Television

Deadline Hollywood reports: Stacey Abrams may be running again to be Governor of Georgia, but the avowed Star Trek fan makes a pretty good President of United Earth in the 32nd century, as was proven in the Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 finale that launched today. “Nothing to discuss,” she says to Federation President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) right near …

The Associated Press reports: Jussie Smollett was released from jail following six nights behind bars after an appeals court agreed with his lawyers that he should be free pending the appeal of his conviction for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack. The former “Empire” actor walked out of the Cook County Jail on Wednesday surrounded by security. …

Deadline reports: After months of legal anticipation following his December 2021 firing by Jeff Zucker, Chris Cuomo has just launched the official opening salvo in what looks to be protracted battle with CNN over not only $125 million in cash, but his character and family drama as well. “As a result of Turner’s indefensible choice to unceremoniously fire him, Cuomo …

The Verge reports: CNN Plus, the streaming platform from the cable news giant, will debut in the US on March 29th, the company said Friday in a news release. For early subscribers — those who sign up in the first four weeks of its launch— the service will cost $2.99 per month, and they’ll lock in that price for as …

Mediaite reports: Far-right One America News is suing DirecTV and its parent company AT&T for breach of contract, after the TV provider announced it would drop the channel from its lineup. Herring Networks, which owns OAN, filed a 36-page lawsuit in the Superior Court of California in San Diego this week. The company stated that its relationship with AT&T, and …

UPDATE: Jussie Smollett has been sentenced to 150 days of jail and 30 months of probation. He will have to pay back the City of Chicago just over $120,000 in restitution and was also fined $25,000. Following the sentencing, he had an emotional outburst and screamed “I am not suicidal and I did not do it.” BREAKING: Jussie Smollett sentenced …

The Associated Press reports: An estimated 38.2 million TV viewers watched President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, according to Nielsen ratings. That surpassed the audience of 37.2 million for Donald Trump’s last such address in 2020, but fell short of the 45.6 million who tuned in for Trump’s first State of the Union speech in 2018. Fox News …

USA Today reports: “Saturday Night Live” did not go for laughs kicking off its first show after hiatus with host John Mulaney on Feb. 26. After the Russian invasion of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, intensified Saturday, “SNL” paid solemn tribute to the people of Ukraine with a powerful choral version of “Prayer for Ukraine” during the normally raucous cold open …

The South China Morning Post reports: China’s censors have deleted multiple scenes and altered reference about a recurring lesbian character in the 1990s US television sitcom Friends, which has sparked outrage among the popular show’s large audience on the mainland. That has practically buried the lesbian identity of recurring character Carol Willick in the first season of Friends, which major …

Variety reports: Whoopi Goldberg has been suspended from “The View” for two weeks after facing wide criticism for her remarks that the Holocaust was “not about race.” Goldberg’s suspension was announced in a statement released by ABC News public relations on Tuesday night. “Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments,” reads …

USA Today reports: Cheslie Kryst, the 2019 winner of the Miss USA pageant and a correspondent for the entertainment news program “Extra,” has died at age 30. Police said Kryst jumped from a Manhattan apartment building and was pronounced dead at the scene Sunday morning. Her family confirmed her death in a statement. According to police, Kryst’s body was found …

NBC News reports: Long-running “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider lost in an episode that aired Wednesday, ending the second-longest winning streak in the quiz show’s history. Schneider, an engineering manager from Oakland, California, was defeated by Rhone Talsma, a librarian from Chicago, who raked in $29,600 in the latest game, besting Schneider, at $19,600. She left the show with nearly $1.4 …

CNET reports: Betty White was a comedy icon who collected millions of fans the world over in a broadcast career that stretched well over half a century. Her legions of fans were gearing up to celebrate the beloved actress’ 100th birthday, which falls on Monday, when she died on Dec. 31. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate her …

Yahoo Entertainment reports: Bob Saget, who played Full House dad Danny Tanner, has died. He was 65. “We are devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today,” the Saget family said in a statement obtained by Yahoo Entertainment on Sunday. At just after 4 p.m. on Sunday, Orange County, Fla., Sheriff’s Department deputies were called to the Ritz-Carlton …

Mediaite reports: FOX has canceled its annual Times Square New Year’s Eve broadcast, citing safety concerns for cast and crew members amid a surge of Omicron cases in New York. In a statement posted on Twitter, the network called any attempt to safely broadcast this year’s Fox’s New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast “impossible.” The network said, “While we are …

The Washington Post reports: All Disney-owned content, including ABC and ESPN, went dark on YouTube TV late Friday after a breakdown in distribution negotiations between Disney and Google. The financial dispute between the media giants over carriage fees has led to the first major blackout for Google-owned YouTube TV, which has more than 3 million subscribers and is one of …

TMZ reports: Jason Hitch, who was a pivotal part of season 2 of “90 Day Fiancé” has died after complications from COVID-19 … TMZ has learned. Jason’s sister, Shannon tells us he passed away Tuesday night inside the ICU of a Florida hospital. We’re told Jason’s family was able to be with him when he died and held his hand …

Variety reports: “General Hospital” star Ingo Rademacher sued ABC on Monday, arguing that the company’s COVID vaccine mandate is unconstitutional and amounts to religious discrimination. Rademacher, who played Jasper “Jax” Jacks on the soap for nearly 25 years, was fired last month after refusing to get vaccinated. According to his lawsuit, Rademacher sought a religious exemption from the mandate, which …

Radio Free Asia reports: North Korea has sentenced to death a man who smuggled and sold copies of the Netflix series “Squid Game” after authorities caught seven high school students watching the Korean-language global hit show, sources in the country told RFA. The smuggler is said to have brought a copy of Squid Game into North Korea back from China …

Variety reports: On Tuesday, “General Hospital” star Steve Burton confirmed on Instagram the rampant rumors that he was fired from the long-running ABC soap opera because he would not get vaccinated against COVID-19. “I wanted you to hear it from me personally.” he said, before launching into anti-vaccine rhetoric. “Unfortunately, ‘General Hospital’ has let me go because of the vaccine …