Category: Entertainment

British YouTuber and Rapper Yung Filly Found Not Guilty of Raping Woman in Australia

British YouTube star and rapper Yung Filly has been found not guilty of rape in an Australian court.

The verdict was reached by a Perth jury after an 11-day trial. The 30-year-old, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was found not guilty on three counts of sexual penetration without consent, but he was found guilty on two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.

The jury could not come to a decision on three other counts of rape, according to the BBC. Barrientos will remain on bail until August, when the court will decide his sentencing date. Prosecutors will also decide on the next steps for the three hung jury verdicts, including whether to press ahead on the rape charges.

The internet personality and rapper had been accused of sexually assaulting a woman, then 20 years old, after performing at a Perth nightclub in 2024. He had pleaded not guilty to all six counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of strangulation.

Barrientos told the court that he “fancied” the woman when they met at his concert. He was in the VIP area while she leaned over the barrier. “I recall putting my hand on her waist,” he told the court, adding that he had not put his hands down her pants or touched her breast.

The “vibes were good” when they arrived at his hotel later in the evening, he added, explaining that his security guard took her phone away as a “standard practice” to protect their privacy.

The woman claimed they had consensual sex before the encounter turned violent and she told him to stop. The West Australian reported that Barrientos allegedly bit her neck, cheek and breast, causing bruising and swelling.

Barrientos is known for his work with the Beta Squad, a group of young YouTubers who make comedic videos. Individually, each of them has gained their own following. Barrientos has accrued over 1.7 million subscribers on the site and 2.4 million on Instagram. He has also presented multiple BBC Three programs.

July 31, 2026
ITV Bullish in First Results Since Confirming Sky Deal, Orders Share Buyback of $135M

ITV has reported revenue growth of 2 percent in the first half of the year and revealed a £100 million ($135m) sharehold buyback in what CEO Carolyn McCall has described as a show of “commitment to attractive shareholder returns” in the wake of Sky‘s £1.6 billion ($2.13b) acquisition of the broadcaster’s network and streaming businesses.

In the first results since the industry-rattling mega-deal was announced, ITV said the buyback and interim dividend of 1.7p totaling around £60 million ($80m) represents an “early return of part of the previously announced £950 million net cash return expected on completion of the sale.” McCall said on a call with reporters early Friday: “The announcement of the sale […] was a defining moment to ITV.”

“And crucially,” she added, “it will also unlock the value of ITV Studios.” (The company’s production arm is not part of the deal, though the report shows Sky will commit to buying £2.1 billion in ITV Studios content between 2028 and 2032.) After news of the deal, the focus for ITV will likely be on its content and big-hitters at ITV Studios (Love Island, Rivals at Disney+), making it a potential takeover target.

McCall mentioned the Sky-ITV transaction is subject to regulatory approval, with the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority having launched its review. Given this is a media merger, ITV is expecting Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to issue a Public Interest Intervention notice “in due course,” but they still estimate the merger will complete around a year from now. They have not interacted with Nandy since announcing the deal, McCall also said.

A combined Comcast-owned Sky and ITV would create a formidable British media group. Under the proposed structure, Sky would acquire ITV’s networks and streaming businesses (Media & Entertainment) — including the ITV channel portfolio and ITVX — while ITV Studios, the production outfit behind franchises such as Love Island, Britain’s Got Talent and Netflix hit Fool Me Once, is to be spun off as a standalone listed company, reconfirmed by McCall on Friday.

The merged operation will sit alongside Comcast’s NBCUniversal assets, bringing together ITV’s mass-reach advertising business, public-service broadcasting obligations and sports rights with Sky’s subscription TV, streaming, broadband and mobile operations.

Media & Entertainment (M&E) delivered a run-of-the-mill first-half performance, with total revenue up 2 percent. Total advertising revenue increased by 3 percent, with Q2 up 8 percent year-on-year. This was driven by the men’s World Cup, which attracted strong advertising and sponsorship demand from both U.K. and global brands across advertising categories, and “supercharged engagement on [streaming platform] ITVX,” according to the report, which delivered record H1 viewing, up 27 percent, with digital advertising revenue up 13 percent year-on-year.

Notably, ITV Studios’ revenue in the U.K. was up 17 percent this half-year, but down in the U.S. by 17 percent and internationally by 24 percent, suggesting the company could be hitting a wall when it comes to that much-needed U.S. expansion.

Looking ahead, the company has “good visibility” over the full-year outlook and revenue, margin and profit will be weighted to H2 and particularly Q4, when a “really strong delivery schedule” comes into play. This includes The Gentlemen, The Woods and SuburraMaxima for Netflix, Line of Duty season seven and Vigil season three for the BBC.

July 31, 2026
World Cup Boycott Backed by All 55 UEFA Countries as Asian, North and Central American, Caribbean Members Oppose FIFA Stake Sale

The Asian Football Confederation has joined the North, Central America and Caribbean football association and UEFA in opposition to FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors. On Thursday, all 55 UEFA member associations pledged to boycott FIFA soccer competitions if president Gianni Infantino’s proposal is approved.

“The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of global football and derives its strength from the participation of all Confederations and the world’s leading football nations,” the AFC said in a statement on Friday, according to BBC Sport. “Any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universal character of the competition must be reconsidered.”

Both the AFC and Concacaf stopped short of a boycott but made clear their disapproval of Infantino’s plan. The UEFA decision to boycott came out of an emergency meeting Thursday, days after FIFA announced the plans Tuesday. The first test of the stance arrives in October, when the Women’s World Cup play-offs are scheduled.

UEFA said a statement after the meeting: “UEFA and its 55 member associations stand as one. We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.

The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.”

The new company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, has been valued at about $20 billion. FIFA would seek to sell a roughly 20% stake in the entity. Among the potential investors is Thrive Eternal, led by Joshua Kushner, brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared, according to the Financial Times.

Among the opponents of the plan are the sport’s governing bodies in North America and Europe.

Concacaf, which runs soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, said it was “deeply concerned by the lack of due process” when the plan was conceived. The federation said it was disappointed that the plan has been revealed “before any discussion with the relevant governance bodies and stakeholders has taken place.”

UEFA, which runs the sport in Europe, said FIFA’s plan “crosses a line that [soccer’s] governing institutions should never cross.” It added, “The soul and governance of [soccer] are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of [soccer]. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”

UEFA is fast-tracking efforts to hold an emergency meeting of its member associations this week, sources told ESPN, to discuss plans, including a potential World Cup boycott.

The FIFA plan is subject to ratification by its 211 national member associations. Concacaf represents 41 members, while UEFA has 55.

Under the plan, funds raised from the sale of a stake in FIFA Forward Enterprise would be used in part to increase annual payments to members from $2 million a year to $5 million. Each would also receive a one-off payment of $20 million.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement, “Every FIFA member association should have an opportunity to seek a fair share of the available funding to shape its own future, deciding for itself rather than relying on others. This is about the democratization of [soccer] worldwide.”

Among other opponents of the plan are U.K. prime minister Andy Burnham, who said, “The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out.”

Much of the opposition to FIFA’s plan is focusing on the role of Infantino, and his relationship with President Trump.

Football Supporters Europe, which represents fans, said, “The World Cup is not for sale. Enough of this charade. [FIFA] member associations — and everyone who cares about the future of the game — must stand up to the man who wants to sell world [soccer].”

July 31, 2026
HBO Max Picks Up ‘Friday the 13th’ Prequel Series ‘Crystal Lake’ Across Europe

Warner Bros. Discovery has acquired A24’s Friday the 13th prequel series Crystal Lake for HBO Max across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, excluding the U.K. and Ireland.

The series is set to debut on HBO Max across the region later this year. Peacock has Crystal Lake for the U.S. and will be premiering the show stateside in October.

Peacock originally ordered the series back 2022, with Bryan Fuller initially attached as writer and showrunner. But creative differences led Fuller to leave the project in May 2024, saying that A24 “decided to go a different way with the material.”

Related Stories

Brad Caleb Kane (Max’s It: Welcome to Derry) is now credited as creator, writer and showrunner on the series.

Crystal Lake stars Emmy Award nominee Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me, Mad Man) as Pamela Voorhees, the mother of the notorious Friday the 13th killer Jason. The series picks up a year after Jason’s drowning death in the town lake. But the arrival of two strangers investigating her past sets off a series of events that prompts the residents of Crystal Lake to question who Pam Voorhees really is.

William Catlett co-stars as local police chief Levon Brooks. Devin Kessler, Cameron Scoggins and Gwendolyn Sundstrom co-star. Callum Vinson plays a young Jason Voorhees.

Kane is executive producing Crystal Lake together with A24 and an executive producing team that includes Marc Toberoff, Victor Miller, Robert M. Barsamian, Robert P. Barsamian, Stuart Manashil, Tyson Bidner, Michael Lennox and Roy Lee.

July 31, 2026
‘Los Vampires’ Review: Dueling Draculas Spar in an Alluring if Unevenly Executed Flashback to Early-Talkie Hollywood

The talkies’ arrival was a major hardship in many respects for the movie industry, as theater owners had to install expensive new equipment, and studios could no longer easily export fresh product to lucrative foreign markets. One solution weighed to the latter dilemma was making alternative versions of features in different languages. Universal took that idea farther than most in late 1930 by shooting “Dracula” twice on the same sets, with entirely different casts and directors. One was, of course, the legendary Tod Browning film with Bela Lugosi. The other, directed by George Melford (who’d guided Rudolph Valentino in his most famous role as “The Sheik”), had Spanish emigre Carlos Villarias as the caped bloodsucker. It was forgotten for decades until a 1990s restoration and revival led some latter-day viewers to pronounce it the better of the two.

That curious footnote to cinematic history has now inspired “Los Vampires,” the first directorial feature in decades from scenarist Craig Mitchell. Like the 2000 Willem Dafoe vehicle “Shadow of the Vampire,” this is a fiction spun from the reality of a fabled production shoot. Henry Ian Cusick and Thomas Kretschmann play fictionalized stand-ins for Villarias and Lugosi, as immigrant actors touchy about “sharing” a starring role that could be a huge break for both.

In the somewhat convoluted progress of Mitchell’s script, their ego war is eventually eclipsed by fears there’s a genuine murderer on the loose — perhaps even an actual vampire. Not always very precisely balanced between horror, homage and mystery, this intriguing if unevenly realized construct will nonetheless lure genre fans and nostalgists alike with its imagined back chapter of golden-age Hollywood.

It starts with nervous Luis de Ossario (Cusik) arriving on the Universal soundstage, where he’s dismayed by a front-office representative’s command that he watch the dailies of English-language scenes shot during the day, then precisely mimic them in Spanish each night. Pride insists he ignore that directive — after all, he too has been a star, called the “Spanish Sheik” by fan mags. But it’s additionally irritating when he’s approached by Romanian thespian Kurt Orlov (Kretschmann), who’s essayed the Count to great success onstage, and likewise advised to imitate his every gesture and intonation. Refusing to do so, Luis stirs a rivalry and potentially endangers his own employment.

Still, the dual production goes on as planned. Anxiety heightened by the exhausting nocturnal schedule, Ossario is further rattled by glimpsing sexually explicit footage presumably shot as blackmail fodder. It involves Vianca Sugura (Daniela Couso), the beauteous albeit wholly inexperienced young woman hired as ingenue. Other unsettling revelations include word that the actress originally hired for that part was killed — a fate that later befalls others, including convent-raised Vianca’s protectress Sister Aubrey (Carol Abney).

There are additional, underdeveloped subplots. The intended enigmatic blurring between illusion, reality, the supernatural and sordid here too often just feels unfocused, with occasional detours into humor contributing to a wobbly tone. The best sequences seize upon the atmospheric potential of recreated studio-Gothic sets, though there’s surprisingly scant use of B&W film-within-the-film bits. Itself shot entirely on a soundstage, “Los Vampires” occasionally betrays budgetary limits in unconvincing period flavor, despite good work from production designer Ricardo Jattan and costumer Petra Larsen.

The lead actors do well enough on this slippery slope. Cusick and Kretschmann offer complementary chords of variable petulance and insecurity, as newcomer Cuoso ably negotiates her character’s shifting ambiguities. The supporting cast turns are competent if sometimes broad. If Mitchell’s resolution to his script’s dangling questions feels somewhat rote, a graceful epilogue leaps several decades forward to end matters on an interesting, unexpected note.

While the Lugosi “Dracula” was a huge hit, the Spanish version’s disappointing box office helped curtail future such endeavors in Hollywood, particularly since fast-evolving dubbing technology soon provided a cheaper alternative. Far from a mere copy of its English-language equivalent, however, Melford’s movie is considerably longer, with marked differences of dialogue, narrative sequence and costuming. Those who found Browning’s take too stagey have judged its doppelgänger more fluidly cinematic. Still, only one person became a celluloid legend from Universal’s gambit — and that person wasn’t Carlos Villarias, who outlived Lugosi by two decades yet never achieved anything like the same renown.

July 31, 2026
‘Black Zombie’ Review: An Engaging Doc on How the Flesh-Eating Hordes of Screen Fame Obscured Painful Real-Life History

In Hollywood’s original horror heyday of the 1930s and ’40s, it would have been hard to imagine another figure challenging the classic terror quartet of Dracula, Frankenstein monster, werewolf and mummy — let alone that the lowly zombie would ever become serious competition. Yet while those aforementioned creatures still get rehabilitated on a regular basis, they’re now greatly surpassed in popular visibility by a cannibal undead that didn’t even exist in the genre until more recent decades.

Maya Annik Bedward’s Canadian documentary “Black Zombie” explores that surprise evolution. But hers isn’t a genre fan’s focus so much as a cultural anthropologist’s eye, honing in on how the screen zombie has exploited and distorted the Haitian religious beliefs that provided its initial inspiration. Kino Lorber is opening the Canadian documentary in the U.S. on Sept. 11th; Raven Banner will release it on home turf the same date.

Today zombie entertainment is so ubiquitous, it encompasses enormously expensive blockbusters (“World War Z”), big-screen franchises (like the “28 Days” films), an entire “Walking Dead” multimedia empire, comedies (“Shaun of the Dead” being the most famous) and myriad other expressions. Often involving animated corpses who are “fast-moving” — making their hunger for living flesh an even greater peril — these images break from the standard late-20th century convention of slow, shuffling if still bloodthirsty dullards, a template established by George A. Romero’s 1968 sleeper smash “Night of the Living Dead.”

At neither speed, however, do they have much to do with the zombie’s prior, much-less-frequent pulp appearances. Those had roots in 1929’s bestselling “The Magic Island,” one of several questionable works of journalism by the writer, adventure and occult sensation-seeker William Seabrook. (His most credible tome was probably the subsequent “Asylum,” which detailed his institutional recovery from alcoholism.) He claimed to have seen laborers in the cane fields of Haiti who were seemingly in a trance, incapable of speaking.

The notion of zombies went back to that Caribbean nation’s days as a European colony, when huge numbers of largely African slaves were brutally disciplined and frequently worked to death by a white-settler minority. It was rumored that some got drugged or otherwise rendered “soul lost,” so they would toil without rest or protest. Thus within Haitian culture, zombies were victims, robbed of independent will by cruel masters.

Seabrook’s primary focus was on Vodou aka voodoo rituals, which had long constituted an underground religious practice amongst populations outwardly accepting of Catholicism. But his mention of “zondis,” the dead supposedly revived via magic for cane harvesting, ignited the popular imagination. It soon got fictionalized as the post-“Dracula” Bela Lugosi vehicle “White Zombie” (1932), then in other films, notably the Val Lewton-produced “I Walked With a Zombie” a decade later. Their suspense arose not from anything that happened to or at the hands of zombie-fied “natives,” but the terror that such hypnosis might be used on Caucasian protagonists — especially pretty young ingenues.

Bedward elicits commentary from latter-day scholars, historians, and Vodou priests. They dissect how these representations reinforced superstitious racial stereotypes in a vintage “exotica” mode, one reprised at least as recently as Wes Craven’s 1988 “The Serpent and the Rainbow.” Those movies are seen as part of an ongoing disempowering of the Haitian peoples, who have been continually hobbled by occupiers, imposed foreign debts and political instability. The myth of witless, “savage” zombies only helped perpetuate the idea that Haitians cannot be trusted to control their own destiny.

“Black Zombie” illustrates that point with an engaging mix of clips, interviews, old newsreel footage, brief animations and B&W staged sequences with Anderson Mojica as an 18th-century slave who’s first subsumed by, then overcomes his “zombie” state of passive toil. (It is suggested that depriving laborers of salt intake might have had such stupefying effects.)

Horror fans may be disappointed that the later waves of zombie cinema get rather fleeting address here, though we do hear from legendary gore FX maestro Tom Savini and the late Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” co-writer John Russo. (The latter says their ultra-low-budget breakout settled for its hungry-ghoul gist only because they couldn’t afford the trappings of a science-fiction tale.) The whole cannibalism conceit has scant connection to Vodou lore, so it’s of little relevance to the director’s main thesis here. However, some of her experts do opine that the manic, devouring hordes of modern depiction discreetly amplify new paranoias: not just the “fear of Blacks” implicit in earlier zombie thrillers, but wealthy nations’ current panic over “invading” Third World immigrants, climate-change refugees, and so forth. Now, zombies simply “represent otherness,” as one observer puts it.

The authorities Bedward solicits intel from often speak reluctantly, having been burned before: They’re all too familiar with filmmakers feigning sincere interest, only to deliver yet another bloody screen cartoon of Haitian history and beliefs. While “Black Zombie” isn’t quite the genre “greatest hits” parade many viewers may be hoping for, it does provide a thought-provoking perspective — one that might add some depth to your next experience of undead cinema, however purely escapist.

July 31, 2026
Boy George Drops Out of London ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Production After Stirring Controversy With AI-Generated Pro-Israel Song

Boy George is dropping out of a London production of Jesus Christ Superstar, the “Karma Chameleon” singer’s manager said on Instagram on Thursday, days after he stirred controversy after releasing his AI-generated, pro-Israel song “We Will Dance Again.”

“The decision has been made with the utmost respect for the producers, the creative team and the entire company,” manager Paul Kemsley wrote on Thursday. Boy George was set to play King Herod starting in August. Kemsley didn’t specify why George was leaving but wrote that the singer “has never been afraid to stand by his personal convictions, and I have always respected him for that.”

“Equally, I believe it is my responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interests of my artist while also showing respect to others,” Kemsley said. “In this instance, I felt it was right to step aside, allowing the production to remain the focus, while ensuring everyone involved can move forward with mutual respect and goodwill.”

Kemsley made the announcement just days after George shared “We Will Dance Again” on social media. Boy George confirmed the song was made with AI on Threads earlier this week, writing that “I call it ‘AI for good’. Truthfully, I would struggle to write this with a human!” At press time, it’s unclear what of the song is AI-generated and what was human made. Making an AI song of any sort isn’t exactly surprising at this point for Boy George, who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter last month about using AI to gain ownership of his hits by re-recording them.

“We Will Dance Again,” is set over a reggae beat and production and has George rebuking calling the war in Gaza a genocide. He questions musicians who voiced support for Palestine, saying they are “mouthing like sheep propaganda fueled by the internet.”

“You say genocide, I say war, when you’re attacked, it’s what the army’s for,” are the track’s opening lyrics. “Does it get ugly? You bet it does, when I know you want to kill every last one of us.”

The song continues with lyrics about a lack of conversation about October 7 and about “young girls raped against trees, murdered brutally for the crime of dancing, you condemn the Jews with selective memory.”

Broadway actor Patrick Clanton, who performed alongside Boy George in Moulin Rouge, was among those who criticized the song since its release this week, saying George “was a terrible performer and I was embarassed [sic] to be in the show with him.”

Boy George clapped back Thursday, writing on Threads that “I barely remember you, kudos for getting some media attention off my back because any other time you would barely have garnered a sentence.”

Boy George seemed to address some of the broader criticism around the song on Thursday on X as well, writing that “It doesn’t matter what I think or what you think.”

“When will you realise you’re doing NOTHING! It’s a fucking joke,” he wrote. “I am even falling out with Jewish friends. The madness knows no bounds.”

It doesn’t matter what I think or what you think. When will you realise you’re doing NOTHING! It’s a fucking joke. I am even falling out with Jewish friends. The madness knows no bounds.

— Boy George (@BoyGeorge) July 30, 2026

July 31, 2026
Disney and Old Navy Team Up for New Haunted Halloween Line of Cozy Flannels, PJs and Totes

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.

It may still be summer, but Disney’s Halloween merchandise lineup is getting a fall refresh. The company is teaming up with Old Navy for the Haunted Harvest collection, a new assortment of cozy apparel and accessories inspired by Disney’s Halloween favorites.

Like many of Disney’s seasonal merchandise drops, the latest collection brings its recognizable characters and storytelling into a new lineup of fan-focused products. The Old Navy collaboration features autumn-inspired designs for babies, toddlers, kids, adults and even pets, with styles made for pumpkin patch trips, Halloween celebrations and fall family photos.

The 40-piece assortment covers all the fall essentials, including cozy flannels, pajamas, hoodies, crewnecks, socks and accessories. Shoppers can expect warm autumn colors, heritage-inspired textures, spooky plaids and playful Disney graphics throughout the collection.

Prices range from $7.99 to $54.99. Old Navy cardmembers can shop the collection early starting Thursday, July 30, while the full collection officially launches for everyone on Friday, July 31.

The Old Navy partnership continues a strong year for Disney merchandise releases, following major franchise moments including the live-action remake of Moana and the release of Toy Story 5 (which brought along a nostalgia-fueled collab with Away luggage). As Disney continues expanding its consumer products business, the company is finding new ways to bring its most recognizable IP to fans through seasonal collections, retail partnerships and merchandise inspired by its biggest stories.

Exclusive Drop

Old Navy x Disney Minnie Mouse Boxy Cropped T-Shirt

A classic boxy white tee that goes with everything, now with a little Disney magic added in.

Old Navy x Disney Mickey Mouse Flannel Shirt

No fall wardrobe is complete without a heritage flannel, and this one gets a Disney twist with Mickey pumpkin details throughout.

Old Navy x Disney Mickey Mouse Mini Bucket Bag

A Halloween bucket in bag form, this double-lined style fits sweet treats or everyday essentials.

Old Navy x Disney Mickey Mouse Cardigan

Available in a rich, brown and burgundy fair isle pattern.

Old Navy x Disney Pajama Top

A cozy Halloween night pick, this ribbed pajama set features a cream colorway and playful chipmunk print.

Old Navy x Disney Pajama Pants

Complete the look with matching pull-on pajama pants.

Disney Mickey Mouse Crew Socks

Stock up on fall-ready basics with these Fair Isle crew socks, available in two classic prints for under $9.

Old Navy x Disney Mickey Mouse Sherpa Slippers

Plush insoles, sherpa uppers and a spooky Mickey pumpkin print make these slippers a cozy pick.

Old Navy x Disney Packable Tote Bag

A packable tote perfect for apple picking, candy runs and farmers market trips. Choose from a plaid or black Disney design.

The 40-piece Old Navy and Disney Haunted Harvest collection officially launches Friday, July 31 at Old Navy, with early access on July 30 for cardholders.

July 31, 2026
The Affordability Squeeze Has Come for Brandy Melville’s TikTok Star Staffer

The creator economy met the affordability squeeze this week in New York when TikTok darling and Brandy Melville SoHo staffer Allegra Pinkowitz was unceremoniously fired from her position with the controversial fast-fashion retailer after nearly two and a half years.

While one may not think the part-time retail gig of a high school junior is notable news, Pinkowitz is also an up-and-coming TikToker with a following of 162K-plus. Last year, she was the subject of a New York magazine article titled “The Most Popular Girl in SoHo is a Brandy Melville Employee,” about the flocks of girls who have been showing up to watch her fold clothes during weekend shifts or after school.

When Pinkowitz received the news from a male manager by phone on Thursday, she was on TikTok faster than you can say vibecession. After an announcement clip set to rapper ASN JAYBOOG’s “Stanley Earl,” she was back hours later to dish on how it all went down.

“This was so unexpected. You guys don’t understand — I’ve been working there for almost two and a half years,” she explains in the clip as she applies makeup; she told her fans she was about to get in the shower when a text arrived.

“It’s basically like, ‘Can you just give me a call whenever you have a minute?’ … He’s basically like, ‘We didn’t make as much money as we were hoping to this summer, so we’re laying off a bunch of people,’” she explained in a series of video cuts of her doing her beauty ritual. “It was just basically, ‘But I’ll hold on to your contact, and if anything comes up in the fall, maybe you can come back.’ This was extremely unexpected.”

Pinkowitz, whose TikTok fame drew crowds of upward of 20 fans at a time to Brandy Melville’s flagship lower Broadway store, was told that her firing had nothing to do with her work ethic. She added that the layoff “stings more because I’ve always talked really positively about this brand online,” and reassured her followers that she wasn’t there to hate on the brand.

“I’m so sad. I expected a little bit more loyalty, but now I’m in the market for a new job,” the teenager said, holding back tears at moments throughout the clip.

A first firing is always tough, but for Brandy Melville’s fanbase, the job loss means a central figure of the SoHo scene is gone. Criticized after switching to a more California-centric style for its one-size-fits-all apparel (it’s a small) and for reportedly favoring conventionally attractive, mostly blonde staff, the Italy-founded and now U.S.-based brand known for bleached wood, muted tones and T-shirts reading “NANTUCKET” saw further backlash after an investigative Business Insider story was published and later adapted into a 2024 documentary for HBO Max, called Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion.

The film, in which Pinkowitz appears, features staffers discussing the body dysmorphia they developed while working for Brandy Melville and trying to fit into its image and its small clothing — sizing that was eventually changed to a tone-deaf “one-size-fits-most.”

Pinkowitz’s recounting of the call — in which the manager cited lagging sales as the reason for layoffs — is hard to square with the many accounts of a mobbed SoHo location with lines out the door. It’s difficult to imagine all those tweens stopping in to catch a glimpse of Pinkowitz without buying anything.

In 2025, Brandy Melville’s annual sales reached $283 million, with steady 10 to 15 percent year-over-year growth. Retail analysts say the brand’s business model yields unusually high profit margins, thanks largely to its one-size-fits-most approach and its social-media-driven marketing strategy.

July 31, 2026
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’: Sadie Sink Is [SPOILER]. How Her Role Sets Up Marvel’s Next Reboot

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains major spoilers for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ now playing in theaters.

After months of speculation about who Sadie Sink is playing in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” the movie has finally hit theaters and Spidey fans can see for themselves which comic-book character she’s bringing to life

As many people predicted, the red-headed “Stranger Things” star is in fact playing Jean Grey, one of the original members of the X-Men. We’ll no doubt be seeing her in the MCU’s planned “X-Men” movie, though no details on its cast or release have been announced.

Sink’s identity is shrouded in mystery as “Brand New Day” begins, and her face isn’t revealed until roughly halfway through the film. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man begins investigating a new villain on the loose in New York City who has the power to possess bystanders’ bodies (as long as they’re less than 33 feet away). She uses her abilities to “jump” between between people’s minds and attempt to break into the headquarters for the Department of Damage Control. The organization, which is responsible for cleaning up the messes after superhero battles, has something that Jean wants locked inside a vault.

After a failed break-in attempt using a possessed Scorpion (Michael Mando), Sink turns to a stronger, larger and greener wrecking ball to get inside of Damage Control: the Hulk. She takes control of Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner and removes the inhibitor device that prevents him from turning into the Hulk. Spider-Man teams up with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher to take down the green giant and stop the him from destroying the Damage Control skyscraper entirely. Jean manages to break into the secret vault, but she’s tranquilized and apprehended by Tramell Tillman’s Damage Control CEO Bill Metzger.

It’s here that Damage Control is revealed as the real villainous organization in the movie. Metzger and his team hold Jean hostage and run tests on her to understand how her psychic powers work. A flashback reveals that Jean had an older sister named Sara who could also possess people’s minds. One day in the park, Sara gets abducted by Damage Control officers, and she possesses Jean’s mind to run away and save her younger sister. When Jean is imprisoned, she realizes she’s locked in the same cell that was used to hold Sara, who had died while being tested on by Damage Control. Jean overpowers their restraints and creates a gigantic psychic bubble that freezes in place nearly everyone in New York City.

Spider-Man is the only person who can overcome Jean’s psychic powers, and he’s able to reason with her to drop her vendetta against Damage Control. While Jean probes Spidey’s mind and lives through a tender memory he has of his late Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), Punisher is miles away lining up a sniper rifle to take out the mutant threat. As he fires the bullet, Spider-Man pushes Jean out of the way at the last second, but is hit by the gunshot himself. A devastated Punisher rescues Spider-Man and brings him to a hospital, where he eventually recovers; Jean had been using her powers to keep the hero alive, but she leaves before Spidey can say goodbye.

In the final moments of the movie, Jean is seen riding a bus out of the city. Could she be heading upstate to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters? The famous mutant school is located in Westchester, and the fall foliage suggests school may be in session soon. There aren’t any references to the X-Men or other mutants in “Brand New Day,” but it seems clear that this isn’t the last we’ll see of Sink. It also seems like Damage Control may be morphed into a more evil corporation that’s anti-mutant in the future.

The “Stranger Things” breakout star is the third actor to take on the famous telekinetic mutant in live-action. In Fox’s previous “X-Men” movies, Jean had been played by Famke Janssen in the original film trilogy Then in the prequel series, “Game of Thrones” star Sophie Turner had taken on a younger version of the mutant.

Now, it seems that Sink will be part of the next generation of X-Men in the MCU. We’ve seen several “X-Men” actors reprise their Fox roles, like Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Patrick Stewart as Prof. Charles Xavier and Kelsey Grammer as Beast. In “Doomsday,” Stewart and Grammer will be joined by James Marsden as Cyclops, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler and Channing Tatum as Gambit. After living in their own X-universe, the stars will be thrust into the MCU, joining forces with the Avengers and Fantastic Four to take on Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. With Sink’s casting, it seems like the MCU is prepping a new, younger cast of X-Men to join their sprawling universe of heroes.

July 31, 2026