2025 will go down as the year of Morgan Wallen, not just in country music, but across the board, as Billboard declared him the most successful music maker of the year.
Hefinishes 2025 at #1 on Billboard‘s Top Artists ranking for the first time, on the strength of his I’m the Problem album. The record debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on May 31, going on to spend a dozen weeks at the top.
Along the way, Morgan also staged a massive stadium trek, starting in Houston in June and playing 20 shows in 10 cities before wrapping in September in Edmonton, Alberta.
Appropriately, the title track of both the album and tour came together on an earlier run.
“[Producer] Charlie [Handsome] had sent me probably 10 or 12 instrumentals while we were out on the road,” Morgan recalls. “And that one stood out to me for whatever reason, you know.”
“And [ERNEST] was opening up for me,” he continues, “and after he got done with his set, I called him over to my bus and said, ‘Hey, let’s mess around with this track.’ So me and him wrote the majority of the song, probably in like 30 minutes on my bus before I was going to go play a show.”
Morgan’s I’m the Problem comes in at #2 on the year-end Billboard 200 albums ranking, right behind Taylor Swift‘s The Life of a Showgirl. He also charted more titles on the Hot 100 than any other artist, with an incredible 41 making the list. Nine of those reached the top 10.
December would bring more impressive news about Morgan’s career, as the RIAA declared him the top-selling country artist of all time, moving 265.5 million units. That also makes him the third-most-certified artist in any genre, behind Drake and Taylor.
Morgan will be back to be the problem again in 2026, as he launches his Still the Problem Tour April 10 in Minneapolis. He’ll play more than 20 shows before wrapping Aug. 1 in Philadelphia.
It’s always sad to say goodbye to our favorite musicians when they pass away, and 2025 was certainly a tough year.
The music world lost a true legend on June 11 when Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson died in his sleep at the age of 82. He was living with dementia at the time and had been placed under a conservatorship in early 2024 following the death of his wife, Melinda Wilson.
Another influential artist we lost in 2025 was Sly Stone, of Sly and the Family Stone, who passed away June 9 at the age of 82. A statement revealed that he died “after a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues.”
The rock world was in shock when news broke that Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne died on July 22 at the age of 76. His death came barely three weeks after he made his final onstage appearance at the 10-hour all-star Back to the Beginning concert in his hometown of Birmingham, England. He was laid to rest in Birmingham, with fans lining the city’s streets to pay their respects.
And Ace Frehley, guitarist and founding member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band KISS, died on Oct. 16 at the age of 64. His death came just weeks after he canceled the remainder of his 2025 tour due to health issues.
Here are some of the other music figures who died in 2025, in chronological order:
Jan. 7: Peter Yarrow, of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, 86.
Jan. 10: Sam Moore, the tenor half of the iconic soul duo Sam & Dave, 89.
Jan. 21: Garth Hudson, keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist who was the last surviving member of The Band, 87.
Jan. 30: British singer Marianne Faithfull, best known for her hit “As Time Goes By” and for her association with The Rolling Stones, 78.
Feb. 23: Chris Jasper, a member of the R&B group The Isley Brothers, 73.
Feb. 24: R&B singer Roberta Flack, best known for such songs as “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Killing Me Softly with His Song” and “Where Is the Love,” 88.
Feb. 24: Robert John, best known for the #1 single “Sad Eyes,” 79.
Feb. 28: David Johansen, lead singer and last surviving original member of the New York Dolls,who also found fame in the ’80s and ’90s as the throwback crooner Buster Poindexter, 75.
March 16: Jesse Colin Young, the voice heard on the Youngbloods‘iconic hit “Get Together,” 83.
April 6: Clem Burke, drummer and founding member of Blondie,70.
April 29: Mike Peters, frontman of Welsh rock band The Alarm, 66.
June 18: Lou Christie, best known for the 1966 #1 hit “Lightin’ Strikes,” 82.
June 23: Mick Ralphs, guitarist and founding member of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company, 81.
June 24: Former teen idol Bobby Sherman, 81.
July 16: Connie Francis, singer of such hits as “Pretty Little Baby” and “Who’s Sorry Now?,” 87.
July 22: Chuck Mangione, Grammy-winning jazz bandleader best known for 1978’s “Feels So Good,” 84.
Aug. 4: Terry Reid, the British musician who’s most famously known for turning down offers to front Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, 75.
Aug 10: Bobby Whitlock, pianist, guitarist and songwriter who formed Derek and the Dominoes with Eric Clapton,77.
Sept. 5: Mark Volman, founding member of the rock band The Turtles, 78.
Sept. 6: Rick Davies, founding member of Supertramp who wrote and sang lead on their top-40 hit, “Goodbye Stranger,” 81.
Sept. 19: Sonny Curtis, a member of Buddy Holly‘s Crickets,who also wrote The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme song, 88.
Sept. 25: Chris Dreja, a co-founder of the Yardbirds,78.
Oct. 10: John Lodge, bassist and vocalist of the progressive rock band Moody Blues, 82.
Oct. 22: David Ball, the multi-instrumentalist who, along with singer Marc Almond, rose to fame as the ’80s synth pop group Soft Cell, 66.
Nov. 2: Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, vocalist for the Grateful Dead from 1971 to 1979, 78.
Nov. 5: Gilson Lavis, former drummer for the band Squeeze,74.
Nov. 24: Jimmy Cliff, Grammy Award-winning reggae singer and actor, 81.
Dec. 3: Steve Cropper, guitarist for Booker T. and the M.G.’s, 84.
Dec. 14: Carl Carlton, singer of hit tracks “Everlasting Love” and “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked),” 72.
Zoe Saldaña stars as Neytiri in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’ (20th Century Studios)
Avatar: Fire and Ash has burned up the box office again.
The third film in James Cameron‘s epic sci-fi series retained its #1 spot over the Christmas holiday weekend, taking in an additional $64 million, according to Box Office Mojo. So far, the film has earned $760 million worldwide. Disney’s animated sequel Zootopia 2 returned to the #2 spot with $20 million.
Of the new films making their debuts in wide release over the holiday weekend, A24’s Marty Supreme, featuring Timothée Chalamet as an aspiring ping pong champion and con artist, did the best, taking the #3 spot with just under $15.6 million.
Another new film, Anaconda, starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black, came in at #5 with just under $14.6 million, while a third new wide release, Song Sung Blue, arrived at #8 with $7.6 million. That film, based on the true story of a real-life couple who form a Neil Diamond tribute band, is generating Oscar buzz for Kate Hudson, who co-stars opposite Hugh Jackman.
Here are the top 10 films at the box office:
1. Avatar: Fire and Ash — $64 million 2. Zooptopia 2 — $20 million 3. Marty Supreme — $15.59 million 4. The Housemaid –– $15.4 million 5. Anaconda — $14.55 million 6. David –– $12.7 million 7. The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants — $11.2 million 8. Song Sung Blue — $7.6 million 9. Wicked: For Good — $5.3 million 10. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 — $4.4 million
Disney is the parent company of 20th Century Studios and ABC News.
Robin Roberts returns to recap the biggest moments of the past 12 months in The Year: 2025. This marks the 15th year of the ABC News special, which Robin says has become a meaningful way for many families to reflect on the year that was.
“It’s really become a tradition for a lot of families,” she tells ABC Audio. “They sit down with their kids, and they’re like, ‘It is the holidays … Let’s remember all that happened this year and what we’re gonna look forward to in the new year.’”
For those who haven’t yet made the show part of their annual tradition, Robin says it’s worth adding because “ABC News is the best.”
She notes David Muir “will give you all the moments that were so important, both here in this country and abroad,” while special contributors will highlight “pop culture moments,” including a breakdown of the six-seven viral phrase.
“I really appreciate the breadth of what we do, the seriousness of what do,” she says. “But also how we can find the joy, the pop culture, those moments that bring people together.”
Reflecting on her 15 years hosting The Year, Robin says it’s allowed her to reflect on her own life, reminding her that “this too shall pass.”
“[I’ve learned] to realize that everybody’s got something and to recognize the something that people are going through” she says, noting stories in the special can resonate deeply with viewers.
“They can go like, ‘Okay, that person got through it. It’s not exactly what I’m going through, but I’m gonna get through it too’,” she adds. “It’s really, really helped me to understand something that a dear friend, Pat Summitt,the legendary coach at [the University of] Tennessee [said]: ‘Left foot, right foot, breathe. Keep moving, keep believing.'”
Brigitte Bardot in 1963. (John Kisch Archive/Getty Images)
Brigitte Bardot, the French movie icon and sex symbol and animal rights activist, has died. She was 91.
The news was announced on the website of her Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals, with a banner reading, “Thank you Brigitte. A lifetime and a foundation dedicated to serving animals.”
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its Founder and President, Mrs. Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to give up her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her Foundation,” read a statement.
A spokesperson for the Foundation told the Associated Press that Bardot died Sunday at her home in France. No cause of death was announced.
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, wrote on X, “Her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals … Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom. French existence, universal brilliance. She touched us. We mourn a legend of the century.”
Bardot initially studied ballet, but then became a model, which led to her being cast in a number of films. Her breakthrough was 1956’s And God Created Woman, written and directed by her then-husband, Roger Vadim. Her portrayal of a hedonistic young woman made her a worldwide star, sex symbol and style icon, while the film was credited with paving the way for French filmmakers and movies to find a global audience.
Bardot became so revered in France that from 1969 to 1972, she became the model for “Marianne,” the female figure who has personified the country since the French Revolution.
Bardot went on to work with directors like Jean-Luc Godard and Louis Malle, earning acclaim and the French Legion of Honor. She retired from acting in 1973 and devoted her life to protecting animals, establishing her Foundation in 1986.
Later in life, Bardot became controversial for her right-wing politics and was convicted and fined multiple times by French courts for “inciting racial hatred.”
(SAN ANTONIO) — A Texas teen who has been missing since early Wednesday was last seen leaving her home that morning, officials in Bexar County said.
An unidentified person believed to be Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, was seen around 7:00 a.m. searching her vehicle for an unidentified item, video footage from Wednesday shows, according to a statement from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said they believe Olmos left the residence on foot since her vehicle remained there and that the only items she took with her were her car keys and possibly her driver’s license.
Her last known location was the 11000 block of Caspian Spring in northwest Bexar County, the sheriff’s office said.
She was last seen wearing a baby blue and black hoodie, baby blue pajama bottoms and white shoes.
“Camila’s mother stated that Camila normally goes for a morning walk; however, she became concerned when Camila did not return within a reasonable period of time,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at (210)335-6000 or the BCSO Missing Persons Unit via missingpersons@bexar.org.
L-R: Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek, Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in episode 401 of ‘Bridgerton.’ (Liam Daniel/Netflix)
Dearest gentle reader, the trailer for Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1 is finally here — and “all the eyes of the ton” are on Benedict Bridgerton.
The trailer features Luke Thompson as Benedict and Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek, his love interest, and it packs all the romance and magic we all have been longing for.
The trailer opens with Golda Rosheuvel‘s Queen Charlotte introducing another social season, and Nicola Coughlan‘s Penelope Featherington kicking things off as Lady Whistledown.
Penelope then focuses on Benedict, who is described as the “season’s most notorious gentleman,” with a clip of his mother, Ruth Gemmell‘s Violet Bridgerton, telling him to get his act together and “meet the right young lady.”
Clips of Violet planning a masquerade ball are interspersed with clips of a new household in Mayfair, where Sophie is the family’s maid. Sophie has a Cinderella moment as she attends the ball in a borrowed silver gown and a mask that hides her identity. She meets an intrigued Benedict, but when the clock strikes midnight, she runs away, leaving only her glove behind.
Benedict spends the rest of the trailer searching for her, never realizing that the maid he keeps running into is his dream woman.
“Behind the cover of a mask, anything can happen,” Lady Whistledown says in the trailer, adding, “With a little imagination, the impossible seems possible.”
The season is based on Julia Quinn’s third Bridgerton novel, An Offer From a Gentleman.
Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1, arrives on Netflix on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, with the first four episodes. Part 2 will arrive on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
Dave Navarro and Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction perform at The Roundhouse on May 29, 2024 in London, England. (Aaron Parsons/Getty Images)
Jane says the legal battle between Jane’s Addiction and Perry Farrell is over.
Farrell and his former bandmates — guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins — have agreed to a settlement and to dismiss their dueling lawsuits, according to documents viewed by ABC Audio.
The details of the settlement are confidential.
The suits, which were filed in July, concerned the onstage altercation between Navarro and Farrell during a Jane’s show in Boston in September 2024. Following the incident, Jane’s canceled the remainder of their tour before breaking up for good.
In their suit, Navarro, Avery and Perkins accused Farrell of assault and blamed him for the demise of the tour and, ultimately, the band. In addition to claiming emotional and physical damage, Farrell’s former bandmates alleged he left them financially responsible for an album they could no longer provide to their record label.
Farrell, meanwhile, alleged that he was the one who was assaulted, and that his ex-bandmates repeatedly harassed and bullied him.
The dismissals follow joint statements from Jane’s and Farrell posted on Dec. 17, which indicated that the two parties had begun mending fences.
“Today we are here to announce that we have come together one last time to resolve our differences, so that the legacy of Jane’s Addiction will remain the work the four of us created together,” Jane’s said.
Farrell also apologized for his behavior at the Boston show, writing, “My aim has always been to give our audience the best possible show, something real, honest and positive. In Boston, we fell short of that, and I’m truly sorry to everyone who was impacted.”
A private residential building in the Darnytskyi district lies partially destroyed by a Russian drone strike on December 27, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Andrii Khodkov/Apostrophe/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
(KYIV and LONDON) — Russia has carried out one of the biggest attacks on Kyiv in months, using an estimated 500 drones and 40 missiles, including powerful Kinzhal missiles, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The strikes began early Saturday morning and appeared to target power stations and residential area buildings in Kyiv as officials said at least 22 people have been injured, including two children, with 12 being taken to hospital.
In the wider Kyiv oblast, at least one woman has been killed and several apartment buildings were hit as fires broke out and rescue workers looked for people believed to be trapped under the rubble amid the destruction.
More than 2,600 apartment buildings and many schools have lost heating and an estimated 320,000 homes in the region had no electricity.
There were hits on Kyiv’s TPP-5 power plant and on the Bila Tserkva plant, according to officials, in another sign that Russia is attempting to break Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the winter months.
The Ukrainian president said the attack was Russia’s “answer” to peace efforts, calling on Western countries to send more air defense systems.
Zelenskyy told journalists in a WhatsApp chat on Saturday –while already on the plane to the United States for his planned meeting with President Donald Trump — that Ukraine can only move toward peace if there are strong, legal security guarantees from the U.S. and Europe. He said Ukraine has agreed to “many different compromises,” but stressed they only make sense if the country is fully protected the day after a ceasefire.
Zelenskyy said everything depends on keeping allies together. “If the whole world – Europe and America – is on our side, together we will stop Putin,” he said.
Earlier this week, at least seven people were killed and 39 injured in Ukraine after Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of long-range drone strikes Wednesday night into Thursday morning, according to Ukrainian officials.
“Unfortunately, even on Christmas Eve and during Christmas night, the Russian army did not stop its brutal strikes against Ukraine, targeting our energy system and our people. There are brownouts in many of our cities and villages,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“Russian troops are once again striking the cities of our east, and in Chernihiv, aid was being provided at the very moment of our conversation with the Patriarch to people wounded by a Russian drone that struck an ordinary residential building,” Zelenskyy added.
