The Lunar New Year is almost upon us (mark your calendar for February 17), and honestly, we couldn’t be more excited to shed our final snake skin and enter the Year of the Horse.
ICYMI, last year…
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Month: January 2026
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Kyrsten Sinema is facing legal repercussions over an alleged affair with her former security guard.
Earlier this week, a woman named Heather Ammel filed a lawsuit in North Carolina that alleged Sinema seduced her husband, Matthew Ammel, throughout 2023 and 2024… despite knowing he was married.
The ex-Arizona senator, who is not married, would allegedly send Matthew “romantic” texts that “exceeded the bounds of a normal working relationship,” the lawsuit alleges.
At one point, Sinema supposedly described having missionary sex as “boring” and also sent her then-bodyguard a picture of herself wearing a towel.
The documents go on to claim the former politician convinced Matthew to bring illicit drugs to a work trip so she could “guide him through a psychedelic experience.”
There were numerous outings (to music festivals, for example) where Sinema got “handsy” with Matthew, prompting him to take his wedding ring off.
These are all unproven allegations right now, of course.
In June 2024, Heather says she sent Sinema from her husband’s phone that read:
“Are you having an affair with my husband? You took a married man away from his family.”
The spouses separated about five months after this message was sent.
In the lawsuit, Heather argues the ex-senator’s alleged actions ruined her marriage, leading to financial hardship and emotional distress.
She’s seeking $25,000 in damages.
Sinema is a former Democrat who served in Congress from 2013 to 2019; in 2022, she left the Democratic Party and became an independent, choosing NOT to run for re-election in 2025.
No one associated with the politician has yet commented on these accusations.
Kyrsten Sinema Accused of Drug-Fueled Affair with Married Bodyguard was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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It’s been four months since Charlie Kirk was shot and killed, and conspiracy theories about his death continue to spread like wildfire across the social media landscape.
And as is so often the case, no one is fueling the fire quite as aggressively as infamous conspiracy aficionado Candace Owens.
As you may already know, Owens has been inserting herself into the Kirk story ever since the shooting on September 10.
Bizarrely, Owens even went on the attack against Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow.
The situation got so bad that Owens and Kirk had a private meeting to try and settle their differences.
We don’t know what they discussed, but we’re guessing Erika is not thrilled about Candace’s most recent comments about Charlie.
In the latest installment of her YouTube series, Candace made a number of bizarre claims about her late friend, including that Kirk “thought he was a time traveler.”
“He told me he was a time traveler repeatedly,” Owens told her audience.
“I showed you guys that text message exchange. I said to him in response that I didn’t feel the same way, and I thought I was from another planet. That I was an alien. My entire life. Just do not get it here.”
Owens went on to state that Kirk shared her belief that “this planet is ghetto,” and they were both from a different time or place.
“That’s how I feel. I don’t understand it. The rules don’t make sense,” she said.
She went to claim that Kirk was sent to special schools, as government officials and other adults in his life realized early on that he was different.
“Charlie may have been marked since he was a child,” she said.
“We’ve discussed these gate programs they have in school, and I just think on the basis of what he told me that when he was really young they wanted to drug him, but his mother said no, and he was really grateful for that.
“And instead they decided that they could send him to this X-Men school,” she added, noting that Kirk attended a “school for the gifted.”
Not surprisingly, Candace’s comments are being harshly criticized across social media today.
“I cannot even imagine how she says this stuff with a straight face,” one person tweeted, according to Radar Online.
“So we can believe that he had special X-Men powers but it’s insane to believe that his neck could stop a bullet? Her kind of special belongs on a short bus.”
“Why the hell are they allowing her to go on social media and talk nonsense???” another user wrote, adding, “This is insane!”
Many pointed out that Charlie attended a public high school and didn’t even graduate college — hardly the ultra-elite “X-Men” education that Candace is claiming.
“She is just pulling things out of her a– at this point,” one such person alleged, adding:
“Charlie Kirk attended a public high school, Wheeling High School. He attended Christian Heritage Academy before that. If those are X-Men schools, I am an X-Man. I attended a private Christian grade school & a Jesuit HS.”
Erika Kirk has not yet publicly responded to Candace’s claims — but something tells us another private meeting might be in order.
Charlie Kirk Was a ‘Time Traveler’ Who Attended ‘X-Men School,’ … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
ERNEST released his debut album Locals Only in October 2019, and the journey hasn’t stopped since. Since then, he’s gone on to write hits for other artists, launch his own record label, and now he’s ready to focus on himself again with his next project, Deep Blue.
During a conversation with comedian John Crist on the Net Positive podcast, ERNEST declared that Deep Blue is set to be his “shortest” yet “most cohesive” album to date. He advises listeners to revisit Locals Only in preparation for the upcoming project, as both collections were heavily inspired by St. Thomas, a place that has holds a special place in his heart.
“In 2012 or 13, 2013, I came down to St. Thomas and I ended up staying for nine months. It has been a crucial part of my development. I came back from St. Thomas and signed my first publishing deal with Sony/ATV and the Warren Brothers,” he shared in a social media clip. “This next album feels like it’s down here.”
After more than a decade of writing songs, many of which were later cut by other artists, ERNEST says Deep Blue marks a full-circle moment in his career. While he explains that all these forthcoming tracks live in a “pretty blue world where it’s always sunny,” not every story is going to be about the beach. Instead, it will be a compilation of “happy songs, sad songs, let’s get together songs and have a good time songs.”
“I’m excited. I mean, this album is different for me,” he adds. “Take it back to Flower Shops and then to Nashville, Tennessee, I definitely have stuck to the traditional country music sound, which I love and believe in for my own artistry…But this one is more of a concept album than the others.”
ERNEST also revealed he recorded more songs that didn’t end up getting cut for the record because he wanted it to be more digestible for fans.
“I think, in a world where there are so many songs on albums, because we write so many songs, I could have easily had a 30-song album, but it’s like these 13, these are my horses. Let’s roll.”
The first taste of what’s to come from his new musical chapter will be “Lorelei,” a song he shares is set to drop at the end of January.
The country act will continue to build anticipation for Deep Blue when he hits the road for his Live from the South Tour, kicking off January 1 in Denver, CO and running through April 18, when he will bring things to a close in Minneapolis, MN
Throughout the trek, ERNEST will be joined by Chandler Walters, Cody Lohden and Rhys Rutherford, each serving as support on select dates.
The post ERNEST Opens Up About Taking His Music Full Circle With Forthcoming Album, ‘Deep Blue’ appeared first on Country Now.
Country Now
Ryan Lochte is embracing his next chapter.
The Olympic gold medalist shared that he and girlfriend Molly Gilliham have moved in together, 10 months after his estranged wife Kayla Lochte filed for…
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There are various reasons a person might praise President Ulysses S. Grant, but the way he liked for his steak to be cooked probably isn’t among them.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Designer beauty on sale is always worth paying attention to—but Nordstrom Rack’s current lineup feels especially good.
Right now, the retailer is offering cult-favorite beauty brands marked down…
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Back in November, Zarbab Ali was convicted of murdering his wife and desecrating her corpse.
This week, he was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.
We must warn you in advance that the following article contains graphic descriptions of some truly horrific acts.
Shorrly after his arrest Ali, 28, confessed to murdering his estranged wife, Rachel Castillo, 25
Ali confesses to series of shocking crimes
“I found Rachel, she was alone, and I killed her,” Ali told police in Ventura County, California, according to local ABC affiliate KABC.
When asked for his motives, Ali replied, “There was no reason.”
“I really didn’t want to do it,” he told detectives in a video recording. “Everything in my body was telling me not to do it.”
“Just to confirm that I am a monster, I raped her,” he continued, adding:
“If I didn’t commit to being a monster, then she would have died for no reason.”
On November 22, Ali was found guilty of first-degree murder, a crime that carries a mandatory life sentence. Earlier this week, he received the expected sentence.
Search for missing mom ends in tragedy
Castillo, a mother of two, went missing from her home on November 10, 2022.
Her sister tells KABC that she arrived at Rachel’s home to find the residence covered in blood.
“As soon as I saw the blood, that’s when I realized something wasn’t right,” she told the outlet.
She explained that she called her mother and then called 911, fearing the worst.
“I was running around the house trying to see if I could find her somewhere,” said the sister.
“I checked her bathroom, under her bed, her closet, my closet, the laundry room, my bathroom and my bedroom but she wasn’t anywhere in there.”
Police confirmed that they found “a significant amount of blood” at the scene, as well as evidence that “a struggle occurred inside.”
Ali repeatedly told police that he does not know why he committed the brutal murder, but he notes that the crime had been on his mind since he and Castillo separated, nine months prior.
Our thoughts go out to Rachel Castillo’s loved ones as they continue to process this horrific tragedy.
Zarbab Ali Sentenced to Life In Prison For Killing Wife, Digging Up and … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
She’s one of country music’s sharpest young writers. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
She’s one of country music’s sharpest young writers. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country