‘Love Island USA’ contestant Alannah Keyser, facing backlash for apparently using a racial slur in a recently resurfaced social media post, has left the villa for good.

Ben Duckett’s scintillating century builds on an inspirational spell from Ben Stokes to haul England back into the decisive third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.

NBC News is tracking French star Kylian Mbappé and Argentine legend Lionel Messi as they battle for the all-time FIFA World Cup scoring record.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised: “We have a whole-of-government response. It’ll be big; it’ll be fast; and it’ll be effective.”

(Image credit: Federico Parra/AFP)

New Orleans is calling — and this year, the party starts before the sun goes down. The 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture® daytime experience at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is a full destination in its own right, with world premieres, exclusive first looks, culinary moments, wellness sessions, beauty discoveries, author conversations, and cultural experiences spread across three days. The best part? It’s free to access with registration through the E360 app. Here’s everything going down July 3–5.

Coca-Cola® Presents

As Presenting Partner, Coca-Cola® brings its own stage of music, culture, and community to Festival weekend — with appearances, performances, and programming across all three days. Expect to see a few familiar faces: Normani, Ryan Destiny, Eva Marcille, Mario, Coi Leray, Destin Conrad, and the Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band.

Premieres & First Looks

First looks you won’t get anywhere else.

Prime Video is bringing exclusive first looks at three highly anticipated projects: Ride or Die, Neagley, and The Greatest — Michael B. Jordan’s Muhammad Ali biopic from Outlier Society. Expect cast conversations with Octavia Spencer, Maria Sten, Michael Ealy, Jaalen Best, Dana Gourrier, Amin Joseph, Kai Parham, and creator Ben Watkins.

Disney comes through with an exclusive look at FX’s The Drop: A Snowfall Saga, featuring Gail Bean, Isaiah John, Asante Blackk, Peyton Alex Smith, and Simmie “Buddy” Simms III — plus the world premiere of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder season 4, with creator Bruce W. Smith and executive producer Ralph Farquhar in conversation.

ESSENCE Film Festival

The ESSENCE Film Festival received more than 600 submissions from filmmakers across the globe. This year’s slate spans narrative features, documentaries, short films, social impact stories, and a growing focus on the micro-drama format. Our curator Sanaa Lathan, will join the ESSENCE Film Festival Pitch Competition. The six featured projects will include: A Portrait of a Postman featuring Tina Knowles, Please Return Your Cart executive produced by Issa Rae, ChikaBOOM! Starring Yara Shahidi, Funny Feelings with Mack Wilds, Pretty Vee, B. Simone, Pastor Mike Jr., FreeLance starring KevOnStage & Spence Moore II, and Switches featuring Sinqua Walls.

Food & Wine

For the second year running, Chef Nina Compton returns as curator of the ESSENCE Food & Wine Festival™. Expect live culinary demonstrations, competitive cook-off moments, and conversations rooted in Black food culture. You can expect demos, conversations and firesides with Mychel “Snoop” Dillard, Raven Goodwin, Sonja Norwood of Wickd Confections, Chef Zoe Chase, Effie Richardson, and Mr. Happy Hour.

Unbothered & Well

Your reset starts here. The former Wellness Stage evolves into Unbothered & Well — a dedicated space for healing, movement, and community care with more than 18 sessions. Keke Palmer anchors the experience with a Practice by Palmer mat pilates session. The activation is broken up in three pillars:

• Women’s & mental health: panels, self-advocacy education, and faith conversations
• Body & spirit: Sound baths, Talking Circles, guided movement, and breast health screenings
• Art & community: The Door of Return installation and community care programming

BeautyCon @ ESSENCE FEST

BEAUTYCON™ @ESSENCEFEST Edition brings tutorials, brand activations, product discovery, and real beauty conversations to the Convention Center floor. Featured brands include Grow Good by Cardi B, Canvas Beauty, and Bask & Lather. Cameos at BeautyCon will include Lala Anthony, Stormi Steele, and Tokyo Vanity.

BEAUTYCON™ VIP offers expedited line access, curated gift bags, and elevated moments for beauty insiders and superfans.

Book Fest @ ESSENCE AUTHORS

Book Festival: ESSENCE Authors™ brings nonfiction programming curated by Nikole Hannah-Jones and fiction programming curated by Mara Brock Akil, with appearances from Tiffany D. Cross, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Jamilah Lemieux, Tayari Jones, Ayana Gray, and more.

SUEDE Men’s Experience

Suede returns with programming on style, wellness, finance, and community — and this year, DJ Envy’s Drive Your Dreams Car Show pulls up to the Convention Center floor with custom builds, classics, exotics, and American muscle.

New Voices Village

Where the next generation of founders gets their flowers. Whether you’re just getting started or ready to scale, New Voices Village™ is built for the builder in you. Stop by for founder demos, one-on-one office hours, workshops, and headshot and product photography opportunities — plus the resources and community connections to take your business to the next level.

GBEF® HQ

The conversation about our economic future starts here. GBEF® HQ is where big ideas meet real action. Programming this year centers economic power, democracy, health, wealth, and the future of work — giving attendees the tools and language to advocate for themselves and their communities beyond Festival weekend.

WeLOVEUS: The Marketplace

Shop Black. Full stop. We Love Us: The Marketplace brings together Black-owned brands across fashion, beauty, wellness, home, and lifestyle all under one roof. Come ready to discover, support, and spend your coins where they count.

Creator & Podcast Festival

Your platform era starts now. From live podcast recordings to networking sessions and platform-building conversations, the Creator & Podcast Festival is the space for creators, media personalities, and cultural voices who are building something. Whether you’re already monetizing or figuring out your next move, this one’s for you.

Daytime programming is free with registration. Download the E360 app to register, build your itinerary, and get real-time Festival updates. Want more? Upgrade to ESSENCE VIP for reserved Main Stage seating, curated gift bags, and access to the ESSENCE Luxe Lounge — featuring Bernard James, Christopher John Rogers, Brandon Blackwood, House of Aama, and Tia Adeola. Follow @ESSENCEFest on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

The UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition highlights uncredited artists who made significant creative contributions to early Hollywood.

A cruise ship brought some strange cargo to Alaska … pulling into port with a massive carcass on its bow — a pregnant 61-foot fin whale. The Royal Caribbean Group’s “Ovation of the Seas” arrived in Seward, AK, on June 19, hauling the endangered…

Iran on Friday asserted its authority over the Strait of Hormuz, warning that safe passage can only be guaranteed for ships that coordinate with Tehran. The statement comes after President Trump accused Iran of hitting a commercial vessel sailing close to the coast of Oman with a one-way attack drone. The British military said the…

Everyone lock in to “Not Suitable for Work” so I can get a Season 2!

---

View Entire Post ›

Ironically, Lincoln said this “is stronger than the bullet.” What is it?

---

View Entire Post ›

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream. You never know what you’re gonna get … a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone’s…

Senate Democrats must now decide whether to pass the Combating Organized Crime Act, which would expand the Department of Homeland Security’s surveillance powers, or to listen to voters and reject the bill.