<p>Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery have agreed to delay closing their proposed $110 billion merger until at least June 2027 as they battle a multistate antitrust lawsuit, extending uncertainty over a deal that could reshape the American media landscape.</p>
<p>The agreement allows both sides to avoid a court fight over a preliminary injunction while the case proceeds toward trial.</p>
<p>A coalition of 12 Democratic state attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, sued to block the transaction. The lawsuit claims the merger would &#8220;extinguish competition&#8221; in the media and entertainment industries.</p>
<p>If approved, the merger would unite major media brands, including Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, the Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming platforms, CBS News, and CNN under one corporate umbrella.</p>
<p>Rather than continue fighting emergency motions, the companies agreed not to close the transaction until June 2027 or until the court reaches a final decision.</p>
<p>Bonta celebrated the agreement as a major victory for the states challenging the merger.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Today’s agreement is great news for audiences, movie theaters, and the many people who write, build, and create the art, news, and entertainment so many of us enjoy.</p>
<p>We are eager to continue to make our case in court and celebrate another tremendous win in our effort to ensure… <a href="https://t.co/m4LFxiA5tP">pic.twitter.com/m4LFxiA5tP</a></p>
<p>— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) <a href="https://x.com/AGRobBonta/status/2080754504388259849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&#8220;Today&#8217;s agreement is great news for audiences, movie theaters, and the many people who write, build, and create the art, news, and entertainment so many of us enjoy,&#8221; Bonta said. &#8220;We are eager to continue to make our case in court and celebrate another tremendous win in our effort to ensure this unlawful merger never sees the light of day.&#8221;</p>
<p>New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James also praised the decision, <a href="https://x.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/2080742874610626683">calling</a> it &#8220;a critical victory in our efforts to uphold the law and protect the film and television industries.&#8221;</p>
<p>Paramount defended the merger and said the delay would allow the company to make its case in court.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is the fastest and clearest way to prove that this transaction is good for competition, good for consumers, and good for creators, a conclusion dozens of competition authorities around the world have already reached,&#8221; a Paramount spokesperson <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/paramount-skydance-agrees-halt-warner-bros-merger-june-2027-rcna589137">told</a> NBC News. &#8220;We look forward to proving our case at trial.&#8221;</p>
<p>The merger has attracted attention beyond Hollywood because Paramount is now controlled by Skydance founder and CEO David Ellison, 43, whose acquisition of Paramount was backed by his father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, a longtime ally and supporter of President Donald Trump. Since Skydance took control of Paramount earlier this year, Ellison has overseen significant changes at CBS News, including bringing in journalist Bari Weiss to overhaul the network&#8217;s news division.</p>
<p>Ellison has drawn praise from President Trump, who has expressed optimism that new ownership could restore credibility to CBS News after years of criticism from conservatives and Republicans.</p>
<p>If this merger happens, one company will control CBS and CNN under ownership that conservatives believe is moving in a different editorial direction.</p>


In this photo illustration, the Paramount logo is seen

One Of Hollywood’s Biggest Deals Just Hit A Wall

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<p>Former CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin has gone from interviewing political leaders to sleeping with them, then blogging about it.</p>
<p>Baldwin, 47, spent more than a decade behind the anchor desk and in the field at CNN. But since her ouster in 2021, Baldwin has taken to posting her own thoughts via Substack — and the most recent entry details her novel forays into &#8220;casual sex.&#8221;</p>
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<p>In the entry, Baldwin said that she&#8217;d recently tried a dating app — and had &#8220;lasted approximately three minutes&#8221; before she deleted it and moved on, or so she thought.</p>
<p>&#8220;Very recently, I gave it another shot,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;Why? Maybe I wanted a distraction. Maybe I like to kiss. Maybe I’m a grown-ass woman who can do whatever the hell she wants. This time I made it&#8230; five whole days.&#8221;</p>
<p>And then &#8230;</p>
<p>&#8220;But here’s what’s fascinating. Over the last month or so, I’ve had the opportunity to sleep with four different men. This is not a humblebrag. Nor have I suddenly become Samantha Jones. (Though if that’s your lane&#8230; Do you, boo.),&#8221; she said, referencing the hyper-sexual character played by Kim Cattrall in HBO&#8217;s &#8220;Sex and the City.&#8221;</p>
<p>She then went on to describe the men.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I wonder what former head of state Brooke Baldwin is having “casual sex” with?</p>
<p>Trudeau is taken&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/r7DcoQy9F1">pic.twitter.com/r7DcoQy9F1</a></p>
<p>— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) <a href="https://x.com/SteveKrak/status/2079556787439583613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px;">&#8220;One literally flew in just to take me to dinner and spends his days trying to save our democracy one congressional district at a time,&#8221; she said, adding, &#8220;</span>One used to run a country. One is just &#8230; hot. That’s all you’re getting for now.&#8221;</p>
<p>Baldwin pivoted back to &#8220;Sex and the City&#8221; briefly, comparing herself instead to Sarah Jessica Parker&#8217;s character Carrie Bradshaw because she was sleeping with men and then blogging about them.</p>
<p>Baldwin&#8217;s &#8220;casual sex&#8221; entry came just weeks after another <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/06/media/fired-cnn-anchor-brooke-baldwin-comes-forward-with-shocking-sexual-assault-account/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;amp;utm_medium=social">post</a> detailing a sexual assault she said she experienced when she was just 20 years old.</p>
<p>&#8220;I woke up on the cold, hard bathroom tile floor of my Los Angeles hotel room with a man I did not know,&#8221; she wrote, adding, &#8220;For years, I did not have language for what I believed may have been done to me.&#8221;</p>


2018 DVF Awards

Former CNN Star Reduced To Posting Risqué Photos, Blogging About Sex Life

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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I have long felt that Barack Obama’s highest aspiration was always to become an adored celebrity, perhaps even an actor; he settled for president of the United States. Having completed his two terms, Obama wrote memoirs, started a production company, co-hosted a podcast with Bruce Springsteen, and, most recently, executive-produced a new HBO series starring Larry David.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Created by David and his longtime “Curb Your Enthusiasm” collaborator Jeff Schaffer, “Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” transplants familiar “Curb” sketches and stereotypical Larry-isms into various periods of American history, with a particular emphasis on the country’s founding. The result ranges from passable to downright dreadful.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In what amounts to a collection of loosely connected sketches, the writer and comedian behind “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” first portrays Robert R. Livingston, taking an early pass at the Declaration of Independence. He introduces his draft as “a declaration of common sense,” filled with such characteristically petty proclamations as, “After January 7, it is illegal to wish someone Happy New Year.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The problem with sketches such as this — and there are far too many — is that David’s shtick works on “Curb” precisely because of its contemporary setting. The social conventions he obsesses over feel recognizable, and his grievances reflect real encounters we have all endured but are restrained by the norms of polite society from confronting. Recasting them in colonial attire creates the impression that David has sauntered onto the wrong set, like someone reciting Richard III’s “Now is the winter of our discontent” in a Michael Bay film.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The same problem recurs in a segment set during the Great Depression, when someone cuts into a soup-kitchen line after recognizing a friend near the front. David immediately launches into his “chat-and-cut” call-out, lifted almost wholesale from “Curb.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another sketch imagines David making Alexander Graham Bell’s historic first telephone call, only to become stuck on the phone with his assistant, played by the eminent Richard Kind, who subjects him to endless, numbing small talk until a frustrated David tosses the contraption in the trash. It is one of the better moments, though it ultimately drags on for too long.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A cleverer bit places David’s irritating disposition beside Rosa Parks on the Montgomery bus. He initially insists that she remain seated beside him, only for his intrusive questions and signature mannerisms to drive the beleaguered activist voluntarily toward the back of the bus just to escape him. There is a memorable interview in which Jerry Seinfeld explains that almost everything can be funny: “You just have to have a way of looking at it.” In that spirit, even a segregation sketch can be funny.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Seinfeld himself appears in another episode, reuniting with David for a sketch in which the pair play Lewis and Clark, leaders of Thomas Jefferson’s Corps of Discovery following the Louisiana Purchase. The expedition is reimagined as an elaborate fishing trip devised by two husbands desperate to escape their wives. David’s Meriwether Lewis tries to assuage his suspicious spouse while the duo banter over politically correct terminology in the frontier. Can’t say “squaw” anymore — they can say it; we cannot. “Teepee? I think teepee’s cool.” Wampum? Kind of a gray area.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The series reaches its nadir when it abandons social comedy for political screeds marooned somewhere circa 2016. One dreary segment rehashes trite laments over Hillary Clinton’s Electoral College loss despite winning the national popular vote.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Samuel L. Jackson, the series’ narrator, drones on about how American democracy is supposedly unique because “a candidate can be elected president even if they don’t get the most votes.” Larry David, of all people, should know comedy’s golden rule: that a joke must be anchored in truth. Yet there is none to be found here. Parliamentary democracies including Canada and the United Kingdom routinely produce governments whose parties received fewer votes nationally than their opponents. Jackson then explains that the Founding Fathers enshrined the Electoral College in the Constitution for reasons that “defy logic,” before the camera pans to David throwing a tantrum over losing an election despite having won the popular vote. It is unclear what the series hopes to achieve here. Is Larry David trying to charm Obama with this tripe?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">David’s talents have not disappeared entirely. Episode 3 brings back “Curb” favorite J.B. Smoove for a slavery sketch in which David, working with the Underground Railroad, shelters Smoove in his home. The scene moves from David attempting to relate to the experience of being chased by dogs to Smoove fantasizing about “tapping Northern ass,” complaining about the mildew stench permeating the safe house, and continuing to rant about a slave owner who named his slaves after pieces of furniture — “Ottoman” and “Armoire.” Their charming chemistry gives the sketch an energy missing from much of the series.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We also visit a trench on the front lines of World War I, where a frightened soldier confides in David: “I don’t think I can do this anymore. I’ve lost so many friends already.” David predictably responds, “At least now you don’t have to worry about staying in touch.” Short bits such as this can still wrest a chuckle.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Obama reportedly tried playing the “I was president of the United States” card while offering creative advice on David’s scripts. He is among the few people I can imagine mustering the gall to proffer comedy advice to Larry David. David responded, “I’m the president of this.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But among the pitfalls of “Life, Larry…” is that there is simply too much Larry. He was effective in “Curb” because his idiosyncrasies were carefully balanced by a capable cast. Here, David drives every sketch with too little resistance and frequently drives them into tedium. This elaborate historical pageant seldom reveals anything new about either its star or American history. If David wished to continue portraying the same curmudgeon, he would have been better served writing another season of “Curb.” And if this is Larry David’s pursuit of unhappiness, he is getting us there.</span></p>
<p>***</p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Harry Khachatrian (</span></i><a href="https://x.com/harry1t6"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">@Harry1T6</span></i></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">) is a film critic for the Washington Examiner. He is a software engineer, holds a master’s degree from the University of Toronto, and writes about wine at </span></i><a href="https://www.betweenbottles.com/"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">BetweenBottles.com</span></i></a><i>.</i></p>
<p><i>This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.</i></p>


larry-david_0

Larry David’s New Series Is ‘Curb’ Without The Enthusiasm

Barack Obama

Upstream

<p><i>This article is part of </i><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i>Upstream</i></a><i>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.</i></p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Since it premiered in 2019, HBO’s gritty teen drama “Euphoria” has angered both sides of the aisle for being either exploitative and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/apr/29/euphoria-season-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-feminist</a> or debauched and hedonistic. The show “appears to be overtly, intentionally, marketing extremely graphic adult content — sex, violence, profanity and drug use — to teens and preteens,” the Parents Television Council <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2629891/if-euphoria-is-meant-to-caution-teens-why-is-it-so-juvenile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> years ago. The anti-drug campaign DARE later <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/zendaya-responds-dres-claim-euphoria-glamorizes-drug-use-rcna15374" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weighed in</a> with a similar message.</p>
<p>In one episode alone, “Euphoria” infamously featured nearly 30 penises. I’ve <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2629891/if-euphoria-is-meant-to-caution-teens-why-is-it-so-juvenile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> the <a href="https://spectator.com/article/is-euphoria-too-bleak-to-be-good/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a> for its gratuitous content over the years. But after inundating its viewers with bloodied faces and dick pics and heroin needles, the show’s third and final season takes the only unexpected turn left: It’s all about the Bible.</p>
<p>This season, everybody is talking about the Old Testament. Nate, the jock with violent anger issues-turned real estate developer, quotes it in a courtroom: “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” Pimp and drug kingpin Alamo references the good book, saying he wants a Norman Rockwell, barefoot-and-pregnant-wife kind of lifestyle. “It’s biblical,” he says. Even our drug-addicted heroine, Rue, has a religious awakening while staring at a Joshua tree engulfed in flames like the burning bush.</p>
<p>There’s no doubt about it: An ancient religious text is driving the plot. But driving it where, exactly?</p>
<p>(Proceed with caution; spoilers abound).</p>
<p>Season 3 picks up five years after its predecessor, meaning the high school students are all in their early twenties. Indebted to her dealer, Rue is now a drug mule funneling balloons of fentanyl across the southern border inside her own body. One leaking balloon could kill her, and we watch as she checks, lubes up, gags on, and gulps down whole balloons to pay off her debts. Don’t do drugs, kids.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, she’s still meeting with her sponsor, Ali. She may be working as a drug mule, but she herself is getting clean. And thanks to his encouragement, she decides to get religious.</p>
<p>On her way back from a run in Mexico, Rue stays with a Christian homesteading family in Texas, and she can’t stop thinking about how happy they seemed.</p>
<p>“Religious people are happier,” Ali agrees. “That’s a fact.” (<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/01/31/are-religious-people-happier-healthier-our-new-global-study-explores-this-question/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It is</a>)</p>
<p>Rue raises the objection that she’s attracted to women; Ali, hoping to keep her curious about religion, says, “You could spend all day picking apart these books …. You either have faith, or you don’t have faith. Otherwise, you can argue about this sh*t forever.”</p>
<p>So Rue decides, then and there, to believe. Whether it works out for her is up to interpretation.</p>
<p>The show’s finale, which aired on Sunday, may have left viewers with more questions than answers. And some are infuriated with what they see as the show’s right-wing, MAGA turn.</p>
<p>“euphoria finale was good for the most part but i’m kind of floored by how wildly republican that last scene was,” one person <a href="https://x.com/legotrillermoth/status/2061300412242616590" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.</p>
<p>“simply have to laugh at one of EUPHORIA&#8217;s big closing beats being an abandonment and rejection of Islam,” said <a href="https://x.com/roxana_hadadi/status/2061328497340293337" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another</a>.</p>
<p>“So did Euphoria just end on the point that Christianity, specifically the fundamentalist conservative kind, is the answer lol,” another <a href="https://x.com/jenny2x4/status/2061680427551920516" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wondered</a>.</p>
<p>Even before the finale, this season was overflowing with religious and conservative themes.</p>
<p>Nate ultimately dies from a rattlesnake bite, but more fundamentally, his death is caused by bureaucracy. He gets on the wrong side of some Armenian mobsters when he can’t pay back their loans after his construction project stalls. The reason? An endangered white fritillary flower was found on the site.</p>
<p>All he can do is hope the environmental impact study comes swiftly. He tries to propose working around the flowers, but Nate’s fate is sealed in a Los Angeles County courtroom with two words: “Motion denied.”</p>
<p>This season also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/onlyfans-creators-melt-down-after-euphoria-shows-what-it-really-looks-like" target="_blank" rel="noopener">angered</a> OnlyFans models who thought it made them look degenerate. One creator on the website <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@tmz/video/7629147910449433869" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> that scenes of Nate’s fiancée, Cassie, dressed up as a sexy dog are simply reflective of Hollywood drama — and beneath the dignity of a real OnlyFans star.</p>
<p>But they weren’t the only ones upset. Commentator Megyn Kelly latched onto a clip in which Cassie, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sydney-sweeney-trolls-critics-with-racy-euphoria-finale-photos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">played by Sydney Sweeney</a>, dresses up as a sexy baby, calling it “sick.” But the characters in the show find it sick too, which is why Cassie stops creating that kind of “content” — at least temporarily.</p>
<p>It’s hard to watch this season and not take away that bureaucracy is actively evil, OnlyFans is depraved, and the Bible is worth reading. After cracking open Rue’s copy, one character gushes, “It’s kind of incredible actually, like you think it’d be boring, but there’s a lot of violence and sex.” Cassie stares in disbelief. “So there’s a new Bible?”</p>
<p>On top of all this, the show’s final moments are a searing indictment of everyone involved in the fentanyl crisis. After Alamo discovers that Rue has been working with the Drug Enforcement Administration, he gives her Percocet laced with fentanyl. She dies, as was heavily foreshadowed in the penultimate episode, before she has the chance to reunite with her family and friends and make a new life for herself. When Ali finds her lifeless body on his couch, Rue’s name becomes just the latest entry in the leather-bound book where he remembers all the young people he has tried, and failed, to help get clean.</p>
<p>“I used to believe that the world would be a better place if people could empathize with addiction,” he tells a support group. But empathy can also extend to a dealer selling drugs to feed his children. “Maybe the real disease,” Ali suggests, “is that people no longer know the difference between right and wrong. I don’t care what your struggles may be. You poison kids for money, you’re evil. It’s plain and simple.”</p>
<p>Show creator Sam Levinson reportedly originally had a different ending planned. But after the death of Angus Cloud, who played the lovable drug dealer Fez in the first two seasons, Levinson changed his mind. He, a former drug addict himself, helped get Cloud to rehab <a href="https://ew.com/tv/euphoria-sam-levinson-staged-intervention-rehab-for-angus-cloud-before-death/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">twice</a> before his overdose in 2023 at the age of 25. “Once he passed away, I had to reconceive of the script,” Levinson told the New York Times, “and I thought, you can’t tell a story about addiction today without the very real consequences. Most people don’t get a second chance.”</p>
<p>But that doesn’t mean Rue doesn’t find redemption; in her final moments, she imagines embracing her father, her mother, and Fez. Her death may be sudden and anticlimactic, which is why it’s riling up some fans, but it’s not unlike what happens to thousands of others who die of fentanyl every year.</p>
<p>“Fentanyl can just take you out in an instant,” Levinson said. “It wasn’t like when I was growing up; you could literally take pills off the street and you might have a bad trip or something, but you’d be fine. This is something that hits close to home for a lot of people in this country. So it felt like the responsible thing to do.”</p>
<p>Though Ali admits that Rue’s death has shaken his faith and he doesn’t know what to believe, what follows is an immensely entertaining cowboy Western-style shoot-out between Ali and Alamo, who gets what he deserves. It is Ali, not Rue, who visits the El Paso homestead on Jerusalem Road — wearing a Zion National Park hat. The show ends with a single word — &#8220;Amen&#8221; — and a shot of an American flag billowing in the prairie breeze.</p>
<p>You can read the ending as a stirring call to faith or as a nihilistic shrug; Rue never made it back, and Cassie is doubling down on her OnlyFans career. But as Cassie’s sister Lexi notes, the Bible is kind of the story of a lot of people dying while the living choose to keep moving forward. Levinson has also rejected the latter <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/god-of-euphoria-sam-levinson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interpretation</a>, telling Tablet, “There’s plenty of nihilism in the world. I see ‘Euphoria’ largely as a rejection of it.”</p>
<p>After seven years, &#8220;Euphoria&#8221; is finally done flummoxing its fans and haters. We may continue to debate the finale for years to come, but it&#8217;s clear that the show isn&#8217;t glamorizing a lifestyle of limitless sex and drugs. And despite its many tragedies, it ends with a moment of hope.</p>
<p>“You know what I would find surprising?&#8221; the character Maddy says. &#8220;A little grace in this world.”</p>
<p>And surprise us, &#8220;Euphoria&#8221; has.</p>


zendaya_5

Hollywood’s Most Sinful Show Ends With A Moral

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The creator of the popular HBO drama series “Entourage” says he supports Spencer Pratt for mayor of Los Angeles because it makes logical sense.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Doug Ellin said he was radicalized after having his Beverly Hills home burglarized by masked intruders, as he shared on Instagram last week. The 58-year-old screenwriter and director mentioned that five years ago he didn&#8217;t even lock his door, but now says he has 15 cameras, two German Shepherds, and guns. He said “two animals” invaded his house. </span></p>
<p style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; border: 0; height: auto;" title="DW Player" src="https://public.dailywire.com/preroll-player/embed.html?playback-id=b6QXC8fKimDhfWwJWy01Q6rGds2dvCAcW&amp;ad-tag-url=https%3A%2F%2Fpubads.g.doubleclick.net%2Fgampad%2Fads%3Fiu%3D%2F61914415%2Fdw.video.article%26description_url%3Ddailywire.com%26url%3D%26tfcd%3D0%26npa%3D0%26sz%3D640x480%26min_ad_duration%3D5000%26max_ad_duration%3D60000%26gdfp_req%3D1%26unviewed_position_start%3D1%26vpos%3Dpreroll%26output%3Dvast%26plcmt%3D1%26env%3Dvp%26vpa%3Dclick%26vpmute%3D0%26impl%3Ds%26correlator%3D%5Bcachebuster%5D" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I know they were animals because they invaded my house. I know I don&#8217;t care what their excuses are, like a lot of you f*cking care. I know invaders of homes should get 20 years,” Ellin said in the video, which was shared across multiple social media platforms. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He continued, “Everyone in my neighborhood has got the same problem: they&#8217;re f*cking all putting cameras and high-end security guards because we&#8217;re all getting broken into. It&#8217;s not made up, it&#8217;s not false, and this city has collapsed in the last five years. There is no f*cking denying it unless you have an agenda, and I don&#8217;t know what that is.”</span></p>
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<p><script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The “Entourage” creator went on to shoot down some of the criticisms that have been voiced against Pratt, a former reality star with no political experience, running for mayor.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;But, you say, &#8216;Oh, Spencer Pratt has no experience!&#8217; &#8230; What experience did Karen Bass have? &#8230;We want to fix this place because we don&#8217;t want to be forced out. I&#8217;m one of the people who made this city look great! I did it for years. I glorified it. I meet people all the time that moved here because of the show that I f*cking created, and they hate it here now. HATE!&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ellin’s video is suspected to be a response to a recently published Los Angeles Times article titled, “L.A. is safer than it&#8217;s been in decades, but crime is an issue dominating the mayor&#8217;s race.&#8221; He addressed the Instagram rant to “LA Times gaslighters.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pratt also shared the video last week to social media. The former “Hills” star is polling second behind Bass ahead of the June 2 primary. While Pratt’s odds of winning have increased dramatically in recent months, he still faces an uphill battle in the Democrat stronghold. The last time a Republican won a mayoral race in Los Angeles was in 1997.</span></p>


Doug Ellin

‘This City Has Collapsed’: ‘Entourage’ Creator Endorses Spencer Pratt For Mayor

Crime

Los Angeles

Los Angeles mayor

Spencer Pratt

Television

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sydney Sweeney posted a snarky reply to her critics on Instagram on Sunday. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s called … acting,” the 28-year-old actress <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZAgyfuES3r/?img_index=20">wrote</a> in the caption alongside a carousel of behind-the-scenes snapshots from the HBO drama series “Euphoria.” The most recent season was just announced to be the end of the show. It has also been the most controversial.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The season 3 finale, “In God We Trust,” was actually the series finale, series creator and director Sam Levinson confirmed on the podcast “Popcast.” Levinson had hinted at it before the season 3 premiere, saying he writes “every season like it’s the last.” </span></p>
<p style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; border: 0; height: auto;" title="DW Player" src="https://public.dailywire.com/preroll-player/embed.html?playback-id=NJImACtyd8qr901jiXzUj00P9jus01iozN02&amp;ad-tag-url=https%3A%2F%2Fpubads.g.doubleclick.net%2Fgampad%2Fads%3Fiu%3D%2F61914415%2Fdw.video.article%26description_url%3Ddailywire.com%26url%3D%26tfcd%3D0%26npa%3D0%26sz%3D640x480%26min_ad_duration%3D5000%26max_ad_duration%3D60000%26gdfp_req%3D1%26unviewed_position_start%3D1%26vpos%3Dpreroll%26output%3Dvast%26plcmt%3D1%26env%3Dvp%26vpa%3Dclick%26vpmute%3D0%26impl%3Ds%26correlator%3D%5Bcachebuster%5D" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also didn’t commit to doing a fourth season, </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/arts/television/sam-levinson-euphoria-season-3.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">telling</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The New York Times in April, “I don’t know. As of right now, all I want to do is hang out with my wife and kids and read some Elmore Leonard and watch ‘Mrs. Miniver’ again.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The official “Euphoria” description says it’s about “a group of high school students as they navigate drugs, sex, identity, trauma, social media, love and friendship.” The story skips forward in time for the third season as the characters “wrestle with the virtue of faith, the possibility of redemption and the problem of evil.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One major controversy for season 3 has been the storyline involving Sweeney’s character, Cassie, creating an OnlyFans to help fund her upcoming wedding. She acts out strange fetishes, including dressing as a dog on a leash and a baby in a diaper, plus sends one fan her underwear. These antics drew the ire of sex workers, who say it makes them all look bad.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In the climate we’re in, that they dressed her up as a baby to make pornographic OnlyFans content was beyond troubling and again serves to perpetuate stereotypes that sex workers have no moral compass and that they will do anything for money,” former “Boy Meets World” actress Maitland Ward told Variety last month. “And there’s always this untrue stigma that somehow sex work is synonymous with sex trafficking and abuse. And they just said, let’s make a joke of it. That is so funny. I’m not laughing.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Levinson told The Hollywood Reporter back in April that the story arc was never meant to be flattering, as The Daily Wire previously </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/onlyfans-creators-rage-against-sydney-sweeney-over-sex-work-stigma?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=OnlyFans+Creators+Rage+Against+Sydney+Sweeney+Over+Sex+Work+%E2%80%98Stigma%E2%80%99"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“[Cassie] has got her dog house and her little dog ears and the nose, and that has its own humor, but what makes the scene is the fact that her housekeeper is the one filming it,” he said at the time. “What we wanted to always find is the other layer of absurdity that we’re able to tie into it so that we’re not too inside of her fantasy or illusion — the gag is to jump out, to break the wall.”</span></p>


Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney Trolls Critics With Racy ‘Euphoria’ Finale Photos

<p>Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher ripped into Democrats he said were too chicken to appear on his program, telling guest will.i.am that many in the party avoid any show unless they know beforehand they&#8217;ll be met with admiration rather than scrutiny.</p>
<p>The Black-Eyed Peas frontman asked Maher who, of all the people he hadn&#8217;t been able to sit down with, he&#8217;d most like to interview — and Maher explained that he&#8217;d found it far more difficult to book Democrats for his show lately.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">💥NEW: <a href="https://t.co/vbvHjsGjXV">https://t.co/vbvHjsGjXV</a>: “Who haven’t you interviewed that you want to interview?”</p>
<p>Bill Maher: “Ironically, mostly Democrats — because they’re such p*ssies they won’t come on the show … Democrats are p*ssies about going anywhere that they’re not already pre-adored.” <a href="https://t.co/IDcyRN3obT">pic.twitter.com/IDcyRN3obT</a></p>
<p>— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2056323059775045648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Maher began with a story about a guest from earlier that evening — a Republican congresswoman — and said that if he&#8217;d only read what was said about her in the media, he would have believed that she was stupid or &#8220;a hot head.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s not any of those things,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t agree on many issues, but you know what? I always say it, everybody&#8217;s a monster till you talk to them.&#8221;</p>
<p>The rapper interjected then, asking, &#8220;Who haven&#8217;t you interviewed that you want to interview?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Mostly — ironically, mostly Democrats — because they’re such p*ssies they won’t come on the show. Like the Clintons. After — I mean, you know — Kamala. I voted for you,&#8221; Maher replied.</p>
<p>&#8220;Really? You haven&#8217;t interviewed them yet?&#8221; will.i.am said, clearly taken aback by the revelation.</p>
<p>&#8220;I would love to,&#8221; Maher said. &#8220;They — you know — Democrats are p*ssies about like going anywhere that they’re not already pre-adored. Not all of them, but some of them — Kamala Harris, I mean, I always say to my woke friends, &#8216;We voted for the same person, you&#8217;re just why she lost, okay? You&#8217;re a little too precious.'&#8221;</p>


Bill Maher

‘They’re Such P*ssies’: Bill Maher Says He Can’t Find Democrats To Come On His Show Anymore

'They're Such P*ssies': Bill Maher Says He Can't Find Democrats To Come On His Show Anymore

comedian

Democrats

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">OnlyFans creators are big mad at “Euphoria” for making sex work look seedy and gross. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Several prominent “content creators,” including former “Boy Meets World” actress Maitland Ward and popular OnlyFans personality Sydney Leathers have publicly slammed Sydney Sweeney for her character Cassie’s storyline on the HBO series. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">In this season, Cassie creates an OnlyFans to help fund her upcoming wedding. She acts out strange fetishes, including dressing as a dog on a leash and a baby in a diaper, plus sends one fan her underwear. These antics have the real OnlyFans creators seeing red.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">“There’s just a lot that’s ridiculous and cartoonish about it,” Leathers </span><a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/sydney-sweeney-euphoria-onlyfans-hbo-sex-worker-nude-1236741946/"><span style="font-weight: 400">told</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> Variety in an interview published Sunday. “There’s so much that they have her doing that is not even allowed on OnlyFans, and that alone is infuriating: the age-play stuff where she’s dressed as a baby in a diaper, for example. Credit card processors have very strict rules that you have to abide by, and the rules are getting stricter all the time.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Ward also expressed her frustration over OnlyFans creators being portrayed in a negative way. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">“In the climate we’re in, that they dressed her up as a baby to make pornographic OnlyFans content was beyond troubling and again serves to perpetuate stereotypes that sex workers have no moral compass and that they will do anything for money,” she told the outlet. “And there’s always this untrue stigma that somehow sex work is synonymous with sex trafficking and abuse. And they just said, let’s make a joke of it. That is so funny. I’m not laughing.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Showrunner Sam Levinson </span><a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/euphoria-season-3-premiere-feature-sam-levinson-interview-1236561251/"><span style="font-weight: 400">told</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> The Hollywood Reporter back in April that the story arc was never meant to be flattering. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">“[Cassie] has got her dog house and her little dog ears and the nose, and that has its own humor, but what makes the scene is the fact that her housekeeper is the one filming it,” he said at the time. “What we wanted to always find is the other layer of absurdity that we’re able to tie into it so that we’re not too inside of her fantasy or illusion — the gag is to jump out, to break the wall.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">“Some of these scenes we only lit with these ring lights that she would use. When you’re inside, it’s a beautiful, glowing front light, but then you jump out of it and it’s just a pool of light and everything surrounding it is dark. It’s just gnarly and jarring,” Levinson continued. “We wanted to capture what she’s trying to show the audience and be inside of it, but then also pull back wider and see how depressing it is.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">In the latest episode, which aired on Sunday, Sweeney’s character weighs in on politics and appears to lean Right. During a fictional press tour, Cassie tells an online talk show host, &#8220;If a man today were to say that he wants a girlfriend who can cook or clean, he might as well be screaming the N-word.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Someone off camera replies, &#8220;You sound like a Democrat,&#8221; which makes Cassie laugh and say, “I’m not retarded.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">At another point, Cassie says, &#8220;I just feel like American men have been treated like second-class citizens … In the past, men used to be hunters, gatherers, and protectors. Now, they’re being forced to walk around on their tippy toes. It’s not natural.&#8221; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Her manager, Maddy, offers her take on the situation. “You know what’s funny?” she asks Cassie. “The angrier these idiots get, the more money you make.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Many commenters pointed out how Cassie’s storyline mimics what people really think about Sweeney’s personal politics, which she refuses to confirm. They believe she’s secretly conservative, especially following the viral </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sydney-sweeney-says-trumps-support-was-surreal-during-viral-jeans-ad-controversy"><span style="font-weight: 400">American Eagle jeans ad controversy</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">. </span></p>


OnlyFans Creators Rage Against Sydney Sweeney Over Sex Work ‘Stigma’

OnlyFans

Sex Workers

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Saturday Night Live” mocked HBO’s upcoming “Harry Potter” television series over the weekend for race-swapping the villain, Severus Snape.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Paapa Essiedu, a black British actor, is set to play the role, a character described in J.K. Rowling&#8217;s books as having pale, yellow skin. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the &#8220;Weekend Update&#8221; segment on Saturday&#8217;s show, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“SNL” cast member Kam Patterson portrayed a black version of Snape and joked about how the character might be perceived. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Good evening, Mr. Jost — nah, I’m playing. I don’t talk like that, bro. It’s called code-switching. Codio switchio!” Patterson said after being introduced by host Colin Jost.</span></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Weekend Update: Professor Snape Addresses New Spin on Harry Potter Role - SNL" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JNaf-skJpzo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jost asked how things were going at Hogwarts, inspiring Patterson to reply, “Not great. We got this new kid. His name is Harry Potter, and he’s racist as hell. Harry Potter — or, the Proud Boy Who Lived — spent the whole year telling everybody that the school’s only black teacher was secretly evil.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jost interjected, “I think he’s just worried because he knows someone’s trying to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“So somebody stole something, and the number one suspect is Black Snape? They didn’t even look at the white guy in the turban. So offensive. He’s got a wizard on the back of his head,” Patterson shot back.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m really sorry that he just jumped to conclusions like that,” Jost said. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Snape replied, “All good. It happens all the time. I showed up at Hogwarts, and on the first day, they looked at me and said, ‘You’re the professor of the Dark Arts.’ I never even studied that! I majored in African Muggle Studies.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The whole wizarding world is racist,” Patterson went on in the bit. “There’s one other black guy, Kingsley Shacklebolt, a name I’m guessing they got out of the Wu-Tang name generator … why they got to put ‘shackle’ in his name? That’s crazy, man. Shackle? Shackle!”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The skit went on, with a reference to Rowling being “problematic.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Essiedu claimed that haters have been out in force since his casting for “Harry Potter” was announced. The British star </span><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/paapa-essiedu-harry-potter-snape-interview-3hqkzzmlk"><span style="font-weight: 400;">told</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The Times last month that he’s been told, “Quit or I’ll murder you.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It really matters,” he says. “The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, ‘I’m going to come to your house and kill you.’ …nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job. Many people put their lives on the line in their work. I’m playing a wizard in Harry Potter. And I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t affect me emotionally.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But the abuse fuels me,” he went on. “And makes me more passionate about making this character my own, because I think of how I felt as a kid. I would imagine myself at Hogwarts on broomsticks, and the idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world? That’s motivation to not be intimidated by someone saying they’d rather I died instead of doing work I’m going to be really proud of.”</span></p>


Paapa Essideu

SNL Wrecks New ‘Harry Potter’ Series For Racially Profiling Fan-Favorite

Harry Potter

Racism

Saturday Night Live

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">HBO Max will commemorate the second anniversary of the Hamas October 7 terrorist attack on Israel by airing the scripted series, “One Day in October.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The limited series is based on real accounts from the horrific attack in 2023, which resulted in the massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis and hundreds of others being taken hostage. It first premiered on Israeli network Yes Drama on the first anniversary of the coordinated raid.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The project is said to include “seven emotionally gripping and artistically interwoven narratives of love, courage, sacrifice, and survival. From families torn apart to moments of hope emerging in the face of unspeakable tragedy to incredible bravery against the odds, each episode reveals the human cost and resilience born out of chaos. The series portrays the victims’ and survivors’ experiences of that day and is brought to life by a distinguished cast and acclaimed creative team,” per </span><a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/hbo-hamas-israel-one-day-in-october-7-series-1236372113/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Hollywood Reporter</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">FOX Entertainment Studios President Fernando Szew said of the series, “The tragic events on October 7th had a profound impact on all of us. From the very beginning, we approached this series with the utmost care, sensitivity, and urgency to ensure that the stories were told with authenticity and respect, and paying homage to the victims and the heroic survivors.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Szew added that the creators “have truly created compelling storytelling that we are proud to showcase.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“For me, film and television have always been more than entertainment, they are a way to bear witness. These are stories of ordinary people facing extraordinary moments,” Daniel Finkelman, founder of the production company Sparks Go, said. “In a time when truth is fragile, the most powerful thing we can do is to appeal to humanity itself. My hope is that these stories will open hearts and spark meaningful conversation.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last year, Finkelman discussed what compelled him to make the series. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“After Oct. 7, I realized that when you know what you are willing to die for, you know what you are ready to live for,” he <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-822942">said</a>, per The Jerusalem Post. “I realized what we are fighting for.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’re being shown real footage on the news of people being abducted and no one gives a f***,” the producer added. “So we thought, let’s tell the narrative the way people like to be entertained.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The cast includes actors Swell Ariel Or, Noa Kedar, Naomi Levov, Hisham Sulliman, Wael Hamdun, and Yuval Semo.</span></p>


HBO Max Announces Series Dramatizing Hamas’s Oct. 7 Terror Attack On Israel

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Israel

October 7

World

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The internet does not have high hopes for Larry David’s newly announced project, a sketch comedy show about American history produced by the Obamas.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variety <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/larry-david-american-history-sketch-comedy-series-hbo-1236451946/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that David will co-write the new HBO program with Jeff Schaffer, with whom he worked on the long-running comedy show “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” David will star in and co-write the six-part series, the outlet noted.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Barack and Michelle Obama are set to executive produce the project through their Higher Ground Productions company.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The show’s description says, “President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion…But then Larry David called.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Former President Obama commented on the pairing, saying, “I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Social media mainly had negative reactions to the news of David and the Obamas teaming up.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It sounds like it’s gonna be one big lecture. I hope I’m wrong,” one account </span><a href="https://x.com/EricBalchunas/status/1943381813772325127"><span style="font-weight: 400;">predicted</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Played out. Preaching to the choir. We don&#8217;t need more lectures from Hollywood,” another </span><a href="https://x.com/AwardsDaily/status/1943367269498917054"><span style="font-weight: 400;">wrote</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is going to be so awful,” a third commenter on X </span><a href="https://x.com/imjaredz/status/1943396360692097354"><span style="font-weight: 400;">predicted</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Get ready for the most unfunny experience of your life,” another </span><a href="https://x.com/EliseMcCue/status/1943494127145955393"><span style="font-weight: 400;">replied</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Trash propaganda I’m sure,” said another, while someone else just wrote, “Yikes.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">David has been vocal about political issues and recently had a meltdown over Bill Maher having dinner with President Donald Trump. He was so incensed that the comedian penned an op-ed for The New York Times, repeating the tired trope that Trump was literally Hitler. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">CNN Republican Scott Jennings blasted David for publishing the op-ed, saying it was just another example of Democrats attacking anyone who tried to open the lines of communication between people with differing opinions.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is the modern Left,” Jennings </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnn-republican-torches-larry-davids-dinner-with-hitler-column-attacking-bill-maher"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. “It’s an attempt always to intimidate people into not ever doing it again. It’s to silence yourselves, or we’ll do it for you. That’s the purpose of this op-ed, so that the next comedian, or the next person on the American left chooses not to speak to Donald Trump.&#8221;</span></p>


Larry David

‘Yikes’: Larry David Teams Up With The Obamas For New American History Comedy Series

Comedy

Michelle Obama

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The three main characters for the HBO television adaptation of “Harry Potter” have been announced, and comments were shut off on social media, presumably to protect the young actors.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Per </span><a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/harry-potter-hbo-series-casts-harry-ron-hermione-1236410755/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variety</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Dominic McLaughlin was cast in the lead role of Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout will play Ron Weasley. The outlet noted that more than 30,000 actors auditioned for the three parts.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione and Ron. The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It’s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there,” showrunner Francesca Gardiner and executive producer and director Mark Mylod said in a joint statement.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The actors are relatively unknown in the industry, but if their trajectory is anything like the original stars from the “Harry Potter” film series, these roles could turn them into household names. Daniel Radcliffe, who played the original Harry, along with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who played Ron and Hermione respectively, went on to have successful post-&#8220;Potter&#8221; careers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">McLaughlin is credited with appearing in “Grow,” an upcoming comedy. Stanton starred as Matilda in “Matilda: The Musical” for one year on the London theater circuit. Stout, meanwhile, has not had a major role yet.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other confirmed stars for the highly anticipated TV series include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. Luke Thallon will also take on the recurring role of Quirinus Quirrell, while Paul Whitehouse is set to play the recurring role of Argus Filch, The Daily Wire previously </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hbo-confirms-harry-potter-tv-series-casting-for-dumbledore-snape-and-hagrid"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the show’s logline, the series will be “a faithful adaptation of the beloved ‘Harry Potter’ book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling.”</span></p>
<p><a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b data-stringify-type="bold">Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</b></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters ‘Harry Potter’ fans have loved for over twenty-five years,” it says. “Each season will bring ‘Harry Potter’ and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">HBO execs previously voiced support for “Harry Potter” author Rowling and defended their decision to keep her on as executive producer despite the backlash she’s received from leftists. The billionaire author has been labeled a “TERF” (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) for rejecting radical gender theory.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“J.K. is an executive producer, and her insights will be helpful,” Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, previously said. “We are in the Harry Potter business.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“J.K. is a very online conversation … It’s very nuanced and complicated and not something we’re going to get into,” he added. “Our priority is what’s onscreen. The Harry Potter story is incredibly affirmative and positive about love and acceptance, and that’s our priority, what’s on the screen.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Filming for the TV series is slated for later this summer.  </span></p>


Harry Potter cast

‘Harry Potter’ TV Series Casts Three Main Characters

'Harry Potter' TV Series Casts Three Main Characters

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