Dane, who had been diagnosed with the rare degenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is survived by his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and their two daughters, Billie and Georgia. The grieving family confirmed the news in a statement to PEOPLE, which reads: "With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS. 

"He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world. "Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight."

The message concluded: "He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time."

In April last year, Dane revealed he had been diagnosed with ALS, a rare degenerative form of motor neurone disease. It leads to muscle weakness in the arms and legs, often causing people to trip or struggle to hold onto things. 

Symptoms vary from person to person, depending on which nerve cells are affected. In most cases, it begins with mild muscle weakness that gradually spreads and becomes more severe over time. Dane's wife opened up about their relationship just one day before Dane announced his diagnosis back in April last year. 

The former Beverly Hills, 90210 star's comments also came a month after she filed to dismiss her 2018 divorce from Dane. He agreed to the filing, and a court in Los Angeles later closed the case, according to documents obtained by E!.

Speaking with E! News at the time, Gayheart said the two were 'best friends'. After calling off their divorce, she explained: "We are really close. We are great coparents. "We really figured out the formula to staying a family, and I think our kids are benefiting greatly from i,t and we are as well."

The American model also reflected on their marriage and why she doesn't believe their relationship is a 'failure', adding: "I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure. It's just a season. "It wasn't a failure. It was a huge success." 

Talking about perspective, the mum-of-two added: "We were married for, I mean, we are still married, but together for 15 years and we had two beautiful kids, so I think that's a successful relationship, and that's how we look at it."

He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease - last year. His family said in a statement: "With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS. 

"He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world. "Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight. 

"He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time."

He had been married to fellow actor Rebecca Gayheart, with the couple sharing two children. Gayheart called off the pair's divorce a month before Dane went public with his ALS diagnosis. They had been separated for seven years. 

She told the Broad Ideas podcast in November 2025 she wanted to be there for her family 'when times are at their worst'. ALS is a degenerative disease which results in progressive muscle paralysis, those with it slowly lose their ability to move independently. 

Eventually, a person diagnosed with the disease will not be able to eat or breathe independently. Speaking to Good Morning America last year, Dane said his ALS diagnosis made him 'angry'. 

"My father was taken from me when I was young. And now, you know, there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls while they're very young," he had said. In the same interview, he confirmed he had lost the use of his right arm and was concerned that in a few months he would lose the use of his other hand.

In April 2025, Dane revealed he was filming scenes for the upcoming third season of Euphoria. He said at the time: "I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working." Due to his health, he filmed his scenes in a wheelchair. 

The show's creator Sam Levinson paid tribute to the actor in a statement provided to Variety. He said: "I’m heartbroken by the loss of our dear friend Eric. Working with him was an honor. Being his friend was a gift. Eric’s family is in our prayers. May his memory be for a blessing."

Dane had been scheduled to receive an award last month for his work raising awareness of ALS, but had been unable to attend ‘due to the physical realities of ALS’, People reported.

Skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych said he wanted to 'honour' Ukrainian sportsmen and women who had died in the Russian invasion of their home country – to do this, he had his helmet created with images of the fallen. 

However, this 'helmet of remembrance' that saw the likes of the late teenage weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ischenko, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, diver and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksiy Habarov and dancer Daria Kurdel, and more, caused a stir. 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) went on to ban the 27-year-old from the 2026 Winter Olympics when he refused to take it off on the grounds that he did not ‘comply with the IOC’s Guidelines on Athlete Expression’. 

The athlete then tried to appeal against the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation jury’s rule that he had breached athletes’ expression at the Games. However, he lost his case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport just hours before the final two runs of his competition. In light of the decision, a billionaire, and owner of the Ukrainian football club, Shakhtar Donetsk, has donated more than $200,000 (£148,590) to Heraskevych.

“Vlad Heraskevych was denied the opportunity to compete for victory at the Olympic Games, yet he returns to Ukraine a true winner,” Rinat Akhmetov, the club’s president, said in a club statement. “The respect and pride he has earned among Ukrainians through his actions are the highest reward. 

At the same time, I want him to have enough energy and resources to continue his sporting career, as well as to fight for truth, freedom and the remembrance of those who gave their lives for Ukraine.” The money he donated is equivalent to that Ukraine pays athletes who win a gold medal, which is in stark contrast to Singapore, who pays Gold medallists over 500k. 

When it came to the decision to ban him, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams told a news conference in Milan-Cortina that the helmet was against Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter. The rule states there shall be 'no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas'.

“The IOC fully understands the desire of athletes to remember friends and colleagues who have lost their lives in that conflict, and in many, many other difficult conflicts around the world,” Adams said on Tuesday (10 February). 

“It's fundamental that there are equal rights for all athletes and that the games need to be separated not just from political and religious, but from all types of interference so that all the athletes competing can concentrate on their performance. What we said is that this helmet contravenes the guidelines. 

Rumer Willis, 37, shared a post to her 1.2 million Instagram followers about being a single mom, containing the caption 'Single Moms Be Like' at the top, as well as others such as 'play dates', 'lunch', 'working out', and 'meal prepping'. 

The 37-year-old shares her two-year-old daughter Louetta 'Lou' with her ex-boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas. But it seems that a few people took the comments on the post to say that Rumer takes money from her movie star parents Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, and used that to attack her as a single mom.

The comments got bad enough that Rumer felt the need to respond with a further post in which she slammed her critics.

In a subsequent post on social media, she wrote: "Just had to clarify since it seems there are quite a few uninformed and rude people in my comments on this post." She went on to explain that she is the sole provider for her daughter, and works four jobs to make ends meet. 

"I work 4 different jobs to provide for my daughter," she said. "I am the sole provider for her. "I don't live off a trust fund or get money from my parents. Most of the time I don't have help with her."

   

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rumer Glenn Willis (@rumerwillis)

She added: "So how about y'all pause before you judge and assume." But that wasn't all that she had to say on the matter, as this prompted someone else to reply that while she undoubtedly works hard, she still has a safety net. 

This time, Rumer decided to take a more conciliatory tone in her lengthy reply. "I want to respond to this with care, because I think there's a misunderstanding about what I was actually saying," she said.

"I am very aware that I have privileges in my life that many people don't, and I don't take that for granted. "I know there are realities I will never fully experience, and I respect that." 

She added: "But this particular post wasn't about privilege or comparing circumstances, and it feels like people are assuming I was ignoring that when that wasn't the conversation I was trying to have." Rumer went on to say that 'people's lives look different, and none of our experiences exist in a vacuum'.

Reflecting on the realities and hardships of life, she continued: "Just like someone with a stable job and housing might still struggle in ways that are real to them, even if their situation is different from someone facing much more severe hardship elsewhere in the world, we all move through different layers of reality. "Acknowledging that difference doesn't mean we can't also talk about what we share." 

The US initiative to end the Gaza war came from a 20-point peace plan, which was developed in collaboration with multiple nations like Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia and headed up by a Board of Peace. 

Currently, the Board of Peace is helmed by Trump and senior US officials. But it won’t include anyone from the Vatican, as Pope Leo has brutally turned down an invitation to join, said a senior Vatican official.

The US Board is chaired by Trump to allegedly provide strategic oversight, resource mobilization, and more to Gaza so it can move on to its reconstruction and become a stable nation. With an oversight structure including an Executive Board, senior advisors, and more, it aims to bring peace after its February 19 meeting, which has racked up $5 million in pledges - per Trump. 

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, allegedly revealed, per the Independent, that the Pope had some reservations about the structure of the Board. Apparently, he was concerned about the US being the primary body that would be managing international crisis situations, such as Gaza’s conflict. 

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state, told reporters the US shouldn’t be in charge, and that it should instead be led by the UN. “At the international level, it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations,” he told reporters, per Reuters. 

However, Pope Leo has been a long-time naysayer of Trump's policies - so it might not shock people to know he refused the invite. The Vatican isn’t the only party to decline the invite, as while around 60 countries were invited ahead of its meeting about restructuring the leadership in Gaza, a limited number formally joined. 

As of right now, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, US Deputy National Security Adviser Robert Gabriel Jr. and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, are all on the Board.

“The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honor to serve as its Chairman," Trump wrote on Truth Social on February 15. 

Concerns have also been revealed regarding those who have been invited to the Board, such as international leaders involved in global conflicts, such as Russia's Vladimir Putin, who has been involved in a war with Ukraine since 2022, and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, who has similarly been in an invasive war with Palestine for decades. 

However, despite those concerns, Armenia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, have all joined the program for potential peace. 

Romano explained that she and her husband, Brendan Rooney, had undergone preventative cancer screenings due to both her parents being diagnosed with the disease. "The other day I took this cancer screening," she explained, before tearfully revealing that while her husband's results had come back negative, hers hadn't. 

"I got the results back a little bit before filming down in Florida [last December]," she said, pausing for a moment, before adding: "Mine did not come back negative. "So basically what that means is, I may have stageable cancer."

The 42-year-old, who is a resident of Austin, Texas, went on to explain that she'd been in contact with Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek prior to his death from cancer. It was announced that Van Der Beek had passed away at the age of 48 after being diagnosed with bowel cancer in August 2023.

Romano went on to reveal that Van Der Beek's diagnosis was part of what inspired her to undergo testing, adding: "I was able to meet James Van Der Beek a bunch. His family is amazing, he was a pillar of our community in Texas. "They were always raising money for the most amazing charities and... he's not with us any more, which is why I got this test."

   

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Christy Carlson Romano (@thechristycarlsonromano)

The mother-of-two went on to reveal that she is now waiting to undergo further testing, which includes a positron emission tomography (PET) scan later this week, and was trying to focus on other projects, such as filming and working on a memoir, in the meantime.  

Romano acknowledged that her post may come off as 'overreacting' but stressed that, as a parent, she was concerned for her future. "I'm sure people think I'm overreacting but I'm not because cancer's pretty f***ing serious and I have two little girls," she said. "Right now the news is that something is going on. 

I’m nervous and a bit scared (heck who wouldn’t be!)," Romano added in the caption. "I debated whether or not I was going to post this because I was afraid I’d come off “cringe.” But I decided it was my duty to share, so that people get out there and get screenings. Let’s keep the good vibes going and I will keep you all posted as I get more information."

Romano has since received an outpouring of love from friends, family and followers, with several people praising her for being open with the news. "Praying for you. Stay encouraged that modern medicine got you a possible early diagnosis. 

Sending so much love," wrote one follower, while a second penned: "My thoughts and prayers are with you! You are going to beat this no matter what! You got this!" "You got this my beautiful wife. We will figure this out and destroy any problem that comes your way," added Romano's husband, Brendan Rooney. "I love you beyond words." 

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week. 

Many of Chalamet's loyal fans know all about his blockbuster-filled filmography, which features Call Me by Your Name, Dune and A Complete Unknown, just to name a handful. 

However, it would appear that not as many know that he actually has a pretty famous uncle, filmmaker Rodman Flender, who made his production debut with The Unborn back in 1991, while he’s also directed feature films including Leprechaun 2 (1994) and Idle Hands (1999). 

Flender, 63, has also worked on some of the biggest TV shows, with directing credits on episodes of The Office, Ugly Betty, and Gilmore Girls. After catching light of the Hollywood family connection, fans rushed to social media to share their reactions with one writing: "Amazing actor!" "Oyyyyy. Flenderrrrr," chirped another as a third chimed in: "And look, he still earned his stripes."

Flender is the brother of Nicole Flender, AKA Chalamet’s mum, who is actually also an actress, best known for starring in 1992's In the Heat of Passion. It's clear stardom runs in the family as Chalamet has a famous older sister, Pauline, who is also in the 'biz. 

The 34-year-old actress made her feature film debut in Judd Apatow's comedy starring Pete Davidson, Maude Apatow and Bel Powley, The King of Staten Island. From 2021 to 2025, she also starred in the HBO Max comedy series The Sex Lives of College Girls. 

She's also in the upcoming The Devil Wears Prada 2, a sequel to the hit 2006 comedy-drama, which will see Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and the iconic Meryl Streep reunite once again a whole 20 years later. The highly-anticipated flick is set to hit cinemas later this year (1 May).

Chalamet bagged Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards and top honours at the Critics' Choice Awards for Josh Safdie's A24 sports drama, Marty Supreme. As we say, he also secured a 2026 Oscar nomination, becoming one of the youngest actors with three Best Actor nominations. 

Joining him in the prestigious category are Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, Michael B Jordan for Sinners and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent.

The star was diagnosed in late 2023 following a screening which revealed the existence of a tumour that developed into stage three cancer. An official statement penned by his family and shared to Instagram, read: "Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. 

He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. "There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity, and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend." 

During his cancer battle, Van Der Beek was open about his journey and the symptoms he experienced in order to raise awareness of the disease.

In November 2024, he revealed the one symptom that prompted him to go to the doctors and get checked out. Van Der Beek explained to PEOPLE Magazine that the first red flag was a change in bowel habits, however, at first he simply put this down to drinking a lot of coffee. He told the publication: “I thought maybe I needed to stop coffee. 

Or maybe not put cream in the coffee. But when I cut that out and it didn’t improve, I thought, ‘All right, I better get this checked out.’” After his colonoscopy he wasn’t worried, and the cancer news came as a shock as he had no family history of the disease, was in 'great shape' and 'eating healthy'. 

"I felt really good coming out of anesthesia, that I’d finally done it,” he said, “Then the gastroenterologist said – in his most pleasant bedside manner – that it was cancer. I think I went into shock." Van Der Beek admitted: "I’d always associated cancer with age and with unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles. 

But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy – or as far as I knew it at the time." In the UK, about 44,100 people get cancer in the colon or rectum each year, as well as about 150,000 Americans diagnosed per year. Many people think of cancer as a disease of old age, but recent trends and research indicate this is no longer the case. In fact, colorectal cancer is now the number one cause of cancer-related death in the US for men and women under 50 years of age.

It's important to be aware of the symptoms as bowel cancer can be treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early. Bowel Cancer UK outline that nearly everyone survives bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage. 

Symptoms of bowel cancer 

Changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you

Needing to poo more or less often than usual for you

Blood in your poo, which may look red or black

Bleeding from your bottom

Often feeling like you need to poo, even if you've just been to the toilet

Tummy pain

A lump in your tummy

Bloating

Losing weight without trying

Feeling very tired or short of breath – these are signs of anaemia, which can be caused by bowel cancer

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@vanderjames

Lucy Harrison, 23, from Warrington, Cheshire, was staying with her father, Kris Harrison, and his family at their home in Prosper, Texas, in January last year. She was joined by her boyfriend, Sam Littler, who made the overseas trip to America with her for a holiday. 

At the inquest into her death, Littler told Cheshire Coroner's Court that Lucy was passionately anti-guns and would get upset with her dad when he talked about owning one. On January 10, the day the British couple were due to fly home, Littler explained there was a 'big' argument between Lucy and her dad about Trump and politics, as he was about to be inaugurated as president.

He told the court: "Kris and Lucy ended up having quite a big argument which led to Lucy running upstairs and being upset."

January 10 was the day Trump was sentenced to 'unconditional discharge', meaning he was spared jail time and a fine, after he was previously convicted on 34 counts relating to hush money paid to an adult-film star during the 2016 presidential election. Littler added that Lucy had asked her father how he would feel if she was sexually assaulted. 

He responded that he had two other daughters who lived with him, so it wouldn't upset him that much, according to Littler. Then, about 30 minutes before they were due to leave for the airport, the inquest heard that Harrison took his daughter by the hand and led her into his ground-floor bedroom. 

Roughly 15 minutes later, Littler said he heard a loud bang and then heard Lucy's dad screaming for his wife Heather. Littler recalled: "I remember running into the room and Lucy was lying on the floor near the entrance to the bathroom and Kris was just screaming, just sort of nonsense." Lucy, who worked for the fashion brand Boohoo, was described by her mum Jane Coates as a 'real force of life'. 

She said: "She cared. She was passionate about things. She loved to have debates about things that meant a lot to her." Mr Harrison did not attend the hearing but issued a statement via his solicitors, where he claimed that he and Lucy had been watching a news segment on gun crime on TV when he told her he had one and asked her if she wanted to see it. 

She allegedly said yes and so they went into the bedroom, where he wanted to show her his Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he kept in his bedside cabinet.

Mr Harrison claimed he didn't remember whether his finger was on the trigger or not when he took the gun out of the case. He said: "As I lifted the gun to show her, I suddenly heard a loud bang. I did not understand what had happened. Lucy immediately fell." 

Additionally, he talked about having problems with alcohol in the past and said he ‘briefly lapsed’ on the day of Lucy's death due to his emotions about her leaving, admitting he drank 500ml of white wine within two to three hours earlier that day. 

In a statement issued by his solicitors, Mr Harrison said: "I fully accept the consequences of my actions, and there isn't a day I don't feel the weight of that loss - a weight I will carry for the rest of my life, and I know that nothing I say can ease the heartbreak this tragedy has caused. 

"I cannot undo what happened, but I can honour Lucy by being the best father I can be to her sisters and by carrying her memory forward in everything we do. "I am deeply sorry for the pain others feel from this tragedy.

Lucy's spirit - her warmth, her humour, her kindness - will live on in all of us who loved her." The inquest heard that a grand jury in the US decided there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone in connection with Lucy's death. 

A number of medallists at this year’s Winter games have reported problems, with one American star pretty much ‘immediately’ breaking theirs. Women’s downhill champion Breezy Johnson was celebrating her gold medal win yesterday (8 February) when it was ripped from its ribbon. 

And now the Winter Olympic Games bosses are investigating. Johnson’s momentous first Olympic gold medal came after her teammate, Lindsey Vonn, suffered a serious crash out on the slope. 

The 30-year-old had a great run of 1:36:10 and was so buzzing with her win she was ‘jumping up and down in excitement’. But she said this meant the ‘heavy’ medal ‘just fell off’.

“So there’s the medal and there’s the ribbon, and here’s the little piece that is supposed to go in the ribbon, to hold it in the medal,” Johnson showed reporters following the win. “And yeah, it came apart. I'm sure somebody will fix it. 

It's not crazy broken, but it’s a little broken.” Team USA joked that her Olympic gold medal ‘did not pass the jump test’. Similarly, a video shared by Germany’s DSV Biathlon on Instagram saw athlete Justus Strelow dancing along with his teammates when he realised his bronze medal had fallen off the ribbon and hit the floor.

   

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DSV Biathlon (@dsv_biathlon)

“Are they not meant to be celebrated?” the team wrote, as the Olympian can be seen trying to piece it back together. And it was the same case for US figure skater Alysa Liu after the team picked up the event gold medal yesterday. 

She took to Instagram earlier today to say: “My medal don’t need the ribbon,” as she held up the separate parts.

The chief games operations officer for the Milan Cortina organising committee, Andrea Francisi, says a solution is being worked on as these broken medals quickly go viral. "We are aware of the situation; we have seen the images. 

Obviously, we are trying to understand in detail if there is a problem," he said today. "But obviously we are paying maximum attention to this matter, as the medal is the dream of the athletes, so we want that obviously in the moment they are given it that everything is absolutely perfect, because we really consider it to be the most important moment. So we are working on it."

And as she clocked an incredible 1:12.31 in the 1,000 metres, Paul was pictured bursting into tears of pride. The 27-year-old Dutch athlete had picked up silver in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games with that year’s winner, Takagi Miho, picking up bronze today with 1:13.95. 

Leerdam’s teammate Femke Kok took silver with 1:12.59. Her fellow Dutch speed skater had set the Olympic record with that time, adding the extra challenge for Leerdam afterwards. 

While her YouTuber-turned-boxer partner watched on with a Dutch scarf, she was also seen wiping away the tears after crossing the finish line. Leerdam headed over to the sideboards, where she blew a kiss and made a heart shape with her hands to Paul.

The pair went Instagram official back in April 2023, with the social media star having slid into her DMs to invite the world champion onto his podcast. “I never, ever expected to date him, like never,” Leerdam revealed on the Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson documentary. “Of course, I didn’t know a lot about him.

I could only scroll on his Instagram and form an opinion like the whole world does. But he is the complete opposite.” Paul proposed to the athlete in March of last year while they were on a trip to St Lucia. 

They announced the news in a joint Instagram post as they said they ‘can’t wait to spend forever together’. With her own huge following on social media, Leerdam was a bit of a favourite for today’s 1,000 metres event. 

Having made her Olympic debut back in Beijing, during this pre-Olympic season, she took home the European title and multiple World Cup medals.

   

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jake Paul (@jakepaul)

Paul has since shared videos on Instagram of himself in tears at the event, writing: “I’M SO PROUD OF YOU,” and “MY BABY JUST SET THE OLYMPIC WORLD RECORD.” In another post, picking up his fiancée, he wrote: “We just witnessed one of the most important sporting moments ever.  

The doc will tell. Words can’t describe how proud of you I am.” He’d been showing plenty of support for Leerdam ahead of the event too, writing: “Today is your day baby. You’ve worked your whole life for this. We all love and support you so much, go get em champ.” 

The US president was extremely outspoken in his thoughts on Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl half-time show yesterday (8 February), becoming the first artist to carry out an all-Spanish performance at the annual NFL championship game. 

Trump admitted that the game was 'too far' for him to attend, but made sure to state of Super Bowl acts Green Day and Bad Bunny.: “I’m anti-them... I think it’s a terrible choice. "All it does is sow hatred. Terrible." 

Regardless, fans were hugely entertained by both artists, with the latter bringing out a number of celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Pedro Pascal and even Jessica Alba, among others. Fans of Turning Point USA, an American nonprofit organisation founded by the late Charlie Kirk, were then given an alternative show called the 'All American' option.

They put on a show headlined by Kid Rock alongside Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett - despite some technical difficulties though, American Football fans looking for an alternative could tune in to Turning Point's half-time show on YouTube. 

You'd assume then that Trump, who has openly supporting Turning Point and the Kirk family, would change the channel to support the All-American show, but a viral clip suggests otherwise. 

Posted to X, the video shows Trump hosting a Super Bowl party at one of his golf clubs, but the alternative half-time show wasn't on the big screens set up across the venue. Instead, behind Trump, Bad Bunny can be seen performing on the Levi's Stadium pitch. You can view the footage here:

   

Released footage from inside Trump’s golf club Super Bowl party reveals the Bad Bunny half time show played on the big screens rather than the Far Right Turning Point USA alternative show.

So much for @TPUSA Half Time Meme Show. pic.twitter.com/g1cMO4YWor

— Bricktop_NAFO (@Bricktop_NAFO) February 9, 2026

The Grammy winner could be seen on the mic, with the video then cutting to a clearer angle of one of the screens. In the background, a Bad Bunny song was added to further highlight the irony of the situation after Trump's scathing words towards the performances. 

Trump even took to Truth Social to criticise Bad Bunny and co for an 'absolutely terrible' viewing. So maybe he did admit to tuning in after all. He wrote: "The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. 

Trump said that the performance was a 'slap in the face' to the US, bragging about the nation having 'the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History'. The 79-year-old added that there was 'nothing inspirational' about the performance, claiming 'Fake News Media' will sing its praises, before getting a dig in at the NFL for its 'ridiculous new Kickoff Rule'. 

Bad Bunny performed with the likes of Lady Gaga, Karol G, Cardi B, and even Ricky Martin for millions to see. But the headline act took the opportunity to get some political messages in, and even showed off a billboard message which read: "The only thing more powerful than hate is love."

Puerto Rican native Bad Bunny conducted his entire set in his native tongue Spanish, which left a proportion of Americans - and the wider global audience - struggling to follow along as they didn’t speak the language. 

Taking to social media to express their frustrations, one fan even branded it the 'worst Super Bowl this century'. Another user also echoed the sentiment, commenting: "Why as Americans are we watching the Super Bowl half time show in Spanish? With English being our national language, I could not understand a word. Not prejudiced, just don’t understand."

A third user also echoed the same message, as they added: "Ok, I do think it was kind of weird that nearly the entire halftime show of the Super Bowl was in Spanish.… and I say that as someone who appreciates Latin culture." 

Someone else penned: "Worst halftime show EVER!!" Bad Bunny’s performance entirely in Spanish will come as no grand shock to fans of the Grammy award-winning singer, as he has previously stated repeatedly that he doesn’t see the value in changing who he is to appeal to a mass audience. 

He told Vanity Fair in 2023 that he would ‘never’ sing in English ‘just because someone says I need to do it to reach a certain audience’. "I think in Spanish, I feel in Spanish, I eat in Spanish, I sing in Spanish," he told the outlet. 

The rapper has released seven studio albums, without a single full song in English. Not everyone was opposed to Bad Bunny's performance, however, with others praising the singer for his unique take on the iconic US sporting event.

"I am an old white guy who doesn’t speak a word of Spanish and I enjoyed the hell out of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show," remarked one person. A second also agreed, adding: "The Bad Bunny Halftime show during the Super Bowl was done so well. 

I don’t speak Spanish but he’s clearly very talented. The production was amazing. He seized his opportunity and crushed it. Congrats to him and the rest of the artists and performers." Another viewer simply commented: "Thank you NFL! We needed that!"

   

Lo único más poderoso que el odio, es el amor.

The Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate is Love. @sanbenito #AppleMusicHalftime pic.twitter.com/0VDQlSjet9

— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2026

Approximately 42 to 59 million people speak Spanish in the United States, making it the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world after Mexico. This population includes roughly 41 to 42 million native speakers, along with 12 to 17 million bilingual or second-language speakers. 

Prior to his performance, during an appearance on Saturday Night Live last year, Bad Bunny even jokingly encouraged his fans to learn Spanish ahead of his Super Bowl headliner, although he did later add that 'dancing' would also be a suitable alternative for those who hadn't quite brushed up on their language skills in time. 

How much do artists get paid for the Super Bowl halftime show? 

While you’d think that performing on one of the biggest stages in the world would earn you the big bucks, surprisingly, artists do not receive a direct paycheck for the Super Bowl halftime show. “We do not pay the artists,” NFL spokesperson Joanna Hunter told Forbes in 2016. 

"We cover expenses and production costs.” Meanwhile, Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of communications, confirmed that Super Bowl performers do get a ‘union scale’ - a minimum wage guaranteed by a union contract. This is largely because the halftime show is not just a performance, it’s a money can’t buy opportunity for promotion and exposure. 

After Rihanna took to the Super Bowl stage in 2023, her Spotify streams in the US soared by more than 640 percent, while song sales and searches for her Fenty Beauty brand also increased. Jennifer Lopez reportedly gained over two million new followers across her social media after she headlined the halftime show with Shakira in 2020. 

Following The Weeknd's 2021 Super Bowl performance, demand for his concert tickets skyrocketed. His After Hours Til Dawn tour has since become the highest-grossing tour by a male solo artist in history after raking in $1 billion.