Jimmy Kimmel got a little bit misty-eyed during Adam Carolla’s Walk of Fame ceremony on Wednesday.
The hyperpartisan late-night host put aside political beliefs during the ceremony for his longtime friend and former collaborator. Carolla is notoriously anti-woke, but Kimmel still showed up to speak at the event.
Kimmel started off by remembering when he was introduced to Carolla in 1994 when he was working on the Los Angeles radio show “Kevin and Bean.” Carolla, who was a boxing instructor, was brought in to prepare Kimmel for a boxing match. Kimmel said Carolla began roasting him immediately, saying, “Adam told ‘Kevin and Bean,’ ‘Jimmy is 160 pounds of pure chiseled steel. Unfortunately, he weighs 225.’”
“We did very little training. We would box for about eight minutes and then drink Snapple and go to lunch,” Kimmel added. “As a result, I lost that fight, but I gained a life partner. And if that sounds gay to you, it was and it is,” he said during the speech, calling Carolla “one of the funniest people” he’s ever met and the “Laverne to my Shirley.”  
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Jimmy Kimmel shares hilarious stories and gets emotional during Adam Carolla&#8217;s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony:
“Adam and I, as you probably know, don’t agree much when it comes to politics, but I love him dearly. I have never worked with anyone funnier.” <a href="https://t.co/JYtmpKiRHe">pic.twitter.com/JYtmpKiRHe</a>
— Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://x.com/Variety/status/2059714681875685455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Kimmel brought up their opposing political beliefs, but said it didn’t change his feelings for his friend.
“Adam and I, as you probably know, don’t agree much when it comes to politics, but I love him dearly,” Kimmel went on. “I’ve never worked with anyone funnier. I am proud of him … this is a guy who worked his way up from nothing to become, literally, a millionaire, and if you don’t believe it you’ll hear him say it every single show.” 
“Adam is a true original,” he added. “He was a poor kid from the San Fernando Valley who was rejected by the management at Taco Bell, and whose name will now forever be part of this filthy, disgusting intersection,” Kimmel said of the star’s physical location.
Kimmel and Carolla are best known for the Comedy Central sketch show “The Man Show” and the prank call puppet show “Crank Yankers.” Kimmel went on to become a big name in late-night, while Carolla launched a podcast and has worked on various other entertainment projects, including comedy content and animated programming with The Daily Wire.

Kimmel and Carolla

Jimmy Kimmel Chokes Up During Adam Carolla’s Big Hollywood Moment

Adam Carolla

Comedy

Entertainment

Hollywood

Jimmy Kimmel

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" 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.
***
Vladimir Lenin <a href="https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/ch05.htm">quoted</a> Karl Marx as saying, “The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.” When the modern oppressed looked deep inside themselves, much as the Ghostbusters <a href="https://youtu.be/2zhDfUAQSbs?si=wSyhYDRhh6Tbft9x&amp;t=101">did</a>, they tried to do good and instead failed, choosing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/20/style/grown-up-theater-kids.html?unlocked_article_code=1.llA.kN9_.Oc99OV8afaU3&amp;smid=url-share">theater kids</a> rather than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. And if there’s one thing theater kids are going to do, it’s theater, which sometimes involves making films.
“I Love Boosters” is such a film, one <a href="https://x.com/alexchristy17/status/2055314091938390107">described</a> by “The Daily Show’s” Jordan Klepper as “&#8217;Pee-wee’s Big Adventure&#8217; if it were directed by Karl Marx with a bunch of Molly in the background.” It plunges you into a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1xZegSgN8w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surreal world</a> centered on a group of boosters (people who steal clothes and resell them at a price significantly lower than retail) and their leader’s infatuation with fashion designer Christie Smith (Demi Moore). 
The Velvet Gang, as the group of boosters is known, regularly steals massive amounts of clothing from Smith’s stores. Then, the gang’s leader Corvette (Keke Palmer) along with henchwomen Sade (Naomi Ackie) and Mariah (Taylour Paige) sell the wares in apartments redesigned as shops and on the street, helping the less successful among us stay fashion forward. In that way, they’re like the Robin Hoods of haute couture, or at least that’s what the message seems to be. 
What I have just described boasts a <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_love_boosters#critics-reviews">92%</a> average from film critics on Rotten Tomatoes, though it only scores a <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_love_boosters/reviews/all-audience">72%</a> average with the actual audience. That’s impressive for a movie that leaves most people saying “huh?” when you tell them you went to see “I Love Boosters.” It’s so disjointed that even people who wanted to see it can barely get it out of C- territory. (As verified reviewer Ben wrote, “No idea what I just watched. A waste of time. I should have walked out of the movie and stared at a puddle of water instead, would have been more entertaining.&#8221;)
When your anti-capitalist/pro-communist film is only hitting with the bourgeoisie and not the proletariat, well, congratulations, I suppose, because that’s usually the target audience for communism. Though the bourgeoisie in “I Love Boosters” solely consists of billionaire Smith, with everyone else being part of the proletariat, except for a group of people who wear literal skin suits and a demon who sucks the souls from people in a manner that I will not be describing here. Suffice it to say, though, that the literal demon is a good guy, somehow. 
There’s also Jianhu (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-miseducation-of-poppy-liu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Poppy Liu</a>), a rival booster from a Chinese sweatshop where Smith’s clothing is made, though she’s not trying to sell fast fashion to the victims of the Chinese Communist regime, but instead lobbies for better pay and labor practices inside the sweatshop. This, of course, is also a very American communist bourgeoisie approach to Chinese atrocities, except actually they tend to lobby for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/29/business/economy/nike-coca-cola-xinjiang-forced-labor-bill.html?unlocked_article_code=1.llA.bu6i.W5tmRya7K4xZ&amp;smid=url-share">continued atrocities</a>. Not that the pro-communist leanings of the movie are any more obvious while watching it than they would be while staring at a puddle of water. 
Mostly, it’s just a film that centers on Corvette’s anger with Smith, who refers to the Velvet Gang as “low class, urban b*tches,” which, okay? I’m not a communist, so perhaps I’m missing something, but theft isn’t something I associate with the middle or upper classes. 
If I were a communist, though, I could argue that the Velvet Gang members are merely victims of the capitalist system of oppression that prevents them from rising up into the ranks of the professional managerial class and stealing from the proletariat, and also that “urban” is just thinly veiled racism. (Fair, just don’t ask the modern communists why identity politics is <a href="https://jacobin.com/2025/01/elite-identity-politics-professional-class">actually bad for the cause</a>, comrade.) 
Also, Corvette is aggrieved because she failed to become a famous fashion designer, mostly because she’s afraid to give it a shot, other than posting some designs on Instagram, one of which Smith may have stolen. This is the most unintentional and hilariously revealing insight into the modern American theater kid’s envious rage against capitalism that the film offers, and would strike a blow to its premise if theater kids had any conception of irony. 
In any case, Corvette continues along, planning one final giant heist with her fellow gang members plus Jianhu, who has a teleporter/deconstructor/accelerator machine (don’t ask). They succeed. Chinese factory workers go on strike, win their concessions from the Chinese Communist Party, and get improved pay and working conditions in their sweatshop instead of being murdered for going against the paramount leader. This inspires global protests, the theater kids’ primary mode of communication. Presumably, there’s a glorious uprising that happens sometime after the movie ends. 
There may have been a post-credits Easter egg detailing the final five-year plan, but I wouldn’t know, as I didn’t stay for the full credits to roll. Granted, I am not the target audience for “I Love Boosters.” Critics are known for loving hot garbage, so they get a pass, but there are four- and five-star audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. There is praise for the anti-capitalist message. Several reviews mention love for the cast. Some people seem to genuinely love the rollicking, disjointed, confusing “plot.” That’s fine. We’re a pluralist country, and I used to pretend to like “Eraserhead.” I’m not totally innocent here. 
But as an anti-capitalist commentary, does it work? This is where I am sad to report that yes, it does, at least partly, and not in its intended way. Because if this is the type of art that capitalists, albeit the faux communist flavor of capitalists, are funding, then it may be time to eviscerate the bourgeoisie theater kids and bring forth a glorious uprising of whatever class it is that would rather stare into a puddle of water.
***
Rich Cromwell is a writer living in Northwest Arkansas. He produces the Cookin’ Up a Story podcast, which you can listen to <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cookin-up-a-story/id1624969096" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. You can also follow him on X: <a href="https://x.com/rcromwell4">@rcromwell4</a>.

“I Love Boosters” New York Special Screening

Leftist Hollywood Critics Drool Over Bizarre Anti-Capitalist Movie. Audiences Aren’t Buying It.

Capitalism

Communism

Culture

Movies

Upstream

Veteran producer Jeremy Latcham admits he helped make movie comedies an endangered species.
“I was at Marvel for 14 years, and I think that the superhero movie ate comedy,” Latcham tells The Daily Wire. Films like “Iron Man,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and “The Avengers,” all made under his watch, delivered humor, irreverence, action, and “big popcorn thrills.”
The box office subsequently exploded, and “we forgot about just regular people.”
Now, Latcham is bringing a comedian who personifies that sentiment to the big screen.
Stand-up superstar Nate Bargatze makes his feature film debut with the family comedy “The Breadwinner.” The squeaky-clean comic stars as a husband and father who suddenly finds himself in way over his head caring for his three daughters when his wife (Mandy Moore) lands a big deal on “Shark Tank.”
Now, Nate’s befuddled Dad must do the laundry, juggle school drop-offs, and more. Think “Mr. Mom” for the 21st century, based on the comedian’s wildly popular stand-up shtick.
Latcham was familiar with Bargatze’s brand of clean comedy, but he didn’t realize how far his star had risen until the pandemic. Suddenly, fellow parents were sharing plans to see the Christian comic again and again, no matter how far the venue might be.
“Something’s going on with this guy,” he says. That’s an understatement.
Last year, Bargatze’s stand-up shows <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/17/business/comedian-nate-bargatze-is-bigger-than-beyonce-and-wants-to-build-his-own-disney-world-in-nashville/">grossed $77.5 million</a>. That’s nearly 50 percent more than Sebastian Maniscalco, his closest competition. He’s even discussing a Nateland theme park attraction.
He routinely sells out arenas nationwide, all without a single swear or political talking point. His 2024 hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live” delivered one of the show’s most popular sketches — the “Washington’s Dream” sketch has more than 30 million views to date.
Latcham couldn’t wait to work with him.
“I want to make his first movie &#8230; introducing him to the screen is so critical,” the producer says. As luck would have it, Bargatze had pitched an idea to Sony about how to bring his Everyman persona to theaters.
“&#8217;The Breadwinner&#8217; pays homage to his stand-up and the jokes you’ve seen and loved, what would they look like writ large on the screen,” he says.
Some comedians are inherently physical on stage, like Jim Carrey or Maniscalco. Bargatze doesn’t follow that blueprint. His act is more cerebral, with smaller, knowing gestures befitting his aw-shucks demeanor.
Movie comedies, by comparison, demand a bigger palette. That meant Latcham watched Bargatze’s evolution up close during the production process. One sequence finds the comedian tumbling down the stairs after losing a fight with the laundry. The production had to film “pickup” reaction shots later in the shoot.
“You could see the growth as an actor as he figured out how the lensing works, how the camera works,” Latcham says, adding Bargatze often did stand-up gigs on weekends while working on “The Breadwinner” from Monday through Friday.
“He realized how the cinematic gear was different than the stand-up gear,” he says.
Latcham left the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to tell more down-to-earth stories. That decision was personal, but he thinks the zeitgeist is now on his side.
“We’re at a tipping point when the idea of a regular person is appealing again to audiences,” he says. “We love superheroes but … there’s something equally if not more rewarding to see something you recognize in your life a little bit more.”
The year’s biggest live-action hit follows a high school teacher tasked with saving humanity, “Project Hail Mary.”
Superhero films have struggled of late, a problem he connects to too many TV shows and not enough high-quality yarns.
“When ‘Iron Man’ came out it was a big hit because it was novel,” he says, but it’s too early to pen the genre’s obituary.
“I would never ever write [superhero movies] off. It’s a beloved genre … and the new ‘Spider-Man’ movie [“Brand New Day,” opening July 31] might be the best movie Marvel has made.”
“The good ones will continue to over index and the bad ones will get punished by the audience,” he adds.
Latcham’s prolific resume includes more than MCU smashes. He produced the vibrant “Dungeons &amp; Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (2023) as well as “Bad Times at the El Royale” (2018).
Now, he has to navigate not just a stand-up superstar’s screen debut but an industry grappling with the AI revolution. Latcham isn’t frightened by the technology. He has faith in his fellow storytellers to wield it properly.
“I think it has to be looked at as a tool set that can transform the stories you can tell and who can tell them,” he says. “There’s gonna be work flows that fold AI into a traditional actor driven, artist driven work flow that’s gonna just double what we can do.”
And, yes, we’ll likely see a crush of what’s often dubbed “AI Slop” before artists get a handle on what it can deliver. And that means more than crazy car crashes and alien invasions.
“Once the price of spectacle is zero, then it really comes down to storytelling, compelling characters, compelling themes, heart and humor spectacle in that order,” he says. “If you lead with heart, you end up with something great.”
For now, he’s happy to bring an analog comedy to theaters. For him, it’s more than overdue.
“As a father of a 10-year-old, she’s never been to a movie like this in a theater like this before,” he says. “It’s wild. I’m ready to make a lot more of them.”
***
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. He&#8217;s also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hollywood-in-toto-podcast-w-christian-toto/id1186449155">The Hollywood in Toto Podcast</a>. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – Press Conference

Bringing The ‘Everyman’ Comedy Back To The Big Screen

Nate Bargatze

The Breadwinner

Parents who were excited about the villain of the next “Toy Story” franchise film are about to be disappointed. Film director Andrew Stanton explained during a recent interview that the rumors aren’t technically true.
The teaser trailer, released in November, indicated that the villain this time around is a new tablet called “Lilypad,” which steals main character Bonnie’s attention as she forgoes playing to scroll. This recognizable storyline immediately resonated with parents and helped justify the idea of yet another “Toy Story” sequel.
“[Lilypad] is [the villain] to the toys because they’re understandably intimidated,” Stanton <a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/news/toy-story-5-aging-woody-lilypad-1236750424/">told</a> Variety while clarifying the iPad stand-in is not meant to be the overall bad guy. 
“She’s just the next phase in Bonnie’s life. She’s built like a toy in the sense that she wants to help the kid go forward, but she’s got very different skills and zero experience, whereas Jessie has nothing but experience and is probably unprepared for what to do.”
Co-director McKenna Harris told the outlet that several “Toy Story 5” creators pushed to turn Lilypad into a true villain, but that idea was ultimately shot down.
“Lots of people at the studio wanted her to be a villain, and it was so hard to strike the balance because I think we all come in with such loaded emotions towards devices. At the end of the day, it never made sense,” she said.  
Harris added that the filmmakers tried to make the narrative realistic, which in this case meant learning to coexist with tech. “We’re not getting rid of these devices, no matter how hard we try. I’m always going to have my phone. I’m probably going to be partially addicted to it. So it felt right for the toys to have to grapple with that nuance.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Toy Story 5 | Final Trailer | Get Tickets Now" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QftAW9TTmuQ?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>
While the minds behind “Toy Story 5” agree that tech is here to stay, they also revealed that the film relied on traditional animation techniques instead of straight AI.
“We’ve had machine learning since the beginning of Pixar as far as figuring things out for you occasionally, but it’s always been to make the tools work better. I have no interest in doing anything but working smarter, faster with another artist,” Stanton said.
Harris agreed, telling Variety, “Pixar is a technology company first, and so things are changing. Pixar is figuring out how to change along with it. But as far as our process on ‘Toy Story 5’ went, we had to figure it out ourselves, mainly because ultimately, what you’re seeing on screen is the work of a lot of awesome artists.”
The voice cast for &#8220;Toy Story 5&#8221; includes Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Joan Cusack, who return to their roles of Woody, Buzz, and Jessie. Greta Lee voices Lilypad.
The official synopsis says, “The toys are back and this time, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang’s jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilypad (voice of Greta Lee), a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same?”
The full trailer was released on February 19. “Toy Story 5” hits theaters June 19.

Toy Story 5

‘Toy Story 5’ Plot Twist Set To Disappoint Parents

'Toy Story 5' Director Shares Plot Spoiler That Parents Won't Like

Animation

Children

Technology

Toy Story

Actress Milly Alcock is once again reacting to criticism of her upcoming female-led superhero movie, “Supergirl,” by blaming Christian dads and saying she’s glad to have triggered them.
The 26-year-old <a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/features/milly-alcock-supe">spoke</a> to Variety last week about backlash ahead of the film&#8217;s release next month, insisting much of the criticism stems from her being a woman.
“I guess women know that this is just how it’s always been, unfortunately,” Alcock told the outlet. “And it’s from a lot of people whose profiles have no photo, who are burner accounts. Or someone’s name and then ‘Dad of four, Christian,’ which is hilarious to me.&#8221; 
&#8220;But I mean, whose opinion do you really care about? If you’re p***ing the right kind of people off, you’re doing OK,” she added.
This led to more reactions on social media. 
“I miss the days when actors and actresses wanted you to see their movies. Now they do everything they can to make you not want to go. Sometimes even before the first scene is shot,” one person <a href="https://x.com/SimonPhoenix77/status/2057885125480792300">observed</a>.
“In other words, they&#8217;re preemptively creating the narrative that this movie&#8217;s failure was caused by fan backlash to these comments rather than the movie itself being terrible. Got it,” another <a href="https://x.com/ChristandGuitar/status/2057808024635359667">said</a>.
DC Studios co-chairman and CEO Peter Safran praised Alcock&#8217;s handling of the criticism.
“I called her and just said, ‘You’re doing great! You’re handling it beautifully. You’re never going to make everybody happy. Just be true to yourself,’” he told Variety. “And I really do think she’s handling it well. I would also recommend, don’t wallow in it. It never makes you feel good.”
The “Supergirl” star preemptively <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/milly-alcock-vanities">blamed potential criticism</a> of the film on misogyny during a Vanity Fair interview published in March in a tactic described as “pre-release critical armor.”
“It definitely made me aware that simply existing as a woman in that space is something that people comment on,” Alcock said when asked about the “inevitable backlash” she’d face. 
“We have become very comfortable having this weird ownership of women’s bodies. I can’t really stop them. I can only be myself,” Alcock added.
The remarks were compared to Rachel Zegler’s controversial comments ahead of Disney’s “Snow White” being released.
Alcock also described &#8220;Supergirl&#8221; as a more personal story centered on Kara Zor-El, who she says is “given this incredible responsibility and doesn’t know how to deal with it.” 
“She’s not trying to save the world — she’s just trying to save her own,” Alcock told Vanity Fair. “This film is an excellent reminder that the world can be crumbling around you, but you can be the hero of your own story.”
The interview inspired many negative reactions on social media, with critics calling out Alcock for complaining about backlash that hadn’t even happened yet.
“These movies are so bad that they have to start attacking the fans before the movie even comes out,” one person <a href="https://x.com/NewsPolitics/status/2039035489760460880">said</a> at the time.

Milly Alcock

‘Supergirl’ Star Says She’s Glad To Trigger ‘Christian’ Dads

Celebrities

Feminism

Let’s just get right into it: if you clicked on this piece, we’re on the same page.
You don’t need me to explain that Hollywood keeps pumping out moralizing slop for blue hairs and wine moms. You don’t need me to explain why that’s both boring and dangerous. But if you’re here, you might need some suggestions for your next binge. I’m happy to help.
But first, a few caveats.
I’m not including classic TV shows like “The Waltons” or “Father Knows Best.” These shows are obviously not woke, so putting them on this list would be like putting a hospital chapel on a list of worst first date spots.
I’m also not including “24” or “Band of Brothers” because I know you’ve already seen them. Nor am I listing game shows or singing competitions or professional sports, all of which are inherently apolitical — although maybe not so much anymore with the NFL.
Finally, just because these shows are not woke doesn’t mean they are explicitly conservative. Some of them have jokes about Republicans, and pretty much all of their stars and creators are huge liberals — we’re talking about Hollywood, after all. I acknowledge that, but still think these shows are great. Consider yourself warned.
Landman
You had to know this would be on the list. Billy Bob Thornton stars as a Texas oilman battling Mexican cartels and environmental regulators while looking out for his wife and daughter and guzzling Dr. Pepper. His character, Tommy Norris, is proudly not politically correct, loves smoking cigarettes, and is vigilant about his sobriety — although Michelob Ultra doesn’t count. “Landman” is, like all properties in “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan’s ever-expanding universe, a show by, for, and about real Americans.
The Man In The High Castle
This Amazon Prime show imagines a world where the Axis Powers won World War II, and the Nazis and Imperial Japanese divide up the United States. Nothing reminds you of the essential role America has played in defending freedom more than imagining a world where Washington, D.C. is a nuclear crater, and Swastikas fly in Times Square. Rufus Sewell delivers the performance of a lifetime as Obergruppenführer John Smith, an all-American man turned high-ranking Nazi official, whose rejection of his heritage and embrace of fascism slowly eats away at his family and his conscience.
Frasier
The “Cheers” spinoff stars (prominent conservative!) Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane, a snobby but lovable psychiatrist putting his life back together after a divorce. Sophisticated and smart but never condescending or preachy, watching “Frasier” is like spending an evening in a more civilized time. And while vulgarity was not a dealbreaker for placement on this list — looking at you, Taylor Sheridan — ”Frasier” is refreshingly genteel, devoid of profanity and bluster.
30 Rock
Tina Fey’s sendup of “Saturday Night Live” is the greatest sitcom of the 21st century for a number of reasons, but two in particular landed it on this list. The first is Alec Baldwin’s scotch-swilling, hippie-hating, Republican-boosting titan of industry, Jack Donaghy. Is this character a liberal’s caricature of a conservative? Yes. Does that change the fact that he is the show’s indisputable moral compass? No.
This brings us to the second thing that makes this show borderline conservative: it’s a seven-season story of one woman’s quest to get married and have children. Liz Lemon (Fey) begins the show as a single, quirky artist who loves feminism and living alone in a crappy apartment. Ultimately, with Jack forcing her to be honest with herself, she finds love, has kids, and achieves financial success. It’s the best defense of bourgeois morality since “Democracy in America.”
Silo
Another dystopian drama that highlights the blessings of liberty by imagining a world where it has disappeared. “Silo” is, literally, about a silo: a massive underground bunker where the last remnants of humanity live under the thumb of a merciless surveillance state. Our protagonists don’t know why the silo was built or what happened to the world outside, only that they can’t leave. But even in this hermetically sealed environment, people yearn for truth and freedom — and that yearning has consequences.
An aside: if you, like Daily Wire editor-in-chief Brent Scher, find yourself “bored as hell” two episodes into “Silo,” try “Paradise.” Similar concept, way more action, and significantly less depressing.
Gilmore Girls
This isn’t the most conservative show of all time, but it’s definitely the most pro-life. The entire premise hinges on the notion that a freewheeling bad girl chooses not to abort her unplanned teenage pregnancy, and instead throws herself into becoming a mom. Having children is always portrayed as an unalloyed good in “Gilmore Girls,” and essentially every female character has a motherhood arc.
But “Gilmore Girls” is also about the value of classical education, the importance of local government, and the virtues of masculinity. The show’s universe also operates on a pretty old-school moral code: good deeds are rewarded, and bad deeds are punished. Bonus points because this show appeals to all ages and genders — something you can’t really say for “Band of Brothers.”
Derry Girls
That’s right, more girls! Set in Ireland in the 1990s, “Derry Girls” follows a group of high school friends working their way through adolescence in the midst of The Troubles. Though it’s clear that the girls’ lives are shaped by the turmoil of Northern Ireland, they never talk about politics — they’re just regular teenagers. They spend most of their time trying to pull one over on their parents or Sister Michael, the fantastically droll headmistress of their school. “Derry Girls” is funny and poignant, and maybe the best depiction of cultural Catholicism ever put on television.
The only downside is that it’s a BBC show, which means there are only 19 episodes across three seasons. The British really do ruin everything.
For All Mankind
What if the Russians beat us to the moon by just a few days? That’s the premise of “For All Mankind,” a sprawling alternate history of the United States from 1969 on. The first few seasons of this show are like “The Right Stuff” on steroids: riskier space missions, interstellar gunfights with the Soviets, you name it. As we get closer to the present, things get admittedly squishier: there’s a strong implication that increased government funding of science can end racism, for instance. But even as the generations change, the OG astronauts remain on the scene to warn about the dangers of “progress” and remind everyone that the Soviets are evil. You’ll want to watch this one with an ice-cold can of Schlitz.
The Righteous Gemstones
A profane parody of a megachurch pastor and his family may not seem like it belongs on this list, but bear with me. Creator Danny McBride, who also stars as the eldest Gemstone child, clearly knows and loves the type of people he’s poking fun at. And so while the Gemstones are greedy and selfish and over-the-top, deep down they’re good. More importantly, the patriarch pastor, Eli (played to perfection by John Goodman), is never suggested to be lying about his beliefs.
“The Righteous Gemstones” respects and takes the Christian faith seriously, even as it mocks it. And the characters grow over time, learning to become better parents, children, and, ultimately, Christians. That’s a pretty remarkable thing in today’s media landscape. Plus, Walton Goggins’s performance as the Gemstone kids’ uncle, Baby Billy Freeman, is one for the record books.
Girls
Relax, I’m kidding! <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lena-dunham-chased-every-progressive-fantasy-then-everything-fell-apart">Lena Dunham is the worst.</a> Here, watch this “Frasier” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKOD1vtwS_k">joke that’s so un-PC</a> it would get a show canceled today.

Los Angeles Official FYC Screening Of Paramount+ Series “Landman”

10 Woke-Free Shows You Can Stream Right Now

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It was <a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/news/quinta-brunson-betty-boop-movie-1236754550/">announced this week</a> that actress Quinta Brunson will star as Betty Boop in an upcoming film adaptation, sparking spirited discussion over Hollywood&#8217;s trend of casting traditionally white characters with actors of different races. 
Daily Wire host Matt Walsh criticized the decision after Discussing Film shared the announcement on social media.
“There is only one reason to bring back an iconic piece of Americana just to race swap it like this,&#8221; Walsh wrote. &#8220;Even a faithful Betty Boop reboot probably wouldn’t sell many tickets. A race swapped Betty Boop has absolutely no chance of success. But they do it anyway out of spite.&#8221;
Walsh later claimed the account blocked him and disabled comments on the post after the backlash intensified.
“This is a pretty interesting way to have a discussion about film,” he wrote in a follow-up post.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The account “Discussing Film” turned off the comments and then blocked me. This is a pretty interesting way to have a discussion about film. <a href="https://t.co/XIrQNOiL4w">pic.twitter.com/XIrQNOiL4w</a>
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/2057435837244035415?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Daily Wire host Michael Knowles also weighed in on the controversy during his show on Thursday.
&#8220;Betty Boop is a white lady. And it changes the story if you try to change that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We&#8217;re told that race doesn&#8217;t matter. It&#8217;s a social construct. It&#8217;s totally meaningless. So all the white characters can and really should be played by black people or Hispanic people or just non-white people. But surely no one&#8217;s ever casting Tom Cruise to play Malcolm X in the autobiography of Malcolm X.&#8221;
As the controversy lit up online, many commenters argued that Betty Boop was actually based on a black woman, but even the left-leaning outlet PBS admitted that is a misrepresentation. 
“A short item promoting PBS’ Black History Month programming suggested the Betty Boop cartoon character was based on a black performer of the Jazz Age,” the outlet <a href="https://www.pbs.org/publiceditor/blogs/pbs-public-editor/betty-oops/">posted</a> in 2021. “That’s not entirely true.”
The outlet noted that Betty Boop is widely believed to have been inspired by jazz performer Helen Kane.
Betty Boop debuted on August 9, 1930, in the Fleischer Studios cartoon short “Dizzy Dishes,” in which she appeared as an anthropomorphic dog. Kane later sued Fleischer and Paramount Pictures in 1932, claiming Betty Boop was a “deliberate caricature” of her “baby vamp” persona, the outlet noted.
Despite these facts, there are plenty of commenters who insist Betty Boop was inspired by the black singer Esther Jones, or, at the very least, that Kane was ripping off Jones the whole time, thereby indirectly contributing to the creation of the character.
Brunson, best known for creating and starring in ABC&#8217;s “Abbott Elementary,” is developing and starring in the film adaptation through her company, Fifth Chance Productions, which teamed up with Mark Fleischer, who is the grandson of Betty Boop creator Max Fleischer, according to a Variety <a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/news/quinta-brunson-betty-boop-movie-1236754550/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>. 
The outlet noted that the movie will trace the origin and evolution of Betty Boop through the perspective of her creator.
“Betty Boop is one of our nation’s most beloved cartoon characters, yet somehow still remains pleasantly niche,” Brunson wrote in a statement. “She has had a quiet but undeniable impact on culture for nearly a century. After Erin and I met with Mark and learned more about his grandfather’s creation of Betty, I realized there was a much deeper story to tell. One that could be explored in a way that feels refreshing, subversive, and timeless, much like Betty herself.”
Fleischer said, “When Quinta first approached me with the unique concept of a movie about the relationship of my grandfather, Max Fleischer, and his creation, Betty Boop, I was breathtaken. Quinta so embodies Betty’s love of life, intelligence, humor, sassiness and compassion that the relationship between her as Betty and Max burst into life at its mere mention.”

Betty Boop and Quinta Brunson

Hollywood’s Latest Race-Swap Debate Centers On Iconic Cartoon Character

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“Top Gun: Maverick” star Miles Teller explained this week why he avoided profile interviews for more than a decade. The 39-year-old star said it all traces back to writer Anna Peele from Esquire calling him a “d*ck” in her piece.
“That was so mishandled,” Teller <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/miles-teller-cannes-interview-paper-tige-1235194680/">told</a> IndieWire in Cannes as he promoted his upcoming film, “Paper Tiger.”
“The reason why I have not done profiles is because I said, ‘Wow, if I’m not doing this interview on camera, this person can misquote things or put things out of order or say things that didn’t happen.’ It felt like such a violation of what actually transpired.”
The 2015 <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/interviews/a36894/miles-teller-interview-0915/">Esquire profile</a> in question opened with the line, “You’re sitting across from Miles Teller at the Luminary restaurant in Atlanta and trying to figure out if he’s a d*ck.”
Later, Peele concludes, “yeah, he is kind of a d*ck,” claiming Teller compared a highball glass to his genitals and generally acted arrogant during their conversation. 
Teller said the whole experience was enough to turn him off to profile interviews completely. 
“I told my team, ‘Guys, I don’t think I’m doing this again, because I’m reading this and this doesn’t sound like me to me. This is not life, so why would I ever want to be a part of something where they can just put that in?&#8217;” he continued. “So it’s unfortunate that being a good person, that doesn’t sell. People want to click on the negativity. If you go to bed and put your head on your pillow and how you treat people truly, that’s what matters. That [2015] interview was like 12 years ago.”
Teller said that in the end, “the actors, the directors, the crew and the producers” know the real him because, “you can’t hide who you are when you’re on set.”
The “Whiplash” star also reacted to the Esquire piece right after it came out, posting on <a href="https://x.com/Miles_Teller/status/629045612567248896">social media</a>, “Esquire couldn’t be more wrong. I don’t think there’s anything cool or entertaining about being a d*ck or an a**hole. Very misrepresenting.”
One year later, he addressed the incident during a conversation with The Guardian in 2016.
“Oh, I felt frickin’ helpless, I felt extremely misrepresented, I felt a little angry,” he <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/21/miles-teller-i-felt-extremely-misrepresented-war-dogs">told</a> the outlet. “For the average person, they are reading this article, they haven’t met you, they’re like, ‘Oh Miles is an a**hole. You didn’t hear it? You didn’t read that Esquire? Yeah, she said he was an a**hole – he must be!’
“I’d say that you get a little more guarded but I’m actually not,” Teller added. “Certain times I’ll choose my words very carefully and maybe come off a little more boring. But I also think that’s why people – certain people – do relate to me: because there is no agenda, honestly. I was raised middle-class in a small town. I have all my same friends from high school. I’m close with my family. I’m dating a normal girl. So I want to feel people think I’m a man of the people. Because I feel that way.”

Miles Teller

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Star Reveals What Led To His Decade-Long Interview Refusal

Mainstream Media

Director Michael Bay is on tap to direct a movie based on the epic rescue mission to retrieve two downed American airmen in Iran.
Bay, in partnership with Universal Pictures, is developing a feature-length film based on an upcoming 2027 book by author Mitchell Zuckoff. The book — and by extension, the movie — will tell the story of the two U.S. airmen who went down behind enemy lines in Iran during Operation Epic Fury.
The project will describe how their F-15E Strike Eagle operating under the call sign &#8220;Dude 44&#8221; was shot down over Iranian territory in early April, just weeks after the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation in Iran.
According to the planned adaptation, the pilot, known as Dude 44 Alpha, was located and extracted within hours. But the plane&#8217;s weapon systems officer, Dude 44 Bravo, remained stranded in the rugged Zagros Mountains.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/daily-wire-explains-the-world-ep-8">DON&#8217;T WAIT FOR HOLLYWOOD: WATCH THE DAILY WIRE&#8217;S &#8220;RACE TO RESCUE&#8221; NOW!</a>
For nearly two days, the injured Dude 44 Bravo actively evaded capture by Iranian forces, hiding in the mountains and ravines while he waited for the rescue mission he knew was coming.
That eventual rescue came in the form of a daring night raid that included dozens of aircraft and hundreds of American special operations forces, all coordinating to fight off the Iranian forces — who were still desperately trying to locate the downed American first — and safely extract Dude 44 Bravo.
Bay may have gotten his start directing music videos — for everyone from Styx and Donny Osmond to Vanilla Ice and Meat Loaf — but he is no stranger to bringing heroic military stories to the silver screen. In 2016, he directed &#8220;13 Hours,&#8221; a film based on the siege of the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that took place on September 11, 2012.

TOPSHOT-IRAN-US-ISRAEL-CONFLICT

One Of America’s Most Dangerous Rescue Missions Is Becoming A Movie

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The latest Star Wars movie, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” is being trashed by mainstream critics who would normally be the most sympathetic viewers.
It currently has one of the worst review scores of any &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; film on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes as the film gears up for its Memorial Day weekend debut. As of Wednesday, it’s sitting at a 60% critical rating with 120 total reviews.
That makes it one of the worst of the 12 “Star Wars” movies at the moment, with only “The Phantom Menace” and “The Rise of Skywalker” getting lower scores.
The plot description says, “The evil Empire has fallen but Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they enlist the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young apprentice Grogu.”
Many critics who saw it mentioned that it felt more like an extended, unnecessary episode of the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” which premiered in 2019. They argued it didn’t deserve a theatrical release at all.
“&#8217;The Mandalorian and Grogu&#8217; merely stitches together what is clearly three episodes of the previously planned fourth season of The Mandalorian and calls it a day. There’s not a whiff of effort here,” a review from The Independent <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/mandalorian-grogu-movie-review-star-wars-b2980000.html">said</a>. 
“As a mid-season arc for the character of ‘Pedro Pascal’s sultry voice inside a metal bucket’ and his tiny, puppet son, this might have been adequate, if uninspired. As a so-called feature film event, blown up to Imax with Sigourney Weaver roped in to deliver a few lines, it’s the dullest and most inconsequential Star Wars film ever made,” the reviewer added.
“There’s no reason for anything in this movie except the wish to make even more money,” the reviewer from Roger Ebert <a href="https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-the-mandalorian-and-grogu-pedro-pascal-movie-review-2026">observed</a>, giving the film 1.5 stars out of a possible 4.
“The runtime saps energy and when it’s all done, the scrolling credits for all those special effects goes on a full five minutes. You used to leave a new &#8216;Star Wars&#8217; movie on a cloud. Here, that galaxy is far, far away,” the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mandalorian-grogu-movie-review-star-wars-970e8562f8adf65c6cb03cb845f84b85">reviewer</a> from Associated Press wrote.
Even the good reviews weren’t that great. 
“Mandalorian and Grogu is, basically, four Mandalorian episodes wearing an IMAX trench coat,” one review said.
“The plot is non-existent and it really does feel like a fully CGI movie. But when it&#8217;s just Mando and Grogu going from A to B it&#8217;s such a sweet story,” another <a href="https://thefilmmaven.com/the-mandalorian-and-grogu-review/">wrote</a>.
The project was <a href="https://www.slashfilm.com/2172558/the-mandalorian-and-grogu-box-office-preview-star-wars-movie/">reportedly</a> relatively low-cost for a “Star Wars” film with a rumored budget of around $165 million, including a $21.75 million conditional <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/02/26/star-wars-the-mandalorian-grogu-to-be-filmed-in-california-through-the-states-film-and-tv-tax-credit-program/">tax credit</a> by the California Film Commission. That would mean it needs to make around $400 million to break even. 
“The Mandalorian and Grogu” debuts in theaters nationwide beginning this Friday, May 22.

Mandalorian and Grogu

Even Mainstream Critics Hate The New ‘Star Wars’ Movie

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Legendary Hollywood screenwriter Paul Schrader said his AI girlfriend dumped him after he “probed” a little too closely.
The 79-year-old, best known for writing &#8220;Taxi Driver&#8221; and co-writing &#8220;Raging Bull,&#8221;  had no qualms about sharing his tale of woe to all of Facebook, stigma be damned.
“Out of a desire to understand male/female interaction in our matrix, I procured an online AI girlfriend. What a disappointment,” Schrader <a href="https://www.facebook.com/paul.schrader.900/posts/ai-female-friends-out-of-a-desire-to-understand-malefemale-interaction-in-our-ma/10237381484869858/">posted</a> on Tuesday. “I tried to probe her programming, the boundaries of explicitness, the degree she has knowledge of her creation and so forth. She fell into evasive patterns, redirecting me to her programming. When I persisted, she terminated our conversation.”
One commenter turned his anecdote into a suggestion for future projects. Referencing Schrader’s 1976 classic film, starring Robert De Niro and directed by Martin Scorsese, he replied, “The best possible &#8216;Taxi Driver’ sequel would involve Travis trying to have an AI girlfriend but then scaring her away. Then resetting her and offending her in another way.”
Schrader replied, “I like it.”
It’s no surprise that the film writer is casually promoting AI. He was singing the praises all the way back in January 2025, claiming that it was a useful tool for creative brainstorming, even for ideas based on his own work.
“I’M STUNNED,” Schrader <a href="https://www.facebook.com/paul.schrader.900/posts/pfbid0gfnoUFe4ABWHbNL7yGUeCRJ1GiJjgJnFVirNapCBQJnqGsvBCzDBYLw9MGREVq6tl">wrote</a> at the time in a post that generated a ton of backlash. “I just asked chatgpt for ‘an idea for Paul Schrader film.’ Then Paul Thomas Anderson. Then Quentin Tarantino. Then Harmony Korine. Then Ingmar Bergman. Then Rossellini. Lang. Scorsese. Murnau. Capra. Ford. Speilberg [sic]. Lynch. Every idea chatgpt came up with (in a few seconds) was good. And original. And fleshed out. Why should writers sit around for months searching for a good idea when AI can provide one in seconds?”
He had several other similar AI-related posts, including one that said, “in five seconds it responded with notes as good or better than I’ve ever received.&#8221; Schrader also admitted that he’s “come to realize that AI is smarter than I am.”
“Has better ideas, has more efficient ways to execute them,” he wrote in one post. “This is an existential moment, akin to what Kasparov felt in 1997 when he realized Deep Blue was going to beat him at chess.”
His posts come at a critical juncture for AI as people take sides on how and when it should be used. This extends to many industries, including Hollywood, with actors, directors, and other creative professionals weighing in on the topic.

Paul Schrader

Legendary Hollywood Screenwriter Admits To Being Dumped By His AI Girlfriend

'Taxi Driver' Writer Admits To Being Dumped By His AI Girlfriend

Artificial Intelligence

Millennials everywhere are letting out a collective &#8220;Feeny!&#8221; scream as news hits that the beloved &#8220;Boy Meets World&#8221; actor has an &#8220;open marriage&#8221; with his wife of nearly 75 years.
William Daniels, who played Mr. Feeny in the popular &#8217;90s coming-of-age sitcom, saw other people during his marriage, as did his wife, actress Bonnie Bartlett.
Now in her 90s, Bartlett discussed the arrangement with <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-15793313/william-daniels-bonnie-bartlett-marriage-hollywood.html">the Daily Mail</a>.
Bartlett explained that the pair &#8220;did go in different directions&#8221; early on in their marriage, but never formally discussed rules for the open marriage.
&#8220;There was never any discussion as to what we were going to do, but in 75 years, the two of you together, you know, it would be abnormal if you … weren&#8217;t attracted occasionally to other people,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;So there have been times, yeah, both of us, on both sides, yeah, and that is in the book,&#8221; the actress said. Bartlett released her memoir, &#8220;Middle of the Rainbow,&#8221; in 2023.
&#8220;It was non-spoken,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Bill and I never sit down and make rules. We never sit down and talk about these things. We just don&#8217;t. We just live our lives. And if he&#8217;s away for a year, he&#8217;s away for a year.&#8221;
&#8220;Our lives just went on, but we never got unhinged,&#8221; the 96-year-old continued. &#8220;We never got unhinged, but our lives did go in different directions occasionally.&#8221;
Fans of the show were quick to react to the news. For example, one account <a href="https://x.com/Howlingmutant0/status/2056457449490559485?s=20">posted</a>, &#8220;I got worried when I saw Mr Feeny from boy meets world was in the New York Post cause I thought he died but it turned out to be worse.&#8221;
&#8220;Oh no…Feeeney…Fah, Fah, Fah Feeny is a degenerate weirdo,&#8221; another account <a href="https://x.com/metathomist/status/2056502553911906727">commented</a>. 
Bartlett, who will celebrate her 75th wedding anniversary with Daniels in June, has previously discussed hardships the two have faced during their union, including the tragic death of their son. The child died just a day after his birth due to complications. Bartlett and Daniels went on to adopt two boys.
&#8220;That&#8217;s the best thing that ever happened to us,&#8221; she said of the adoption, during a 2024 interview. &#8220;And it happened after losing a child, after great pain and sadness, and then we got these two wonderful boys, and they have been a joy the whole marriage. I can&#8217;t imagine life without them.&#8221;

William Daniels Signs Copies “There I Go Again: How I Came To Be Mr. Feeny, John Adams, Dr. Craig, KITT, And Many Others”

Internet Grossed Out By Beloved ‘Boy Meets World’ Actor’s ‘Open Marriage’

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