One is empathy for Tamra’s target du jour, which on Thursday, July 17, is once again Katie Ginella. The other? Admiration, because honestly, the housewives are done for when Terrible Tamra pulls the pin.

We’ll get to Poor Katie in a moment, but first, welcome back former housewife Gretchen Rossi, who makes her return on Thursday as a friend of the housewives this season.

Well, friend of all except Tamra. Gretchen seems likely to be a powerful adversary to her for one simple reason: neither woman can stand the other.

These two go way back – Tamra joined the show for its third season, Gretchen for its fourth – and a dozen years after Gretchen left the cast there’s no love lost between the two, as is clear when Heather Dubrow brings up Gretchen during a champagne-and-onion-rings party on Tamra’s bed. Housewives, they’re just like us!

“Oh, God,” Tamra groans after Heather tells her she’s hung out with Gretchen recently. “Does she have a nose?”

Heather replies that yes, Gretchen in fact has a nose.

“Because the pictures on Instagram, it’s all blurred,” Tamra explains, referring, it seems, to some possibly filtered social media pics that flash on the screen.

Gretchen gets her first confessional after that and uses it partly to rebut Tamra.

“It’s been 11 years since I’ve been sitting in this chair, and I would say I look like I’ve been frozen in time,” Gretchen says as the show does a video-morph effect on her face over time to back that assertion.

“And no plastic surgery, not on even on these suckers,” she adds, giving her chest a little shake to prove her point.

Turns out, Gretchen and Katie, who only joined the show the previous season, already are friendly.

“Every new housewife always reaches out to me and asks how to deal with Tamra,” Gretchen explains. ‘And I literally tell them to run. I could be making so much money if I started charging them for advice.”

Gretchen’s also friendly with Jenn Pedranti, who invites her and Katie and their spouses over to dinner. Let’s pause here to honor Gretchen’s longtime partner – 16 years, during which he took fire from Tamra, too – as possessor of perhaps the most perfect name ever for a housewife’s man: Slade Smiley.

“The irony of so many of these women claiming it’s a fake relationship is that most of these women have gotten divorced since then,” Gretchen says of her relationship with Slade. A montage of her past housewife foes Tamra, former housewife Vicki Gunvalson, and Shannon Storms Beador – and their divorce dates in 2011, 2013, and 2018, respectively – scroll by as she speaks.

“Karma’s a bitch, ain’t it?” she declares as the video clips shift to archival footage of Tamra calling Gretchen a gold digger and Slade a piece of you know what, among other things.

After the season premiere a week earlier, which featured Katie on the receiving end of accusations about violating various unwritten rules of housewifery, Katie had invited everyone to lunch at Nice To Meet You Hot Pot in Irvine. She’s hoping to clear the air, rinse the dirty laundry, reboot the modem and get her friendships back on track.

Alas, Katie, she knew not what Tamra had already unleashed upon her during an earlier conversation with Gina Kirschenheiter and Emily Simpson.

“Katie’s like a silent assassin,” Tamra says. “Like she’s really sweet and nice to your face and then she’s doing all this stuff behind your back.”

A week earlier, Tamra tore into Katie for allegedly contacting a blogger who’d posted something negative about Tamra online. Emily had also blasted her for allegedly dragging Emily’s children inappropriately into the spotlight. Only Jenn and Shannon had defended her during the premiere.

Now Tamra accidently on purpose lets slip to Gina and Emily that during the previous season Katie had videotaped Shannon having a meltdown and later showed it to Alexis Bellino, Shannon’s biggest enemy in that season.

Gina gasps. “She showed it to Alexis?” she says in a whisper for some reason. “They were in an active lawsuit [at the time]”

Flash-forward to the restaurant where Katie is about to go from last week’s frying pan into this week’s hot pot. Gina has decided she simply must confront her over the Shannon Tape and thereby ensure that Katie has one less friend and defender.

It’s hard to trust you, Gina says, and turns to Shannon before continuing.

“Tamra just told me that last year she recorded you [freaking out] and then sent the video to Alexis,” she says as Shannon’s head whips around and Tamra pulls off a tricky wince-eyeroll combo move.

Katie insists there was no video, just a voice memo that she sent to her husband Matt because she was annoyed by Shannon’s noisy outbursts.

“I did some [bleeped-up bleep] and regret doing it,” Katie tells Gina, and suddenly they’re pledging to try to be friends again.

Shannon takes off early, and into that void come Tamra and Gretchen, battling like no time elapsed since their last on-camera spat. In Gretchen, Tamra faces someone who knows her and their shared history and doesn’t back down.

“You always blame it on somebody else,” Gretchen tells her at one point. “So you can spin your little lies and do all your manipulation like you do. You are the liar beyond liars.”

Elsewhere in this week’s episode:

— Emily, a week after tucking unwrapped donuts into the pocket of her coat, does a bit more foraging in the hot pot spot.

“I got a hard-boiled egg for the ride home,” she announces as the luncheon wraps up.

“Shut up and let me see it!” Heather replies. “Did you put an egg in your purse?”

The show flashes back 15 minutes to see that Emily did indeed take an egg from the hot pot buffet, and using tongs, place it in her handbag.

She takes it out of her purse to show the others, and then exclaims, “Oh! I thought it was hard-boiled!”

Emily, God bless her, had put a now-cracked-and-oozing uncooked egg in her purse, which leaves the other housewives in tears, and one of them, probably Gina, snorting with laughter.

— Shannon tells Katie about her recent medi-spa treatments, which included a facial, lasers, and Botox.

“It’s just neck up,” she explains later in a confessional. “There’s no neck down until I’m in a relationship. I don’t even know when the last time was I had a bikini wax.”

Surely Chekov’s bikini line will be waxed before the season’s finale curtain.

— Shannon has been kissing the fellas here and there, though, having smooched four gents without having to initiate the lip-locks once, she says after a conversation with her daughter Sophie about her new embrace of singlehood.

“I’m not a kissing bandit,” Shannon explains. “But I do like a kiss, if it’s good.”

— Tamra also takes some shots at Jenn during her boudoir champagne and onion rings get-together with Heather, claiming that Jenn, after first meeting Tamra, tried to become her, buying a house nearby and reshaping her body through exercise and styling.

“She went to the hair salon where I went and had my old hair extensions put in her head,” Tamra says, which we’re pretty sure is not how it works, right?

NEW YORK (AP) — This isn’t a joke. They’ve made that clear.

CBS “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert condemned parent company Paramount Global’s settlement of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” story as a “big fat bribe” during his first show back from a vacation.

Colbert followed “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart’s attack of the deal one week earlier. Stewart works for Comedy Central, also owned by Paramount, making the two comics the most visible internal critics of the $16 million settlement that was announced on July 1.

Colbert’s “bribe” reference was to the pending sale of Paramount to Skydance Media, which needs Trump administration approval. Critics of the deal that ended Trump’s lawsuit over the newsmagazine’s editing of its interview last fall with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris suggested it was primarily to clear a hurdle to that sale.

“I am offended,” Colbert said in his monologue Monday night. “I don’t know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company. But, just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”

He said the technical name in legal circles for the deal was “big fat bribe.”

Jon Stewart terms it ‘shameful’

Stewart began discussing the “shameful settlement” on his show a week earlier when he was “interrupted” by a fake Arby’s ad on the screen. “That’s why it was so wrong,” he said upon his “return.”

He discussed the deal in greater detail with the show’s guest, retired “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Kroft, making his views clear through a series of leading questions.

“I would assume internally, this is devastating to the people who work in a place that pride themselves on contextual, good journalism?” Stewart asked.

“Devastating is a good word,” Kroft replied.

A handful of media reports in the past two weeks have speculated that Skydance boss David Ellison might try to curry favor with Trump by eliminating the comics’ jobs if the sale is approved. A representative for Ellison did not immediately return a message for comment on Tuesday.

It would be easier to get rid of Stewart, since he works one night a week at a network that no longer produces much original content. Colbert is the ratings leader in late-night broadcast television, however, and is a relentless Trump critic.

The antipathy is mutual. Trump called Colbert “a complete and total loser” in a Truth Social post last fall, suggesting CBS was wasting its money on him. “HE IS VERY BORING,” Trump wrote.

Colbert slips in a quip

Colbert alluded to reports about his job security in his monologue, pointing to the mustache he grew during his vacation. “OK, OK, but how are they going to put pressure on Stephen Colbert, if they can’t find him?” he joked.

Colbert and Stewart both earned Emmy nominations this week for outstanding talk series. Together with ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel, all three nominees are tough on Trump.

CBS News journalists have largely been quiet publicly since the settlement’s announcement. Two top executives, CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon and “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens, both quit or were forced out prior to the settlement for making their dissatisfaction about the idea known internally.

Reporting about the settlement on the day it was announced, “CBS Evening News” anchor John Dickerson said viewers would have to decide on their own what it meant to them.

“Can you hold power to account after paying it millions?” Dickerson asked. “Can an audience trust you when it thinks you’ve traded away that trust? The audience will decide that. Our job is to show up to honor what we witness on behalf of the people.”

David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Severance” separated itself from the field with 27 Emmy nominations Tuesday, while “The Studio” led comedy nominees with a record-tying 23 in a dominant year for Apple TV+.

No other dramas came close to the dystopian workplace series “Severance,” which achieved a convergence of acclaim and audience buzz for its second season that brought an expected Emmy bounty.

Lead acting nominations came for Adam Scott and Britt Lower for what amounted to dual roles as their characters’ “innie” work selves and “outie” home selves. Tramell Tillman got a supporting nod for playing their tone-shifting, pineapple-wielding supervisor, and Patricia Arquette was nominated for supporting actress for playing an ousted outcast from the sinister family business at the center of the show. Ben Stiller got a directing nomination.

Apple’s Hollywood satire “The Studio” was expected to make a significant showing for its first season, but it romped over more established shows like “Hacks,” which got 14, and “The Bear,” which got 13.

And “The Studio” tied a record set by “The Bear” last year when it also got 23 nominations, the most ever for a comedy.

“It’s been the best kind of morning,” Apple TV+ head of programming Matt Cherniss told The Associated Press.

“The Studio” co-creator Seth Rogen personally got three nominations — for acting, writing and directing. Its A-list roster of guest stars brought in a bounty, with nominations for Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Bryan Cranston, Anthony Mackie, Dave Franco and Zoë Kravitz. The men made for five of the six nominees in the guest actor in a comedy category.

“The Penguin,” HBO’s dark drama from the “Batman” universe, was also surprisingly dominant in the limited series category with 24 nominations, including nods for leads Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti.

Netflix’s acclaimed “Adolescence” got 13 limited series nominations, including a supporting actor nod for 15-year-old Owen Cooper, who plays a 13-year-old suspected of a killing.

Many expect Cooper to become the youngest Emmy winner in more than 40 years, largely because of a breath-taking episode that is one long therapy session inside a juvenile jail. Like all “Adolescence” episodes, it’s done in one long shot.

His psychologist scene partner, Erin Doherty, was also nominated, for limited series supporting actress.

“If you just sit and listen, and let someone talk, that is such a gorgeous offering,” Doherty told the AP. “I don’t think we do it that often. I’m trying to take that forward.”

“The White Lotus,” “The Pitt” and “Matlock” score in acting categories

HBO’s high-end soap “The White Lotus” got its usual flowering of drama acting nominations for its Thailand-set third season, with four cast members including Carrie Coon getting supporting actress nods, and three including Walton Goggins up for supporting actor. It was second in the drama categories to “Severance” with 23 nominations overall.

“The Pitt,” HBO Max’s prestige medical procedural, got 13 nominations, including best drama and best actor for its star, “ER” veteran Noah Wyle. One of its nurses, Katherine LaNasa, was able to squeeze in among the women of “The White Lotus” for a supporting actress nod.

Wyle, who was nominated five times without a win for “ER,” could join Scott to make best actor in a drama a two-man race, with both seeking their first Emmy.

The broadcast networks have largely become Emmy non-entities in the top categories. Oscar-winner Kathy Bates was a big exception this year. She’s considered a heavy favorite to win best actress in a drama for CBS’ “Matlock.” She’s the first person nominated in the category from a network show since 2019, and would be the first to win it since 2015. At 77, she’s also the oldest ever nominee in the category.

ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” which has kept hope alive for the networks in recent years, got six nominations including acting and writing nods for creator Quinta Brunson.

HBO is still king in the overall numbers

“The Last of Us” brought in 16 nominations in drama categories for HBO to add to the elite cable and streaming giant’s totals run up by “The White Lotus,” “The Pitt” and “The Penguin.” Bella Ramsey got a nod for best actress in a drama for “The Last of Us.” Pedro Pascal was nominated for lead actor despite appearing in only about half of the season’s episodes.

HBO with its streaming counterpart HBO Max has been so prolific for decades in Emmy nominations that it almost felt like an off year without it having a “Succession” or a “Game of Thrones” atop the drama category. But it definitely wasn’t. It led all outlets with 142 nominations, the most it’s ever gotten.

Netflix followed with 120 nominations overall, including 11 for “Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story” and 10 for “Black Mirror.”

Apple TV+ had 79 nominations overall.

“Shrinking” added to its total with seven in the comedy categories, including acting nominations for Harrison Ford and Jason Segel.

“Andor” represented Disney+ with 14 nominations. The gritty series from the “Star Wars” galaxy is up for best drama series and a slew of technical categories. Forest Whitaker was nominated for best guest actor in a drama.

He’s one of several Oscar winners in the guest acting categories along with Scorsese, Howard and Jamie Lee Curtis and Olivia Colman for their performances in “The Bear.”

“Andor” star Diego Luna was surprisingly omitted from the lead actor in a drama category. Other snubs included former Emmy powerhouses “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which got just one nomination, and “Squid Game,” which got none.

Actors Harvey Guillén and Brenda Song announced the nominations in key categories.

Key nominees for the 2025 Emmy Awards

The nominees for best drama series are: “Andor”; “Paradise”; “Severance”; “Slow Horses”; “The Diplomat”; “The Pitt”; “The Last of Us” and “The White Lotus.”

The nominees for best comedy series are: “Hacks”; “The Bear”; “The Studio”; “Only Murders in the Building”; “Abbott Elementary”; “Nobody Wants This”; “Shrinking” and “What We Do in the Shadows.”

The nominees for outstanding limited series are: “Adolescence”; “Black Mirror”; “Dying For Sex”; “Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story” and “The Penguin.”

The nominees for best comedy actor are: Seth Rogen, “The Studio”; Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”; Jeremy Allen-White, “The Bear”; Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This”; Jason Segel, “Shrinking”

The nominees for best comedy actress are: Uzo Aduba, “The Residence”; Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”; Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”; Jean Smart, “Hacks”; Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear.”

‘Severance’ delivers big for Apple TV+

“Severance” has become a signature show for Apple TV+. The streamer has gotten plenty of Emmy nominations for dramas including “The Morning Show” and “Slow Horses,” and “Ted Lasso” thrived the comedy side.

But Apple has lacked the kind of breakaway prestige drama that HBO seems to produce perennially. “Severance” became its most-nominated show ever and could easily become its biggest winner when the Emmys are handed out in September, reaching the upper echelons previously enjoyed by “Succession” and “Shogun,” which left room for others by taking this year off.

Cherniss said Apple TV+, which has been knocked as the streamer with big stars and big budgets for shows that go unnoticed, was rewarded for taking big swings.

“’Severance’ is such an ambitious show,” he said, adding that “all of the shows that have been nominated took big risks, and were really, I think, audacious in terms of their approach to storytelling and it’s nice to see that when that’s rewarded.”

How streaming has changed TV and the Emmys

All the shows are living in the splintered world of the streaming era, and the like the Oscars its most acclaimed nominees rarely have the huge audience they once did. While an impressive average of 10 million people per episode watched Wyle on “The Pitt” on HBO Max, according to Warner Bros. Discovery, 30 years ago an average of 30 million sat down and watched him on “ER” on NBC.

The broadcast networks rotate on who airs the Emmys. This year is CBS’s turn. It will air the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 14. Nate Bargatze is slated to host.

AP Entertainment writer Ryan Pearson contributed.

For more coverage on this year’s Emmy Awards and recent television shows, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/television

• Related: Love Island’s Iain Stirling reflects on the hit reality TV show that’s taking over the country

The show is filmed and edited in real-time since the start of June, with new episodes dropping every day except Wednesday. Because of this, viewers get to participate in viewer votes throughout the season, which often results in more chaos.

On Sunday, fans voted one last time for their favorite couple, crowning Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales the winners of the season. The rest of the final four couples included Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe, Huda Mustafa and Chris Seeley, as well as Iris Kendall and Jose “Pepe” Garcia-Gonzalez.

After Espinal and Arenales received their $100k prize, host Ariana Maddix revealed to the islanders it wouldn’t be the last time they see each other, as the cast would be reuniting in New York for the Love Island USA season 7 reunion, set to air on Peacock on August 25.

• Also see: How Love Island USA watch parties are taking over the bar scene

If you’re eager to relive the past 6 weeks or need a bit of a recap ahead of the reunion, here are some of the most memorable moments from Love Island USA season 7.

“I never said I was perfect”

In addition to its standard episodes Sunday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday, Love Island USA also has an in-house talk show called “Aftersun.” During episode 17, guest host Sophie Munk, who also hosts the Australian Love Island franchise, introduced an unseen moment of Espinal, lovingly referred to by viewers as her self-appointed nickname “Amaya Papaya,” singing to herself alone in the makeup room.

“I never said I was perfect, I never said I didn’t have any flaws. But at least I’m pretty, and at least I’m a little funny, and at least I’m my own best friend,” sings Espinal as she gets ready for the evening. “You f—ing take me as you f—ing take me. This is who the f— I am.”

The clip took off on social media and quickly became a trending TikTok sound. It became so popular that for the final Aftersun episode on Saturday, July 12, the show released an extended version of the clip with more of Espinal’s sing-song affirmations.

@loveislandusa

1 billion likes and Amaya drops a mixtape. #LoveIslandUSA @Amaya #AmayaPapaya

♬ Love Island USA Amayas Song – Love Island USA

Mommy? Mamacita.

This conversation between islanders Huda Mustafa and Nic Vansteenberghe became one of the most referenced moments of the season:

“I have a secret to tell you. All the girls know, Jeremiah knows but you have to promise me you’re not going to say anything to any of the other guys, cause it’s not their business, but… I’m a mommy,” says Mustafa.

“Mommy?” responds Vansteenberghe.

“I’m a mom,” she confirms.

“Mamacita,” he replies as the two share a laugh.

“No, I’m a mommy.”

“Mom of what? A dog?”

“I have a daughter.”

“Like in real life?”

“Yeah.”

“Like a daughter, like a real baby?”

“Yeah. Like a human child.”

@loveislandusa

Huda is mommy to her daughter… Mamacita to Nic. #LoveIslandUSA @hudabubbaaa @Nicolas Vansteenberghe

♬ Love Island USA Im A Mommy – Love Island USA

Nicolandria

Viewers noticed a spark between Carthen and Vansteenberghe from the first episode. While the islanders both remained in different couples for a majority of their time in the villa, they were first brought together in an unexpected plot twist. Both contestants were single and vulnerable during Casa Amor and were told to pack their bags, making the islanders believe they had been dumped from the show. Instead, Carthen and Vansteenberghe were given the ultimatum: couple up or leave the villa.

• Related: Love Island USA fans react to shocking season 7 twist

The first time they explored their connection, the two felt they were better off as friends, but after finding themselves both single again a few days later, they decided to give it a try for real. Additionally, both of their moms were flown in for family day, where they let the two islanders know that Nicolandria Nation was backing their connection.

@carolyn.burt

Love Island USA fans react to shocking twist ending for season 7 episode 20 at Roosterfish in West Hollywood. @reality bar #loveislandusa #loveisland #loveislandseason7

♬ original sound – Carolyn Burt – Journalist

Ariana’s Outfits

While Madix’s cameos are limited throughout the season, each one is memorable not only because of the bombshell information she drops, but because of the killer outfits she wears doing it.

Fan vote leads to a crash out

This season, the viewers were tasked with pairing up new bombshells Jalen Brown, Garcia-Gonzalez, and Kendall with current islanders. Kendall was coupled up with Jeremiah Brown, sending shockwaves through the villa. Jeremiah Brown and Mustafa had been coupled up since the first day, telling others that they were “basically closed off” and were the “mom and dad” of the group.

Viewers, however, felt (and voted) differently, posting that the conversations between the two appeared to be somewhat toxic at times and that the couple’s connection didn’t appear to be all it was made out to be. This resulted in a few days of friction between the pair, with growing concern amongst viewers around Mustafa’s mental health.

Megan Thee Stallion surprises the islanders

The Grammy award-winning rapper, and super fan of the show, made a cameo to host a challenge for the contestants and promote her new swimwear line “Hot Girl Summer.” The appearance also came at the perfect time for viewers, providing a fun change of pace from the dramatic episodes that had played out the days before.

Cast’s past leads to their removal from the villa

While this season has been nothing short of dramatic onscreen, there’s also been controversy after resurfaced clips and social media posts began to circulate outside of the villa.

After the season 7 cast was revealed online, viewers began digging into the contestants’ pasts. A clip of day one contestant Yulissa Escobar using a racial slur in a podcast was found, and Escobar was promptly removed from the show in episode 2.

Additionally, Cierra Ortega, who was brought in as a bombshell during the first episode, was removed in episode 30 after a resurfaced social media post of her using a racial slur was discovered.

The show didn’t address why the contestants had been removed beyond the announcement of them leaving the villa via narrator Iain Stirling. Both Escobar and Ortega took to their social media after returning home to apologize for their actions and take accountability.

Honesty box challenge gets a little too honest

During the standing on business challenge, each islander wrote postcards to one another to get what they needed to say off their chest. Additionally, they had the option to sign their name or leave it anonymous. With the opportunity in front of them to tell one another how they really felt, the challenge took a heavy turn.

Espinoal was told by each of the men that she had been paired up with that she moved too quickly with them, and it was too much, too early on. This was made more emotional as Espinoal had been seen in earlier episodes having conversations with her previous partner, Austin Shepard, and her current partner, Zak Srakaew, asking how they felt their connection was going and if there were areas of improvement they needed from her.

The moment did have a silver lining as Arenales spoke up in defense of Espinoal, informing the guys that her affectionate ways were also a part of their culture, and sparking a romantic connection between Arenales and Espinoal.

Amaya’s got a case of the zoomies

Fans quickly began recognizing that each time Espinal was too excited for words, she would run around in a circle, which viewers and contestants began referring to as “the zoomies.” It happened in challenges, such as when the girls built their bombshell before the guys, as well as when the girls found out they were headed to Casa Amor. Espinal got one final case of the zoomies when, after being crowned the winners, Arenales joined her for a celebratory lap around the villa.

Breakup during the finale

While Mustafa had a loyal fan base throughout the show who voted for her to make it to the finale, not everyone was in support of how she handled herself in her connections, noting a pattern of negative behavior.

While some viewers agreed she made for captivating reality TV and had shown growth throughout the summer, the bubbling friction between her and Seeley also led to discourse online, as many felt it didn’t make sense for the pair to stay on the show over other couples, such as Chelley Bissainthe and Ace Greene.

During the finale episode, each of the final couples shared a romantic date in Fiji. While it’s typically a moment for the couple to appreciate their journey, for Mustafa and Seeley, it was a time to decide what their future had in store. Seeley put the decision on Mustafa as to whether or not they should continue to work on their relationship outside of the villa.

Knowing the foundation wasn’t there, and that they’d be long distance, Mustafa decided that they’d be better off as friends. The moment was made more dramatic as their date had taken place in the middle of a pond. Seeley had carried Mustafa in, but decided not to carry her back out, leaving her to take off her shoes, grab a class of champagne and walk out alone down the water-covered path.

The Love Island USA Season 7 Reunion airs on Peacock on August 25. Love Island Games, with Madix taking over as the host, will return for season two on September 16.

Stirling has been the narrator of the reality TV dating competition for more than a decade, and even he couldn’t believe how many people are gathering at local bars across the United States for “Love Island” watch parties. “I genuinely thought people were photoshopping them and sending them to me,” Stirling shared during a recent video call from his home studio in London.

@carolyn.burt

Love Island USA fans react to shocking twist ending for season 7 episode 20 at Roosterfish in West Hollywood. @reality bar #loveislandusa #loveisland #loveislandseason7

♬ original sound – Carolyn Burt – Journalist

• RELATED: How Love Island USA watch parties are taking over the bar scene

“Love Island” has been popular in the UK for quite some time, with many fans in agreement that season 5 was when it really hit is stride with contestants who are now household names such as Molly-Mae Hague, Tommy Fury and Maura Higgins, the last of which now hosts Love Island After Sun in the US.

For Stirling, it’s interesting to witness the rise in popularity of “Love Island” USA over the past year, and how it parallels the achievement of the UK version. He’s been narrating the series since the show first aired on ITV2 in 2015, and joined the US version of the show in 2022 when it made the move from CBS to NBC’s streaming service Peacock. The success of the franchise has catapulted him to iconic UK theatres, such as the Apollo Theatre in London, and now he’s bringing his stand-up to the States.

Stirling will bring “Iain Stirling Live” to the Hollywood Improv in Los Angeles on October 22. The 7:30 p.m. performance has already sold out, so a second 9:30 p.m. show has been added.

In an interview edited for length and clarity, Stirling chats about “Love Island,” the early stages of his stand-up career in Edinburgh, and other career highlights that have come, in part, thanks to his wildly popular narration of the TV show.

Q. You’ve been the narrator of “Love Island” for 10 years. What’s been the biggest change you’ve noticed with the series?

The biggest change is how well the Islanders prime and prep themselves. In earlier series, it was more like a “Survivor” vibe. Everyone just got a bit disheveled, but now obviously they’re very primed.

Q. Are there any major differences you’ve noticed between narrating the UK version of the show compared to the US version?

You know what the biggest one is? I don’t know if it’s just a “Love Island” thing or if it’s an American thing, but in the UK, we joke about people’s jobs all the time. In the UK, it’ll be like “my name’s this and I do this for a living.” Whereas in America, it’s like “my name’s this and I’m from here.” Like what state or area in America you are is a bigger blueprint for what you’re like as a person.

We’ve got loads of jokes [on “Love Island” UK] about jobs. In the UK, we’re very straight when we say what we do for a living. I feel like in America, they have all this fancy language to make their jobs seem a bit fancier than what they actually are.

In the UK, we’ve got like dog walkers and farmers and stuff like that, whereas apart from “pool boy Austin,” there wasn’t really anyone who had a job that we could joke about.

Q. What is the recording process like for both “Love Island” USA and UK?

It’s a lot more fluid in the American one. But, fundamentally, it’s the exact same process. The UK one, I write with Mark Busk-Cowley, who actually came up with the format of “Love Island” way back in the day.

In America, there are three of us: Me, Steve Bugeja, and an amazing New York comic, Caroline Hanes. It feels more writer-roomy. We all chuck ideas around like a Saturday Night Live writer’s room. Whereas me and Mark have been working together for so long, it’s like joke, next one, joke, next one.

Q. I don’t know if you’ve seen, but “Love Island” USA watch parties have taken over across the country. 

I genuinely thought people were photoshopping them and sending them to me. And then I’m lucky because Caroline’s from New York and she’s of the right age and demographic that her friends watch it.

And I’m online a little bit, but I’m also like a dad with two jobs, so I’m not really an online person. I’ve only now realized that it’s not a joke. I genuinely thought someone was watching the Super Bowl and they’d green screen that, but it’s legit.

Q. I’ve been writing about “Love Island” USA, and my editors were like, “Can we send you to a watch party and have you cover it?” 

Did you go?

Q. I did. It was crazy. I went to one in West Hollywood. I got there two hours early, and 10 minutes later, all the seats were taken. Thirty minutes later, everyone is packed like sardines and it’s standing room only. I think it was the best episode I could have seen live because it was one with the plot twist at the end that Nic and Olandria were safe. 

That’s honestly so cool. I can’t remember the year, but when “Love Island” UK really took off, and obviously it’s still massive here, but when it was the same [height of popularity as what is in the US now], it was when the World Cup was on, and England had a really deep run in the World Cup. So, there were loads of images of all the sports bars’ screens, all showing England in the World Cup semi-finals, but then there was another section of the bar that was “Love Island.” And obviously, for a sports bar to not show the national team in the semi-finals of a World Cup and show something else is nuts.

Q. This season of Love Island USA has been a roller coaster for a lot of things, but there have also been quite a few iconic moments aside from the drama. What’s been the most memorable moment for you in the US this season?

There’s obviously Nic and Huda’s “Mommy, Mamacita?” That’s gone so viral, but even my voice over into it, I did a joke about Nic not knowing what a mother is. I think those little fun moments are incredible.

Also, there’s a really lovely, vindicating moment when everyone clocked how popular Amaya was, and she had about four guys fighting for her. It felt really full circle because to be yourself unapologetically, when you keep getting it thrown back in your face, must be so, so difficult. Especially when she’s not got her phone to have that positive feedback from the American public. I found that really beautiful and empowering for her, and also hilarious that all these guys were shamefully being like, “You know what? I just realized I think you’re great.”

And she got to go, “Piss off.”

Q. People who know you best from hearing your playful, cheeky comments as the narrator of “Love Island,” what can they expect from your stand-up show? 

We do the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year, where you have to come up with these narrative shows. There’s a story at the heart of the show, and a theme and narrative. The closest thing I can compare it to is a Mike Birbiglia, if anyone’s familiar with his stuff.

I’ve never done stand-up about “Love Island,” but I’m only doing a handful of dates, a couple of New York, and a couple of LA, so I feel like with the way “Love Island” is going, I want to do some stuff on “Love Island.” There’s a really funny comparison: There’s a male contestant in “Love Island” UK who’s got a 4-year-old kid, just like Huda, and I find it really interesting how underplayed the male being on “Love Island” is compared to the mother being on “Love Island,” I think that’s really interesting, and just sort of bad, but also a funny area as a father to talk about.

Q. You studied law at the University of Edinburgh. What led to the career pivot to comedy?

I’m from Edinburgh and I went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the reason I went to Edinburgh University is that they’ve got a group called the Edinburgh Improverts. It didn’t quite work out there; improv wasn’t my thing, so I started doing stand-up, and once I did stand-up, I fell in love.

Q. Since your 2022 special “Failing Upwards,” you and your wife have welcomed your first child together. Has fatherhood had a role in your comedy style?

I like to keep my private life as private as I can. I’ve made an unwritten rule that I talk about being a father, but I don’t talk about my daughter. I feel like that’s her story to tell when she’s old enough to tell it.

The main change on stand-up is two things, and they sound like they counteract each other, but they totally don’t. One, I’ve got a much bigger appreciation for people who spend money and take time to come and see my show.

Now that I’m a parent, I’m the one that’s got to book child care and find parking and do all that when I go to an event. So I really appreciate people that come to see me. And second, I think I’m a better stand-up because I’m a lot more relaxed. Before marriage and children, my whole self-worth was how good my stand-up was and how well it was received.

Q. My final question: What’s been your biggest career highlight? 

Probably putting on these American [tour] dates and them selling so well. It feels like such a massive achievement to do a voice-over in a reality television program. When you’re doing voice over for two minutes in an hour-long show, and for anyone to leave that show going “that voice over was good,” feels like such a massive achievement.

When I first started doing it 10 years ago, I wasn’t hired to write. My friend Mark [Busk-Cowley] was going to write it, but I went in the room every day and wrote it with him because, like, I’m in Spain. What else am I going to do? And then between us, we came up with this really fun way of doing it that no one else had done.

And then when I did these big theaters in the UK, the Hammersmith, Apollo in London, and all these mad theaters, because I do voice over on a reality television program, it’s sort of wild.

What, you forgot that our favorite undomesticated goddesses are back for their 19th season of cocktails, crying, conversation and caterwauling? For shame!

Fear not, though, for we are here to recap your favorite franchise’s flagship show. This is where it all started, people, Orange County, baby, and don’t let those other housewives of New York City, Atlanta, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, Miami, the Potomac, Salt Lake City – take a deep breath – and soon, Rhode Island, fool you.

Katie survived her first season a year ago, though barely. She outraged Heather DuBrow by sharing rumors that Heather had called the paparazzi on herself to generate positive publicity for herself and her husband, Terry DuBrow.

She ticked off Emily Simpson by telling other housewives that her daughter, while babysitting for Emily’s kids, heard mommy expressing negative opinions about Heather, thereby landing on Heather’s naughty list, and trust us, you do not want to be there.

She also had a busy break between seasons, allegedly connecting Emily’s former nanny to a blogger to spill the beans about what Emily’s kids said about Emily’s comments on Heather. Subsequently, when Tamra Judge was accused by a different online site of being behind several online troll accounts, prompting Tamra to threaten a lawsuit, Katie supposedly called this second blogger to console her.

Katie starts the season in the belief that Shannon Storms Beador is in her corner because she stood up for her when Katie was attacked during last year’s reunion shows. [In an interview, Shannon says that’s not how she sees things.]

After the traditional premiere episode montage of Real Housewives Doing Things – They’re at Dog Beach! They’re roller skating! They’re doing face masks with their boyfriends! – Katie and Shannon go out for car shopping and chit-chat about Katie’s recent trip to a big golf tournament in Arizona.

“A lot of single men?” Shannon asks her.

“Oh my God, it was a sea of (bleep),” Katie replies.

Meanwhile, Gina Kirschenheiter has let boyfriend Travis out of the doghouse and back into the house. A season ago, they separated their living arrangements while lingering issues with Travis’s divorce got settled. It’s unclear if that actually happened, but that’s OK because apparently the wind in Bali told Gina it was.

“I so connected with the wind there, and there were so many signs,” she says in a confessional, and just like that, Travis and Gina and their six combined kids are moving into a new 2,800-square-foot house together.

Gina, who is Emily’s ride-or-die, spends much of the episode dragging Katie’s name through the mud on Emily’s behalf, reporting back what she’d heard from housewife Jenn Pedranti at Dog Beach.

“So this (nanny) is basically like, ‘Hi, Katie, I want to ruin Emily’s life and I want to (bleep)-talk her her kids,’ and ‘Katie’s like, ‘Oh, here’s the phone number (for a Housewives blogger) to go do it,’” Gina says with absolute conviction that that’s exactly how the deal went down.

Emily, of course, takes it all as the gospel truth and gets even madder.

“Saying those things about me being a terrible mother was (bleeping) not OK,” Katie noted in her confessional. “And I still haven’t got an apology from her.”

Elsewhere on this week’s episode:

— Tamra is in therapy, just as she promised she was going to be on the reunion shows. How do we know? Because she brought a camera crew to therapy so “Real Housewives” wouldn’t miss out on her tearful session!

Tamra talks about what she wants to achieve in therapy, listing things such as not being so explosive, impulsive, responsive and harsh with her words. This gives the showrunners the opportunity to assemble a montage of Tamra failing at each of those things in the past. Is that classy? Of course not, but hey, any excuse to reuse that iconic clip of Tamra screaming “That’s my opinion!” at the top of her lungs.

To Tamra’s credit, she seems sincere about getting to the root of her issues. She’s also wondering if she’s on the autism spectrum, which her therapist agrees is possible, though announcing that on a podcast a few months ago was definitely jumping the gun, which Tamra realized after she was immediately “annihilated” online for saying so without having received a proper diagnosis.

— Heather didn’t get much screen time. Turns out that $16 million Beverly Hills mansion was already millions over budget for its renovation when asbestos was found throughout it. Husband Terry suggests they just sell it as is and cut their losses. Heather insists they should at least reinstall flooring so it looks nice, arguing that even if the new buyers tear out the new flooring, it’s only $45,000 to make the place look nicer until it sells.

You spend that much on a party at Nobu, Terry jokes, and the sad thing is he’s not wrong.

— Emily doesn’t want Katie or any of the housewives talking about her kids, but she’s spilling those beans all over the place as she talks about one of her kids.

— Jenn and boyfriend Ryan are still engaged despite all the criticism that Tamra and others fired at Ryan in the previous season. We meet them in a high-end swimwear shop where Ryan is trying to convince Jenn that they should get married on the beach in swim shorts and a bikini.

She comes out of the dressing room to model what that might look like, complete with a veil and bouquet, and if this were a cartoon, Ryan’s eyes would have bulged out of his head as his tongue unspooled across the floor.

“Babe, you are (bleepin’) hot!” he says as he picks her up and carries her back into the dressing room.

“We’re not having sex in the dressing room because that would be gross,” Jenn warns him.

— Gina and Katie plan to meet at a coffee shop to talk over the Emily situation. Gina brings Emily, which Katie rightly considers an ambush. Shouting ensues and the coffee date ends abruptly.

The MasterChef All-Stars Live!, will stop at the Cerritos Center in Cerritos on Oct. 23 and at Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center on Oct. 24. Tickets for the events are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. A limited number of VIP Packages allowing fans to meet and greet the MasterChef winners and take photos will also be available at select shows.

Season 14 winner Michael Leonard and Season 9 winner Gerron Hurt will join the show, along with cast members from Season 15’s “MasterChef: Dynamic Duos” and other guests, who will be announced closer to the September tour kick-off date.

In MasterChef All-Stars Live!, chef will showcase their cooking skills onstage, face head-to-head challenges, host Q&A sessions and inspire fans with tips and tricks to apply at home. The live show provide audiences with candid conversations about the chefs’ experiences and participation on America’s most iconic cooking competition shows, under the scrutiny of tough judges.

Leonard, the winner of Season 14, earned his title with a bold cooking style and strong kitchen intuition. Following the competition, he has pivoted to expanding his presence through food content on social media, hosting private dinners, and dedicating time to working in professional kitchens. His current focus involves building out his platform, Flavor Perfection, that centers on his passion for food.

Hurt, the Season 9 winner, is a cook from Louisville, Kentucky. He impressed judges Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich, and Aarón Sánchez with his Southern-inspired dishes and heartfelt cooking style. Since his victory, Hurt has continued to pursue his culinary dreams, sharing his passion for food through cooking demonstrations, collaborations and inspiring others with his journey from educator to acclaimed chef.

“Masterchef” has been on air for 15 seasons on the Fox network since 2010. For the first five seasons, the series starred celebrity chef Ramsay, Graham Elliot and restaurateur Bastianich. Pastry chef Christina Tosi temporarily replaced Bastianich from seasons six through eight, before Bastianich returned as a regular judge in season nine. Elliot departed as a judge in season seven, and in place of a third judge, a series of guest judges was introduced, one of whom was Sánchez, who served as a regular judge from season eight to 14. Tiffany Derry replaced Sánchez for season 15.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences unveiled some of the nominations in top categories Wednesday, but released the full list of contenders Thursday for the awards that will be presented Oct. 17 in Pasadena.

Peacock’s “Days of Our Lives,” ABC’s “General Hospital” and CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” were the only shows to be nominated in the daytime drama series category, the result of an academy rule governing the percentage of nominees permitted based on the number of entries submitted.

“The Young and the Restless” led all nominees with 19, while “General Hospital” scored 16 and “Days of Our Lives” earned 13.

Nods for entertainment news series went to NBC’s “Access Hollywood,” E!’s “E! News,” CBS’ “Entertainment Tonight” and Warner Bros.’ “Extra.”

For instructional cooking shows, the Food Network scored three nods for “Be My Guest with Ina Garten,” “Delicious Miss Brown” and “Selena + Restaurant.” Also nominated were Roku’s “Emeril Cooks” and PBS’ “Lidia’s Kitchen.”

The late Bob Newhart was recognized in the daytime special category, with CBS earning a nod for “Bob Newhart: A Legacy of Laughter.” Also nominated were Amazon’s “Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés,” ABC’s “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade,” NBC for the “98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” and PBS’ “Shelter Me: The Cancer Pioneers.”

Here is a complete list of nominees:

Outstanding Daytime Drama Series

Days of Our Lives, Peacock

General Hospital, ABC

The Young and the Restless, CBS

Outstanding Daytime Talk Series

The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures

The Jennifer Hudson Show, Warner Brothers Television Distribution

The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Live With Kelly and Mark, Disney Entertainment Distribution

The View, ABC

Outstanding Entertainment News Series

Access Hollywood, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

E! News, E! Entertainment

Entertainment Tonight, CBS Media Ventures

Extra, Warner Brothers Television Distribution

Outstanding Culinary Instructional Series

Be My Guest With Ina Garten, Food Network

Delicious Miss Brown, Food Network

Emeril Cooks, Roku

Lidia’s Kitchen, PBS

Selena + Restaurant, Food Network

Outstanding Culinary Cultural Series

BBQ High, Magnolia Network

Chasing Flavor With Carla Hall, HBO Max

Ingrediente: Mexico, Amazon Prime Video

TrueSouth, ESPN

Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program

America’s Court With Judge Kevin Ross, Entertainment Studios

Divorce Court, Fox

Hot Bench, CBS Media Ventures

Judy Justice, Amazon Prime Video

Justice for the People With Judge Milian, Entertainment Studios

We The People With Judge Lauren Lake, Entertainment Studios

Outstanding Travel and Adventure Program

Expedition Unknown, Discovery Channel

Field Trip With Curtis Stone Hong Kong, PBS

The Good Road, PBS

How I Got Here, BYUtv

Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out, PBS

Mexico Made With Love, PBS

Outstanding Science and Nature Program

Living With Leopards, Netflix

National Parks: USA, National Geographic

The Secret Lives of Animals, Apple TV+

Secret Lives of Orangutans, Netflix

Secrets of the Neanderthals, Netflix

Outstanding Instructional/How-To Program

Dime Como Hacerlo, Roku

The Fixers, BYUtv

Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse, Magnolia Network

Going Home With Tyler Cameron, Amazon Prime Video

Married to Real Estate, HGTV

Martha Gardens, Roku

Outstanding Lifestyle Program

George to the Rescue, NBC

Hack Your Health – The Secrets of Your Gut, Netflix

Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Forward, NBC

Homegrown, Magnolia Network

You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment, Netflix

Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program

Black Barbie, Netflix

Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame, PBS

Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter, IFC

The Swift Effect, Peacock

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors, PBS

Outstanding Daytime Special

Bob Newhart: A Legacy of Laughter — An ‘Entertainment Tonight’ Special, CBS

Dinner Party Diaries With José Andrés, Amazon Prime Video

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, ABC

98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, NBC

Shelter Me: The Cancer Pioneers, PBS

Outstanding Short Form Program

Ballin’ Out, Outsports

Billboard Presents, Billboard.com

Catalyst, LinkedIn News

Eat This With Yara — The Chef Preserving Gaza’s Cuisine Amid a Genocide, AJ+

Live Like A Champion, Healthline

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress

Sharon Case as Sharon Newman, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Eileen Davidson as Ashley Abbott, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Melissa Claire Egan as Chelsea Lawson, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Nancy Lee Grahn as Alexis Davis, General Hospital, ABC

Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Summers, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Laura Wright as Carly Spencer, General Hospital, ABC

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor

Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Eric Martsolf as Brady Black, Days of Our Lives, Peacock

Greg Rikaart as Leo Stark, Days of Our Lives, Peacock

Paul Telfer as Xander Kiriakis, Days of Our Lives, Peacock

Dominic Zamprogna as Dante Falconeri, General Hospital, ABC

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress

Linsey Godfrey as Sarah Horton, Days of Our Lives, Peacock

Courtney Hope as Sally Spectra, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Kate Mansi as Kristina Corinthos Davis, General Hospital, ABC

Emily O’Brien as Theresa Donovan, Days of Our Lives, Peacock

Susan Walters as Diane Jenkins Abbott, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor

Tajh Bellow as TJ Ashford, General Hospital, ABC

Blake Berris as Everett Lynch, Days of Our Lives, Peacock

Michael Graziadei as Daniel Romalotti, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Gregory Harrison as Gregory Chase, General Hospital, ABC

Jonathan Jackson as Lucky Spencer, General Hospital, ABC

Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series

Olivia d’Abo as Fifi Garrett, The Bay, Popstar! TV

AnnaLynne McCord as Cat Greene, Days of Our Lives, Peacock

Ashley Puzemis as Holly Jonas, Days of Our Lives, Peacock

Christian Weissmann as Remy Pryce, The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Lisa Yamada as Luna Nozawa, The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series

Linden Ashby as Cameron Kirsten, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Clint Howard as Tom Starr, The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Jacqueline Lopez as Blaze, General Hospital, ABC

Alley Mills as Heather Webber, General Hospital, ABC

Valarie Pettiford as Amy Lewis, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Avery Kristen Pohl as Esme Prince, General Hospital, ABC

Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host

Drew Barrymore, The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures

Jenna Bush Hager, Hoda Kotb, TODAY With Hoda and Jenna, NBC

Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa, Live With Kelly and Mark, Disney Entertainment Distribution

Jennifer Hudson, The Jennifer Hudson Show, Warner Brothers Television Distribution

Outstanding Culinary Host

Kardea Brown, Delicious Miss Brown, Food Network

Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Table With Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Network

Ina Garten, Be My Guest With Ina Garten, Food Network

Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Cooks, Roku

Michael Symon, Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out, Food Network

Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily

Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner, Entertainment Tonight, CBS Media Ventures

Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez, Access Hollywood, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Star Jones, Corey Jovan, Divorce Court, Fox

Whitney Kumar, Kevin Rasco, Sarah Rose & Judge Judy Sheindlin, Judy Justice, Amazon Prime Video

Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily

Sir David Attenborough, Secret Lives of Orangutans, Netflix

Brad Bestelink, Living with Leopards, Netflix

Andi Sweeney Blanco, Courtney Dober, Rob North & Kirin Stone, The Fixers, BYUtv

Anthony Mackie, Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast, National Geographic

Martha Stewart, Martha Gardens, Roku

Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series

Days of Our Lives, Peacock

General Hospital, ABC

The Young and the Restless, CBS

Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Non-Fiction Program

Black Barbie, Netflix

Modern Pioneering With Georgia Pellegrini, PBS

National Parks: USA, National Geographic

Secret Lives of Orangutans, Netflix

Shelter Me: The Cancer Pioneers, PBS

Outstanding Directing Team for a Daytime Drama Series

Days of Our Lives, Peacock

General Hospital, ABC

The Young and the Restless, CBS

Outstanding Directing Team for a Single Camera Daytime Non-Fiction Program

Living With Leopards, Netflix

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, NBC

The Secret Lives of Animals, Apple TV+

Secret Lives of Orangutans, Netflix

Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast, National Geographic

Outstanding Directing Team for a Multiple Camera Daytime Non-Fiction Program

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, ABC

The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures

The Good Road, PBS

The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

The Wizard of Paws, BYUtv

Outstanding Music Direction and Composition

Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors, Netflix

National Parks: USA, National Geographic

The Secret Lives of Animals, Apple TV+

Secret Lives of Orangutans, Netflix

Secrets of the Neanderthals, Netflix

Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, ABC

The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures

Neighbours, Amazon Prime Video

The View, ABC

The Young and the Restless, CBS

Outstanding Cinematography

Living with Leopards, Netflix

Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors, Netflix

National Parks: USA, National Geographic

The Secret Lives of Animals, Apple TV+

Secret Lives of Orangutans, Netflix

Outstanding Single Camera Editing

Hack Your Health – The Secrets of Your Gut, Netflix

Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors, Netflix

The Secret Lives of Animals, Apple TV+

Secret Lives of Orangutans, Netflix

Secrets of the Neanderthals, Netflix

Outstanding Multiple Camera Editing

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, ABC

The Fixers, BYUtv

How I Got Here, BYUtv

The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Resurrected Rides, Netflix

Outstanding Live Sound Mixing and Sound Editing

The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

The Talk, CBS

The View, ABC

The Young and the Restless, CBS

Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing

Hack Your Health – The Secrets of Your Gut, Netflix

Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out, PBS

Living With Leopards, Netflix

National Parks: USA, National Geographic

The Secret Lives of Animals, Apple TV+

Secret Lives of Orangutans, Netflix

Secrets of the Neanderthals, Netflix

Outstanding Lighting Direction

Days of Our Lives, Peacock

The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures

The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

The View, ABC

The Young and the Restless, CBS

Outstanding Main Title and Graphic Design

Car Masters: Rust to Riches, Netflix

The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures

Hack Your Health – The Secrets of Your Gut, Netflix

Reconnecting Roots, PBS

Tex Mex Motors, Netflix

Outstanding Casting

Days of Our Lives, Peacock

General Hospital, ABC

Making Good, BYUtv

Start Up, PBS

The Young and the Restless, CBS

Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design

The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures

The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Live With Kelly and Mark, Disney Entertainment Distribution

Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors, Netflix

The Young and the Restless, CBS

Outstanding Costume Design/Styling

The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures

General Hospital, ABC

Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors, Netflix

Sherri, Debmar-Mercury

The Young and the Restless, CBS

Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup

The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures

General Hospital, ABC

The Jennifer Hudson Show, Warner Brothers Television Distribution

The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

Secrets of the Neanderthals, NBNetflix

Sherri, Debmar-Mercury

Outstanding Regional Content in a Daytime Genre

Chicagoland’s Best Bites, WMAQ-TV

createid – SARA: A Life in Dreams and Symbols, Idaho Public Television

Danzando para Sanar, WWDT-TV

Hidden Homicide, WGN-TV

Relish, Twin Cities PBS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former “Love Island USA” contestant Cierra Ortega apologized Wednesday for resurfaced posts where she used a racial slur against Asian people.

Ortega, who was half of one of the season’s strongest couples, left the villa just a week before the popular reality show’s finale after old posts resurfaced that contained the slur.

Ortega addressed the entire Asian community in her nearly five minute TikTok video and said she is “deeply, truly, honestly so sorry.”

“This is not an apology video. This is an accountability video,” Ortega said.

“I had no idea that the word held as much pain, as much harm, and came with the history that it did, or I never would have used it,” Ortega said. “I had no ill intention when I was using it, but that’s absolutely no excuse because intent doesn’t excuse ignorance.”

Ortega, who has been back in the United States for about 48 hours, said she has struggled most with the backlash experienced by her family, who she said doesn’t feel safe in their own home, and have had immigration authorities called on them.

“There’s no need to fight hate with hate. I don’t think that that’s justice,” Ortega said. “And if you want to know that you’re heard and that I’m sorry and that I will move differently, I promise you, that’s what will happen.”

Ortega’s removal from the villa was announced early in Sunday’s episode. Host Iain Stirling said she had left “due to a personal situation.”

“I completely agree with the network’s decision to remove me from the villa. I think that this is something that deserved punishment and the punishment has absolutely been received,” Ortega said.

Her video made no mention of her “Love Island” partner, Nic Vansteenberghe. He remained in the villa single when Ortega left, ultimately recoupling with fellow islander Orlandria Carthen in the same episode. The couple is still in competition as of Tuesday’s episode.

Ortega said she was unaware she was using a racial slur until a follower pointed it out after she posted an Instagram story in 2024 that used the term. It was one of the posts that resurfaced during her time in the villa.

At this point, Ortega said “the word was immediately removed from my vocabulary.”

“I know that moving forward, my actions and how I decide to live my life from here on out is gonna speak louder than any apology ever could,” Ortega said.

Ortega’s departure from the villa followed Yulissa Escobar, who left the villa last month in the second episode after clips of her using racist language resurfaced online. Her departure was also not explained in the show.

A spokesperson for the show declined to comment Monday.

Escobar, who initially issued an apology on her Instagram story shortly after she departed the villa, took to TikTok a day after Ortega left to ask viewers to stop cyberbullying contestants.

“I know what I said was wrong. I know what Cierra said was wrong, and I know it hurt communities,” Escobar said. “All I ask you guys is instead of threatening her and her family, try to educate us, her, me.”

Escobar said she was “honestly scared to come home,” when she first got her phone back after exiting the villa and saw the messages she had received.

“I was like, is something going to happen to me? Like, is somebody going to do something to me? Because it was just a lot to take in and even my family was worried,” Escobar said. “It’s not easy to take that when you’re getting all these threats online.”

The show, which strips contestants of their phones or access to the outside world, has previously asked fans to avoid cyberbullying contestants. Host Ariana Madix called for fans to stop doxxing and harassing the show’s stars in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

“Love Island USA” is an American spin-off of the original U.K. series and is airing its seventh season. The show airs daily except Wednesdays and brings young singles together in a remote villa in Fiji to explore connections with the ultimate goal of finding love.

Couples undergo challenges and are encouraged test their romantic connections as new contestants are introduced. Islanders are routinely “dumped” from the villa throughout the series as stronger couples form. Sunday’s finale will culminate with one couple who receives the most public votes being awarded $100,000.

That surprised her, Beador says, though she’s happy with what did make her list.

“Not only this season, but more importantly for myself for the year, it’s just that so much of my life has been focused on relationships,” she says on a phone call the day before the 19th season of the “Real Housewives of Orange County” premiered. “I kind of set my personal goals in line with whatever’s going on with my relationships at the time.

“You know, I have some good, fun ideas of things that I could maybe branch out and do on my own,” Beador continues. “I know that’s maybe a Housewives cliché, going, ‘Oh, big news coming!’ But this is my 11th season, so it’s not something that I’m just coming up with at the top of my head. It’s things that I’ve thought about for years.”

• RELATED: Map of every OC restaurant featured in ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ season 18

In the premiere, we learned that Beador spent a week at the Golden Door Spa in San Marcos to rebalance her life and find a healthier path forward.

“I thought, ‘I’m going to focus on continuing to lead the healthiest life that I could live,’” she says. “And trying to maybe look into different things I can do with my time.

“I exercise with a trainer again, because I did gain weight,” Beador says. “It’s slowly coming off, but I’m older, and it’s just harder. I want to focus on that.”

And the single life, she adds, hasn’t been at all what she feared it might be.

“I never thought that I would be OK being by myself,” Beador says. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh, you’re going to love it.’ But I forced myself to be single after my DUI, and you know I kind of enjoy it because I get to create my own schedule and make my own plans without checking with anyone.

“I spend a lot of time with my daughters, visiting them, and traveling,” she says. “I will still want the partner, but if live the rest of my life living the way that I am, I’ll be OK.”

In the previous season, Beador had perhaps her hardest go-round ever. It began in the aftermath of a highly publicized arrest for driving under the influence. It continued with bitter drama from different angles.

Former housewife Alexis Bellino returned as a friend of the housewives – and as the new girlfriend of Beador’s ex John Jansson, who filed a lawsuit against Beador for money he claimed she owed him. [In the premiere of the new season, we learn that Beador has since settled the lawsuit for $60,000.]

And longtime friend Tamra Judge argued with Beador, telling her she should not be drinking at all after the DUI, though other issues crept in, too.

In an interview edited for length and clarity, Beador talked about her season from hell, her relationship with Tamra, the proper way for housewives’ children to be portrayed on the show, and the only guy in her life who has never let her down.

Q: Your last season was brutal. How’d you go about resetting and getting back on a better path?

A: I went to the Golden Door, which is one of the things in the first episode. But it was difficult, and in the end, I was very depressed because I did feel a little beaten up. But again, I put myself in that position. There’s nobody to blame but me. I’m the one that got the DUI. I’m the one that dated John Janssen for as long as I did. I put myself in a position for all those things to happen.

I will be honest. When I started the [previous] season with basically zero friends, I didn’t know that I’d be able to get through it. So there’s a part of me that feels strength after getting through it. Like, OK, you survived. It was really hard, but you survived.

So that makes me feel like I’m stronger. If you look on the bright side, you say it can never be as – I don’t think it can be as bad as – bad as that.

Q: Having been through it, were you anxious as filming for this new season began?

A: No, not at all. My favorite season of filming was season 14. That was the year that I was single [post-divorce], and I was silly. I was having fun and kissing a bunch of men, and it was really fun.

As season 18 ended, I ended in a good place with most people. So for the first time in a while, it was like I’m going to be excited to come back and be with these ladies. And you will see –  I hope they show it all – a very silly side of me. Like it got to the end where I would just walk into a room and people would just start laughing. because I was a little bit over the top. I wanted to have fun and be silly.

Q: One of the other big dramas last season was the warfare between you and Tamra. Have you guys worked things out?

A: We did hug at the reunion because at that particular moment, that was an appropriate thing to do. Just because I hug someone doesn’t mean that everything is OK. As much as I might sound cruel, I’ve had a lot of self-reflection in the last couple of years. And I believe that our friendship was toxic. I felt I was walking on eggshells, and it wasn’t necessarily healthy for me. So it was important to me to get to place where we can at least coexist.

Because last year, the girls all said, “Gosh, when you and Alexis and you and Tamra are in a room, we just feel the tension, and it just ruins everything.” I don’t want to have that happen again. Do I sound cruel that I don’t want to rush back into a friendship? I don’t, because in my eyes I see that it wasn’t healthy, and what I’m trying to do is choose the healthiest path that I can.

Q: I want to ask you about some of the other cast members. Katie Ginella says in the premiere that you and she got closer after last season.

A: Hearing her words, I was a little shocked. What was she talking about? In moments like at the reunion, I felt that everyone was coming at her, it was being pushed too far. A bit unfair. But I hadn’t been that close to it.

Q: It looks like this new season Katie is still under fire for the things she says to and about the other housewives.

A: I wish I could explain Katie’s mind, but I think it’s unexplainable. And as you continue to watch the season, I have my own issues [with Katie].

Q: There’s also the Jenn and Ryan storyline, where now they’re talking about Jenn wearing a wedding bikini instead of a wedding dress.

A: We all wish we could have that body, my friend.

Q: Ryan’s definitely got better abs than I do. Tamra was mad that Jenn was with Ryan. Where did you come down on their relationship?

A: From the moment Jenn [Pedranti] started three years ago, I was on her side. Tamra was coming at her with, “Ryan said this. He wanted to [bleep] me. He’s been with another girl.” Every time we filmed, she had some new tidbit that was very hurtful to their relationship. I was on Jenn’s side the whole time.

Q: Former housewife Gretchen Rossi is the new friend of the housewives this season. You joined the year she left. How much do you know her?

A: I have met her a few times, but you have to understand that she and Tamra weren’t friendly. So Tamra would tell me things about her, and as a loyal friend, I just kept my distance from Gretchen because I was being loyal to my friend. That being said, I think she’s a wonderful addition. She and [her partner] Slade [Smiley] have been together 16 years. They share a daughter together. They’re so happy.

Q: She’s a better friend than Alexis?

A: Absolutely.

Q: A storyline that continues from last season involves Katie and Emily and includes their children. What’s the appropriate way for children of housewives to be portrayed on the show?

Q: For me, my kids understand that my goal is to be as authentic as I can, and to show what’s really happening in my life. Stella, who lives in Paris, she’s the daughter that least likes to film. At the same time, they understand that it’s part of the thing. And I love the idea that people have seen my twins from when they were 9 when we started and they just turned 21.

That being said, when it comes to children, it’s kind of this unspoken rule, I think, throughout the Bravo universe, that the kids are off-limits. Like, we can show them because we do want to show what’s going on in our family life. For instance, when I showed details of [her former husband’s] affair, we spoke to my children first. We spoke to our church with the kids, we spoke to a therapist beforehand, so that they would be prepared for it.

But you don’t attack children. Women sign up for the show, but the kids should not be hurt, and the men should not be hurt either unless they get involved.

Q: I do enjoy your relationship with your daughters. Like when Stella called from a rave in Belgium and you asked her what happens if you do drugs and she kind of smirked and said, “You die!”

A: Since they were little, I would pull the car over [when talk of drugs came up]. “You’re going to die!” Does it upset me that she’s in Europe, going to flippin’ concerts at 2:30 in the morning? Yes. But at the same time she’s got to grow up, and I hope that I’ve given her the tools so that she makes smart choices.

Q: You were just on “Love Hotel” a few months ago, looking for love. How was that?

A: It was so amazing. Just so much fun. It came at the perfect time, because it was right kind of at the year mark where I hadn’t dated. I thought, OK, I’m ready to go have fun. RHOC was airing, so it was a nice diversion for me for a month to get out of town, where we didn’t have access to the show [The Bravo series was shot in Cabo San Lucas].

I had a really fun time. I tried with Earl [her dating candidate on the show]. It didn’t work.

Q: The host posted some really harsh criticisms of you online after the show ended.

A: It was a shock to me. The last time I saw him he had tears in his eyes, saying, ‘Congratulations.’ I had some very emotional moments with him. There’s no explaining.

Q: It occurred to me watching the premiere that the one male who is always there for you is Archie, your golden retriever.

A: He’s a very good boy. He’s kind of adjusted himself to my schedule, and he’s very protective of me. He’s the sweetest dog ever. I mean, he’ll bark, but he’ll be wagging his tail at the same time.