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Category: Entertainment

  • BAFTA Launches Review of Film Awards After Tourette’s Fiasco: “Our Intention To Be Inclusive” Does Not “Diminish the Impact of What Happened”

    BAFTA Launches Review of Film Awards After Tourette’s Fiasco: “Our Intention To Be Inclusive” Does Not “Diminish the Impact of What Happened”

    BAFTA has launched a “comprehensive review” of its 2026 Film Awards ceremony, the British Academy has said in a letter to its members, after the N-word was shouted while Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were onstage.

    The big news out of Sunday night was the outburst from Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson, who has said he is “deeply mortified” if anyone thought his tics were “intentional.” The I Swear executive producer has a neurological disability that causes involuntary verbal tics, such as loud swearing, and also said in his statement that he has campaigned for most of his life to bring awareness and education to Tourette’s. His life inspired I Swear, and members of the Tourette syndrome community got candid with The Hollywood Reporter about the widespread misunderstanding around the condition here.

    BAFTA released a full apology to the wider public on Monday explaining they apologized “unreservedly” to the Sinners actors, and thanking Davidson for making the decision to leave the ceremony halfway through.

    THR understands that Warner Bros. executives immediately requested the slur not be broadcast on the BBC, which aired on a two-hour delay. Questions have arisen over the broadcaster’s decision to include the slur. They have since apologized and removed the ceremony from streaming service iPlayer. BAFTA jury member Jonte Richardson even announced his decision to quit his role after the “utterly unforgivable” handling of the incident by BAFTA and the BBC.

    On Tuesday, a letter was sent to BAFTA members addressing the situation that arose, stating that they take the duty of care to all our guests “very seriously and prepared extensively in order for John to be able to be present in the room.”

    “We made those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear involuntary strong and offensive language, noises or movements during the ceremony,” BAFTA said in the letter, referring to the preshow warning and disclaimers from host Alan Cumming. “We fully understand our intention to be inclusive in no way diminishes the impact of what happened.”

    “It was a very complex situation and we understand you will have many questions,” the letter concluded. “Please rest assured how seriously we are taking this.”

    Read the letter to BAFTA members in full below.

    We would like to address the situation that arose during the EE BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday night, in which highly offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many was heard. We issued a statement last night, and we want members to hear from us directly, too. Please find our public statement here.

    We recognise this has impacted members in a multitude of ways – we want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.

    One of our guests, John Davidson MBE has Tourette Syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of the condition. John is an executive producer of one of the nominated films, I Swear. The film highlights that Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disability that causes involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over. Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional.

    We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and prepared extensively in order for John to be able to be present in the room. We made those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear involuntary strong and offensive language, noises or movements during the ceremony. We fully understand our intention to be inclusive in no way diminishes the impact of what happened.

    Early in the ceremony loud and involuntary tics, including one in the form of a profoundly offensive term, were heard by many people in the room. Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we have apologised unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We have also thanked Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism – and regret they were put in this position in the first place.

    During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we have also thanked him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.

    We are in contact with the studios involved and conversations are ongoing. We want to assure all our members that a comprehensive review is underway. You may have also seen the BBC have issued their own apology for the broadcast.

    It was a very complex situation and we understand you will have many questions – please rest assured how seriously we are taking this. If you’d like to contact us, please email membership@bafta.org.

    We take full responsibility for putting our guests and members of the academy in a very difficult situation and we will learn from this.

    We will keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy – as firmly demonstrated by this year’s nominated and winning films.

  • ‘Ludwig,’ Crime Drama Series on “Fairy Tale King” Ludwig II of Bavaria, Boarded by Beta Cinema

    ‘Ludwig,’ Crime Drama Series on “Fairy Tale King” Ludwig II of Bavaria, Boarded by Beta Cinema

    King Ludwig II of Bavaria, an eccentric visionary known as the “Fairy Tale King” and also sometimes as the “Mad King,” and his mysterious death are the subjects of a high-end fiction crime drama with the working title Ludwig, which is currently in the works from W&B Television (Pagan Peak, Dark, 4 Blocks). And Beta Cinema unveiled at a London TV Screenings event on Tuesday that it has boarded the series as international partner.

    “His death became a famous cold case,” Beta said about the drama about the royal. “But who was he really? Ludwig is a cinematic journey into the king’s fantastical world, rich with pomp and gold. Yet behind all the splendor and spectacle stood a deeply enigmatic man — as mysterious in life as he was in death. Set in the late 1800s in Bavaria, Ludwig is a fascinating and tragic tale of life and queer love, infused with a captivating crime story at its heart.”

    The series follows psychologist Gustav Zimmermann who is tasked with reviewing a psychiatric report on King Ludwig II, a document that was designed to determine whether the king was incompetent to rule. “The more he invests in discovering the reasons that led to Ludwig’s removal from power, the closer he gets to revealing the secrets of the king: his struggles with power, his longing for freedom and his profound forbidden love,” according to a synopsis of the drama.

    Filming on the series has wrapped at historical locations, including the famous Castle Neuschwanstein and the Residenz, the former royal palace in the heart of Munich. Filming also took place in the Czech Republic.

    Up-and-coming talent Luis Pintsch (22 Lengths) stars as King Ludwig II, alongside Felix Mayr (Unorthodox, Senna), who plays psychologist Zimmermann, Aaron Friesz (Corsage, Franz K.), Carlotta Bähre (Ku’damm 77), Jonathan Kriener (Chabos), Tom Wlaschiha (Stranger Things, The Boat), Francis Fulton-Smith (Empire Oktoberfest), and Karl Markovics (The Counterfeiters, Babylon Berlin), among others.

    Ludwig is directed by Nina Vukovic (Kleo season 2) and Sebastian Ko (Tatort), who both also served as writers. Head writers are Dominik Kempf and Marianne Wendt. Jan Prahl (The Signal) is the director of photography.

    Oliver Vogel, Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann, and Dominik Kempf serve as executive producers, Stefan Mütherich as co-executive producer, and Gretha Heisig as associate producer.

    “The global fascination with Ludwig is no coincidence,” said Ferdinand Dohna, head of content at Beta Film. “He was a romantic dreamer with rock-star allures, who accepted no compromises when the realization of his visions and dreams was at stake, most notably Neuschwanstein Castle, which famously inspired Disney’s iconic castle logo.”

    He added: “Like every good romantic hero, he failed in the end and died under mysterious circumstances at a young age. These are the ingredients for larger-than-life characters, brought to life in this miniseries by an outstanding creative team and magnetic cast that will resonate with audiences around the world.”

    Ludwig is produced by W&B Television for ARD Degeto, BR, ServusTV and SRF. The series is supported by the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF), the Bavarian Film and Television Fund (FFF Bayern), with the support from the Czech Audiovisual Fund’s Production Incentive. Beta Film is handling international sales.

  • Former Banijay Exec Unne Sormunen Named CEO of Finnish Creator Studio Tarinatalli: ‘We See This Moment as an Opportunity’ (EXCLUSIVE)

    Former Banijay Exec Unne Sormunen Named CEO of Finnish Creator Studio Tarinatalli: ‘We See This Moment as an Opportunity’ (EXCLUSIVE)

    Helsinki-based creator studio and production company Tarinatalli has appointed former Banijay executive Unne Sormunen as CEO and partner.

    “Tarinatalli is a talent-led creator studio built around the idea that the next generation of IP will be driven by personalities, communities and direct audience relationships. We see strong opportunities in Finland and in the Nordics as content trends, technology and distribution models are evolving rapidly,” he told Variety. 

    “Recent podcast and talent deals by global players such as Netflix, Spotify and Amazon Prime Video show that platforms are increasingly investing in personality-led IP and long-term creator partnerships. We believe this shift is only accelerating.” 

    He added: “Our ambition is to scale a creator-first model that combines premium storytelling with audience-driven formats, branded partnerships and multi-platform distribution. We want to build sustainable IP with talents across audio, video, social and TV and create new revenue streams beyond traditional commissioning.”

    Sormunen succeeds Jonna Linnanahde, who continues as COO and co-founder. Tarinatalli was founded in 2022 by TV personality, producer and podcaster Aki Linnanahde.

    According to Linnanahde, in its early years, the company focused on “premium podcasts and strong local talent.”

    “Recently, we have expanded into multi-platform storytelling, branded entertainment and strategic partnerships with platforms and brands. We see a clear shift toward personality-driven IP and long-term collaborations that creates exciting opportunities.”

    Sormunen added: “Tarinatalli has recently produced some of Finland’s biggest podcasts, videocasts and creator-led formats for both platforms and YouTube. Going forward, we will focus on three key areas: talent-led content and personality-driven IP, branded entertainment and long-term partnerships with brands and multi-platform storytelling across audio, video, social and television.” 

    The company is also building strategic partnerships with traditional production companies and distributors. 

    “Our digital-first approach allows us to develop IP in a more agile and cost-efficient way before scaling it into larger unscripted or scripted formats. In addition, we are actively exploring how AI and new technologies can support creative development, production workflows and audience insights while keeping human storytelling at the core.”

    Sormunen most recently served within Banijay Group as managing director of EndemolShine Finland and CEO of Jarowskij Finland, overseeing the likes of Finland’s first Netflix original series “Dance Brothers,” “MasterChef,” “Big Brother,” “LEGO Masters,” crime drama “Detective Maria Kallio” and Prime Video’s first Finnish-language original, “The Bridge Suomi.”

    Before joining Banijay, he spent five years as head of domestic programming at Finnish commercial broadcaster Nelonen. 

    “We currently work with many of Finland’s leading TV hosts, radio personalities and podcast creators. Our role is to help them build long-term 360 creator businesses, not just individual shows. Brands are also moving from short-term campaigns toward long-term storytelling partnerships. Instead of advertising around content, they want to be part of the narrative. We see opportunities in this area, particularly in sports, lifestyle and entertainment,” he said.

    While Finland experienced a peak TV boom during the early 2020s, he said – “especially during the pandemic” – over the past two years, the market has become more challenging for scripted series and feature films as both public and commercial broadcasters have reduced investments.

    “Non-scripted production has remained a bit more stable, and audio and podcast platforms have grown significantly. At the same time, international streamers have been relatively cautious with local investments, partly because a local levy system has not yet been implemented. This has created a reset in the market,” he noted. 

    “Producers and platforms are looking for more efficient development models, lower risk and stronger audience validation before making larger commitments.”

    The biggest challenge right now? “Financing and risk-sharing in a fragmented and rapidly changing ecosystem.” 

    “We see this moment as an opportunity. Lean operating models, strong talent relationships and closer collaboration between platforms, producers, brands and creators will be key. Companies that can build engaged communities and prove audience demand early will have an advantage,” assured Sormunen.

    “We believe the future belongs to producers that combine premium storytelling with creator-driven development and diversified revenue models. Our goal is to help talents and producers build sustainable IP and bring authentic local stories and formats to both Finnish and international audiences.”

  • Have I Got News for You: CNN Keeps Digging Deeper Into Comedy

    Have I Got News for You: CNN Keeps Digging Deeper Into Comedy

    Roy Wood Jr. doesn’t sound like Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper or Erin Burnett. And yet, his importance to CNN could start approaching that of those popular anchors.

    Wood isn’t at CNN to deliver the news. His hosting duties at “Have I Got News For You,” a comedic panel show that analyzes and laughs at some of the biggest events of the week — as well as some of the silliest — has him doing that, anyway. Of a sort.

     During one recent  — and raucous — Friday-night taping, Wood tilted back and forth with his two regular panelists. Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, as well as two guests, comic Hasan Minhaj and Senator Adam Schiff. The group considered everything from recent behavior by Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina to content in the Epstein Files. Some of the segments come in the form of games, and elements of the program might remind viewers of a combination of “The Daily Show” and “After Midnight.”

    While the show offers up a lot of laughs and silliness, it’s the sort of thing where if you aren’t careful, you just might learn something before it all comes to an end.

    Other CNN shows can grill newsmakers and experts, says Wood. “Have I Got News For You,” which is in its fourth cycle of running on ten Saturdays, offers something different — a “release” from the headlines. “We like to have on people who may not know s–t. Because that also matches the American voter to some degree,” he says while preparing for a recent show’s taping. “You don’t have to know everything about everything, but you know good versus bad. You know right from wrong. And if you know that, then I feel like we have a show that’s probably the most relatable. And you’re most likely to see someone who looks and even feels like you. I mean, we’re probably the closest thing you could get to, say, the man on the street.”

    CNN is betting on the appeal of “Have I Got News For You” — and, potentially, other programs that examine news and current events through a alternate lens. “It’s sort of a natural thing that you would cover stories all week and do the tough stuff that we have to do,” says Amy Entelis, CNN’s executive vice president for talent, CNN Originals and creative development. But viewers are also ready, she says, for the network “to show our ability to step back and look at things from an entirely different angle.”

    Increasingly, it’s a comic one. CNN has over the years tapped comics like W. Kamau Bell to lead an original series about American subcultures or enlisted D.L. Hughley to try this band a a Saturday-night program. There have in recent years been documentaries about TV comedy across the decades, and about single subjects including Gilda Radner and, in January, Chevy Chase. Both Fred Armisen, the former ”SNL” cast member and Craig Ferguson the former host of “The Late Late Show,” will both lead new CNN original series.

    “CNN’s foray into comedy-news is part of a bigger pivot to entertainment content by formerly ‘serious’ outlets to try to both stay afloat in linear and generate social media hits, especially with the dreariness of news under Trump 2,” says Nick Marx, a professor of film and media studies at Colorado State University who studies the cultural implications of comedy programs. CNN may have also noticed some of Fox News Channel’s recent weekend efforts with comedy content, he says, including shows from Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld and Jimmy Failia.

    CNN’s Saturday night schedule is where to find the laughs.  Repeats of Bill Maher’s HBO show “Real Time” kick off the primetime schedule and are often followed by the program executives call “HIGNFY.” Viewership has spiked for the series’ fourth season, in some weeks growing the audience from “Real Time.” The season debut on January 31 lured an average of nearly 1.04 million, its biggest audience since the series debuted in 2024 and a doubling of its audience from the third-season premiere. The fourth season debut beat other cable-news outlets among viewers between 25 and 54, the demographic coveted most by advertisers in news programs.

    CNN is helped by the fact that “Have I Got News For You” isn’t exactly an unknown property. The show has run in the U.K. since 1990, and is a TV staple in that nation. So much so that U.S. TV executives have tried on at least four different occasions to launch the show for American audiences, according to Jim Biederman, the program’s executive producer, who spent time developing TV programs with Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video.

    “I’ve done pilots of it over 20 years,” he says, recalling efforts to get the series on NBC, Bravo, TBS and ABC. “Each time we did it, we got a little bit more American.” CNN, with multiple news shows featuring panels or roundtables, offers a natural habitat for the show, he suggests. “CNN is a network that kind of has panel shows in its DNA,” he says, which means “HIGNFY” is “not so foreign that you’re talking a different language to your network.”

    Wood believes the show has broader appeal than many of its late-night contemporaries. “The true measurement of whether or not you’re reaching people is blue collar,” he says.  “. “Because that guy doesn’t have a lot of time to watch TV.” When he started hearing remarks about the program from baggage handlers and sanitation workers in the Midwest and New York he says,   “that’s when I really started feeling like we had found some degree of a stride.”

    “Have I Got News For You” isn’t put together like other programs. While it’s only an hour on CNN, the tapings can last more than two, because producers like to give the assemblage room to find a real conversation. Biederman and Jodi Lennon, the show’s co-executive producer, often spend hours on Friday nights and Saturdays editing the proceedings into something that shows off the panel’s ability to come together in real time. “There’s no script. you know, it’s just kind of playing along in this kind of improvised moment,” says Biederman.

    Part of the appeal is found in Wood’s teammates. Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black offer a sort of sweet-and-sour mix. Ruffin, who many people know form her appearances on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” sometimes plays innocent, as if she hasn’t read any news for weeks, only to surprise the audience with a hilarious remark in the end. Black, meanwhile, seems as if he’ s read every story on every subject.

    “I’m annoying. That’s my role. My role is to be annoying. Amber’s role is to be funny and delightful,” says Black. “We’re very rowdy, and I think we’re rowdier than what they bargain for, but it turns out it’s fun,” says Ruffin.

    Now that the program has been able to book members of Congress, there’s hope for other luminaries. Wood would love to get sports figures to visit the show. “There’s a lot of athletes that are a lot smarter than you presume them to be. Many of them might not even come on the show yet, because they still have brands to protect,”  he says. “But when you look at the influx of athlete led podcasts, they all like to run their mouths.”

    All the participants are surprised that CNN hasn’t been more heavy-handed with the program. “We’ve been sequestered from the rest of the CNN, which I think is for the best. For both parties,” says Black. “They don’t want clowns running up and down their hallways squirting seltzer bottles. And I think we would like to avoid this sort of serious newsy vibe that’s going on over there.”

    That separation can be a good thing. “This becomes the show that has an opportunity to stand out because it’s on the news network,” says Wood. “We’re not like anything else.”

  • 5 Takeaways From the Ampere Analysis at Mip London: Broadcasters More Important Than Ever, YouTube as a Growing Destination for Factual, Sports Boost

    5 Takeaways From the Ampere Analysis at Mip London: Broadcasters More Important Than Ever, YouTube as a Growing Destination for Factual, Sports Boost

    At a presentation at this year’s Mip London, Ampere Analysis’ executive director Guy Bisson drilled down on the current state of factual television, looking into the booming effect of sports commissioning, the impact of YouTube as a destination for factual content and shifting differences between streamers and broadcasters. 

    Bisson gave Variety a comprehensive look into his research, compiled into a presentation titled “10 Factual Facts to Flourish in the Future.” The exec mentioned his previously coined 75% Peak TV as a point of reference, which refers to the 25% decrease in scripted commissioning since the peak of TV, around 2022. Conversely, factual commissioning is down only 15%, with Bisson calling it “one of the areas of opportunity.” Below is a breakdown of the main takeaways from Bisson’s analysis on the current moment for factual commissioning:

    Good news for once

    As mentioned above, documentary commissioning is only down 15%, compared to the 25% decrease in scripted commissioning. Some subgenres within documentary, like biography and military and war, have “hardly dropped,” added Bisson. 

    The exec also highlighted how Western Europe is a “bit of a hotbed for documentary.” “If we look at the first six months of 2025, you can see that Europe has been stable while other regions have declined a bit. The majority of commissioning is going to Western Europe, and that is across four key genres: cultural, crime, biographical and historical.”

    “Western Europe and North America are going into recovery after a minor dip in the first half of 2025,” he noted. “A year earlier, we were in a bit of a mini-peak for documentary commissioning in North America and Western Europe. We’re now going back to levels we saw in 2024. Again, a positive story.”

    The sports effect

    One of the reasons for the steady numbers in factual is the rise of sports content commissioning. “As streamers move into live sports, they are commissioning content that is sports-related, like Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive,’” said Bisson. “Within the areas that have benefited from that upswing in sports commissioning, documentary is the one that has benefited most.”

    Other major events, such as the Winter Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, help drive this demand. Original sports streaming series orders by the Global 6 streamers increased exponentially in 2024 before a small dip in 2025, which would signal a peak in commissioning tied to both major sports events taking place in 2026. 

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    YouTube impact

    While factual subgenres like crime are still majorly important commissioning drivers, with Bisson emphasizing it remains “the most important genre” and “has not declined since peak,” the truth is that streamers are pulling back “pretty much across the board” when it comes to greenlighting factual content. “Even crime has dropped a bit but, crucially, it remains 40% of their commissioning activity. That drop is very small.”

    “One reason that might be, and this is circumstantial evidence rather than numerical, is YouTube,” the exec pointed out. “I made a similar point around children’s content recently, where commercial players are pulling back from it, and even more so with documentary. Is it because children go to YouTube now? If adults are now going to YouTube for documentaries, is that one of the drivers for that pullback we are seeing from the commercially-driven players?”

    Bisson noted how we are also seeing broadcasters “increasingly putting full-length content on YouTube.” “We are also seeing shorter windows between the two,” he said. “Basically 70% of documentary content is now dropping on a broadcaster’s YouTube channel within 30 days or less of its on-air premiere.”

    Public broadcasters are more important than ever

    “The commercially-driven operator — that would include streamers, commercial broadcasters and traditional legacy pay TV players — is generally pulling back from documentary. Which means that public broadcasters, the most important commissioners anyway in documentary, have become ever more important. Public broadcasters are generally very news-driven, so when it comes to war-related content, culture, and what would fall into medical and health like mental health issues and the impact of social media on children’s mental health, these are all topics that are growing and that public broadcasters can move very quickly on, while streamers are a little less able to address. Broadcasters also have a lot of content they can adapt and repurpose very quickly to keep it topical.”

    “When we look at where streamers are pulling back, it is pretty much across the board. Even crime has dropped a bit but, crucially, it remains 40% of their commissioning activity. That drop is very small.”

    What do commissioners want?

    Based on the data gathered, Bisson neatly wrapped up commissioning trends for streamers and broadcasters. The exec emphasized there is “overlap,” but approached from different angles. “While broadcasters are also interested in crime, they’re after a social angle and often want to tie it to a historical perspective,” he offered as an example. “If you can work in some collective trauma, that helps, as well as connecting historical legacy to contemporary social challenge.”

    Looking at commissions by streamers, Bisson singled out content that offers “a new or untold angle, focus on personal cost and sacrifice, leverage infamy, expose institutional secrets and look for gendered or archetypal protagonists.” “If you can bring in the personal cost of sacrifice in sports performance or music, that’s going to help,” he noted.

  • Ana Navarro Goes Uncensored in Podcast Called ‘Bleep!’

    Ana Navarro is free, finally free, to say what she wants. And she wants listeners of her new podcast to know it right from the start.

    The title of the new show, “Bleep! with Ana Navarro,” lets audience members know they’re in for an unfiltered version of the popular commentator, who appears regularly on CNN and ABC’s “The View.” The program launched Monday.

    “I can’t cuss on TV,” she acknowledges in a recent interview. Even so, she adds, “there’s a lot of s–t in the world that requires, that merits a good cussing.”

    Navarro is one of a growing line of popular analysts and commentators keeping their feet in two different worlds. One is the traditional-media news sources and the other is the growing digital-media realm, where many are trying to set up new offerings in hopes of catering to a younger audience that tends to get more of its information from social outlets and streaming venues.

    Navarro says she is eager “to form a sense of community” among people who believe the current news cycle is “as insane as it’s ever been in my lifetime.” “People tell me they are sad. They can’t sleep. They feel helpless. They feel hopeless,” she says. She hopes her program will give people a new source of conversation. “A lot of people are feeling alone and overwhelmed,” she adds, “I think it’s important to have that feeling that there are more of us than we think, and we are in things together.”

    The weekly podcast is the latest project for Navarro, who has pivoted from working in and for Republican administrations to charting a more centrist positioning in her commentary and analysis work. “Bleep!” is the first new show to launch under iHeartMedia’s My Cultura Podcast Network and Hyphenate Media Group’s joint podcast slate, and is executive produced by Eva Longoria, who launched Hyphenate in 2023.

    “Eva is one of my best friends,” says Navarro. “We have conversations that are very truthful. We talk about politics. We talk about life. We talk about our families, our history and our heritage.” The idea for the podcast “grew out of those conversations.”

    Navarro will use “Bleep” to point out the courageous and cowardly, and to discuss things that offer the audience respite. “This last year has been hard on a lot of people and we have to give ourselves grace and the ability to find some joy,” she says. “Joy is most definitely a form of resistance” and can help “interrupt the barrage of s–t” that people grapple with every week.

  • Epstein Was a Cottage Industry for Top Hollywood Crisis Experts: “I Can Help You Turn Your Reputation Around”

    Epstein Was a Cottage Industry for Top Hollywood Crisis Experts: “I Can Help You Turn Your Reputation Around”

    Jeffrey Epstein has kept public relations professionals busy with crisis management work ever since Palm Beach police first arrested him on prostitution charges in 2006. The latest tranches of Justice Department documentation provide fresh insight into who they were, what they did and how much they were paid.

    These spin doctors are employed to win in the court of public opinion even as their typically high-profile, resource-rich clients often pursue legal cases in court or in arbitration. Frequently, they’re tapped by law firms, who shield their efforts behind the cloak of attorney-client privilege. These government disclosures offer a rare window into the how their work unfolds.

    Among the earliest communications advisors Epstein brought onboard appears to have been the New York PR guru Dan Klores, who handled damage control for Paris Hilton when her sex tape leaked and for fellow publicist Lizzie Grubman after she plowed into 16 people in her father’s Mercedes SUV in the Hamptons. Bank records indicate Epstein paid Klores’ firm $10,000 in January 2007, as the FBI pursued its probe into the financier. Klores’ services for Epstein were not detailed in the DOJ materials.

    Soon after, as media coverage of the case intensified, Epstein switched to Klores’ former boss Howard Rubenstein, a dean of the field who’d wrangled messaging for World Trade Center leaseholder Silverstein Properties after Sept. 11 and for Kathie Lee Gifford during her sweatshop saga. When New York magazine interviewed Epstein, its reporter met the mogul in Rubenstein’s office. To the New York Post, at the time also a Rubenstein client, the flack asserted that Epstein had “no business relationship” with Jean-Luc Brunel or Brunel’s MC2 Model Management. Documents have since shown that Epstein was a key financial backer of the late Brunel and MC2, now considered key conduits in his sex trafficking operation.

    Post-Rubenstein, Epstein reached out to the seasoned flack Ken Sunshine about representation. His CV has included troubleshooting for Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Sean Combs, Harvey Weinstein and Epstein pal Bill Clinton. Nothing came of their talks.

    Epstein also worked with Merrie Spaeth, a White House Director of Media Relations during Ronald Reagan’s administration. She’s best known for advising the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the right-wing veterans group that attacked 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s Vietnam War record. According to Bloomberg’s review of a trove of e-mails which the outlet obtained from Epstein’s personal Yahoo e-mail account, Spaeth helped Epstein pen drafts of a public apology in 2008 which was never released. This was months before he pled guilty to a Florida state charge of procuring an underage prostitute. She also provided media coaching on how to respond to anticipated inquiries about his predations. When Bloomberg asked her about this, she said she “ultimately terminated the engagement because of my discomfort with it.”

    Immediately after Epstein completed his probation in August 2010, the publicist R. Couri Hay — whose experience was mostly with New York society figures, luxury brands and institutions like Lincoln Center — sent him a detailed strategy proposal to help resuscitate his image, outlining a cost of between $15,000 and $20,000 per month on a six- to 12-month retainer agreement. “You have a very colorful story but it’s not all black nor is it strictly black and white,” he wrote Epstein. “I can help you turn your reputation around.”

    Hay suggested securing positive press centered on Epstein’s financial support for scientific research. “At the appropriate times we could discuss possible photo opportunities with Pulitzer prize-winning scientists and other VIP’s that would demonstrate their respect and trust for you at targeted events,” he wrote. In addition, he proposed the endowment of a “Pulitzer Prize in Mathematics,” noting that he’d “have to check into the feasibility.” If not, he assured, “we can find an equally prestigious institution that would.”

    Questioned about this exchange in November 2025, Hay told The New York Times he’d never ended up working for Epstein and contends he didn’t understand how “heinous” the financier was. He described himself as “blinded a little bit by the glamorous facade that Jeffrey and Ghislaine [Maxwell, now imprisoned for child sex trafficking] put on in social circles in New York and in Palm Beach.”

    Epstein went on to engage Mike Sitrick, a legendary L.A.-based cleanup specialist who Fortune once compared to Harvey Keitel’s fixer character Winston Wolf in Pulp Fiction. Sitrick has mopped up for Michael Vick following his dogfighting scandal, Vince McMahon when former WWE personnel alleged sexual abuse and trafficking, and the Church of Scientology in response to investigative exposes.

    A key focus of Sitrick’s work for Epstein was handling the growing media interest in Prince Andrew’s association with the financier, especially after the Duchess of York called Epstein a pedophile. The royal has since been stripped of his title and on Feb. 19 was arrested this week by British police on corruption charges amid a public firestorm over his ties to the billionaire.

    Records uncovered in the files appear to indicate Epstein tried to stiff the PR czar, who was employed via the financier’s then-attorney Roy Black. In March 2011, he complained to Sitrick, “We accomplished very little this week,” despite acknowledging they’d “stopped four articles that I know about and tomorrows is very toned down.” Epstein’s takeaway was that his reputation “got pounded.”

    Soon after, Epstein stopped paying Sitrick’s fees, so Sitrick took him to court. “Despite the salaciousness of the coverage in both the U.K. and the U.S., Mr. Sitrick and his team were able to stop stories that would have aired on TV and in the mainstream media in the U.S.,” Sitrick’s legal team wrote to Epstein’s counsel that July, adding that Sitrick had worked “days, nights and weekends” to address “a tsunami of negative publicity.” In 2015, Sitrick won a default judgment for $155,000. “I have no idea why he didn’t pay the bill,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “No one ever expressed dissatisfaction with our work before or during the litigation.” (Sitrick notes he never met Epstein in person.)

    Meanwhile, from the time of Epstein’s release, Spaeth spent years checking in. “I just wanted to touch base and make sure you were feeling more secure,” she wrote him in 2011. “You know you can always call on us.” Four years later, she wrote Epstein’s assistant, “Just want him to know he has friends who are thinking of him.” Spaeth told the Dallas Morning News on Feb. 4, “I am embarrassed that I had any involvement whatsoever including our follow ups with him.”

    Another of Epstein’s optics consultants in the years leading up to his July 2019 re-arrest and death a month later in federal custody was power publicist Matthew Hiltzik. His firm represented Elizabeth Holmes as the Theranos scandal erupted, as well as Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp amid their litigious disputes with exes Angelina Jolie and Amber Heard.

    An invoice in the Justice Department tranche shows that Hiltzik Strategies charged Epstein $25,000 for the month of June 2017. Hiltzik, who appears to have been introduced via the writer Michael Wolff, produced a memo suggesting approaches to help recalibrate his client’s image. It included questioning the integrity of attorneys who’d brought claims against him and leveraging what Hiltzik termed “third party validators” to speak out on Epstein’s behalf. The listed potential proxies included a group of then-respected names — Larry Summers, Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky, Bill Richardson, Kathy Ruemmler — who’ve since been tarnished by their association with Epstein.

    That October, the day after The New York Times published its landmark exploration of Harvey Weinstein’s own sexual misconduct, which precipitated the #MeToo movement, Epstein wrote Hiltzik, “how do you rate harveys strategy? are you help=ng?” (The error-laden prose is due to a mix of the financier’s nonstandard typing and the DOJ’s formatting corruption.) The strategist, who had worked for Weinstein years earlier, quickly replied, “It is not wise,” adding, “And while I have spoke= to him, I did not formally engage And he didn’t list=n to wise advice from several reasonable people who tried to help.” Hours later, Epstein responded, “I truly wish him well.”

    In December 2018, a month after Miami Herald journalist Julie K. Brown began publishing her explosive investigations into the Epstein saga, the financier had his high-profile attorneys Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz draft a newspaper op-ed to defend him. Epstein later looped Hiltzik into an email thread, requesting his thoughts — to which the scandal handler wrote back, “there should be a line in there somewhere which clearly confirms that JE understands and recognizes that he did something wrong.”

    Hiltzik tells THR that he never worked on managing the publication of any story about Epstein, and says he broke off ties with the financier after Epstein spurned his advice to take public accountability.

    Few figures aside from Epstein have cycled through so many crisis gurus in so short a time. But his death isn’t the end of his gainful contribution to the spin industry. With the DOJ’s latest document dumps, such consultants are freshly in-demand among the hundreds of powerful people named in them. (Exhibit A: Risa Heller, soon to be fictionalized by Lizzy Caplan in a Netflix drama about her crisis PR job, is now busy with the evolving fallout for media mogul and L.A. Olympics czar Casey Wasserman.) Occasionally they offer on-record statements, attributed to an unnamed spokesperson or representative. More often, they’re busy pushing off-record messaging behind the scenes, hoping to position their clients in the best possible light — given the circumstances.

  • ‘The Madison’ Trailer Reveals Plot of Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell Series From Taylor Sheridan

    The Madison has finally revealed what Taylor Sheridan plans to deliver with his new series starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell, which has also already filmed its second season.

    The six-episode, present day-set series was initially believed to be a part of the Yellowstone universe, however Paramount+ has since revealed that the series will stand on its own as a profound family story about grief and resilience that has been described as prolific hitmaker Sheridan’s most intimate work to date.

    The trailer released on Tuesday (below) introduces viewers to the Montana family the Clyburns, who are played by Pfeiffer, Russell and Beau Garrett. It’s clear from narration and how the trailer unfurls in flashbacks that matriarch Stacy Clyburn (Pfeiffer) must lead herself and her family through the stages of grief after suffering an immense loss.

    The series is getting a two-part release from Paramount+ — and has already filmed a second season, with a release date yet to be announced. Star Russell recently revealed to Entertainment Weekly that they filmed the second season so he could fit The Madison in with his filming schedule for his Apple series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

    The Madison premieres on Saturday, March 14th three episodes and he final three episodes release the following week on Saturday, March 21. 

    Elle Chapman, Patrick J. Adams, Amiah Miller, Alaina Pollack, Ben Schnetzer, Kevin Zegers, Rebecca Spence, Danielle Vasinova and Matthew Fox round out the cast.

    The Madison unfolds across two distinct worlds: the beautiful landscape of Montana  and the vibrant energy of Manhattan as it examines the ties that bind families together. 

    The series is produced by Paramount Television Studios, 101 Studios and Bosque Ranch Productions. Sheridan, David C. Glasser, John Linson, Art Linson, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Christina Alexandra Voros, Michael Friedman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell and Keith Cox are executive producers. Voros directs all six episodes of the first season.

  • Robert Carradine, ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ Star Who Played ‘Lizzie McGuire’ Father, Dies at 71

    Robert Carradine, star of The Long Riders, Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire, has died. He was 71.

    The Carradine family in a statement obtained on Tuesday by The Hollywood Reporter said: “It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle and brother Robert Carradine has passed away. In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon on light to everyone around him.”

    The family acknowledged “Bobby’s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with bipolar disorder. We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness. At this time we ask for the privacy to grieve this unfathomable loss. With gratitude for your understanding and compassion.”

    No date or cause of death for Robert Carradine was given by the family. Born on March 24, 1954, Robert Carradine was the youngest son of actor John Carradine and actress Sonia Sorel, a brother to actors David Carradine and Keith Carradine and Disney imagineer Christopher Carradine.

    He made his movie acting debut in 1972 alongside John Wayne in The Cowboys, having auditioned for the role after brother David insisted he “had everything to gain and nothing to lose.” Robert Carradine revisited the character in the TV series The Cowboys, which aired for only one season.

    That early role led to additional acting gigs, including in Hal Ashby’s Vietnam drama Coming Home, where he appeared opposite Jane Fonda and Jon Voight, and in Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets.

    In 1980, Robert Carradine attended the Cannes Film Festival with two movies, Samuel Fuller’s The Big Red One, which also starred Mark Hamill and Lee Marvin, and Walter Hill’s The Long Riders, where he appeared alongside brothers David and Keith Carradine playing real-life outlaw brothers.

    During shooting on The Long Riders, David Carradine bought his movie horse, Z-Tan, who would live on brother Robert Carradine’s property in the Hollywood Hills. A key role for Robert Carradine came in 1984 with Revenge of the Nerds, in which he starred as head nerd Lewis Skolnick. He went on to reprise that classic college comedy role in three sequels.

    He also starred as the father in the Lizzie McGuire series. Hilary Duff, who played Robert Carradine’s onscreen daughter, in an Instagram post paid tribute to her co-star and longtime friend. “This one hurts. It’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend. There was so much warmth in the McGuire family and I always felt so cared for by my on-screen parents. I’ll be forever grateful for that. I’m deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering. My heart aches for him, his family and everyone who loved him,” she wrote.

    Robert Carradine was also a musician alongside brothers Keith and David Carradine and they appeared at the Sheridan Opera House in Telluride, Colorado, and he accompanied his friend and childhood hero Peter Yarrow and folk legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott onstage.

    Robert Carradine is survived by a daughter, actress Ever Carradine, who he had with Susan Snyder. He had two more children, Marika and Ian Carradine, with Edith Mari. Robert Carradine is also survived by his grandchildren, Chaplin and Jack.

  • David Begnaud Launches His Own Creator Business, but Keeps Connections to CBS News

    Most TV journalists who light out for digital territory leave an established outlet for a new frontier. Not David Begnaud.

    The longtime CBS News correspondent is keeping a contributor role with the Parmount Skydance unit even as he ramps up efforts to launch his own business, Do Good Crew, which is built around people sharing stories that inspire positive feelings and spur subscribers and listeners to act.

    “I’ve spent the last 25 years covering the worst stories. It was more massacres than I can remember, more mass shootings and knocking on doors of mothers whose kids had been killed at school than I can recall,” Begnaud explains. Covering the aftermath of disastrous hurricanes in Puerto Rico made him want to do something different. “I want to use the platform that I’ve been given to do something where when I call or when I knock on a door, I’m not greeted by someone in tears or someone looking to slam the door. I’m greeted by someone who wants to say, ‘I’d love to welcome you in.’”

    Do Good Crew will incorporate a weekly video and audio podcast, “The Person Who Believed in Me,” which features prominent figures telling stories about people who lent them support and ballast early in their lives. Among those are Oprah Winfrey Barry Diller, Nick Cannon, Charlie Puth, and Ava Duvernay. “The idea is big names are the guests, but the star of every episode is the everyday person who believed in our guests before the world,” Begnaud says.

    Begnaud will seek to build community with a newsletter that highlights some of the stories he has heard from readers and followers, and will branch out to live events and other elements.

    He will continue to appear on “CBS Mornings” with his Monday segment “Beg-Knows America,” which offers similar fare. “In the past, there was no one in the news division who was starting a company on the outside” Begnaud says.

    He’s correct. The creator economy hinges on media personnel who leave the familiar trappings of a newsroom and step out onto new terrain. In recent years, for example, ABC News parted ways with Dan B. Harris, a veteran, who wanted to expand work he had done on the value of meditation. His “10% Happier” business has gained traction since his exit in 2021.

    And yet, traditional media companies have in recent months started to warm to doing more work with creators. Fox Corp. last year acquired Red Seat Ventures, a company that helps manage the business operations of various journalism entrepreneurs, including Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson. Fox News Channel last year struck a licensing deal with the principals of the popular conservative podcast “Ruthless” that has them contributing to programming. MS NOW last week unveiled plans to run podcasts from Crooked Media, a producer of podcasts that tilt liberal, to its schedule.

    And the traditional companies are proving more amenable to helping anchors launch new ventures. At CNN. Anderson Cooper leads a podcast about grief, and MS NOW has made a podcast led by Nicolle Wallace a frequent part of its cable schedule.

    Begnaud says he’s definitely aware of the business demands of his new venture “This is not a nonprofit. This is a for-profit business,” he acknowledges. But he thinks he can be profitable and positive all at once. “I’m doing it because it’s what I want to see in the world,” he adds.