‘Love Island USA’ villa. (Peacock/Ben Symons/Peacock)
A Love Island USA executive producer has died during production on the reality dating show’s eighth season.
Peacock said in a press release Monday that executive producer James Barker died last week in Fiji, where the reality show is currently being filmed, “after suffering an unexpected medical emergency.”
“James’ unimaginable loss has been deeply felt across not just the entire ‘Love Island USA’ production, but throughout all of ITV and Peacock,” Peacock and ITV America, which produces the reality series, said in a joint statement. “He was a beloved and greatly valued member of our collective family whose kindness, talent and dedication left an indelible mark on all of us and everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to James’ partner, family, friends and colleagues.”
Peacock and ITV America said that Barker will be honored on Tuesday’s episode of Love Island USA.
According to the press release, Barker started his television career in 2011 at Leftfield Pictures, where he was a producer on shows including Counting Cars, Forged in Fire and Pawn Stars. He also produced Queer Eye while working for ITV America.
Barker started working on Love Island USA in 2020 as a story producer and worked his way up to executive producer, according to the press release. He went on to produce numerous seasons of Love Island USA and Love Island Games.
Outside of television, Peacock and ITV America said Barker was passionate about music and “spent 20 years DJ’ing across the country building a dedicated following of fans.”
Barker is survived by his partner, Adam, whom he met at one of his shows, according to Monday’s press release.
Love Island USA season 8 kicked off June 2 with Ariana Madix returning as host. New episodes arrive daily, except on Wednesdays.
Portrait of Joni Mitchell in London, 1970. (Photo by Dick Barnatt/Redferns)/Amanda Seyfried arrives at Hotel Excelsior during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 01, 2025 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Many people thought Amanda Seyfried was auditioning to play Joni Mitchell when she showed off her dulcimer skills by performing the singer’s tune “California” during a March 2025 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. It turns out Seyfried actually learned to play the instrument because she had already been cast to play Joni on screen.
In a new interview with British GQ, Seyfried reveals she was supposed to play Joni in a film about her and her manger Elliot Roberts, which wound up not happening.
As part of her prep for the role, Seyfried spent time with Joni at her home in Los Angeles, where they shared a steak dinner and listened to Joni’s iconic album Blue together. Seyfried adds that during the meeting, Joni “told me a lot of stories.”
For the role, Seyfried committed herself to learning how to play all the songs on Blue, along with other Joni classics like “Both Sides Now.” She tells the mag she “f****** wept” the day she finished learning the last song.
“I felt like a bona fide musician, like I belong here,” she says. “I felt like I had put my own flag on the top of the mountain. Because it was a f***** mountain, I tell you.”
Writer/director Cameron Crowe is currently working on a Joni biopic, which will reportedly star Meryl Streep as Joni in her later years.
As for whether she had a chance to be in Crowe’s film, Seyfried tells the mag, “Apparently a lot of people reached out to Cameron Crowe and were like, ‘What the f*** are you doing, dude?'” She noted, “I don’t know what he said, but from my knowledge, his version is, she’s really young and then she’s older.”
Tom Holland and Zendaya attend the ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ photocall at Four Seasons Hotel on June 15, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images)
Tom Holland and Zendaya made promoting their new movie look like a casual date moment.
The duo, who both star in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, posed for photographers during a photocall for the film in Madrid on Monday.
They both wore black, with Holland donning a black suit with a pop of red and Zendaya opting for a black strapless fringed dress.
Zendaya’s longtime stylist, Law Roach, shared on Instagram that Zendaya’s dress was by designer Christian Cowan. He also accessorized her look with details from Rolex and Stéfère Jewelry.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will arrive in movie theaters on July 31. It’s the 38th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The upcoming Destin Daniel Cretton-directed film is the fourth Spidey solo adventure starring Holland and Zendaya, after 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home and 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.
According to a synopsis for Brand New Day, it follows Peter Parker, who fights crime “full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him” in wake of the events of No Way Home.
The film also stars Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando and Mark Ruffalo.
Holland and Zendaya’s photo moment was their first red carpet together since 2021, when they were promoting No Way Home.
Since then, other outlets have confirmed their engagement after Zendaya was photographed wearing a large diamond ring at the 2025 Golden Globes.
At the 2026 Actor Awards, Roach told Access Hollywood on the red carpet that the “wedding has already happened. You missed it.”
When asked by a reporter if that was true, Roach replied, “It’s very true.”
ABC News reached out to a representative for Holland and Zendaya at the time.
Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News and Good Morning America.
Netflix is getting in on the hockey romance action.
The streaming service is set to air an adaptation of Hannah Grace’s popular college hockey love story, Icebreaker.
The story follows aspiring Olympic figure skater Anastasia Allen, who’s forced to share a rink with NHL prospect Nate Hawkins.
Gossip Girl’s Amanda Lasher is on board as showrunner and will co-write the series with Jade Bartlett. Alex Cooper’s Unwell Productions is producing.
“I have been a fan of steamy YA since the seventh grade, reading Judy Blume stealthily hidden behind a textbook,” Lasher says. “I love this genre, and it’s been a joy working with Jade, the team at Unwell, and Netflix to bring Hannah Grace’s beloved Icebreaker novel to the screen.”
The series will follow other recent successful hockey romance adaptations, including Crave/HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry and Prime Video’s Off Campus.
Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez in season 5 of ‘Only Murders in the Building.’ (Disney/Patrick Harbron)
Only Murders in the Building could fill a building with the guest stars for season 6.
Even more names have been added to the cast for the Hulu whodunnit series, which heads to London for the new season. Among them are former Doctor Who stars David Tennant and Jodie Whittaker and Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlin.
Jim Broadbent, Richard Ayoade, Adrian Lukis and Kathryn Hunter are also on the roster.
Coughlin wrote on Instagram of the gig, “The nicest summer job I’ve ever had including that one year I sold sweets from a shed!!”
As previously reported, season 6 will also feature Coughlin’s Bridgerton co-star Simone Ashley, as well as Sharon Horgan, Absolutely Fabulous star Jennifer Saunders, Spice Girls’ Geri Halliwell Horner, Martin Freeman and Heartstopper’s Rhea Norwood, among others.
The 10-episode sixth season finds the crime-solving trio of Charles, Oliver and Mabel trading in New York City for London in order to solve a new mystery. It’s currently in production in the U.K.
Only Murders in the Building stars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.
Disney is the parent company of Hulu and ABC News.
Promo art for new Netflix series, ‘Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.’ (Netflix)
Tyra Banks is taking legal action against Netflix, alleging that the streaming giant misrepresented her in its recent docuseries examining the legacy of America’s Next Top Model.
According to a federal lawsuit filed Saturday in California, Banks claimed her appearance in Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model was edited in a way that created a false and defamatory portrayal of her role on the long-running reality competition series. She is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages, according to the complaint obtained by ABC News.
In the filing, Banks says she agreed to participate in the project because she believed it would offer viewers an honest discussion about both the successes and criticisms of America’s Next Top Model.
The lawsuit states that she sat for a roughly three-and-a-half-hour interview and answered questions about controversial moments from the show, including decisions she says she would handle differently today.
However, Banks alleges that only a small portion of her interview ultimately appeared in the finished series. The lawsuit claims producers removed key context and omitted portions in which she accepted responsibility for some of the show’s most criticized moments.
Banks claims she was not given an “opportunity to respond to the accusations they were building into the Netflix Series — accusations they had gathered from other participants before Ms. Banks ever sat down and which they deliberately withheld from her during the interview”.
The filing argues that the docuseries, which Netflix promoted as a definitive account of America’s Next Top Model, presented viewers with a misleading narrative. Banks specifically objects to what she describes as an implication that she knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted, exploited the incident for ratings and later failed to remember it. The lawsuit calls that portrayal “a complete fabrication.”
Banks also challenges public comments made by members of the documentary’s creative team regarding the extent to which her perspective was included in the series.
The supermodel, entrepreneur and television personality created and hosted America’s Next Top Model, which premiered in 2003 and ran for 24 seasons. Banks served as host for the show’s first 22 seasons after successfully pitching the concept to UPN.
A Netflix spokesperson declined ABC News’ request for comment.
Pour another pint for House of Guinness. Variety reports the show about the famous Irish brewing family has been renewed for season 2 by Netflix. The series stars Anthony Boyle, Louis Partridge, Emily Fairn and Fionn O’Shea …
Peter Sarsgaard is taking on a new role in HBO’s The Last of Us, according to Entertainment Weekly. The actor will reportedly be playing Amon, one of the leaders of The Seraphites, a character not featured in the original video game on which the show is based. Filming for season 3 of the show is going on hiatus due to the World Cup …
Parks and Recreation actor Ben Schwartz has reportedly joined the cast of The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event. According to Variety, he’ll be playing New York disc jockey Murray the K, who crosses paths with The Beatles during their first trip to the U.S. in the 1960s. The movies star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison …
It wasn’t quite an out-of-this-world debut, but Disclosure Day still took #1 at the box office this weekend with $44 million.
The Steven Spielberg alien sci-fi drama came in above estimates, according to Variety, though not enough to justify its $115 million price tag. The film stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson and Colman Domingo.
The hit horror flick Obsession took the #2 spot, with the horror spoof Scary Movie dropping to #3.
The weekend’s other two new releases, the martial arts film The Furious and the drag queen comedy Stop! That! Train!, came in at #8 and #9, respectively.
1. Disclosure Day — $44 million 2. Obsession — $19 million 3. Scary Movie — $14.5 million 4. Backrooms — $11.3 million 5. Master of the Universe — $8.7 million 6. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu — $4.7 million 7. Michael — $4.1 million 8. The Furious — $2.75 million 9. Stop! That! Train! — $2.02 million 10. The Breadwinner — $1.5 million
Blake Lively attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 4, 2026, in New York. Justin Baldoni speaks onstage at the Vital Voices 12th Annual Voices of Solidarity Award, Dec. 9, 2024, in New York. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images | Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
A New York federal judge has ruled that Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, must pay his former It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively’s attorneys’ fees, after the parties reached a settlement last month in Lively’s lawsuit against the actor and production studio.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman denied Lively’s claim for punitive damages but wrote that the actress was entitled to attorneys’ fees under California Civil Code Section 47.1.
Section 47.1 states in part that a “prevailing defendant” in a defamation case is “entitled to their reasonable attorney’s fees and costs for successfully defending themselves in the litigation,” as well as any additional damages permitted by a judge.
In a statement to ABC News following the ruling, Lively’s attorneys Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb said the judge’s decision “makes it clear that Ms. Lively brought her claims in good faith, that there was no evidence she acted with malice, and that she is the prevailing defendant under Section 47.1.”
“Ms. Lively is gratified that her lawsuit shows how Section 47.1 and laws like it create a path for survivors to hold accountable those who weaponize online attacks and retaliatory lawsuits to intimidate and silence survivors,” they added.
ABC News has reached out to representatives for Baldoni for comment.
Friday’s decision comes after the parties reached a settlement in early May in Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni, ending their nearly year-and-a-half legal dispute.
According to settlement documents filed May 7 in the Southern District of New York, Baldoni, via his Wayfarer production company, and Lively agreed to settle their ongoing dispute on terms that Lively could still seek to recover attorney’s fees and additional damages.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Lively and Baldoni’s legal battle kicked off in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department alleging “severe emotional distress” after she said Baldoni and key stakeholders in the film — which Baldoni also directed — sexually harassed her and attempted, along with Baldoni’s production company, to orchestrate a smear campaign against her.
Baldoni followed up the action by filing a lawsuit against the New York Times for libel and false light invasion of privacy on Dec. 31 after it published the article about Lively’s California complaint.
Lively subsequently formalized her complaint into a lawsuit against Baldoni in New York, also on Dec. 31.
Baldoni responded by filing a civil lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and others for, among other things, extortion and defamation.
The suits were consolidated into one lawsuit in January 2025.
In June last year, Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and the couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane, as well as Baldoni’s defamation suit against the Times, was dismissed by Liman.
A federal judge in New York gutted much of Lively’s case against Baldoni in April of this year, including claims she was subjected to sexual harassment on set.
The judge determined in a ruling at the time that Lively would be allowed to pursue certain claims of retaliation against Baldoni’s public relations team over alleged harm to her reputation.
In May, after reaching a settlement in their protracted legal dispute, the two actors issued a joint statement via their respective legal teams, saying, “We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”
Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov in ‘Heated Rivalry.’ (Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max)
Heated Rivalry, Widow’s Bay and Industry lead the nominations for the 42nd annual TCA Awards with five apiece.
All three are nominated in the program of the year category alongside last year’s winner, The Pitt, as well as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Hacks, The Comeback, Shrinking and Pluribus.
The Pitt’s Noah Wyle is nominated in the individual achievement in drama category after winning in the category last year. He’ll face off against Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, as well as Industry stars Myha’la and Marisa Abela, and more.
Two new categories were also added this year: outstanding achievement in animation and outstanding achievement in international series.
The TCA Awards, voted on by members of the Television Critics Association, will announce the winners later this summer across TCA’s social media.
