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Rita Ora slammed as she co-hosts New Year’s Eve special with Ryan Seacrest

Rita Ora was in Times Square in New York City to co-host the New Year’s Eve special on ABC alongside Ryan Seacrest, but people watching from home were less than impressed

Rita Ora was slammed for her hosting on New Year’s Eve (Image: (Image: Getty))

New Year’s Eve in New York’s Times Square was a spectacle of celebration, with ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest delivering the festivities to viewers across the US.

Despite the special being a challenge to host, as admitted by Seacrest himself, it featured a performance by Carrie Underwood and faced stiff competition from other shows.

However, Seacrest’s co-host Rita Ora didn’t quite hit the mark with the audience.

Ora, who joined Seacrest in Times Square for the ABC special, struggled to impress as she interacted with the rain-soaked crowd, leaving some viewers at home underwhelmed.

Disgruntled fans expressed their dismay on social media, reports the Express US.

Rita Ora’s hosting job was slammed (Image: (Image: Screen Grab))
“How on earth did Rita Ora blag the Times Square presenting job? ” one viewer questioned.

“who keeps asking Rita Ora to host things?? genuinely,” another pondered.

Some were even puzzled about her identity.

“WHO THE HECK IS RITA ORA???!! ” someone queried.

Amidst the criticism, others found humour in the stormy weather that coincided with the event.

“These thunderstorms in NYC are just god being angry that Satan keeps giving Rita Ora work,” a commenter joked.

Catch all the action on ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

Ryan Seacrest Praises Vanna White as an “Institution” on ‘Wheel of Fortune’

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Seacrest credited White with helping him learn the ropes. In Seacrest’s exact words: “She’s an institution, an icon.” The TV host shared how generous White is, which might not always be evident on camera. Seacrest recalled confiding in his cohost about his habit of drinking strong black coffee, which sometimes visibly stains his teeth. The next day, White surprised him by bringing a pack of whitening strips. Seacrest admitted that he was genuinely touched by the kind gesture.

We’ve Had a Magical Time Together

 

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In a previous interview with PEOPLE, Seacrest expressed his admiration for Vanna White and confessed that he couldn’t imagine the game show without her. The new Wheel of Fortune host added that while he has known Vanna for two decades, they have gotten closer while shooting together. Seacrest revealed he texted White the day he signed his contract to share his excitement about working with her. “We’ve had a magical time together,” added the host.

The Wheel of Fortune host appeared on the December 31, 2024, episode of Good Morning America. During the interview, Seacrest talked about hosting ABC’s annual Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. While dishing on the festivities of the evening, Seacrest opened up about his dating life. The topic came up when ABC’s Rebecca Jarvis talked about how many people propose in Times Square after the New Year’s countdown. Her co-host Will Reeve jokingly added that he should have proposed on New Year’s Eve with Seacrest hosting. That’s when Seacrest jumped in to say: “There’s still time for me.”

Ryan Seacrest Shares Update on His Dating Life

He later added that he wasn’t looking to rush things and was taking his time with love. The news comes a few months after Seacrest broke up with model Aubrey Paige back in April 2024 after dating for three years. At the time, an insider told PEOPLE that the former couple had parted ways on a good note and that they still remained good friends.

However, another source told Closer Weekly that the two called it quits because of Seacrest’s busy work schedule. According to the insider, Paige wanted to get married and have kids, while Seacrest wasn’t ready for that. 2024 marked Seacrest’s 20th year as a host on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. But even with his years of experience, the host admitted that there’s always chaos going on behind the scenes that viewers never know about. Wheel of Fortune Season 42 airs weeknights on ABC. Episodes are also available to stream on YouTube TV in the U.S.

Colin Jost makes rare comments about family life with wife Scarlett Johansson and reveals the reason he fell in love with her

Colin Jost is opening up about family life with wife Scarlett Johansson, and how he actually got his first lessons on being a dad by watching her with her daughter Rose.

It happened after the Saturday Night Live star began dating her movie star mom in 2017 when the then toddler was just two-years-old.

And by dating the Hollywood leading lady, the comedian got to witness her mommy skills for five years before the arrival of their own son Cosmo, now two.

‘I think part of the reason I fell in love with her is she’s a great mom,’ Jost, 42, recently told The New York Times. ‘I’ve known Rose, my stepdaughter, since she was two. It’s weird. You get to actually preview someone as a mom.’

Johansson first met Jost when she hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time in 2006, which was several years before she married first husband Ryan Reynolds, but they didn’t start dating for more than a decade later.

Colin Jost, 42, opened up about his family life and how he fell in love with his wife Scarlett Johansson, 39, partly after watching her mommy skills with her daughter Rose, now nine; the couple are seen at Fly Me To The Moon premiere in New York City on July 8

Johansson would go on to get married to Reynolds less than two years after her first meeting with Jost on the SNL set.

Her first marriage to the fellow A-lister ended up in divorce in 2011, but seemingly found love again the following year when she began dating Rose’s father, a French journalist and art dealer, after meeting through friends in Paris, France.

They would go public with their romance in November 2012, and then make their relationship legal by marrying in Philipsburg, Montana in October 2014, about a month after they welcomed their daughter Rose to the world.

While dividing time between New York City and Paris, the couple would ultimately separate in mid-2016 and finalize their divorce in September 2017.

That opened the door for Jost and Johansson to find each other again, 11 years after their initial meeting, and spark more romance talk in May 2017, when the actress made a special appearance in the SNL season finale.

After the show, the two shared a warm hug on stage during the customary goodnights and later hit up the afterparty where they were reportedly seen kissing, according to Page Six.

The comedian would end up coming clean on their romance later that same year, making their debut as a couple at the American Museum of Natural History Gala in New York City in November 2017.

They went on to tie-the-knot in an intimate ceremony in front of only immediate family and love ones, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in October 2020.

Johansson started dating Jost around the time she made a special appearance on Saturday Night Live in the season finale in December 2017

After the SNL season finale in 2017, the Johansson and Jost shared a warm hug on stage during the customary goodnights and later hit up the afterparty where they were reportedly seen kissing, according to Page Six

It didn’t take long before they added to their blended family with the birth of their first child together, a son named Cosmo, now two, in August 2021.

During the same interview the longtime keeper of the Weekend Update co-anchor with Michael Che couldn’t resist sharing about ‘how much normal stuff’ his wife likes to do, oftentimes with the help of a simple disguise.

‘She goes to the supermarket. She’s just very good at wearing a hat and she keeps moving,’ the proud husband gushed. ‘She is able to stay a little under the radar, but she’s able to do all these everyday things and enjoy them, too.’

Johansson joked about having her husband working on all of her film sets as part of ‘our prenuptial agreement,’ which got big laughs from Fallon and the audience

‘I think part of the reason I fell in love with her is she’s a great mom,’ Jost recently told The New York Times. ‘I’ve known Rose, my stepdaughter, since she was two. It’s weird. You get to actually preview someone as a mom’; the comedian is pictured in Washington, D.C. in April

And it turns out there are also times when the couple work together; case in point, the brief cameo he makes in Johansson’s new film, Fly Me To The Moon, that co-stars Channing Tatum in the leading man role.

When explaining how it all came about on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the actress first revealed that the film’s director Greg Berlanti is a ‘huge fan’ of her husband’s.

‘And Colin’s, like, “I think he had to do it because it’s like in our prenuptial agreement,”‘ she joked, before adding, ‘”If I have to do something, he has to be there to support me,’ which got big laughs from both the host and the guest.

They went on to share more laughs while chatting about how Jost sometimes likes to help her with her lines for her next day of work, but that he sometimes gets too dramatic with his performance.

For her newest film, Johansson stars alongside Channing Tatum in Fly Me To The Moon; the two stars are pictured at photocall in Madrid, Spain July 11

‘I run lines with him, which is great. You’d think that would be very convenient because you have a partner there to help you out, you can learn your lines, you know, for tomorrow, whatever,’ Johansson said, while trying to sound appreciative.

She explained how he likes to get real serious for their line reading episodes, but that doesn’t always go over well with Johansson.

‘He really commits to the line reading and it’s not always the performance I want it to be,’ she joked again. ‘I’m like, “just say the lines.”‘

She went on to reveal how he likes to ‘real into it’ and incorporate big dramatic pauses to his at-home performance, which is exactly what she doesn’t want.

Ken Jennings ‘feels slighted’ over Colin Jost hosting new Pop Culture Jeopardy! spin-off

Famous Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings is reportedly upset now that Colin Jost will be taking over the new Jeopardy! pop culture spin-off as it is a ‘clear indication’ that his bosses want to broaden their options

Long-time host Ken Jennings reportedly “feels slighted” now that comedian Colin Jost has been slated to be host the new Pop Culture Jeopardy! spin-off.

Many fans thought that Ken who is currently leading Celebrity Jeopardy! would be taking on the role, but it has since been announced that Saturday Night Live co-anchor Colin will be taking on the challenge. Pop Culture Jeopardy! is a new spin-off series that follows the same high-stakes quiz show style as traditional Jeopardy.

However in Pop Culture Jeopardy, the gameshow will be split into teams rather than individual players facing head-to-head. During the series, which will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, contestants will be quizzed on a range of pop culture knowledge including everything from music to movies to TV shows.

And as Scarlett Johansson’s husband Colin has been announced to take on the new gig, sources claim that Ken is less than thrilled over the idea. After the news was revealed, an insider told Closer: “It’s open knowledge in Jeopardy! circles that Ken feels slighted by this.”

Ken Jennings is reportedly ‘petrified’ over the decision to have Colin take over Pop Culture Jeopardy (Image:ABC via Getty Images)

Colin was announced as the host of the new Jeopardy! spin-off series (Image: Getty Images)
They continued: “And to be fair, he does have a right to feel insecure because it’s a clear indication that the bosses want to broaden their options and add some much-needed pizazz to the franchise,” and added: “At the end of the day, Ken’s the undisputed GOAT as far as being the top contestant, and it goes a long way that he was a firm favorite with Alex Trebek.”

The insider went on to claim that there is “only so much room for sentiment” in the television business and at the end of the day it all comes down to “cold, hard rating numbers.” Due to the cut-throat nature of the industry, the source believes that there is a lot “pressure and scrutiny” directed towards Ken right now.

And while Ken has been a beloved host of the series since January of 2021, the source alluded to the idea that Ken’s days in the spotlight could be numbered depending on Colin’s performance. The insider said: “Now, if Colin comes in and knocks it out the park — which he’s highly likely to do — this could spell the writing on the wall. Ken knows it, and of course he’s petrified.”

Scarlett Johansson dishes on husband Colin Jost’s ‘very strange’ movie cameo

Spoiler alert! We’re discussing minor details about a scene from “Fly Me to the Moon” (in theaters now).

“Fly Me to the Moon” has one of the more star-studded ensembles in recent memory, with Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano and “Community” favorite Jim Rash.

But the most inspired casting is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from none other than Colin Jost, who co-hosts “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live” and is also Johansson’s husband. The comedian appears midway through the film as the dimwitted Senator Cook.

The romantic comedy follows an advertising maven named Kelly Jones (Johansson), who’s sent to NASA in 1969 to help market the moon landing. Much to the annoyance of launch director Cole Davis (Tatum), she turns the Apollo 11 astronauts into chipper spokesmen for the mission: smiling through gritted teeth in countless TV interviews and product placement ads. She also becomes an unofficial political lobbyist, glad-handing with conservative U.S. senators whose votes are needed to fund space flight.

One of those politicians is Cook, who meets Kelly and Cole in a dimly lit boardroom, where he’s gobsmacked by drawings of laser-wielding extraterrestrials. Assuming they’re real aliens, he blindly pledges his support.

Johansson, 39, thought Jost was a natural fit for the role of a daffy senator.

“I was like, ‘He’s a hardcore, hate-fueled, right-leaning conspiracy theorist …,’ ” she jokes. The scene itself is “very strange. I was like, what is this movie?”

“I’m not joking when I say it’s one of my favorite scenes,” Tatum adds. “It’s the most pushed in terms of the tone of the movie and the zany out-thereness.”

In all seriousness, Johansson says that director Greg Berlanti was the one who wanted the cameo.

“They’re having a bromance,” Johansson explains. “Greg asked if I thought he would be interested in doing it. And I’m like, ‘You have to call his agent. That is how the channels work.’ ”

As Berlanti tells it, Jost’s cameo “was such a treat. I got to know him socially through Scarlett, and I was the one begging, ‘Will he just come in?’ Colin had everybody in stitches; there are a lot of outtakes. There’s a very funny one where he looks at Scarlett and Channing and says, ‘Is something going on between you guys?’ All this off-the-cuff stuff that was really funny.”

Through Johansson’s character, the film looks at how capitalism and democracy are interwoven: The senators “show a little snippet of American politics at that time, and how it factored into this larger mission in a really interesting way,” screenwriter Rose Gilroy says. “In a movie that’s a little bit meta in and of itself, it just plays so well to have him there working with Scarlett. He elevated that comedically into a whole other stratosphere.”

It’s the first time that Johansson has acted with Jost, 42, despite her many stints hosting “SNL.” They started dating in 2017 and married in 2020, and now share a soon-to-be 3-year-old son, Cosmo.

“I don’t get to work with him as an actor really ever,” Johansson says. “We’ve never worked in that capacity together. He’s written stuff for me when I’m on ‘SNL,’ but it was great. Very efficient!”

Scarlett Johansson Dishes on Her Relationship with Colin Jost and His ‘Naughty Side’

It’s really not what you’d think

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Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Scarlett Johansson just gave fans a peek into her marriage with Colin Jost, and it’s clear these two know how to keep things interesting.

During an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark on Tuesday, November 26, the Fly Me To The Moon star dished about her 40th birthday bash (thrown by Jost himself) and her husband’s, let’s call it, “quirky” side.

“He’s a good guy… He is a very, very, very great guy. I’m extremely lucky,” Johansson gushed about the Saturday Night Live star, 42. “He’s a kind person and he’s hilarious and thoughtful and loving and he’s a great dad, and I love him. I feel very, very lucky.” But, of course, there’s more to him than meets the eye. “He’s also got his naughty side. He keeps it interesting,” she added with a smile.

When co-host Mark Consuelos slyly asked about that Staten Island Ferry—yes, the one Jost and his former SNL co-star Pete Davidson bought for $280,000 in 2022—Johansson didn’t hold back. “That’s the naughty part I was talking about,” she joked. “He bought the Staten Island Ferry. A decommissioned Staten Island Ferry. And it is, yep, still decommissioned.”

While the ferry recently hosted Tommy Hilfiger’s runway show during New York Fashion Week (which Johansson said was a “huge success”), she admitted she had her doubts.

“I was like, ‘Fashion people are coming on the Staten Island Ferry? What’s happening with the bathrooms?’” she quipped. When Jost revealed that, no, the bathrooms hadn’t been renovated, Scarlett couldn’t help but laugh. “You can basically see everyone from chest up to knee down in the toilets. It’s like being in elementary school,” she joked.

Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

The couple, who tied the knot in 2020, share a son, Cosmo, born in August 2021. Johansson is also mom to daughter Rose Dorothy, born in 2014, from her previous marriage.

Safe to say, life in the Johansson-Jost household is never boring.

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Colin Jost, Michael Che under fire for offensive joke on Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost and Michael Che reportedly crossed boundaries during latest segment

Colin Jost, Michael Che under fire for offensive joke on Saturday Night Live

Colin Jost and Michael Che slammed for going above and beyond with their biting humour, pushing boundaries during the Saturday Night Live’s final Weekend Update of 2024.

The show delivered a shocking, cringe-worthy segment that left audiences and the host stunned.

While Jost has previously been subjected to crude jokes about his wife, Scarlett Johansson, the stakes were raised with a live camera capturing her real-time reactions to the savage jabs.

During a recent episode of The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, Meyers and Andy Samberg discussed the segment, with Samberg admitting that Jost “really got the worst side of it this year.”

Meyers added that watching it felt like “falling off a building,” and he wasn’t alone in his discomfort.

When Meyers texted the duo after the segment, both hosts replied in a way that suggested the emotional toll was real. “Jost said, ‘My heart is still pounding,’” Meyers recalled, adding that this was a full day and a half after the segment aired.

Colin Jost and Michael Che’s joke swap has become a holiday staple on SNL, but with this year’s heightened tension and brutal gags, it seems like the audience might get more than they bargained for.

Heidi Gardner Reveals the One Condition Travis Kelce Had to Meet to Host Saturday Night Live

Forget Disney World, Travis Kelce’s 2023 Super Bowl win earned him a different post-game activity. Saturday Night Live’s Heidi Gardner revealed her role in getting the athlete to take the stage.

Watch: Scarlett Johansson Reacts to Colin Jost’s NSFW Joke About Her on ‘Saturday Night Live’

Travis Kelce, you’ve just won the Super Bowl. What are you going to do next? I’m going to Disney World New York!

The Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end to reporters in 2023, probably.

Because, as proud Kansas City native and longtime Saturday Night Live castmember Heidi Gardner recently revealed, the NFL star’s win against his brother Jason Kelce’s Philadelphia Eagles clinched his March 2023 hosting gig months before he went public with now-girlfriend Taylor Swift.

“The biggest swing I ever did in that department, and it did work, but it took a couple years, was Travis Kelce,” Gardner recalled on a December episode of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast when asked about her input into the NBC sketch show’s hosts. “I don’t want to take full credit from the show and the talent department, but I am obviously a big Chiefs fan, and I had seen him do other little acting gigs and appearances and I was like, ‘He’s funny, he’s charming.’”

SNL creator Lorne Michaels agreed to try the trick play—under one condition: He had to win the Super Bowl.

Though Gardner acknowledged, “I was like, ‘That is so much pressure to ask,’” of course the nine-time Pro Bowler—who also ran away with victories in 2020 and 2024—was game.

Said Gardner, “Then he won the Super Bowl.”

Less than three weeks later, the 35-year-old took to the stage. But not without first assisting in Gardner’s epic pre-game.

Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images

“I was like, ‘I’m gonna have a tailgate in my room’ because Arrowhead Stadium is famous for tailgating,” she revealed of the barbecue she threw in her dressing room.

“That morning, he was so nice. Jeff, one of our guys in the talent department knocked on my dressing room, and I opened it, and he had these cans of tequila sodas,” the Shrinking star continued of Kelce. “He’s like, these are from Travis for the tailgate.”

Still, she didn’t expect to actually huddle up with the athlete because of the tight turnaraound between dress rehearsal and going live from New York.

“I had run to go get my makeup done before the live show, and that’s when your guests that’ll be in your dressing room start arriving,” Gardner explained. “So my brothers are getting there. They’re texting me like, ‘We’re in.’ My best friend, Michelle—people are getting there. I’m just like, ‘Oh, cool. It’s gonna be a great show. I’m just getting my make-up,’ and then I get another text.”

This one was simply a photo of both the tight end and his brother eating barbecue in her dressing room.

Cracked Gardner, “I just know for a fact that’s the only host in SNL history that’s ever tailgated before hosting.”

The other Xs and Os that went into Kelce having a successful show? Gardner rushing out to procure his go-to pre-game fuel.

“I was very protective,” she explained during a May appearance on Today. “I asked him questions, which also, as a sports fan, I’m just interested in, but I was like, ‘On game day, what do you eat?’ And he was like, ‘Uncrustables. I’m just pounding Uncrustables.’”

So she snagged a few of the peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches for him. Explained Gardner, “I was like, ‘I want this to feel as much like home as it can.”

Pat Sajak ‘Desperate to Get Back on Wheel of Fortune’

Pat Sajak famously retired earlier this year, but now the longtime Wheel of Fortune host wants back on the show.

The beloved Wheel emcee is spreading the word he’s not done yet and it has created even more tension between him and his replacement, Ryan Seacrest, Knewz.com can reveal.

An insider shared: “Pat got an amazing show of support when he was on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune recently, and it’s revived his drive to be host on the original again as well.

“Even if it’s not now, but in a couple of years, he’d do it.”
Sources revealed Sajak wants back on Wheel of Fortune, creating tension with new host Ryan Seacrest. BY: MEGA
The insider added: “The truth is he never wanted to leave in the first place, they forced his hand, and now he wants his old job back.”

In the meantime, he wants to keep doing more of these part-time hosting gigs.

“Ryan may have a multiyear deal, but Pat doesn’t think Ryan will be able to stick with it for the long term and he’ll be waiting in the wings to take over,” the source said.

According to the source, Sajak’s shenanigans are infuriating Seacrest.
Seacrest is said to think Sajak is ‘pathetic’ amid claims the 78-year-old plans to reclaim the hosting gig. BY: MEGA
“Ryan thinks Pat’s pathetic and is being a sore loser,” said the insider.

“His [Ryan’s] ratings are great, he’s getting paid big bucks and he’s getting along with Vanna (White) better than ever. The way Ryan sees it, Pat doesn’t have a chance and is wasting his time.”

And as the source noted: “For every fan who’s missing Pat, there are more people who like what Ryan’s doing on Wheel. Sure, the first week was bumpy, but Ryan’s gotten the hang of it and is bringing his own style to the show.

“Furthermore, there was a reason why Pat lost the gig. He blew it.”

The show’s bosses grew tired of Sajak’s on-air gaffes, belittling of contestants and odd jokes that fell flat.
Fans forgiving Sajak’s past gaffes could fuel his rumored push to return to ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ BY: MEGA
In a farewell speech on his final episode of Wheel of Fortune, which aired on June 7, the 78-year-old mentioned none of the controversy when he said: “I’ve always felt [this job] came with a responsibility to keep this daily half-hour a safe place for family fun… Thank you for allowing me into your lives.”

The source noted: “Obviously, the viewers who used to berate Pat for his awkward foot-in-mouth. moments have forgiven him. Many would like to see more of him in the future and that’s what Pat’s counting on. He’s going to nudge Ryan out little by little to the point where he’ll probably want to leave.”

Ryan Seacrest Fans Missed How He Subtly Revealed His Dating Status on ‘Wheel of Fortune’

Is the American Idol host looking for love again?

It looks like we now know just a bit more about Ryan Seacrest‘s current relationship status.

Back in April, fans of the Wheel of Fortune and American Idol host were sad to hear that he and girlfriend Aubrey Paige split after three years of dating. Well, for those wondering if he’s been looking for love since then, he subtly gave folks a clue about his current dating status.

Per TV Insider, viewers witnessed Ryan’s surprise reveal on the December 9 episode of Wheel of Fortune. The host was talking with contestant Sunita Baru about how much she loves all things Disney, and how she was lucky to audition and play the game during the show’s Disney Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway Week.

When Sunita shared that she’d celebrated her honeymoon and 10-year wedding anniversary at Disney World, she also announced her plans to go back for her 20th anniversary. Upon hearing this, Ryan proceeded to lightheartedly ask for some marital advice … while seemingly inferring he’s currently single.

Chris Patey//CBS

“Is that the key to a successful marriage?” Ryan asked Sunita.

“I think so,” she replied.

“I’ll make note if it…ever happens,” Ryan quipped back.

While Ryan may not have a new lady in his life, he’s plenty busy these days with his family. As Ryan shared in a sweet message on Instagram on December 10, he recently celebrated his niece Flora‘s birthday. (Flora’s mom is Ryan’s sister, Meredith Seacrest Leach.)

“Happy birthday to our favorite Make-Believer!” he captioned the series of photos. “Love you, Flora.”

And let’s not forget — he’s also about to get to work on a new season of American Idol, airing March 9, 2025 and featuring Carrie Underwood as the show’s newest judge.