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When accepting the award for best pop duo/group performance at the 2025 Grammys on Sunday night (Feb. 2), Lady Gaga — the pioneering pop performer known across the globe for her unflinching advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community — shared her spotlight with a community in desperate need of affirmation.
“Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love,” she declared. Cameras cut into the audience, showing nods of approval and acknowledgement from music’s biggest names, including Billie Eilish, Beyoncé and Charli XCX. “The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love.”
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In almost any other year, Gaga’s declaration would be seen simply as another example of the singer’s ongoing support for the community that helped give her the platform she occupies today. But in 2025, her statement was just one of a chorus of voices — predominantly queer ones — reminding the audience at home that for some communities, existence itself is currently at stake.
The 2025 Grammys received plenty of attention this year for an undeniably queer slate of nominees and performers, and Sunday’s ceremony proved to be one of catharsis and joy for the community. Queer artists stepped up to the plate to combat the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation being spread across the United States and the world at large with defiant joy and unparalleled affinity.
That outpouring of love and support could not come at a more crucial moment; in the 14 days since he took office for a second term, President Donald Trump has effectively codified his backwards, bigoted views on LGBTQ+ people into a series of regressive executive actions.
He denied the existence of trans, non-binary and intersex people by declaring that the United States government will only recognize two sexes. He revoked federal mandates for workplace protections that prevent marginalized communities — including queer and trans folks — from being discriminated against. He attempted to ban trans people from serving in the U.S. military again. He ordered to end any and all federal funding for gender-affirming care. He targeted trans students and schools that support them. His actions led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to temporarily remove online health resources for the LGBTQ+ community. Emboldened right-wing lawmakers around the country have announced their desire to have the Supreme Court reverse their landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
To put it plainly: The current right-wing political ecosystem, led by Trump’s administration, is attempting to erase the LGBTQ+ community from participation in public life, starting with trans and gender-diverse people.
Before the Grammys began in earnest on Sunday, artists were already calling out the ongoing attacks on trans people. Speaking to GLAAD on the red carpet, soon-to-be best new artist winner Chappell Roan laid out, in no uncertain terms, her support for the trans community.
“It’s brutal right now, but trans people have always existed and they will forever exist, and they will never, no matter what happens, take trans joy away,” the singer said. “That has to be protected more than anything, because I would not be here without trans girls. So, just know that pop music is thinking about you and cares about you, and I’m really trying my best to stand up for you in every way I can.”
Roan doubled down on that support later on in the awards show. Despite her breakout hit “Good Luck, Babe!” being nominated across multiple categories at the ceremony (including record and song of the year), the Midwest Princess instead opted to perform her generational LGBTQ+ anthem “Pink Pony Club.” Surrounded by rodeo clowns, kitschy outfits and a giant rose-colored horse, Roan let the crowd accentuate the point of her song with a loud sing-along at its final chorus. Chappell, and the LGBTQ+ community at large, will “keep on dancing,” come what may.
Roan was just one amongst a crowd of LGBTQ+ stars who dominated the awards on Sunday evening. After becoming the second-ever queer Black woman to take home the best rap album award at the ceremony (Cardi B made history with her win in 2019 for Invasion of Privacy), breakout star Doechii dedicated her win to all the Black girls watching at home, promising them that no president could take their shine from them, even if our current one has his sights set on eliminating DEI programs across the federal government.
“Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you, that tell you that you can’t be here, that you’re too dark or that you’re not smart enough or that you’re too dramatic or you’re too loud,” she said. “You’re exactly who you need to be to be right where you are.” Earlier in the evening, Doechii made sure to call for the industry to bring “more gay artists” into the fold in the coming years.
In a backstage interview after her three rock category wins, St. Vincent added to the voices calling for greater LGBTQ+ representation across the board. “There have always been queer people in the history of the world, and especially in music,” she told a reporter. “There’s a bunch of queer people being celebrated this year. And that’s great, of course it’s great — empathy and humanity, let’s go.”
That’s not to say that the Grammys had a perfect run in 2025. As in years past, the annual ceremony had a distinct lack of trans artists present amongst the nominees — though writer/producer Ariel Loh, the first openly trans Asian-American woman to win a Grammy (in the Harry Belafonte best song for social change category, for Iman Jordan’s “Deliver”), made sure to use her limited screen time properly, calling on the audience to “protect trans kids.”
Cynics could shrug off the overt queerness of this year’s ceremony as an inconsequential blip in an unprecedentedly dangerous time for the LGBTQ+ community. But data shows that events like the Grammys are more impactful than some critics are willing to admit.
A 2022 study by the Trevor Project showed that nearly 80% of LGBTQ+ youth reported that seeing musicians come out as LGBTQ+ made them feel better about their own identities. Over 70% felt the same way when they saw straight, cisgender celebrities advocate on their behalf. Compare that to the organization’s study from last year showing that 90% of all LGBTQ+ youth surveyed said recent legislative attacks on queer and trans rights had a direct, negative impact on their well-being.
“When LGBTQ+ young people see themselves reflected and celebrated on a global stage like the Grammys, it sends a powerful message that they belong, their experiences matter, and that they can succeed in spaces as their true, authentic selves,” said Kevin Wong, the Trevor Project’s senior vice president of marketing, communications and content, in a statement shared with Billboard. “Queer visibility in the media also plays a key role in reducing stigma and combating stereotypes surrounding LGBTQ+ people. We are a vibrant and creative community, and we deserve to have our voices heard, our accomplishments celebrated, and our existence validated.”
With unequivocal bigotry working its way into mainstream conversations of queerness and transness once again, LGBTQ+ artists made certain on Sunday night that queer and trans kids watching at home knew that what’s happening now is not normal, nor should it be accepted as such. They reminded the audience watching that it is everyone’s responsibility to fight back against the rising tide of transphobia.
And to lawmakers aiming to relegate LGBTQ+ people to the outer margins of society, those same artists offered an explicit message underlined only by their success at the annual ceremony: We’re not going anywhere.
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Gilbert Gottfried’s widow Dara, as well as director Neil Berkley (behind the 2017 documentary Gilbert) and friends of the late legendary stand-up comic and actor have come together to release Still Screaming, an album of his best bits and impressions — which will aid research on finding treatment for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2, the rare, progressive disease that led to his death in 2022.
Multimedia producer Dara Gottfried, who was married to the comic’s comic — known for his manic, squinching delivery, and voiceovers as the parrot Iago in Disney’s Aladdin and the duck in AFLAC Insurance Company commercials — for 15 years, says a portion of proceeds from sales of the album will benefit the Gilbert Gottfried Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2 Research Fund at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. “They are leading the way in research for treatments and hopefully eventually a cure,” she says. “Right now, there is no cure, and they’re working on developing treatments with the money I’m raising.”
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Dara, who previously ran top 40 promotion for Interscope Records, says the album will be the last recording of Gilbert’s comedy released, in part, because her husband “didn’t update his act much… He was still doing jokes about Molly Ringwald, Gary Coleman and O.J. Simpson, and he refused to put out an album [because] he thought it would jeopardize his act,” she explains. “That’s why we didn’t put it out while he was alive.”
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Still Screaming is a collection of jokes that Dara says was Gilbert’s “main act.” They were culled from Berkley’s documentary, who filmed two years of the comic’s performances. The album is available in digital and physical formats, including a limited-edition deluxe double album. The gatefold packaging was designed by art director Grammy-nominated art director Perry Shall, a close friend of the comic. “Perry went through all of Gilbert’s archival material and scanned everything,” Dara says. “The track listing is Gilbert’s handwriting.” In addition to photos of Gottfried over the course of his career, there is a reproduction of a Super 8 motel notepad. “Gilbert was so cheap, he collected soaps and perfumes from the hotels and motels where he stayed when he was on the road, and that notepad was one of the things he brought home,” she says.
Comic and illusionist Penn Jillette also contributed a biographical essay about his close friend, and another pal, roast specialist Jeff Ross, came up with the album title, and one side of the double album is etched with a reproduction of Gilbert’s artwork, Chico Needed the Money. “No one knew that he drew,” Dara says. “Underneath his bed, I found all these incredible R. Crumb-esque drawings. Her discovery led their then-15-year-old daughter Lily Gottfried to make the documentary The Hidden Talent of Gilbert Gottfried.
In October 2001, Gottfried made headlines when three weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he told the crowd at a Friars Club roast of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in New York, that he couldn’t get a direct flight from New York to California because “they said they have to stop at the Empire State Building first.” After cries of “Too soon” — which Dara had inscribed on his tombstone — Gottfried redeemed himself by telling his version of “The Aristocrats,” a classic joke (and arguably the filthiest in comedy), which is personalized by the darkest thoughts of the comic telling it. Gasps of prolonged laughter followed at a time when few people were laughing at all.
The performance inspired Jillette and comic Paul Provenza to direct The Aristocrats, a documentary in which a cavalcade of funny people told their versions of the joke.
It was a big reason, Dara says, that “people didn’t realize Gil was actually a clean comic. When we started dating, he would say it’s lazy and cheap to work blue. If you listen to all of his old jokes, they were all clean.” She adds that after The Aristocrats, which also featured Gottfried, her husband began ending his show with a series of dirty jokes “to fill time, because he was bored with his act.” That’s when, Dara says, she convinced Gilbert to put out his only other recording — a collection of classic dirty jokes called, appropriately, Dirty Jokes.
Almost 10 years after his Friars roast performance, Gottfried lost his job as the voice of the AFLAC duck after tweeting jokes about a deadly earthquake that hit Japan. Gottfried may have avoided working blue, but, Dara says, “He said whatever he wanted, and paid the price for it.”
In addition to raising money to fight Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2, Dara says Still Screaming is another way for comedy fans to revisit — or discover — and enjoy the comedy of her husband, who didn’t archive his jokes. “Unlike Joan Rivers, who had her note cards and filing cabinets, Gilbert never wrote anything down,” she explains. “All I have is three pieces of notebook paper, where he scribbled the name of each joke he knew.”
“I wanted to share his genius,” she says.
A link to donate to the research fund can be found at gilbertgottfried.com
Japanese Breakfast guitarist and vocalist Michelle Zauner has offered a disappointing update to the status of her critically-acclaimed memoir’s film adaptation.
Zauner, who co-founded the Philadelphia-based band in 2013, released Crying in H Mart in 2021 following an essay of the name that name was published in The New Yorker in 2018. Inspired by her mother’s passing and the emotional experience of visiting the titular H Mart stores, Zauner had previously chronicled her encounters with loss in a 2016 essay for Glamour magazine.
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The publication of Crying in H Mart was met with an overwhelmingly-positive response, with the book ultimately spending 55 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. In 2023, it was reported that The White Lotus’ Will Sharpe would be directing a feature film adaptation of the book, with Stacey Sher and Jason Kim producing.
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According to an official synopsis, the adaptation was described as a “coming-of age story about a half-Korean daughter who returns to small town Oregon to care for her Korean mother. Critical and smothering Chong-mi and creative and independent Michelle struggle to understand each other across a cultural fault line, only learning to see and accept one another through the formative power of music and the vibrant flavors of Korean cooking.”
In a recent interview with SSENSE, Zauner discussed the current status of the adaptation and revealed that those who had hoped for a timely arrival of the film will now be left waiting for an undetermined period of time.
“Well, it’s on pause,” Zauner explained. “There were issues with the Hollywood strikes, and the director stepped away from the project. I spent a year working on the screenplay, which was a tough but rewarding process. I still have faith it will get made someday, but it’s not happening anytime soon,” she added. “Right now, I’m focusing on other creative projects, so the film will have to wait.”
Though she didn’t address specifics of her creative projects, Zauner and her Japanese Breakfast will be releasing their fourth album, For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women), on March 21. Their previous record, 2021’s Jubilee, was their first to chart on the Billboard 200, reaching a peak of No. 56.
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And the winner is…Doechii. On Saturday, February 2, the MC sensation out of Tampa won Best Rap Album for her proper debut, Alligator Bites Never Heal, at the 2025 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
Doechii accepted her award by noting that two women before had won in the category, Lauryn Hill and Cardi B. It was the latter who present her with the award.
From the stage, she dedicated the win to her sobriety and “God told me he would reward me and show me just how good it can get.”
The “Denial Is A River” rapper also thanked TDE and her mother, show she brought up on stage and made sure to big up her Tampa roots.
Doechii won in a hyper-competitive field that included projects from J. Cole, Eminem, Common & Pete Rock and Future & Metro Boomin.
Hip-Hop is in great hands with Doechii.
After Selena Gomez shared (and then deleted) a video weeping over the Trump administration’s immigration raids, the White House shared its own response video late Friday (Jan. 31) featuring mothers whose children were reportedly killed by undocumented immigrants.
The White House clip, posted to X, intersperses clips of Gomez crying over mass deportations in her since-deleted video with the mothers, who are critical of the singer/actress and tell her: “You don’t know who you’re crying for.”
In the original clip, Gomez — a Texas-born Mexican-American — says through tears, “All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. I wish I could do something, but I can’t. I don’t know what to do. I’ll try everything, I promise.”
In the White House response, Alexis Nungaray — whose 12-year-old daughter Jocelyn was killed in Houston in June 2024 — accuses Gomez of being insincere in her response. “Seeing that video, it’s hard to believe that it’s actually genuine and real because she’s an actress,” Nungaray says.
A September report funded by the National Institute of Justice using data from the Texas Department of Public Safety found that “undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes and a quarter the rate of native-born citizens for property crimes.”
Gomez’s original video was in response to Trump’s promise to begin major deportations as soon as he took office. Last week, Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt took to X to announce that “deportation flights have begun. President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences.”
The two other mothers featured in the video are Tammy Nobles, whose 20-year-old daughter Kayla Hamilton was killed in 2022 in Aberdeen, Maryland, and Patty Morin, whose 37-year-old daughter Rachel was murdered in 2023 in Harford County, Maryland. Hamilton’s killer was an undocumented 16-year-old from El Salvador, while undocumented immigrants are facing charges for the murders of Morin and Nungaray.
Gomez’s video became a political lightning rod in the days after it was originally posted on Monday, with Republican Utah politician Sam Parker suggesting she should be deported as well because her grandparents originally entered the country illegally. “Thanks for the laugh and the threat,” Gomez responded on Instagram.
The 2025 Grammys are nearly here! With a record number of LGBTQ+ nominees at Sunday’s show, take some time to get ahead of next year’s ceremony with these new tracks from your favorite queer artists. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ+ artists.
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From Sasami’s excellent collaboration with Clairo to Julien Baker and Torres’ new ballad, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
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Sasami ft. Clairo, “In Love With a Memory”
The best collaborations are the ones that put two artists together and push both of them to create a new sound within the context of a single song. That’s exactly what Sasami and Clairo accomplish on “In Love With a Memory,” the gorgeous new track off the former’s forthcoming album Blood on the Silver Screen. From the jump, the vibe of “Memory” is immediately pared down from the moody electropop Sasami has become known for, while also providing a jolt of energy to Clairo’s softer offerings. The result is a reflective mid-tempo pop track that sees both artists expertly blending their vocals to make a cinematic portrait of a relationship at its end.
Julien Baker & Torres, “Sylvia”
Speaking of successful collaborations, Julien Baker and Torres are back with yet another excellent example of their combined power. Where “Sugar in the Tank” felt like something of a thesis statement for their forthcoming country album, “Sylvia” leans into the pair’s respective singer-songwriter roots, as they sing an ode to Torres’ canine companion. Still sticking to their folksy, rooted sound, Baker and Torres manage to create something both nostalgic and fresh with this beautiful ballad.
Cat Burns, “Girls!”
Sometimes, you just have to say exactly what it is you’re singing about in the title of a song. UK pop artist Cat Burns has already made plenty of waves for her frank songwriting and buttery vocals, but “Girls!” adds even more dimensions to the singer’s artistry. This bubbly new track sees Burns sharing her admiration for all things female — including “different energies,” the spectrum of “masc and femininity” — all while letting her sound explode into a burst of funky guitars and cascading synths on the delirious post-chorus.
Skaiwater, “Pop”
For anyone looking for a pseudo-pop rap alternative to Travis Scott this week, may we humbly recommend this delectable new single from Skaiwater. “Pop” feels like a distillation of all the facets that have make the rising artist a critical darling into one 3 minute package. Disjointed beats manage to sync up perfectly with their digitized voice, as the rapper narrates the tale of a relationship that just cannot possibly work out. Skaiwater makes “Pop” sound like a stream-of-consciousness confession happening in real time, but just one listen tells you that their attention to every detail of their sound is what makes a record like this so deeply fascinating.
Miya Folick, “Fist”
Penting up emotions tends to lead to an explosion down the line. “Fist,” the latest track off Miya Folick’s upcoming album Erotica Veronica, takes that idea and translates it as literally as possible into music. Starting out with a simple acoustic guitar and soft vocals, Folick lets her partner know that all is not what it seems from the opening line: “I’ve been cooking dinner/ Hoping you’ll forgive me for not wanting to swallow you.” As the intesity builds, so does the instrumentation — guitars are plugged in, drums are added and eventually, there are no more words to describe how Folick is feeling. Only a guttural scream in the song’s last 90 seconds can encapsulate the whirlwind of emotion from this cathartic banger.
Maddie Zahm, “Sheets”
Maddie Zahm is ready to burn it all down on her latest single. A fiery bassline and small chorus of backup singers bring some weight to “Sheets,” but no production elements can evoke as strong an image as Zahm’s growling voice as she confronts her ex about how quickly they’ve moved on. The party is over and Zahm is ready to say it exactly how it is, bringing a “f–k around and find out” attitude we’ve yet to see from her. If you ever hurt someone bad enough to get them to write the phrase “did you tell her how you’ll kiss her ’til a new b–ch has you on your knees,” maybe take a moment to reflect on your choices.
Dreamer Isioma, “Did You Ever Care” / “Dead End”
Nigerian-American singer-songwriter Dreamer Isioma has always been interested in creating an aesthetic that no one has ever seen before with their performance. They’ve never been more successful at that feat than on their pair of new singles “Did You Ever Care” and “Dead End.” Swinging wildly between gothic pop and angsty rock, Isioma spends two songs painting a portrait of unrequited obsession followed by painful realization, all rendered through the prism of their otherworldly voice. If you haven’t managed to board the Dreamer Isioma hype train, now is an ideal time for you to get on board.
Charlie Houston, Big After I Die
Want to get in on the groud floor with a very talented new artist? Looking for good songwriting and killer production? Need something silly to cut some of the darker parts of being alive right now? Charlie Houston checks all of those boxes and then some on her debut album Big After I Die. Over the course of 9 songs, the singer-songwriter tackles everything from love that almost makes you scared of yourself (“Lighter”) to a love for organizational charts (“Slut for Excel”), Houston brings a lifetime of observations and idiosyncrasies into this winking LP, and it’s well worth every single one of its 30 minutes.
Check out all of our picks below on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist:
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SEVENTEEN’s Hoshi is best known for his soulful voice and powerful dance moves, but the K-pop star has also landed multiple fashion and beauty campaigns thanks to his approachable good looks and trendy personal style.
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One of his most popular ambassadorships has been with Korean skincare brand d’Alba Piedmont, known for their luxe skin creams, serums and face mists. First announced as the Korean ambassador for d’Alba in 2023, Hoshi’s contract was extended last year to become the brand’s global ambassador for all of Asia.
Now, North American fans can snag one of Hoshi’s favorite d’Alba products with the d’alba Piedmont Italian White Truffle First Spray Serum on sale for just $20 at Amazon.
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d’alba Piedmont Italian White Truffle First Spray Serum
Using actual white truffle extract, the face spray helps to hydrate, brighten and smooth skin with just a few spritzes. The lightweight formula absorbs in seconds, and makes this a great facial mist to refresh your skin during the day, or as a setting spray for makeup. We like using it after a workout too, to quickly restore and re-hydrate. It works for all skin types too, and the serum-like formula is non-comedogenic, non-greasy and certified vegan.
Aside from delivery hydration and moisture, reviewers say the d’Alba White Truffle Spray helps to combat dullness and soothe irritation (say from dry, flaky skin), while helping to tone and tighten pores.
D’Alba says it has sold more than 40 million bottles of the White Truffle Face Spray to date. It’s also a bestseller on Amazon, with more than 6,000 bottles sold in the last month alone. Get a bottle for $20 here.
As d’Alba CEO Sungyeon Ban said in a press release, “d’Alba is a premium global brand, and the professional and artistic image of Hoshi, who is leading K-pop as a global phenomenon fits the vision and mission of the brand. We are very happy to continue our precious relationship this year followed by last year. Please look forward to our various future collaborations with Hoshi.”
Netflix are reportedly moving ahead with their Building the Band reality series following the recent passing of judge Liam Payne.
News of Building the Band first broke in August 2024, with Netflix revealing they had recruited Payne as a judge for the show alongside the Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger and Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland. The Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean was also confirmed to host.
Planned to film over the summer, the series’ novel concept revolves around bringing together a number of talented singers and tasking them with crafting their own bands without ever seeing each other. Through the use of isolated booths, the singers would then have to select their bandmates based upon musical compatibility, connection, chemistry and merit.
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“And when the bands finally do meet, how will looks, choreography, and style come into play?” asked a press release. “Expect plenty of drama, next-level artistry, and unforgettable performances.”
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Following the untimely passing of Payne in October 2024, it was confirmed the series’ filming had wrapped in the U.K. earlier in August, though its future appeared unclear.
Now, Netflix have reported they will be moving ahead with the series as planned, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.
Though the streaming platform stated they never had announced plans to shelve the show, their issue instead revolved around how prominently Payne would feature in the aftermath of his passing.
Netflix reportedly hosted a “special presentation” regarding the series in Los Angeles on Wednesday (Jan. 29), during which Netflix Vice President of Nonfiction Series and Sports Brandon Riegg explained that the platform had been involved in conversations with Payne’s family about how to handle his role in the show.
Currently, no premiere date for the series has been announced, though Riegg reportedly claimed there would be more to say about the matter in the future.
Payne passed away in Argentina on Oct. 16 following a fall from a hotel balcony. Earlier this month, a U.K. inquest into Payne’s cause of death returned a finding of “polytrauma”, which refers to multiple traumatic injuries to a person’s body and organs.
To date, five people have been charged in Payne’s death, including the January arrest of Braian Piaz, one of two men accused of supplying drugs to the singer. The others charged to date include CasaSur Palermo Hotel manager Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi and Payne’s friend Roger Nores, all of whom are facing manslaughter charges; hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra has also been charged with supplying drugs to the singer.
If you’re looking for new family TV shows to watch with your kids, or searching for the 2025 premiere date for the next season of your family’s favorite series, consider this Billboard Family calendar your go-to guide. It’s a handy roundup of new TV series premiere dates, and season premiere dates for returning shows, for […]