Ashton Kutcher’s Emotional Testimony to Congress Will Change How You See Him Forever

Yesterday, Ashton Kutcher appeared to speak in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on behalf of Digital Defenders of Children (Thorn), a digital safety advocacy organization that Kutcher co-founded. You’ve probably heard how, before launching into his speech, Kutcher was jokingly insulted by John McCain and responded by blowing a kiss — a bizarre turn of events that unfortunately overshadowed the moving speech that Kutcher delivered, and the important reason he was there.

Kutcher, after having a little chuckle with the rest of the crowd present, proceeded to deliver a 15-minute speech that addressed the horrors related to international sex trafficking and how technology can be used for precautionary and preventative purposes.

“I’ve been on FBI raids where I’ve seen things that no person should ever see,” said Kutcher.

The actor broke down in tears describing instances of child sex trafficking he’s encountered, with victims as young as his own children. He also reported that in six months, his organization has identified an astonishing 6,000 trafficking victims — 2,000 of whom were minors. He then pled to the government for help.

Kutcher posted a condensed version of the speech to his Facebook page this morning, which has since received a flurry of positive response. Once commenter wrote, “Superb work Ashton! I love when celebrities use their star power to raise awareness and to help as opposed to just nice cars, homes and clothes. Well done! Keep up the good fight!”

You can check out Kutcher’s full speech in the video below.

What do you think about Ashton Kutcher’s speech? Tweet us @BritandCo!

(h/t NY Daily News; photos via David Becker + Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

Audiences loved the way Greta Gerwig's Little Women brought all four March sisters to life, and Netflix's Anne with an E became so popular that when the show was canceled after season 3, 1.7 million fans signed a petition to revive the series. It all just proves that classic adaptations can make the original story even more powerful.

And the newest movie based on a book is going to be one we think about forever — and not just because of its cast. Emerald Fennell (who you'll recognize from The Crown and her work as writer & director on Satburn) is adapting Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are leading the cast!

The book, published in 1847, continues to grip readers, and it's become the blueprint for moody complexity — just like Emerald Fennell's Promising Young Woman, which won the Oscar for Best Screenplay thanks to its scathing look at sexual assault. Well, the Em's are coming together for this new adaptation.

Here's everything we know about Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights — and your first look at the movie.

Here's Your First Look At 'Wuthering Heights'

The first look at Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights is getting some seriously mixed reactions. The photo features a close-up image of someone (maybe Margot Robbie's) with their fingers and a few blades of grass in their mouth.

"CAN NOT WAIT," one Instagram user said, along with a couple fire emojis. But the intimate (and somewhat shocking) image also has some users asking, "what in the saltburn?"

Is Wuthering Heights going to be in theaters?

Focus Features

It appears director Emerald Fennell and producer Margot Robbie are pushing for a theatrical release, which is why they've reportedly turned down a Netflix offer of $150 million.

Despite the fact Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said theatrical releases are "just not our business," and the company has stuck to at-home streaming instead, they did break that pattern for Knives Out: Glass Onion in 2022. The movie appeared in around 600 theaters the day before Thanksgiving, but left a week later ahead of its December 23 debut on the streamer.

Co-CEO Reed Hastings told The Hollywood Reporter that keeping the movie in theaters could have made Netflix more money, but later said they just wanted to "break through the noise" and get movie lovers excited for the film to come to Netflix.

All that to be said, Margot Robbie (whose Barbie made over $1 billion worldwide) and Emerald Fennell (whose Promising Young Woman nabbed her an Oscar win and two other nominations) know how to capture the imaginations of movie lovers everywhere. And it could definitely be in their favor to stick to a theatrical release. Stay tuned for official news on where you can watch Wuthering Heights!

Who's in the new Wuthering Heights movie?

Frazer Harrison/Monica Schipper/Getty Images

Wuthering Heights Cast

The Wuthering Heights movie will be led by Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie as Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, respectively. Margot will also produce with her production company LuckyChap, which worked behind the scenes on Emerald Fennell's Saltburn and Promising Young Woman.

While some fans were initially excited about the casting, others were concerned about the fact that in the book, Heathcliff is described as "dark skinned." He also tells Nelly that, "I wish I had light hair and a fair skin, and was dressed, and behaved as well, and had a chance of being as rich as he will be!" Um, it looks like Jacob Elordi definitely has fair skin to me.

"Heathcliff is described as a dark-skinned brown man in the book and a major plot point is that he was subjected to racist abuse by his adopted family," one tweet (which has over 8 million views) says. "But yeah sure Jacob Elordi is perfect!"

Another says, "Film studios will say 'We are committed to diverse casting' and then cast Jacob Elordi to play Heathcliff, one of the more famous people of color in literature, whose race is crucial to both his character and the story."

Check back here to see who will play characters like Edgar Linton, Nelly Dean, Isabella Linton, and Lockwood.

When is Wuthering Heights coming out?

Warner Bros. Pictures

Wuthering Heights Release Date

Wuthering Heights will premiere on February 14, 2026. Happy Valentine's Day!

What is Wuthering Heights about?

Amazon

Wuthering Heights Plot

Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights follows the Earnshaws and the Lintons, who are living in the Yorkshire Moors in the 1880s. Their lives change forever when the Earnshaws take in Heathcliff. Like any good dramatic novel, passion lies beneath proper connections, marriages, and societal expectations — and despite Catherine and Heathcliffe's feelings for each other, they have to choose between security and love.

Check out 16 New Movies Based On Books To Add To Your Watchlist to inspire your next movie night!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

This post has been updated.

If you've been on the internet at all in the last week, there's a chance you've seen THAT Hollywood Reporter magazine cover. You know, the one about Justin Baldoni's Baha'i faith, with artwork of Justin holding a copy of It Ends With Us and Blake Lively slingshotting her phone at him. It's very evocative — or "sexist," according to Blake Lively. But no matter what you think, there's a good chance it'll make you say, "What am I looking at?"

Here's how Justin Baldoni's Baha'i religion reportedly influenced the making of It Ends With Us.

Is the Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni feud just "a perfect storm of two opposing personalities”?

Sony Pictures Releasing

The Justin Baldoni vs. Blake Lively legal battle hinges on Blake's claims that Justin sexually harassed her on set (and then orchestrated a campaign to ruin her reputation), while Justin considers her "outrageous" claims to be defamation. The Hollywood Reporter reports Ryan Reynolds has been "extremely active" trying to "drum up as much support" as possible in their personal and professional lives.

As we get closer to their March 2026 trial (and see countless websites, text leaks, and voice memos from both parties), one insider wonders if the whole situation boils down to "two opposing personalities."

“The Justin that I know isn’t capable of doing the things that he’s accused of doing because he truly sees himself as this feminist. But Blake clearly got grossed out,” the insider tells THR. “I honestly feel like it was a perfect storm of two opposing personalities.”

According to THR, the Baha'i faith has over 5 million followers in more than 230 countries, with 3,000 members in LA alone — including Rainn Wilson, Penn Badgley, and Justin. While one source from Justin's 2019 film Five Feet Apart claims it “had shades of Scientology," another says they'd never "worked with a male director who was so worried about everyone’s emotional and mental well-being."

“There was an openness and emotionality to his style that was more typical of a woman, and it probably wouldn’t be an issue if it was a [female director] because of the preconceived notions of gender," they continue. "But if you get a bunch of teamsters together who are told that they should share their feelings, of course someone is going to ask, ‘Why is he such a freak?’ But [Justin] genuinely believes that if we do this, we’ll work better as a group. There’s a little bit of an arrogance to it. It’s like he doesn’t want to acknowledge the world we live in.”

Blake Lively just spoke out about the "extremely offensive" story, saying it "seems to explain away documented examples of sexual harassment and retaliation by calling them ‘cultural misunderstandings.'"

What do you think about the idea this is all just a "misunderstanding"? Let us know in the comments.

Any Hunger Games fan will agree that one of the best parts about Catching Fire is that it offers a whole new look at Haymitch Abernathy's character. The mentor (played by Woody Harrelson in the film franchise) won the 2nd Quarter Quell, and the brief mention of his Games totally captured fans' attention, leading to fan art, fanfiction, and even some viral short films. Well, we're finally getting the full story thanks to a brand new Haymitch Hunger Games book, just in time for spring 2025!

Here's everything we know about Sunrise On The Reaping, coming March 2025.

Who's narrating the audiobook?

Cam McLeod/Paramount

It was confirmed on February 3 that Yellowstone actor Jefferson White will narrate the Sunrise on the Reaping audiobook.

“It's an honor to be a small part of a world I’ve loved for so long — Suzanne Collins is a genius and it's equal parts exhilarating and terrifying to be back in Panem," he told People.

See The Official 'Sunrise On The Reaping' Cover

Amazon

The Sunrise on the Reaping cover was unveiled the morning of October 16 and it's just as beautiful as we hoped! It continues the tradition from the other books of a bold background color with gold and white accents, and I'll admit I was surprised when I first saw the snake and the mockingjay. The snake is obviously a nod to President Snow, and we know that both Lucy Gray Baird and Katniss Everdeen are two songbirds the President was never able to shake. Will Haymitch Abernathy become one as well?

In the original books, Haymitch starts out as an angry man with no friends or family who always has a drink in his hand, but by the end of Mockingjay, he's a wise, caring father figure for Katniss — and I'm betting Sunrise on the Reaping will show us plenty of those character traits as he has to make his way through the Hunger Games.

One detail on the cover that concerns me is the fact the snake and the songbird are connected, and that a sun sits between them. David Levithan, Scholastic's vice president, publisher, and editorial director told TODAY that just like the other covers, this one features "one of the central themes of the series: how conflicting forces can be connected by their common nature, the songbird and the snake springing from the same source."

When is Sunrise on the Reaping coming out?

Lionsgate

Sunrise on the Reaping will hit stores on March 18, 2025.

What is the Sunrise on the Reaping going to be about?

Scholastic/Instagram

The new Hunger Games book is called Sunrise on the Reaping. According to the official announcement, the story will take place 24 years before The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the 50th Games' reaping. While fans had hoped the story would chronicle Haymitch's victory, it wasn't confirmed until October 16. Read the full synopsis below:

"As the day dawns on the 50th annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight ... and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena."

Can you preorder Sunrise on the Reaping?

Murray Close/Lionsgate

Yes, you can pre-order the book now!

What happened in Haymitch's Hunger Games?

Lionsgate

As a Quarter Quell, the 50th Hunger Games had a twist. Just like the 75th Hunger Games pulled the tributes from the existing victors, the 50th required double the tributes, meaning Haymitch (who was 16 years old at the time) was one of 48 tributes, not 24.

The arena was a breathtaking landscape with a forest, snow-capped mountains, and beautiful flowers. But Haymitch quickly realized the beauty was a trap, and that everything in the arena was poisonous. He was able to outsmart the rest of the competitors, but after he used the forcefield against the other remaining tribute to secure his victory (a move that offended the Capitol), President Snow retaliated by killing his family and his girlfriend.

Is Sunrise on the Reaping about Haymitch?

Murray Close/Lionsgate

Yes, Sunrise on the Reaping is about Haymitch Abernathy and his win during the 50th Hunger Games.

Check out The 27 Most-Anticipated New Books Debuting In 2024 for more titles coming soon!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

This post has been updated.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande immediately went viral (and got awards season buzz) for their performances in Wicked. Both women are so engaging, full of life, and magnetic in the movie, which sees their characters in a rivals-turned-BFF's plotline at Shiz University. But as we move into Wicked: Part Two (titled Wicked: For Good), and their characters become established in Oz, Cynthia teases we'll see more "spice" than before.

Here's what Cynthia Erivo had to say about Wicked: Part Two (AKA For Good) at the SAG Awards.

'Wicked: For Good' has a "little bit of spice."

At the 2025 SAG Awards on February 23, Cynthia Erivo spilled on what fans can expect from Wicked: Part Two, which is scheduled to premiere November 21, 2025.

"I think you can expect a little bit of spice in the second part because they've grown up a little bit," she tells People. "They're not in school anymore; they've stepped into their careers and stepped into their choices and we'll see a little bit of spice, I think. For sure. It's necessary." Okay, that totally makes me think of "As Long As You're Mine." It gives me butterflies every time I hear the original Broadway version, and I can't wait to hear Cynthia and Jonathan Bailey sing the movie version.

And this isn't the first time one of our leads has spoken on the new movie! On February 9, Ariana Grande told the Santa Barbara International Festival the Wicked sequel will be "very special" and "very emotional." (Get ready for another press tour full of tears!) "So if movie one is about choices, movie two is about consequences."

"I think the second movie really embodies unconditional love and forgiveness and friendship," she says. "And you'll have to wait and see, but it is quite different."

Even if Wicked: For Good is different than Part 1, one thing's for sure: the cast's bond will shine through just as strongly.

Ethan Slater told Brit + Co in November 2024 that the cast really came to feel like a family. He says Ariana, Cynthia, and director Jon M. Chu "would hug everyone who came in."

"The first day I think every actor had a minimum two-hour meeting with Jon just to walk through all of the designs and all the things and talk about character," he continues. "From from the very beginning, it just felt like it's really safe...This huge movie is something that we've been waiting for for 20 years on a big scale with the biggest stars in the world, it could have felt really intimidating and it felt really familial immediately."

Are you excited for Wicked: Part Two? Follow us on Facebook for the latest movie news and check out our exclusive interview with actress Michelle Yeoh!

Tummy control jeans are the ultimate fashion hack for getting that smooth, sculpted look without ever sacrificing comfort. These 10 pairs of tummy control jeans are specially designed with flattering fits and built-in shaping panels in order to hug your bod in all the right places! Whether you love a classic skinny jean, a trendy flare fit, or a sleek straight-leg cut, get ready for a huge confidence boost with these tummy control jeans!

Scroll on for our top 10 favorite pairs of tummy control jeans to inspire your next outfit!

Spanx

SpanxShape EveryWear Flare Jeans

These jeans flatter you in every way possible with a comfy 4-way stretch denim and a fun flared silhouette that helps elongate your legs. Made without any zippers or buttons, they go on with unbelievable ease.

Land's End

Land's End Recover High Rise Wide Leg Blue Jeans

The high waist is where it's at with these tummy control jeans. It's fashioned to fit right up against your body, so you won't be getting that weird waist gap we all despise.

Amazon

Sidefeel High Waisted Stretchy Jeans

Stretchy is the keyword here! While these jeans move and curve with your every move, your tummy and waistline will be utterly flattered with the wide waistband and double-button closure.

American Eagle

American Eagle Stretch Super High-Waisted Straight Jeans

These high-waisted jeans flaunt a mid-weight structured denim that has ample stretch, but are rigid enough to hold you in, especially around the tum. The straight leg silhouette instantly qualifies them for easy everyday wear.

Nordstrom

Hidden Jeans Clean Stretch Raw Hem Wide Leg Jeans

These retro-esque jeans will let you lean into all things throwback style without feeling restricted or uncomfortable. The high waist will shape your body to a tee as you move freely, thanks to the "stretch-kissed" denim.

Quince

Quince Bella Stretch Wide Leg Jeans

The denim these wide leg jeans are made of is said to be super stretchy, which is very important if you plan to wear them on long days. The high-rise waist is "curve-hugging" so you'll always feel flattered. With a subtle flare, these would look iconic with ballet flats and boots alike.

Spanx

SpanxShape EveryWear Wide Leg Jeans

These easy-wearing jeans are specially manufactured with Spanx's TummyTamer technology that helps shape your waist. The wide leg moment celebrates and elongates your figure with every wear!

Amazon

Democracy Ab Solution High Rise Ankle Jeans

Skinny jeans lovers, here's a tummy control pair for you! All the details come together to flatter your tummy and waistline, including a super-stretch denim fabric, slimming panels, and a hidden inner elastic waistband.

Old Navy

Old Navy Curvy Extra High-Waisted Wide-Leg Jeans

The wash on these high-waisted jeans is everything. This pair features a "roomy leg with fuller hips," so they're ideal if you've got curves.

Amazon

Levi's 311 Shaping Skinny Jeans

If you can't stand the feeling of a high waistline, these mid-rise jeans offer a comfier alternative, though they're still insanely flattering on, thanks to the shaping in the hips and thighs.

Subscribe to our newsletter for more style + shopping inspo!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.