“It feels like we’re all James Bond strapped to the table, and the laser is slowly inching toward our crotch, and it’s like, ‘enough about your evil plot to conquer Greenland. Just zap America’s junk off already,'” he added.

Colbert then brought up how the Village People will be performing at Trump’s inauguration, “leading many to ask why,” Colbert joked, pronouncing “why” like the syllable “Y” in the chorus of the Village People song “YMCA.”

“This is a big change of heart for the for the village people, given that in 2020 they demanded Trump stop using their music,” Colbert explained. “Evidently, the band is trying to go in a new direction, and that direction is toward money. Because a few weeks ago, this was a few weeks ago, lead singer Victor Willis posted that he will sue every news organization that falsely refers to YMCA as a gay anthem.”

Quoting Willis directly, Colbert said, “This must stop, because it is damaging to the song. Yes, for once and for all, ladies and gentlemen, YMCA is not gay. Where did that even come from? It’s off the famously straight, actual Village People album ‘Cruisin'”, packed with hetero hits like “Hot Cop,” “My Roommate” and simply, “I’m a Cruiser.”

Colbert didn’t get into it, but a few additional things to note about this. First, Willis is indeed a founding member of the Village People, but he didn’t create the band. That was the work of French music producer Jacques Morali, a gay man who was specifically inspired to assemble what would become the Village People by the costume balls thrown in the gay disco scene of New York City. He also wrote or co-wrote most of the band’s iconic hits, including “Go West,” “In the Navy,” “Macho Man” and, yes, “YMCA,” among many others.

These songs weren’t intended to be expressly political, but they were written to appeal to both heterosexual and queer listeners, and they’re filled with deliberate innuendo. They also inspired generations of queer artists who would later help break numerous barriers, including Pet Shop Boys, who had a major hit with a cover of “Go West” in 1994.

Sadly, Morali, died from complications of AIDS in 1991 when he was only 44 years old. Willis, who co-wrote Village People hits with Morali including “YMCA,” is now the sole original member left. It’s not clear why he’s denying the context of the songs he performs or the life and reality of the man who made him a star.

Anyway, later in the monologue, Colbert also discussed the release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on Donald Trump’s attempts to overthrow the government in 2021 and reverse the outcome of the 2020 election. His assessment was suitably bleak.

“When people find out what Trump did, his chances of being re elected two months ago are going to be pretty slim,” Colbert joked. “Okay, the report has a bold claim in it. Smith says if Donald Trump hadn’t won the presidential election in November, the Justice Department would have had ample evidence to convict him at trial. It’s all true, and you can see it dramatized in the new Marvel series. ‘What if anything mattered anymore?'”

Watch the full monologue below:

The post Stephen Colbert Jokes Waiting for Trump’s Inauguration is Like Being ‘James Bond Strapped to the Table’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

“You know, as if these fires weren’t enough to deal with, we also have a ton of misinformation going around. Some of it is nuts. My brother was at the market near his neighborhood which is in a fire and evacuation zone. He started talking to a lady in line who honestly believed that Diddy started the fires.”

“Diddy, who is in prison in New York. Somehow managed to start the fires. And she believed this. I looked it up, I was like, ‘where did she get this?’ and guess what? It came from TikTok,” Kimmel explained. “There’s a story going around on TikTok that says the fires were started on purpose by ‘elites.’ who intend to destroy P Diddy’s pedophile escape tunnels because they’re evidence.”

“This is something real people believe. Never mind the fact, if you look at a map, you’ll see that these bonehead ‘elites,’ somehow managed to burn everything but Diddy’s house,” Kimmel continued. “I don’t know if they’re closing in on him or what the plan is, but thank God fire isn’t fueled by stupid or this country would be one giant Olympic torch right now.”

Elsewhere in the monologue, Kimmel also mentioned the Special Counsel report on Trump’s attempts to violently overturn the 2020 election results. He wasn’t optimistic.

“It’s a mountain of evidence, details the unconstitutional and criminal behavior we all already knew he did when we re-elected him. The special counsel uncovered so much evidence, they had to split the report into two volumes, like Cher’s autobiography,” Kimmel said. “And yet, nothing will come of it.”

See the whole monologue below:

The post Jimmy Kimmel Says if Misinfo Fueled Fires America ‘Would Be One Giant Olympic Torch’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

“Skeleton Crew” ended finally revealing whether or not Jod (Jude Law) was a Jedi or just good with tricks — along with a final showdown between At Attin and the pirates.

With Jod pretending to be an Emissary and a Jedi — thanks to that handy lightsaber Wim found — the episode kicked off with the parents fully believing their kids had been picked up and delivered by a good samaritan.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. But the finale did manage to answer a number of questions regarding Jod’s possible past as a Jedi along with finally revealing who the faceless Supervisor (Stephen Fry) who oversees the “Great Work” really is.

Here’s what you need to know about what happened in the “Skeleton Crew” season finale.

How did “Skeleton Crew” end?

The finale found Jod, along with Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and her mom Fara (Kerry Condon), face to face with the mysterious Supervisor. Like nearly everything else on At Attin, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that the Supervisor is just a giant droid. Jod tries to pull a fast one on the droid by saying he’s both an Emissary and a Jedi but the Supervisor reveals the last message they got from the Republic was all Jedi were traitors — which means they hadn’t heard much from the outside world since Order 66.

Jod destroys the Supervisor which cuts all power throughout the city. Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), KB (Kyriana Kratter) and Wim’s dad Wendle (Tunde Adebimpe) realize they need to get to the Onyx Cinder to get back outside the Barrier protecting the planet, so they can call Kh’yym (Alia Shawkat) to send X-Wings to fight the pirates — who managed to get through the Barrier on the second ship after Jod threatened Fern’s mom.

The four race through town as the pirates start to tear it apart. They get to the ship and learn it’s locked to the landing pad and can only be released through power. Wim and his dad sneak up to the Supervisor tower where Jod, Fern and Fara are. Wim comes out and distracts Jod by saying they already called the X-Wings and “Jedi Army” to come stop him. Jod doesn’t take the bait and informs him the Jedi are gone. All this still does the trick because it burns enough time for Wendle to get to the power and turn it back on so KB can leave the planet. She flies past the barrier and contacts Kh’yym who says she’s sending the New Republic to help. Before KB can warn her about the Barrier she’s shot out of the sky and seems to crash before regaining control.

Back in the tower, Wim and Fern realize they can turn the entire Barrier off with a switch. Wim makes a move for it while Wendle goes for Jod. He uses the Force to push the father to the ground and threaten him again with the lightsaber until Wim agrees to let go of the lever.

Jod says he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He just wants the people of At Attin to continue their Great Work making credits using the mint — only for him. This diatribe is interrupted when Wendle punches Jod forcing him to drop the lightsaber. Wim goes for the lightsaber and Wendle goes for the barrier. Jod tries to use the Force to stop them both but with Fern helping Wim hold onto the saber Jod focuses on stopping Wendle. He’s going to be able to keep the Barrier closed until Fara comes in and helps turn it off. The Barrier disappears and the people of At Attin see the stars for the first time in forever just as the New Republic shows up to make short work of the pirates.

The parents and their kids leave with Wim looking back at Jod who remains in the tower watching his pirate ship crash to the planet. The kids reunite with Neel and find that KB — and SM-33 who also is still alive despite being decapitated by Jod last episode — managed to survive and is laying in a pile of credits.

With the final moments, Wim looks up through the roof of the destroyed assessment room at the New Republic arriving to save At Attin. The Jedi might not be as real as he hoped, but it certainly seems like Wim has a new path forward for himself.

Was Jod a Jedi or not?

The answer is a bit of yes and a bit of no. Jod reveals that he grew up in the streets living meal to meal until a Jedi found him. She told him he had a lot of potential and took him to be trained in the Force. That training didn’t last incredibly long before Order 66 came about and the Jedi were wiped out as Sidious took control and began the Empire.

Jod is yet another in a growing list of Younglings and apprentices who watched their masters gunned down while they were still learning what it meant to be a Jedi. Unlike others who lived through a similar fate like Kanan Jarrus and Cal Kestis, it seems like Jod took what he learned and leaned into the darkness of the galaxy and became a pirate.

Was there a post-credit scene?

No. There was no post-credit scene at the end of “Skeleton Crew.” There were a number of unanswered questions that a potential Season 2 could address however. Chief among them being: What will the future of the kids be? What happens to Jod? Why was there so much mystery around At Attin and it’s connected planets?

All episodes of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” are now streaming on Disney+. The show has not been renewed for Season 2.

The post ‘Skeleton Crew’ Ending Explained: Was Jod a Jedi or Not? appeared first on TheWrap.

A recreation of the office from the Apple TV+ series was placed inside a glass box in the center of the high-traffic train station, but the set piece pop-up was not the only surprise in store for fans. Several cast members, including producer and star Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette, Trammell Tillman and Zach Cherry, among others, entered the office as their characters from the show.

Executive producer and director of the series Ben Stiller posted a video of the installation to his social accounts Tuesday, including one video of Scott mopping the office floor. 

Grand Central right now. #Severance pic.twitter.com/VBcFzi4Bh3

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) January 14, 2025

Earlier in the day, social accounts said they spotted “Lumon employees” working in the cubicles inside the performance art piece. Stiller reposted one post to X, saying “rush hour should be interesting.”

Four hours later, the producer updated his social media with a picture of Scott sitting at his desk inside the exhibit.

Users online said the performance art installation went on for at least an hour. A banner displayed in Grand Central Station, promoting the show, said the exhibit will be active in Vanderbilt Hall Jan. Tuesday and Wednesday.  

Apple did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

See several fan POV’s of the exhibit below:

@darbydkgirl This is why I love New York City. Severance pop up in grand central #severanceappletv #severance #grandcentral #severancepopup ♬ Main Titles – Theodore Shapiro

@carewatkins I love NYC for reasons like this! #severancetvshow #nyc #appletv #BenStiller #AdamScott #GrandCentral ♬ Main Titles – Theodore Shapiro

@austin_jace Grand Central bringing out the stars for Season 2 of #Severance #nyc #newyork #appletv #apple #fyp #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp ♬ Main Titles – Theodore Shapiro

https://t.co/gTE3eORG87 pic.twitter.com/AkQU2tpCOR

— Lumon Industries (@LumonIndustries) January 14, 2025

“Severance” Season 2 will premiere on Apple TV+ Jan. 17.

The post Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette and ‘Severance’ Co-Stars Pop Up in Grand Central to Promote Season 2 | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

The move comes amid the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires and nearly one week since the first delay was announced. A date for the ceremony will be confirmed later, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation.

On Jan. 8, the Critics Choice Awards delayed its 30th ceremony due to the wildfires in the spreading Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Originally scheduled for Jan. 12, the ceremony was pushed to Jan. 26.

At the time, the rescheduled event was set to remain at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, and was expected to broadcast live on E! before being made available to stream on Peacock the next day. Location and broadcast details were not immediately available in the awards’ second delay.

“This unfolding tragedy has already had a profound impact on our community,” CCA CEO Joey Berlin said Jan. 8 of the unfolding catastrophe of the wildfires. “All our thoughts and prayers are with those battling the devastating fires and with all who have been affected.”

The post Critics Choice Awards Postponed for 2nd Time, Citing LA Wildfires appeared first on TheWrap.

“I remember calling Steve and said, ‘Hey, crazy idea. What do you think if we all go back and do ‘Secret Wars?'” Joe Russo told Empire Magazine in a joint interview with his co-director and screenwriter. “You were like, ‘F—k no. Absolutely not.’ And then you hung up. And the next morning at 7:30 you called and were like, ‘Alright, I have an idea.'”

Joe and Anthony Russo said they’d had many conversations with the Marvel camp over the years about new storylines, but the “Secret Wars” arc stuck.

“’Endgame’ was the end, and it took a little time for us to begin to think about it as something other than an end … Really what happened was, we ended up stumbling upon an idea that activated all of us,” Anthony Russo said. “You couldn’t see it coming until it came, and once it came it was like, ‘Well, that’s a story we need to tell.'”

As TheWrap previously reported, the Russos are set to direct the fifth and sixth film installment to the “Avengers” universe. McPheely, who co-wrote the Russos’ previous Marvel films with Christopher Markus, will write the screenplays for both movies. TheWrap learned exclusively that Chris Evans, who starred as Captain America, will return as part of the cast for “Doomsday,” though the exact nature of his role is unknown. “Avengers” alum Robert Downey Jr. will make a comeback with the franchise, where he will star as famed villain Doctor Doom.

“Avengers: Doomsday” is slated for release on May 1, 2026.

The post ‘Secret Wars’ Screenwriter First Told the Russos ‘F—k No’ to MCU Movie, but Changed His Mind the Next Day appeared first on TheWrap.

The suit states that because Disney owns ESPN, it “has a chokehold over sports programming in the United Staters” and “extract monopoly rents” forcing streaming services to carry non-ESPN content that they don’t want.

“These anticompetitive tactics restrain competition from rivals to Disney’s Hulu in the SLPTV market and force independent streaming services such as Fubo to charge higher prices to their customers than they would in a free market,” the complaint reads.

The suit further states, “Fubo readily admits that it had to nearly double the prices it charges to consumers as a result of Defendant’s anticompetitive conduct. These higher prices, which consumers (such as Fubo consumers) pay for streaming platforms, harm both consumers and competition alike.”

Disney announced on Friday that it was merging Hulu with rival Fubo, effectively ending the planned Venu service from Disney Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery.

A court previously blocked Venu’s release, stating that the bundle “uniformly and systematically imposed on each distributor in the live pay TV industry except the JV, preventing any other distributor from offering a multi-channel sports-focused streaming service.”

The post  Fubo Subscriber Sues Disney for Antitrust Violations After Venu Shutdown appeared first on TheWrap.

When it came to what Kelly called Kaine’s “holier than though” reproach to Hegseth over his alleged history with extramarital affairs, she thought it was a moment of the pot calling the kettle black, considering the politician was once Hillary Clinton’s running mate.

“This guy with his holier than thou on the cheating allegations of what he did … [He] was Hillary Clinton’s running mate,” Kelly exclaimed on her “Megyn Kelly Show” podcast. “So this, this man was fine with Bill Clinton. This man who wants us to believe any extra marital activity is abhorrent to him. He’s disgusted by it, that’s the same Tim Kaine.”

Watch the full “Megyn Kelly Show” segment below:

Kelly was referring to Kaine’s previous position as Clinton’s vice presidential running mate in 2016, when Clinton made her bid for the White House as the Democratic nominee before losing to Donald Trump. Because Kaine teamed up with Clinton — an arena that saw him getting chummy with her husband and former President Bill Clinton, who had a highly publicized extramarital sex scandal of his own — Kelly seemed to think that the politician’s opinion on extramarital affairs was one-sided.

Kelly — who attended Hegseth’s hearing in person — said Kaine was “disgusting” to watch and listen to.

“Tim Kaine, who literally pulled out the old, ‘How long have you been beating your wife,'” Kelly said. “It was stunning. We know the allegations against Pete, we know that Pete has been a serial cheater on his wives, that is known. OK, so that’s fair game. I guess if you want to go there, you can go there … But ‘how long have you been beating your wife,’ is defamatory. Not literally, because you can’t sue senators for what they’re saying in this context. But my point is, that was so below the belt for Tim Kaine.”

Kaine was one of the many politicians who grilled Hegseth Tuesday as part of his confirmation hearing to become President-elect Trump’s secretary of defense. He was questioned about the slew of allegations against him, including sexual assault, excessive drinking and his marital affairs.

The post Megyn Kelly Slams Tim Kaine’s ‘Holier Than Thou’ Treatment of Pete Hegseth Affairs Since He Worked With Hillary Clinton | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Reynolds, is, of course, married to Lively, who sued Baldoni for sexual harassment on the set of the domestic abuse drama “It Ends With Us” last month. While Baldoni has not yet sued Lively directly, his lawyer last week promised to sue the actress “into oblivion.”

On Jan. 7, the actor sent a letter to Marvel’s Kevin Feige and Disney chief Bob Iger asking them to hand over “any and all documents relating to the development of the ‘Nicepool’ character” in addition to “communications relating to the development, writing, and filming of storylines and scenes featuring ‘Nicepool.’”

In the superhero movie, Reynolds appears as a version of the character known as “Nicepool,” the polar opposite of the snarky Deadpool.

At one point, Nicepool compliments Ladypool (played by Lively) for “snapping back” into shape after giving birth. Among Lively’s allegations against Baldoni is that he fat-shamed her during the making of “It Ends With Us,” which was filmed shortly after she had given birth.

The ultra-nice character also jokingly asks for an intimacy coordinator in one scene: Lively alleged that Baldoni, who also directed “It Ends With Us,” had  “inserted improvised gratuitous sexual content and/or scenes involving nudity” into the film.

Baldoni has filed a $250 million suit against the New York Times for defamation over the Dec. 21 article, “We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” about the alleged campaign to “tarnish” Lively after she accused him of misconduct.

Disney acquired rights to Deadpool, as well as the X-Men franchise, when it purchased 20th Century Fox in 2019.

Variety first reported this story.

The post Justin Baldoni Accuses Ryan Reynolds of Modeling ‘Deadpool’ Character After Him to ‘Mock, Harass’ in  Litigation Letter to Disney appeared first on TheWrap.

The SEC’s lawsuit said that, by not disclosing he was buying up shares, it allowed Musk to “underpay by at least $150 million” for shares he purchased after his financial beneficial ownership report was due.

SEC rules would have required Musk to disclose he surpassed a 5% ownership stake within 10 calendar days; the SEC said Musk did not disclose he reached that mark until 11 days after the deadline.

Musk ultimately bought Twitter — which he later renamed X — for $44 billion in late 2022.

Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Musk, told Reuters his client “has done nothing wrong and everyone see this sham for what it is.”

The SEC is looking for Musk to pay a civil fine and to pay “disgorgement of his unjust enrichment as a result of his violation.”

Musk is set to become the co-head of president-elect Donald Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) when Trump retakes office on Jan. 20.

You can read the full lawsuit by clicking here.

The post SEC Sues Elon Musk Over X Purchase, Says He Acquired Shares at ‘Artificially Low Prices’ appeared first on TheWrap.