattoo removal and legal assistance for formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated individuals.

    Homeboy Industries serves more than 10,000 people annually and operates a network of social enterprises aimed at providing employment pathways. The organization also partners globally through its Global Homeboy Network to expand its model of community-based rehabilitation and support.