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The Year in Music 2025: The Who fires drummer, says farewell to North America

December 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The Who celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2025, which ended with what will likely be their last North American tour, much to the disappointment of many fans.

-The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers kicked off the year by announcing they were headlining two shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March to benefit Teenage Cancer Trust.

-During the shows, Pete Townshend revealed that he had just had hip replacement surgery, while Roger Daltrey, who is known to have hearing issues, also revealed that he was having problems with his eyesight.

-During one of the shows, Daltrey seemed upset with their longtime drummer Zak Starkey, complaining onstage and pausing the show’s final song.

-In April they announced that they were parting ways with Starkey, son of The Beatles‘ Ringo Starr, who had been playing with them since 1996. But just three days later, The Who reversed course, with Townshend saying Starkey wasn’t being asked to step down.

-Weeks later The Who then changed their mind again and let Starkey go, announcing that Scott Devours would be his replacement.

-During all the back-and-forth with Starkey in May, Townshend and Daltrey announced at a London press conference they were going to tour North America one last time, revealing dates for The Song Is Over North American Farewell Tour.

-The tour kicked off in August in Tampa, Florida, with The Who treating fans to a set filled with hits. They also played “Going Mobile,” a song they had never played live before.

-The Who wrapped the tour on Oct. 1 in Palm Springs, California. “I suppose, you know, it’s goodbye,” Townshend said during their final bows. “That’s what it is. To what we know as The Who, it’s goodbye.” Daltrey went on to thank fans “for all the years showing up for us.” They have not said whether they are bringing the tour to the rest of the world.

Other highlights of The Who’s year include:

-Townshend released Pete Townshend The Studio Albums, a box set featuring newly remastered versions of his seven solo albums.

-Townshend celebrated his 80th birthday in May.

-It was announced in June that Daltrey was selected for knighthood by King Charles for his contributions to music and his charity work, including raising funds for causes like Teenage Cancer Trust. He was officially knighted in December.

-Townshend’s Quadrophenia: A Rock Ballet, featuring an orchestral version of The Who’s 1973 album, Quadrophenia, by Townshend’s wife, Rachel Fuller, debuted in the U.K. in May and then came to New York in November.

The Year in Entertainment 2025: The movies that were top

December 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The big screen took us everywhere from the Emerald City of Oz to the sparkling stage of a HUNTR/X concert this year. Here’s a look at the films that defined 2025:

It was the romantic comedy-drama film Anora that took many of the top prizes at the Oscars this year. The independent film that was directed, edited, produced and written by Sean Baker won five statues at the 97th Academy Awards, including best picture. Brady Corbet‘s epic period drama The Brutalist won three awards, including best actor for Adrien Brody.

As for the movies that topped the domestic box office chart this year, they were led by the Jack Black-starring A Minecraft Movie. That video game adaptation is followed by the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, which landed in second place. James Gunn‘s fresh take on Superman flies onto the list at #3, while Jurassic World Rebirth and Wicked: For Good became the fourth and fifth highest-grossing domestic films, respectively.

Pedro Pascal established himself as a bona fide movie star this year as he had three feature films in vastly different genres release theatrically in two months. First it was the A24 romantic drama film Materialists, where he played a millionaire bachelor looking for love. Then it was the neo-Western thriller Eddington in which he played a small-town mayor. Finally, he took on the role of Mister Fantastic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

There were many films that captured the cultural zeitgeist in 2025, but perhaps none more than KPop Demon Hunters. The animated movie musical became Netflix’s most popular film of all time, taking over the top spot on the Most Popular English Films list with over 236 million total views. Other movies that started conversations were Ryan Coogler‘s epic vampire film Sinners, Paul Thomas Anderson‘s newest drama One Battle After Another and the surprise horror hit Weapons from director Zach Cregger.

Diddy’s sons to speak about his trial in upcoming Zeus Network docuseries

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Diddy‘s sons Justin Combs and Christian “King” Combs are opening up about their father’s trial, sentencing, and the media attention surrounding the case in an upcoming docuseries on Zeus Network.

A trailer teasing the untitled series dropped Sunday. It shows Justin and Christian seated in a home theater as they watch coverage from Diddy’s arrest and trial, while headlines of new articles flash across the screen. The two then receive a phone call from Diddy, before the clip cuts to a title card announcing the docuseries will be released in 2026.

“To be clear, this documentary is about giving Justin and Christian the opportunity to share their personal story,” Zeus Network CEO Lemuel Plummer wrote in the comments. “We’re not here to endorse Diddy or anyone else. As a network, we believe in giving individuals a platform to tell their own experiences, just like any network that enters the documentary space.”

“We’re simply allowing these stories to be told, and that’s the essence of what we’re doing here,” he continued. “Thanks for understanding and for letting us bring these narratives to light.”

The announcement has already drawn a response from 50 Cent, who executive produced the Netflix documentary Sean Combs: The Reckoning, about Diddy’s downfall.

“Wow I want to see this show, I’m not sure this was a good idea,” he wrote on Instagram Monday.

The news comes days after Justin reportedly caught up with his dad during a Christmas visit.

Diddy is currently serving a 50-month sentence after being found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution. He is appealing the conviction and seeking either an immediate release or a lighter sentence.

Jack White gives new Christmas gift seal of approval

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

A seven nation army couldn’t hold Jack White back from enjoying his new Christmas gift.

The White Stripes rocker shares in an Instagram post that his wife, Olivia Jean, got him a wax seal kit for the holidays. Naturally, he used it to recreate his III logo.

“Such a wonderful Christmas present from Olivia Jean,” White writes in the caption.

Jean previously gifted White his very first cellphone in July for his 50th birthday.

Meanwhile, you can catch White on the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony special, airing New Year’s Day on ABC. White attended and gave a speech, though his White Stripes bandmate Meg White was not present.

New video may show Texas teenage girl who’s been missing since Christmas Eve: Sheriff

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(SAN ANTONIO) — Newly obtained dashboard camera video may show a Texas teenage girl right when she went missing on Christmas Eve, authorities said.

Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, has been missing since Wednesday morning, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators previously released security footage showing a person they said they believe to be Mendoza Olmos searching her car in her driveway around 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Now, investigators have a dash cam video from someone who was driving to work on Wednesday morning and passed a woman walking by herself, and that person may be Mendoza Olmos, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a news conference on Monday.

The video was taken a few blocks from her home, he said.

The sheriff added that he couldn’t say with 100% certainty that Mendoza Olmos was in the video, but he said the clothing description matches up.

Salazar said authorities are releasing that footage “in hopes that somebody may have collected similar video.”

“This was the best direction of flight that we were able to develop,” he said.

Salazar told ABC News on Sunday that sheriff’s deputies and volunteers have been searching around the clock for Mendoza Olmos.

“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.

Multiple agencies have joined the search, including the FBI, which is providing technical assistance, and the Department of Homeland Security, which is monitoring border crossings and international travel, Salazar said.

“We definitely don’t want to miss anything,” Salazar said. “… We’re also not ruling out that this case may take us outside the borders of the continental United States.”

Salazar confirmed that Mendoza Olmos was not detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, despite her being a U.S. citizen.

“That was a personal concern. So, I had it checked to make sure that there were no stops, no detentions, and that she’s not somewhere in a federal detention facility. That is something we needed to check,” Salazar said.

The only items she took with her were her car keys and possibly her driver’s license, authorities said.

Salazar noted that it was unusual for Mendoza Olmos to leave her phone at home, saying she leads an active lifestyle and it’s “highly unusual” that she hasn’t returned.

“That’s why we’re working basically around the clock on this case,” Salazar said.

He said Mendoza Olmos recently went through a romantic breakup, but authorities said the breakup was mutual and don’t suspect anything “nefarious” was involved, saying everyone close to her is cooperating.

While Salazar would not disclose some details of Mendoza Olmos’s disappearance, he said there was enough information to suggest she is in “imminent danger.”

Salazar requested help from the community in the search, asking neighbors of Mendoza Olmos to check their surveillance cameras for any footage of the teenagers.

She was last seen wearing a baby-blue and black hoodie, baby-blue pajama bottoms and white shoes. 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.

‘Golden’ glistens at #1 on ‘Billboard”s Radio Songs chart

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The Billboard Hot 100 may be completely dominated by Christmas songs, but over on another of the publication’s charts, “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters has just made some history.

As Billboard notes, the song, performed by the voices of HUNTR/X — Audrey Nuna, EJAE and Rei Ami — tops the Radio Songs chart, which measures radio airplay across all musical genres. It’s now the first K-pop song ever to take the #1 spot.

“Golden” previously spent eight weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 and three weeks on the Pop Airplay chart.

The trio of singers has been all over TV lately, appearing or performing on NBC’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Saturday Night Live, the MTV VMAs and Netflix’s NFL Christmas Gameday. They’ll also be performing on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest Wednesday night on ABC.

Flu cases on the rise amid holiday travel, gatherings, latest CDC data shows

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Flu activity is increasing across the U.S. amid holiday travel and gatherings, according to the latest data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC estimates there have been at least 4.6 million illnesses, 49,000 hospitalizations and 1,900 deaths from flu this season so far, according to data updated as of Dec. 19, and experts expect these numbers will continue to rise.

Public health experts previously told ABC News that many of this season’s cases are linked to a new flu strain called subclade K — a variant of the H3N2 virus, which is itself a subtype of influenza A — that has been circulating since the summer in other countries.

Of the 163 samples of H3N2 viruses collected since Sept. 28 and genetically characterized, 89% were subclade K, according to the CDC.

Additionally, three pediatric flu deaths have been reported so far this season, according to an ABC News tally.

Last season, the U.S. saw 288 children die from flu, which is the same number of children who died during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. About 90% of kids who died from flu last year were not vaccinated, a CDC study published earlier this year found.

Meanwhile, New York state is reporting the highest number of flu cases it has ever recorded in a single week.

“The emergency room has been busy, and we’ve been following these numbers,” Dr. Darien Sutton, a board-certified emergency medical physician and ABC News medical correspondent, told “Good Morning America” on Monday. “Just a note, national numbers typically lag during the holiday, but state health department numbers are giving us insight to just how severe this flu season is.”

A total of 71,123 flu cases were reported for the week ending Dec. 20, according to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). This marks the highest number of flu cases in a single week since it became mandatory for states to report in 2004.

This is also 38% higher compared to the previous week which saw 51,365 infections reported, bringing the total flu cases reported in the state to 189,312.

Hospitalizations climbed by 63% in the most recent week, increasing from 2,251 to 3,666 weekly admissions, according to data from NYSDOH.

Sutton said it’s important to understand that flu is present and to take steps to reduce risk, including masking, washing hands with soap and water and getting the flu vaccine.

Currently, the CDC recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older, with rare exceptions, get a flu vaccine.

The federal health agency states on its website that getting an annual flu shot prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctors’ visits every year and is especially important for those at higher risk of serious complications.

“The flu is so much more than a simple cold. I am treating it in the emergency room,” Sutton said. “Understand that people are coming in feeling like they are so sick that it has to be something else than the flu.”

Sutton noted that he is seeing more people in the emergency room and more people being hospitalized but that the disease itself is not more severe, adding “it’s not like a super flu.”

Nelly and Ashanti celebrate second wedding anniversary

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Congratulations are in order for Nelly and Ashanti, who celebrated two years of marriage Saturday. Ashanti shared a clip on Instagram from their second wedding anniversary, capturing her reaction to a surprise from Nelly, born Cornell Haynes Jr.

In the video, Ashanti is seen walking out of a room and finding a bouquet of pink roses on the floor. As she enters another room, she discovers pink heart-shaped balloons, candles, a bucket of roses reading “Happy anniversary” and a heart-shaped floral arrangement that says “Mrs. Haynes.” Holding the bouquet, she embraces Nelly and the two share a dance. Their son, Kareem Kenkaide Haynes, also appears in the clip, walking hand-in-hand with his mother over the rose petals on the floor.

“Living in the moment all day yesterday (and night ) 12/27/25 I love you babe!!!” Ashanti captioned the clip.

Ashanti and Nelly originally dated on and off for 10 years before calling things off in 2013. After nearly a decade break, they reunited and tied the knot in 2023, welcoming Kareem in July 2024. The two have since documented their journey as newlyweds and parents on their Peacock reality show, We Belong Together, which Nelly confirmed will be coming out with a second season.

“I think the goal was … to let everybody in to this new chapter of Nelly, this new chapter of Ashanti, us being together,” he told ABC Audio. “We had a lot of fans out there rooting for us and things like that. So hopefully, you know, they continue to bless us with the energy.”

Trump says US ‘hit’ dock in Venezuela, marking first known land attack

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States “hit” a dock in Venezuela where drugs were allegedly being loaded onto boats.

The comments came after Trump said in a radio interview last Friday that the U.S. “knocked out” a “big facility” in Venezuela as he touted his administration’s effort to stop drug trafficking from the region, including strikes against alleged drug boats.

“And we just knocked out, I don’t know if you read or you saw, they have a big plant or a big facility where they send the, you know, where the ships come from. Two nights ago we knocked that out, so we hit them very hard,” Trump said on WABC’s “Cats and Cosby,” though he didn’t provide specifics.

If Trump’s comments are accurate, then it would mark the first known attack on land in Venezuela since the Trump administration began its campaign against the country.

On Monday, as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago club, Trump was pressed by a reporter for more details on the strike — including whether the action was carried out by the U.S. military after Trump confirmed in October that he authorized the CIA to operate inside the South American nation.

“Well, it doesn’t matter, but there was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Trump responded. “They load the boats up with drugs. So we hit all the boats and now we hit the area. It’s the implementation area. That’s where they implement. And that is no longer around.”

ABC News has reached out to the Pentagon and the White House for comment; the Pentagon referred ABC News to the White House for comment. The CIA declined to comment on the matter.

Trump has teased land action in Venezuela for weeks.

The U.S. has also built up its military presence in the region, with 15,000 U.S. troops and several warships standing ready in the Caribbean. Earlier this month, Trump ordered what he called a “complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela, targeting the government’s main source of revenue.

Further ratcheting up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, Trump said last week it would be “smart” for Maduro to step down.

“He can do whatever he wants, it’s alright, whatever he wants to do. If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough,” Trump said.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s longest-serving aide James Holt exits role

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.) — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s longest-serving aide, James Holt, is stepping down from his role at Archewell.

Holt’s departure comes weeks after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the rebrand of the Archewell Foundation to Archewell Philanthropies.

Harry and Meghan’s longtime aide, who originally worked with Harry at Kensington Palace, and moved out to Los Angeles with the couple when they stepped back from their roles as working members of the royal family in 2020, announced his departure from the couple’s foundation in a statement on Monday.

“Working with Prince Harry and Meghan has been one of the great privileges of my career,” Holt began.

He went on, “From my first project with Prince Harry eight years ago to improve mental health support for soldiers in the British military, to our recent work helping injured children in Gaza, he has consistently challenged me to think bigger about how we can make a difference.”

Holt added that when he first met Meghan, “I recognized a kindred spirit – someone who finds joy even in difficult moments and connects authentically with people regardless of circumstance.”

“Above everything else, the work we’ve done together to support families affected by online harm will remain the most meaningful of my professional life. These families are extraordinary, and they inspire me every day,” he continued.

He ended his note saying that after five years in LA, “It’s time for my family to return to London. When I pass the baton to the team leading Archewell Philanthropies in the coming months, I’ll do so with immense pride and optimism for what lies ahead.”

“I’ll miss my colleagues deeply, and I’m grateful to Harry and Meghan for everything they’ve done – for me, and for the countless people we’ve worked to support,” he said.

In response to Holt’s statement, Harry and Meghan shared a statement of their own and called Holt a “stellar support for us for nearly ten years.”

“His enthusiasm and talent in overseeing our philanthropic endeavours have been extraordinary,” they continued. “As James moves his young family back to the UK, we are proud that he will continue to guide various humanitarian trips for us overseas through Archewell Philanthropies.”

A spokesman to Harry and Meghan clarified that Holt will remain a senior philanthropic advisor to the couple and Archewell Philanthropies and support the couple’s humanitarian overseas trips in 2026.

Archewell Philanthropies is home to the charitable work of Harry and Meghan. The couple shared why they were switching the name of their foundation in a statement on their website.

“After five beautiful years, the Archewell Foundation is becoming Archewell Philanthropies,” according to the Archewell Philanthropies website. “This charitable entity allows the couple and their children to expand upon their global philanthropic endeavors as a family.”

Harry and Meghan announced their nonprofit venture in April 2020 after completing their final engagements as working members of the royal family and relocating to LA.

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