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Meg White missed the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which honored the the White Stripes — her iconic duo with Jack White — at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles Saturday night (Nov. 8). But the bookends of Jack’s speech were all about Meg, who’d edited most of it.
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“I spoke with Meg the other day,” he said at the podium, sharing, “She wanted me to tell you she’s very grateful to all the folks who supported her through all the years. It really means a lot to her tonight.”
“She checked it for me,” he added of the speech he was about to give on behalf of the pair. “A lot of punctuation corrections, too.”
Though White’s emotion was palpable throughout the speech, it was most felt in the poem he brought to the room, one that he said he was going to send to Meg ahead of time but hadn’t.
Instead, he noted, “I thought I’d read it to you all tonight.”
“One time, a girl climbed a tree, and in that tree was a boy — her brother, she thought. And the tree looked so glorious and beautiful, but it was just an oak tree. And these two so loved the world that they brought forth a parade float, one they built in their garage behind the oak tree with their own bare hands. And the boy looked at this giant peppermint on wheels and felt pride. Pride that it was produced in the Motor City just like in the big factories, but it was just in their garage.
He looked at the girl, his sister, he thought, and like the Little Rascals, they said, ‘Let’s put on a show.’ And they paraded this float through the Cass Corridor, standing atop the Peppermint, pulled by white horses or maybe it was a red Econoline van. And many of the blocks they traveled were empty, but some had people.
And some of those people cheered and some laughed and some even threw stones. And with their bare hands, the two started to clap and sing and make up songs. And some people kept watching and swaying and moving, and then one person even smiled. And the boy and the girl looked at each other, and they also smiled.
And they felt, they both felt the sin of pride, but they kept on smiling, smiling from a new freedom, knowing that they had shared and made another person feel something. And they thought the person smiling at them was a stranger, someone they didn’t even know. But it wasn’t just a stranger, it was God.”
Jack and Meg released six studio albums, including the Grammy-winning Icky Thump, together as the White Stripes before parting ways in 2011. Meg now stays out of the spotlight.
Following Jack’s speech, Olivia Rodrigo and Feist performed a sweet duet of the band’s “We’re Going to Be Friends” (2002) and 21 Pilots took on “Seven Nation Army” (2003), in tribute to the honorees.
Jack White and Olivia Rodrigo attend the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Peacock Theater on Nov. 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for RRHOF
Rodrigo’s been vocal about the White Stripes being her favorite band: “I was so obsessed with Jack White’s guitar, and I made my mom take me to guitar lessons so I could learn how to play all of his songs,” she said in a 2021 interview. “Fell in Love With a Girl” was one of the first songs she learned to play. Rodrigo first met her hero in 2022.
The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony honored the White Stripes as well as Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast and Soundgarden in the performer category; Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon for musical influence; Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye for musical excellence, and Lenny Waronker with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
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Hayley Williams’ tour dates for 2026 have been added to her official website’s homepage, which currently features a design reminiscent of a ’90s computer desktop.
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An image file titled “oops.jpg” offers a peek at a snapshot of a Macbook screen that shows a tour announcement preview with a “NOT FOR RELEASE” watermark — suggesting that Williams leaked the itinerary early. The picture has a list of 20 cities she’s scheduled to visit on the At a Bachelor Party Tour.
The Paramore frontwoman’s solo trek kicks off in the United States with a concert in Atlanta, Ga., on March 28 and runs through June 29 in Dublin, Ireland. Williams will make it to several U.S. markets — plus Toronto, Canada, and select cities in Europe.
Information about ticket on-sale dates is not yet available.
Williams’ tour will be in support of her latest album, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party — which arrived unsequenced and scattered across her website, and then on streaming services, in August, but just got a physical CD and vinyl release on Friday, Nov. 7, with an added track (“Showbiz,” embedded below). (Read more about her unique release strategy in Billboard‘s interview with Williams’ co-manager Leah Hodgkiss.)
See the list of Williams’ 2026 tour dates:
March 28 – Atlanta, Ga. (Tabernacle)March 31 – Toronto, Canada (Massey Hall)April 3-4 – Boston, Mass. (Citizens House of Blues)April 6-7 – Philadelphia, Pa. (Franklin Music Hall)April 9-10 – New York, NY (Hammerstein BallroomApril 14 – Baltimore, Md. (The Lyric)April 18 – Minneapolis, Minn. (Fillmore)April 21-22 – Chicago, Ill. (Chicago Theater)April 25, 27 – Nashville, Tenn. (Ryman Auditorium)May 2 – Austin, Texas (ACL Live at the Moody Theater)May 5 – Phoenix, Ariz. (Van Buren)May 7, 9 – Oakland, Calif. (Fox Theater)May 12-13 – Los Angeles, Calif. (The Wiltern)June 5 – Milan, Italy (Alcatraz)June 8 – Amsterdam, Netherlands (Paradiso)June 10 – Cologne, Germany (Live Music Hall)June 15 – Berlin, Germany (Tempodrom)June 16 – Copenhagen, Denmark (Poolen)June 22 – Manchester, U.K. (Academy)June 26 – Glasgow, Scotland (O2 Academy)June 29 – Dublin, Ireland (National Stadium)
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Katy Perry’s manager, Bradford Cobb, appears to be firing back at Wendy’s after the fast-food chain took a dig at his client earlier this year.
On Friday (Nov. 7), reports emerged that Wendy’s plans to close hundreds of restaurant locations nationwide as part of a corporate “turnaround plan.” Interim CEO Ken Cook announced that between 200 and 350 of the company’s roughly 6,000 U.S. restaurants would be affected, according to CNN.
Cobb quickly took notice of the news, reposting a KTLA headline about the closures to his Instagram Story, alongside a photo of the brand’s iconic red sign.
The longtime manager’s post comes months after Wendy’s threw shade at Perry on social media. In April, the chain’s official X account responded to a Pop Crave post about Perry’s return from her Blue Origin NS-31 spaceflight with a blunt jab. “Can we send her back?” Wendy’s replied, causing a stir online.
The company doubled down with another post on X featuring a photo of the “Firework” singer kissing the ground after landing, captioned, “I kissed the ground and i liked it.” When one user pointed out that Perry had only been in space for about 10 minutes, the brand wrote back, “Don’t short change her it was 11 minutes.”
Perry was one of six passengers on Blue Origin’s all-women flight crew, which landed safely back on Earth after the brief suborbital trip.
Weeks later, Perry addressed the online negativity, leaving a heartfelt comment on a fan page thanking her supporters for standing by her.
“I’m so grateful for you guys. We’re in this beautiful and wild journey together,” she wrote. “I can continue to remain true to myself, heart open and honest especially because of our bond. I love you guys and have grown up together with you and am so excited to see you all over the world this year!”
The artist continued, “Please know I am ok, I have done a lot work around knowing who I am, what is real and what is important to me. My therapist said something years ago that has been a game changer, ‘no one can make you believe something about yourself that you don’t already believe about yourself’ and if I ever do have any feelings about it then it’s an opportunity to investigate the feeling underneath it.”
She closed, writing, “When the ‘online’ world tries to make me a human Piñata, I take it with grace and send them love, cause I know so many people are hurting in so many ways and the internet is very much so a dumping ground for unhinged and unhealed.”
Trending on Billboard As Jamaica picks up the pieces in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa’s historic devastation, the global reach of their artists remains cause for celebration. On Friday (Nov. 7), the Recording Academy revealed the five nominees for best reggae album at the 2026 Grammy Awards — and Jamaican musicians snagged every single spot. […]
Rod Wave has found himself back in hot water after he was arrested on Friday (November 8) in the state of Georgia, and it is the second such occurrence for the popular rapper. According to still-developing details, Rod Wave was arrested and reportedly has already posted bond while battling this latest legal hurdle.
TMZ obtained exclusive details related to the arrest of Rod Wave. Wave, real name Rodarius Green, was arrested by Atlanta Police Department officers in Fulton County, Georgia, on possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies, reckless driving, possession of a Schedule V controlled substance, and possession of a Schedule II controlled substance charges.
The outlet added in its reporting that, after speaking with Wave’s attorney, Drew Findling, it was learned that the 27-year-old star appeared before a judge to hear charges and reached an agreement to post a $8,000 bond. A future court date in the matter was not shared in the report.
In an update, Findling added via a statement to the outlet, writing that his client “was unjustly profiled and unlawfully arrested in Atlanta. The arresting officer belongs to the Atlanta Police Department’s controversial Crime Suppression Unit — a group known for its aggressive tactics and emphasis on high arrest numbers rather than genuine public safety.”
On the day of his arrest, Wave was announced as a Grammy Awards nominee in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category for the track “Sinners” for the soundtrack for the film of the same name.
Rod Wave was arrested this past May on firearm and drug charges.
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Photo: Getty
Rod Wave has been arrested by the Atlanta Police Department on multiple weapon and drug charges.
The 27-year-old rapper-singer, whose real name is Rodarius Green, was taken into custody Friday (Nov. 7) in Fulton County, Georgia, and charged with possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies, reckless driving, possession of a Schedule V controlled substance and possession of Schedule II controlled substance, according to TMZ.
Following his arrest, Rod Wave was booked into the Fulton County Jail, Fox 5 Atlanta reports. As of Saturday morning, he remained in custody. His attorney, Drew Findling, told TMZ that the artist had made his first court appearance and that bond had been set at $8,000.
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Further details about what led to the arrest were not available at press time.
This is not Rod Wave’s first legal issue. In May, he was arrested in Georgia and booked into Fulton County Jail on charges of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm. He later faced 12 additional counts, including aiming a pistol at another person, reckless conduct, criminal damage to property, obstruction of law enforcement, evidence tampering, conspiracy to commit a felony, and simple assault.
Court records show that the May arrest stemmed from an alleged April 21 altercation. The musician was released the same day after posting a $50,000 bond. “There is no truth to these charges,” his attorney Findling told Billboard at the time.
The “25” rapper-singer also faced gun charges in April 2024 in Manatee County, Florida, after being accused of illegally possessing a weapon or ammunition. Authorities attempted to connect him to a gang-related shooting at a St. Petersburg sports bar. In May 2022, he was also arrested on a felony charge of battery by strangulation, which was later dropped.
Aside from his legal troubles, Rod Wave released the singles “Westside Connection” and “Sinners” in 2025. The latter appeared on the Sinners movie soundtrack and played during the horror film’s final scene. His most recent album, Last Lap, was released in October 2024, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
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Britney Spears is back on Instagram after a short break from the platform.
Just days after deactivating her account, the 43-year-old pop star reappeared on Friday (Nov. 7), sharing a new photo with her 42 million followers. In the image, she poses in a white lace bra, gray and black underwear, and black boots.
“So much has happened this year, it’s crazy …,” Spears captioned the image. “I try to live within my means and the book, ‘Draw the Circle’ is an incredible perspective. Get your ballerina 🩰, circle, and own your boundaries.”
She continued, “It’s incredibly strict and somewhat of a form of prayer but with so many endless possibilities in life, it’s important to do you and keep it simple. I know there is a confusing side too. The devil is in the details but we can get to that later 😳😂🤧.”
The “Gimme More” singer’s return comes about five days after she deactivated her account. The brief disappearance coincided with the release of her ex-husband Kevin Federline’s tell-all memoir, You Thought You Knew, which includes several sensational claims about their two-year marriage.
Spears did not address her short-lived absence from Instagram, which went dark on Nov. 2 and displayed an automated message saying the “profile may have been removed.” The pop star has taken several social media breaks in recent years — briefly in 2021 and twice in 2022 — and has periodically stepped away from posting ever since.
Her latest retreat followed a series of mid-October Instagram posts in which she appeared to respond to allegations made in Federline’s book. “Its fun to tell stories at this point because this all might sound so silly but with what garbage literally is being said about me I said why not bring SUBSTANCE to the table,” she wrote.
Prior to that, Spears accused Federline of “constant gaslighting” and criticized those who “profit off my pain,” seemingly referring to her financial relationship with her ex. “No money from Britney for 5 years you trying to get paid that’s what general America is saying weird you both have moved on… your kids are adults it’s a different world now … why is HE SO ANGRY,” she wrote.
Fans have recently expressed concern about the singer’s well-being after she continued posting her trademark dance videos along with cryptic messages about her two sons — Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19 — with Federline, according to People.
In one video posted on Oct. 7, Spears appeared with bruises on her arms and bandages on both hands and her right knee. “Psss I fell down the stairs at my friend’s house… it was horrible… it snaps out now and then, not sure if it’s broken but for now it’s snapped in !!!” she explained in a TikTok post showing her injuries.
Check out Spears’ latest Instagram post here.
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There are few moments more immediately significant than an artist learning they’ve earned a Grammy nomination. For KATSEYE‘s Megan, that revelation arrived not during the live reveal or from celebratory screams, but in the glow of KATSEYE’s group chat.
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“I woke up a little bit later so I woke up to the group chat going crazy — that’s literally how I found out,” she tells Billboard exclusively during a phone interview just two hours after the Recording Academy announced the 2026 nominees in full. “It’s just me here right now, but the group chat is blowing up.”
With nods in best new artist and best pop duo/group performance, Megan says KATSEYE’s two nominations feel like a confirmation of the whirlwind experience the sextet has been on from their 2023 Dream Academy competition series to climbing up the Billboard Hot 100 as “Gabriela” reaches a new peak of No. 37 this week.
“It’s all settling in and I feel like I haven’t fully come to my — I don’t know — I feel like it hasn’t settled in fully that we are nominated for two Grammy Awards,” she adds. “It’s crazy, I literally woke up to the news. I think throughout the day it’s gonna settle a little bit more, but feeling super grateful.”
Megan
Austin Hargrave
With best pop duo/group performance, “Gabriela” is recognized in a stacked category in this year of superstar team-ups. KATSEYE is up against Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande‘s Wicked duet “Defying Gravity,” Kendrick Lamar and SZA‘s latest collab “30 for 30,” ROSÉ and Bruno Mars‘ multicultural smash “APT.” as well as “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters’ HUNTR/X group of Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami. Megan says the recognition is particularly significant for their position as a global girl group.
“With any award or nomination, it means so much to us because we work so, so hard,” she says. “So, it’s like all of the hard work, those long hours and all the dedication are really paying off. But especially for the best pop duo/group [performance], we really do rely so much on each other; we are literally sisters at the end of the day. So, being able to get nominated with my five best friends is literally a dream come true. It’s the best feeling ever. And especially with what we represent globally, it means so much to each and every one of us. We’re just like so excited and so happy about everything.”
That happiness doesn’t just extend to KATSEYE’s nods, but also to her fellow best new artist nominees, which include friends of the band like Addison Rae, sombr and Alex Warren.
“It’s insane that we’re even in the same category — it’s literally crazy,” the Honolulu native adds. “But yeah, Addison, sombr, even Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, Lola [Young], every single one of them, they’re literally all amazing and we all look up to them in our own ways. We’re so new, so to even be in the same category as these amazing artists is so, so cool. But to be able to share the nomination with some of our friends like Addison, sombr and Alex, it’s really, really cool and I’m proud of each and every one of them as well.”
As for the whole group, KATSEYE shared the following statement on their social media following the Grammy nominations reveal: “We can’t even believe this is real life!! two nominations?! thank you to the Recording Academy we are truly humbled, and congrats to all the nominees today, you inspire us! we wouldn’t be here without our EYEKONS — words can’t describe how grateful we are to you.”
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will take place Sunday, Feb. 1, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Before that, KATSEYE dropped a new teaser clip today as well, seemingly hinting at something special coming on Nov. 11, tagging the Valorant video game and its accompanying esports league in the caption. Watch below:
Noam Galai / Jeremy Renner
Hawkeye, aka Jeremy Renner, allegedly out here being a full creep and a racist? According to one Chinese filmmaker, that is 100% the case.
Chinese filmmaker Yi Zhou, who claimed she has worked with the Marvel’s Avengers star on a documentary, Chronicles of Disney, and an animated film, accused the 54-year-old actor in a series of Instagram posts of sending her “a string of unwanted/unsolicited pornographic images of himself” in DMs and WhatsApp in June.
When Zhou confronted Renner about the alleged creepy behavior, he allegedly “threatened to call immigration/ICE” on her.
Jeremy Renner Denies The Allegations
PEOPLE reports that Renner is vehemently denying those claims through a statement from his attorney, Marty Singer, and accuses Zhou of essentially lashing out at him after a “brief consensual encounter,” ignoring her sexual advances, and not promoting her projects.
Per PEOPLE:
“The allegations are totally inaccurate and untrue,” a rep for Renner said.
In a statement to PEOPLE on Friday, Nov. 7, Renner’s attorney Marty Singer vehemently denied Zhou’s claims, calling them “false, outrageous, and highly defamatory.” Singer alleges Zhou is retaliating against Renner after the actor “rejected her romantic advances” and did not promote her projects on social media.
Singer claims Renner met Zhou once in July when they met at a hotel in Reno, Nev., where Renner was interviewed for Zhou’s documentary and says the two shared a “brief consensual encounter.” The two then met a second time in August, and Renner hasn’t spoken to her in over a month, Singer said, adding that the actor has ignored her alleged “sexually explicit messages expressing her love.” Her most recent message was allegedly sent on Oct. 24.
Addressing Zhou’s allegations that Renner threatened to call ICE on her, Singer alleges Zhou “had been relentlessly harassing and threatening my client with hundreds of unsolicited and unwanted messages.”
It’s going to be really interesting to see how Disney approaches this matter. The company has an extreme zero-tolerance policy and has let go of actors for less.
You can see what the social media streets are saying about Renner’s alleged behavior below.
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Last season, Stranger Things had a major impact on the Billboard charts, giving Kate Bush her first Hot 100 Top 10 with “Running Up That Hill” at No. 3. The cast of the 5th & final season of Stranger Things gives us their anthems for taking on the “Upside Down” in Hawkins. Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo and more share their favorite tunes on the red carpet of the premiere.
Catrise Johnson:
Before heading into the upside down, what would your character be blasting in their headphones?
Millie Bobby Brown:
Beyonce.
What Beyonce song?
Millie Bobby Brown:
“American Requiem.”
That’s a good one. That’s a good one.
Millie Bobby Brown:
Or “YA YA.”
What is your character playing in their headphones?
Finn Wolfhard:
Probably some punk or some metal. Eddie from season four probably got into his got into his head, and got him into some heavier music. So maybe Metallica?
Noah Schnapp:
It’s Will Byers, I feel like he’s very like indie, maybe like boy genius, like just a little indie.
I like that.
Noah Schnapp:
Maybe I should just go with a classic. My favorite, “Forever Young.”
Gaten Matarazzo:
This is very good, like a hype up song. We need something to hype you up a little bit. Maybe we could go with like…
Beyonce?
Gaten Matarazzo:
Oh my gosh. How about all of ‘Renaissance.’
Oh, my God. ‘Renaissance?’
Gaten Matarazzo:
The tour was amazing. I didn’t get to see ‘Cowboy Carter’
Act three we have to be there.
Gaten Matarazzo:
Yes, I’ll be able to make it two for three.
Priah Ferguson:
Maybe Whitney Houston.
Oh, what Whitney Houston song?
Probably, I believe our children are the future.
Keep watching for more!
