scandalous

2024 Grammy Awards Recap

New Taylor, snubs everywhere, and lots of outfits
Biggest moments at the 2024 Grammys

The 66th annual Grammy Awards were last night at the Crypto.com Arena in the not-so-sunny Los Angeles, California. As storms raged outside the arena, I tuned in for close to five hours of red carpet coverage and the sparkling ceremony to watch music's biggest night and make my own judgments.

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CULTURE

The "Peloton Husband" Really Wants You to Know He's Not Sexist

Actor Sean Hunter is worried how the infamous ad will impact his career, but I still don't know what he looks like.

Photo by: Andrew Valdivia / Unspalsh

By now, we've discussed at length the terrifying, borderline dystopian Peloton Christmas ad that recently went viral.

Here's the ad if you've somehow avoided it thus far. The 30-second clip—in which a man gives his wife a stationary bike for Christmas and she spends the next year vlogging her fitness progress—was quick to spur allegations of sexism and domestic manipulation. The real issue could just be poor copywriting, but either way, the "Peloton Husband" is a little concerned about his future, which is funny, because he only said four words in the commercial and his face is seen for a total of about three seconds.

Since the viral ad aired, Ryan Reynolds cast the actress playing the wife, Monica Ruiz, in an Aviation Gin commercial that nods to her infamous beginnings.

The Gift That Doesn't Give Backyoutu.be


It's safe to say the Peloton ad probably won't hurt her career, but the on-screen husband and real-life teacher, Sean Hunter, evidently has some concerns. He spoke with Good Morning America about how he fears the commercial tarnished his likeness, and as a result, his future acting endeavors.

"My image is being associated with sexism, with the patriarchy, with abuse," he said. "That's not who I am." Thank goodness—I was losing sleep over whether or not this bland man in a bad commercial was a misogynist. But that's not all. Last week, Hunter made a statement in Psychology Today to further excuse himself.

"My acting coach messaged me after seeing the video and said that I looked great," Hunter wrote, which is hilarious because I still have no clue what his face looks like. "A few comments from my friends came in and the overall consensus was that it was awesome, one even mentioning, 'I always knew you would make the big time.'" His friends are so sweet!

"As my face continues to be screenshot online, I wonder what repercussions will come back to me," Hunter continued, although I wouldn't be able to pick him out in a lineup. "I pride myself on being a great teacher and developing actor, and I can only hope that this affects neither. I'm grappling with the negative opinions as none of them have been constructively helpful."

Maybe the negative opinions haven't be constructively helpful to Hunter because Hunter did not write the commercial. I repeat: He said four words. He's really milking this brief moment of poor commercial writing for all it's worth, when nobody would bat an eye if he'd just let the thing quietly blow over. Considering his Instagram username remains @pelotonhusband, it seems he's already solidified his minor legacy.

TV

A Love Letter to "Jeopardy!," the World's Best Game Show

It's just the right blend of mind-numbing leisure with thought-provoking clues.

Jeopardy!

Hold your buzzers—Netflix recently added even more Jeopardy! episodes.

For my fellow introverts who don't care for sports but still love to yell profanities at their TV, this is fantastic news. Now, you can watch educators face off in the Teacher's Tournament. You can play along with Buzzy Cohen, the charming nine-game streaker dubbed "Mr. Personality" by host Alex Trebek. You can recall your own brace-faced awkwardness during the Teens Tournament, and feel an extra confidence boost when you actually know more correct answers than usual (until you remember these clues are written for literal children and you are in your mid-20s). The long-running trivia show has held a similarly ceaseless presence in my young life, from my mom watching new episodes after picking me up from elementary school, to the bartenders I worked with in college playing episodes on the restaurant television mounted between shelves of tequila. Now, I'm a full-fledged adult with a full-time job and a dwindling attention span. Jeopardy! hits the spot for the short bursts of entertainment my mind craves at the end of a long day of making content for the internet.

If Twitter is any indication, I'm not alone. "You guys very old episodes of Jeopardy is on Netflix so there goes my weekend," tweetedMy Favorite Murder co-host Georgia Hardstark. "Petition for Netflix to remove Friends and upload every single season of Jeopardy," @gabrielledrolet proposed. User @smileandconquer announced "I'm 'watching Jeopardy on Netflix' years old," to which I say, I think we're all "watching Jeopardy! on Netflix" years old if we want to be.

The older I get, however, the more anxious I become, and the more often existential dread looms over my head. But, thankfully, Jeopardy! serves as a great distraction from all the things that make the world feel big and scary to me, serving up just the right blend of mind-numbing leisure with thought-provoking clues that make me say "I have no idea what that is." The show's rigid structure keeps each episode feeling familiar and easy-to-follow—which is to say, it's one of the few things in life I can depend on to be predictable—but with its constant rotation of categories and contestants, I never get bored: there's always the potential to unearth a topic I'm unusually well-versed in, such as, say, "America's Got Talent Season 5 Contestants" (I made that one up). Anyway, Jeopardy! is the best game show in the world, and even amid the countless streaming services available now, I would be totally happy with one dedicated entirely to Jeopardy!'s 8,000-plus episodes. For now, though, Netflix's allocation should suffice.

TV

Sean Spicer Is Basically RoboCop

Sean Spicer's character arc on Dancing With the Stars is ripped straight from RoboCop.

ABC
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CULTURE

From Freud to Bella Thorne: What Is Pansexuality?

"I like sexy girls, I like sexy guys. I like sexy in general, you know?"

Bella Thorne wearing Giambattista Valli at the amfAR Gala

Photo by Image Press Agency (NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

Sexuality is confusing, especially if you turn to the 21-year-old "wannabe mogul" Bella Thorne for explanations.

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